John,

As we celebrate International Women’s Day, I want to recognize someone whose name doesn’t appear in the headlines about Capitol Hill, but is an essential part of my work as a Senator.

I’m talking about my Senate chief of staff, Veronica Duron.

Veronica’s leadership style is rooted in love and compassion, which as you can probably tell, is a perfect fit for the kind of work I want to do in the Senate and the legislation we work to pass.

You may be familiar that in the history of the U.S. Senate, only 11 Black Senators have been seated in the chamber. I am one of those Senators.

But did you know that Veronica is one of an even fewer number of Latina chiefs of staff to lead a U.S. Senate office?

For too long, the halls of power in Washington have not been reflective of the true diversity of our country, and that has excluded people who look like Veronica and me from crafting the legislative agenda to serve all of the American people.

Our office is working hard to change that.

Veronica has been in the trenches of the fights to save the Affordable Care Act from repeal and stop the gutting of Medicaid during the Trump administration, and has been an indispensable leader in our office the past few years — some of the most productive in terms of legislative accomplishments in recent memory.

In a Congress and a world that too often relies on division, Veronica brings a calm, steady, and unifying tone to all the work we do.

Thank you, Veronica. Today and every day.

Thanks for reading. Happy International Women’s Day.

With love and gratitude,

Cory