[Senate Document 114-19]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]








 
                      TRIBUTES TO HON. BARBARA BOXER


                                           

                              Barbara Boxer

                      U.S. SENATOR FROM CALIFORNIA

                                TRIBUTES

                           IN THE CONGRESS OF

                           THE UNITED STATES

[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]

                                           




                                                        S. Doc. 114-19
                                                        
                                                        
                                                        
                                                        

                                    Barbara Boxer


                                      Tributes

                                Delivered in Congress

                                    Barbara Boxer

                             United States Congresswoman

                                      1983-1993

                                United States Senator

                                      1993-2017

                                          
                  [GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]


  
  
  
  
                         U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE 
 
                               WASHINGTON : 2017 










  


                            Compiled under the direction

                                       of the

                             Joint Committee on Printing
                             
                             
                             
                             
                             
                             
                             
                             
                             
                             
                             
                             
                             
                             
                             
                                      CONTENTS
                                      
                                      
                                      
                                      
             Biography.............................................
                                                                      v
             Farewell Address......................................
                                                                     ix
             Proceedings in the Senate:
                Tributes by Senators:
                    Boozman, John, of Arkansas.....................
                                                                     31
                    Boxer, Barbara, of California 
                     ............................................
                                                          7, 13, 14, 15
                    Cardin, Benjamin L., of Maryland...............
                                                                      8
                    Casey, Robert P., Jr., of Pennsylvania.........
                                                                  8, 30
                    Collins, Susan M., of Maine....................
                                                                     22
                    Durbin, Richard J., of Illinois................
                                                                     18
                    Enzi, Michael B., of Wyoming...................
                                                                     24
                    Feinstein, Dianne, of California...............
                                                                     20
                    Hirono, Mazie K., of Hawaii....................
                                                                     29
                    Inhofe, James M., of Oklahoma..................
                                                                 13, 14
                    Isakson, Johnny, of Georgia....................
                                                                     17
                    Klobuchar, Amy, of Minnesota...................
                                                                     28
                    Leahy, Patrick J., of Vermont..................
                                                                     24
                    McConnell, Mitch, of Kentucky..................
                                                                 11, 28
                    Mikulski, Barbara A., of Maryland..............
                                                                 15, 26
                    Peters, Gary C., of Michigan...................
                                                                     30
                    Portman, Rob, of Ohio..........................
                                                                     32
                    Reed, Jack, of Rhode Island....................
                                                                     23
                    Reid, Harry, of Nevada.........................
                                                                      3
                    Stabenow, Debbie, of Michigan..................
                                                                     16
                                                                     
                                                                     
                                                                     
                                                                     
                                                                     
                                                                     
                                                                     
                                                                     
                                                                     
                                                                     
                                                                     
                                                                     
                                                                     
                                      BIOGRAPHY

               A forceful advocate for families, children, consumers, 
             the environment, and her State of California, Barbara 
             Boxer became a U.S. Senator in January 1993 after 10 years 
             of service in the House of Representatives and 6 years on 
             the Marin County Board of Supervisors. In November 2010, 
             she was reelected to her fourth term in the Senate.
               A national leader on environmental protection, Senator 
             Boxer was the ranking member on the U.S. Senate's 
             Committee on Environment and Public Works (EPW).
               Senator Boxer was also the ranking member of the Senate 
             Select Committee on Ethics. She was a senior member of the 
             Senate Foreign Relations Committee, where she chaired the 
             first subcommittee ever to focus on global women's issues.
               Senator Boxer was also a member of the Democratic 
             leadership in the Senate, serving as the chief deputy whip 
             since 2005.
               In 2012, as chairman of the Environment and Public Works 
             Committee, she led efforts to pass a bipartisan 
             transportation bill that would save or create nearly 3 
             million jobs nationwide. In 2010, she spearheaded the 
             effort in the Senate to extend the highway trust fund to 
             help protect 1 million jobs in transportation nationwide.
               A leader in efforts to improve America's infrastructure, 
             she secured passage of the Water Resources Development 
             Act, which authorized $1.3 billion for 54 flood control, 
             ecosystem restoration, and navigation projects in 
             California. The bill had languished for 6 years until she 
             led the fight to pass it and override a veto by President 
             George W. Bush.
               Senator Boxer won numerous awards for her efforts to 
             create a cleaner, healthier environment and for her 
             dedicated work to address the threats of climate change. 
             She fought to remove arsenic from drinking water and 
             authored an amendment ensuring that drinking water 
             standards protect children. She led efforts in Congress to 
             protect California's coast from offshore oil drilling and 
             fought to end the unethical use of human subjects in 
             pesticide testing by Federal agencies.
               A champion of quality public education, Senator Boxer 
             wrote landmark legislation establishing the first-ever 
             Federal funding for afterschool programs. Her law covers 
             1.6 million children. She continued to work to expand 
             afterschool programs nationwide as chair of the Senate 
             Afterschool Caucus.
               To ensure that future generations of Californians will 
             be able to enjoy our natural heritage, Senator Boxer wrote 
             laws designating more than 1 million acres of California 
             wilderness. She wrote the Senate bill that elevated 
             Pinnacles National Monument into America's 59th national 
             park. She helped champion the creation of the Fort Ord 
             National Monument and Cesar Chavez National Monument, as 
             well as efforts to expand the Gulf of the Farallones and 
             Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuaries. She also 
             authored the California Missions Preservation Act to 
             protect and restore California's 21 historic missions, and 
             led the effort in the Senate to create the Manzanar 
             National Historic Site.
               To protect children from dangerous toys, Barbara Boxer 
             authored a provision in the 2008 consumer product safety 
             commission law requiring children's products sold over the 
             Internet to list cautionary warnings in their 
             advertisements. She also led efforts to protect children 
             from lead and other dangerous chemicals.
               Senator Boxer was a champion of airline passengers' 
             rights, and her legislation with Senator Olympia Snowe (R-
             ME) to protect passengers from being stuck on planes for 
             hours without food, water, or access to restrooms, became 
             the centerpiece of Department of Transportation rules that 
             have reduced tarmac delays nationwide.
               In 2010, she founded the Senate Military Family Caucus 
             to help address the challenges faced by families of U.S. 
             servicemembers who sacrifice so much for our country. She 
             worked to establish the West Coast Combat Care Center in 
             San Diego to ensure that severely wounded servicemembers 
             in the West have access to the highest quality care. She 
             also helped create the Defense Task Force on Mental Health 
             and secured millions in Federal funding to improve medical 
             care for severely burned soldiers.
               Senator Boxer wrote the United States-Israel Enhanced 
             Security Cooperation Act, which President Obama signed 
             into law in July 2012, reaffirming our country's special 
             relationship with Israel and strengthening economic and 
             security cooperation between the two nations.
               She was the author of the Syria Accountability Act, 
             which strengthened sanctions against Syria over the 
             country's support for terrorism. She also wrote a 
             bipartisan measure to ensure that POWs who died in 
             captivity would be eligible to receive the Purple Heart.
               In response to the September 11 attacks, Senator Boxer 
             wrote the law requiring that air marshals be on board 
             high-risk flights and the law allowing airline pilots with 
             special training to carry guns in the cockpit.
               A strong supporter of the 1994 crime bill, she worked to 
             fund antigang programs, pass the Violence Against Women 
             Act (VAWA), and the Community Policy ``COPS'' Program. Her 
             bill to prevent the criminal use of personal information 
             obtained through motor vehicle records was signed into law 
             and upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court.
               A leading defender of a woman's right to choose, Senator 
             Boxer helped lead the floor fight for passage of the 
             Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act. In the Senate, 
             she fought back against repeated attacks on women's health 
             and a woman's right to privacy.
               A strong proponent of life-saving medical research, 
             Senator Boxer wrote bipartisan legislation to accelerate 
             America's contribution to combat global HIV/AIDS and 
             tuberculosis.
               In 2010, she wrote a measure to end taxpayer bailouts of 
             Wall Street by ensuring that financial firms--not 
             taxpayers--will pay all the costs of liquidating failing 
             Wall Street firms. She also cowrote legislation to 
             increase lending to small businesses through community 
             banks.
               Senator Boxer has worked to revitalize the economy by 
             supporting targeted tax cuts, a permanent research and 
             development tax credit, accelerated depreciation of new 
             business equipment, and tax credits for broadband 
             investments focused on rural and underserved areas.
               To help homeowners defend against foreclosure, Senator 
             Boxer wrote a measure requiring that homeowners be alerted 
             within 30 days if their lender sells or transfers their 
             home mortgage loan. She wrote a bipartisan measure to 
             ensure that banks cannot act as real estate brokers to 
             prevent conflicts of interest. Additionally, in October 
             2011, the Obama administration announced new efforts based 
             on the bipartisan Boxer-Isakson Helping Responsible 
             Homeowners Act to help homeowners who are current on their 
             loans to refinance at historically low rates. These 
             changes, along with others taken from the Menendez-Boxer 
             Responsible Homeowners Refinancing Act, have helped over 1 
             million borrowers save thousands of dollars a year on 
             their mortgages.
               Senator Barbara Boxer met her husband of over 50 years, 
             Stewart Boxer, at Brooklyn College. The couple moved to 
             California in 1965 to raise their two children, Doug and 
             Nicole. They have been blessed with four grandchildren--
             Zachary, Zain, Sawyer, and Reyna.
                               Farewell to the Senate
                             Wednesday, December 7, 2016

                Mrs. BOXER. Madam President, this is a moment for me 
             that, I think it is fair to say, I will never ever forget.
                I am so honored. I am so honored to have members of my 
             family here, staff from past and present from both my 
             personal office and committee, extraordinary colleagues 
             whom I adore and love, whom I worked with, fought with, 
             and debated. I am so honored that Senator McConnell and 
             Senator Reid have said really nice things about me. I 
             think, in Senator Reid's case, we go back so long, and I 
             will talk a little bit more about that. In Senator 
             McConnell's case, we didn't talk for a long time, and then 
             we did get together and we did some great work together. 
             But I think he was here just to make sure I am leaving. My 
             leader over in the House is here--Nancy Pelosi. I will 
             talk about her more. My colleagues from the House came 
             over in the midst of all their work. I love them. I have 
             enjoyed working with them.
                I look around this Chamber, and I realize the reason I 
             am able to actually leave is because I know each of you 
             and your passion to make life better for people, and that 
             is what it is all about.
                When I decided not to run for reelection, you know how 
             the press always follows you around. They said: ``Is this 
             bittersweet for you?''
                My answer was forthcoming: ``No way is it bitter. In 
             every way it is sweet.''
                Why do I feel that way? It is because this has been a 
             dream, to be in a profession that I think is noble, no 
             matter how beaten up it gets, for 40 years--for more than 
             half my life--and I was able to do every day what I always 
             wanted to do, which is simply to make life better for 
             people. I didn't always succeed. Were there frustrations? 
             Yes. Were there disappointments? Yes. Were there defeats? 
             Yes, many, but every morning when I woke up, I knew I had 
             a chance to do something good.
                As a first generation American on my mother's side, 
             and, most particularly, as a woman, I never in my wildest 
             dreams imagined that I could be in the U.S. Senate. It was 
             an uphill battle, and I know I speak for a lot of people 
             sitting right here who know what I am talking about.
                When I first ran for the Marin County Board of 
             Supervisors in 1972, it was a Republican landslide year. 
             It was more than tough. I will never forget one woman I 
             spoke with after knocking on her door. I introduced myself 
             and said, ``Hi, I am Barbara Boxer. I am running for 
             county supervisor.''
                She greeted me by saying, ``I never thought you would 
             be so short.'' Then, she said she wasn't supporting me 
             because, ``You have four kids, and you are going to 
             neglect them if you are elected.''
                Well, never mind that this was a part-time job just a 
             few minutes from the house. Never mind that the man I was 
             running against had a family and a full-time job. Never 
             mind that I actually had two kids, but she insisted. She 
             said, ``I know you have four kids because I read it in the 
             newspaper.''
                I said, ``Lady, when you give birth, you never forget 
             it, and I did it twice.''
                Well, I lost that seat, but two things helped get me 
             through it. The first was an article by Gloria Steinem, 
             who essentially said women tend to take losses too 
             personally. We have to understand that we could be just a 
             little bit ahead of our time, and we can't give up.
                Second, my son Doug, only seven at the time, ignored 
             any attempts to cheer me up by saying, ``Mom, can you make 
             me a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for lunch?''
                The point is that life goes on no matter how deep the 
             disappointments. You pick yourself up, and you keep 
             fighting because this is your country. It is our country, 
             and it is worth fighting for. I ran again 4 years later 
             and won. I was eager to get to work on issues such as: 
             afterschool for kids; protecting the natural beauty of my 
             county; and ensuring that a child walking to school would 
             be safe. I put up so many stop signs to protect kids that 
             I soon became known as the ``Stop Sign Queen.''
                It was local government, and the world was changing. 
             The Vietnam war was raging. The women's movement was 
             ramping up. The oil companies wanted to drill off the 
             pristine coast of California. Even from my position as a 
             local county supervisor representing only 40,000 people, I 
             was exposed to these national issues that would soon 
             require all of my attention.
                Tip O'Neill, one of Nancy Pelosi's great predecessors, 
             was known for his saying that ``All politics is local,'' 
             but the global became local when Marin County got a 
             Federal grant saying the threat of nuclear attack is real, 
             and you have to have a plan to evacuate the county in case 
             there is a bomb dropped in San Francisco. This was in the 
             1980s.
                The Reagan administration, I think, missed the obvious. 
             Getting in a car on a narrow road to evacuate to Napa or 
             going under your desk was not going to protect you, so all 
             five supervisors--three Republicans and two Democrats--
             rejected the grant. Instead, we mailed an informational 
             booklet to every household, telling them there was no way 
             to evacuate from a nuclear bomb; you have to prevent it in 
             the first place.
                During that same period, James Watt wanted to drill off 
             the coast of California. We put together business people, 
             environmentalists, farmers, and we said no. The tourist 
             industry joined us, and we stopped it.
                That was my first attempt at very broad coalition 
             building. As national issues unfolded before my eyes, I 
             had to do more if I really wanted to stay true to making 
             life better for people.
                When John Burton's seat for Congress opened up in 1982, 
             I jumped in. It was a long shot. I will always be grateful 
             to the people who brought me to that dance: working 
             people, environmentalists, children's advocates. They put 
             me over the top.
                After I won that election, I began hearing about the 
             mysterious disease that was stealing the lives of so many 
             in my congressional district. I remember feeling so 
             helpless because we didn't know what it was and what 
             caused it. One thing was clear: AIDS was devastating, and 
             too many in Washington were not taking action.
                When we found out it could be transmitted sexually, I 
             had to go up against the far rightwing who didn't want to 
             provide any information about the disease. Yet here I was, 
             a middle-aged mother of two from the suburbs, talking 
             about condoms. It was uncomfortable, but this would become 
             my way. In the face of a crisis, never look away, never 
             back down, and never be afraid.
                In the case of AIDS, I got to work with the chairman of 
             the House Appropriations Committee, a Southern gentleman. 
             He had never heard of AIDS. He said to me: ``If people are 
             sick, then we must help.'' We got the first double-digit 
             Federal AIDS funding, and we established an AIDS Task 
             Force and brought in people such as Elizabeth Taylor and 
             Elizabeth Glaser, and we fought back. We took it under our 
             wing to solve this crisis--both adult AIDS and pediatric 
             AIDS.
                By that time, I had an extraordinary new partner in the 
             House, Nancy Pelosi. We immediately bonded. I was so 
             impressed with her passion and her energy. We remain the 
             dearest of friends to this day. I am so proud of her. 
             Nancy has changed the face of politics in America, and she 
             will go down in history as one of the most influential 
             leaders of our time.
                Recently--on a recent issue--I was expressing deep 
             disappointment, and Nancy told me: ``Don't agonize. 
             Organize!'' This was 2 nights ago. She is right. When 
             things get tough, that is what you do.
                Over the years, the issues kept coming my way and came 
             the way of a lot of people in this room: the Violence 
             Against Women Act, LGBT equality, protecting a woman's 
             right to choose, workers' rights, protecting the Clean Air 
             Act and the Clean Water Act, and the Safe Drinking Water 
             Act. Those are all examples. These fights continue, and 
             they keep coming whether you are in elected office or not. 
             They come to you if you are a single parent trying to 
             raise a child and struggling to make ends meet on a 
             minimum wage that is not fair. They come to you if your 
             kid gets asthma. They come to you if your job has been 
             outsourced and you have nowhere to turn. They come to you 
             when college tuition gets out of reach.
                Whether it is happening to you or someone else, the 
             great thing about our participatory democracy is each of 
             us has a chance to make a difference. You can make a 
             difference by holding an elected office or working for 
             someone who does. You can make a difference by working for 
             a campaign. You can make a difference by starting a 
             business and employing good people to help you build it. 
             You can make a difference by becoming a teacher, a nurse, 
             a firefighter, or a police officer.
                There are so many noble ways to make a difference in 
             America. The one thing you cannot do, even when it is 
             tempting: You cannot turn away--never. The forces and the 
             people who shape you cannot be ignored. I say to everybody 
             within the sound of my voice that you have it within you 
             to step out and make your mark.
                A lot of young people come up to me and say, ``I would 
             love to do what you do. How do I become a U.S. Senator?''
                I am sure a lot of us get that question.
                I always say, ``It is not important to be something; it 
             is important to do something.''
                If you choose my path and the path of many in this 
             room, I want to be clear: You will need mentors and you 
             will need friends like two of mine--John Burton and 
             Barbara Mikulski. John encouraged me to run for the House, 
             where he had always been a fighter for those without a 
             voice.
                Barbara had been my friend in the House and encouraged 
             me to run for the Senate. When I went to see her, she 
             said, very simply, ``Go for it.'' That and $40 million--
             that was good advice. I did. Senator Mikulski is 
             everything a Senator should be. She is intelligent, 
             caring, always focused, and as an added bonus, she can 
             have you in stitches. I am so grateful for her guidance 
             and, most important, her friendship.
                I launched my campaign for the Senate. It was very 
             difficult. No one predicted I would win. I was less than 
             an asterisk in the polls. I was filled with doubt. Coming 
             to my aid was my senior Senator, Dianne Feinstein. She 
             stood by my side, even though it could have cost her 
             votes. I will never, ever forget that. Thank you, Dianne.
                I also need to pay tribute to Anita Hill because 
             without her, I never would have been elected to the 
             Senate. Anita Hill courageously told her story to the all-
             male U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee, breaking the silence 
             on this painful issue. In addition, people saw there were 
             only two women in the Senate.
                Anita Hill, you showed us all that we must never be 
             afraid to take on the powerful. It certainly isn't easy, 
             but if you learn to be tough in the right way, you can 
             find the sweet spot, even in this atmosphere where the 
             parties have grown so far apart. This is one of my biggest 
             regrets--how far the parties have grown apart, especially 
             when it comes to the environment.
                Remember, Richard Nixon created the Environmental 
             Protection Agency. He signed the Clean Air Act, the Clean 
             Water Act, and the Endangered Species Act. George H.W. 
             Bush signed the extension of the Clean Air Act. Many 
             Republicans led the charge for environmental protection. 
             Now, unfortunately, protecting the environment has become 
             a divide where we truly duke it out.
                As I leave here, I intend to do everything in my power 
             to work to bridge that divide because we all live on one 
             planet. It doesn't matter what party we are. We all 
             breathe the same air. We all want our families to be 
             healthy and live on a planet that can sustain us and all 
             of God's creations. In this time of deep division, we have 
             to find areas to work together.
                I think I found a proven formula in my relationship 
             with my friend and chairman of the Environment and Public 
             Works Committee, Senator Jim Inhofe. We never surprise 
             each other, even where we disagree--ever. Our word is our 
             bond to each other. We found that we could work as a 
             winning team to build and strengthen our Nation's 
             infrastructure, and we have made incredible progress for 
             the American people on those issues--long-term highway 
             bills, long-term water bills and the first update on the 
             Toxic Control Act. That was a doozy for us. I will never 
             forget that battle.
                Transportation turned out to be a sweet spot between 
             Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and me. We hadn't talked 
             seriously for 20 years because of the Packwood case. It 
             was: Hello, hello. That was it. But we did come together 
             to save the highway trust fund at an urgent time.
                Our work together surprised so many of our colleagues, 
             but I think it surprised the two of us more than anything 
             else. It worked because we set aside all of our past 
             legitimate divisions in order to rescue America's 
             transportation system. We took a risk, and the risk paid 
             off. Of course, all of my colleagues helped make that 
             possible.
                Also, I want to mention my Republican counterpart on 
             the Ethics Committee, Senator Johnny Isakson, because when 
             it comes to ethics, we have proven there is no room for 
             partisanship. All we want to do is make sure the Senate is 
             a respected institution. Friendship and trust with Members 
             on both sides and in the House of Representatives--I am so 
             proud so many of you are here--that is the only way to get 
             things done.
                Having a leader who has your back is essential. A good 
             leader knows and understands each member of his caucus and 
             where they draw the line. Harry is so humble. Whenever you 
             talk about him, he puts his head down.
                Harry, could you just look at me for a second?
                A good leader knows when to speak up and when to 
             listen. A good leader knows when to pick up the gloves and 
             fight like hell. That is what Harry Reid has done. He is 
             not a show horse; he is a workhorse.
                He is a soft-spoken man. How many of us have to say, 
             ``Harry, could you speak up?'' He is a soft-spoken man of 
             a few words, but he chooses his words wisely, and he 
             chooses his fights wisely. He doesn't seek the spotlight. 
             When it comes to standing up for what is right, he is 
             right there when others try to slip out of the room.
                Harry has not only been an extraordinary leader and 
             colleague, he and his wife, Landra, have been close and 
             treasured friends of me and my husband, Stewart. I call 
             him the brother I never had, and he calls me the sister he 
             never had. He treats me like a sister; he always hangs up 
             on me when I call him. He never calls on me when I madly 
             wave my hand at caucus. You know, I am like a sister. You 
             don't have to worry, the love will be there. I am forever 
             grateful for his leadership and his friendship.
                Another quality of Harry Reid is that he encouraged 
             women to run for the Senate. Once we got here, he made 
             sure we had major responsibilities. Harry, you will go 
             down in history for that.
                I am, of course, ecstatic that my successor is Kamala 
             Harris, who served as attorney general for my State with 
             great distinction and who will continue the tradition of 
             having a strong, progressive woman in this seat.
                Kamala, you heard it here--a strong, progressive woman 
             in this seat is what we need.
                As I wind down my remarks, I must be completely honest 
             about my broken heart. I worked hard, along with so many 
             millions of Americans, so that we would have our first 
             female President. It was not to be this time, but we made 
             history with Hillary Clinton, the first female nominee of 
             a major party, who, I might add, won the popular vote by 
             millions and still counting. She truly shattered the glass 
             ceiling and showed that women had the ability to take it 
             on the chin again and again.
                My message to everyone who supported Hillary is, the 
             work goes on. Yes, you build on success and you learn from 
             failure, but you never stop working for human rights, 
             civil rights, women's rights, voting rights, children's 
             rights, and the environment. I certainly don't plan to 
             stop.
                I am not only fortunate to have had this extraordinary 
             career, but I am also so fortunate to be going home to a 
             State that stands for everything I believe in.
                I wish to thank every one of my staffers--those who 
             worked for me in Washington, either on my personal staff, 
             committee staff, those who worked for me in the State, and 
             those who helped me get elected. A lot of them are here 
             today. Without them, I never ever could have done my job, 
             and I never could have accomplished the things I have 
             accomplished that I am proud of.
                I also wish to thank the floor staff. The floor staff 
             never gets thanked enough because they deal with us when 
             we are very nervous. They have to deal with us when we are 
             about to have an amendment come up or about to vote on 
             something and need to understand the rules and our rights.
                To Gary and his team, Trish, Tim, and all of you--thank 
             you.
                When I look back on everything I fought for, there are 
             more than a thousand accomplishments, and I am certainly 
             not going to talk about all of those, but I am going to, 
             briefly, very fast, go through 10 of my favorites. The 
             first afterschool programs that were funded by the Federal 
             Government, covering more than 1.6 million kids every day; 
             1 million acres of California wilderness preserved; the 
             first-ever comprehensive combat casualty care center in 
             California for our most wounded warriors; ensuring that 
             our transportation programs remain in place for years to 
             come with millions of jobs protected; upholding our 
             landmark environmental laws, and I hope that continues, 
             but I will not go off on that; setting clean drinking 
             water standards to protect pregnant women, children, and 
             other vulnerable people; the dolphin-safe tuna label; 
             protecting victims of rape in the military from 
             irrelevant, harassing questions that have already been 
             barred in civilian courts; establishing the first-ever 
             subcommittee to oversee global women's issues, which 
             Jeanne is going to carry on; and recommending a diverse 
             group of supremely qualified judicial nominees who are 
             carrying out our laws in California's Federal courts. 
             There are many more I could talk about, and we all know 
             this because each one of them is like a child to us and we 
             remember how hard it was to get it done, but let me be 
             clear, you don't get anything done here unless your 
             colleagues help you from both sides of the aisle.
                My biggest regret is that I couldn't end the war in 
             Iraq. It hurt my soul. I came down to the floor every day 
             and read the names of fallen soldiers. I was accused of 
             being too emotional. I asked probing questions in 
             committee to expose the fact that we were in the middle of 
             a civil war. Day after day I made my case, but the war 
             went on. It took President Obama to finally end that war, 
             and I will always be grateful to him.
                Of course, there is unfinished business, and I know my 
             colleagues are going to carry on. We must restore the 
             Voting Rights Act. We need to restore trust between our 
             communities and law enforcement. We have to continue to 
             protect and provide affordable health care. We must take 
             action on climate change or we are in deep trouble as 
             humankind. We must protect the DREAMers and immigrants who 
             contribute to our communities every day. We must raise the 
             minimum wage and ensure equal pay for equal work. We must 
             protect reproductive freedom and work across party lines 
             for a safe world.
                I have often joked about some of the things that have 
             been said to me over the years that are too colorful, in a 
             negative way, to repeat here, but I want everyone to know, 
             whether friend or foe, whether critic or admirer, I do 
             appreciate the fact that you let me know how you felt 
             about my work one way or the other.
                To close, I will read a handwritten letter I received 
             in October from one of the greatest jazz musicians in our 
             country, Sonny Rollins, into the Record. He was recently 
             honored at the Kennedy Center. He wrote in longhand the 
             following:

               Greetings--so so sorry that we are not going to have you 
             for us anymore. I've always been interested in politics, 
             marching as a 6 year old with my activist grandmother for 
             civil rights. It has been such a joy and inspiration 
             knowing that Barbara Boxer was there for us.
               God bless you, your family, and loved ones--And thank 
             you.
               You will be missed and we all love you.
               Have a beautiful life, just like you have made life 
             beautiful for so many citizens.

                I wish to thank Sonny Rollins. I don't know him 
             personally. I met him once, but what he said is all I 
             wanted to do--make life beautiful for people. I didn't 
             always succeed. I didn't always prevail. I felt the pain 
             of losing many times, but I can honestly say I never 
             stopped trying. I was able to do it because of the love, 
             understanding, and support of my husband of 55 years, 
             Stewart, who is here today. He gave me so much, including 
             the best political name ever. I did it because of my son 
             Doug, my daughter Nicole, my daughter-in-law Amy, my son-
             in-law Kevin, and four incredible grandchildren, Zach, 
             Zain, Sawyer, and Reyna, and because of the people of 
             California who sent me here time and time again--10 years 
             in the House and 24 years in the Senate. I had the 
             opportunity to never stop trying. I had the opportunity to 
             speak out, and no matter how many times I had to try, I 
             did. Here is the thing. I have this platform, which is an 
             extraordinary honor. This is a sacred position, and I say 
             to my colleagues that no matter who says what about it, it 
             is a sacred position. Hold your head high.
                So many here have fought the good fight and will 
             continue to fight the good fight, and I will always 
             treasure my time serving the people. They gave me a 
             purpose in my life that I will always cherish. They made 
             me a better person. They made my life more beautiful than 
             I ever could have imagined, and for that I am forever 
             grateful.
                I thank the Presiding Officer and yield the floor.
                (Applause, Senators rising.)


                                           

                                      TRIBUTES

                                         TO

                                    BARBARA BOXER

                              Proceedings in the Senate
                                           Wednesday, November 30, 2016
               Mr. REID. Mr. President, I have served in Congress now 
             for 34 years. Throughout that time, I have tried to be 
             pleasant and helpful to my colleagues. I feel very 
             fortunate to have become personally close and friends with 
             Members of Congress from all over this great country. 
             Barbara Boxer and I were members of the House class of 
             1982. Such fond memories do I have of that class--Tom 
             Carper, Dick Durbin, and scores of others. We had a huge 
             class.
               At first glance, Barbara Boxer and Harry Reid had very 
             little in common. She was from California. It is a heavily 
             populated and liberal State. I was from Nevada, a much 
             smaller State in area and in population. I was the only 
             Democrat in my State's congressional delegation. I was 
             stunned when I was asked to join this huge California 
             congressional delegation. Being from Nevada and being part 
             of the largest congressional delegation in America was 
             extremely helpful to me.
               The Californians were good to me in so many different 
             ways, just allowing me to be part of their meetings every 
             Wednesday morning. I was flattered when I was asked to be 
             secretary-treasurer of that large delegation. I have so 
             many memories of the work we did together, California and 
             Nevada.
               Howard Berman, who was the leader of that freshman class 
             from California, was the head of the steering committee. 
             Don Edwards was the chairman of the delegation at those 
             meetings we had every morning. The Burton brothers and 
             just so many others went out of their way to help me.
               I came to know quickly that Barbara Boxer was no 
             ordinary public servant. She was relentless--I mean 
             relentless--and dedicated and very principled. She was 
             raised by hard-working, first-generation immigrants in 
             Brooklyn, NY. She attended Brooklyn College, graduated 
             with a degree in economics. Over the decades, we have 
             gotten to know each other's families very well. We talk 
             about each other's children. We have exchanged family 
             experiences many times.
               My favorite story of Barbara Boxer's family is the time 
             when she was a girl coming home from elementary school, 
             with her mom, from a window that was up high, yelling down 
             to her little daughter coming home from school--excitedly 
             yelling out the window of the upstairs apartment, ``Daddy 
             passed the bar. Daddy passed the bar.''
               Barbara knew that her dad did not go to bars. But she 
             quickly learned from her excited mother that she was 
             talking about her dad having passed the very difficult New 
             York bar examination. I always remember that story.
               In 1965, Barbara moved to northern California from 
             faraway New York. In California, they sat down their roots 
             and raised their two children, Doug and Nicole. Stew 
             became a very prominent lawyer and Barbara, a stockbroker.
               It was in California where Barbara began to make her 
             mark very quickly as a trailblazer. In 1976, after having 
             been in California not very long, in that very big county, 
             part of the metropolitan area of San Francisco, she became 
             a member of the Marin County Board of Supervisors. She was 
             elected to that post. She quickly became the board's first 
             woman president.
               Shortly thereafter in 1982, Barbara ran successfully for 
             Congress. Her campaign slogan tells us all you need to 
             know about her because that year her slogan was: ``Barbara 
             Boxer Gives a Damn.'' That was on all of her campaign 
             literature, posters, everything. So I guess with a slogan 
             like that, it should not be any surprise that she won 
             handily.
               In 1992, she was elected to the Senate. She stood no 
             chance to win. Everybody told her that--all of the 
             editorials, not only of the California papers but all over 
             the country. Barbara Boxer was in with the big time, and 
             things were going to change for this upstart Member of the 
             House of Representatives. She had tried to move too 
             quickly. She should have stayed in the House, but she won 
             by a really nice margin. This surprised everybody except 
             her.
               In 1992, she was elected to the Senate--the year that 
             was popularly referred to as the ``Year of the Woman,'' 
             and rightfully so. She was part of the memorable class 
             that came here in 1982: Dianne Feinstein, Patty Murray, 
             Carol Moseley Braun, and, of course, the underdog, Barbara 
             Boxer.
               In the Senate, Barbara and I have worked together on 
             matters of importance to Nevada, California, and our 
             Nation. I have watched Barbara Boxer lead on so many 
             important issues. I am going to name only a handful of 
             them. She worked to designate more than 1 million acres in 
             California as a wilderness, keeping that land in a 
             pristine condition for our children, our grandchildren, 
             and generations to come. I say ``our'' because the 
             wilderness in California or in Nevada does not belong to 
             California or Nevada, it belongs to the people of this 
             country. She fought for the Pinnacles National Monument to 
             become America's 59th national park. It became such.
               She helped lead the fight to stop drilling in the Arctic 
             National Wildlife Refuge, and, of course, along the 
             California shoreline. She has spoken about that so many 
             times. It succeeded. We have had no oilspills on the coast 
             of California because of a number of reasons, but there is 
             no one more responsible for that nondegradation than 
             Barbara Boxer.
               She advocated to eliminate government military waste as 
             a Member of the House of Representatives and the Senate. 
             It was her first breakthrough where she exposed the 
             outrageous, exorbitant cost of purchases made by the 
             military. She did that while she was in the House. Why was 
             she taking on the establishment? Well, that is who she is; 
             that is who she was.
               She discovered that our military paid defense 
             contractors unbelievable amounts of money: for a hammer--a 
             claw hammer--$430; for a toilet seat, $640; for a 
             coffeemaker, $7,622. That is quite a coffeemaker. For an 
             aluminum ladder, which must have been one that would get 
             you over the fence that Trump is going to build between 
             Mexico and the United States, it cost $74,165.
               It is legendary what she has done with the military. 
             Ever since she did that, the military was no longer 
             untouchable. Barbara Boxer proved that. She put an end to 
             all of the wasteful spending. Yes, she did--Barbara 
             Boxer--not all of it; some things slipped through the 
             cracks, but she sure headed everyone in the right 
             direction.
               Maybe of lesser importance, but something we all watched 
             very carefully in the House--it did not happen overnight, 
             but she caused the all-male House gym to admit female 
             Members of Congress. She went up against some big people 
             to do that--the very well-known Dan Rostenkowski, the 
             chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, and others--but 
             she won.
               Barbara and I have worked together to protect Lake 
             Tahoe. We share that. The States of California and Nevada 
             share that alpine glacial lake. There is only one other 
             lake like it in the world, and that is in Siberia, Lake 
             Baikal. We feel good about what we have been able to do to 
             promote the richness of this beautiful national treasure, 
             Lake Tahoe.
               She has also promoted clean energy. I can remember her 
             going after a substance that was in gasoline to put in a 
             car that ruined the environment. She came out strongly 
             against that. Again, she prevailed. We no longer do that. 
             She has also done a lot to protect our public lands.
               I mentioned just a little bit of what she has done. I 
             can say without any hesitation that Barbara Boxer has been 
             one of the best and most effective environmental leaders 
             in the history of this country. That says a lot. She has 
             made California and the entire country a cleaner, 
             healthier, and a better place, especially as chair and 
             ranking member of the Committee on Environment and Public 
             Works. I loved that committee. It was a committee I was 
             placed on when I first came to the Senate. I had the good 
             fortune to be chairman of that committee twice.
               She has done so much in her advocacy. For a lot of the 
             things she was not able to declare a legislative victory, 
             but she certainly declared a victory in the minds of the 
             American people because she took on the big guys without 
             any fear.
               Barbara is also a champion of women. She has been a 
             groundbreaker on issues like sexual harassment and women's 
             rights in the workplace, access to women's health, and 
             clinic violence. She took that on. Barbara Boxer has 
             worked to protect women's access to health care and make 
             sure that Planned Parenthood continues to help millions of 
             women who depend on their services every year.
               I lament the fact that Barbara will not be here because, 
             as you know, the new Republican majority has threatened to 
             do away with Planned Parenthood. I don't know what they 
             expect to do with the 2 million women who go there every 
             year for help, but that is what they have said they are 
             going to do.
               I can remember, oh so clearly, because it was such a 
             difficult time, working on the Affordable Care Act in my 
             office just a short distance from here. Barbara was there 
             the better part of 2 days. We were facing incredibly 
             contentious issues regarding women's health, and this 
             required close attention. But it worked out. We were able 
             to accomplish this in spite of some people who said we 
             couldn't do that.
               Barbara has always been ideological, pure but with a 
             sound mix of pragmatism on Obamacare and other issues 
             relating to women. I told her personally--and I said it 
             publicly, but I wish to say it again--that I have enjoyed 
             working with her. She has helped and mentored me and led 
             me to understand issues important to the women of America 
             like no one else, and I appreciate it very much.
               I can remember writing her a letter in my longhand, my 
             cursive. In that letter I told her a number of things, but 
             this is something I said--a direct quote: ``Barbara, I 
             have three brothers. I've never had a sister. You are the 
             sister I've never had.''
               That was what I said. To this day, we still refer to 
             each other as brother and sister.
               Stew and Barbara are an exemplary team. They are 
             partners in every sense of the word. Landra and I have 
             been guests in their southern California home. We have 
             been together many times in Nevada.
               For decades, Barbara and I have worked together 
             politically, campaigning in different parts of the 
             country, different parts of California, and different 
             parts of Nevada. We have raised money together for the 
             cause of Democrats. We have raised money for each other. 
             It has always been a pleasure to work with her on this and 
             other issues.
               Barbara and I came to Washington together in 1982, 34 
             years ago. Barbara and I will be leaving Washington 
             together after 34 memorable years together.
               Senator Barbara Boxer, congratulations on your historic 
             career as a Senator for 40 million Californians and 300 
             million citizens of the United States.
               Barbara, remember, you are and always will be my sister.
               Godspeed, Barbara.

               The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senator from 
             California.

               Mrs. BOXER. Senator Reid, my leader, I can't tell you 
             how humble I feel to hear you talk about my career and to 
             put it, in many ways, in a historic place.
               I am going to have a lot to say about your career, what 
             you have meant to me. Today I won't get into it, but you 
             are a man--you just don't throw words around. I know how 
             humble you are because every time I try to praise you, 
             even in a situation with just a few people around you, you 
             look down like you are doing now. It makes you 
             uncomfortable. I don't want to make you uncomfortable. So 
             here is what I am going to say today. I am going to make 
             you uncomfortable in the near future when I talk about 
             your career and what it has meant to me. But today, 
             hearing you talk about what you just said, weaving our 
             friendship, our work together, and our family friendship 
             has meant a lot to me.
               Obviously, I am going to miss you, but I will say this. 
             As we enter into uncharted territories in terms of 
             politics, I know you and I are not going to lose our 
             voices. We will have a platform. We are not leaving 
             because we are tired of the fight. We are not leaving 
             because we have nothing more to say, we are leaving 
             because we think it is time for the next generation. I 
             look forward to working with you in the future--and I mean 
             that sincerely--just fighting for the things we care 
             about, whether it is Lake Tahoe or whether it is clean 
             air, whether it is fighting against the ravages of climate 
             change, whether it is fighting for the right of the 
             American people, from children to seniors, to have 
             affordable health care. We are not going into the 
             wilderness. That I was able to protect more than a million 
             acres--I am so proud you mentioned that.
               Today you have humbled me with your words. I will always 
             be your sister. Thank you very much.
               I yield the floor.
                                              Tuesday, December 6, 2016
                Mr. CASEY. Mr. President, in the interest of time, I 
             will limit my remarks.
                I rise this afternoon to commend and salute three 
             Senators from the Democratic caucus who are leaving the 
             Senate this year. I will have longer written statements 
             for the Record to appropriately pay tribute to their 
             service. In alphabetical order, Senator Boxer of 
             California, Senator Mikulski of Maryland, and Senator Reid 
             of Nevada.
                I will offer some specific remarks about Leader Reid, 
             in the interest of time, but I do want to commend and 
             salute Senator Boxer for her service to the people of 
             California and to our Nation, as well Senator Mikulski for 
             her great work--two great advocates, two individuals whom 
             we are going to miss terribly here in the Senate. As I 
             said, I will put longer statements in the Record. ...

                Mr. CARDIN. Madam President, for the 10 years I have 
             been in the Senate, I have been privileged and have had 
             the pleasure to serve alongside the Senator from 
             California, Barbara Boxer, on the Committee on Environment 
             and Public Works and on the Committee on Foreign 
             Relations. She is the ranking member of the Environment 
             and Public Works Committee and previously chaired the 
             committee, the first woman to do so.
                Senator Boxer has spent the last 40 years in elective 
             office--24 years here in the Senate, 10 years before in 
             the U.S. House of Representatives, and 6 years on the 
             Marin County Board of Supervisors. She was the board's 
             first woman president. Earlier, she worked as a 
             stockbroker while her husband Stewart, whom she met at 
             Brooklyn College, attended law school. Senator Boxer has 
             been a journalist and is the author of two books.
                The first time Senator Boxer ran for the Sixth 
             Congressional District seat, in 1982, her campaign slogan 
             was ``Barbara Boxer Gives a Damn.'' Her constituents have 
             agreed. She ran for reelection four times and never 
             received less than 67 percent of the vote. In 2004, when 
             she was running for a third term in the Senate, she 
             received 6.96 million votes--the most votes any candidate 
             has ever received in the history of the U.S. Senate.
                Oscar Madison and Felix Unger may have been the 
             original odd couple, but Senator Boxer and the Senator 
             from Oklahoma, Senator Inhofe, have been the Senate's odd 
             couple. An unabashed liberal and unabashed conservative 
             working together to pass some of the most important 
             legislation of the last quarter century--our periodic 
             surface transportation bills and the Water Resources 
             Development Act reauthorizations. These bills have put 
             millions of Americans to work and made our economy more 
             efficient.
                Senator Boxer understands the importance of building, 
             and she also understands the importance of preserving. She 
             has helped to set aside more than 1 million acres of 
             Federal land in California as wilderness. The omnibus 
             public lands package, which became law in 2009, includes 
             three Boxer bills to protect 57,000 acres in Big Sur and 
             the Los Padres Forest and another 273,000 acres of 
             California coast as wilderness. She wrote the Senate bill 
             that elevated Pinnacles National Monument into America's 
             59th national park. She helped champion the creation of 
             the Fort Ord National Monument and Cesar Chavez National 
             Monument and was instrumental in expanding the Gulf of the 
             Farallones and Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuaries. 
             She also authored the California Missions Preservation Act 
             to protect and restore California's 21 historic missions 
             and led the effort in the Senate to create the Manzanar 
             National Historic Site.
                Senator Boxer's concern for the environment hasn't been 
             just a parochial interest; no one has fought harder to 
             defend and improve our Nation's landmark environmental 
             laws, such as the Clean Air Act and the Clean Water Act. 
             She fought to remove arsenic from drinking water. The air 
             we breathe, the water we drink, and the food we eat are 
             better because of Senator Boxer.
                Senator Boxer's environmental bona fides are well 
             known, but she has been a superbly effective legislator on 
             so many other issues. She is a champion for women. In 
             1991, she led a group of women Members to the Judiciary 
             Committee to demand that the committee, which was all-male 
             and all-White at the time, take Anita Hill's charges 
             seriously. Senator Boxer has defended women's reproductive 
             health choices and privacy. She was involved in passing 
             the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act and the 
             Violence Against Women Act. She is a senior member of the 
             Foreign Relations Committee, where she chairs the first 
             committee to focus on global women's issues.
                In a business meeting earlier today, the members of the 
             Senate Foreign Relations Committee unanimously passed a 
             resolution honoring Senator Boxer's work on that committee 
             and her work in the U.S. Senate. At that time, we noted 
             that she was the ranking member on the subcommittee that 
             provided help for women and girls globally, and her work 
             in Afghanistan was most notable. She has made a difference 
             around the world for young women.
                Senator Boxer authored the first-ever specific 
             authorization for afterschool programs, a bipartisan bill 
             that then-President George W. Bush signed into law in 
             2002. Today's afterschool programs are funded at $1.15 
             billion, allowing them to serve 1.6 million children. She 
             was the author of another bipartisan bill to accelerate 
             America's contribution to combat global HIV-AIDS and 
             tuberculosis.
                Senator Boxer wrote two laws to enhance economic and 
             security cooperation with Israel. In 2012, she worked with 
             the Senator from Georgia, Mr. Isakson, on the United 
             States-Israel Enhanced Security Cooperation Act, which 
             extended loan guarantees to Israel, increased the U.S. 
             military stockpile in Israel, and encouraged NATO-Israel 
             cooperation. In 2014, she worked with the Senator from 
             Missouri, Mr. Blunt, on the United States-Israel Strategic 
             Partnership Act of 2014, further strengthening economic 
             and security cooperation between the two countries.
                Senator Boxer has strong principles. She can be 
             outspoken when the need arises, but she is also a 
             consummate legislator, able to work across the aisle and 
             across the Hill to get important things done. We are going 
             to miss her skills and her leadership. I know we will 
             continue to hear from her because she is not the retiring 
             type, but she certainly has earned the right to spend more 
             time with her husband Stewart, their children Doug and 
             Nicole, and four grandchildren.
                We wish her well, and we will miss her in the Senate.
                I yield the floor.
                                            Wednesday, December 7, 2016
               Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, as each session of 
             Congress comes to a close, both leaders traditionally pay 
             tribute to the retiring Members of their own parties. This 
             year is a bit different, of course, with the retirement of 
             the Democratic leader. So in addition to what I will be 
             saying about him tomorrow, I figured I might shake things 
             up just a bit more, just this one time. I figured I would 
             tell my colleagues about two colleagues from across the 
             aisle who have made their own mark on this Chamber for 
             many years. ...
               So here is what we have come to know about Senator 
             Mikulski: Her word is her bond, she is a passionate 
             advocate for the causes she supports, and good luck 
             stopping her once she puts her mind to something.
               You could say the same thing about another Barbara I 
             know too. Senator Boxer, like her colleague from Maryland, 
             is hardly the tallest Member around here, but she is not 
             in the habit of getting overlooked either. The Boxer box 
             helps with that, of course. It is what she stands on at 
             press conferences to give her just a little more height. 
             Yes, if that sounds familiar, that is because it is that 
             box which once served as inspiration for an episode of 
             HBO's ``Veep.''
               It is a good thing our colleague has a sense of humor. 
             She understands how far that can go around here. She has 
             often relied on it through her years in the Senate, in 
             fact, including when she announced her retirement via 
             rhyme: ``More than 20 years in a job I love,'' she wrote, 
             ``thanks to California and the Lord above.'' You get the 
             picture. It goes on, but here is the key line: ``As long 
             as there are issues and challenges and strife, I will 
             never retire, 'cause that's the meaning of my life.'' That 
             sure sounds like the Senator Boxer I know.
               It is not always easy to find common ground around here. 
             It takes hard work. It takes negotiation. It often takes 
             those intangibles too--like comic relief. So enter Senator 
             Inhofe. I am really going to miss the Jim and Barbara show 
             when it comes to an end next year, especially after such a 
             storied run over at EPW. One day, she is the boss; the 
             next day, it is he. They are the best of pals; they are 
             the fiercest of rivals. They work together on everything; 
             they agree on almost nothing. It sounds like the premise 
             for some buddy comedy from the 1980s, but here is what it 
             really is: a political masterstroke.
               This unlikeliest of partnerships led this year to the 
             first significant environmental reform law in decades. It 
             also led this year to Senate passage of a waterways 
             infrastructure bill that will support important projects 
             across our country. While some may refer to Barbara Boxer 
             and Jim Inhofe as the ``oddest of Senate odd couples,'' 
             here is what I would call them: pretty smart.
               I remember Senator Inhofe always telling me how much he 
             enjoyed working with Senator Boxer and how there were 
             things they could actually agree on, so I made a note of 
             it and kept an eye out for an opportunity of my own. It 
             finally happened in this very Congress. Senator Boxer and 
             Senator Inhofe and I worked together to pass the longest 
             term highway transportation and infrastructure bill in 
             nearly two decades. This isn't something the critics 
             thought could be done. We each harbored our own doubts. 
             Yet, a bill that repeatedly threatened to come apart 
             actually never did. As Senator Boxer put it, it was ``the 
             impossible dream.'' It succeeded because we worked in good 
             faith, because we came together, and because we focused on 
             the areas where we did agree and not just the ones where 
             we didn't.
               That is what happens around here when the Senate is 
             working the way it should. We see colleagues from opposite 
             sides working through political differences and coming 
             together on solutions for the American people. Perhaps 
             that is one reason why nearly a quarter of a century 
             later, Senator Boxer says she is leaving the Senate with a 
             full heart. I know she is leaving with the respect of many 
             of her colleagues, too, including some she might not have 
             expected when she first came.
               Let me finish with some advice Barbara Mikulski gave to 
             young Barbara Boxer as she contemplated her first Senate 
             run. ``If you run,'' Senator Mikulski said, ``it will be 
             the toughest thing you will ever do,'' but, she added, it 
             will also be ``the best thing you will ever do.'' I think 
             this is something we can all relate to regardless of which 
             party we belong to and regardless of which State we come 
             from. At the end of the day, we all came here to 
             accomplish things for the people we represent, even if we 
             have different ideas on how to do them.
               So, thankfully, there should be no disagreement over 
             this next task. I ask all Senators to join me in 
             recognizing our colleagues for their service and to join 
             me in wishing them good luck as they begin the next 
             chapters of their lives.

                The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Coats). The Senator from 
             Oklahoma.

                Mr. INHOFE. Mr. President, that was a very emotional 
             and heartfelt speech [Mrs. Boxer's farewell address, see 
             p. ix]. As I look around, I know there are a lot of people 
             who want to respond and be heard, but I grabbed it first. 
             This will be real short.
                I believe it was the majority leader who gave me a 
             quote this morning. He made the comment that the two of 
             you agree on nothing, but you get everything done.

                Mrs. BOXER. That is right.

                Mr. INHOFE. There is a reason for that. If you stop and 
             think about it, we came to the House and Senate at about 
             the same time. There are no two people in this body who 
             are further apart from each other than Barbara Boxer and 
             Jim Inhofe. Yet we have something beautiful. I hesitate to 
             show this AP picture of our embrace, but it has to be in 
             the Record here somewhere.
                For 12 years, we swapped--back and forth--being 
             chairman of the Environment and Public Works Committee. I 
             always remember when the Republicans were in the majority 
             back in--let's see. We lost it in 2006. I remember seeing 
             Barbara, Al Gore, and all these other people danced in and 
             out the door saying the world is going to come to an end 
             unless we do all of these things.
                At that time, she said something very profound that I 
             never forgot, and I thought about it for the next 8 years. 
             She said that we look at things differently. We had an 
             election and elections have consequences. Remember that 
             elections have consequences. Well, 2 years ago, the 
             Republicans took over, and I gave her a T-shirt that said: 
             ``Elections have consequences.'' During all that time, we 
             didn't really change in terms of what we were doing 
             together. I have a list of the things we have done that I 
             left someplace, but, nevertheless, we did the highway bill 
             in 1998 and 2005. All of the things we did actually 
             worked. I remember when we had a news conference on TSCA. 
             When I looked around, I saw all of my very liberal 
             Democratic friends and me, and I thought: Wait a minute. 
             How did this happen?
                We have been able to work together and get things done, 
             and I have been very proud of that. In fact, I shouldn't 
             say this because I am going to divulge our confidence, but 
             we have meetings just as Democrats have their meetings. 
             All the chairmen get together, and when it was my turn to 
             make a statement, I said, ``Now, from the committee that 
             gets things done.'' Anyway, that is the way it has been.
                I disagreed with Senator Boxer on a lot of the 
             regulations, and I have told her many times she has every 
             right to be wrong.

                Mrs. BOXER. You do.

                Mr. INHOFE. But on the things that were really 
             important, we did manage to get things accomplished. There 
             is an awful lot of hate around here, and it is so 
             unnecessary. You can disagree with someone and love them 
             anyway. I have to say that confession is good for the 
             soul, but I want my good friend to know I am truly going 
             to miss her around here.

                Mrs. BOXER. I thank the Senator from Oklahoma so much.

                Mr. INHOFE. I yield the floor.

                The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from California.

                Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, the relationship we felt was 
             based on trust and honesty. We never ever misled each 
             other. I just love the Senator's staff. I really do. Our 
             staff developed the same type of relationship that we 
             developed--disagreeing on many things but understanding 
             that we can work together and find common ground. I just 
             hope, as I step out the door--Lord knows when that will 
             be, given this place--that others will form this type of 
             bond across party lines because without it, things just 
             don't work right.
                I want my friend to know it has been a great pleasure 
             to work with him in every way, shape, and form. One of us 
             is from Venus and one of us is from Mars, and that is just 
             the way it is. We just see the world differently, but it 
             hasn't stopped us from putting aside those disagreements. 
             We were never bitter with each other.
                We had a pretty big divide. One person said climate 
             change is a hoax and the other said it is the biggest 
             threat we have to deal with, but we knew there was no way 
             we could come together so we kind of put it aside and 
             didn't let it spoil our friendship or our ability to work 
             together in any way.
                So I think it is a very important message to many 
             chairmen and ranking members that if there is honesty--set 
             it aside if you can't work together, but where you can 
             find those sweet spots, do it because everyone wants--they 
             are cheering us on from the outside. I can't tell you how 
             many people at home tell me: We don't know how you do it, 
             but it is great what you and Senator Inhofe get done.
                Fortunately, we never lost an election over our 
             friendship, which could have happened, you know. They 
             could have said: I am not going to vote for him; he talks 
             to her. But we were able to prove that we can do it.
                So, Jim, I am honored that you came down to the floor. 
             I am honored that Senator McConnell said such nice things. 
             I am so honored that so many came to the floor to hear my 
             farewell remarks.
                Again, I yield the floor.

                The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Maryland.

                Ms. MIKULSKI. Madam President, I thank the gentlelady 
             from California (Mrs. Boxer).

                Mrs. BOXER. I like ``gentlelady.''

                Ms. MIKULSKI. That is the way we talk here. I thank the 
             gentlelady from California for her kind words [about me]. 
             We have been together through thick, thin, and the attempt 
             to get thin, and that story about bending at the waist is 
             a true one.
                I am not the person with the best hairdo or sleek or 
             chic, but one of the things I have so admired about my 
             friend is her authenticity. We first got to know each 
             other in the House, and then I encouraged you to come to 
             the Senate, which certainly was the right thing to do. You 
             are yourself. You are true to yourself, you are true to 
             your beliefs. You are true to your constituents, and you 
             are true to the Constitution. You are such a true blue 
             person. There are many words to describe you, such as 
             outspoken, feisty, and all of that, but I would say the 
             word that describes you best is ``authentic.'' You are who 
             you are. The people of California have loved you for it 
             and sent you to the Congress.
                We started out together basically in city council 
             roles, sometimes called the pothole parliament. It has 
             been a pleasure to serve with the Senator from California. 
             I have watched you stand up for your beliefs, and along 
             the way, as you stood up for your beliefs, you made 
             believers of us all.
                Godspeed to you, Barbara. We are friends forever.

                Ms. STABENOW. Madam President, I wish to speak about 
             Senator Mikulski and then also Senator Boxer, the two 
             great Senator Barbaras who have been such giants in the 
             Senate. We are so grateful to both of them. ...
                It really is an honor to stand here. I can't imagine 
             the Senate without Senator Mikulski and Senator Boxer. ...
                Madam President, as her name suggests, Senator Boxer 
             has always been a fighter, a champion for the people of 
             California, and a good friend.
                Though Senator Boxer began her life in Brooklyn, 
             California has always been her home.
                It is where she got elected to the Marin County Board 
             of Supervisors, becoming the first woman to hold the 
             board's presidency.
                It is where she first got elected to the House of 
             Representatives, where she quickly rose and became a 
             leader we could all aspire to be.
                As Senator, she has worked tirelessly for families, 
             children, consumers, everyone in the State of California, 
             and Americans everywhere.
                Senator Boxer has always been a wonderful mentor to me, 
             and she has been relentless on moving forward on some of 
             the most critically important issues of our time.
                As the first woman to chair the Environment and Public 
             Works Committee, she has provided the support that has 
             kept America's air and water safe and to fight climate 
             change. She defended mercury and lead standards and 
             installed choking warnings on packages.
                I will personally always be grateful for her tireless 
             advocacy and support for the 100,000 Flint citizens who 
             have been poisoned by lead in their water.
                We have her to thank when we know that children and 
             families all over the country can be safer and more secure 
             in their own neighborhood.
                She has been an incredible supporter of transportation, 
             extending the highway trust fund, helping protect over 1 
             million jobs. Or her Mat Map-21 transportation bill, which 
             modernized Federal highway, highway safety, and 
             transportation programs.
                She has fought for children and families, her work in 
             the Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing 
             Adoptions Act--providing extra services for young adults 
             under 21 and helping some of America's young people who 
             need it most.
                On a personal note, I have greatly enjoyed sharing a 
             love of music with my friend, Barbara. Her creativity and 
             passion for song has been a special part of who she is.
                Her retirement, while well earned, will be a loss for 
             all of us.
                Thank you so much for your service.

                Mr. ISAKSON. Mr. President, this is one of those weeks 
             where, every 6 years or 4 years or 2 years, we pause and 
             pay tribute to those who have been elected to the Senate 
             and have served with us and will be retiring or were 
             possibly defeated in the last election. ...
                At this point, I wish to pause and pay attention to 
             Barbara Boxer from California. A lot of my colleagues will 
             say: ``Wait a minute. Why are you talking about Barbara 
             Boxer? You are a Republican. She is an icon in the 
             Democratic Party. She is a liberal, and you are a 
             conservative.''
                She is a great Senator, and I will tell you why. 
             Barbara and I served on the Ethics Committee for the last 
             9 years. When I was asked to go on the committee, she was 
             the chairman. Later on, I succeeded her as the chairman. I 
             am the chairman today, and she is still a member until she 
             retires.
                The Ethics Committee is the one assignment nobody wants 
             to get. But when you get it, you want to have somebody who 
             will do what is right. Regardless of their party, you need 
             somebody who will do what is right for the Member, the 
             institution, and will carry out their responsibilities 
             under the Constitution, which all of us are obligated to 
             do in the Senate.
                In the last 9 years, I worked with Barbara Boxer on any 
             number of complaints, allegations, and cases against 
             Members of the Senate for unethical conduct or conduct 
             unbecoming of a Senator. We have admonished some, cleared 
             some, and recommended the expulsion of some, and some have 
             resigned because of our investigation. I take no pride in 
             anyone leaving the Senate because of the actions of the 
             committee, but I take great pride in the fact that no one 
             in 9 years has questioned the integrity of the Senate 
             Ethics Committee, the job it has done, or the final 
             decision it has made, and I give most of the credit for 
             that to Barbara Boxer. She is a liberal Democrat, and I am 
             a conservative Republican, but when it comes to calling 
             balls and strikes in terms of ethics, we call them down 
             the middle. That is a credit to the institution, a credit 
             to her, and a credit to the Ethics Committee.
                At this moment, I want to pause and say to my retiring 
             friend Barbara Boxer: Thank you for your service to the 
             country, thank you for what you have meant to the State of 
             California, and thank you for what you have meant to the 
             institution of the Senate and the commitment to ethical 
             behavior by our Members. Thank you for making it a 
             standard that you and I stood for. It was a pleasure for 
             me to serve with you and be called one of the members of 
             the odd couple. Isakson and Boxer, the two Senate chairs 
             that love our country, are committed to ethics and will 
             always try to do what is exactly right.
                God bless you, Barbara. Best of luck to you.
                I yield the floor.

               Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, in 1922, Rebecca Latimer 
             Felton was the first woman to sit in the U.S. Senate. She 
             served in this body for only 1 day, but during those 24 
             hours she made a bold prediction for her time about the 
             future role women would play in the Senate. She said: 
             ``When the women of the country come in and sit with you 
             ... you will get ability, you will get integrity of 
             purpose, you will get exalted patriotism, and you will get 
             unstinted usefulness.'' I will second that.
               Barbara and I served together in the House--and we have 
             served together in the Senate for 20 years. Let me tell 
             you, no one embodies Senator Felton's prediction better 
             than Barbara Boxer.
               Throughout the years, I have loved getting to know 
             Barbara as a colleague, but more important, as a friend. 
             Loretta and I joined Barbara and her husband, Stew, on 
             official trips, personal vacations, and countless dinners. 
             We have eaten, drank, joked, and bonded. As her career in 
             the Senate comes to an end, keeping those bonds of 
             friendship strong as she heads west is one my life goals.
               Barbara made quite an impact on the Senate Chamber 
             before she even entered this body. On October 9, 1991, the 
             Senate Judiciary Committee was set to vote on the 
             nomination of Justice Clarence Thomas to serve a lifetime 
             appointment on the U.S. Supreme Court, without listening 
             to Professor Anita Hill's allegations of sexual 
             harassment. At the time, there were two women in the 
             Senate, Barbara Mikulski and Nancy Landon Kassebaum. Now, 
             while this was going on in the Senate, the women of the 
             House tried speaking out in that body. They were censured. 
             And they had enough. So they marched out of the House and 
             over to the Senate--29 women House Members, led by 
             Congresswoman Pat Schroeder from Colorado and Barbara 
             Boxer from California. American politics has never been 
             the same.
               The following year, a number of esteemed women were 
             elected to the U.S. Senate. Several reporters deemed 1992 
             the ``Year of the Woman.'' Senator Mikulski, the dean of 
             women, as she is often referred to, said: ``Calling 1992 
             the Year of the Woman makes it sound like the Year of the 
             Caribou or the Year of the Asparagus. We're not a fad, 
             fancy, or a year.'' She was right. But California made 
             history. For the first time, one State sent two women to 
             represent them in the Senate: Dianne Feinstein and Barbara 
             Boxer.
               Barbara often reminds me of the line from Shakespeare's 
             ``A Midsummer Night's Dream'': ``Though she be but little, 
             she is fierce.'' In 1994, when Republicans took control of 
             Congress, one of the first things they did was go after 
             environmental regulations, including rules to limit the 
             amount of arsenic in the drinking water. Barbara 
             immediately launched a good old-fashioned, 3-day ``Ms. 
             Smith Goes to Washington'' filibuster. Like most of the 
             fights she takes on, she won.
               Barbara is a call-it-as-you-see-it kind of person. Maybe 
             it is because she grew up in the no-nonsense, working 
             class town of Brooklyn. Or maybe it is because her parents 
             and Jewish grandparents, who immigrated to this country 
             from Russia instilled in her a deep love for America's 
             Constitution and freedoms--a sense of obligation to give 
             something back and a determination to fight for underdogs, 
             truth, and justice.
               She has sponsored or cosponsored more than 1,200 pieces 
             of legislation and helped lead the fight on issues ranging 
             from women's rights to health care to protecting 
             California's natural wonders to keeping lead and other 
             potentially lethal hazards out of children's toys.
               The vote that sealed our spiritual kinship took place in 
             October 2002 when she and I voted against the Iraq war 
             resolution. One of our dear friends, Paul Wellstone, also 
             voted against the resolution. Paul was in a tough 
             reelection fight that year. A reporter asked him if it was 
             a hard choice to vote against the war. Paul said it was a 
             risk, but not a choice. His conscience wouldn't let him 
             vote any other way. It seems to me that is how Barbara 
             Boxer approaches every one of her votes in Congress: It 
             might be a risk, but it is not a choice. She listens to 
             her conscience, and the people of California respect her 
             for it. Let me be clear: that doesn't mean she will not 
             work hard to find a compromise.
               She proved that in recent years when she and Jim 
             Inhofe--the unlikeliest of odd couples--worked together to 
             pass important legislation updating regulations on toxic 
             chemicals and shepherding through a surface transportation 
             bill that no one thought could be done.
               I will close with this. Early in Barbara's political 
             career, people used to come up to her and say, ``How did 
             you get so strong, how did you get so tough?'' Barbara 
             would humbly respond, ``Oh, not tough. I am just an 
             ordinary person, and I do what I think is right.'' I agree 
             with most of that, but let me tell you--Barbara is as 
             tough as they come. She can't be bullied or intimidated, 
             and she never loses her courage. I want to thank Barbara 
             for sacrificing so much time with her own family to make 
             the families of America safer, healthier, and more 
             hopeful. For that and a thousand other reasons, I will 
             miss her in the Senate. I know I can count on her to keep 
             pushing those of us who remain to listen to our 
             consciences--to fight for change and do the right thing.

               Mrs. FEINSTEIN. Mr. President, today I wish to honor our 
             colleagues who are leaving us at the end of this Congress, 
             six individuals who have done a lot to shape how the 
             Senate operates today.
               First I would like to thank my three Republican 
             colleagues who are departing. Thank you not only for your 
             service to our country but your willingness to work with 
             me and other members of my party on a number of issues. 
             ...
               I would also like to speak to three of my closest 
             colleagues on our side of the aisle.
               Over the past 24 years, I have had the pleasure of 
             serving in the Senate with Harry Reid, Barbara Mikulski, 
             and Barbara Boxer, and I am grateful not just for our 
             working relationships but for the close friendships I have 
             formed with each of them. ...
               Mr. President, finally, I would like to talk about my 
             partner from California, Barbara Boxer.
               Senator Boxer and I were elected to the Senate on the 
             same day in 1992, the ``Year of the Woman.''
               The day Barbara was sworn in was historic; it was the 
             first time two women represented their State together in 
             the Senate. That is an honor I am grateful to have shared 
             with my good friend.
               From the Marin County Board of Supervisors, to the House 
             of Representatives, to the U.S. Senate--Senator Boxer has 
             been a champion for families, children, consumers, and the 
             environment.
               She rose to become the chair and now ranking member of 
             the Environment and Public Works Committee. I have great 
             respect for Senator Boxer's passion, dedication, and 
             enthusiasm for protecting the environment. No one does it 
             better.
               She led an effort to protect California's coast from 
             offshore drilling. She authored the California Missions 
             Preservation Act to restore and protect the 21 historic 
             missions in California. She helped create Pinnacles 
             National Park, Fort Ord National Monument, and Cesar 
             Chavez National Monument. She led the effort to expand the 
             Gulf of Farallones and Cordell Bank National Marine 
             Sanctuaries.
               In California, there are now more than 1 million acres 
             of protected wilderness thanks to Senator Boxer.
               But she was more than just a champion for our 
             environment.
               In the Senate, Barbara was a staunch advocate for issues 
             related to children.
               She pushed to protect children from dangerous toys by 
             removing lead or other dangerous chemicals and requiring 
             cautionary warnings on children's products sold over the 
             Internet. She fought to remove arsenic from drinking water 
             to protect children. As chair of the After School Caucus, 
             she wrote legislation to secure Federal funding for 
             afterschool programs. Thanks to Senator Boxer, 1.6 million 
             children now have a safe place to go after school.
               She fought for our servicemembers.
               She founded the Military Families Caucus to provide 
             support for the families of servicemembers. She helped 
             establish the West Coast Combat Care Center in San Diego, 
             so that southern California veterans with traumatic wounds 
             would have access to quality care.
               Senator Boxer fought for consumers.
               She authored a bipartisan measure to prevent a conflict 
             of interest with banks acting as real estate brokers. 
             After the housing crisis, she wrote measures to protect 
             homeowners whose mortgage is transferred or sold. She 
             pushed for legislation to help homeowners refinance with 
             lower rates--thanks to that effort, 1 million borrowers 
             were able to save thousands of dollars in interest 
             payments each year.
               Finally, Barbara was a staunch defender of women's 
             rights.
               She led the floor fight to pass the Freedom of Access to 
             Clinic Entrances Act and pushed back against repeated 
             attacks on women's health and a woman's right to privacy. 
             Her efforts led to the passage of the Violence Against 
             Women Act that protects women from domestic and sexual 
             abuse.
               She worked closely with then-Senator Joe Biden to pass 
             that landmark bill. After she announced her retirement, 
             the Vice President said, ``You always knew in the Senate 
             if you had Barbara on your side, you didn't need much 
             more.''
               Well, I have been lucky to have Barbara by my side for 
             the past 24 years.
               She has been a strong advocate for the people of 
             California, and I am grateful to have served with her.
               I am also grateful for the friendship we have shared 
             over the years.
               Barbara and her husband, Stewart, are two of the 
             kindest, most caring people I have had the pleasure of 
             knowing. Their marriage of more than 50 years has brought 
             them considerable joy. Together they raised two wonderful 
             children and are now blessed with four grandchildren.
               I am sure she is looking forward to spending more time 
             with them.
               While she may be retiring from the Senate, the passion 
             Barbara displayed for public service will not end.
               I know she will continue to advocate and remain a 
             powerful voice for the causes she championed here in the 
             U.S. Senate.
               I look forward to seeing what she is able to accomplish 
             in the next phase of her life and offer her best wishes in 
             a well-deserved retirement.

               Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, today I wish to pay tribute 
             to Senator Barbara Boxer, who has served her State and 
             country with boundless energy, enthusiasm, and exuberance.
               Senator Boxer's 24 years in the Senate are only part of 
             her legacy of leadership and accomplishments. Previously, 
             she served for 10 years in the House of Representatives 
             for California's Sixth Congressional District and before 
             that as the first woman president of the Marin County 
             Board of Supervisors.
               That remarkable record of service includes another 
             record. In her reelection in 2004, Senator Boxer received 
             nearly 7 million votes, the most in Senate history until 
             that time and a mark that stood for 8 years.
               During her service in the Senate, Senator Boxer has 
             established herself as a champion of the environment, 
             infrastructure, and medical research. Along with Senator 
             Inhofe, she authored a 5-year transportation bill that 
             many thought was an impossible task in a gridlocked 
             Senate. But she worked across the aisle and did it. The 
             United States-Israel Enhanced Security Cooperation Act she 
             authored in 2012 reaffirmed the special relationship 
             between our two countries and is another of Senator 
             Boxer's accomplishments.
               It has been especially rewarding to work with her on 
             legislation to better protect women from violence in our 
             country and around the world.
               In her first campaign for Congress in 1982, she ran 
             under the slogan, ``Barbara Boxer Gives a Damn.'' She 
             always has and always will. It is a pleasure to thank 
             Senator Barbara Boxer for her years of service and to wish 
             her and her husband, Stewart, many more years of good 
             health and great happiness.
                                             Thursday, December 8, 2016
                Mr. REED. Mr. President, I want to take an opportunity 
             to salute and thank and commend my colleagues who are 
             departing. ...
                We also have other colleagues departing: Senator Ayotte 
             from New Hampshire; Senator Boxer of California, Senator 
             Coats of Indiana; as I mentioned, Senator Kirk of 
             Illinois; Senator Mikulski of Maryland; Senator Reid of 
             Nevada; and Senator Vitter of Louisiana. Each has brought 
             passion in their work to best serve their constituents, 
             and the institution of the Senate and the Nation are 
             better for this service. I am better for knowing them, 
             working with them, and having the opportunity to share 
             with them, and I want to thank them for their service. Let 
             me mention a few words with respect to all of these 
             distinguished Senators. ...
                Mr. President, Barbara Boxer and I had the privilege to 
             serve both in the House and the Senate together. My first 
             term in the House of Representatives was Barbara's last 
             term in the House before she was elected to the Senate. 
             She is an extraordinary, tenacious fighter--remarkably so. 
             She has fought for women's rights. She has fought for the 
             rights of families, for people who needed economic 
             assistance, and for people who needed a chance because she 
             realized that the essence of America is opportunity--
             opportunity for all, not just for those who are privileged 
             or who have the benefit of wealth or power but for all. 
             She has done this extraordinarily well.
                A great deal of her energy was directed to 
             environmental protection because that is something that 
             benefits all of us and that is something that is really 
             the biggest legacy we will give to the next generation and 
             the generations that follow. No one has more fiercely 
             defended the environment--not just for a narrow interest, 
             not just for a temporary expedient but for the long-term 
             health and wealth of the American people. ...
                I have been very fortunate. I have had the privilege to 
             serve with these ladies and gentlemen, and I want to thank 
             them for their service.

               Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, mountains, rivers, cities, and 
             plains separate Vermont and California, two States as 
             different as any in the country. But here in the U.S. 
             Senate, we are on equal footing. It is one of the 
             hallmarks of our Constitution and representative 
             government. For over three decades, Barbara Boxer worked 
             to advance the priorities of Californians. Thankfully, in 
             many ways, those priorities, despite the diversity of our 
             States, have mirrored those of Vermonters.
               A trailblazer in her own right, Senator Boxer rose to 
             become the first woman to chair the Senate Environment and 
             Public Works Committee, where she fought to protect and 
             preserve our environment, promote clean and safe drinking 
             water, update our antiquated infrastructure, and improve 
             public safety.
               Senator Boxer was an early and vocal supporter of our 
             efforts to reauthorize and expand the important Violence 
             Against Women Act. Her passionate pleas to Senators and 
             Members of the House to approve this critical--and life-
             saving--bill was essential to the Senate's debate.
               Of course, most important in Senator Boxer's life is her 
             family. Like many, I was touched when she announced her 
             retirement in an interview with her grandson. She has been 
             a tireless advocate for her home State and for the 
             country. Now, in retirement, I hope she enjoys even more 
             time with Stewart and her wonderful family. Far from 
             finished fighting, I know Barbara's voice will not be one 
             soon forgotten in the U.S. Senate.

                Mr. ENZI. Mr. President, at the end of each Congress, 
             the Senate takes a moment to express our appreciation and 
             acknowledge the efforts of those Members who will be 
             retiring in just a few weeks. This year one of our 
             colleagues who will be returning home is Senator Barbara 
             Boxer.
                Barbara will be leaving us after a career of over 30 
             years in the House and Senate. During her service, she has 
             impressed all those with whom she has worked with the 
             strength of her views, her courage, and her determination 
             to fight for the things in which she truly believes. 
             Regardless of the circumstances that drew her into each 
             legislative battle, she has always held true to the 
             principles that have guided her in her life.
                For Barbara, her early career work as a stockbroker 
             soon found her heading to California with her husband 
             after he had completed his work in law school. She then 
             got interested in politics and became a strong voice for 
             the political views of the people who resided in the area 
             she now called home. Her constituents liked what they 
             heard from Barbara--and the way she expressed her views on 
             the issues and proposals she wanted to work on.
                Her style of speaking soon became her trademark in 
             Congress. She has a convincing way of presenting her case, 
             and that is one reason why it was always good to be on her 
             side. She calls it speaking ``extremely candid and 
             straight from the shoulders, and not to be mealy-mouthed 
             or waffle.'' Anyone who has had a chance to come to know 
             her--or to tackle an issue either with her or opposed to 
             her--knows how accurate that description is.
                Right after the tragedy of 9/11, I joined Barbara as 
             ranking member of the subcommittee she chaired regarding 
             terrorism financing. I was proud to join her in that work, 
             and I have appreciated the significant role she has played 
             on a number of highway bills, which are important to both 
             of our home States.
                Over the years, there have been some other issues that 
             we could discuss and work on with an eye toward 
             compromise. For each of us, however, there were other 
             issues that were of such importance to our constituents it 
             would have been hard for either of us to move too far from 
             the path that we had been following from our early days in 
             politics.
                Barbara and I both have a strong touch of the West in 
             our hearts that we express every day in everything we do. 
             That is why I was not surprised when she mentioned as she 
             spoke about her retirement that she felt that it was time 
             for her to return home--as she said so well--``to the 
             State I love so much, California.''
                Barbara, Diana joins me in sending our congratulations 
             for your hard work and your dedication to your home State. 
             You have left your mark here in Congress, and I think it 
             is safe to say you will not be forgotten. Thanks again for 
             your willingness to serve and work so hard for what you 
             believe in. You have helped to encourage and inspire the 
             next generation of leaders from your State. In that way 
             and so many others, you have made a difference.

               Ms. MIKULSKI. Mr. President, I rise today to speak about 
             my longtime friend and colleague Barbara Boxer, who is 
             retiring from this body along with me this year.
               Senator Boxer will be remembered as an inspiration to 
             young women across our country. Her career is a textbook 
             of how to get involved in public service. Starting at the 
             local level, she came out of the antiwar movement and got 
             involved in the environmental movement and local causes. 
             Taking lessons from grassroots organizing, she ran for the 
             Marin County Board of Supervisors. She lost that first 
             race, but she didn't give up. She ran again and won and 
             became the first female chair.
               Eventually, she made her way to the U.S. House of 
             Representatives. Along the way, she heard a lot of ``no,'' 
             but always turned it into a ``yes.'' She never quit, never 
             lost faith in herself, and never stopped trying.
               When it looked like the accusations of Anita Hill would 
             be swept under the rug, I spoke out in the Senate against 
             it, but I was only one female voice. Barbara Boxer came to 
             my aid. Even though she was in the House, she led a troop 
             of fierce House women running up the steps to the Senate 
             to face down the Judiciary Committee and demand they shed 
             light on the accusations of sexual harassment. Barbara had 
             the crack team of Eleanor Holmes Norton, Pat Schroeder, 
             Louise Slaughter, Nita Lowey, Jolene Unsoeld, and Patsy 
             Mink to back her up. They marshaled the press and marched 
             right up these steps. They knocked on the door and were 
             going to be turned away because they weren't Senators. But 
             they pointed to that group of photographers and said, ``We 
             are going to tell them that you turned us away, what do 
             you think will happen then?'' So they were let in and made 
             their case. Those Senators couldn't face the calculation 
             and fury of Barbara Boxer and the House women, and those 
             hearings were convened. The Anita Hill hearings made an 
             indelible mark on this country.
               It really woke America up as to what was going on in the 
             workplaces around the country for women and how little 
             representation women really got in Congress. Watching that 
             all-male Judiciary Committee tear into Professor Hill for 
             daring to accuse her boss of sexual harassment, the women 
             of America took action and elected Barbara Boxer, Dianne 
             Feinstein, Carol Moseley Braun, and Patty Murray to the 
             U.S. Senate.
               I was thrilled when Barbara came to me thinking about 
             running for the Senate. I told her it was the perfect 
             time: she can do more in the Senate and be heard in the 
             Senate. I said it would be worth the fight to get her here 
             with me, even if just to have someone I could see eye to 
             eye with on a daily basis.
               Barbara even started an exercise program in the House 
             when we were there together. She showed up in colorful 
             leotards, and Geraldine Ferraro came looking like a photo 
             op for Vanity Fair, and Olympia Snowe wore this gorgeous 
             outfit. I show up, chunky yet funky, and the instructor is 
             yelling, ``Go for the burn! Put your hands on your waist 
             and bend, bend, bend!'' I turned to Barbara and said, ``If 
             I had a waist, I wouldn't be here.'' Well, those exercise 
             classes may not have lasted long for me, but her energy 
             just couldn't be beat.
               Her zip and zest is pure California sunshine, and 
             Californians have more sunshine in their spirit because of 
             her work. Her energy has brought light to California and 
             light to the sometimes dreary Capitol hallways.
               I am going to miss my good friend and irreplaceable 
             political partner. Democrats have had a lot of tough 
             fights over the last 25 years, and the two Barbaras have 
             always been there, side by side. We voted against the war 
             in Iraq, both believing it was a mistake. We were in the 
             minority, but both of us still believe it was one of the 
             best votes we have ever taken as Senators. We stood up for 
             what we believed in and what we thought was right--which 
             is exactly what our constituents sent us here to do.
               Barbara Boxer has been there for our children, leading 
             the way for afterschool programs and making sure they are 
             kept safe. She has fought against wasteful spending in the 
             Pentagon--the $400 hammer and the $7,000 coffeepot. She 
             has defended women's right to choose and protected women 
             against domestic violence. She has held the feet of 
             polluters to the fire as the champion of clean air, clean 
             water, and our natural resources. It is too hard to 
             pinpoint just one thing the Senate will miss about her: 
             her political prowess, her dedication and determination, 
             her undying loyalty and friendship. All of those and more 
             will be missed.
               As we end this session of Congress and our careers in 
             the Senate, I wish Barbara and her husband, Stewart, many 
             happy days ahead as they start writing this new chapter in 
             their lives. Even if we are on opposite sides of the 
             country, I know I will always have a friend in California.
                                               Friday, December 9, 2016
                Ms. KLOBUCHAR. ... Madam President, I will close my 
             remarks by turning to some of our retiring Senators and 
             speaking briefly on each one of them. ...
                Finally, there is Senator Barbara Boxer, who joined the 
             Senate in 1993. When I got to the Senate, I was on the 
             Environment Committee. She was the new chair. I got to see 
             first hand her advocacy--her advocacy on climate change, 
             her advocacy on transportation and waterway 
             infrastructure--and the way she would just never give up 
             when she decided something was right for her State and 
             right for the country.
                The one thing that everyone talks about is Barbara 
             Boxer's fiery advocacy and her incredible humor and 
             tenacity. Sometimes, I think people forget how productive 
             she has been when she worked across the aisle. I saw first 
             hand how she was able to work with Senator Inhofe on the 
             transportation bill and then later with Senator McConnell 
             on the last transportation bill.
                She is someone who has credibility on our side of the 
             aisle. When she says she is willing to make a compromise 
             with the Republicans, people listen. She never gave up. 
             She would have dinners at Italian restaurants. She would 
             find ways, in kind of a mom's way, to get everyone 
             together. She passed some really incredible legislation, 
             including water infrastructure legislation with Senator 
             Vitter over the last few years.
                That is what she has done. I can't think of anyone whom 
             we are going to miss more in terms of that presence and 
             that kind of hardscrabble advocacy, which is always 
             coupled with the pragmatic way of getting important bills 
             done. So we are going to miss Senator Reid, Senator 
             Mikulski, and, also, Senator Boxer.

                Mr. McCONNELL. ... It goes without saying that keeping 
             the Capitol running is a vast undertaking. It requires a 
             passion for service, round-the-clock work, and great 
             sacrifice by everyone employed. The legislative process 
             simply wouldn't be possible without the dedicated work of 
             so many. On behalf of the Senate, I would like to 
             acknowledge their efforts and say thank you to the 
             following:
                To my leadership team for their wise counsel; to our 
             committee chairs and ranking members for so much great 
             work over the past 2 years; to the many colleagues in both 
             parties for working so hard to make this Senate a success; 
             and, to those we are saying farewell to--Senators Coats, 
             Boxer, Mikulski, Reid, Vitter, Kirk, and Ayotte--for your 
             service to our country, I say thank you. ...

               Ms. HIRONO. Mr. President, today I wish to recognize the 
             contributions of my colleague and friend, Senator Barbara 
             Boxer. While her distinguished time in the House and 
             Senate comes to a close at the end of the 114th Congress, 
             she will continue to be engaged and serve her community.
               During her more than 30 years in the House and Senate, 
             Barbara worked tirelessly to create a better future for 
             all Americans. When she first announced that she would run 
             for the Senate in 1990, Barbara declared, ``I will be 
             running based on issues of the environment, a world of 
             peace, economic prosperity, individual freedom of choice 
             and freedom of the arts.''
               This declaration defined her time in Congress.
               Becoming the first woman to chair the Senate Committee 
             on Environment and Public Works reflected her decades of 
             dedication to protecting the environment. Barbara was 
             unafraid to take on big oil, and fought to block oil 
             drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska. 
             She also led the effort in the Senate to invest in the 
             development of clean energy technology and to strengthen 
             protections for our oceans.
               Barbara knew that, for many, achieving ``economic 
             prosperity'' meant attaining a college education. But the 
             soaring cost of college keeps them from attaining a 
             degree. Each year, Barbara was one of the strongest 
             leaders to ensure that college students have access to 
             Pell grants, which nearly half of college students in our 
             country depend upon. Barbara's advocacy moved the ball 
             forward, and I was proud to join her in crafting a 
             caucuswide bill that included our provisions to strengthen 
             and protect Pell grants, and lower interest rates on 
             student debt.
               Barbara also never forgot her promise to protect 
             ``freedom of choice.'' She authored the Freedom of Choice 
             Act of 2004, which would have affirmed that ``every woman 
             has the fundamental right'' to make her own reproductive 
             health decisions. Without fail, Barbara leads us each and 
             every time that access to reproductive health care comes 
             under attack.
               While Barbara's departure leaves the Senate without one 
             of its strongest champions for the environment, college 
             affordability, and reproductive rights, we will continue 
             to fight for these core priorities as she would have done.
               It has been a privilege to serve alongside a steadfast 
             champion like Barbara.
               She has served California with utter conviction, and I 
             know she will continue to be a progressive force in this 
             new chapter of her life.
               Aloha, Barbara, and a hui hou, ``until we meet again.''

               Mr. CASEY. Mr. President, today I want to pay tribute to 
             two colleagues who are retiring at the end of this year, 
             Senator Boxer and Senator Mikulski, two remarkable 
             Democratic women Senators leaving the Senate as four new 
             women come in.
               Mr. President, for more than 40 years, Barbara Boxer has 
             committed her life to public service, over 30 of them in 
             Washington, first in the House of Representatives and, 
             since 1993, in the U.S. Senate.
               When asked what advice she would give to her successor, 
             Senator Boxer said she should not be afraid to fight the 
             good fight every single day.
               That is what Senator Boxer has done. Over the past four 
             decades, she has been an advocate for medical research, 
             women, workers, the environment, and infrastructure.
               As ranking member of the Environment and Public Works 
             Committee, Barbara Boxer urged Congress and the country to 
             confront climate change, creating the Climate Action Task 
             Force with Senator Sheldon Whitehouse.
               In closing, I am reminded of what Robert Kennedy once 
             said: ``The purpose of life is to contribute in some way 
             to make things better.''
               Senator Boxer has told us that, while she is leaving the 
             Senate to return to California, she does not intend to end 
             her life of service. She will continue to work to make 
             things better. We wish her well and we thank her for her 
             public service in the House and here in the Senate.

               Mr. PETERS. Mr. President, as this eventful 114th 
             Congress draws to a close, today I wish to honor a number 
             of our colleagues who will be ending their service in the 
             Senate. I was a newcomer to the Senate at the beginning of 
             this Congress and the only Democrat in the freshman Senate 
             class of 2014. I am eternally grateful for the guidance 
             and wisdom of my fellow Senators, particularly those with 
             decades of experience fighting for the American people. 
             Constituents, colleagues, and historians will recount 
             their accomplishments for years to come, but I will take a 
             few minutes now to convey some brief words of praise and 
             gratitude. ...
               Mr. President, Senator Barbara Boxer is also a 
             trailblazing woman and a fierce advocate for what is best 
             for her State, and I have been honored to get to know her 
             through our work in the Senate. Throughout her career, 
             Senator Boxer has fought for commonsense consumer and 
             environmental protections to make us safer. She has been 
             an incredible partner in our fight this year to end the 
             water crisis in Flint, MI, and to reduce the threat of 
             drinking water contamination in cities across the Nation.
               Senator Boxer knows that we must protect our children 
             and communities from the grave effects of environmental 
             contamination by investing in our aging infrastructure and 
             maintaining vigilance. We must also provide the extra 
             care, education, and health care services that these 
             children and communities need to recover.
               She has always been a champion for children, from 
             establishing the first federally funded afterschool 
             program to protecting children from contaminated products. 
             Just as important, Senator Boxer has been a leader in 
             protecting the natural resources these future generations 
             will inherit. Her victories for clean water, job-creating 
             smart infrastructure projects, and environmental 
             protections should inspire us to keep looking toward the 
             future as we help our great States thrive today. ...
               It has been a privilege to work with such talented and 
             committed colleagues. I wish them all the best in this 
             next chapter of their lives and thank them for their work. 
             Thank you.
                       ORDER FOR PRINTING OF SENATE DOCUMENTS
               Mr. BOOZMAN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that 
             there be printed as a Senate document a compilation of 
             materials from the Congressional Record in tribute to 
             retiring Members of the 114th Congress, and an additional 
             Senate document a compilation of materials from the 
             Congressional Record in tribute to the President of the 
             Senate, Joe Biden, and that Members have until Tuesday, 
             December 20, to submit such tributes.

               The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so 
             ordered.
                                  ORDER FOR PRINTING
               Mr. PORTMAN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that 
             any tributes submitted by December 20, 2016, as authorized 
             by the order of December 10, 2016, be printed in the 
             January 3, 2017, Congressional Record of the 114th 
             Congress.

               The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so 
             ordered.


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