Gary B. Myrick is Secretary for the Majority of the United States Senate.[1]

Gary B. Myrick
Secretary for the Majority of the United States Senate
Assumed office
January 20, 2021
Preceded byRobert M. Duncan
In office
January 3, 2011 – January 3, 2015
Preceded byLula J. Davis
Succeeded byLaura C. Dove
Secretary for the Minority of the United States Senate
In office
January 3, 2015 – January 20, 2021
Preceded byLaura C. Dove
Succeeded byRobert M. Duncan
Personal details
ResidenceArlington, Virginia
Alma materUniversity of Maine, American University

As Secretary for the Majority, Myrick is chief procedural advisor to the Senate Democratic Leader, Senator Charles Schumer, and supervises the majority's reaction to the day-to-day Senate schedule.[2] Roll Call reporters and editors have repeatedly cited Myrick among leading Capitol Hill staffers.[3] Myrick helped manage Senate passage of, among other things, the Water Resources Development Act of 2013,[4] the 2013 Farm Bill,[5] and the immigration reform bill of 2013.[6]

Myrick served as Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s Chief of Staff in the 110th and 111th Congresses. In this post, Myrick oversaw the Majority Leader’s staff and was responsible for helping craft policy, develop strategy, and conduct outreach on behalf of the Majority Leader and Democratic Caucus.[7] The Senate elected Myrick Secretary for the Majority on January 5, 2011.[8] After the Republicans took back the majority in the 2014 elections, Myrick moved from Secretary for the Majority to Secretary for the Minority. In January 2021, he returned to being Secretary for the Majority.[1]

Myrick joined Senator Reid’s office in 2003, when Reid, then Senate Minority Whip, asked him to serve as his Floor Counsel. In this position, Myrick quickly became one of Senator Reid’s top aides, and in 2005 he was named Deputy Chief of Staff.[7]

Schumer is the fourth Senate Democratic Leader for whom Myrick has worked. He started his Senate career as an intern for Senate Majority Leader George J. Mitchell while attending the University of Maine. After graduating, he moved to Washington, D.C., to work as a staff assistant in Senator Mitchell’s office and as a member of Mitchell’s Cloakroom staff. While working in the Democratic Cloakroom, Myrick attended night classes at the Washington College of Law at American University, earning a J.D. in 1995. When Mitchell retired in 1995, Gary joined the Senate Floor Staff under incoming Democratic Leader Tom Daschle.[7]

Myrick lives in Arlington, Virginia, with his wife, Lauren, and their son, Henry.[7]

References

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  1. ^ a b "S.Res.10 - A resolution electing Gary B. Myrick, of Virginia, as Secretary for the Majority of the Senate". United States Congress. Retrieved January 21, 2021.
  2. ^ See Jackie Kucinich and Emily Pierce, “Top Staff Exodus Leads to Brain Drain; Veteran Democratic Aides Tire of 24-7 Grind,” Roll Call, January 18, 2011; Dan Friedman, “Harry Reid Announces Staff Switch,” National Journal, November 17, 2010.
  3. ^ See, e.g., "The Fabulous 50," Archived 2013-08-16 at the Wayback Machine Roll Call, February 12, 2013, page 18; “The Roll Call Fabulous 50,” Roll Call, September 13, 2012, page B-11; “The Roll Call Fabulous 50,” Roll Call, January 23, 2012, page B-8. See also “Who's who of Hill staffers,” Politico, December 8, 2010.
  4. ^ See Congressional Record, volume 159, page S3498[permanent dead link] (May 15, 2013) (statement of Senator Barbara Boxer).
  5. ^ See Congressional Record, volume 159, page S4044[permanent dead link] (June 10, 2013) (statement of Senator Debbie Stabenow)
  6. ^ See Congressional Record, volume 159, pages S5354[permanent dead link] and S5479[permanent dead link] (June 27, 2013) (statements of Senators Patrick Leahy and Chuck Schumer).
  7. ^ a b c d "Gary Myrick". United States Senate. Retrieved August 8, 2013.
  8. ^ S. Res. 5 (112th Congress) (January 5, 2011); Congressional Record, volume 157, page S14[permanent dead link] (January 5, 2011).
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