Barbara A. Mikulski 

U.S. SENATOR FROM MARYLAND 

TRIBUTES

IN THE CONGRESS OF 

THE UNITED STATES 

UNUM

E PLURIBUS

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Barbara A. Mikulski 

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U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE

WASHINGTON : 2012

S. DOC. 112–6 

Tributes

Delivered in Congress 

Barbara A. Mikulski 

United States Congressman 

1977–1987

United States Senator 

1987–

÷ 

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Compiled under the direction 

of the 

Joint Committee on Printing 

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[ iii ] 

CONTENTS

Page

Biography .................................................................................................. v 

Proceedings in the Senate: 

Tributes by Senators: 

Akaka, Daniel K., of Hawaii ..................................................... 105 

Alexander, Lamar, of Tennessee ............................................... 109 

Baucus, Max, of Montana .......................................................... 38 

Begich, Mark, of Alaska ............................................................ 98 

Bennet, Michael F., of Colorado ................................................ 87 

Bingaman, Jeff, of New Mexico ................................................ 37 

Blumenthal, Richard, of Connecticut ....................................... 110 

Boxer, Barbara, of California .................................................... 20 

Brown, Sherrod, of Ohio ............................................................ 80 

Cantwell, Maria, of Washington ............................................... 73 

Cardin, Benjamin L., of Maryland ............................................ 17 

Carper, Thomas R., of Delaware ............................................... 71 

Casey, Robert P., Jr., of Pennsylvania ..................................... 103 

Cochran, Thad, of Mississippi ................................................... 34 

Collins, Susan M., of Maine ...................................................... 33 

Conrad, Kent, of North Dakota ................................................. 94 

Coons, Christopher A., of Delaware ......................................... 50 

Durbin, Richard J., of Illinois ................................................... 8, 82 

Enzi, Michael B., of Wyoming ................................................... 35 

Feinstein, Dianne, of California ................................................ 4 

Franken, Al, of Minnesota ......................................................... 75 

Gillibrand, Kirsten E., of New York ......................................... 62 

Hagan, Kay R., of North Carolina ............................................ 3, 100 

Harkin, Tom, of Iowa ................................................................. 89 

Hatch, Orrin G., of Utah ........................................................... 7, 34 

Hutchison, Kay Bailey, of Texas ............................................... 23 

Isakson, Johnny, of Georgia ...................................................... 49 

Johnson, Tim, of South Dakota ................................................. 95 

Kerry, John F., of Massachusetts ............................................. 28 

Klobuchar, Amy, of Minnesota .................................................. 69 

Kohl, Herb, of Wisconsin ........................................................... 108 

Landrieu, Mary L., of Louisiana ............................................... 84 

Lautenberg, Frank R., of New Jersey ...................................... 59 

Leahy, Patrick J., of Vermont ................................................... 102 

Levin, Carl, of Michigan ............................................................ 31 

Lieberman, Joseph I., of Connecticut ....................................... 87 

Manchin, Joe, III, of West Virginia .......................................... 58 

McCaskill, Claire, of Missouri ................................................... 106 

McConnell, Mitch, of Kentucky ................................................. 15 

Menendez, Robert, of New Jersey ............................................. 53 

Mikulski, Barbara A., of Maryland .......................................... 39 

Murkowski, Lisa, of Alaska ....................................................... 51 

Murray, Patty, of Washington .................................................. 43 

Nelson, Ben, of Nebraska .......................................................... 110 

Nelson, Bill, of Florida ............................................................... 92 

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Page

Proceedings in the Senate:—Continued 

Tributes by Senators—Continued 

Pryor, Mark L., of Arkansas ..................................................... 104 

Reed, Jack, of Rhode Island ...................................................... 78 

Reid, Harry, of Nevada .............................................................. 3, 10 

Sanders, Bernard, of Vermont .................................................. 96 

Schumer, Charles E., of New York ........................................... 45 

Sessions, Jeff, of Alabama ......................................................... 70 

Shaheen, Jeanne, of New Hampshire ...................................... 56 

Snowe, Olympia J., of Maine ................................................... 65, 102 

Stabenow, Debbie, of Michigan ................................................. 93 

Udall, Mark, of Colorado ........................................................... 99 

Udall, Tom, of New Mexico ....................................................... 63 

Warner, Mark R., of Virginia .................................................... 88 

Webb, Jim, of Virginia ............................................................... 94 

Whitehouse, Sheldon, of Rhode Island ..................................... 47 

Wyden, Ron, of Oregon .............................................................. 82 

Proceedings in the House of Representatives: 

Tributes by Representatives: 

Fattah, Chaka, of Pennsylvania ............................................... 113 

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BIOGRAPHY

The people of Maryland elected BARBARA A. MIKULSKI to

be their U.S. Senator because she’s a fighter—looking out for 

the day-to-day needs of Marylanders and the long range 

needs of the Nation. 

Growing up in the Highlandtown neighborhood of East 

Baltimore, Senator MIKULSKI learned the values of hard 

work, neighbor helping neighbor, and heartfelt patriotism. 

She often saw her father open the family grocery store early 

so local steelworkers could buy lunch before the morning 

shift.

Determined to make a difference in her community, BARBARA MIKULSKI became a social worker in Baltimore, helping 

at-risk children and educating seniors about the Medicare 

Program. Social work evolved into community activism when 

Senator MIKULSKI successfully organized communities 

against a plan to build a 16-lane highway through Baltimore’s Fells Point neighborhood. She helped stop the road, 

saving Fells Point and Baltimore’s Inner Harbor, both thriving residential and commercial communities today. 

Senator MIKULSKI is a trailblazer. Her first election was a 

successful run for Baltimore City Council in 1971, where she 

served for 5 years. In 1976, she ran for Congress and won, 

representing Maryland’s Third district for 10 years. In 1986, 

she ran for Senate and won, becoming the first Democratic 

woman Senator elected in her own right. She was reelected 

with large majorities in 1992, 1998, 2004, and 2010. 

A leader in the Senate, BARBARA MIKULSKI is the dean of 

the women—serving as a mentor to other women Senators 

when they first take office. As the dean, she builds coalitions—proving that the Senate women are not solo acts, but 

work together to get things done. 

Senator MIKULSKI’s experiences as a social worker and activist provided valuable lessons that she draws on as a U.S. 

Senator. She believes her constituents have a right to know, 

a right to be heard, and a right to be represented. She listens to her constituents and makes the personal, political. 

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TRIBUTES

TO

BARBARA A. MIKULSKI 

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Proceedings in the Senate 

THURSDAY, March 15, 2012 

Mr. REID. Mr. President, on Saturday, Senator BARBARA

MIKULSKI becomes the longest serving woman in the history 

of the U.S. Congress. We will mark that occasion on Wednesday when her family and friends will be present here in the 

Capitol. I have prepared detailed remarks for that occasion, 

but I thought it was important that we note very briefly here 

today this milestone in the history of our country. 

Last January BARBARA MIKULSKI surpassed Margaret 

Chase Smith from Maine as the longest serving woman in 

the Senate. On Saturday, March 17, she will surpass Congresswoman Edith Nourse Rogers from Massachusetts as the 

longest serving woman in Congress. 

Mrs. HAGAN. . . . As I take the floor in support of the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act, it is fitting to recognize one of our fiercest advocates for women’s rights—my 

colleague and mentor Senator BARBARA MIKULSKI, who, on 

Saturday, will become the longest serving female congressional Member in history. 

For more than 35 trailblazing years, Senator MIKULSKI

has been a strong and unwavering voice for women, families, 

and the people of Maryland. She shepherded through the 

Lilly Ledbetter Act, which helps ensure that no matter your 

gender, race, religion, age, or disability, one will receive 

equal pay for equal work. She fought tenaciously for her important amendment to the health care reform legislation, ensuring that women’s preventive care would be covered with 

no added out-of-pocket expense. 

I thank Senator MIKULSKI for her mentorship, her leadership, and her fierce advocacy for women’s rights. I look forward to continuing to work alongside Senator MIKULSKI and

my colleagues to promote policies that support our women, 

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tion Act is central to that goal, and I urge my colleagues to 

take up this bill and pass it without delay. 

I yield the floor. 

WEDNESDAY, March 21, 2012 

PRAYER

The Chaplain, Dr. Barry C. Black, offered the following 

prayer:

Let us pray. 

O God, who loves us without ceasing, we turn our thoughts 

toward You. Remain with our Senators today so that for no 

single instance they will be unaware of Your providential 

power.

We thank You for Your infinite love that permits us to 

make mistakes yet still grow in grace and a knowledge of 

You. Lord, save us from any evil course or idle path that 

leads away from Your will. Today, we pray for the President 

of the United States and for the leaders in every land. Help 

them to bear their responsibilities with honor, and, Lord, 

today we also thank You for the amazing career of Senator 

BARBARA MIKULSKI.

We pray in Your holy Name. Amen. 

Mrs. FEINSTEIN. Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to a public servant, a social worker, and a tenacious advocate for vulnerable Americans. I rise today to honor a 

trailblazer and a mentor for me and countless others. I rise 

today to honor an outstanding U.S. Senator from Maryland 

and the dean of the Senate women, my friend BARBARA MIKULSKI.

I am privileged to have represented California in this body 

for almost 20 years. When I first ran for the Senate, back in 

1992, I received a call from BARBARA MIKULSKI, personally 

urging me on and reaching out to provide encouragement. 

I have relied on her advice, her friendship, and the Mikulski brand of candor ever since. As a matter of fact, one of my 

fondest evenings was a three-onion martini right down the 

street.

It is hard to believe, but when Senator MIKULSKI took office in 1987, there was only one other woman in this body, 

Senator Nancy Kassebaum, later Nancy Kassebaum Baker, 

the great Republican Senator from Kansas. Increasing the 

number of women in the Senate has been painfully slow. In 

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1991, the ranks of women in this body rose to three, then 

later to seven after the 1992 election. Today we have 17 

women in this body and 76 in the House. As Senator MIKULSKI reflected in the Washington Post last year: 

Women were so rare even holding statewide political office [back then] . . . 

I was greeted with a lot of skepticism from my male colleagues. Was I going 

to go the celebrity route or the Senate route? I had to work very hard. 

And she has. BARBARA has worked very hard to become an 

outstanding legislator and a trailblazing public official. Let 

me list a few of her firsts. She was the first female Democrat 

to serve in both Chambers of Congress—that in itself is impressive—the first female Democrat to be elected to the Senate without succeeding her husband or her father; the first 

woman to chair a Senate appropriations subcommittee; the 

first woman to serve a quarter century in the Senate; and 

the first woman elevated to a Senate leadership position. 

She is the only current Member of Congress in the National Women’s Hall of Fame. And she is not done yet. Just 

last week, BARB achieved another historic first. According to 

the Senate Historical Office, she reached 12,858 days of service, becoming the longest serving female Member of Congress 

in our Nation’s history. 

Senator MIKULSKI was born and raised in Baltimore. Determined to make a difference in her community—and you 

know that well, Mr. President—and guided by her Catholic 

belief and a belief in social justice, she became a social worker, helping at-risk children and educating seniors about 

Medicare. She once said, ‘‘I feel that I am my brother’s keeper and my sister’s keeper.’’ Social work evolved into community activism when Barb successfully organized communities 

against a plan to build a highway through Baltimore’s Fells 

Point neighborhood. 

Shortly thereafter, in 1971, she was elected to the Baltimore City Council where she served 5 years. That was about 

the time I was elected to the Board of Supervisors in 1970 

in San Francisco. In 1976, she ran for Congress and won, 

representing Maryland’s Third District for a decade. She was 

then elected to the Senate and has won reelection in 1992, 

1998, 2004, and 2010 by large majorities. 

As I said, BARB is an accomplished legislator. She is also 

one of the very best. She cares passionately about quality 

education and ensuring every student has access to higher 

education. She is a fighter for stem cell research to cure our 

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er on women’s health, writing laws requiring Federal standards for mammograms, and a fearless proponent of breast 

and cervical cancer screenings and treatment for uninsured 

women.

We serve together on the Intelligence Committee. She asks 

some of the most prescient questions. I have seen her commitment to the FBI, to fighting terrorism, and also to 

cybersecurity where she headed a task force for our committee that has resulted in the cybersecurity legislation 

newly pending. 

Finally, she has led the way to strengthen pay equity for 

women. The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Restoration Act is the 

law of the land today because of BARBARA MIKULSKI’s effort. 

As BARB said when we passed the bill: 

I believe that people should be judged solely by their individual skills, 

competence, unique talent and nothing else in the workplace. Once you get 

a job because of your skill and talent, you better get equal pay for equal 

work.

Or, in a manner that best captures BARB’s candor, she 

said, ‘‘Women of America, square your shoulders, put on your 

lipstick, suit up, and let’s close that wage gap once and for 

all.’’ To me, that is classic BARBARA MIKULSKI.

Let me close with a story. Every so often at BARBARA’s

leadership, the Senate women get together for dinner. There 

is no agenda or staff, just Republican women, Democratic 

women, and a lot of lively conversation. We talk about our 

families, we talk about the workplace, we talk about the 

world, and, of course, we even talk, to some extent, about 

this place. Sometimes we enjoy Senator MIKULSKI’s worldfamous crab cakes, the best you will ever taste, and second 

only to the Dungeness crab of the west coast, I might add. 

If you have not, make sure you try the recipe on her Web 

site. We talk about our families and the way we can work 

together. It is a throwback to the civility of the Senate. 

These dinners are when BARB really stands out as the dean 

of Senate women. 

Women in this country have always had to fight for the 

most basic of rights. I think young women forget that it was 

not until 1920 that we were able to vote in this country, and 

it was only because women fought for it. BARB will be the 

first to say her milestones are symbols of how far she has 

come. But she will also show us how much farther women 

have to go. 

Today we take it for granted that a woman can be Secretary of State—we have had two—or Speaker of the 

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House—we have had one—or a candidate for President. Not 

quite yet. Oh, no, I take that back. We have had one. And 

one day soon, a woman will sit in the Oval Office of this 

great country. When she does, she will owe a great deal to 

BARBARA MIKULSKI.

On this day, let the Congressional Record of this Senate 

reflect and forever record that Senator BARBARA MIKULSKI is

the longest serving woman in the history of the U.S. Congress, and this country is forever better because of it. 

I yield the floor. 

The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Utah. 

Mr. HATCH. Mr. President, I came here to talk on another 

matter, but I wish to take a few minutes to talk about my 

friend BARBARA MIKULSKI. We have served a long time together. When she came to this body, I think I may have been 

chairman of what was then called the Labor and Human Resources Committee, now the Health, Education, Labor, and 

Pensions Committee. 

From the day she got on that committee, she made a difference in every way, not just for women but for every single 

American in this country. I have a tremendous amount of 

profound respect for Senator MIKULSKI and what she has 

been able to accomplish. 

Let me mention one thing. Back in the early 1990s, she 

and I worked together on what was called the FDA Revitalization Act. That act was a very important one, because we 

had the FDA spread out all over the Greater Washington, 

DC, area, probably 30, 35 different offices, some of which 

were in converted chicken coops. It was ridiculous to have 

these top scientists in anything but a centralized location 

with top computerization and all of the other scientific instruments they need to do this work for the American people. I have to say that BARBARA MIKULSKI played a pivotal 

role in helping to develop that tremendous facility. I want 

you to know that I do not think it would have been developed without her effort and her dogged work to make sure 

that we now have a centralized—and it still needs improvement but centralized—FDA campus that literally is saving 

the lives of millions of people and making the lives of millions of people better. 

I could go on. I have a lot of respect for my distinguished 

colleague from Maryland. I would feel badly if I did not get 

up and tell people how much I do respect her. She believes 

in what she does. She loves this body, most of the time, I 

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think. And she cares for her fellow Senators. We care for her. 

I want her to know that. 

The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Illinois. 

Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I rise to join my colleagues 

in honoring our friend and colleague who is often regarded 

as the dean of the women in the Senate, BARBARA MIKULSKI.

Earlier this week Senator MIKULSKI added to her already 

long list of accomplishments the distinction of being the longest serving female Member of Congress in the history of the 

United States of America. 

Senator MIKULSKI’s life is a story of the American dream. 

Raised in a working-class immigrant family in the East Baltimore neighborhood of Highlandtown, Senator MIKULSKI

learned at a young age about the struggles of working families and ethnic Americans and the value of paying it forward. 

She helped at her father’s grocery store, which opened 

early in the morning so that steelworkers could buy lunch 

before their morning shift. She delivered food to seniors and 

families when parts of her neighborhood were set on fire 

after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King. At one 

point she even rode on the top of a tank to deliver the groceries.

Senator MIKULSKI’s roots helped shape her role today as a 

mentor, fighter, and true public servant. She worked as a social worker for Catholic Charities, helping at-risk children 

and counseling seniors on Medicare. She had her start in 

politics as a community organizer and social worker. 

In 1970—one side of BARBARA MIKULSKI her colleagues 

have certainly seen is her dogged determination—she organized Marylanders to stop a 16-lane highway project that 

would have threatened Fells Point and another neighborhood 

in Baltimore. She got the job done. Many people say that 

work helped to save Fells Point and the Inner Harbor, two 

of the showcase areas in the great city of Baltimore. She 

gave a speech at Catholic University to a Catholic conference 

on the ethnic American. It caught the attention not only of 

people in Baltimore but far beyond its reach as she talked 

about her family story and the story of millions just like her. 

One year later, she ran for and won a seat on the Baltimore City Council—the first step in her now 41-year career 

in public service. 

Over the course of the Senate’s 223-year history, there 

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mer Felton, of Georgia, was appointed for political reasons to 

fill a vacancy, and she served only a single day in 1922. 

Senator MIKULSKI has so many firsts in her story of public 

service. She was the first woman elected to the Senate in her 

own right—the first—and not because of a husband or father 

or someone who served before her in higher office. She was 

the first woman Democrat to serve in both Chambers of Congress—the first. Last year, she was inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame for her trailblazing political career, including, with this recognition today, becoming the 

longest serving woman Senator in the history of our Nation. 

Given her years of experience, it is no wonder other Members of Congress have turned to her for guidance, men and 

women alike. 

I can recall so many meetings of our Democratic caucus 

when, after a long debate involving many people saying 

many things, BARBARA MIKULSKI would stand and, in a few 

terse words, get it right. At the end of the day people would 

say, ‘‘That is what we ought to do.’’ She has this insight 

based on her life experience and her ability to try to peel 

through the layers of the political onion and get to the heart 

of the issue. 

Following the election of a number of esteemed women 

into the Senate, a lot of reporters deemed 1992 as the ‘‘Year 

of the Woman.’’ Senator MIKULSKI’s response was so typical 

and so right. This is what she said: ‘‘Calling 1992 the ‘year 

of the woman’ makes it sound like the ‘year of the caribou,’ 

or the ‘year of asparagus.’ We are not a fad, a fancy, or a 

year.’’

That was typical BARBARA. Senator MIKULSKI rises above 

and beyond all that. From her first days in the Senate in 

1987, she has fought an uphill battle to address the most important issues of national importance. 

First and foremost for her is her family. Next is her great 

State of Maryland. She is a fearless advocate, and I know 

the Presiding Officer knows that better than most as her colleague from that great State. 

She has supported educational initiatives, veterans causes, 

interstate commerce, access to health care and women’s 

health, and fair pay. 

The Chair knows the answer to this question, but some of 

those listening to the debate might not. What was the first 

bill that the newly elected President Barack Obama signed 

in the White House with a public ceremony? It was a bill 

BARBARA MIKULSKI pushed hard for, the Lilly Ledbetter Fair 

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Pay Act, so women going to work all over the United 

States—not just in the Senate—would get a fair shake when 

it came to the compensation for the jobs they did. It was 

President Obama’s first bill. When he signed it, the very first 

pen he handed over to Senator BARBARA MIKULSKI. I was 

there and I saw it. 

Championed by Senator MIKULSKI, the long-awaited and 

much needed bill clarifies time limits for workers to file unemployment discrimination lawsuits, making it easier for 

people to get the pay they deserve regardless of race, age, or 

gender.

I wish to start here—but I don’t know where I would 

end—to talk about the important issues she has worked for. 

Let me talk about health care for a minute. When we set out 

to pass this historic Affordable Health Care Act, BARBARA

was assigned the job to make sure it connected with the families and workers across America in a very real way, to make 

sure that at the end of the day we weren’t talking to ourselves or engaged in political gibberish but passing a law 

that could literally change a life for the better. She led that 

effort and made invaluable contributions to the substance of 

that bill. 

We knew those provisions would be important and that 

they would work because we knew where BARBARA MIKULSKI

came from and we knew where her political heart resides. 

While it is a milestone to celebrate Senator MIKULSKI’s distinction as the longest serving woman in the Congress, there 

is a much greater cause for celebration; Senator MIKULSKI’s

decades of service to this Nation is an admirable feat for any 

man or woman. 

I extend my congratulations to my colleague and friend, 

Senator MIKULSKI for this milestone. Thank you for what 

you have done for the Senate, for the State of Maryland, and 

for our great Nation. 

I yield the floor and suggest the absence of a quorum. 

Mr. REID. Mr. President, the hour of 2:30 having arrived, 

it is my honor and my pleasure to rise to honor a patriot, a 

pioneer, and now the longest serving woman in the Congress 

of the United States ever, and that is the senior Senator 

from Maryland, BARBARA MIKULSKI.

BARBARA and I served together in the House, and we came 

to the Senate together in 1986. I remember that day so well, 

when we had our first appearance in the Senate as new Senators. It was quite a moving event for me. But one of the 

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events I remember about that day is the presentation of Senator MIKULSKI.

We all said a word or two, and everything we said will be 

long forgotten. But what BARBARA MIKULSKI said, in the way 

she has of saying things, will not be forgotten. 

Here is this woman who is not even as tall as my wife, 

who is 5 feet tall, but she said, ‘‘I slam-dunked Linda Chavez,’’ her opponent. That said it all. 

That was the beginning of my working closely with this 

good woman. She has been a friend, an inspiration to me in 

so many different ways in the time we have served together. 

When we got on the Environment and Public Works Committee, she was here, and I was here. She was always ahead 

of me in seniority because of her longer service in the House. 

On the Appropriations Committee, for more than two decades, I was here, she was here. She was always one ahead 

of me. 

BARBARA was the first Democratic woman elected to the 

Senate in her own right. Last year, she surpassed the legendary Margaret Chase Smith of Maine as the longest serving woman in the history of the Senate. On Saturday, she officially surpassed Congresswoman Edith Nourse Rogers of 

Massachusetts, who, by the way, served in the House from 

1925 to 1960 as the longest serving woman in the history of 

the Congress. 

Senator MIKULSKI’s service—and the service of many female Members of Congress—has paved the way for girls of 

today to know they can become Senators, they can become 

professional basketball players, and they can be engineers 

and doctors. The sky is the place they need to go, and that 

is where they believe they can go because of the work that 

has been done by BARBARA MIKULSKI.

When I came to the Senate with her, she was the only 

woman who served in the Senate as a Democrat. There was 

one other woman at the time, a Republican. Now, since then, 

Mr. President, I have watched very closely on this side of the 

aisle. Now we have 12 Democrats, and if the elections turn 

out the way I hope they do—and I am cautiously optimistic 

they will—we will have 17 women who are Democrats in the 

Senate.

She has been truly a trailblazer. We recognize BARBARA’s

achievements today and her outstanding record as a tireless 

advocate for the State of Maryland. She grew up in the 

Highlandtown neighborhood of East Baltimore. She learned 

the value of hard work by working with and watching her 

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dad, especially, open that family grocery store and work from 

early in the morning until night. He sold lunch to steelworkers and other people who came by that little grocery 

store.

In high school she was educated by the nuns at the Institute of Notre Dame. She credits the nuns with instilling in 

her faith and a thirst for justice. She went on to study at 

Mount Saint Agnes College, which is now part of Loyola College in Maryland. She earned her master’s degree in social 

work from the University of Maryland. 

BARBARA was a social worker and has always been proud 

of the fact that she has been a social worker. She was employed by Catholic Charities and the city of Baltimore’s Department of Social Services. I can imagine what a dynamo 

she was—and she still is. There is no work harder than 

being a social worker. The problems one sees and has to deal 

with are extremely difficult. 

During her years as a social worker, she was a powerful 

voice for children and seniors in need of an advocate. BARBARA MIKULSKI then and now is an advocate. It was there 

the spark for service and activism was lit, but it was a plan 

to build a 16-lane highway that fanned the flames that had 

been lit by her activism. 

The highway would have gutted historic Fells Point, a 

neighborhood that she believed should have been protected. 

It would have uprooted homeowners in a majority African 

American neighborhood. She organized the residents of Fells 

Point and Baltimore’s Inner Harbor and stopped the construction of that highway. 

That is a testament to the power of democracy that she believes in with all her soul. Looking back on that triumph, 

Senator MIKULSKI said:

I got into politics fighting a highway. In other countries, they take dissidents and put them in jail. In the United States of America, because of 

the First Amendment, they put you in the U.S. Senate. God bless America. 

She has always been an advocate for the disenfranchised 

and disadvantaged in this country, but she has also been an 

advocate for dissidents in other countries, of whom she has 

spoken so eloquently on so many occasions. Her family was 

Polish. She has heard all the Polish jokes, and she has withstood a little of the ‘‘barbs’’ when neighborhoods were different than they are now. But she took special pleasure and 

was so proud of her heritage. 

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ple of Poland started a fledgling little group called Solidarity—a movement to engage in nonviolent resistance 

against communism and in support of social change. 

Senator MIKULSKI and I had the wonderful pleasure of 

traveling under the guidance of a trip led by John Glenn— 

a world-famous man then and now. It was a wonderful trip 

for a couple of new Senators. The Iron Curtain was down, 

and it was down hard, but we went to Poland on a codel. I 

can remember we had the opportunity to meet with members 

of the Solidarity movement. We met in secret with them, in 

a secret location, and Senator Glenn talked, Senator Stevens, 

then a senior Member of the Senate at the time spoke, and 

I said I would like to hear from Senator MIKULSKI.

Now, Mr. President, I am not articulate enough to explain 

the presentation she made extemporaneously, but this powerful woman stood and talked about her heritage and her religion and what that meant to the people of America and 

what it should mean to the people of Poland. It was truly— 

and I have told her this personally over the years on several 

occasions to remind her—one of the most heart-warming, 

stirring speeches I have ever been present to listen to. She 

spoke to the people assembled there—there weren’t many of 

them—as a fellow activist. She spoke as an American of Polish descent and a fellow Catholic. She spoke as one of them. 

When that presentation was completed, everyone knew she 

was one of them. 

It took almost a decade for the Solidarity movement to 

strike victory in Poland, and I know Senator MIKULSKI’s

speech was not the reason, but I guarantee you it was one 

of the reasons they had the audacity and the courage to proceed as they did. 

Remember, Poland was the only country behind the Iron 

Curtain where the Communists could not destroy their educational system, and that was because of the strength of the 

Catholic Church in Poland at that time. Solidarity’s victory 

in Poland inspired a stream of peaceful anti-Communist revolutions that eventually caused the fall of communism entirely all over Eastern Europe. 

BARBARA’s Polish ancestry and the Polish community in 

which she grew up in Baltimore were very important to her, 

but I never knew it until that moment in Warsaw with those 

few members of Solidarity who were assembled to honor us. 

Her great-grandmother had come here from Poland with 

just a few pennies in her pocket—literally—but she had a 

dream of a better life for her and her family. This is what 

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BARBARA MIKULSKI said about her great-grandmother: ‘‘She 

didn’t even have the right to vote, and in this great country 

of ours, in three generations, I joined the U.S. Senate.’’ 

It was a remarkable feat for her. But, more important, it 

was a confirmation of the American dream. For BARBARA,

what began as community activism, a fight against a highway, grew into a successful career in public service. 

I want to add a sidenote, Mr. President, and talk about 

something very personal to me. When Senator David Pryor 

got sick, he was the Democratic conference secretary in the 

Senate. That opened up a spot in the Senate leadership. 

That was something I thought would be interesting to me. It 

was known who was interested in filling that spot, and I 

knew BARBARA was interested. 

I went to BARBARA and said, ‘‘BARBARA, if you want it, it 

is yours.’’ Two years later, Wendell Ford decided he was 

going to retire. He was the whip. I can still remember that 

morning walking from the Hart Building over to the Russell 

Building, in that long walkway there, and I saw BARBARA

MIKULSKI. I didn’t say a word to her. 

She said, ‘‘I want to talk to you. You supported me when 

I wanted to be the conference secretary. You want to be the 

whip, I am supporting you.’’ But for BARBARA MIKULSKI, I 

would not have had that leadership position. Once the Democratic caucus knew BARBARA MIKULSKI supported me, it was 

all over. I won. And I won because she came to me, as she 

did that morning. 

So, Mr. President, my respect, admiration, and love for 

this woman is difficult for me to describe, but it is there. 

BARBARA MIKULSKI ran for Congress and won after serving 

on the city council of Baltimore for 5 years. She represented 

Maryland’s Third District for 10 years before winning the 

seat in the Senate she now holds. 

Again, I appreciate all she has done for me—so many different things she has done for me. As a very able member 

of the Appropriations Committee and somebody who loves 

this institution, I am in awe of the legislative record of this 

amazing woman. 

She has been a dedicated representative not only for the 

State of Maryland but the State of Nevada. One thing she 

did for me—and there have been a lot of them—when we 

were new Senators and she was on one of the subcommittees 

of the Appropriations Committee concerning veterans benefits and affairs, as a favor to me she traveled to Reno, NV, 

to look at an old veterans hospital. She went through it and 

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said, ‘‘This is not the way a veterans hospital should be, and 

I, BARBARA MIKULSKI, am going to change it.’’ And she did. 

Through the appropriations process we renovated and improved that hospital so it was one of the better hospitals at 

the time. So I am grateful for this good woman, an advocate 

for parity for women on everything from salary to health 

care access. But for BARBARA MIKULSKI the National Institutes of Health would not have a center for women. She got 

a little upset when she learned they had done a study of the 

effect of aspirin on people’s hearts and she realized they had 

tested 10,000 people and they were all men. 

I had a situation that arose in Nevada at about the same 

time where three women came to me who had something 

called interstitial cystitis, a devastating, debilitating, painful 

disease that is described as running slivers of glass up and 

down your bladder. It was said to be a psychosomatic disease. These women had nowhere to go. I talked to BARBARA

MIKULSKI about this, and now 40 percent of these women 

have medicine that takes away their symptoms totally. 

I could go on here a long time, as everyone can see. But 

I do it because I congratulate BARBARA on this milestone, 

which is so important to me and the Senate, and to tell her 

how much Nevada appreciates her. It is not just for Maryland. She has done things for the entire country. 

I wish her well for years to come. 

The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Republican leader is recognized.

Mr. MCCONNELL. Mr. President, it is my honor to be 

here this afternoon to extend, on behalf of the Republican 

Conference of the U.S. Senate, our respect and admiration 

for the senior Senator from Maryland on achieving this important milestone. 

I am sure she would be the first to tell you that becoming 

the longest serving woman in the Congress wasn’t easy. A 

life in public service is filled with many highs and lows. But 

BARBARA is nothing if not both tough and resilient. 

BARBARA would point to her upbringing as the daughter of 

a Baltimore grocer, where she learned first hand how hard 

work, honesty, and determination can lead to a successful 

and rewarding life. She later learned, while fighting a freeway that would have destroyed several Baltimore communities, including her own, that if you fought hard enough for 

something you believed in, you too can make a difference. So 

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if you knew BARBARA back then, it wouldn’t surprise you we 

are honoring her today. 

Last year, when Senator MIKULSKI became the longest 

serving female Senator, she said she never saw herself as a 

historical figure. To me, BARBARA said, ‘‘History is powdered 

wigs and Jane Adams and Abigail Adams, both pioneers in 

their own right.’’ 

However, BARBARA is a pioneer. She is only the second 

woman to be elected to both the Senate and the House. 

When first elected in 1986, she was only the 16th woman to 

serve. Today, in Congress, there are 76 women in the House 

and 17 in the Senate. As dean of the Senate women, she 

served as a role model and a mentor to many of these 

women. To put this in perspective: When she first arrived in 

the Senate, there weren’t any natural mentors to teach her 

the ways of the Senate. At the time, even the Senate gym 

was off limits. A lot has changed since then, and BARBARA

had a lot to do with it. 

Later, as more women were elected to the Senate, BARBARA worked with them to help them understand the Senate 

and how best to be an effective Senator, both here and back 

home. She wanted to give back. 

Most important, regardless of party or issue, BARBARA

would push her female colleagues in the Senate to think differently, encouraging them to think of themselves as a 

force—a force of good and, ofttimes, a force for change. I 

know many are grateful not only for BARBARA’s leadership 

and courage but for her willingness to take the time to share 

her experiences with them. ‘‘I don’t want to just be a first,’’ 

BARBARA once said. ‘‘I want to be the first of many.’’ 

In 35 years, nearly 13,000 days as a Member of Congress, 

BARBARA has been a champion of the space program, science 

research, welfare reform, major transportation, homeland security, and environmental issues in Maryland. 

I wish to recognize BARBARA not only for the tremendous 

accomplishment as the longest serving female in the history 

of the United States in Congress but also for all of her many 

accomplishments in the House and the Senate. As she once 

said herself, ‘‘It is not how long you serve, but it is how well 

you serve.’’ 

I wish to recognize BARBARA for the pioneering model she 

has been to so many women in her distinguished career. 

Congratulations, Senator MIKULSKI.

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Mr. CARDIN. . . . Let me first thank all of our colleagues 

who are here to pay honor to the senior Senator from Maryland, Senator MIKULSKI.

This is March Madness in basketball. Sweet 16 is starting. 

We are very proud in Maryland of our Lady Terps. They are 

in the Sweet 16. But I want you to know that we are all getting our fantasy teams, and I want Senator MIKULSKI on my 

fantasy basketball team because she is a true leader, she understands the importance of working together, and she is a 

winner.

We are proud of her roots in Maryland. She is the greatgranddaughter of Polish immigrants who owned a bakery. 

She began her public service in high school, where she 

helped deliver groceries to seniors who were homebound in 

their apartments and she helped the seniors get the food 

they needed. She went to the University of Maryland School 

of Social Work because she wanted to be a social worker. She 

wanted to help other people. She knew that she was good at 

that and she could make a difference in people’s lives. She 

worked for Catholic Charities and dealt with children at risk 

and helped seniors with Medicare. 

As you have heard from several of my colleagues already, 

she gained her reputation by taking on a highway that was 

scheduled to be built that would have gone through Canton 

and Fells Point, disrupting a neighborhood in Baltimore. 

This was a 16-lane highway. It was considered to be a done 

deal; it was going to happen. The powers that be said we are 

going to have a highway coming through downtown Baltimore. The powers to be did not know BARBARA MIKULSKI.

That highway never happened. Senator MIKULSKI stopped

that highway from being built. 

She then went on to serve in the Baltimore City Council 

with great distinction. Then in 1976 she was elected to the 

Congress for the Third Congressional District, a seat that 

was vacated by our esteemed colleague Paul Sarbanes, who 

then came into the Senate, and BARBARA MIKULSKI followed

in the great tradition of Senator Paul Sarbanes. In 1986, 

when Senator ‘‘Mac’’ Mathias’ seat became vacant, Senator 

BARBARA MIKULSKI was elected to the Senate. 

She has many firsts: The first female Democrat elected in 

her own right to serve the U.S. Senate. At the time she was 

elected to the Senate, she was only one of two female Senators. Today, we have 17 female Senators in large part because of Senator BARBARA MIKULSKI. I know the Presiding 

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ator MIKULSKI was not only a role model and an inspiration 

but an incredible help to get more women elected to the Senate.

Last year we joined in this body to celebrate Senator MIKULSKI becoming the longest serving woman in the history 

of the Senate, surpassing Margaret Chase Smith from the 

State of Maine. Then on this past Saturday, on St. Patrick’s 

Day, she became the longest serving woman in the history 

of the Congress, replacing Edith Nourse Rogers from Massachusetts who served, as the majority leader pointed out, from 

1925 to 1960. 

Marylanders understand longevity records. We are very 

proud of Cal Ripken and the record he held in baseball. Senator MIKULSKI’s, like Cal Ripken’s, legacy is what she has 

done in office to make a difference, not the length of her 

service. She is a fierce and effective advocate for so many 

causes. We have heard about her accomplishments in education and health care, what she has done to advance sensible health care to improve quality for the people of this 

country. That was her mission in the Affordable Care Act, to 

make sure that we had the delivery systems in place that 

would deliver quality health care, and Senator MIKULSKI’s

leadership was critical in that regard. 

She has been a leader in women’s health care issues. I will 

never forget her reminder to all of us in the caucus: ‘‘Don’t 

forget women’s health care issues when you bring that bill 

to the floor.’’ And we didn’t. We put that in under Senator 

MIKULSKI’s leadership. We talked about breast cancer and 

cervical cancer screenings. Senator MIKULSKI has been in the 

leadership on all those issues. 

We in Maryland are proud to be where the National Institutes of Health is headquartered. Its growth in large measure has been the result of Senator BARBARA MIKULSKI. We 

are proud of HOPE VI and housing. Senator MIKULSKI has

been in the forefront of that program, making it possible for 

many people in our community to have decent, affordable, 

and safe housing. 

Senator MIKULSKI has been critically important to America’s space program. I have been with her many times at 

Goddard and seen first hand the results of her advocacy and 

what it has meant. The Hubble space telescope is another 

legacy of which Senator MIKULSKI can be rightly proud. 

We in Maryland are also proud to house NSA, the National Security Agency, with its new mission with the 

cybercommand located in Maryland. Senator MIKULSKI, as 

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Senator Feinstein pointed out, has been one of the real leaders on national security issues. We can’t issue press releases 

on this. She is a member of the intelligence committee. She 

works behind closed doors to keep us safe. But we all know 

that she is one of the key leaders in this Nation on national 

security issues. 

We know about pay equity and the Lilly Ledbetter law, the 

first bill signed by President Obama. It was Senator MIKULSKI’s leadership that got that bill to the President’s desk, recognizing that we are still not where we need to be on gender 

pay equity in America. 

In our region, the Chesapeake Bay is central to our way 

of life and our economy. Senator MIKULSKI has been one of 

the real champions on water quality and the Chesapeake 

Bay. She understands the respect for State and local government, that we have to work together as a team. I know the 

Governor of Maryland, Governor O’Malley, would agree with 

me that there is no better friend to the people of Maryland 

working with the State than Senator BARBARA MIKULSKI,

getting the Federal Government on the same page as the 

State and local governments to get things done for the people 

of Maryland. That is true with what she has been able to do 

for all of us working across the Nation. 

I think the Baltimore Sun put it best when it said: 

There is nobody more feisty, more willing to take on big business, big government, or anyone when it is time to look out for the interests of her constituents.

I think all of us would agree. 

On a personal note, I thank Senator MIKULSKI for her 

friendship, I thank her for being my buddy and my adviser. 

Whether she is with Presidents or Kings or the patrons at 

Jimmy’s Restaurant in Fells Point, you get the same commonsense, the same down-to-earth person—you get Senator 

BARB. We are so proud of her. 

Thank you, Senator BARB, for what you have done to make 

this Nation a better place to live. Thank you for being such 

a role model for young people, especially young women, to 

get involved, to make a difference. Thank you on behalf of 

my two granddaughters. Their future is much brighter, their 

opportunities are much greater because of you, Senator 

BARB.

Congratulations. Your colleagues here want to express our 

love and respect and admiration for your incredible service. 

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The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Merkley). The Senator 

from California. 

Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, what an incredible milestone 

Senator MIKULSKI has reached. The words of her colleagues 

and the love they feel for her are coming through. It is a 

wonderful thing for me to be part of this tribute. I don’t 

know how many Senators would have the Governor of their 

State here—Your Honor; and the former distinguished, incredible Senator Paul Sarbanes is here. That in itself, Senator MIKULSKI, is testimony to your status among all of us. 

So many of us are here in the Senate because BARBARA

MIKULSKI knocked down the barriers one by one—the first 

Democratic woman ever elected to the Senate in her own 

right, the first woman to serve in both Chambers, the longest 

serving woman in the Senate. Now she has made history 

once again. This past Saturday, after 12,858 distinguished 

days of service, no other woman in history has served in 

Congress longer than Senator MIKULSKI—ever.

Some trailblazers make history, and they are content to 

stand proudly alone. ‘‘Aren’t I great? I did it.’’ But not Senator MIKULSKI. She always made clear that she was honored 

to be the first Democratic woman, but she never wanted to 

be the last. 

I will never forget her saying, ‘‘Some women stare out the 

window waiting for Prince Charming. I stare out the window 

waiting for more women Senators.’’ 

Well, 17 women, Republicans and Democrats, now serve in 

the Senate. I know all of us have stories to tell about how 

Senator MIKULSKI helped us along the way, reaching out to 

mentor us, encourage us, lead us, and organize our regular 

meetings filled with folders and pens and pencils, and organizing dinners. She and Senator Hutchison teamed up. We 

are so fortunate to have them working together. We get together now and then. Just in the heat of debate, we sit down 

and break bread together. 

When I considered running for the Senate in 1992, Senator 

MIKULSKI was the very first person I went to see, after my 

husband. I was conflicted. I had a good House seat. I was 

told I could hold it for as long as I wanted, and I was not 

sure I should give it up for the Senate. I was considered a 

long shot. Senator MIKULSKI told me the following: ‘‘If you 

run, and I want you to run,’’ she said, ‘‘it will be the toughest 

thing you will ever do and the best thing you will ever do.’’ 

And she was right. 

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Those of us of a certain age have probably seen the play 

or the movie ‘‘A Man for All Seasons.’’ Today we celebrate a 

woman who is truly a Senator for all seasons. Some Members have passion, others have policy skills, some are brilliant negotiators, others great advocates for the least among 

us, some are very serious students of history, and others are 

flatout hilarious. But I do not think our country has ever 

seen so many incredible traits combined in one Senator. 

Whatever the issue, she will address it. Whatever the problem, she will solve it. Whatever the wrong, she will fix it. 

Whatever the need, she will meet it. Whenever and wherever 

people without a voice need a champion with a keen mind, 

a sharp wit, and an unparalleled ability to speak from the 

heart and get things done, BARBARA MIKULSKI is there. A lot 

of us have been there with her, and we have watched her 

and we love it and we marvel at her. And she does it with 

a sense of humor that is unparalleled. Anyone who has ever 

listened to a speech or interview with Senator MIKULSKI has

heard her utter these incredible quips, which I fondly called 

‘‘Mikulski-isms.’’

She has called us women into battle by asking us to go 

‘‘earring to earring’’ with our opponents. She has challenged 

us to square our shoulders, suit up, put our lipstick on, and 

fight. She has said often that women do not want to talk 

about gender but an agenda that helps America’s families. 

When asked by Glamour magazine how she felt about 

being named Glamour’s Woman of the Year along with singer Madonna, Senator MIKULSKI replied, ‘‘She’s got her assets, 

I have mine, and we both make the best of what God has 

given us.’’ 

When asked about the different perspective women bring, 

she often says, ‘‘Women, we are not so much about macroissues but, rather, the macaroni and cheese issues.’’ Who else 

could say that better? 

When discussing the challenges women face in politics 

with a group of female parliamentarians from around the 

world, this is what BARBARA MIKULSKI explained to them 

when they asked, ‘‘What is it like and is it tough?’’ She said: 

Let’s put it this way. In an election, if you are married, you are neglecting 

him; if you are single, you couldn’t get him; if you are divorced, you couldn’t 

keep him; and if you are widowed, you killed him. 

Then there was one of my favorite MIKULSKI moments.

This is a treasured moment. The women of the House still 

hadn’t managed to integrate the House gym, so we were relegated to this tiny room with old-fashioned, hooded hair dry2012 Jkt 073500 PO 00000 Frm 00031 Fmt 6688 Sfmt 6688 H:\DOCS\MIKULSKI\73500 TXT KAYNE
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ers and hardly any room to move. There were very few of us, 

and we decided to make the most of it by having an aerobics 

class. Of course, coming from California, I organized it. 

In came Geraldine Ferraro, Barbara Kennelly, Olympia 

Snowe, BARBARA MIKULSKI, and me. Our instructor started 

the class by asking us to stretch our arms way up, and we 

do.

Groans.

‘‘Put your hands on your hips.’’ 

More groans. 

Now she says, ‘‘Bend from the waist.’’ 

Suddenly, a voice bellows from the back of the room: ‘‘If I 

had a waist, I wouldn’t be here.’’ 

We all turned around to see Senator MIKULSKI, and we 

just cracked up. Needless to say, that was the end of the aerobics class. 

As funny as she can be, I can’t think of anyone more resilient than BARBARA MIKULSKI. I remember when she was 

mugged a few years back, one evening outside her home in 

Baltimore. A man pushed her to the ground and grabbed her 

purse. It was terrifying—for the mugger. He had no idea 

whom he was dealing with. At 4 feet 11 inches, Senator MIKULSKI fought back and defended herself, just like she defends the people she represents, just like she defends women 

and families, just like she defends equal pay and equal 

rights and civil rights and the health care of our citizens and 

the dignity of our seniors. 

The truth is, the Senate used to be a very lonely place for 

women, but Senator MIKULSKI changed that. From the day 

she was first sworn in, she has carried the challenges, the 

hopes, and the dreams of millions of women with her. BARBARA MIKULSKI has inspired generations of young women everywhere. She has given them the confidence that they can 

do it, too, because even as we celebrate this incredible milestone, I know Senator MIKULSKI’s greatest hope is that a 

young girl growing up today will be inspired to follow in her 

footsteps and one day to break her record. When that happens, it will be because BARBARA MIKULSKI—our dean, our 

cherished leader, our Senator for all seasons—opened the 

doors of the Senate wide enough to let the women of America 

walk in. 

Thank you, BARBARA MIKULSKI.

The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Texas. 

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Mrs. HUTCHISON. Mr. President, I am pleased to stand 

and add my experiences with and admiration for Senator 

BARBARA MIKULSKI. It is fitting that she is now the longest 

serving woman in the U.S. Congress. 

When I first got here—I was elected in 1993—BARBARA

MIKULSKI, as the dean of the women in the Senate, had a 

workshop the previous year for the newly elected Democratic 

women Senators. When I arrived in 1993, she expanded it to 

include all new women Senators, and her sort of opening 

comment was, civility starts with us. 

Surely, she has carried through as the dean of the women 

of the Senate to ensure that all the new women get their 

bearings in the Senate, that they get the advice of the ones 

who have been here before. It has been a huge help and really a fun opportunity for us to get to know each other on a 

personal level as we have our women Senators’ dinners. 

From this came a book Senator MIKULSKI and I worked on 

together. The genesis of the book—which became ‘‘Nine and 

Counting,’’ the nine women Senators who were here in the 

year 2000—came from a meeting called by Senator MIKULSKI

to meet with the women of Northern Ireland, along with the 

women of Ireland, when there was so much strife in that 

country. BARBARA MIKULSKI called all of the women Senators 

together, our nine, to give encouragement and advice to the 

women who were trying to bring the people of Ireland and 

Northern Ireland together so that there could be a peaceful 

conclusion to the conflicts in Northern Ireland. From that, as 

we were sharing our stories to show the women of Northern 

Ireland how much they could do, from our experiences and 

our overcoming of obstacles, BARBARA MIKULSKI and I sat 

down and said: 

You know, I think we have a book here. If each of the nine women Senators could write a chapter about our obstacles and our beginnings in politics and help encourage other young women and girls to aspire to and be 

able to succeed in politics, then we ought to do it. 

So we worked with a publisher. We got together and decided how we would lay it out. We then decided as a group 

that we would give all of the proceeds to the Girl Scouts of 

America because almost all of us had been a Girl Scout at 

one point. 

So from that we put a book out, which is still being sold 

here in the Senate bookshop called ‘‘Nine and Counting.’’ It 

has given a lot of money to the Girl Scouts of America, to 

a leadership fund so that they can continue to create girls 

who will be leaders in our country. That started with the 

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meeting BARBARA put together for those of us who could 

maybe give advice and help these women of Northern Ireland.

When I came into the Senate in 1993, the first thing I 

wanted to do was give equal treatment to women who work 

at home in their ability to save for retirement as those who 

work outside the home. I had the experience, as a single 

working woman, of putting aside some money for my IRA, 

and then when I married my husband Ray, I found out I 

could put aside only $250 in an IRA. I said, ‘‘Wait a minute. 

Why would someone working inside the home—a woman 

who is probably going to need retirement security more than 

any of us—not be able to save for her own retirement security if she is a married woman? 

So I authored the Homemaker IRA, and of course I wanted 

to have a Democrat lead because we had a Democratic Congress. So I asked Senator MIKULSKI, and she said she would 

absolutely sign on—as she always does—when it is something that is going to benefit women. So it became the 

Hutchison-Mikulski bill. I said to BARBARA, ‘‘I want this bill 

to pass. I don’t care if my name is first. I would love to put 

your name first if you think that will help us get it through.’’ 

She said, ‘‘Absolutely not. I would not take your name off 

that bill for anything because it was your idea.’’ There are 

not very many people in this body who would make that gesture and also put her weight behind the passage of the bill. 

Of all the things I have done and that we have done together, BARBARA, and of all the things that bill is going to 

do to affect the most people in our country, now we have the 

Homemaker IRA that passed in 1996. That law allows 

women—whether they are married and working at home or 

outside the home and single or married—to set aside the 

same amount. Fortunately, that amount has grown, and so 

it is not $2,000, but it can be $2,500 or $3,000 or $5,000, depending on their age. It is a wonderful thing we were able 

to do together. 

Senator MIKULSKI and I also worked on behalf of Afghan 

women. When we started hearing the atrocities that were 

happening to the women of Afghanistan that were brought 

back by great women’s organizations, such as Vital Voices, 

that told stories of not only unequal treatment of women in 

Afghanistan but inhumane treatment of women in Afghanistan, Senator MIKULSKI, Senator Clinton, and I introduced 

the Afghan Women and Children Relief Act, which was 

signed into law in December 2001, which authorized funding 

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for women in Afghanistan and Afghan refugee women. Political participation was supported for Afghan women, and we 

followed up with appropriations. I have to say our Republican President, President Bush, and our Democratic President, President Obama, have always said American money 

will go into Afghanistan or Iraq or anywhere else to support 

equally the education of girls and boys; that we would support women where they are not being treated as equals on 

a human rights basis. So our Presidents have stood and, of 

course, our bipartisanship in Congress has done the right 

thing. Again, Senator MIKULSKI is a leader in that area. 

I cannot think of a stronger supporter in this Senate than 

BARBARA MIKULSKI in the area of NASA. I wish to say Senator Bill Nelson also has been such a strong supporter, as 

well as Senator Lamar Alexander, but Senator MIKULSKI is

the chairman and I am the ranking Republican on the committee that is appropriating for NASA. We are also fortunate 

to have Chairman Jay Rockefeller on the authorizing and 

oversight committee for NASA. He, too, has been such a 

strong leader in assuring that we continue America’s preeminence in space. 

When the rubber hits the road in appropriations, Senator 

MIKULSKI has been there to say: ‘‘We are going to have the 

science in the Hubble telescope, which has given us so much 

information, as well as the James Webb telescope.’’ Now, of 

course, we have the human space flight issues and BARBARA

MIKULSKI has been right there saying, of course we are going 

to utilize the International Space Station, of course we are 

going to keep America’s priorities in space because it has 

done so much for our economy and our jobs and our technology and our health care improvements, but it has also 

been a national security issue that BARBARA MIKULSKI recognizes, first and foremost. 

I cannot match a lot of the stories about BARBARA MIKULSKI and her personality, but I can tell you I took BARBARA

MIKULSKI to tour the Johnson Space Center in 2001, and we 

did a wonderful event at Baylor College of Medicine to talk 

about the research that is being done in the biomedical 

sciences and on the space station. I thought, I am going to 

bring BARBARA where we can show her a little bit of Texas. 

We know Texas has a lot of personality and sometimes we 

are thought to have a little too much fun, but I will tell you 

what, BARBARA is one of us. I brought her to the Houston 

rodeo. During the month of the Houston rodeo, everybody is 

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boy, and we have a great time. So I took BARBARA MIKULSKI

into the steer auction, where just this past Saturday a steer 

was sold for $460,000. 

It is a grand champion steer, I might say. All of that 

money goes for scholarships for our young people to attend 

college.

BARBARA came into the steer auction, and she looked 

around. There were 2,000 people at the breakfast before all 

these people are going to go and bid on the steers so we can 

fund scholarships. We were all dressed appropriately for 

Texas, and she reached over to my ear and she whispered: 

‘‘Now, Kay, if we were here on Monday morning and we went 

to a chamber of commerce meeting, do these people look like 

this?’’ I love to tell that story in Houston because it gets 

huge laughs. She won over everybody in Houston. They 

adored her from the beginning. She put on her cowboy hat, 

she rode in the grand entry on a buckboard and she became 

an honorary Texan in our hearts. So BARBARA MIKULSKI

knows how to win over others. 

Let me mention one of my early experiences when I first 

came into the Senate. There was an effort to have health 

care reform. A program was put forward and this particular 

program had some things that were good, but one of the 

things in it was that no health insurance coverage would be 

required for women to have mammograms if they were 40 or 

below. I will tell you something, the biggest eruption in the 

Senate was BARBARA MIKULSKI saying: ‘‘Are you kidding? I 

will not let this go by me in the Senate. We are not going 

to say that a woman who is 40 or under is not going to be 

eligible for insurance coverage for a mammogram. It is not 

going to happen.’’ BARBARA MIKULSKI took the lead, and I 

am going to tell you, the first thing that was removed from 

that plan was that provision, and it will never be in a plan 

as long as BARBARA MIKULSKI is in the Senate. So I am just 

going to tell anybody who is looking at health care reform, 

take a little advice, don’t mess with BARBARA MIKULSKI because we are going to have mammograms. 

Not only that, BARBARA MIKULSKI came forward in the 

next month and passed unanimously in the Senate a mammogram standards bill. During this process she learned that 

there were varying degrees of standards of mammography. 

She was going to make sure there were standards that every 

clinic would have, that every piece of equipment would have 

and she led the effort. It is law today. 

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I will end with yet another accomplishment; that is, singlesex education in public schools. Senator Jack Danforth of 

Missouri started looking at the issue and said, ‘‘We need to 

allow our public schools to offer single-sex education—meaning girl schools and boy schools—because so many of us have 

seen that we have to adapt education for the needs of each 

individual child to the best of our ability.’’ We know there 

are so many wonderful private schools for boys and girls, but 

we could hardly have a public school that would be single 

sex in this country in the 1990s. 

So Jack Danforth started the effort, and when he left the 

Senate, I picked it up. The more I looked at it, the more I 

saw the benefits to boys and to girls—particularly in the 

middle and high school grades—were palpable. Senators 

Clinton, BARBARA MIKULSKI, Susan Collins, the three of 

them, had gone to all-girls schools. I had not, but they knew 

the benefits first hand of single-sex education. BARBARA was

the product of single-sex education, having gone to a parochial school. 

I first introduced the amendment in 1998, but it was in 

2001—when the four of us came together—that we actually 

got the bill passed through an amendment and that amendment then not only made public single-sex education an option and legal, it also made it eligible for Federal funding 

grants similar to all our public schools. 

I wish to say it has been one of the joys of my time in the 

Senate to work with Senator BARBARA MIKULSKI, and I think 

this 4-foot-11-inch mighty-might has 10 times the impact. 

She has made an impact on Congress and an impact on 

America because she is relentless, she is reasonable, she understands an issue, and she understands the importance of 

listening as well as talking. She is effective and she is respected. If there is anyone in the Senate who doesn’t like 

her, respect her, and work well with her, I have not met 

them. When one is the longest serving woman in the Senate 

and Congress, they have worked with a lot of people. She is 

unanimously so well regarded, I have never met an enemy 

of hers. 

I will close by saying the people who know her best love 

her most, and I cannot think of a finer thing to say about 

any person. 

Thank you. 

I yield the floor. 

The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Massachusetts.

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Mr. KERRY. Mr. President, first of all, I wish to say what 

a pleasure it is to welcome Senator Sarbanes back. I had the 

pleasure of sitting beside him on the Foreign Relations Committee for 24 years. We miss his judgment and wisdom. We 

could use it these days. 

I wish to welcome Governor O’Malley. I can’t think of a 

time, when people have stood up to laud a fellow Senator, 

that a Governor of their State is sitting and listening. All of 

the comments to this moment and beyond will undoubtedly 

echo the remarkable affection that everybody has for BARBARA MIKULSKI and particularly the high regard in which 

she is held. 

This is a very special celebration for the longest serving 

woman in the history of the Congress, 12,858 days today and 

counting. In that time—I recall when I first came here there 

was one woman serving, and that was Senator Nancy Kassebaum—it is fair to say BARBARA MIKULSKI has been one of 

the pivotal forces in creating and assembling what I would 

call a true ‘‘band of sisters’’—the women with whom she has 

served in the Senate, each of whom makes extraordinary 

contributions to this institution. 

We have heard from other colleagues that her career is 

filled with milestones, and it is. She is the first Democratic 

woman to serve in both Houses of Congress. She is the first 

Democratic woman elected to Senate leadership. She is the 

first woman elected to statewide office in Maryland. These 

are just a few. 

When BARBARA came to the Senate in 1987 after 10 years 

in the House of Representatives, women were still, as she describes it—these are her words—‘‘a bit of a novelty’’ in the 

Senate. Indeed, then, it was only BARBARA and Senator 

Nancy Kassebaum. But now BARBARA says, ‘‘We’re not 

viewed as novelties. We’re not viewed as celebrities. We’re 

viewed as U.S. Senators.’’ 

One of the reasons for that is that BARBARA MIKULSKI has

demonstrated a seriousness of purpose, an ability to legislate, and an ability to make friends and bring people together that has defined her role as the dean of the women 

in the Senate. 

Some of her women colleagues in the Senate call her Dean. 

Others call her Coach BARB. But no matter what they call 

her, she has brought them together in this bipartisan sisterhood, as we just heard from the Senator from Texas. She 

holds workshops and serves as a mentor to all newcomers 

and organizes regular monthly dinners. They don’t always 

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agree on everything, but the dinners are what some of them 

have called a ‘‘zone of civility,’’ which is something the Senate could use a little more of these days. Again, it is BARBARA MIKULSKI’s example that helps point us in that direction.

But for all of her firsts, I would say to my colleagues that 

BARBARA MIKULSKI’s career has never been about gender as 

much as it has been about agenda. I have had the privilege 

of working with her enough on different issues of being what 

she calls one of her Galahads. I have seen her laser focus on 

what is right, on her conscience, on her gut, on her sense of 

what the people of Maryland want, and what she thinks is 

her duty as a Senator. That is why I wanted her on the 

Speaker’s platform in 2004 in Boston at the convention, and 

she delivered just the right message in her forceful and commanding way. She stood up there and declared, ‘‘When 

women seek power, we don’t seek it for ourselves; we seek 

it to make a difference in the lives of other people.’’ 

There is no arguing, as we heard from a number of colleagues, about what an extraordinary difference BARBARA

MIKULSKI has made in the lives of other people, not just 

Marylanders but all Americans. She has been an extraordinary advocate for the Goddard Space Center, for the Wallops Flight Facility, and for Johns Hopkins Applied Science 

Lab in Maryland, as well as the Port of Baltimore and 

Chesapeake Bay cleanup efforts. 

For decades, she proudly worked beside my colleague of 26 

years Ted Kennedy. She loved Ted Kennedy and Ted Kennedy loved her. Together, on the Health Committee, they 

worked to make universal health care a reality. Her role 

when Senator Kennedy was sick was an extraordinary role 

of picking up that baton and helping to bring it across the 

finish line. 

Along the way she became a leader on women’s health, 

fighting for equality in health research and making sure 

women get the quality of care they deserve. She was one of 

the chief sponsors of Medicaid financing of mammograms 

and Pap smears. 

Personally, I will never forget how BARBARA reacted when 

the National Institutes of Health said it would not include 

women in trials of aspirin as a preventive for heart attacks 

because ‘‘their hormones present too many biological variables.’’ BARBARA fired back: ‘‘My hormones rage because of 

comments like that.’’ 

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Her proudest accomplishment, she says, is the Spousal 

Anti-Impoverishment Act, which helps to keep seniors from 

going bankrupt while paying for a spouse’s nursing home 

care. Throughout her career, BARBARA MIKULSKI has fought 

to strengthen the safety net for children, for seniors, and for 

anyone who needed somebody to stand for them or push 

open a door for them. 

That fight started in East Baltimore where her Polish immigrant grandparents ran a bakery and her father a grocery 

store. She says she often watched her father open the doors 

to his grocery store for local steelworkers so they could buy 

their lunches before the morning shift. She got it in her head 

at that time that she would rather be opening doors for others on the inside than knocking on doors from the outside. 

So no surprise, after college she got a job as a social worker helping at-risk children and educating seniors about Medicare. She got involved in politics by organizing community 

groups to stop a highway from going through the Highlandtown neighborhood where she grew up. Let me tell my colleagues, nobody had ever seen anything like her. At one 

rally, she jumped up on a table and cried: 

The British couldn’t take Fells Point, the termites couldn’t take Fells 

Point, and God damn if we’ll let the State Roads Commission take Fells 

Point.

As they say on ESPN, the crowd went nuts, and the roads 

commission never knew what hit them. And I assure my colleagues, that was a nonprofane use of our Lord’s name. 

Again, no surprise, that led to her election to the Baltimore City Council. I think that explains a lot about just how 

good a politician she is—how well she knows the street. I 

think every one of her colleagues, all of us, are in awe of 

BARBARA’s ability to focus on the street emotion, on the simplicity of an argument, and to be able to sum it up in a 

razor-like comment that just cuts to the quick and makes the 

rest of us who search around for the words seem pretty inept 

in the process. Whether it is at Camden Yards, Fells Point, 

the Eastern Shore, the Washington suburbs, or up along the 

Mason Dixon Line, BARBARA has her finger on the political 

pulse of Marylanders. She understands their concerns, 

shares their aspirations, and sums up their hopes and their 

dreams in a few short sentences that nobody else can parallel.

If anyone expected BARBARA MIKULSKI to accept being just 

a novelty or a celebrity in Congress, they obviously had no 

understanding of her deep roots as an immigrant, being an 

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American, and the values she learned about hard work in 

her family. 

If anyone expects her to slow down just because she is now 

the longest serving woman in the history of Congress, they 

don’t know BARBARA MIKULSKI. A couple of years ago, BARBARA and I talked—I think it was at one of our retreats— 

about how similar Maryland and Massachusetts are in certain ways, especially their rural and fishing histories which 

we actually both have. 

She told me she wasn’t much of a fisherman, but she liked 

to hunt. The only problem she cited was the recoil of the rifle 

given that she stands 4 feet 11 inches tall. 

Well, it is clear from the record, clear from the comments 

of all of her colleagues, and clear from this extraordinary 

longest serving record in the Congress and all that she has 

accomplished that she stands as one of the tallest Senators 

and packs a punch way beyond her 4 feet 11 inches. 

We are proud to have her as a colleague, and we are in 

awe of her ability to galvanize action, which is what this institution should be all about. 

Mr. LEVIN. When you read over the long list of Senator 

BARBARA MIKULSKI’s accomplishments, one word keeps coming up, ‘‘first.’’ First woman to be elected to the Senate from 

Maryland, first woman of her party to serve in both the 

House of Representatives and in the Senate, first woman to 

serve in the Senate leadership. Today we gather to honor 

Senator MIKULSKI, who in addition to her many firsts, now 

stands as the longest serving woman in the history of the 

Congress.

Senator MIKULSKI began her service in Congress in 1977, 

and in all her time here since, she has championed the 

causes dearest to her—causes dear to the needs of her constituents and to our Nation’s most vulnerable citizens. 

As chairwoman of the Children and Families Subcommittee, Senator MIKULSKI has been a determined champion of the young, the old, and the sick. She has fought for 

access to higher education for every child because she believes ours is a nation where every young boy and girl should 

have the chance to reach his or her true potential. She has 

fought for secure pensions for seniors because she believes 

ours is a nation where, after a lifetime of work, every person 

should have the chance to enjoy their retirement. And she 

has fought for preventive screening and treatment for every 

woman because she believes ours is a nation where no one 

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should lose a mother, daughter, or wife from a preventable 

illness.

As chairwoman of the Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee, Senator MIKULSKI has led the charge to promote economic development, 

equip our first responders, and invest in science and research. Senator MIKULSKI understands the importance of the 

private sector, particularly small businesses, in creating job 

opportunities. That is why she has fought for legislation 

making it easier for businesses to make investments and 

hire new workers. No one has fought harder to support our 

emergency first responders than BARBARA MIKULSKI, who 

said, ‘‘We must protect our protectors with more than just 

words—we must protect them with the best equipment, 

training and resources.’’ 

Senator MIKULSKI is also committed to the promotion of 

scientific research and laying the groundwork for maintaining U.S. leadership in the area. She has advanced legislation 

to substantially increase the number of students earning degrees in science, technology, engineering, and math. 

As a Senator from Maryland, Senator MIKULSKI understands the importance of the Federal workforce. Many of her 

constituents are responsible for the high quality of life many 

of us take for granted every day. Whether it’s food inspectors, air traffic controllers, or medical researchers, many 

Marylanders who make up the Federal workforce contribute 

to our Nation’s health and safety. Fortunately for them, and 

the rest of us, they have a powerful advocate in the Senate. 

Senator MIKULSKI said, ‘‘I want every Federal employee to 

know I am on their side.’’ Indeed she is—not only because it 

is in the interests of her State, but because she knows well 

that an effective Federal workforce is in the interests of 

every citizen in every State. Throughout her career, Senator 

MIKULSKI has fought off misguided efforts to privatize essential functions of the Federal workforce, and fought for fair 

pay and benefits for these committed public servants. 

Fair pay has been a focus for Senator MIKULSKI, and 

women across the country can be grateful for that. In 2007, 

the Supreme Court considered the case of Lilly Ledbetter, a 

woman who for nearly 20 years had been paid less than her 

male coworkers for equal work. In its decision, the Court 

ruled that Ms. Ledbetter could not proceed with her case, not 

because it had no merit, it did; but because of a technicality. 

Once the Supreme Court rules against you, where can you 

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BARA MIKULSKI introduced the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Restoration Act to address the flawed Supreme Court decision; 

and on January 29, 2009, it was signed into law. 

In the Book of Genesis, the first question asked of God is 

‘‘Am I my brother’s keeper?’’ Senator BARBARA MIKULSKI has

spent a lifetime and built a career in answer of that question. She said: 

I feel that I am my brother’s keeper and my sister’s keeper. I think that’s 

why I am shaped by the words of Jesus himself: ‘‘Love thy neighbor.’’ And 

I took it seriously. 

The Senate is better off because she did. The people of 

Maryland are better off. Our Nation is better off. I am grateful not just because she has become the longest serving 

woman in the history of Congress, but because she has 

served her Nation so well. 

Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, today I wish to offer my 

heartfelt congratulations to my esteemed colleague and dear 

friend, Senator BARBARA MIKULSKI, on becoming the longest 

serving woman in the history of the U.S. Congress. This 

milestone, reached on March 17, marks 12,858 days—more 

than 35 years—of dedicated service to her beloved State of 

Maryland and to our Nation. 

A little more than a year ago, in January 2011, Senator 

MIKULSKI began her 25th year in the Senate, surpassing my 

personal role model in public service, Senator Margaret 

Chase Smith, the great lady from Maine. Adding in her 10 

years in the House, Senator MIKULSKI now establishes the 

record for longevity in either Chamber, set by Congresswoman Edith Nourse Rogers, who represented Massachusetts but was born in Maine. 

For me, the special meaning of this occasion goes far beyond such coincidences. Just as Congresswoman Rogers and 

Senator Smith inspired young women in the past to lives in 

public service, Senator MIKULSKI inspires the young women 

of today. As a new Senator in 1997, I was welcomed by her 

kindness and helped by her wisdom. She taught me the 

ropes of the appropriations process and instituted regular bipartisan dinners for the women of the Senate. 

It has been a privilege to work with Senator MIKULSKI for

15 years. During that time, I have come to know her as a 

fighter and a trailblazer. 

Senator MIKULSKI is, above all, a hard worker. Growing up 

in East Baltimore, she learned the value of hard work at her 

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ference in her neighborhood led her to the path of service, 

first as social worker, then as a city councilor and as a Member of Congress. 

Senator MIKULSKI’s longevity is only the preface to her 

story of exceptional accomplishment. She has fought for increased access to higher education for our young people and 

for improved health care for our seniors. I am proud to have 

fought at her side on those issues, as well as for increased 

Alzheimer’s research, improved women’s health care, and enhanced educational opportunities for nurses. 

As House colleagues during and after World War II, Margaret Chase Smith and Edith Nourse Rogers were instrumental in achieving full recognition for women in uniform. 

Senator MIKULSKI carries on that legacy as a determined advocate for all who serve our country. Working with her on 

the Appropriations Committee, I have witnessed first hand 

how seriously she takes her responsibility to the American 

taxpayers.

Throughout her life in public service, Senator MIKULSKI

has lived by one guiding principle: to help our people meet 

the needs of today as she helps our Nation prepare for the 

challenges of tomorrow. It is an honor to congratulate Senator BARBARA MIKULSKI for her many years of service, and 

to wish her many more. 

Mr. COCHRAN. Mr. President, it is heartwarming to see 

such a spontaneous outpouring of respect and appreciation 

for the distinguished Senator from Maryland, Ms. MIKULSKI.

It is certainly well deserved. 

She is one of the hardest working and most effective Senators serving in the Senate today. It has been a great pleasure working closely with her on the Appropriations Committee.

Mr. HATCH. Mr. President, today I wish to pay tribute to 

our dear friend and colleague, the senior Senator from Maryland, BARBARA MIKULSKI. This week, Senator MIKULSKI became the longest serving woman in the history of the U.S. 

Congress. That is quite a milestone, and I want to congratulate her on her many years of devoted service to the people 

of her home State. 

Senator MIKULSKI is a Maryland native. Descended from 

Polish immigrants, she was born and raised in Baltimore. 

She attended college at both St. Agnes College in Baltimore 

and the University of Maryland. 

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After several years of working as a social worker in the 

Baltimore area, Senator MIKULSKI began her political career 

in 1971 when she was elected to the Baltimore City Council. 

She served there for 5 years before running for Congress in 

1976. For 10 years, she represented the Third Congressional 

District of Maryland. Then, in 1986, she was elected to serve 

here in the Senate. 

Although the milestone we are recognizing today is a significant one, it is not the first for Senator MIKULSKI. Indeed, 

throughout her time in the Senate she has been a pioneer for 

women in public service. 

For example, Senator MIKULSKI was the first woman elected to statewide office in Maryland. She was also the first 

Democratic woman elected to a Senate seat that was not previously held by her husband. And, she was the first woman 

to serve in both the Senate and the House of Representatives.

I have known Senator MIKULSKI a long time, having 

served with her in the Senate for over 25 years now. While 

she and I have often found ourselves on opposite sides of 

many issues, I have long admired her commitment to her 

principles and, most important, her devotion to the people of 

her home State. Indeed, she has been a stalwart and oftentimes fierce advocate for the interests of Marylanders. 

I want to congratulate Senator MIKULSKI on this important milestone, and I am grateful for this opportunity to pay 

tribute to her and to her many years of public service. 

Mr. ENZI. Mr. President, I greatly appreciate having this 

opportunity to join my colleagues in expressing our congratulations to BARBARA MIKULSKI as she reaches another great 

milestone in her career of service to the people of Maryland 

in the U.S. Congress. 

Senator MIKULSKI is now the longest serving woman in the 

history of the U.S. Congress. Although outstanding in and of 

itself, it is an achievement that represents far more than the 

number of years she has served in the Nation’s Capital. It 

is also a testament to her outstanding public service and her 

commitment to our future that has made it possible for her 

to help to make our great Nation both stronger and more secure.

Back home, Senator MIKULSKI’s constituents have come to 

appreciate her more and more as they have seen how hard 

she works to represent them every day. That is why they always come out in such great numbers every election day to 

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ference she has made all around them, and they appreciate 

the way she has made their cities and towns better places 

to live. 

I have often heard Senator MIKULSKI referred to as the 

dean of the Senate women, a title she has earned that was 

conferred upon her with the great admiration, affection, and 

appreciation of those with whom she has served. Over the 

years so many of them have acknowledged the difference she 

has made in their lives with her support, her encouragement, her guidance, and her direction. She has been such a 

great mentor to them because she has always led the best 

way—by example. It is another mark of distinction that has 

come to her as, each day, she has helped to write another 

chapter of the history of Maryland and this great Nation of 

ours.

Looking back, she has played an active role in a long list 

of changes that have come to our country over the years. Because she has been at the forefront of so many of them she 

has been a role model not only for those with whom she has 

served, but for those who have been watching her in action 

back home. I have no doubt, in the years to come, many 

more women will serve in the House and the Senate who will 

credit Senator MIKULSKI for first giving them the idea of 

serving in the Congress. Her own record of success then assured them that it would be possible for them to do the same 

if they were willing to work hard and take their case to the 

people for their consideration. 

In the end, that is what our service in the Senate is all 

about—doing everything we can so that the current generation will have the tools they will need to succeed and then 

take their place as the next generation of our Nation’s leaders. Thanks to good people like BARBARA MIKULSKI the people back home know that someone cares. She has given them 

a voice and it is heard clearly whenever she takes to the 

Senate floor to make their concerns known. 

I have often heard it said that the meaning of public service is found in the definition of the word ‘‘service.’’ That is 

why we are taking a moment today to thank Senator MIKULSKI for putting her principles and her beliefs into action all 

these many years for her beloved Maryland and the United 

States of America. If I may paraphrase the words of Abraham Lincoln, it isn’t so much her years of service that matters so much as the service of her years. Through the years 

she has made a difference in so many ways that will be long 

remembered and celebrated. 

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Congratulations, BARBARA. You are setting a record pace 

here in the Senate. From this day on, you will be setting a 

new record every day. Thank you for your service, but most 

of all, thank you for your friendship. Diana and I have appreciated having the chance to come to know you and to 

work with you. 

Mr. BINGAMAN. Mr. President, I rise today in tribute to 

Senator BARBARA MIKULSKI of Maryland, who has just become the longest serving woman in Congress, and to applaud 

the pioneering role that she has played in the evolution of 

the Senate. 

Things have certainly changed since 1986, when Senator 

MIKULSKI was elected to the Senate. When Senator MIKULSKI joined the Senate as the first Democratic woman elected 

in her right as opposed to filling the term of a spouse, the 

Senate looked very different. There was only one other 

woman Senator, Nancy Kassebaum, a Republican from Kansas. The Senate had just begun to televise its proceedings 

the year she was elected. And, obviously, there were no 

women in leadership positions in the Senate. 

Senator MIKULSKI set out to change all that. She became 

the first woman in the Democratic leadership. She became 

the first woman to serve on the Appropriations Committee. 

And then she became the first woman to chair the Senate 

Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee. 

Things certainly have changed. Now, in the 112th Congress, there are 17 women, both Republican and Democrat, 

in the Senate overall. There are seven women on the Appropriations Committee alone. Five women chair Senate committees. Women have had significant roles in both the Democratic and Republican Senate leadership. 

While all of these changes were clearly not solely a function of Senator MIKULSKI’s pioneering leadership, she blazed 

a trail as bright and as wide as anyone could possibly hope 

for. With her impassioned speeches, her plain-spoken delivery, and her commitment to fairness and justice, Senator MIKULSKI could not be ignored or pigeonholed. She stood up for 

what she believed in, and she would not allow her voice to 

be silenced. 

Senator MIKULSKI cared deeply about health care issues, 

and women’s health in particular. When she learned that 

many federally funded research protocols did not include 

women, she led the fight to insure that would never happen 

again. She established the Office of Women’s Health at NIH 

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to ensure women would always have a voice in critical health 

issues.

One of her proudest accomplishments was working to pass 

the spousal impoverishment law, which changed the rules 

that forced elderly couples to spend all their assets and give 

up their home before the Government would help one member of the couple pay for a nursing home. 

Finally, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention Senator 

MIKULSKI’s efforts on behalf of her beloved State of Maryland. From the crabbers of the Chesapeake Bay to the steelworkers at Sparrows Point to the scientists at Goddard to all 

the other families all across the State, no one has worked 

harder to give them a voice on Capitol Hill than BARBARA

MIKULSKI. On this historic day, I wish her the best, and I 

know that as long as she is a U.S. Senator, she will never 

stop fighting for what she believes is right. 

Mr. BAUCUS. Mr. President, we mark March as Women’s 

History Month, as a time of year for us to remember the valiant female leaders of our great Nation. One of them is very 

special to Montana. In 1916 Jeannette Rankin was the first 

woman elected to the U.S. Congress, 4 years before women 

were granted the right to vote. 

As a Member of the House of Representatives, her daring 

and vocal stance on controversial issues such as war and 

peace brought critical recognition from the press. In every 

situation, the strength of her values persisted, even under 

the pressures of unanimous opposition to a war with Germany. Jeannette Rankin said, ‘‘I may be the first woman 

Member of Congress, but I won’t be the last,’’ and helped to 

pave the way for future generations of women leaders. 

This past Saturday, March 17, 2012, marked a monumental day in American history. The Senator from Maryland, Ms. BARBARA MIKULSKI, celebrated her 35th year in 

the U.S. Congress. 

That important accomplishment is a milestone for American culture and female leaders in Congress. Senator MIKULSKI is now the longest serving female in the Senate and in 

the history of the U.S. Congress. She spent her first 10 years 

in the House of Representatives, followed by the next 25 

years here in the Senate. She has worked every day to make 

America a better place for the next generation. 

When Senator MIKULSKI began her work in the House of 

Representatives, there were 18 female Members of the House 

and 3 female Members of the Senate. When she began her 

first term in the Senate, there were 23 female Members of 

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the House and only 1 other female Member of the Senate. 

Now, she is a leader among our 17 female Senators and 76 

female Members of the House of Representatives. 

Her strong sense of community and instinctive nature pertaining to the needs of Americans is exemplified by her 

action-oriented attitude. Even before her tenure in Congress, 

as a social worker for the people of Maryland, Ms. MIKULSKI

was active in local issues in and around the Baltimore area 

and worked to help at-risk children and seniors. She continues working passionately to address those issues throughout her tenure in Congress. 

Her advocacy for justice and contributions to social issues 

are evident with her work to fight for women’s rights and 

improved access to health care, to better education, and to 

volunteering and national service opportunities. She offers 

tremendous leadership for the Senate both as the chairwoman of the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Subcommittee on Primary Health and Aging, and as the chairwoman of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, 

Justice, Science, and Related Agencies. 

Like Jeannette Rankin, Senator MIKULSKI has been a leader and an exemplar for strong and courageous women leaders in America. 

Senator MIKULSKI gets things done, and I have enjoyed 

our friendship during our work together in the Senate. Her 

brave spirit is one that sets the bar for new and incoming 

Senators, both male and female. I congratulate Senator MIKULSKI on her special day and I look forward to continuing 

our work in the Senate together. 

Mr. President, I yield the floor. 

The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Maryland. 

Ms. MIKULSKI. Mr. President, first of all, let me say I am 

enormously touched and gratified by the warm words my colleagues have spoken on both sides of the aisle. I am particularly moved by the fact of the men of Maryland who are here 

today. I am moved by the wonderful words of Senator 

Cardin, my colleague. I am moved as well that Governor 

O’Malley is here today. 

When I came to the Senate, Senator Paul Sarbanes was 

my senior colleague, and he is here today as well. Governor 

O’Malley and Senator Sarbanes are on the bench, but these 

men are certainly not back benchers. I must say about the 

Governor and Senator Sarbanes and Senator Cardin, they 

prove the old adage that men of quality will always support 

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good women who seek equality. I have enjoyed their support, 

their wise counsel, and their collegial efforts on behalf of the 

people of Maryland during my years in Maryland politics. 

It is a great honor to be here today passing this significant 

benchmark of becoming the longest serving woman in the 

history of the Congress, both in the House where I served for 

10 years, and in the Senate. It is a great honor for me to be 

able to pass into the history books along with such an esteemed person as Senator Margaret Chase Smith. We spoke 

about that in January 2011 when I was sworn in. There 

were tributes that day and wonderful words from our two 

women Senators from Maine. Today—actually over the weekend—I surpassed the record of Edith Norse Rogers who was 

the longest serving woman in the House. Both of those 

women came from New England. They were both hardy, resilient, and fiercely independent. I, as I have read their histories, so admired them. They were known for devotion to 

constituent service, an unabashed sense of patriotism, and 

kind of telling it like it is. I hope that as I join them in the 

history books. I can only continue with the same spirit of devotion to duty and that fierce independence and patriotism. 

I didn’t start out wanting to be a historic figure. To the 

question, ‘‘What do you want to be when you grow up?’’ you 

don’t say, ‘‘I want to be a historic figure.’’ When I was growing up, it was about service. For me, it is not how long I 

serve, it is not about history. For me, history books were 

Jane Adams and Abigail Adams and powdered wigs. I just 

welcome a day when I have time to even powder my nose, 

let alone powder my wig. But the fact is, when I grew up, 

I wanted to be of service. I learned that in my home, in my 

family, in my community, and with the wonderful nuns who 

taught me. 

Today my colleagues have spoken about my wonderful 

mother and father. I had a terrific mother and father. I am 

so happy my two sisters and my fantastic brothers-in-law are 

joining me today. I only wish my mother and father could be 

here with me because they worked so hard to see that my 

sisters and I had an education at significant sacrifice to 

them. They were really wonderful people where others saw 

them in a life of business. Every day my father would open 

his grocery store and say, ‘‘Good morning, can I help you?’’ 

When he did, he wanted to assure that his customers got a 

fair deal. 

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My father opened his grocery store during the New Deal 

because he believed in Roosevelt and because, as my father 

said, ‘‘BARB, I know Roosevelt believed in me.’’ 

I also had the benefit of the wonderful Catholic nuns who 

educated me. I had the benefit of going to a school called the 

Institute of Notre Dame and then Mount St. Agnes College, 

the Sisters of Notre Dame and the Sisters of Mercy. These 

women, who concentrated their lives on the message of 

Christianity and the message of Jesus Christ, wanted to 

make sure that women in America could learn and be a part 

of our society. They didn’t only teach us our three Rs, they 

taught us about leadership and service. They also taught us 

about other values—the values of love your neighbor, care 

for the sick, worry about the poor, and be hungry and thirsty 

for justice. 

When I was at the Institute of Notre Dame, a school that 

Nancy Pelosi went to as well, there was something called the 

Christopher movement after St. Christopher. The motto was, 

‘‘It is better to light one little candle than to curse the darkness.’’ That is what I wanted to do. I wanted to be a social 

worker. I even thought about being a doctor. One time I even 

thought about being a Catholic nun, but that vow of obedience kind of slowed me down a little bit. 

In this country wonderful things happen. When my greatgrandmother came to this country, she had little money in 

her pocket but a big dream in her heart: that she could be 

part of the American dream, that she could own a home in 

her own name, in her own right; that she could have a job 

and so could the people in her own family; and that based 

on merit and hard work you could be something. Well, in 

three generations, I have become a Senator. Only in America 

the story of my family could have occurred—modest beginnings, hard work, effort, neighbor helping neighbor. 

Much has been said about my fight for the highway. I was 

thinking about getting a doctorate in public health at Johns 

Hopkins. But they were going to run that highway through 

the neighborhoods, the older ethnic neighborhoods, the African American neighborhoods. We were viewed in some of 

those neighborhoods as the other side of the tracks. I wanted 

to fight to keep those neighborhoods on track. So I took on 

city hall, and I did fight them. 

In this country, what happened? In another country, they 

would have taken a protester like me and put me in jail. Instead, in the United States of America, they sent me to the 

city council. I worked hard there, and 5 years later, when 

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Senator Paul Sarbanes, who was a Congressman, ran for the 

Senate, I ran for his House seat, and I got the job. 

When I arrived in the House in 1976, only 19 women were 

serving: 14 Democrats and 5 Republicans; only 5 women of 

color. In 2012, there are 76 women in the House: 50 Democrats, 24 Republicans; 26 women of color. In the Senate, 

there are now 17 women serving: 12 Democrats, 5 Republicans. Today, we saw visiting us Senator Carol MoseleyBraun, a woman of color who served well while she was 

here.

Those are the numbers and those are the statistics. And 

though I join this long number of firsts, for me it is not how 

long I have served but how well I have served. When I came 

to Congress, I became a Member for the fabulous Third Congressional District of Maryland. My job was to represent a 

blue collar community that was in economic transition. What 

did we do? We were a community that built things here so 

we could ship them over there. We built cars. We built ships. 

We made steel. We knew if a country did not make something and build something, it could not make something of 

itself.

I fought for those blue collar people. I fought to keep those 

jobs in manufacturing. We fought for the Port of Baltimore, 

its dredging, so we could bring in the big ships so we could 

have exports. We worked again for those people in those 

manufacturing areas while we saw jobs go overseas. Then we 

worked very hard for cities to make sure our cities were safe, 

that we had great schools, and that they had a chance of 

making it. 

I fought hard for health care. One of my greatest pieces of 

legislation was the Spousal Anti-Impoverishment Act, so 

that if one spouse went into a nursing home, the other 

spouse would not have to spend down their life’s savings and 

lose their home. AARP tells me my legislation of so many 

years ago, that stands today, has kept 1 million people from 

losing their home or their family farm. 

Those were the battles then. Those were the battles when 

I changed my address and I came to the Senate. Although 

I changed my address, the battles are still the same: jobs, social justice, opportunity based on hard work, peace in the 

world, and I continue to fight for this. 

But for me, it is not only about issues. Issues are so abstract. Issues can be so bloodless when we talk about them. 

For me, issues are about people—the people I represent in 

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my own hometown, the people I represent in my State, and 

the people who live in the United States of America. 

My favorite thing is being out there talking to the people, 

going into diners, going table to table, listening to their stories, holding roundtables with parents whose children have 

special needs, meeting with scientists who have discoveries 

they think will lead to new ideas and new products that will 

bring new jobs, meeting with universities that train our 

workforce. For me, it is about the people. 

So as I pass this important benchmark, which I am so honored to do, I want people to know I am still that young girl 

who watched her father open that grocery store every day 

and say: ‘‘Good morning. Can I help you?’’ I am still that 

young girl who went to the Institute of Notre Dame and 

Mount St. Agnes College who said: 

I am going to light one little candle. I do not want to curse the darkness. 

I want to continue to fight for a stronger economy, a safer America, the people of Maryland. 

In conclusion, I want to say thanks. I am going to thank 

the Dear Lord for giving me the chance to be born in the 

greatest country in the world, to be able to work hard and 

serve in one of the greatest institutions in the United States 

of America. But nobody gets to be a ‘‘me’’ without a whole 

lot of ‘‘thee.’’ 

I thank my family. I thank the religious women who educated me. I thank all of my staff who have worked so hard 

to help me do a good job. And I thank the countless volunteers who believed in me and worked for my election when 

nobody else did. Most of all, I thank the people of the Third 

Congressional District and the State of Maryland for saying: 

‘‘BARB, we are going to give you your shot. Don’t ever forget 

this. Don’t ever forget us.’’ I want them to know, though I 

have now served in the Senate 12,858 days, I will never forget them. Every morning I am saying in my heart, ‘‘Good 

morning. Can I help you?’’ 

Mr. President, I yield the floor. 

(Applause, Senators rising.) 

The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Washington.

Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, I am so honored to join so 

many of my Senate colleagues and people from Maryland 

and across this country in recognizing and congratulating 

the amazing woman you just heard from, my good friend 

from Maryland Senator BARBARA MIKULSKI, who, as you 

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have just heard, has just become the longest serving female 

Member of Congress in the history of the United States. 

This is an achievement that takes courage, it takes passion, and it takes commitment. Those are three attributes all 

of us who know her so well know she has in abundance. But 

my good friend, Senator MIKULSKI, has not just served long, 

she has served well. 

The senior Senator from Maryland, over her 35 years in 

Congress, has established herself as a trailblazer, as a leader, and as a fighter for the people of her State. It is fitting 

that this milestone was reached during Women’s History 

Month because Senator MIKULSKI has given so much of herself in support of other women in Congress. She has guided 

us, she has shown us how to stand and fight, and she has 

taken all of us under her wing. 

Senator MIKULSKI realized when she arrived here that 

there was no rule book for women in Congress. So she took 

it upon herself to guide the way. She drew on her own experiences to make the transition easier for all of us. 

She organized seminars that you have heard about. She 

taught us how to work together. She taught us about the legislative process, the rules on the floor, and the many more 

subtle rules off the floor. 

In short, Senator MIKULSKI showed us the ropes, and she 

has done it every day I have been here for all the women 

who have come since she has been here. While she knows it 

is important and courageous to lead the charge, she also understands the first ones have to be responsible and successful so others can follow. It is because Senator MIKULSKI has

done her job so well that other women have been able to follow in her footsteps. 

She is here today as the longest serving woman in Congress, not by accident or by happenstance. She is here because she has earned it, because the people of her State 

know she is an indispensable champion of their causes, because she does work across party lines, and because she delivers results. 

I know many years from now when women have achieved 

a larger, more representative role in our Nation’s Capital, 

Senator MIKULSKI will be at the very top of the list of people 

to thank—the person who not only forged the path but who 

went back and guided so many of us down it. 

I know many of my colleagues are on the floor today to 

thank Senator MIKULSKI. But I am here especially to thank 

her, as one of those women who have followed in her foot16 2012 Jkt 073500 PO 00000 Frm 00054 Fmt 6688 Sfmt 6688 H:\DOCS\MIKULSKI\73500 TXT KAYNE
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steps, for her more than 35 years of service to her State and 

to her country. Those of us who know her well know she is 

not even close to being finished. 

So, Mr. President, my very best to my very good friend, 

Senator MIKULSKI. I wish her very well in her next 35 years. 

I yield the floor. 

The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from New York. 

Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President I too want to speak of my 

dear friend BARBARA MIKULSKI, who is just precious. She is 

precious to her family. She is precious to the people of the 

Third Congressional District that she represented for 10 

years. She is precious to the people of Maryland, precious to 

the people of the United States, and precious to those of us 

who have the privilege of serving with her in this body. 

She has been affectionately known as a few things: The 

dean of women; the breaker of the ceiling, as Patty Murray 

just said; setting the stage, setting the rule book—writing 

the rule book—for women in the Senate. 

There will be 51 women in the Senate one day—there will 

be—and it will come much more quickly because BARBARA

MIKULSKI was the first. There is no question about that. The 

Senate will be a better place for it in so many different ways. 

She is also not only known as the dean of women. We love 

her. She is known as BARB. I love calling her on the phone 

late at night and having her say: ‘‘This is BARB. Please call 

me. Make sure you say the words and leave your phone 

number twice.’’ 

Of course, when BARB says something, we all do it. So I 

always leave the phone number twice. 

I admire so much about her. One of the things at the top 

of the list is who she is. She is the real deal. She knows 

where she came from. She has never forgotten where she 

came from. As I have told her personally, she has that internal gyroscope of who she is, what she should do, and how 

she should do it that guides her almost instinctively, and it 

is probably the most precious thing a politician can have. 

Not very many people have it, but hers is about the best I 

have ever witnessed. 

It started from her upbringing and her faith, which she 

mentioned. We have talked about Willy. She has mentioned 

Willy. But you never forget how she reminds us because it 

is with her, and you can see it in her actions every day—how 

when people would come into the store that Willy had, the 

grocery store in East Baltimore, when they had lost their job 

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or someone was very sick and Willy would say: ‘‘Take the 

groceries and pay me later.’’ 

It reminded me of my grandfather Jake—we have talked 

about this—who was an exterminator, not quite the same as 

Willy and not providing the same services, but he would tell 

people: ‘‘If you have roaches and rats in your house and you 

can’t pay, I will still exterminate. Pay me when you have the 

money.’’ So I understood that instinctively. 

I would have loved Willy to have met my grandfather Jake 

because I am sure they were kindred souls in a lot of ways. 

And the guidance of Willy and BARB’s mom—you can see it 

every day in the way she acts. 

I just want to say another thing about BARB. She got into 

public service as a community activist. There was a highway 

that was going to tear up an important and historic part of 

her community, and she got involved. Being schooled by her 

and many of my colleagues, many women believed, oh, they 

would be excluded from politics if they went into politics directly. But when you are a community activist and you take 

a lead because something is bothering you about your home 

or your neighborhood, politics just followed sort of naturally. 

It is a little bit like Patty Murray’s story as well. 

These days, because of what BARB has done, I think my 

daughters can aspire—I do not know if they do, but they can 

aspire to go into political life directly. In those days, it was 

much harder. But there she was. She led this fight. She went 

on to the city council, of course the Third Congressional District in Maryland, and now to this august Chamber. She has 

done so much. It has been cataloged by all my colleagues. 

Medical research: There are probably millions of people 

alive today because of the 35 years she has pushed to make 

that happen. They do not know who they are, but they are 

there; and they are living happy and healthy because of 

BARB MIKULSKI.

How about veterans and health care needs? Again, literally tens of thousands, maybe hundreds of thousands, of 

our veterans are living much better lives because they were 

able to get the health care that BARB MIKULSKI spearheaded,

particularly in the earlier days when this was not a popular 

cause.

The list goes on and on. She has done so much. In our 

Chamber she is beloved. Beloved. People are sometimes 

afraid of her when she gets mad. People want her approval. 

But most of all, I think what most of us seek is her advice, 

because after so many years in politics, she has that gift to 

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understand what the average person needs and to talk directly to them. She does not talk through her colleagues or 

does not talk through the media or does not talk through 

some community leader or other politician. She still is talking to that family sitting in East Baltimore or in Hagerstown 

or in Annapolis. She almost has them in front of her eyes 

wherever she goes. That is why her speeches are so effective. 

She does not try to polish them. That is not her. She speaks 

from the heart directly to the people, and she cares so much 

about them that it comes through. It is an amazing trait. 

I most admire people in political life who never forget 

where they came from. She is one of the most powerful people, not just women, one of the most powerful persons in 

America. I did not know BARB MIKULSKI when she was a 

community activist in East Baltimore, but my guess is she 

is exactly the same today. All the power and the accomplishments and the emoluments and the praise, all deserved, 

have not changed her a whit. That to me says an amazing 

thing about an individual. 

BARB, I know my colleagues are waiting, but we love you. 

We cherish you. As Patty Murray said, ‘‘I will put it my own 

way, I am sure that BARBARA MIKULSKI, knowing her as well 

as I do, the best is yet to come.’’ 

I yield the floor. 

The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Rhode Island.

Mr. WHITEHOUSE. Madam President, I wish to join my 

colleagues in a tribute to Senator MIKULSKI.

I am delighted to join my colleagues in this tribute to perhaps our favorite colleague, BARBARA MIKULSKI, on her becoming the longest serving woman in congressional history. 

Her work in these Halls has made our country stronger. In 

a place where partisan rancor too often rules the day, she 

has established a legacy of service to her constituents and to 

all of us in this body that stands as an example to every one 

of us. 

Her political career began in the late 1960s when she 

launched a campaign to stop the construction of a highway 

over a historic neighborhood she wanted to protect in Baltimore. She won that battle and went on to run for the Baltimore City Council in 1971. More than 40 years later and following a successful stint in the House of Representatives, 

BARBARA MIKULSKI continues to blaze an impressive trail. 

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During her 27 years in the Senate, she became the first 

woman to sit on the Senate Appropriations Committee, the 

first woman to chair an appropriations subcommittee, and 

the first Democratic woman elected to Senate leadership. 

Last year, we celebrated BARBARA as she became the longest 

serving female Senator. Now she has crossed yet another 

milestone, passing Congresswoman Edith Nourse Rogers of 

Massachusetts, having served in the Congress longer than 

any woman in history. 

Of course, we do not just celebrate the quantity of BARBARA’s service but its quality. No one is better at drilling 

down to the heart of an issue and expressing it in punchy, 

unforgettable terms. No one cheers us up more than BARBARA when she tells us to: Stand tall, square our shoulders, 

put on our lipstick, and rise to the occasion. We do not all 

put on lipstick, but we all get the message. 

No one better combines the idealism of politics with the 

proactive abilities of government. She told me once with a 

twinkle in her eye, ‘‘I am a reformer, but I am a bit of a 

wardheeler too.’’ Practicality and passion combined is what 

makes politics successful, and no one does it better than 

BARBARA.

When she was first elected to the House in 1977, she was 

1 of 21 women in Congress; 18 in the House and, the following year, only 3 in the Senate. Today there are 93 women 

serving including 17 Senators. BARBARA has earned the distinction of dean of the Senate women. But she never forgot 

her roots as a champion for those who need a voice in this 

building.

In her years in the Senate, BARBARA MIKULSKI’s dedication 

to her constituents and women’s rights has been clear, from 

becoming a champion of women’s health issues to organizing 

training seminars for women of both parties elected to the 

Senate, to sponsoring and pushing through with a force that 

we all remember the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009. 

During my much shorter tenure as a Senator, I have had 

the great privilege and pleasure to work with BARBARA to

pass landmark health care reform legislation out of the 

HELP Committee. I have also served with her on the Intelligence Committee, and worked closely with her on the Senate Intelligence Committee’s cyber task force to evaluate 

cyberthreats and issue recommendations to the full committee. I have taken from those experiences great affection 

and respect for Senator BARBARA MIKULSKI. These are issues 

that are complex, complicated, difficult, and abstruse, and 

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she brought to them the verve and the vigor and the vision 

to move on them. Those really are her hallmarks: verve, 

vigor, and vision. 

I know all of us here in this Chamber are proud to call 

Senator BARB our colleague and friend as she makes history 

yet again. Her hard work and collegial spirit have enriched 

this Senate. I wish her all of the best in the accomplishments ahead. On behalf of all Rhode Islanders, Senator MIKULSKI, I congratulate you for this milestone in your history, 

the Senate’s history, and our Nation’s history. 

I yield the floor. 

The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Georgia is 

recognized.

Mr. ISAKSON. Madam President, I consider it an honor 

and a privilege to rise for a moment to pay tribute to Senator 

MIKULSKI from the State of Maryland, In so doing, I think 

it is only appropriate that I quote from a speech made on 

November 22 in 1922 by the first woman ever to serve in the 

Senate.

Rebecca Latimer Felton was the first woman Senator. She 

was appointed for 1 day. Governor Brown had run against 

Walter George for the Senate. Walter George won. And because of Ms. Felton’s unending help to him in his race, he 

asked the Governor if he would appoint her for a day to his 

seat before he took it and was sworn in. 

She came to Washington, DC, to serve for 1 day and she 

made one speech. In that speech she had a paragraph that 

to me exemplifies BARBARA MIKULSKI. She said: 

Let me say, Mr. President, that when the women of the country come and 

sit with you, though there may be but very few in the next few years, I 

pledge you that you will get ability, you will get integrity of purpose, you 

will get exalted patriotism, and you will get unstinted usefulness. 

That was Rebecca Felton in 1922. Today, in March 2012, 

we honor a Senator who has lived up to every one of those 

promises Ms. Felton made almost 100 years ago. I have had 

the privilege to serve on the HELP Committee with the Senator, worked very closely on the Alzheimer’s legislation 

which she has been such a leader on, worked with her on 

many other projects, including one I am happy to remind her 

about, and that was the confirmation of Wendy Sherman a 

few months ago when, on the floor of the Senate, we worked 

together to see that she was appointed and named and confirmed Under Secretary of State for the United States of 

America, serving under Hillary Clinton. 

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On that night when we worked on getting that UC (unanimous consent) done, and it was not easy, I saw the tenacity, 

I saw the grace, I saw the patriotism, and I saw the integrity 

of BARBARA MIKULSKI. It is an honor for me to rise today and 

commend her on a great individual achievement, not just for 

herself but for all of the women who have gone before her 

and all the women who will come later on, and to my five 

granddaughters and my daughter. 

She has led the life in the Senate exemplary of the contributions that all women can make to our society. I commend her on her service, her compassion, her integrity, and 

all that she has done for the State of Maryland, the United 

States of America, and peace on this Earth. 

BARBARA, congratulations to you on a great achievement. 

It is an honor for me to be here. 

The PRESIDING OFFICER (Ms. Klobuchar). The Senator 

from Delaware is recognized. 

Mr. COONS. Madam President, I am honored to follow my 

good friend and colleague from the State of Georgia in recognizing the remarkable contributions of Senator MIKULSKI,

now the longest serving woman in the history of the Congress.

Today we have been joined by many great Marylanders. 

We have had Governor O’Malley and Senator Cardin, and 

former Senator Sarbanes, and Senator MIKULSKI’s own family, her sisters and brother-in-law in attendance. I am also 

pleased that we have got two of her favorite constituents, my 

father and my brother, who are with us today as well. They 

live in Annapolis and they have known what I have known 

since childhood when I lived in the suburbs of Baltimore, 

that Senator MIKULSKI is a remarkable, a tireless, a passionate, and an effective Senator. 

Reference has been made to her start as a community organizer, someone who saved Fells Point from a 16-lane superhighway, someone who was not afraid to get into the gritty issues of a local community and standing up for folks who 

did not have anyone to fight for them. We have also heard 

about her early years as a social worker, helping folks in 

need understand the programs available to them and then 

fighting for the programs that should have been available to 

them.

It is no surprise to any of us that the district she first represented in the House of Representatives, the Third, was 

known as the ‘‘steel district’’ where lots of men and women 

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worked in the Bethlehem Steel plant. It is no surprise that 

she has earned a reputation here in the Senate as a woman 

of steel, who fights for manufacturers, who fights for Federal 

workers, who fights for Western Maryland, who fights for 

poultry on the peninsula of the Eastern Shore of Maryland, 

who fights for her constituents day in and day out. 

It is indeed just that in this Woman’s History Month we 

would be recognizing Senator BARBARA MIKULSKI, who has 

stood up for Maryland each and every day. Though like me 

she comes up a little short every time she stands, she stands 

incredibly tall in the company of Senators throughout American history. She is someone who is passionate for people, 

who has determination to continue in the tradition of her father, that fair deal grocer, who asked every day that simple 

question: How can I help?, and then gets busy answering it. 

She is a role model for me, for all of us, for my daughter, 

for my family, for our community. She is the only Senator I 

have heard say to me, fiercely, before going on a vote on the 

floor: ‘‘To the barricades.’’ And she is the only person who 

could say that and mean it. For a lifetime, she has been at 

the barricades of justice. She has been at the barricades of 

service. She has been at the barricades of making a difference. And for that, we are all grateful. 

I yield the floor. 

The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Alaska is 

recognized.

Ms. MURKOWSKI. Madam President, I too stand today to 

pay recognition to a friend, a colleague, and truly a woman 

who brings a smile to my face. Because for as many years 

as she has served her State of Maryland, for as many years 

as she has served in the Halls of Congress, she has the enthusiasm, the spontaneity, the excitement when she approaches an issue as a brand-new rookie freshman coming 

into this body. 

That is quite remarkable because around here we can get 

kind of dragged down by the day-to-day politics, the partisan 

nature, and the conflicts that are inherent in this process. 

BARBARA MIKULSKI is one who embraces life and the responsibilities that are put before her. She has an opportunity 

to represent her constituents, and she embraces it with an 

enthusiasm that should be a reminder to us all of why we 

are here to serve. 

I have so many different stories and quips and quotes 

about Senator MIKULSKI, whose name sounds somewhat 

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similar to mine—Murkowski. Every now and again, we have 

an opportunity to share the same stage, the same podium, 

and the individual who is introducing us will trip on his or 

her tongue and refer to us wrongly. There was one occasion 

where we were being recognized by the National Geographic 

Society, and she pointed out to the individual making the introduction: ‘‘She is the vertical one, and I am the not so 

vertical one.’’ 

This is just a recognition again that regardless of the situation, BARBARA MIKULSKI has a good comeback, a quick 

quip. She is a quipmeister if there ever was one. It speaks 

again to the enthusiasm and passion she brings to the job 

she has in front of her. 

With names such as Murkowski and Mikulski, we clearly 

have a Polish heritage we look to with pride. She reminds 

me of mine because she is perhaps a little more connected 

to those Polish roots. Again, there is a sense of pride with 

whom she is, where she has come from, and what her family 

has done preceding her that allows her to go on and do so 

much for so many. 

We have had the opportunity to work together on issues 

that, coming from different parts of the country—truly different ends of the country—and one would not think we 

would have as much commonality on some of the issues. As 

the chairmen on the Commerce, Justice, Science Appropriations Subcommittee, we have worked closely on issues that 

relate to our fisheries, coastal issues, and judiciary issues. 

She is always reminding me that we have to take care of our 

fishermen out there and make sure our families who rely on 

our waters are appropriately cared for. 

We have worked together on women’s health issues. We 

were recently at the Sister to Sister event. I do feel a kinship 

and a relationship with this Polish sister as we talk about 

those issues that are so important to women’s health. 

We share the same concerns about how we do more for our 

first responders, our servicemembers, and our veterans. Just 

this past week, Senator—I almost called her Murkowski myself—Senator MIKULSKI was chairing a committee, and I 

brought up an issue as it related to the late Senator Ted Stevens and the Department of Justice investigation that failed 

so miserably—and we are now pursuing it, through different 

avenues, to make sure nobody should have to go through 

what Senator Stevens did—Senator MIKULSKI literally

stopped the committee hearing to remind the Attorney General that, in fact, this was not a partisan issue; this was an 

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issue where we all should be concerned and that if there is 

no justice within the Department of Justice, what does that 

mean for us as a nation. 

She is never hesitant to speak and stand and make very 

clear, when these issues are important to the Nation, it 

should know no bounds by party. BARBARA MIKULSKI has

held true to that. 

In many different ways, that makes this milestone we are 

recognizing even more important because I think there is a 

kind of a piling on of events that can happen in the Halls 

of Congress, where the weight of what we do on a daily basis 

gets to be a load. To a certain extent, one can get tired, one 

can get worn, but BARBARA has not let the weight of that responsibility bring her down. 

I was joking with her a little bit ago when all the accolades were coming her way. I said, ‘‘BARBARA, with all these 

kind words that are being said about you, by the time the 

tributes are done, you are going to be 7 feet tall.’’ 

That woman is 7 feet tall in the minds of so many of us. 

She is a giant for the people of Maryland. She has proven 

herself to be a giant in so many ways as she works to do 

good for so many. 

I am proud to stand with so many colleagues in recognizing her tenure, recognizing this historic place she has 

carved for herself within the Congress, and to call her my 

friend.

I yield the floor. 

The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from New Jersey.

Mr. MENENDEZ. Madam President, I rise to honor the 

service of one of our most distinguished and long-serving colleagues, the tireless, sometimes relentless, and often spirited 

senior Senator from Maryland, Ms. BARBARA MIKULSKI.

To say she is a trailblazer for women in politics is an understatement. She has blazed a bold trail not just for women 

in politics but for all women in every endeavor. She is a 

fighter, an advocate, someone whom one is hopefully on the 

same side with because she is a formidable opponent when 

one is on the opposite side. She is a role model for leadership 

and getting things done. 

Her impressive list of accomplishments is far too long to 

recite in a few minutes or even a few hours. It would not 

adequately do justice to her incredible service to Maryland 

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cated her career to serving Marylanders and has dedicated 

her life to public service. 

She began as a social worker in the neighborhoods of Baltimore, working every day on the street helping at-risk children find their way and giving seniors the help they needed. 

She was not, and is not, a bleeding heart, but there is no 

one who has a fuller heart, a more open heart to the deepest 

needs of the least powerful among us than Senator MIKULSKI. She is someone one wants on their side. 

Senator MIKULSKI came to public service with what I like 

to call the long view. She can see beyond herself to the needs 

of society as a whole, and she has fought for those needs and 

won on far more occasions than she has lost. 

When she first ran for public office in 1971, I know she 

had in her heart the deep and abiding memories of those 

kids and seniors she met in Baltimore when she began her 

career. I know she carries those memories with her to this 

day. To this day, she has never forgotten the people of Maryland who need her the most and have had the wisdom to 

elect her time and time again. 

Her political career has taken her from the Baltimore City 

Council to the House of Representatives and to this Chamber, where she has honorably served for the past 26 years. 

For 7 years, I have had the opportunity to work with her in 

this Chamber, and there has been no stronger, more knowledgeable, more committed colleague on this side of the aisle. 

She is an example for all her colleagues, determined to work 

across the aisle when possible and ready to fight for her beliefs when necessary. 

She was the first woman elected to statewide office in 

Maryland, the first Democratic woman elected to the Senate 

in her own right, the first woman to serve in both Houses 

of Congress, and the longest serving female Member of the 

Senate.

As we all know, this past Saturday, Senator MIKULSKI became the longest serving woman in the history of the Congress, serving more than 35 years in the House of Representatives and the Senate. 

It is only fitting that she achieve this milestone during 

Women’s History Month because she has not only paved the 

way for women in politics but she has helped pave the way 

for women everywhere. 

I had the opportunity to work with Senator MIKULSKI during the long and difficult debate and negotiations on health 

care reform. Her work was instrumental in ensuring that 

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women have access to the comprehensive health care they 

are now guaranteed under the law. During that debate, no 

one’s voice was clearer, no one’s voice was stronger, no one 

was more convincing than she in the fight for a woman’s 

right to comprehensive health care coverage. 

She fought for mandatory insurance coverage of essential 

services, such as mammograms and maternity care, services 

that many insurance companies refused to cover. She fought 

to end gender discrimination by insurance companies. 

As a result of the Affordable Care Act and, in large measure because of Senator MIKULSKI’s tireless efforts on behalf 

of women, being a woman is no longer a preexisting condition, as insurance companies used to say, that can be discriminated against. 

Those insurance companies that routinely denied coverage 

of basic women’s health services—essential services—are 

now required to cover those services under the comprehensive women’s health services provision of the law. 

Whenever there is a need in the Chamber for a strong 

voice for women, whenever there is a need for an advocate 

to stand for the powerless against the powerful, whenever 

there is a child who needs a friend or a senior citizen who 

needs a hand, BARBARA MIKULSKI is there. 

I believe there are many times she comes to this floor remembering, as she said, her days back in Baltimore, and she 

is right there—an advocate’s advocate—fighting for those 

children and seniors she met along the way. 

The rest of us are better off because she comes here with 

a full heart, ready to do what is right, not just what is politically expedient. 

Her bill, the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, was signed into 

law by President Obama just days after his inauguration. I 

was proud to work with her on that bill and on so many 

other efforts as well that make a difference in the lives of average Americans. 

Finally, Senator MIKULSKI has been a tireless advocate for 

something that is near and dear to my own heart—for those 

who suffer from Alzheimer’s and their families. 

As the son of a mother who battled Alzheimer’s for 18 

years and lost her life to it, I understand first hand the 

unique challenges of providing long-term care for a loved 

one. Senator MIKULSKI has come to this floor on countless occasions advocating for increased research, education, and 

programs for individuals with Alzheimer’s. She has found 

support from her colleagues on both sides of the aisle. 

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It is estimated that 5.4 million Americans are currently 

living with Alzheimer’s and millions more have been touched 

in some way by this debilitating disease. 

I thank the Senator from the bottom of my heart for her 

passion for helping those who suffer from this disease. I look 

forward to continuing to work with her on this issue until we 

find a cure for Alzheimer’s. 

The bottom line: BARBARA MIKULSKI is a deeply committed 

public servant. The State of Maryland has rightly recognized 

her invaluable service for many years. Because of her efforts, 

those Maryland families know their interests are protected 

and their voices are heard. 

It has been an honor to serve with her. All of us in this 

Chamber can only hope to serve our States with the same 

conviction, selflessness, and pride as Senator MIKULSKI has

throughout her 35 years of service to the State of Maryland. 

I am reminded of what Mother Teresa said when she got 

the Congressional Gold Medal, ‘‘It is not the awards and recognition that one receives in life that matter; it is how one 

has lived their life that matters.’’ 

In that respect, BARBARA MIKULSKI has lived an extraordinary life. We thank her for what she has done and not just 

for the people of Maryland but for all the people of America. 

I yield the floor. 

The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from New 

Hampshire.

Mrs. SHAHEEN. Madam President, I am proud to be able 

to join my colleagues on the floor this afternoon in honoring 

Senator BARBARA MIKULSKI for her service to Maryland and 

for the endless contributions she has made to the people of 

this country. 

It is very hard to adequately describe a political icon such 

as BARBARA MIKULSKI. For all of us women in politics, she 

is a model of what we can aspire to or what we would hope 

to aspire to. I just want to tell a simple story about BARB

that I think reflects her ability to get along with people, her 

zest for life, as so many of my colleagues have described, and 

the connection she makes that makes a difference for people. 

She and I were on a flight with four other Senators to the 

security forum in Halifax, Nova Scotia, a couple of years ago, 

and the weather was bad, so our flight was diverted to Bangor, ME. It was winter in New England, and of course, when 

there is bad weather in New England in the winter, it sticks 

around for a while, so we were trapped overnight in Bangor. 

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Most of us just sort of sat there waiting to figure out what 

was going to be done while we waited for a flight the next 

day, but not BARBARA, because she doesn’t sit still. She is 

never afraid to pick up the phone and take action, and that 

is exactly what she did. BARBARA dialed up her old friend 

and colleague—the colleague of all of us—Senator Susan Collins, and said, ‘‘Guess where I am.’’ And that is how those 

of us who were on that flight—the six Senators and the Secretary of Homeland Security—wound up joining Senator Collins and the legendary Troop Greeters of Bangor, ME, in welcoming troops at the airport as they returned home from 

overseas. So what had earlier seemed like an inconvenience 

turned into a fabulous opportunity to thank our brave men 

and women in uniform and to have a good time while we 

were doing it. 

You find those kinds of things happening if you spend time 

with BARBARA MIKULSKI. It is a byproduct of her relentless 

energy, her drive to better her community and our Nation as 

a whole, her deep commitment to fighting for women’s 

health, and her unfailing grace and gumption as a legislator, 

a colleague, and a friend. 

As has been said, she got her start as a social worker trying to make the lives of men and women in her native Baltimore a little easier to bear. She was working in the service 

of values that were taught to her by her family, who owned 

the neighborhood grocery store. And as so many have commented, she often tells the story of her father opening the 

store early so that steelworkers coming in for the early 

morning shift would have time to buy their lunch. BARB has

carried that spirit, those values she learned from her family 

in that grocery store here to the Senate, and often those values are sorely needed here. 

As dean of the Congressional Caucus for Women’s Issues, 

she has built a sense of community within the caucus. Her 

bipartisan women’s dinners are legendary. And, of course, 

what happens at those dinners stays at those dinners. Those 

are MIKULSKI’s rules. But we really don’t need to look any 

further than that wintry night in Maine to know how effective she has been in making things happen for people. 

I look forward to more of her dinners, to more conversations with the Senator, to more chances to work with her as 

she fights on behalf of women and seniors and veterans and 

all those who don’t have a voice in government and at the 

table. I thank the Senator for her friendship, for her leadership, and for her many years of service. 

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I yield the floor. 

The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from West Virginia.

Mr. MANCHIN. Madam President, I too am honored to be 

able to rise today to speak of our dear friend BARBARA MIKULSKI. So many good things have been said, so many accolades have been shared about what BARBARA has done and 

what she means to all of us. I can only tell you there is not 

a better ally, mentor, neighbor, and, most important, friend 

to have in the Senate than BARBARA MIKULSKI.

My State shares a border with BARBARA’s State. Maryland 

and West Virginia have had a long and illustrious relationship. As Governor, I had always known of BARBARA and had 

met her a few times when I served the great State of West 

Virginia. But as a Senator, I have had the privilege of being 

her colleague and working with her and becoming friends, 

listening to her and watching how she works with her constituents, how she considers the issues, how she fights for 

issues. I don’t think anyone has ever had to guess where 

BARBARA stands on an issue because we all know. 

In the 15 months we have worked together, I can say it 

has been extremely rewarding to serve alongside her, whether it is her wisdom she shares on the train ride over to our 

sessions here or whether we talk about our both being raised 

in a grocery store. My grandfather had a little grocery store 

and, as you know, BARBARA was raised with her father in a 

grocery store. I think, basically, if you have retail in your 

blood, you understand the people of America. 

Her sense of humor is something to behold. Every day I 

have the privilege of serving with her is a good day in the 

Senate.

I know colleagues have all shared their stories about BARBARA, and they have had more experience with her in the 

Senate. As a freshman, being here only a little over a year 

and a half, I have not had that many personal experiences, 

but I can tell you this: If there is a fight that breaks out, if 

there is something going wrong, you want BARBARA on your 

side. She is the person to have in that foxhole when the 

shooting starts. I have been so appreciative to have her as 

my friend and always count on her. 

As we have all heard, she has been an advocate for women’s health, the space program, and her most beloved State 

of Maryland, which she fights for every day. 

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Last year she became the first woman to reach the milestone of serving a quarter of a century in the Senate. Madam 

President, I have staffers who are younger than her years of 

service. But I also have young staffers, especially my female 

staffers, who have said they see a world of possibility because of the trail Senator BARBARA MIKULSKI has left for 

them. With all of that, she has blazed a trail for all of us. 

No one will be able to fill the shoes of BARBARA MIKULSKI.

We will all be lucky enough to follow in her footsteps. 

When she began serving on the Hill in 1977, there were 

20 other women in all of Congress. She was among 17 who 

served in the House, while the following year there were 3 

in the Senate. Today, 35 years later, there are 17 women 

serving in the Senate. If there is anything we can learn from 

Senator BARBARA MIKULSKI, it is that 17 women is far too 

few. We need more women like you, BARBARA, and, just as 

important, we need more Senators like you. 

I can honestly say that I know the State of Maryland is 

much better off because of BARBARA MIKULSKI, and I can tell 

you that the United States of America is a better country because of BARBARA MIKULSKI. So I say thank you to my dear 

friend BARBARA for her service to this great country and to 

all the constituents in Maryland who must be extremely 

proud of her and have a right to be so. I too am so proud 

to call her my friend and my neighbor. 

Madam President, I yield the floor. 

The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from New Jersey.

Mr. LAUTENBERG. Madam President, we have listened 

with interest and total accord as the life of BARBARA MIKULSKI in the Senate has been reviewed by so many people. We 

have heard the friendship and good will we all share toward 

her.

Her record is quite well known. She is determined to get 

things done. She never lets minutiae stand in the way or 

block an accomplishment. I have noticed one thing: When 

BARBARA MIKULSKI starts to talk during a debate, the noise 

around the room quiets down. If it doesn’t, beware; BARBARA

will call your attention to it and say it in a way that demands attention. 

BARBARA and I arrived in the Senate in fairly close proximity. I came here in 1983 and BARBARA, who was elected in 

1986, arrived in 1987, as I recall. We were both on the Appropriations Committee. I had some slight seniority over her, 

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and one of the things that were being dealt with was seniority. BARBARA asked for my help in the choice of subcommittee, and I tried to step out of the way and help BARBARA obtain the chairmanship of a subcommittee in Appropriations, which she managed so well and so effectively. She 

once called me her Galahad, and I was proud of the moniker 

because it was intended to be a compliment and a sign of 

friendship.

Strikingly, BARBARA MIKULSKI and I have backgrounds 

that are not dissimilar. I come from Polish heritage. My 

grandparents on my paternal side were born in Poland, as 

BARBARA’s family was. They were immigrants. My parents 

were brought as children from Europe and went through the 

traditional immigrant absorption. 

My folks found it very hard to make a living as they grew 

up here in America. My grandparents were essentially poor 

people with a kind of blue collar background. They had to resort to storekeeping to keep food on the table, a roof overhead, and clothes on their backs. 

The one thing that threaded through those years for me— 

and I heard it coming from BARBARA MIKULSKI so many 

times when she spoke—was there was always dignity in the 

house, there was always a positive outlook. 

As I heard, my parents, like hers, were not able to do 

much with presents and valuables. But they did something 

else, and you see it so fundamentally clear in BARBARA MIKULSKI’s demeanor and her behavior: that what she learned 

at home, the same thing that I learned at home, was the 

meaning of values—not valuables—but values. Values included a character obligation for hard work and honesty and 

decency. They were the yardsticks by which we were measured as children and as adults. 

I worked very closely with BARBARA. I left the Senate, as 

is known, for 2 years and my seniority slipped as a consequence. BARBARA’s seniority continued to grow, and she is 

chairman of an appropriations subcommittee. BARBARA always brought a degree of strength and energy to the things 

that she said and to the things she did. Although BARBARA

during a presentation wanted to make sure that she was 

heard, and heard correctly, she would also pop up with 

humor. She had a facility with words and a facility with expression that would have you engrossed in what she was 

saying and caught you off guard when a joke or a humorous 

statement would pop up. 

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When we note that BARBARA MIKULSKI, from this modest 

background, was always on the side of working people, it 

was never a mask; it was the truth and it was where she 

wanted to be. I must say that she, for me, was always a 

steadfast beacon that would remind us: Don’t get carried 

away too much with your personal importance. Get carried 

away with the things you have to do in your responsibility 

as a Senator. 

When BARBARA MIKULSKI came these years ago, as was 

noted, she was the first among the women to come to the 

Senate and ultimately, as we now know, became the longest 

serving and carried herself through all of the difficulties we 

have had. But always you could depend on BARBARA MIKULSKI. When BARBARA stood up, people stopped talking about 

things that were extraneous and they would listen carefully, 

because BARBARA MIKULSKI always made so much sense and 

she didn’t let you get by without a challenge if she believed 

you were wrong. 

We have heard about her record, we have heard about her 

accomplishments, and everybody had wonderful things to say 

about her. I listened carefully to the statements that were 

being made and thought about our days together and how 

wonderful it was to be able to hear BARBARA MIKULSKI make

sense out of what often escaped that challenge. She would 

offer the challenge and she would offer solutions. 

I, like our other colleagues, stand here in awe and respect 

and note that BARBARA MIKULSKI, the storekeeper’s daughter, is so much like that which I saw in my own life and we 

have seen in America in the past century; and BARBARA MIKULSKI who, in all due modesty, without any impression of 

a smug satisfaction, is always ready to take up the battle for 

the people she serves, not only in the State of Maryland but 

across the country. She is an inspiration for women coming 

to government, and she serves so well as a demonstration of 

what could be. 

I am delighted to be here, to stand here as a friend and 

an admirer of BARBARA MIKULSKI, and wish her many more 

years of service. I know that with BARBARA around, you can 

always count on sense and good judgment to result. 

Madam President, I yield the floor. 

The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from New York 

is recognized. 

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Mrs. GILLIBRAND. Madam President, I associate myself 

with the remarks of my colleague, the Senator from New 

Jersey.

It is with great admiration that I rise today to join all of 

my colleagues who have spoken before me and who will continue to speak honoring the Senator from Maryland, BARBARA MIKULSKI, as the longest serving woman in the history 

of the Congress. 

It has been such an honor to serve with Senator MIKULSKI.

In my 3 years in the Senate, she has quickly become a dear 

friend and an invaluable mentor, as she has been for all of 

the other female colleagues as the dean of women Senators. 

It wasn’t until 1932 that Hattie Caraway became the first 

woman ever elected to the Senate, and it wasn’t until a half 

century later in 1986 that, against all odds, BARBARA MIKULSKI became the first Democratic woman elected to the Senate. That is right. When she arrived in the Senate, she was 

just one of two women serving in this body. Now the longest 

serving woman in congressional history, Senator MIKULSKI is

showing what is possible when you ignore conventional wisdom, never stop fighting for what is right, and honor our 

commitment to families who elect us every single day. 

One of her hallmark battles has been the fight for equal 

pay for work for women. This is not only an issue of equality 

and justice but an economic imperative, because as we stand 

here today, with more dual income households than ever, 

women only make 77 cents on the dollar compared to men. 

For women of color, the disparity is even greater, African 

American women earn 62 cents on the dollar, and Latinas 53 

cents on the dollar. I know Senator MIKULSKI won’t give up 

until we correct this outrageous injustice, and I am honored 

to be fighting alongside her. 

Senator MIKULSKI has also led the fight to strengthen our 

laws against domestic violence, and open access to health 

screenings and treatment that saves women’s lives. Close to 

my heart, she was among the first to stand up to insurance 

companies that said that being a woman was a preexisting 

condition. You can always count on Senator MIKULSKI to lead 

the charge in drawing a line in the sand in the Senate when 

it comes to protecting women’s health and a woman’s right 

to choose. We saw it yet again when she stood up to the dangerous overreach of the Blunt amendment that would have 

denied women of this country the ability to choose which 

medications to take and leave that decision to their boss. 

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She embodies the words of Eleanor Roosevelt: ‘‘The battle 

for individual rights of women is one of long standing and 

none of us should countenance anything that undermines it.’’ 

It is that spirit—making your voice heard, never backing 

down in the face of injustice—that has made Senator MIKULSKI one of the strongest voices we have for women in this 

country and women around the world. Every single day she 

is paving the way for more women leaders in America by 

showing the young women and girls of this country that 

women’s voices matter and are needed in our public debate. 

I close by expressing my personal debt of gratitude to her 

for her vision, her leadership, and her pioneering spirit. I 

simply could not imagine working in this body without her 

leadership. She has taught me so much in such a short period of time. And, equally important, she has fostered an unbreakable bipartisan spirit among our colleagues that has resulted in important victories for the American public. 

Thank you, Senator MIKULSKI, and congratulations on 

your historic achievement. It is an honor to serve with you, 

and I hope to continue to serve with you for many years to 

come.

I yield the floor. 

The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from New Mexico.

Mr. UDALL of New Mexico. I am probably going to be the 

concluding remarks on celebrating Senator MIKULSKI, so I 

am going to proceed with that. 

Madam President, we have been here now for almost 3 

hours—I was down here when we started. Senator Feinstein 

started about 2 o’clock and we are approaching 5 o’clock 

now—for an incredible celebration of BARBARA MIKULSKI’s

career. I have listened to a lot of it both at my office and 

here on the floor, and it is pretty remarkable to hear the 

kinds of things she has done with her life and I rise today 

to honor my colleague, Senator BARBARA MIKULSKI.

As has been noted, this month Senator MIKULSKI becomes

the longest serving woman in the history of Congress. With 

her perfect sense of timing, BARBARA reaches this historic 

milestone during Women’s History Month. And it is for the 

history books. As BARBARA has said, ‘‘It is not how long I 

serve but how well I serve.’’ She has served very well. She 

has served her beloved State of Maryland very well, and she 

served this country in a number of capacities on the Appro2012 Jkt 073500 PO 00000 Frm 00073 Fmt 6688 Sfmt 6688 H:\DOCS\MIKULSKI\73500 TXT KAYNE
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priations Committee and on various committees in the Congress.

We celebrate this historic occasion but, more deeply, we 

celebrate BARBARA’s record of achievement—a record that 

transcends gender, a record that is rooted in a life dedicated 

to public service. 

Since she was first elected to public office in 1971 to the 

Baltimore City Council, BARBARA has been setting milestones. Think about that for a minute—1971. This is 40 

years plus of public service. As the Chair knows, this is pretty remarkable. She served in public service for a while. I 

have served for a while. But 41 years of public service is remarkable—the first woman elected to statewide office in 

Maryland; the first Democratic woman elected to the Senate 

in her own right; the first woman in the Senate Democratic 

leadership; and the first Democratic woman to serve in both 

Houses of Congress. Yet it is not her being first that is the 

most impressive; it is her commitment to putting others first. 

BARBARA has shown that commitment time and again. 

In over 35 years in the Congress, she has never wavered 

in her service to our Nation and her dedication to the people 

of Maryland. She has fought for quality education. She has 

fought for American seniors. She has fought for women’s 

health and for veterans. For women facing unequal pay, 

BARBARA championed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. For 

senior citizens facing bankruptcy because of a spouse’s 

nursing home care, BARBARA wrote the Spousal AntiImpoverishment Act. Yes, she is a trailblazer, but she blazes 

those trails to help others—for young people who dream of 

going to college, for families facing devastating illness, for 

opportunity for all Americans. That has been her passion, 

that has been her true achievement, and that will be her 

greatest legacy. 

When BARBARA was first elected to the Senate in 1986, 

there was only one other female Senator. Now there are 17. 

BARBARA is, rightly so, the dean of the women. She is a mentor to her female colleagues, but no less so she is an inspiration to all of us. 

I admire BARBARA’s remarkable determination and her tenacity, but also her ability to work with others to get things 

done. She will fight for what she believes, but she will sit 

down to dinner with her colleagues across the aisle. And she 

has never forgotten where she came from. The daughter of 

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more. She has never forgotten the values she learned there: 

hard work, helping one’s neighbor, patriotism. 

She is diminutive in height only. That was evident early 

on. The story is well known how, as a young community activist, BARBARA stopped that 16-lane highway from coming 

through Baltimore’s Fells Point neighborhood. She is not 

afraid to stand up to power, and she is not afraid of speaking 

strongly to power. In all the ways that count, Senator BARBARA MIKULSKI is a towering figure. 

Albert Schweitzer once said: 

I don’t know what your destiny will be, but one thing I know for sure. 

The only ones among you who will be truly happy are those who have 

sought and found how to serve. 

This BARBARA MIKULSKI has done. From her early days as 

a social worker to her years in Congress, she has served. She 

has served long and well. 

Congratulations, BARBARA. It is an honor to be your colleague.

I yield the floor. 

The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Maine. 

Ms. SNOWE. Mr. President, I couldn’t be more pleased as 

well as privileged to join all of my colleagues today in congratulating a very good friend and colleague, the dean of the 

women of the Senate, Senator BARBARA MIKULSKI, on overtaking Congresswoman Edith Nourse Rogers as the longest 

serving woman in the history of the Congress. 

As someone who has had the privilege of knowing Senator 

MIKULSKI since 1978 when I was first elected to the House 

of Representatives, for me, this milestone represents a watershed moment in the life of American politics. 

For nearly 35 years, I have witnessed BARBARA MIKULSKI

summon and harness a seemingly limitless reservoir of energy as a fierce advocate and a champion on behalf of the 

people of Maryland as well as the country. With equal parts 

vigor and vigilance, she has demonstrated a devotion to her 

constituents that has been unerring in its promise and ironclad in its purpose. 

It is precisely that caliber of service that the people of 

Maryland have rewarded time and time again. 

As I stated on this very floor at the outset of this Congress 

when she surpassed the length of service of Maine’s legendary Senator Margaret Chase Smith, Senator MIKULSKI is

synonymous with ‘‘the special bond of trust which should 

exist between the governing and the governed.’’ She has ‘‘rec2012 Jkt 073500 PO 00000 Frm 00075 Fmt 6688 Sfmt 6688 H:\DOCS\MIKULSKI\73500 TXT KAYNE
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ognized injustice and acted boldly to quell it . . . giving a 

voice to the voiceless . . . power to the powerless.’’ 

What Senator Margaret Chase Smith and Congresswoman 

Edith Nourse Rogers exemplified as standard bearers in the 

last century for length of service, Senator MIKULSKI embodies in this century—that the commitment to advancing 

the common good is bound neither by geographic region nor 

political affiliation but, rather, by an undaunted desire to 

serve others. 

A consummate role model and admired mentor, Senator 

MIKULSKI always stands as a shining example that the robust pursuit of policy and the willingness to hear and consider dissenting views are not mutually exclusive. As I have 

often said, Senator MIKULSKI knows only one speed, and that 

is full speed ahead. But by the same token, she only knows 

one way to govern—through what she aptly referred to as 

the zone of civility. That approach, so integral to making this 

institution work, is indisputably one of the hallmark measures of Senator MIKULSKI’s longstanding success in public 

life. Indeed, it is the blueprint for interaction that she has 

imbued in all of us who are women serving in the Senate. 

She has worked to establish a tone of respect that infuses 

our conversations, our collegiality, our collaboration. It is a 

personal cause to Senator MIKULSKI that is exemplified by 

the monthly dinners for women Senators that she initiated 

along with the Senator from Texas, Mrs. Hutchison, a tradition that has become a catalyst for camaraderie and central 

to what Senator MIKULSKI calls our ‘‘unbreakable bond.’’ 

There has been no greater friend for women who have 

come to serve in the Senate, and I am sure it is a result of 

Senator MIKULSKI having arrived here as the second woman 

to serve in the Senate, along with the Senator from Kansas, 

Senator Kassebaum, as she said at the time—and that is 

why she was so willing to serve as a mentor for other women 

who arrived in the Senate, because she was only one of two 

women who were serving in this institution. As she said, 

‘‘the Senate had a long tradition of every man for himself.’’ 

She was determined, she said, ‘‘that it would not be every 

woman for herself while she was in the Senate.’’ 

As my colleagues also well know, when it comes to having 

an ally in the legislative foxhole, there is none more feisty, 

none more formidable, and certainly none better than Senator BARBARA MIKULSKI. I have witnessed her tenacity first 

hand, having worked with her side by side over the decades, 

whether on matters of equity for women in the workplace, 

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ensuring gender-integrated training in the military, working 

on cybersecurity, working on every other issue where we are 

bringing justice to those who have borne the brunt of injustice.

Nowhere has her leadership been more unmistakable, of 

course, or more monumental than in the area of women’s 

health. I well recall, when I arrived in the U.S. House of 

Representatives in 1979, I joined what was then known as 

the Congresswomen’s Caucus on Women’s Issues, which is 

where I ultimately became the cochair for a better part of 

the decade. Senator BARBARA MIKULSKI, at that time being 

in the House of Representatives, served in that caucus as 

well.

When I arrived in the House of Representatives in 1979, 

there were only 16 women serving in that institution. That 

is why the Congresswomen’s Caucus was formed, to focus on 

those issues that mattered to women and to family and to 

children. We recognized that it was our obligation and responsibility to work, to focus on those issues because otherwise they would languish on the back burner rather than 

being on the front burner. We also understood that if we did 

not focus on these issues, if we did not advance these issues, 

no one else would. So we began to tackle systematically 

many of the discriminatory laws or inequities that were embedded in Federal law that failed to recognize the dual role 

women were playing, both at home as well as in the workplace.

We began to work on these issues one by one because 

there were so many issues across the board that were affecting women, where they were ultimately bearing the burden 

and the consequences of these inequitable laws. We did that 

with respect to pensions, for example, where women discovered that after their husbands died, their pensions had been 

canceled.

We discovered it when it came to family and medical leave, 

which took us the better part of 7 years to enact that legislation. But, again, women were bearing the burden of taking 

care of their ailing parents or their children at home and 

paying the consequences in the workplace. 

Then, of course, there was the issue we discovered of discriminatory treatment in our clinical study trials. Regrettably, at the time our National Institutes of Health were actually discriminating against women and minorities, excluding them from clinical study trials because it was too complicated to include women in these study trials because we 

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were biologically different. As a result, any of those treatments that were developed as a result of those trials could 

not be applied to women. Ultimately, this could make the 

difference between life and death because the kinds of procedures and treatments that were derived from these clinical 

study trials could not be applied to women. 

When we discovered that these inequities and this discriminatory treatment existed, we set to work on how to redress this wrong. It is hard to believe there was a time in 

America where women and minorities were systematically 

excluded from these trials that, as I said, had lifesaving implications. Who would have thought that women’s health 

would have been the missing page in America’s medical textbooks or merely an afterthought. 

So I, as a cochair along with Congresswoman Pat Schroeder in the House, on behalf of the caucus, and, of course, 

then-Senator BARBARA MIKULSKI in the Senate, teamed up 

in a close bipartisan, bicameral collaboration to establish the 

groundbreaking Office of Research on Women’s Health at the 

National Institutes of Health so that never again would 

women be overlooked when it came to key clinical study 

trials that were underwritten by the Federal taxpayers and 

Federal funds. In fact, Senator MIKULSKI, as I well recall, 

launched the key panel of stakeholders at Bethesda to give 

this initiative critical national attention and momentum—as 

only she could—as well as fundamental policy changes that 

ultimately resulted from that panel that reverberate to this 

day, resulting as well in lifesaving medical discoveries for 

America’s women. 

That is the passion and power of Senator MIKULSKI that

has led her to this historic day. BARBARA is not about legacy, 

she is about problem solving. As somebody described it, her 

ideology is grounded in the practical, and that is so true. It 

is not only the practical but giving power to the people and 

developing practical solutions in their everyday lives. 

She is a guardian of the common good, a woman who redefines the word ‘‘trailblazer,’’ a pioneer of public policy. Senator MIKULSKI continues to shape the landscape of our Nation for the better, with a force and a might and a stature, 

one of the giants of public service, not just in our time but 

for all time. 

On the occasion of Senator MIKULSKI’s recordbreaking 

service, we congratulate her, we salute her, and we are honored to be able to express a profound appreciation for her extraordinary and legendary tenure in the Senate. 

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I yield the floor. 

The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Minnesota. 

Ms. KLOBUCHAR. Mr. President, I come to the floor this 

afternoon to celebrate BARBARA MIKULSKI’s service to this 

country. I had the honor of presiding for the last hour and 

heard the statements of so many of my colleagues. I heard 

them talk about how, when she joined this Chamber in 1987, 

BARBARA MIKULSKI was the first woman elected to the Senate who was not preceded by a husband or a father, the first 

woman elected to the statewide office to serve the State of 

Maryland, and only the 16th woman to have served in the 

Senate ever. 

Today she is truly the dean of women Senators. She is a 

mentor and a friend to the rest of us, and she has always 

set the bar high. This is a woman who took on city hall as 

a young social worker in Baltimore—and won. This is a 

woman who has championed landmark legislation that has 

touched the lives of millions on issues ranging from health 

care to education to civil rights. She has shattered glass ceilings, not just in the Senate but in the Congress as a whole. 

If that is not enough, she has even graced the glossy pages 

of Vogue magazine. Most of you may not have seen the 

photos that were taken in front of the Capitol Building with 

a number of other women leaders, including Meryl Streep, 

who was in town for a screening of her film ‘‘The Iron Lady.’’ 

So I think it is fitting, to borrow a phrase from the Iron Lady 

herself, Margaret Thatcher, who famously said, ‘‘In politics, 

if you want anything said, ask a man; if you want anything 

done, ask a woman.’’ 

I don’t think my male colleagues who are here today will 

take offense at that one since anyone who has ever worked 

with BARBARA MIKULSKI knows she is a force of nature. She 

may not be the tallest Member of the Senate, but she is certainly the most tenacious. She is a tireless advocate for the 

people of her State, and she has a fierce and enduring love 

for those she represents. She knows where to pick her battles, and we have seen her face some tough debates in the 

Senate over the past few years. Whether it was working to 

take C-sections off lists of preexisting conditions at insurance 

companies or fighting to ensure equal pay for equal work for 

women or promoting better educational opportunities for 

children with special needs or ensuring that our troops and 

families receive the benefits that they have earned and that 

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they deserve, she has never stopped working for fairness, 

justice, and decency. 

The daughter of a small-town grocery store owner, she has 

made strengthening the middle class the centerpiece of her 

economic agenda because, as she always puts it, the women 

in the Senate understand issues not just at the macrolevel 

but also at the macaroni-and-cheese level. 

When BARBARA MIKULSKI came to the Senate 26 years 

ago, she lit a torch that has brightened the path for so many 

of us, for the 16 other women Senators who serve today and 

for all the future generations of women leaders who will lead 

our country forward. I am humbled to call her a colleague 

and a friend, and I am honored to celebrate her incredible 

service to our country today. 

I yield the floor. 

Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. President, although I do not have prepared remarks, I wish to join with my colleagues in making 

a few comments about Senator MIKULSKI.

Senator MIKULSKI is a great Senator. She is a delight to 

work with, a formidable adversary, and a formidable ally in 

any important debate. She is someone whom all of us respect 

and admire. It surprises me she has been at this business so 

long. It doesn’t seem as though it is possible. She certainly 

hasn’t lost her enthusiasm for the job and she has played an 

important role in quite a number of issues with which the 

country has had to deal. 

I remember her leadership on an important issue during 

the post-9/11 time, when we were wrestling with how to deal 

with security for our country. She spoke firmly and strongly 

in favor of firm action to defend America from attack. 

Another issue I don’t think has been mentioned but is exceedingly important—something I have observed her deal 

with and provide leadership on for some time—is space and 

NASA. She is one of the absolutely most knowledgeable and 

experienced Members of this Senate and the entire Congress 

in dealing with the complexities and the needs of NASA, and 

she is a champion and advocate for exploration of space. This 

is an area where America has led the world, and for all her 

time in the Senate, she has been a champion of advocating 

that the United States maintain this leadership because I 

think we share the view that America is a nation of explorers. We are a nation that leads the world in exploring, and 

it is part of our DNA. So I appreciate her leadership in that 

particular area, as I have watched her with great admiration 

in her activities. 

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I didn’t realize this tribute would be going on this afternoon and I didn’t have prepared remarks, but I wish to join 

with my colleagues to say how much I appreciate her efforts. 

We celebrate her great accomplishment in the Senate. I believe that as we go forward, we will find that on issue after 

issue she will play a critical and a positive role in making 

America a better place. 

I thank the Chair and I yield the floor. 

The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Delaware. 

Mr. CARPER. Mr. President, I wish to follow my colleague 

from Alabama and speak for just a few minutes about our 

friend and colleague, Senator MIKULSKI, who celebrates a 

milestone through her public service to the people of Maryland.

I asked my staff to go to the Web page for Senator MIKULSKI, her Senate office, and I came across one paragraph 

which I wish to read to my colleagues, if I may. It says: 

BARBARA MIKULSKI has never forgotten her roots. Throughout her career 

she has returned each night to her home State of Baltimore, Maryland. 

From community activist to U.S. Senator, she has never changed her view 

that all politics is indeed local and that her job is to serve the people in 

their day-to-day needs as well as prepare this country for the future. 

Sometimes people have come to Congress over the years 

and they come understanding clearly that our job is to serve. 

Over time, somehow they lose that thought a little bit and 

it is less clear who is to be served and who is to be the servant. She has never forgotten who the servant is. She knows 

she came as a servant, and she will leave someday as a servant—hopefully, not anytime soon. 

If we ask most people around here what are maybe one or 

two words that best describe BARBARA MIKULSKI, I think a 

lot of people would say she is a fighter. Let me just say, if 

someone is an advocate for a particular cause, she is the person one wants in the foxhole with them. There is no better 

advocate, and there is no better or more able opponent on an 

issue. It is a lot better to have her on your side than it is 

to have her against you. 

I take the train home at night. I go through Baltimore on 

my way to Wilmington, DE. Along the route, we go by a 

place called Aberdeen. Sometimes the train stops there; 

sometimes it does not. We have seen Aberdeen Proving 

Grounds literally consolidated from around the country. 

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body else who has made that possible is BARBARA MIKULSKI.

It is a vast facility, with tens of thousands of employees who 

I think are mostly civilian and a campus of over 100,000 

acres that does great work, helping to provide for our defense against all kinds of attack, foreign and domestic. She 

is a great person to have on your side in leading that fight. 

One of the other things I love about BARBARA is her devotion to first responders. There is a big national fire school in 

a town called Gaithersburg, MD. She has helped make that 

place possible to not only train folks who are first responders 

for the people of Maryland, but they train as well first responders for virtually every State in every corner of this Nation. People will go to bed tonight knowing that if there is 

a fire or a problem or an incident in their community, it will 

be responded to, and they can thank BARBARA MIKULSKI for

helping to ensure the folks trained there are ready to do 

that.

As much as anybody I know, she is a person who values 

service. AmeriCorps is an organization that encourages 

young people—really people of all ages—to volunteer and to 

serve. Volunteers are the ages of our pages and a whole lot 

older and the ages of guys like me. We all have an obligation 

to serve and to bring that spirit of service, whether or not 

we are in public life. 

I was struck by the fact that she often opened the store as 

a kid, beginning a lot of her days as her dad opened the family grocery store, early in the morning in East Baltimore. I 

was born in West Virginia in a town called Beckley. I lived 

there for about the first 6 years or so of my life, but I would 

go back many summers, and I had the opportunity to work 

there for a supermarket, a mom and pop supermarket, with 

my own grandfather who opened the store almost 6 days a 

week, and I had the opportunity to see him and his work and 

what he brought to that store every day as the butcher. I 

think I know more about serving by working my summers in 

that store than anything else I have ever done. I suspect one 

of the reasons BARBARA has adopted and retained the spirit 

of a servant is because of her childhood and growing up and 

seeing her own family, her own dad, in that particular store. 

I mentioned my grandfather in West Virginia. His wife, 

my grandmother, suffered from Alzheimer’s disease. My 

grandmother’s mother suffered from Alzheimer’s disease. My 

own mother suffered from Alzheimer’s disease. I don’t think 

there is anybody in this body who has done more to lead the 

fight to ensure that this scourge of our society—and the 

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scourge of people all over the world—is reined in and overcome. When that day comes, people will stand and say, ‘‘I did 

something about this.’’ Nobody in this body I think can take 

more credit for conquering Alzheimer’s disease and dementia 

than BARBARA MIKULSKI.

Finally, when people think of BARBARA, they think of a 

fighter, an advocate for volunteerism, and some of the other 

things I talked about. I don’t know that many people think 

of her as an athlete, but I will say that she is a very big advocate for leveling the playing field. She wants to make sure 

people not just in athletic endeavors have a level playing 

field in which to compete, but she wants to make sure young 

people coming from the most impoverished backgrounds have 

an opportunity and have a real shot at life to get a decent 

education as a child, the chance to go to college and to increase their potential to not just earn money and support 

their families but to live productive lives. Those are just 

some of the things I think about when I think of BARBARA

MIKULSKI.

I will close by saying she had been in the House I think 

for 6 years when I arrived in 1982, 1983, and for all the time 

we served there together, she was always very encouraging 

of me, very supportive of me as her Delmarva buddy, as we 

shared the Delmarva Peninsula. Even to this day we work 

together to make sure we have a strong, vibrant poultry industry on the Delmarva Peninsula. I like to say we are still 

Delmarva buddies as we look out for the mutual concerns of 

our respective States. 

With that having been said, let me yield back my time. I 

see Senator Cantwell is ready to speak. My guess is, she is 

going to say some more things about BARBARA. But those are 

some things I am glad I had a chance to say. 

The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Washington.

Ms. CANTWELL. Mr. President, I do rise to celebrate the 

remarkable achievements of my colleague from Maryland, 

Senator MIKULSKI.

Last January we celebrated an obvious achievement of her 

becoming the longest serving female Senator. Last Saturday 

that milestone entered another chapter, with her 12,858 

days of serving the people of Maryland in Congress, which 

means she is now the longest serving female Member of Congress.

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I know BARBARA MIKULSKI started her career fighting for 

Fells Point, a particular location in the Baltimore area that 

she thought deserved and needed to be protected, and that 

galvanized her to 35 years of service, where she has been a 

trailblazer on so many issues. 

Many people have talked about those today—about being 

the first woman elected to statewide office in Maryland, the 

first Democratic woman to serve in both Houses of Congress; 

the first Democratic woman to sit in a Senate leadership position, and the first Democratic woman to be elected to the 

Senate in her own right. 

Throughout her career, she has faithfully provided a very 

strong voice for the people of Maryland. But it is here in the 

Senate we have all gotten to see BARBARA MIKULSKI, the 

dean of the women Senators, and to see her incredible work 

as a trailblazer on so many important issues. 

She has been a tireless champion on issues from pay equity to increasing access to college education, for women’s 

health, for women’s health care law, and time and time 

again she has proven she knows how to fight on the right 

side of the issues. 

For the women of the Senate, she is an incredibly important ally. When it comes to each of us who comes to the U.S. 

Senate, to find our way and to make our own mark, BARBARA

MIKULSKI is the Senator who is always there with you to 

make sure you can achieve what you want for the State you 

represent.

I know for me I am very excited—my colleague from Alabama was mentioning Senator MIKULSKI’s love of NASA and 

space exploration—in that I can say Senator MIKULSKI is

certainly interested also in sci-fi, and I would call her a 

‘‘techie’’ Senator because she certainly has shown a great 

deal of interest in technology and science. 

As the chair of the Commerce, Justice, and Science Appropriations Subcommittee, she was a key partner in the funding of key science and technology issues, and for us in the 

State of Washington, when we needed a new Doppler radar 

technology system, she was there to help ensure that those 

people who lived in coastal regions were going to have the 

appropriate protections they needed for understanding inclement weather. 

She also has helped in prioritizing efforts such as the 

cleanup of the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland—something we 

in the Northwest relate to because we strive to have the 

same cleanup of Puget Sound. 

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We have worked together on important legislation, such as 

passing the Lilly Ledbetter legislation. 

It is BARBARA MIKULSKI—when it comes to protecting 

women’s access to health care or standing up to any attack 

on Medicare—who is the most articulate, the most determined, the most persevering advocate to make sure women’s 

issues and their cause are understood in the U.S. Senate. 

I was proud to stand with her when she went up against 

the House plan to defund critical women’s health care access 

and there was a near shutdown of government. As people 

tried to pressure Planned Parenthood, she was there to make 

sure we continued important programs such as breast cancer 

screening.

So today I join my colleagues from the Senate to thank her 

for those years of service in the U.S. Congress, both in the 

House and the Senate. While she may represent Maryland, 

we all want to claim that we are better off as a country having BARBARA MIKULSKI in the U.S. Senate. 

To my colleagues—or to the young people who are here 

with us on the Senate floor—to understand this moment and 

achievement, you have to understand that in the whole history of our country, there have only been 39 women Senators, and a good number of those women Senators only 

served a few days or a few years. So the fact that somebody 

has achieved not just a seat in the U.S. Senate but a leadership position in the U.S. Senate is an incredible achievement.

We are glad she has represented a time when women have 

ascended to leadership in the U.S. Senate, where she is considered one of the wise Members when it comes to strategy 

on so many policy issues. 

We are better off as a body because BARBARA MIKULSKI

has served with us, and we are looking forward to many 

more years of wisdom and, hopefully, many more women 

Senators joining the ranks of BARBARA MIKULSKI in their 

tenure.

I thank the Presiding Officer and yield the floor. 

The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Minnesota. 

Mr. FRANKEN. Mr. President, I rise today also to pay 

tribute to my colleague, the senior Senator from Maryland, 

BARBARA MIKULSKI.

As everyone has said, this is a landmark, this is a milestone: the longest serving woman Senator and Member of 

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Congress in the history of Congress, serving more than 35 

years.

As a relatively junior Member of this body, I love BARBARA

MIKULSKI. I love her because she calls me ‘‘Franken.’’ That 

is music to my ears. We are in the caucus lunch, I may be 

in her way, and she says: ‘‘Franken.’’ 

I am not only a relatively junior Senator, I actually kind 

of recently was a comedian at one point. And she is really 

funny—BARBARA. I remember the first time I saw her 

speak—it was years ago; I cannot remember what the event 

was—and I am going to try to quote her joke. It was her 

joke, remember, about herself. She talked about her first 

campaign effort. I think it was for city council or something 

like that. She said, ‘‘I knocked on 7,387 doors, and I walked 

a total of 372 miles, and I didn’t lose a pound.’’ 

So I love BARBARA. And she is a force of nature. Being the 

dean of women here is not her most commanding title. Her 

most commanding title is: a fighter. She is a fighter. When 

she commits herself to a cause, she is a true champion. 

She is a true champion for America’s seniors, preserving 

pensions; of Medicare, defending Medicare—boy, do not attack Medicare around BARBARA MIKULSKI; and combating 

poverty. No one works harder for quality education, fighting 

to make sure every child has a quality education, so that 

child can pursue the American dream. She is committed to 

fulfilling our country’s promises to our veterans, which is so 

important, and to increasing community service and voluntarism.

As anyone who has watched proceedings here in the Senate knows, BARBARA MIKULSKI, as my colleague from Washington stated, is the greatest champion in the body for women’s health. Here is something that is pretty amazing to understand. I want the pages to hear this. She fought to include women in NIH clinical trials. Women were not included in the National Institutes of Health clinical trials 

until she made sure they were. This is hard to believe, isn’t 

it? But in your 16 years of life, you—at 16, you cannot conceive of this. This is how backward we were. Think of what 

she did. That is who we are talking about today. 

She has improved access for women to mammograms and 

cancer screenings—for all women. She has fought for women 

to have their own say over their own body and reproductive 

system. Basically what I am saying is, when you have BARBARA MIKULSKI on your side, you have a strong voice in the 

U.S. Senate. 

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We have heard reference to her accomplishment on the 

Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. When advocating for this bill, 

Senator MIKULSKI said:

Women earn just 77 cents for every dollar [their] male counterparts make. 

Women of color get paid even less. The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act will 

empower women to fight for fair pay by once again making employers accountable for pay discrimination. I will fight on the Senate floor to get this 

bill passed. 

And the bill was passed. It was the first bill President 

Obama signed in office. 

Senator MIKULSKI and I share a number of passions. One 

of them is early childhood education. Increasing early childhood education—access to it—is one of my top priorities because we know over and over that the benefits of early childhood education have been demonstrated. And BARBARA

knows this. 

I wanted to have a hearing on just the economic benefits 

of early childhood education because a child who has a quality early childhood education is less likely to be a special ed 

kid, is less likely to be left back a grade, has better health 

outcomes; a girl is less likely to get pregnant before she 

graduates from high school, a child is more likely to graduate high school, more likely to go to college, more likely to 

graduate college, more likely to get a good-paying job and 

pay taxes, and much less likely to go to prison. It has been 

shown over and over that the cost-benefit is, for every $1 

spent, there is like $16 in return. 

I wanted to get a hearing just on this. Because we were 

talking about education, I thought this needed to be discussed, and we needed experts, economists who were credible 

on this. So I went to BARBARA and she, of course, said, ‘‘Oh, 

yeah. OK. Let’s do it.’’ She is chair of the Subcommittee on 

Children and Families. I thought that would be a good place 

to do it, except I am not on that subcommittee. I am on the 

HELP Committee, which this is a subcommittee of, but I am 

not on that subcommittee. She said, ‘‘OK, that doesn’t matter. You come anyway.’’ And not only that but: ‘‘Which witness do you want?’’ 

She let me pick a witness, Art Rolnick, an expert in early 

childhood education—on the economics of it—who started out 

as an economist at the Federal Reserve in Minneapolis and 

got into the economic benefits of it. 

She is a true ally. She is someone who used her resources 

as chairwoman of a committee to make sure something you 

felt strongly about would be aired, would be discussed. 

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You learn from BARBARA that what we do around here is 

not so much about policy, it is about people. For her, it is 

about the people of Maryland. She goes to bat for them time 

and time again. It is about kids. It is about women, who 

often have to be both the breadwinner and the caregiver, and 

who should have every right and every opportunity at work 

and in society that men have. 

As both a Member of the Senate and as a father of a wonderful daughter, I am enormously grateful to Senator MIKULSKI for being a tremendous role model to women in this 

country, for having fought her way to the Senate, and for 

proving that legislating was not a man’s job—or only a man’s 

job—it is a man’s job too. 

This body is so much the richer for her, and Americans are 

so much better off as a result. But her work, our work is not 

over. Out of 100 Senators, there are still only 17 women. Our 

Nation is facing tremendously difficult challenges, and having more women like Senator MIKULSKI in the room will help 

us solve those problems. I am glad she is here leading the 

way.

With that, I would like to thank BARBARA for her leadership, her friendship, and for being such a fierce advocate. 

Congratulations, BARBARA, on your achievements thus far 

and on this milestone. I look forward to many years fighting 

alongside you. 

The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Rhode Island.

Mr. REED. Mr. President, I rise, along with so many colleagues, to pay tribute to Senator BARBARA MIKULSKI, an extraordinary woman and Senator, someone who has become 

the longest serving woman in the history of the Senate, indeed, in the history of the Congress. She surpassed, on January 5, 2011, the record of Republican Senator Margaret 

Chase Smith as the longest serving Senator. Just this Saturday, she became the longest serving woman in the history of 

the Congress, surpassing the tenure of Edith Nourse Rogers, 

a Republican Congresswoman from Massachusetts, who 

served in the House from 1925 to 1960. 

In 1986, Senator MIKULSKI was the first female Democrat 

to be elected to the Senate in her own right. She is a woman 

of many firsts. She is indeed a dean of the Senate women— 

I would actually say the dean of the Senate, with her great 

energy, her great eloquence, and her great passion, particularly for those who are often overlooked in our society. She 

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comes at it honestly. She was a social worker in Baltimore, 

helping at-risk children and educating seniors about Medicare before being elected to the House of Representatives. 

She has taken that concern for the vulnerable and a particular passion for the State of Maryland forward every day 

she has served in the House and Senate. She has served on 

numerous committees. She is a subcommittee chairperson on 

the Appropriations Committee—Commerce, Justice, and 

Science. She has devoted herself to those issues, and many 

more. She serves on the Select Committee on Intelligence 

and has been a key member of the Senate Health, Education, 

Labor, and Pensions Committee. She has left her mark on a 

broad range of programs that touch each and every American family. She has been particularly active in women’s 

health, ensuring that women were included in NIH clinical 

trials, where in the past they were ignored. 

Since one cannot ignore BARBARA MIKULSKI—which is virtually impossible—she made it a reality that they cannot ignore women in NIH clinical trials, requiring Federal standards for mammographies, ensuring uninsured women have 

access to screenings and treatment for breast and cervical 

cancer. She increased research dollars for Alzheimer’s and 

enhanced the Older Americans Act. 

She has been, since her first days in the House of Representatives, at the forefront in advocating for better health 

care and education particularly for the most vulnerable 

among us. She has been a champion of national service, understanding that in a great country one has to contribute as 

well as benefit. 

She said one of the things she is most proud of—in her 

words:

Strengthening the safety net for seniors by passing the Spousal Anti-Impoverishment Act. This important legislation helps keep seniors from going 

bankrupt while paying for a spouse’s nursing home care. 

That is a fitting and representative example of her service. 

Throughout her service, she has maintained national priorities but has never taken her eye off Maryland. She commutes every evening back to Baltimore. She works hard to 

ensure that the people in Maryland benefit because of her 

activities.

I also thank her for the kindness and help she has given 

me personally—her concern, for example, with the fishing 

community in Rhode Island, which is under her jurisdiction 

on the Appropriations Committee, and in other ways. She 

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mental in helping us to secure funding for the HOPE VI 

Project in Newport, RI, which has created extraordinary beneficial housing for a mix of incomes in Newport. It is one of 

the most attractive as well as one of the most stable communities I think anyplace in the Nation. She has been there to 

help us constantly. 

I could go on and on, as my colleagues have said. I simply 

want to say at this special moment in Senator MIKULSKI’s

career, we thank her, admire her, respect her, and she has 

set a great example for us. In the days ahead, she will not 

only continue to inspire and sustain us, she will continue to 

sustain and lead in her State. 

I yield the floor. 

The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Ohio. 

Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Mr. President, some time ago, I was 

reading a book about the beginnings of the interstate highway system in our country. I came across a paragraph when 

the highway builders and the Federal Government were 

going to run the interstate highway through some stable 

middle-class, working-class neighborhoods of Baltimore. The 

highway administration was greeted by an organizer who, on 

behalf of citizens of this neighborhood, said this is not the 

place to put this highway. She was successful in convincing 

them that the highway should go elsewhere so it would not 

be disruptive of so many homes, well-established small businesses, and the cohesive community in that part of Baltimore. The woman who led that effort several decades ago 

was BARBARA MIKULSKI. She was not yet on the city council. 

She was a citizen who spoke for her neighbors and has continued to do that as a member of the city council and then 

as a Member of the House of Representatives and for many 

years—21⁄2 decades—of the Senate. 

We heard Senator Reid and others earlier today talk about 

Senator MIKULSKI being the first female Democrat to serve 

in both the House and Senate—to be elected to the Senate 

without succeeding a husband or a father and first to chair 

an appropriations subcommittee. Most important, she helped 

to blaze this path. In 1987, there were only two female Senators. One was the daughter of a Presidential nominee a 

generation earlier, and the other was BARBARA MIKULSKI.

Today, there are 17 female Members of the Senate. It doesn’t 

look like America yet. There is not anything close to the 

number of minority Members as a percentage of the population, but I hope that changes. I think it will. It doesn’t 

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come close to representing the gender makeup of our society. 

But to go from 2 female Senators, when she first came, to 

17 today—and if I can predict elections, which none of us 

can, and we certainly cannot try—I think there is a good 

chance there will be a number of additional women in this 

body this time next year. 

I wish to say a couple more things about Senator MIKULSKI on a less serious note. I have been privileged to serve on 

two committees with Senator MIKULSKI—one being the 

Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee. During 

the health care legislation, she was so helpful to so many of 

the causes we care about and to justice in this country, and 

on the Appropriations Committee, where she cuts a wide 

swathe of involvement for Maryland and this country, she 

champions women’s health, and many talked about this earlier. She cares so much about the National Institutes of 

Health, not just because it is located in Maryland but because it matters so much for scientific research, for curing a 

whole host of diseases and preventing diseases, and the 

number of jobs NIH creates, not just government jobs but 

the jobs that come out of commercialization of scientific research.

My State is one of the leaders; whether the jobs come out 

of Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, Southwest Hospital, and 

where Case Western Reserve University is and its medical 

center around Cleveland, we see that kind of commercialization.

I often call her Coach B because she is someone who has 

been around here a long time and is always willing to advise 

newer and younger Members. She has been following, especially in my State, what is important, the issue of health 

care. My State has some of the leading health care institutions in America. Also, what she has done with the space 

program—the only NASA facility north of the Mason-Dixon 

line is in Cleveland, with a satellite in Sandusky, NASA 

Glenn, named after former Senator and astronaut, John 

Glenn. She has been one of the strongest advocates for the 

space program, and science, technology, and research and development. She has been particularly helpful to me as I fight 

for the kind of work NASA Glenn does in Cleveland, and I 

am appreciative of her for that. 

I yield the floor, and I suggest the absence of a quorum. 

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ORDER FOR PRINTING OF TRIBUTES AND STATEMENTS 

Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent 

there be printed as a Senate document a compilation of materials from the Congressional Record in tribute to Senator 

BARBARA MIKULSKI, and that Members have until Thursday, 

March 29, to submit such tributes. 

The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

Mr. WYDEN. Mr. President, I have been able to listen a 

bit over the last few hours to the wonderful tributes to Senator MIKULSKI. We all know of her wonderful service all 

these years, the record that is being shattered—a very special record. 

As I listened to some of the comments, I was struck that 

tributes usually come in the Senate when one of our colleagues is leaving office or sometimes one of our colleagues 

passes away. And what I am struck by this afternoon is how 

glad I am and colleagues on both sides of the aisle are that 

Senator MIKULSKI is very much alive, and next week and 

next month and in the years ahead she is going to continue 

to bring this kind of wellspring of conscience and energy and 

passion and expertise to the Senate. 

I am going to have more to say in terms of a lengthier 

speech, but she and I have had a special relationship for almost three decades. We served together in the other body on 

the Energy and Commerce Committee. We would often show 

up at meetings together, and this is still a tradition that continues now because we both have the honor of serving on the 

Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. Senator MIKULSKI

and I would walk in together, and she would smile and say, 

‘‘Now the long and short of it are arriving.’’ And I guess that 

is true in a literal sense, but while Senator MIKULSKI may

be modest in stature, she has one very large record on behalf 

of the public interest, and I am especially grateful for all she 

has done for people without power and people without clout. 

When we think about what has so angered the American 

people—and I have heard the Senator from Colorado, the 

Presiding Officer, talk about this—it is that people feel so 

disconnected from government; that you can have a community meeting in Oregon or Colorado or Maryland or some 

other part of the country, and somehow there is this sense 

what goes on in Washington really has nothing to do with 

people in their home community. 

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Senator MIKULSKI doesn’t practice public service that way. 

Senator MIKULSKI has always felt, since the days when she 

was a community organizer and they were dealing with 

those community problems and where are you going to locate 

a freeway or something of that nature, that public service 

and community service were always about being connected to 

people. She understood right away what people may say at 

a townhall meeting now in Colorado or Oregon about government being removed from their lives, and for decades she 

has practiced a very different kind of public service. She did 

it when she was a community organizer; she did it in the 

House of Representatives; and she continues to do it today. 

Very often when we take the subway to a vote and I ask 

her what she has done over the weekend, she will talk about 

families. She knows I was codirector of the Gray Panthers 

for many years before I was elected to Congress, so we will 

talk about aging issues. And everybody knows what she has 

done in the aging field and her interest in fighting Alzheimer’s. So it always comes back to people, and that connection she brings to public service that is so lacking from what 

Americans see is the big problem in government today, that 

much of what goes on here is simply disconnected from their 

lives.

What I see in BARBARA MIKULSKI is the real measure of 

what we want in a public servant. We want someone who is 

conscientious; we want someone who is smart; we want 

someone who has good values and someone who always tries 

to be a coalition builder. 

I have watched Senator MIKULSKI in lots of instances. We 

had one just recently where Senator MIKULSKI was trying to 

find a balance on a difficult and contentious issue between 

industry and the environment, and I watched how she was 

trying to listen to both sides. Maryland has some communities where they have older plants, and if she can’t take 

steps to protect those plants and have the workers keep their 

jobs, a lot of people are going to hurt, and Senator MIKULSKI

always tries to keep that from happening. She has also said 

clean air and the environmental laws are important. And 

that last quality of trying to bring people together, which I 

have heard the Senator from Colorado talk about, is what 

Senator MIKULSKI’s public service career has been all about. 

So tonight and through the day we have heard colleagues 

pay tribute. I made mention of the fact that so often I hear 

these tributes when a colleague is leaving the Senate. I 

would like to close these brief remarks by saying that I am 

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especially grateful that the cause of good government is enhanced by the fact that Senator MIKULSKI is very much 

alive. This is not a tribute to someone who is leaving office, 

this is a tribute to someone who is going to be here next 

week, next month, and the years ahead, continuing to shatter those records as she advocates for people who don’t have 

big lobbies, who don’t have lots of political clout and can’t go 

out and hire PR firms and well-paid and well-tailored 

advocates to walk the halls of the Senate. She is there for 

those people who don’t have a voice. She has been there for 

those people ever since she was a community organizer in 

those early days in Baltimore. 

When I think about trying to give public service a good 

name, I think about BARBARA MIKULSKI—our wonderful 

friend, Senator BARBARA MIKULSKI, the senior Senator from 

the State of Maryland. We thank her for giving public service a good name. We thank her for taking on the battles and 

the fights she has in the past. And we are all especially 

grateful that at the end of this tribute she will be back at 

her post a few seats from me, standing for those values and 

standing for those causes that are so important to the wellbeing of this country. 

Madam President, I yield the floor. 

Ms. LANDRIEU. Madam President, I may be the last 

speaker of the day, but I did not want to leave the Chamber 

or the building without taking a moment to come to the 

floor, as so many of our colleagues did today, to honor one 

of our own, one of our favorites. Not only is she a favorite 

to us but I am certain beyond a shadow of a doubt that she 

is one of the favorite Senators ever to represent the State of 

Maryland. She is respected, she is beloved, and she is admired by millions of her constituents from Maryland, but I 

can promise you that is true of constituents in Louisiana, potentially in your home State, Madam President, and 

throughout the world. 

Last Saturday our friend and colleague Senator BARBARA

MIKULSKI of Maryland became the longest serving woman in 

the history of the Congress. I can only say that we have 

come a long way since the first woman was appointed, as I 

recall back in the 1920s. She was only allowed to serve 1 day 

and was not going to be given a paycheck but insisted that 

she be paid for her service. I think she might have been paid 

$1 for her service. 

Of course, the record of that 1 day on the floor speaks for 

itself. We have come a long way since that day. BARBARA

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MIKULSKI was first elected to the House in 1976, and then 

to the Senate 10 years later. When she first entered this 

Chamber, there was only one other woman here, her friend 

and her good, strong, supportive colleague, Nancy Kassebaum, a Republican from Kansas. So a Democrat from Maryland and a Republican from Kansas, but the two of them 

were quite a team and BARBARA MIKULSKI speaks fondly of 

her days with Senator Nancy Kassebaum. Today there are 

17 of us and proudly we continue that tradition of respect 

and bipartisanship set in large measure by 2 of the women 

we greatly admire. 

The late Representative Edith Nourse Rogers of Massachusetts, who served from 1925 to 1960, had previously held the 

record for the longest serving woman in Congress. Breaking 

this record is only one of the many milestones Senator 

MIKULSKI has accomplished during her tenure in the Senate. 

But, as she would so quickly say, it is not how long you serve 

but how well you serve. It is not the length of your service, 

as she said to us so many times, but the quality of your service. We could not have a better role model—in terms of effectiveness, strength, tenacity, courage, boldness—than in our 

own Senator BARBARA MIKULSKI.

She was the first female Democrat, the first in the history 

of our country, to serve in both Chambers of Congress, the 

first female Democrat to be elected to the Senate without 

succeeding a husband or a father, and the first female to 

chair an appropriations committee. 

I serve on the Appropriations Committee. It is one of the 

most powerful committees in our Congress. When I think 

about the fact that it took over 225 years for a woman to get 

the gavel on just 1 of the 14 subcommittees—that number 

has changed over the decades—but if you think about it, 

from the beginning of our country’s history, those early days 

through the expansion out West, through the Civil War, 

post-Civil War history, the early part of the 1900s, World 

War I, World War II—never did a woman hold a gavel to 

write one budget for one committee in the entire country, 

until BARBARA MIKULSKI received one of those gavels. 

I can tell you from personal experience serving with her on 

that committee, our country is a better place—in health, in 

welfare, our space program, our science and technology programs—because BARBARA MIKULSKI has used that gavel not 

to promote herself but to promote the people she serves and 

the principles for which she fights. 

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She is well respected for her wisdom, for her tenacity and 

her strength. She is respected by female and male peers who 

serve with her. As most of my female colleagues in the Senate have also experienced, Senator MIKULSKI took me under 

her wing when I was first sworn in as a Senator. She extended her hand to help me in every way possible, to help 

me find my footing here as a Senator and to navigate 

through the intricacies of the Senate process. She was never 

too busy to hold out a helping hand or for a pat on the shoulder. She was always willing to give that extra advice and, I 

might say, was always willing to suggest that you might 

have made a mistake—try it a little different way the next 

time—not one to mince words, but as a good Big Sister 

would take us under her wing and help us out as any good 

Big Sister would do. 

In addition to that wonderful, helpful, and thoughtful gesture that she shared with me and so many, she has been an 

inspiration to many women, particularly young women who 

have looked up to her, trying to follow in her footsteps. 

I can only say that this Senate and this Congress—the 

people of Maryland, the people of our country and women 

throughout the world—have been blessed by her leadership. 

What has touched me the most about watching her is the 

fearlessness in which she serves. She does not back down. 

She knows herself, she is comfortable in her own skin, and 

she doesn’t try to be someone she is not. She is very proud 

of her Polish-American background, always proud to talk 

about the bakery her parents owned, her immigrant background, and always so willing to share from her heart as 

well as her mind some of what she believes. 

She has been nothing but an inspiration to me and to 

many. I am so glad I could come to the floor today, I am so 

glad. I think almost every one of our colleagues has made it 

to the floor to honor her. When God made BARBARA MIKULSKI, he threw away the mold. I don’t think there will ever 

be another one like her. There most certainly isn’t anyone in 

politics today who is like her. That is good, to be unique in 

that way. She will be long remembered. I hope she will serve 

here for many wonderful years to come. 

I yield the floor. 

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THURSDAY, March 22, 2012 

Mr. LIEBERMAN. Madam President, I rise today to join 

my colleagues in congratulating Senator BARBARA MIKULSKI

from Maryland on becoming the longest serving woman in 

the history of Congress. Senator MIKULSKI has thus reinforced her distinctive mark on this institution and her unmistakable place in our Nation’s history. 

Those who have worked beside Senator MIKULSKI know

her to be a dynamic force of nature. While she is not the tallest Senator, she reaches the greatest heights with her strong 

principles, indomitable spirit, and steely resolve. 

From the neighborhoods of East Baltimore to the Halls of 

Congress, she has spent her career in the political trenches 

fighting for others—for women, for working Americans, and 

for her beloved Maryland. Senator MIKULSKI has been a 

practical leader for better women’s health care. She fought to 

have women included in clinical trials and medical research 

at the National Institutes of Health and helped establish 

Federal standards for mammograms. 

Her impact is not only felt in the lives of those she serves, 

but also in her relationships with those she serves with. At 

this time in our politics when the partisanship pulls us 

apart, when tribal instincts have coarsened our discourse 

and weakened our bonds, Senator MIKULSKI is a unifying 

force of comity in the Senate. She brings a sense of civility 

and a sense of humor to this institution at a time when both 

are sorely needed. 

Women Senators fondly know Senator MIKULSKI as their 

dean. She hosts regular bipartisan dinners for them and is 

a trusted mentor. She understands that while many of us 

come to Congress with competing goals, at the end of the 

day, we are colleagues. We have to work together. Unless we 

can affirm our bonds as colleagues and fellow humans, the 

work we are tasked with by the American people will not get 

done, and the public interest will suffer as a result. 

Senator MIKULSKI’s remarkable career continues to inspire 

women across our country on the nobility of public service 

and the ability for one person to bring about positive change 

in the lives of others. It is a pleasure to serve beside her, and 

I wish her my very best for many more productive years here 

in the Senate. 

Mr. BENNET. Madam President, today I want to honor 

Senator BARBARA MIKULSKI, who has represented the people 

of Maryland for more than 35 years, and who earlier this 

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week became the longest serving female Member of Congress. Senator MIKULSKI is a fighter, a fearless leader, and 

a role model for women and young girls everywhere, including my three daughters, Caroline, Halina, and Anne. 

During the course of her distinguished career, Senator MIKULSKI has been an incredibly effective advocate, and in particular has taken a leadership role in mentoring other 

women as they follow in her footsteps to the Halls of Congress. She has represented Maryland exceptionally well—on 

issues ranging from civil rights and the environment, to 

issues affecting working families and our criminal justice 

system.

Tracking Senator MIKULSKI’s career is also a good way to 

follow the progress of women in our country. When first 

elected to Congress for Maryland’s Third District in 1976, 

Senator MIKULSKI was 1 of 21 women serving in Congress. 

Today there are 93 women serving, thanks in large part to 

the trailblazing efforts of Senator MIKULSKI.

Through her work in an array of roles, from the women’s 

amendment in the Affordable Care Act to her leadership on 

the Senate Subcommittee on Children and Families, Senator 

MIKULSKI is known as a coalition builder. This role has led 

her to cultivate personal and professional partnerships 

among the Members of the Senate. Likely some of the country’s most important work is done during the bipartisan dinners she frequently hosts for her female Senate colleagues. 

I am proud that my first vote as a Senator in January 

2009 was in favor of one of Senator MIKULSKI’s bills, the 

Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which guarantees women equal 

pay for equal work. And I have thoroughly enjoyed working 

with her in the Senate HELP Committee on Elementary and 

Secondary Education Act reauthorization and passage of the 

Affordable Care Act. I look forward to continuing to work 

with Senator MIKULSKI on these and other important issues 

in the Senate. 

March is Women’s History Month, and I can think of no 

better time to honor and reflect on what Senator MIKULSKI’s

work has meant to the U.S. Senate and to her constituents 

in Maryland. Let us follow the leadership of Senator BARBARA MIKULSKI and continue to fight for a better America. 

Mr. WARNER. Madam President, I want to join my colleagues in today’s well-deserved accolades for my friend, 

BARBARA MIKULSKI.

The other day, as often happens to most of us here, I found 

myself temporarily waylaid by an informal scrum of report16 2012 Jkt 073500 PO 00000 Frm 00098 Fmt 6688 Sfmt 6688 H:\DOCS\MIKULSKI\73500 TXT KAYNE
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ers in one of the Capitol hallways. And, unknown to me, I 

was blocking Senator MIKULSKI’s path. She made me aware 

of that fact in her distinctive and typically endearing way: 

‘‘Hey, Tall and Lanky—make way for Short and Stocky!’’ she 

said.

But it is not just that humor and good nature that makes 

BARBARA MIKULSKI such a great colleague and friend. As a 

resident and colleague from an adjoining State, I respect all 

she has done at the local level, in the U.S. House and now 

in the Senate, to move the National Capital Region forward 

in terms of the regional ties that join together this special 

region where we live and work. 

You see, Virginia and Maryland share more than just a 

common border. Our two States are home to hundreds of 

thousands of hard-working and under-appreciated Federal 

workers and retirees. Our States share safety and funding 

concerns related to Metro. We each have a shared responsibility in our stewardship of the Chesapeake Bay. Maryland 

and Virginia also share world-class NASA facilities on the 

Eastern Shore. 

As a friend, I appreciate her leadership role in helping this 

first-time legislator—and recovering former Governor—make 

the sometimes difficult adjustment to this body. As the father of three daughters, I am grateful for the doors Senator 

MIKULSKI has opened—and sometimes kicked-open—for 

young women. 

Senator MIKULSKI truly is a force of nature. She is tough, 

focused, and extremely effective. And as these testimonials 

demonstrate, Senator MIKULSKI is widely respected and 

loved by current and former Members of this body. 

I am pleased to join these colleagues in thanking Senator 

MIKULSKI for her service, her leadership, and her friendship. 

MONDAY, March 26, 2012 

Mr. HARKIN. Madam President, I join with the entire 

Senate family in congratulating my great friend, the distinguished senior Senator from Maryland, BARBARA MIKULSKI,

on becoming the longest serving female Member of Congress 

in our Nation’s history. She reached that milestone recently, 

having served in Congress for 12,858 days—more than 35 

years—surpassing the previous longest serving Member of 

Congress, the late Representative Edith Nourse Rogers. 

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Representative Rogers famously quipped, ‘‘The first 30 

years are the hardest.’’ But I dare say that Senator MIKULSKI has had a somewhat different experience. As with other 

pathbreaking women, she has encountered sexism and discrimination. But from her first day in the House in 1977 

right up to today, in her much respected role as dean of 

women Senators, BARBARA MIKULSKI has been a singularly 

formidable and forceful public servant. Pity the Representative or Senator who has made the mistake of in any way underestimating this remarkable person. 

For three-and-a-half decades in Congress, BARBARA MIKULSKI has been an outspoken and proud progressive—a tireless 

advocate for quality public education, access to health care, 

and a strong safety net for those she calls ‘‘the least of these 

our sisters and brothers’’—including the elderly, people with 

disabilities, and the poor. Her passion for social and economic justice was nurtured by the nuns who taught her at 

Catholic school in working-class East Baltimore. 

Senator MIKULSKI’s legislative accomplishments are too 

numerous to cite here. I am particularly grateful for the lead 

role that she played in early 2009 in passing the Lilly 

Ledbetter Fair Pay Restoration Act—the very first bill 

signed into law by President Obama. This law reversed an 

outrageous Supreme Court decision that allowed discrimination against women to go unpunished. But, as Senator 

MIKULSKI knows all too well, even the Lilly Ledbetter Act 

leaves in place an outrageous status quo where women are 

paid only 77 cents for every dollar that their male counterparts are paid. That is why she and I have continued to work 

closely together to advance the cause of equal pay. We are 

the respective leads on the two Democratic equal pay bills in 

the Senate. 

As chair of the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions 

Committee, I want to pay special tribute to the extraordinary 

role she has long played on our committee. 

Senator MIKULSKI’s legislative skills and leadership were 

critically important in crafting and passing the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act 2 years ago—an achievement that she calls one of the ‘‘greatest social justice initiatives’’ of our time. She led the team that wrote the quality 

title in the bill, insisting that higher quality care does not 

have to be higher cost care. Thanks to Senator MIKULSKI,

the health care reform law includes a whole range of provisions that shift the emphasis—rewarding providers not for 

quantity of service but for quality of service. I would add 

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that throughout the debate on health care reform and during 

the many months the bill was being written, Senator MIKULSKI was a fierce advocate for women’s health and for ending 

the brazen discrimination against women by health insurance companies. 

On the HELP Committee, and also in her role as chair of 

the appropriations subcommittee that funds the Legal Services Corporation, Senator MIKULSKI has been a great leader 

on another issue near and dear to my heart: legal services 

for the poor. She has fought hard—and it has always been 

an uphill struggle—to provide adequate funding so that people without resources are not barred from the courthouse 

door.

Of course, Senator MIKULSKI has also been one of the Senate’s leading proponents of national and community service. 

In 2009, she was the Senate manager for the Edward M. 

Kennedy Serve America Act, which retooled our national 

service programs for the 21st century and provided expanded 

opportunities for young people to gain valuable skills and experience by helping neighbors in need. 

Let me share a brief anecdote that illustrates the remarkable role that Senator MIKULSKI plays in the body and the 

respect that she commands among her colleagues. We all remember the debate, in late February, on the Blunt amendment, which would have allowed employers to deny health 

insurance coverage for contraception. In my role as chair of 

the HELP Committee, I was invited to attend a press conference in the LBJ Room of the Capitol organized by Senator 

MIKULSKI to speak out against the amendment. Let me tell 

you, this was a remarkable event. Senator MIKULSKI spoke

first, with tremendous power and passion. One by one, other 

Senators spoke—women who, over the decades, have been 

counseled and mentored by Senator MIKULSKI: Senator Patty 

Murray of Washington, Senators Barbara Boxer and Dianne 

Feinstein of California, and Senator Jeanne Shaheen of New 

Hampshire. Senator MIKULSKI’s message, echoed by the 

other Senators, was characteristically loud and clear: Decisions about medical care should be made by a woman and 

her doctor, not a woman and her boss. Needless to say, Senator MIKULSKI carried the day; the amendment was defeated. 

Other Senators have noted Senator MIKULSKI’s many 

firsts, including the first woman elevated to a leadership position in the Senate. I would simply add that BARBARA MIKULSKI is also first when it comes to a Senator being true to 

her roots, a fierce and effective champion for her State and 

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passionate fighter for social and economic justice. Again, I 

salute the Senator on reaching the historic milestone as the 

longest serving female Member of Congress, and I wish her 

many more years of distinguished service to our Nation. 

TUESDAY, March 27, 2012 

Mr. NELSON of Florida. Mr. President, with all of the 

very well-deserved statements that have been made about 

our colleague Senator BARBARA MIKULSKI, I wanted to raise 

my voice in support of the milestone she recently achieved 

as the longest serving woman in congressional history. 

A personal word I want to add about Senator MIKULSKI is

that she has been so supportive and such a leader of our Nation’s space program. As the chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, and Science, 

she has to be intimately familiar with the details and the appropriate way to allocate funds that are vital for our civilian 

program to go forward in the visionary and frontier breaking 

manner that it always has, and I am grateful for her leadership. I wanted to add this to the accolades that she so well 

deserves and has already heard from so many of our colleagues.

Senator MIKULSKI began her tenure in Congress in 1977 

as a Member of the House of Representatives. She represented Maryland’s Third District for 10 years before moving to the Senate in 1986. 

During her time in the Senate, Senator MIKULSKI has been 

a champion for many of the issues that are particularly important to my fellow Floridians and me. She is a strong supporter of veterans’ and seniors’ issues. 

Senator MIKULSKI has also worked to protect our oceans 

by supporting the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, especially during one of the worst environmental 

disasters we’ve seen. In 2010 she conducted a subcommittee 

hearing to explore the use of dispersants in response to the 

Deepwater Horizon spill in the Gulf, helping us to better understand the long-term consequences of that environmental 

tragedy.

Senator MIKULSKI also serves as chairman for the Health, 

Education, Labor, and Pensions Subcommittee on Children 

and Families. In December, she chaired a hearing on child 

abuse, casting light on this issue and urging her colleagues 

to take greater steps to combat it. 

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I am honored to have served with Senator MIKULSKI for

the past decade, and I look forward to continuing to work 

with her on matters of great importance to Maryland, Florida, and the rest of the country. 

Ms. STABENOW. Mr. President, I join my colleagues in 

honoring the service of the Senator from Maryland, BARBARA

MIKULSKI, on becoming the longest serving woman in the 

history of Congress. She is an inspiration, a mentor, and a 

friend, and I congratulate her on achieving this historic milestone.

The story of BARBARA MIKULSKI is the story of the American dream. The daughter of a grocer in Baltimore, she 

learned what it meant to do a hard day’s work. She got good 

grades, went to college, and eventually got her master’s degree in social work. 

When she was in her twenties, she got involved in a fight 

to stop a highway proposal that would have cut through a 

working class neighborhood. She stopped that highway and 

saved the homes of the families who lived there. 

Those families saw something that day that all of us would 

recognize today: a woman of passion, hard work, and determination.

Throughout her years of service, she has reflected these 

values day in and day out as she has fought for America’s 

working families. She understands that our country needs to 

make things and grow things if we are going to have a middle class and an American dream. She understands the dignity of work, and how important that is to families who want 

to create a better future for their children, just as BARBARA’s

family did for her. 

In her many years of leadership and service, she has been 

fighting every day to create a better future for every little 

girl and boy in Maryland. She did not come here for the 

power; she came here to serve. I think that is why the people 

of Maryland have chosen her, time and time again, to be 

their champion in the U.S. Senate. 

In the whole history of the United States, 1,931 people 

have served in the U.S. Senate. Of those, 39 were women. 

And of those, 17 are serving right now. And of those, only 

one—Senator BARBARA MIKULSKI—is our dean and our mentor.

I want to thank my friend, Senator MIKULSKI, for all she 

has done for me and for all the women who will follow in her 

footsteps in the years to come. 

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Mr. WEBB. Mr. President, the Senate is in the midst of 

recognizing a very important milestone in our history. I 

would like to join my Senate colleagues in congratulating 

Senator BARBARA MIKULSKI as the longest serving female 

Member of Congress. 

As we all know, Senator MIKULSKI has dedicated her life 

to public service. Before running for public office, Senator 

MIKULSKI served as a social worker helping at-risk children 

and educating seniors on Medicare. In 1971, she successfully 

ran for her first public office and was elected to serve in the 

Baltimore City Council, where she served for 5 years. 

Senator MIKULSKI first ran for Congress in 1976, seeking 

to represent Maryland’s Third District. She won that race 

and went on to hold the seat for a decade. In 1986 she decided to run for the U.S. Senate, and she has been serving 

here ever since. The Senate was a very different place when 

she first arrived as one of two women Senators. She not only 

had to learn how the Senate functioned but had a quick lesson in bipartisanship—as the other woman, Nancy Kassebaum-Baker, was a Republican from Kansas. Today, we have 

17 women in the Senate and 76 women serving in the House 

of Representatives. 

Senator MIKULSKI has been an outspoken advocate for 

working people everywhere. Due in large part to her leadership and strong advocacy on behalf of women, our daughters 

and granddaughters will have opportunities that were not 

available to many women in the past. She is a wonderful role 

model through her dedication to public service, as she fights 

passionately every day for the people of Maryland that she 

is here to represent. 

I want to add my voice to those praising Senator MIKULSKI

as she reaches this important milestone. She is a true pioneer, a strong example of a smart legislator, and an outspoken voice for working people. I have great respect for the 

journey she has taken, and I am proud to serve alongside 

her.

WEDNESDAY, March 28, 2012 

Mr. CONRAD. Mr. President, I wish to add my voice to 

those of my colleagues paying tribute to the senior Senator 

from Maryland, who recently became the longest serving female Member of Congress in American history. 

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Senator BARBARA MIKULSKI and I were first elected to the 

Senate at the same time. Over the past 26 years she has 

been a colleague, a legislative partner, and a friend. Courageous, determined, and honorable are only a few of the 

words I use when describing Senator MIKULSKI.

Senator MIKULSKI has devoted her life to public service. 

She began her career as a social worker in Baltimore, where 

she worked with high-risk children and educated seniors 

about Medicare. In 1971, she transitioned into politics by attaining a seat on the Baltimore City Council. As a council 

member, she continued to advocate for those in need. In 

1976, she was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, 

where she became the first woman ever to sit on the influential Energy and Commerce Committee. As a Member of the 

House, she worked on a variety of important legislation, including funding for shelters for battered spouses. 

Issues concerning women have always been a passion of 

Senator MIKULSKI’s. From sponsoring the Lilly Ledbetter 

Fair Pay Act to being a leader in women’s health issues, she 

has been a champion for women’s rights. 

Senator MIKULSKI was particularly helpful to me during 

the Grand Forks flooding in 1997. When our third largest 

city was devastated by flooding and fire, Senator MIKULSKI

stood with Grand Forks residents every step of the way as 

we fought for Community Development Block Grant funding 

to recover and rebuild. Her support was critical. More recently, Senator MIKULSKI joined me in pushing for comparative effectiveness research as part of health reform, so that 

patients and doctors can have better information on which 

treatments and medical interventions are most effective and 

which amount to wasteful spending. 

Senator MIKULSKI is a fierce advocate for her constituents—and for working men and women everywhere. She will 

never back down from a cause she believes in, and she has 

compiled an impressive record of results. I congratulate her 

on being the longest serving female Member of Congress. 

Mr. JOHNSON of South Dakota. Mr. President, I rise 

today to honor a true trailblazer, my colleague Senator BARBARA MIKULSKI. Earlier this month, she crossed a major 

milestone by becoming the longest serving woman in Congress.

Before she set her sights on Congress, Senator MIKULSKI

worked as a community activist, social worker, and a member of the Baltimore City Council. In 1977, she was elected 

to the U.S. House of Representatives from Maryland’s Third 

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Congressional District. At that time, she was 1 of only 21 

women serving in Congress. 

She never let any misguided stereotypes or long odds slow 

her down. Ten years later, she won her first race for the U.S. 

Senate and in the process became the first Democratic 

woman elected to this Chamber from the State of Maryland. 

She immediately lent her voice to issues like education, 

health care, and national service. 

Along the way, she has given a voice not only to families 

and the middle class but also sent a powerful message to 

women all across this Nation. If there were ever any doubt, 

they now know for sure that they deserve a seat at the table 

in Congress. Her message is being heard. Since Senator MIKULSKI was first elected to the House of Representatives, the 

number of women serving in Congress today has increased 

to 93. 

I have gotten to know BARBARA well, especially through 

our work on the Senate Appropriations Committee. I know 

she would rather we focus on her accomplishments regardless of her gender, but Senator MIKULSKI has blazed an important path. Along the way, she has never forgotten the 

value of hard work that was instilled in her from an early 

age. She has also built the kind of working relationships you 

need to get things done. 

There is a reason the people of Maryland have sent BARBARA MIKULSKI back to the Congress time and again. She is 

telling their story and making sure that every voice has a 

chance to be heard. I want to congratulate her on this milestone. It is an important one for her and her family, and I 

believe it is symbolic of the gains we have seen our Nation 

make since she first was elected to Congress more than 35 

years ago. 

Mr. SANDERS. Mr. President, in 1977, Jimmy Carter became our Nation’s President, Elvis Presley died, and ‘‘Rocky’’ 

won the Oscar as best picture. 

It was also the year my colleague, BARBARA MIKULSKI,

came to Congress. She has served since then, for 10 years in 

the House and since 1987 in the Senate, with exemplary 

dedication to our Nation and its working families. Those of 

us who have had the pleasure to serve with her in the Senate and all the citizens of Maryland who have elected her to 

represent them celebrate this moment, for Senator MIKULSKI

has become the longest serving female Member of Congress 

in our Nation’s history. 

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BARBARA MIKULSKI is the first female Democrat to have 

served in both the House and the Senate, as well as being 

the first Democratic woman to be elected to the Senate without succeeding a spouse or father. She is, among all of us, 

truly a pathbreaker. 

When she entered the Senate, there was only one other female Member of this body. Today, there are 17. BARBARA MIKULSKI has served as an inspiration, a leader, and a mentor 

to generations of women seeking to secure their rightful 

place as Members of our Nation’s highest legislative bodies. 

Throughout her time in both the House and Senate, she 

has worked tirelessly on behalf of the elderly, veterans, the 

poor, hard-pressed families, and our Nation’s children. 

Daughter of a grocer, her roots are in Baltimore. She may 

have come a long way to play her important role here in 

Washington, but what makes her such a vital voice in Congress is that she has never lost touch with the values and 

needs of the blue collar neighborhood of Highlandtown where 

she grew up. 

BARBARA MIKULSKI entered politics as an activist and a 

populist, and she has remained true to that initial motivation. BARBARA MIKULSKI genuinely cares about the people of 

our Nation—about all the people, not just the wealthy or the 

famous or the influential. 

She understands the difficulties faced by working families 

as their incomes have been stagnant, as unions have declined, as disparities in wealth and income have widened 

dramatically. She is passionately committed to the importance of education for our young people, just as she respects 

and fights for our Nation’s elderly and their security as they 

negotiate the later years of life. 

We serve together on the HELP Committee, on which she 

has long been a leader. No one better exemplifies the values 

of caring for those who are all too easy to forget—working 

families, the elderly, the poor, the children, than BARBARA

MIKULSKI. Having worked with them both, I know how completely she has taken on the mantle of her friend Ted Kennedy and kept our committee focused on those whose needs 

are greatest. 

As we celebrate the inspiration BARBARA MIKULSKI has

been for the women of the Senate, Maryland, and the country, let’s not forget that she has also been an inspiration to 

all of us. She has shown us how to fight for the powerless 

and how to cast votes based on ethical values and a deep 

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commitment to our fellow men and women, not based on political expediency. 

For that leadership, both as a great female legislator and 

as an accomplished legislator with a lifelong commitment to 

improving the lives of all Americans, we honor her. 

Mr. BEGICH. Mr. President, today I wish to pay tribute 

to my esteemed colleague, Senator BARBARA MIKULSKI from

the great State of Maryland. I am honored to recognize the 

historic achievements of my fellow Senator. On Saturday she 

became the longest serving woman in congressional history 

after serving more than 35 years in both the House and Senate. Originally a social worker and community organizer in 

Baltimore, Senator MIKULSKI’s congressional legacy began in 

1976 when she was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. Ten years later with her election into the U.S. Senate 

she became the first female Senator from Maryland as well 

as the first woman to be elected to both the House and Senate. Senator MIKULSKI deserves great honor and reverence 

for her dedication to the people of Maryland, the United 

States, and to the institution of the Senate. 

Three years ago I entered these Chambers as a freshman 

from a faraway State. Senator MIKULSKI was already known 

as a legend, to me and so many of my constituents. Since 

then, she has been an inspiration—and, to no one’s surprise, 

a straight shooter and passionate advocate of her issues. 

More than once, when I have not yet signed onto one of her 

bills—usually something near and dear to her, like child 

abuse prevention—she has cornered me. And in a tough 

stance, all 4 feet 11 inches of her, she’ll tell me why it is my 

duty to sign the bill. She is always right, and I am happy 

to follow her lead on such issues. 

Throughout her time in Congress Senator MIKULSKI has

been a champion for civil rights, fighting to end discrimination of all kinds. As the chairwoman of the Committee on 

Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions she has continually 

fought to end discrimination in the workplace. In 2011 she 

was a sponsor of the Paycheck Fairness Act, which ensures 

equal pay, regardless of gender. 

She has also defended our Nation’s teachers and students 

by fighting for more affordable and accessible education and 

supporting the needs of rural school districts. Just this year 

she introduced legislation that would ensure veterans who 

receive educational assistance from the Department of Veterans Affairs also receive adequate counseling when considering their educational options. 

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Senator MIKULSKI’s accomplishments are numerous and 

diverse, from the day-to-day needs of workers, business owners, and students to the strengthening of scientific innovation and research. Senator MIKULSKI deserves great honor 

and esteem for her dedication to fighting for the good of the 

people of Maryland and the Nation. 

I am honored to serve alongside such a devoted advocate, 

and I look forward to her continued service in the U.S. Senate. She began her tenure in 1977 as 1 of 19 women serving 

in Congress and today is 1 of 17 women in the Senate. She 

has helped pave the way for future generations. Yet she likely would not agree that women have come a long way over 

those years; instead she will say there is a long way to go. 

Today I congratulate and pay homage to Senator BARBARA

MIKULSKI. She is a friend, a mentor, and—so very often—the 

good conscience of the U.S. Senate. 

Mr. UDALL of Colorado. Mr. President, I come to the floor 

today to speak in honor of Senator BARBARA MIKULSKI. I join 

my colleagues in recognizing her for becoming the longest 

serving female Member of Congress in our Nation’s history. 

I know Senator MIKULSKI is more interested in results 

than milestones, but this is an appropriate moment to congratulate her for all that she has accomplished. She is both 

a tenacious fighter and gracious colleague. 

The true measure of a society is how we treat people in the 

dawn and twilight years of their lives. By that standard, 

Senator MIKULSKI’s career has been extraordinary. 

From the start of her career in public service as a Baltimore social worker helping at-risk kids and seniors to today, 

she has been a champion for children and the elderly. She 

has been a champion for education, research, and veterans, 

and she has been an unflinching champion for Maryland. 

Senator MIKULSKI has also been a friend since my first 

days in the Senate. Early on she reached out to me to explain the appropriations process in the Senate. My father, 

who spent his entire career in the U.S. House of Representatives, was always suspicious of the Senate. So to a freshman 

Senator making the transition from the House, hers was a 

welcome and reassuring gesture, kind of like the folksy gesture of calling me ‘‘cowboy,’’ which always brings a smile to 

my face. 

Senator MIKULSKI’s style is a powerful counter to the old 

Washington joke that there are actually three political parties: Democrats, Republicans, and appropriators. She always 

values the input of other Senators and strives to balance the 

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many competing priorities of all the Members of this body. 

For example, we have worked together on the Joint Polar 

Satellite System. This program is over budget and behind 

schedule, but it is also indispensable to public safety and our 

economy. As an appropriator, she has the unenviable challenge of striving to continually put this program on firm financial footing. In the process, she has repeatedly asked for 

my perspective and welcomed me into the process. This is 

above and beyond the call of duty but is so typical of BARBARA MIKULSKI.

Many have compared Senator MIKULSKI’s streak to another famous Marylander’s—Cal Ripken, Jr. I think Cal 

would agree with BARBARA when she said, ‘‘It’s not only how 

long I serve, but how well I serve.’’ 

She has undoubtedly served this institution, this country, 

and Maryland very well. 

I commend Senator BARBARA MIKULSKI for her 35 years of 

service in Congress and look forward to her future successes. 

THURSDAY, March 29, 2012 

Mrs. HAGAN. Madam President, I come here today to pay 

tribute to Senator BARBARA MIKULSKI on becoming the longest serving woman in the history of Congress. 

First and foremost, I feel deeply privileged to be able to 

serve alongside Senator MIKULSKI. She blazed a path that allowed the rest of us, and people like me, to be here today. 

Along the way, she distinguished herself as not only a leader 

and tenacious advocate for the people of Maryland but for all 

Americans.

Senator MIKULSKI’s path to the U.S. Senate prepared her 

well to be an effective fighter for her constituents. Ever the 

dedicated public servant, Senator MIKULSKI worked as a Baltimore social worker, community activist, and as a city council member. She brought an urgency and an unrelenting 

commitment to service to her work and the people she represented. It can be seen in the legislation she has fought for 

and the causes she has championed during her 25 years in 

the Senate. 

I am proud to say the first bill I cosponsored when I came 

to the Senate 3 years ago was one of Senator MIKULSKI’s—

the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. This bill—which ensures 

that no matter your gender, race, national origin, religion, 

age, or disability, you will receive equal pay for equal work— 

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the fight to get it signed into law is a perfect example of the 

tenacity and sense of fairness that drives BARBARA MIKULSKI.

I am particularly grateful to her for her mentorship. On 

the day I was sworn in to the Senate, I was standing in the 

back of the Chamber waiting to walk down to the well. My 

colleague from North Carolina, Senator Burr, was with me. 

Senator MIKULSKI came up to me and asked who was going 

to escort me to the well to be sworn in. I, obviously, said, 

‘‘My colleague from North Carolina.’’ She said, ‘‘Well, you 

need a woman too.’’ And with that, I was both humbled and 

honored to have her escort me down the Chamber aisle to be 

sworn in as a U.S. Senator. 

Her generosity in sharing her experience and her expertise 

did not stop on that day. She is always encouraging, supportive, and eager to foster a spirit of teamwork. I especially 

appreciate that Senator MIKULSKI embraces the need for bipartisanship, which no doubt is why she is and has been so 

effective, accomplished, and widely respected. 

Everyone knows well and respects Senator MIKULSKI for

her advocacy on behalf of women and families. In this regard, she is truly a role model. During the debate on health 

care reform, her tireless fight to ensure that women’s preventive services, including screenings for breast cancer and 

cervical cancer, would be covered with no out-of-pocket expenses is legendary. 

Her ability to see and understand people’s needs is clearly 

reflected in her Spousal Anti-Impoverishment Act, which 

protects seniors across the country from going bankrupt 

while paying for a spouse’s nursing home care. It is no wonder she is beloved, not only in the Third District, which she 

represented for 10 years in the House, but by all the people 

of Maryland whose interests she fights for every single day. 

As 1 of the 17 women now serving in the Senate, it is hard 

to imagine what it must have been like when she arrived 

here 25 years ago as 1 of 2 women. I am grateful she and 

the other female Senators have paved the way. 

BARBARA MIKULSKI is the dean of the women Senators, 

and her bipartisan women’s dinners are among my favorite 

Senate traditions. I thank Senator MIKULSKI for her leadership and strong belief in the empowerment of women in our 

communities and in public office. For those of us who came 

to Washington to make a difference, BARBARA MIKULSKI has

set a very high bar. 

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I congratulate Senator MIKULSKI for this extraordinary 

and historic accomplishment. I look forward to many more 

years of serving alongside her. 

Ms. SNOWE. Mr. President, I rise today in light of last 

week’s celebration here in the Senate, to recognize the truly 

historic and remarkable accomplishment of my good friend 

and colleague, Senator BARBARA MIKULSKI.

As we all know, Senator MIKULSKI just last week achieved 

another stunning milestone as she became the longest serving woman in the history of the U.S. Congress, surpassing 

Congresswoman Edith Nourse Rogers. Of course, it was at 

the outset of this 112th Congress that Senator MIKULSKI

overtook Maine’s legendary Senator Margaret Chase Smith. 

To say it’s been quite a Congress for the gentlelady from 

Maryland is the height of understatement indeed. . . . 

Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, I would like to take a moment 

to honor Senator BARBARA MIKULSKI for recently becoming 

the longest serving woman in the history of the U.S. Congress. However, in doing so, I am reminded that this milestone does not define her legacy. Rather, her legacy as a coalition builder and a tenacious advocate of the marginalized 

defines Senator MIKULSKI’s tenure as a public servant for 

the people of Maryland. 

Throughout her career, Senator MIKULSKI pioneered the 

role women play in today’s Congress. When she joined the 

Senate in 1987, Senator MIKULSKI became one of two female 

Senators and the first Democratic woman ever to join the 

Upper Chamber. These achievements were not due to a famous husband or father; Senator MIKULSKI was elected because of her integrity and her fiery and compassionate character. Her personal and professional experiences over the 

past 35 years make Senator MIKULSKI an excellent mentor 

for first-term female Members, leading to the appropriate 

title: ‘‘Dean of Women.’’ I was recently reminded of the 

‘‘Dean’s’’ ability to rally the support of female colleagues as 

Senator MIKULSKI and 7 of 17 female Senators lent their 

support for the reauthorization of the Violence Against 

Women Act on the floor of the Senate. Her efforts are emblematic of a unique ability to orchestrate voices in defense 

of the voiceless. 

Just as the Violence Against Women Act provides support 

to both male and female victims of domestic abuse, Senator 

MIKULSKI’s legacy as a champion of the exploited transcends 

the concept of gender. From her roots as a social worker and 

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community organizer, Senator MIKULSKI has constantly 

stood for social justice. She was a driving force in the landmark Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009, which furthered 

protections for women and others faced with discrimination 

in the workplace. Equal pay for equal work is a principle 

that Senator MIKULSKI will continue to defend. From the 

young lady who delivered groceries to seniors, to a passionate defender of the ethnic American, Senator MIKULSKI

continues to stand in solidarity with those forced to live at 

the margins. 

I have been proud to serve in the Senate with Senator MIKULSKI for over two decades, and I have enjoyed working 

with her on many issues, in addition to our time serving together on the Subcommittee on the Department of State and 

Foreign Operations for many years. Perhaps most memorable is a codel we took to sub-Saharan Africa in 1990. 

While my colleagues and I applaud Senator MIKULSKI on

the longevity of her career, we more importantly take this 

moment to celebrate the leadership and achievements that 

characterize her 35 years of service. How long she has served 

bears witness to how well she has represented the people of 

Maryland.

Mr. CASEY. Mr. President, I would like to pay tribute to 

my colleague, Senator BARBARA MIKULSKI, who is now the 

longest serving woman in the history of the Congress and 

congratulate her on reaching this important milestone. Senator MIKULSKI is an inspiration to us all. She had broken 

down not only multiple gender barriers, but legislative, economic, and societal barriers as well. 

Throughout her career, Senator MIKULSKI has been a 

champion for those who are often forgotten. Hubert Humphrey once said the moral test of government is how it treats 

those in the dawn of life, the twilight of life, and the shadows of life. Senator MIKULSKI took this message to heart. 

Her life has been a life of service. She spent her career as 

a tireless advocate, first as a social worker in Baltimore on 

the city council and then in the House of Representatives 

where she served 10 years before coming to the Senate. For 

the past 25 years she has continued this advocacy and has 

been a strong voice on the Senate floor, as well as on the 

HELP Committee. I have been fortunate to serve on the 

HELP Committee with Senator MIKULSKI since 2009. 

One of the things Senator MIKULSKI is best known for is 

providing good constituent services. This is something all 

Senate offices do and it often gets overlooked by the national 

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and international issues of the day. But this speaks to one 

of the most important duties of a Senator. When your constituent’s mother dies in a country halfway around the world 

and you suddenly need a passport or a visa, when a veteran 

is not getting the benefits he is entitled to, or when an older 

citizen cannot afford to heat their home, they can turn to 

their Senator’s local office for help. Senator MIKULSKI makes

sure she and her staff provide help to that family, or veteran, or older citizen. 

BARBARA MIKULSKI knows, and her work demonstrates, 

that the job of a Senator is not only about numbers and 

budgets, it is about helping people, especially the vulnerable 

and those without a voice or a lobbyist. 

Again, I congratulate BARBARA on her accomplishment and 

I look forward to working with her and continuing to fight 

for our children, our workers, and our families with her in 

the years ahead. 

Mr. PRYOR. Mr. President. I come to the floor today to 

celebrate the service of Senator BARBARA MIKULSKI, one of 

the most tenacious and effective Senators to serve in the 

U.S. Senate. This month, following 41 years of public service, 

Senator MIKULSKI has reached a new milestone in serving in 

the U.S. Congress longer than any woman in history. But as 

she has said, ‘‘It’s not how long you serve, but how well you 

serve.’’ Both the State of Maryland and the entire Nation 

have benefited from Senator MIKULSKI’s stamina as well her 

energy, intellect, and compassion. Today, we can see the difference she has made in our schools, health care, paychecks, 

and workplaces. 

Senator MIKULSKI follows in the footsteps of the legendary 

Hattie Caraway of Arkansas. As the wife of Thaddeus Caraway, a former Congressman and U.S. Senator for Arkansas, 

Hattie assumed her husband’s place in the Senate following 

his death in 1931. She once said, ‘‘The time has passed when 

a woman should be placed in a position and kept there only 

while someone else is being groomed for the job.’’ A year 

later, she ran for reelection, becoming the first woman elected to a 6-year term. She surpassed several milestones, including serving as the first female Senator to preside over 

the Senate and the first woman to serve as the chairwoman 

of a committee. 

It would take 74 more years until a woman Senator 

chaired a subcommittee of the Senate Appropriations Committee. Senator MIKULSKI, now at the reins of the Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, and Science, has shown 

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great leadership and vision as chairwoman, and it has been 

a privilege to work with her. While we share many interests, 

we have worked most closely to advance the growth of 

science parks, strengthen law enforcement, and ensure U.S. 

companies can compete in the 21st century. I look forward 

to a continued partnership, congratulate Senator MIKULSKI

on this historic achievement, and express my deep appreciation for all that she has done. 

Mr. AKAKA. Mr. President, I rise to honor and extend my 

warmest aloha to my longtime colleague, a fellow member of 

the House freshman class of 1977, and very dear friend, Senator BARBARA A. MIKULSKI, for setting a new benchmark in 

her career and a significant milestone in this institution: becoming the longest serving woman in the history of the U.S. 

Congress. With each of her many accomplishments, she inspires the next generation of young American women, and 

she makes their dreams that much more attainable. 

My colleague from Maryland has been a true trailblazer 

for women in Congress. In 1987, she earned the distinction 

of becoming the first-ever woman U.S. Senator from Maryland, as well as the first woman Democrat to serve in both 

the House and the Senate. Last year, she also became the 

longest serving female in Senate history. 

BARBARA has not only witnessed the number of females 

climb from just 21 when she first came to Congress in 1977 

to the 93 female members serving today. Her actions and 

spirit helped to make that feat possible. She continues to be 

a distinguished leader, mentor, and friend to all of her colleagues in Congress, not just the women. Although we have 

more work to do to eliminate gender bias and discrimination, 

I am glad to see that Congress has become more representative of the United States. 

Throughout her over 35 years in Congress, BARBARA has

remained a fearless advocate for women, working-class 

Americans, and Federal workers across the country, a steadfast protector of the environment, and a relentless champion 

of civil rights in this country. 

Raised by Polish-American small business owners, she has 

been a longtime defender of labor rights and a fierce proponent of establishing fair and equal working conditions for 

all Americans regardless of race, sex, or disability. This 

cause led her to author the landmark women’s and worker’s 

rights legislation, the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which I 

cosponsored, to guarantee women equal pay for equal work. 

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Being from a State that, like Maryland, has a large population of Federal workers, I have worked very closely with 

BARBARA on many issues to support our Government employees. From the time that we entered the House together, she 

has always been a strong partner and stalwart champion for 

the rights of our Nation’s Federal workforce, including fair 

pay and benefits for the dedicated men and women who 

make our Government more secure, effective, and efficient. 

BARBARA is an embodiment of the democratic spirit and 

continues to be a leader. She uses her great wit, humor, and 

boundless energy to urge Congress to take up important 

issues and then works with Members on both sides of the 

aisle to resolve differences and come together to achieve real 

solutions that help real working Americans every day. This 

is a testament to the fact that as she became the longest 

serving woman in the history of Congress, she has never forgotten her purpose—to make America better. 

I again want to extend my aloha and my congratulations 

to Senator BARBARA MIKULSKI for this amazing achievement. 

It is a pleasure to serve with you. Thank you for your many 

years of outstanding service and genuine friendship, and I 

wish you the best as you continue your important work here 

in Congress. 

Mrs. MCCASKILL. Mr. President, I rise today to honor my 

colleague and mentor, Senator BARBARA MIKULSKI, and to 

celebrate her legacy as the longest serving woman in Congress. For over 35 years, Senator MIKULSKI has proudly 

served the people of Maryland as a tireless advocate and a 

selfless public servant. It is my privilege to honor her today. 

The great-granddaughter of Polish immigrants, Senator 

MIKULSKI grew up appreciating the value of hard work and 

service. On the weekends she worked in her parents’ East 

Baltimore grocery store delivering groceries to homebound 

elderly. It was then that BARBARA developed her deep passion for helping others. 

After earning her master’s degree in social work from the 

University of Maryland, BARBARA started a career as a social 

worker with Catholic Charities and Baltimore’s Department 

of Social Services. An outspoken advocate for at-risk youth 

and the elderly, she quickly earned a reputation as a fighter 

and was elected to the Baltimore City Council in 1971. After 

5 years on the city council, BARBARA ran for Congress. 

In 1976, BARBARA began her first term representing Maryland’s Third Congressional District. As 1 of only 18 women 

in the House of Representatives, BARBARA was a member of 

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a small but mighty group. During her 10 years in the House, 

she gained a reputation as a fighter, and in 1986 the people 

of Maryland again chose her to represent them, but this time 

in the Senate. 

As one of only two female Senators, and the first woman 

elected to the Senate in her own right, Senator MIKULSKI

was met with much skepticism. While outnumbered, BARBARA’s determination and dedication to her constituents 

shined through. BARBARA is a steadfast proponent of greater 

access to higher education, a leader on the front of women’s 

health, and an unwavering supporter of America’s veterans. 

She is determined to stand up for those who are often forgotten.

A few weeks ago, BARBARA shared a touching story that I 

think exemplifies her character. 

When BARBARA first ran for the Senate in 1986, she had 

the opportunity to get to know Harriet Woods, who was campaigning as a Democrat for the Missouri Senate seat. BARBARA saw the significance of having two female candidates 

for Senate, and she was certain both of them would win. Unfortunately, it wasn’t meant to be for Harriet Woods, who 

lost to Republican John Danforth. 

On BARBARA’s first day she was shown her desk on the 

Senate floor—she opened it and saw Harry Truman’s autograph. She had Harry Truman’s desk. While she was delighted to have that desk, she knew that it really belonged 

to the Senator from Missouri and relinquished it. She said 

that for years she thought about that desk and hoped that 

it would someday be returned to a Democrat from Missouri. 

Twenty years later, on election night in 2006, BARBARA

watched the election results come in from around the country—and in Missouri, in particular. She said she stayed up 

late in the night waiting for the final result. Once she 

learned of the results from Missouri, she knew that the desk 

that had been accidentally given to her all of those years ago 

would finally be returned where it belonged. I am so pleased 

to know that the Truman desk was shared, if only briefly, 

with my friend BARBARA MIKULSKI.

BARBARA MIKULSKI is a trailblazer, a role model, and an 

advisor to the other women in the Senate. Today there are 

17 women in the Senate, and much of that progress can be 

attributed to Senator MIKULSKI’s leadership. 

Mr. President, I ask that the Senate join me in congratulating Senator MIKULSKI on this milestone and thank her for 

her 35 years of leadership, friendship, and service. 

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Mr. KOHL. Mr. President, today I would like to honor Senator BARBARA MIKULSKI’s amazing life and career as she becomes the Senate’s longest serving woman Senator. She has 

been a role model and inspiration to women across the country as she broke barriers in public life. When she first came 

to the Senate she was one of only a handful of women ever 

to serve in the U.S. Senate and now she is 1 of 17 women 

here on the Senate floor. Her service has made it easier for 

girls to dream about one day being a Senator—or President. 

Senator MIKULSKI and I shared a similar experience growing up: her parents, William and Christine, opened and operated Willy’s Market, a small grocery store in their working 

class neighborhood in East Baltimore. My parents also 

opened a small grocery store in Milwaukee—the first of what 

would become the Kohl’s Food Stores and then Kohl’s Department Stores. 

As we have already heard here on the floor, her father 

would frequently open the store early so local steelworkers 

could buy their lunches before their shift began. He would 

also extend credit to help customers who were having a hard 

time making ends meet. William Mikulski’s neighbors didn’t 

go hungry with him as their grocer. BARBARA worked at the 

store, and helped deliver groceries to homebound seniors in 

their neighborhood. She got to know her neighbors well, and 

she understood the important issues facing her community. 

Much of what we both experienced working in our family 

stores and watching our parents work so hard to provide superior service to their customers, ensuring their children understood the value of hard work, treating others fairly and 

with dignity, and giving back to the community, influenced 

our views on customer service. Those views have translated 

into Senator MIKULSKI’s constituent service here in the Senate.

BARBARA’s enthusiasm and commitment to serving the 

people of Maryland has resulted in too many victories to 

mention here, but I do want to point out a few of the projects 

we have worked on together on the Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee. 

Senator MIKULSKI and I have worked closely over the 

years to protect USDA agriculture research in Beltsville, 

MD. Beltsville is a historic and crucial part of the USDA’s 

research arm. In fact, it is the largest agriculture research 

facility in the world and does valuable work developing the 

next generation of crops and farming methods that will feed 

a growing planet. We’ve also worked together on increasing 

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funding for the Food and Drug Administration, ensuring that 

the food we eat and medicine we rely upon is safe. 

In my work as chairman of the Agriculture Appropriations 

Subcommittee, I have been especially thankful for the times 

when BARBARA has spoken passionately about the important 

programs we fund through the subcommittee. She has been 

a stalwart supporter of farmers throughout Maryland and 

across the country, and a true friend here in the Senate. It 

has been an honor to serve with her. 

Mr. ALEXANDER. Mr. President, my late friend Alex 

Haley, the author of ‘‘Roots,’’ lived his life by the motto ‘‘Find 

the good and praise it.’’ That is an easy thing to do when 

talking about BARBARA MIKULSKI, a friend and colleague 

with whom I have worked closely since I joined the Senate. 

I would like to add my congratulations to those of my colleagues on Senator MIKULSKI reaching the milestone of becoming the longest serving woman in Congress. This is a remarkable achievement for a remarkable woman. For over 35 

years, that is almost 13,000 days, BARBARA MIKULSKI has

dedicated herself to serving the people of Maryland and representing them here in Congress. 

Although Senator MIKULSKI is a proud partisan, she is one 

of the best advocates of bipartisanship. She understands the 

need to work together, to learn from one another’s point of 

view, and to strike a deal so that each side can get something of value and move forward. 

I have found that when you have BARBARA MIKULSKI by

your side in a debate you always seem to win. She brings 

passion and dedication and tenacity to every issue she works 

on. Her love of the Senate, Congress in general, and the 

American people is infectious. 

When Senator MIKULSKI and I have worked together it has 

always been a delightful experience. Whether authorizing 

the Teach for America Program to allow college graduates to 

become teachers in our Nation’s worst schools; passing 

America COMPETES, where we improved our energy research programs and STEM education initiatives; or working 

on higher education where we share a passion for eliminating costly and unnecessary Federal regulations, BARBARA

MIKULSKI is a tireless friend and ally. 

Congratulations, Senator MIKULSKI. The Senate is proud 

of you, Maryland is proud of you, and the country is proud 

of you. 

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Mr. NELSON of Nebraska. Mr. President, today I wish to 

offer congratulations to my friend and colleague, Senator 

BARBARA MIKULSKI, on becoming the longest serving woman 

Senator in American history. 

As Senator MIKULSKI has said, ‘‘It’s not only how long I 

serve, but how well I serve.’’ And she has served very well. 

Not only does Senator MIKULSKI serve in the best interests 

of the people of her native Maryland, but her service continues to improve the lives of Americans from coast to coast. 

This comes as no surprise for a person who began her career helping at-risk children and seniors as a social worker 

in Baltimore. Senator MIKULSKI’s nightly commute home 

from Washington ensures that she will not forget who she 

works for or where she comes from. The truth is, she never 

left.

Her commitment and connection to her constituents benefits us all. Her advocacy for access to better health care, improving the quality of education, investing in innovation, and 

protecting human dignity are not bound by the borders of 

Maryland. Her service benefits the people of Baltimore, MD, 

but also the people of Broken Bow, NE. 

It is an honor to serve with Senator MIKULSKI. I enjoy her 

company, I respect her strength, and I admire her commitment.

Congratulations to Senator BARBARA MIKULSKI on her 

record-setting service. We are all the better for it. 

MONDAY, April 16, 2012 

Mr. BLUMENTHAL. Mr. President, today I join my fellow 

Senators in paying tribute to my dear colleague and friend 

Senator BARBARA MIKULSKI for the tremendous landmark 

she has reached as of March 17, 2012. She is now the longest 

serving female Member of our Congress. But the number of 

years is inadequate as a measure or metric. More telling are 

her monumental accomplishments and record of successfully 

tackling tough problems and making a real difference in 

lives. Senator MIKULSKI is unquestionably one of the most 

dedicated, inspiring, and influential public servants in our 

Nation’s history. 

Her generous spirit, flair, and eloquence as a speaker 

make her both loved and powerful as an advocate. Her 

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bled and driven by the legacy of members of my family who 

emigrated from Europe, striving for the American dream 

with a strong work ethic and a firm belief in progress. I am 

especially drawn to Senator MIKULSKI’s determination to 

fight for her constituents and her deep sense of caring. She 

is an excellent role model for women and girls around the 

globe—and for anyone, whether a freshman Senator such as 

myself or a veteran legislator—devoted to a life of public 

service.

I am proud to work with Senator MIKULSKI on the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, joining 

her, for example, as a cosponsor of her Paycheck Fairness 

Act to continue the civil rights debate that started decades 

ago and is unfortunately still unresolved. We must, once and 

for all, secure protections for women in the workforce, reaching pay equity and ending all instances of sex discrimination. 

I respect Senator MIKULSKI’s efforts to reduce costs while 

furthering innovation and am a strong supporter of her focus 

on research and drug development for chronic conditions, as 

laid out in her SPRINT Act. Her advocacy for America’s seniors and success leading immigration reform are equally inspiring, and I am proud to be a cosponsor of her Visa Waiver 

Program Enhanced Security and Reform Act. 

I especially enjoyed partnering with Senator MIKULSKI to

advance the education we provide to our Nation’s students. 

We offered an amendment together in the Elementary and 

Secondary Education Act to increase funding and research to 

meet the unique needs of gifted and talented students. 

Special recognition is past due for Senator MIKULSKI, who 

makes the time to recognize others, most recently sponsoring 

S. Res. 310, designating 2012 as ‘‘Year of the Girl’’ and congratulating the Girl Scouts for its centennial. 

Senator MIKULSKI has been an extraordinary mentor and 

model for countless men and women who emulate her dedication and drive, her commitment and common sense. She 

leads by her example, particularly for women who endeavor 

to hold public office. When considering the opportunity to 

run, they can look to the legacy she has built and the path 

she has traveled from social worker to city council member 

to a national figure in the Halls of Congress. 

I look forward with pleasure and pride to serving alongside 

Senator MIKULSKI for years to come. I congratulate her on 

making history and giving her colleagues, fellow public servants, constituents, and the American people the opportunity 

to engage in historymaking for the good of our Nation. 

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Proceedings in the House of 

Representatives

WEDNESDAY, March 21, 2012 

Mr. FATTAH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to 

an accomplished and distinguished Member of the U.S. Senate who is achieving a milestone worthy of recognition in 

this body. 

Senator BARBARA MIKULSKI is the longest serving woman 

in congressional history. Before being sworn into the Senate 

in 1986, Senator MIKULSKI served in this Chamber for five 

terms. She has now served the people of Maryland for more 

than 35 years. 

Senator MIKULSKI is the daughter of Polish American 

small business owners, who taught her the meaning of hard 

work. She attended Mount Saint Agnes College and the University of Maryland, where she earned a degree in social 

work. The inequities she observed during those years are 

what drove her to become a voice for her community. An activist, she organized community members to stand up 

against a local plan to build a 16-lane highway through 

neighborhoods in Baltimore. Indeed she was successful. 

Her career as a government leader began in 1971, when 

she was elected a member of Baltimore’s City Council. Prior 

to becoming the first Democratic woman sworn into the Senate in 1986, she served 10 years as a Representative of 

Maryland’s Third Congressional District. 

Without a doubt, Senator MIKULSKI’s admirable leadership 

trajectory is reflected through the varied roles she has held 

in Congress. She has advanced initiatives involving women’s 

reproductive rights and women’s health issues. She is currently a senior member of the Health, Education, Labor, and 

Pensions Committee and chairwoman of the Subcommittee 

on Children and Families. She is also a senior member of the 

Senate Committee on Appropriations and chairwoman of the 

Commerce, Justice, and Science Subcommittee. In my work 

as the House CJS Subcommittee’s leading Democrat, I have 

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been grateful for the partnership of my companion in the 

other Chamber. 

Senator MIKULSKI is a pioneer who has paved the way for 

many women. Throughout her career she has served as a 

mentor for women in congressional leadership and continues 

to create partnerships to focus the spotlight on women. 

Her contributions go beyond the walls of Congress and she 

continues to be an integral part of her community, greeting 

constituents and lending a hand to empower and help make 

a difference. She continues to fight to give Maryland the resources necessary to compete in a global economy. 

I invite my colleagues to join me in honoring this notable 

woman who is making history and extend our gratitude for 

her service and wish the senior Senator from the State of 

Maryland good health and good times. 

Æ 

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