TRIBUTE TO JO ELLEN DEUTSCH

On 2026-01-07, Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) delivered a floor speech titled "TRIBUTE TO JO ELLEN DEUTSCH" in the Senate. The speech addressed taxes and also covered labor policy, voting rights. It referenced legislation: S87.

TRIBUTE TO JO ELLEN DEUTSCH

Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 4 (Wednesday, January 7, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 4 (Wednesday, January 7, 2026)] [Senate] [Page S87] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] TRIBUTE TO JO ELLEN DEUTSCH Ms. BALDWIN. Mr. President, I rise today to recognize the extraordinary career and service of Jo Ellen Deutsch, who recently retired after a nearly 40-year career focused on ensuring and expanding rights for all Americans. Jo graduated from Smith College in 1982 with a B.A. in American studies and later received her M.A. from the George Washington University, focused on women's studies, specializing in public policy and women's history. Although her activism began long before her college years, Jo jumped immediately into advocacy and public service as she began her professional career. On Capitol Hill, Jo spent a year as a fellow in Representative Barbara Boxer's Washington, DC, office. She then joined the Association of Flight Attendants, as their director of government affairs, focusing on passing a ban on smoking in-flight to protect workers and passengers from secondhand smoke. Later, with roles at both the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees and the Commercial Workers International Union, Jo continued her work to support and defend the rights of working men and women across our Nation. In 2011, Jo joined Freedom to Marry as their Federal director, with the goal of overturning the so-called Defense of Marriage Act which defined marriage as between one man and one woman. Jo, as she did with all her efforts, threw herself wholeheartedly into this fight for equality. She built coalitions--including Mayors for the Freedom to Marry, Young Conservatives for the Freedom to Marry, and the Respect for Marriage Coalition--signaling that there was sustained momentum and progress across our Nation in support of the freedom to marry. She used her deep knowledge of the inner workings of Capitol Hill to build support with a bipartisan coalition of Members in the House of Representatives and in the Senate. Jo's sustained efforts paved the way for change across the Nation. After 2015's landmark Supreme Court ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges, establishing the freedom to marry across the country, Jo turned her advocacy into sustained mentorship. She established the Deutsch Initiatives Group, sharing her experiences and expertise in lobbying, management, training, and messaging. She later joined the Campaign Legal Center to advocate for critical reforms goals to the laws undergirding our democracy, particularly with regard to campaign finance, ethics, and voting rights laws. Jo's landmark work at Freedom to Marry paved the way for legislation I was proud to help author and usher into law in 2022, the Respect for Marriage Act. This act repealed the Defense of Marriage Act and ensured that under Federal law, you were free to marry the person that you love. And love has always been at the center of Jo's world. Together with her wife Teresa, they have centered their family in their adopted home of Maryland. After 29 years together, in 2013, they were married with their three children serving as their wedding attendants, an event I was honored to attend. I am delighted to congratulate my friend Jo on a wonderful and deeply impactful career. The ripples of her determination and advocacy will be felt for generations to come, and I am thrilled to see what the next chapter holds for her, Teresa, and their family. ____________________