Short story from Congress

It was the beginning of the second session of the 113th Congress and my amazing boss, the Congressman and I were working to get what seemed like the impossible, 290 co-sponsors to push through the House of Representatives, the Congressional Gold Medal for Shimon Peres. I was one of the key staffers responsible for shepherding it through the congressional process and making sure the language comported with the rules to receive the medal, while it politically didn’t stir discourse with mentioning peace or the peace process. The House version of the bill had a dominate lead of democrats and virtually less than ten republican co-sponsors. Further, I understood that House Leadership Rules limited only two medals to be awarded a year, and that had already expired. At the same time, I had my own moral pressure to get it done before Peres finished his presidency at the age of ninety-one, along with my long-time desire and dream to meet one of Israel’s greatest leaders.

I called the senior staffer on the financial services committee - the committee of jurisdiction for the bill - and he told me two things at hearing my desperation that I’ll never forget. One, “This was above his pay grade,’ and two, ‘Don’t be discouraged, Congress has the power to change the laws of time, gravity and space.” From there, the bill continued to go sideways.  

Later that year, I sat very quietly and separately from my wife in the last seat in the rotunda as the Congressional Gold Medal was bestowed onto President Peres. We were hoping that all the hard work of getting hundreds of republican co-sponsors onboard each individually, leadership overlooking the rules, the legislation on the agenda and passed,  the medal designed, struck & minted quicker than any other before, the Capitol reserved by an Act of Congress, the ceremony prepared by the Speaker’s office, and so on – that we would finally get the chance to meet perhaps Israel’s most esteemed leader, or at least say hello. But it did not, as everyone that either supported it, never was there to assist it, and even those that opposed it showed up for the ceremonies on the Hill and special events at the Willard Hotel. In the end my original dream of meeting him was overtaken by everyone being exceedingly proud that this brought us all together to celebrate the US-Israel relationship.