[Senate Document 114-22]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]









 
                  TRIBUTES TO HON. BARBARA A. MIKULSKI


                                           

                                 Barbara A. Mikulski

                       U.S. SENATOR FROM MARYLAND

                                TRIBUTES

                           IN THE CONGRESS OF

                           THE UNITED STATES


 
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                                 Barbara A. Mikulski






                                                  S. Doc. 114-22

                                      Tributes

                                Delivered in Congress

                                 Barbara A. Mikulski

                              United States Congressman

                                      1977-1987

                                United States Senator

                                      1987-2017



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                         U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE 

                               WASHINGTON : 2017 













                                           


                            Compiled under the direction

                                       of the

                             Joint Committee on Printing
                             
                             
                             
                             
                             
                             
                             
                             
                             
                             
                             
                             
                             
                             
                                      CONTENTS
             Biography.............................................
                                                                      v
             Farewell Address......................................
                                                                    vii
             Proceedings in the Senate:
                Tributes by Senators:
                    Boozman, John, of Arkansas.....................
                                                                     37
                    Boxer, Barbara, of California..................
                                                                 18, 20
                    Cardin, Benjamin L., of Maryland...............
                                                                 11, 15
                    Casey, Robert P., Jr., of Pennsylvania.........
                                                                 11, 36
                    Cochran, Thad, of Mississippi..................
                                                                     24
                    Collins, Susan M., of Maine....................
                                                                     16
                    Coons, Christopher A., of Delaware.............
                                                                     23
                    Durbin, Richard J., of Illinois................
                                                                      8
                    Enzi, Michael B., of Wyoming...................
                                                                     28
                    Feinstein, Dianne, of California...............
                                                                     26
                    Hatch, Orrin G., of Utah.......................
                                                                     33
                    Heitkamp, Heidi, of North Dakota...............
                                                                     30
                    Hirono, Mazie K., of Hawaii....................
                                                                     35
                    Klobuchar, Amy, of Minnesota...................
                                                                     32
                    Leahy, Patrick J., of Vermont..................
                                                                     25
                    McConnell, Mitch, of Kentucky..................
                                                                 14, 32
                    Mikulski, Barbara A., of Maryland..............
                                                                 20, 23
                    Peters, Gary C., of Michigan...................
                                                                     37
                    Portman, Rob, of Ohio..........................
                                                                     38
                    Reed, Jack, of Rhode Island....................
                                                                     27
                    Reid, Harry, of Nevada.........................
                                                                      3
                    Stabenow, Debbie, of Michigan..................
                                                                     21
                    Warner, Mark R., of Virginia...................
                                                                     33
             Proceedings in the House of Representatives:
                Tributes by Representatives:
                    Cummings, Elijah E., of Maryland...............
                                                                     41
                    Hoyer, Steny H., of Maryland...................
                                                                     40
                    Kaptur, Marcy, of Ohio.........................
                                                                     42
                    Ruppersberger, C.A. Dutch, of Maryland.........
                                                                     39
                    Sarbanes, John P., of Maryland.................
                                                                     39
                    Van Hollen, Chris, of Maryland.................
                                                                     42
                                                                     
                                                                     
                                                                     
                                                                     
                                                                     
                                                                     
                                                                     
                                                                     
                                                                     
                                                                     
                                                                     
                                                                     
                                      BIOGRAPHY

               The people of Maryland elected Barbara A. Mikulski to be 
             their U.S. Senator because she's a fighter--looking out 
             for the day-to-day needs of Marylanders and the long range 
             needs of the Nation.
               Determined to make a difference in her community, 
             Barbara Mikulski became a social worker in Baltimore, 
             helping at-risk children and educating seniors about the 
             Medicare Program. Social work evolved into community 
             activism when Barbara Mikulski successfully organized 
             communities against a plan to build a 16-lane highway 
             through Baltimore's Fells Point neighborhood. She helped 
             stop the road, saving Fells Point and Baltimore's Inner 
             Harbor, both thriving residential and commercial 
             communities today.
               Senator Mikulski was a trailblazer. Her first election 
             was a successful run for Baltimore City Council in 1971, 
             where she served for 5 years. In 1976, she ran for 
             Congress and won, representing Maryland's Third District 
             for 10 years. In 1986, she ran for Senate and won, 
             becoming the first Democratic woman Senator elected in her 
             own right. She was reelected with large majorities in 
             1992, 1998, 2004, and 2010.
               Barbara Mikulski focused on the issues of civil rights, 
             national security, space exploration, education, jobs, 
             research and innovation, women's health, cybersecurity, 
             seniors, and veterans. She was primary sponsor of the 
             Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, addressing salary 
             discrimination against women; it was the first bill signed 
             into law in 2009 by President Obama, just days after his 
             first inauguration.
               A leader in the Senate, Barbara Mikulski was the dean of 
             the women--serving as a mentor to other women Senators 
             when they first take office. As the dean, she built 
             coalitions--proving that the Senate women are not solo 
             acts, but work together to get things done.
               When she was sworn into office on January 5, 2011, 
             Barbara Mikulski became the longest serving woman Senator 
             in U.S. history. On March 17, 2012, she became the longest 
             serving woman in the history of the U.S. Congress. Of 
             these milestones, she said, ``It's not about how long I 
             serve, but about how well I serve my State and my 
             Nation.''
               On December 20, 2012, Senator Mikulski became the first 
             woman and first Marylander to chair the Senate 
             Appropriations Committee, on which she served since she 
             arrived in the Senate in 1987.
               Senator Mikulski was inducted into the National Women's 
             Hall of Fame in 2011. She was awarded the Presidential 
             Medal of Freedom by President Obama in 2015.
               Senator Mikulski's experiences as a social worker and 
             activist provided valuable lessons that she drew on as a 
             U.S. Senator. She believed her constituents have a right 
             to know, a right to be heard, and a right to be 
             represented. She listened to her constituents and made the 
             personal, political.
               Senator Mikulski retired from the U.S. Senate on January 
             3, 2017. She accepted a position as Homewood professor of 
             political science at Johns Hopkins University, and she 
             participates in national speaking engagements on the 
             topics of leadership, innovation, and women's empowerment.
                               Farewell to the Senate
                             Wednesday, December 7, 2016

                Ms. MIKULSKI. Mr. President, I rise to take the floor 
             for what I call my summing-up speech. It is not my 
             farewell speech because I have the honor and privilege of 
             being the ranking member and former chairman of the 
             Appropriations Committee. I will speak later on this week 
             when we move the continuing resolution.
                It is the practice and the tradition of the Senate that 
             when a Senator is departing the Senate, they give what 
             they call their farewell address. Well, mine is not going 
             to be as memorable as when George Washington resigned his 
             commission or other memorable speeches, but I do want to 
             say words about how I feel today about having the great 
             opportunity to serve in the Congress.
                I have spent 30 years in the Senate, 10 years in the 
             House of Representatives, and, yes, 5 years in the 
             Baltimore City Council. I have served in elected public 
             office for 45 years. More than half of my life has been in 
             elected public service but, at the same time, all of my 
             life has been focused on service.
                I rise today to thank the people of Maryland. I rise to 
             thank them for their vote of confidence. When people vote 
             for you, it is not only that they are sending you to 
             Washington or sending you to city hall. They are giving 
             you a vote of confidence that you will be their voice, 
             that you will be their vote, that you will be at their 
             side and on their side, and that is what I want to be able 
             to talk about today.
                The people of Baltimore gave me my first shot at 
             running for the Baltimore City Council. When I beat the 
             political bosses, when running for political office as a 
             woman was considered a novelty, they said: ``You don't 
             look the part.'' But I said, ``This is what the part looks 
             like, and this is what the part is going to be like.'' 
             Along the way, so many people helped me. Behind ``me'' is 
             a whole lot of ``we.''
                I got started in public life because of volunteers and 
             activists who, on their own time and on their own dime, 
             volunteered themselves to not only help me get elected but 
             to be involved in their communities, to be civically 
             engaged, to make their community and their country a 
             better place. These are the people who were behind me. 
             Well, guess what. No, I was behind them, because they 
             certainly have led the way.
                Along the way, there were people who also not only 
             helped me get elected, but they helped me govern--people 
             who, again, volunteered their own time. I had a wonderful 
             service academy board that helped me pick the best and the 
             brightest to serve in our military academies--people with 
             distinguished careers in either the military or in 
             education. I had a judicial appointment advisory board 
             that made sure I helped nominate the best people to serve 
             in the Federal judiciary. Also, I had a veterans advisory 
             group that brought to me what was really happening to the 
             veterans, not what was in the press releases from the 
             Veterans Administration. Of course, I had a fabulous 
             strategy group that functioned as a kitchen cabinet. It 
             was a kitchen cabinet. We spent a lot of time cooking 
             things up to try to make our country and our communities 
             better places. So I thank them all for what they did.
                When we come here to try to serve the people who sent 
             us here, we cannot do it alone. So we have a fabulous 
             staff, both that serves us in Washington and serves us in 
             our State. I wish to thank my current staff: my chief of 
             staff, Shannon Kula; my deputy chief of staff, Rachel 
             MacKnight; my State director, Nichelle Schoultz; my 
             legislative director, Brigid Houton; my communications 
             director, Matt Jorgenson; my scheduling director, Catie 
             Finley; my office manager, Josh Yearsley; my 
             appropriations staff director, Chuck Kieffer; and my 
             appropriations deputy staff director, Jean Toal Eisen; and 
             of course, all of my staff in my State office who helped 
             me.
                There is also the support staff who made sure that the 
             phones got answered. You didn't get one of those ``call 1, 
             call 2, press 7, press 184,'' and so forth. Also, there 
             are the people who answer the mail, whether it was snail 
             mail, which so much of it was when I came, or email, 
             because we really believed that we needed to be here for 
             the people.
                I called their names, but there are also others who 
             filled those jobs throughout my time in public office. 
             They worked very hard to make sure that we could represent 
             the people of Maryland and to be on their side.
                After 45 years, though, it is time for me to say 
             goodbye to elected office, but not to service.
                I have the high privilege of being the longest serving 
             woman in congressional history. But I say it is not how 
             long you serve but how well you serve. For those who know 
             me and have been to rallies and so on, they know that I 
             say: ``I am here to work on the macro issues and I am here 
             to work on the macaroni and cheese issues''--to work on 
             the big picture, to make sure that the people's day-to-day 
             needs were converted into public policy or, while we are 
             working on public policy, to try to help our communities.
                We also have to remember in our own States that we have 
             constituent service issues. One of the things I am really 
             proud of is my constituent service staff, where if you 
             were a veteran and you needed help or you had a Social 
             Security or Medicare problem, you could call Senator Barb 
             and you didn't feel that you had to go to a $100 
             fundraiser or know somebody who had connections. The only 
             connection you needed was a phone. You didn't even need 
             Wi-Fi. You could just call me. Summer, winter, spring, or 
             fall, they had Senator Barb. I tried to be of service 
             because service was in my DNA. I was raised to think about 
             service.
                My mother and father ran a small neighborhood grocery 
             store in one of Baltimore's famous rowhouse neighborhoods. 
             Every day they would get up, and they would open that 
             grocery store and say to their customers: ``Good morning. 
             Can I help you?''
                Now, in running that business, they also wanted to be 
             sure that they were connected to the community. We weren't 
             a big-box shop. We were a shop for the little people. If 
             anybody was in difficulty, my father was happy to extend 
             credit. It was called: We will write your name down in a 
             book. Pay us when you can. Don't worry that you got laid 
             off at Bethlehem Steel. We know that your wife had a 
             difficult childbirth and needs this extra stuff. We are 
             here to help.
                My father would say: ``Barbara, deliver those 
             groceries. Take it down in that little red wagon I got for 
             you.'' With my little red wagon, I would maybe take orange 
             juice down to a shut-in, but my father would say: ``Don't 
             take a tip.'' The tip he gave me was to always be of 
             service and to treat people fair and square.
                The other place where I learned so much about service 
             was from the nuns who taught me. I had the great fortune 
             to go to Catholic schools. I was taught by the Sisters of 
             Notre Dame and the Sisters of Mercy. These wonderful 
             women, who led the consecrated life, taught us not only 
             about reading, writing, and arithmetic, but they taught us 
             religion and emphasized the Beatitudes. If anybody reads 
             the Scripture, if you go to Matthew 5 and you go to the 
             Beatitudes, you know what has shaped us. One of them is 
             this: Blessed are those who are meek at heart. I had to 
             really work at that one--really, really work at that one. 
             At the same time, there were those that said: Those who 
             hunger and thirst after justice. That is what motivated 
             me. It was focusing on the values of faith, like love your 
             neighbor, care for the sick, and worry about the poor.
                I was also inspired by a motto from something called 
             the Christopher Movement, where you would help carry the 
             burden. It said: ``It is better to light one candle than 
             to curse the darkness.'' That is what was motivating me to 
             service.
                We really believed in America in my family, and we 
             really believed in it in my community. When my great-
             grandmother came to this country from Poland in 1886, she 
             had little money in her pocket, but she had big dreams in 
             her heart. Women didn't even have the right to vote. One 
             hundred years to the year that she landed in this country, 
             I landed in the Senate. That is what opportunity means in 
             the United States of America.
                I never thought I would come into politics. Growing up 
             in Baltimore, my family wasn't involved in politics. My 
             family was involved more in church work, philanthropy, 
             doing good works in the way they did their business. In 
             Baltimore in those days, there were political bosses--guys 
             with pot bellies who smoked cigars and did deals, and so 
             forth--and that wasn't going to be me. I thought I would 
             go into the field of social work.
                I got involved because they wanted to put a 16-lane 
             highway through the European ethnic neighborhoods of 
             Baltimore and not even give the people relocation 
             benefits, and they were going to smash and bulldoze the 
             first African-American home-ownership neighborhood in 
             Baltimore, in a community called Rosemont.
                I said, ``Look, we can fight this. We just have to give 
             ourselves a militant name.''
                I helped put together a group called SCAR, or the 
             Southeast Council Against the Road. Our African-American 
             neighbors were on the other side of town, and they had a 
             group called RAM, or Relocation Action Movement. Then the 
             citywide coalition had a group called MAD, or Movement 
             Against Destruction. So you see, I have always had a 
             certain flair about these things.
                So we did take on city hall. But the more I knocked on 
             doors--and our community did--we weren't heard. So I 
             decided the heck with it. If I knocked on a door and I 
             wasn't going to be heard, I was going to knock on the door 
             to get elected, and that is what I did--knocking on doors, 
             putting together a coalition, defying the odds, defying 
             what people said--You can't win. No woman can win in an 
             ethnic, hard-hat neighborhood. No woman can win who isn't 
             part of the political machine. No woman could win who had 
             been active in the civil rights movement. I said, ``Guess 
             what.'' We defied the odds, and we denied the odds, and 
             that is how I came into public office--a champion on 
             behalf of the people.
                I wanted to come to be an advocate for people to have 
             better lives, to have better livelihoods and better 
             neighborhoods, to be able to save jobs and to do what I 
             could to be able to help them. I knew that to do that I 
             had to show up, stand up, and speak up for my 
             constituents, staying close enough to the people so they 
             wouldn't fall between the cracks and meeting their day-to-
             day needs and the long-range needs of the Nation.
                When I came to the Senate, I was the very first woman 
             elected in her own right. Though I was all by myself, I 
             was never alone. When I came, there was only one other 
             woman here--the wonderful and distinguished colleague from 
             Kansas, Senator Nancy Kassebaum, a wonderful colleague. 
             When I say I was by myself as the only woman in the 
             Democratic caucus, I say I was never alone because of the 
             great men that we could work with in the Senate.
                Now, I have had the privilege to work with two of the 
             best men in America. Senator Paul Sarbanes, who was my 
             senior Senator when I came and who certainly was my 
             champion, helped me to get on the right committees and 
             convinced everybody that my name was Barb Mikulski and not 
             Bella Abzug. But I was a little bit of both. As to Senator 
             Sarbanes and now, of course, Senator Ben Cardin, who also 
             has been at my side, we have worked together on issues 
             related to Maryland both large and small.
                But there were others who taught me, like Senator Byrd, 
             Senator Kennedy, and others. What it was all about was 
             being able to work for jobs and for justice.
                Though I was the first Democratic woman, I wanted to be 
             the first of many. I wanted to help women get elected to 
             the Senate and do what I could to be able to help them to 
             do that. It has been just wonderful to see that now there 
             are 20 women who are currently serving in the Senate. One 
             of the great joys has been to work to help empower them so 
             that they can be a powerhouse. That is why we have those 
             power workshops that struck fear into the hearts of the 
             guys--not to worry about us but to keep an eye on us.
                I have been proud of what I have learned, taking the 
             values that I had growing up and trying to put them in the 
             Federal lawbooks, because, for me, no issue was too small 
             to take up, and no cause was too big for me to not take 
             on.
                I firmly believe that the best ideas come from the 
             people. That is where some of my greatest accomplishments 
             came from. One of the things I loved the most was being in 
             Maryland, moving around the State, going to all of the 
             counties in the State. I loved my Mondays in Maryland, 
             where I could meet and go into unannounced places like 
             diners. A lot of people like to do townhalls, and they are 
             terrific, but I like to show up at a diner, go from table 
             to table and not only eyeball the french fries but listen 
             to what the people have to say.
                The other thing that I really liked was roundtables--
             absolutely those roundtables--where you could engage in 
             conversation with people and listen to them, not show off 
             how smart or cool you were. I really loved doing that. Out 
             of it came some of my first big accomplishments.
                When I came to the U.S. Senate, my father was quite ill 
             with Alzheimer's. My father was a wonderful man. He worked 
             hard for my sisters and me so that we would have an 
             education. He saw his role as a protector and provider, 
             and by providing us an education, we could always take 
             care of ourselves.
                When he became so ill and went into a nursing home, I 
             listened to other families who would come to visit people 
             in long-term care. We saw that the very cruel rules of our 
             own government were forcing people to spend down their 
             entire life savings and put in their family home or their 
             family farm as an asset base. Well, listening to them, 
             Barbara Mikulski said this: ``Family responsibility--yes, 
             you need to take responsibility for your family, but the 
             cruel rules of government should never push a family into 
             family bankruptcy.'' So I crafted something called the 
             spousal anti-impoverishment rules that enable elderly 
             couples to keep their assets and keep their home. AARP 
             tells me that since that legislation passed over 20 years 
             ago, we have helped 1 million seniors not lose their homes 
             or their family farms because one becomes too ill because 
             of that dreaded A-word or Parkinson's or others. That is 
             what I mean about the best ideas coming from the people.
                Then I also listened to women who worked hard every 
             single day yet weren't getting equal pay for equal work. 
             Of course we heard it from Lilly Ledbetter, but we heard 
             it from lots of Lillies, and we heard it from lots of 
             Roses and lots of Marys and lots of Otanias and lots of 
             Marias. That is why we worked hard to pass the Equal Pay 
             For Equal Work Act.
                Working together with Senator Nancy Kassebaum, Olympia 
             Snowe, our friends over in the House, Connie Morella, Pat 
             Schroeder, we also found that women were being excluded 
             from the protocols of NIH. The famous study to take an 
             aspirin and keep a heart attack away was done on 10,000 
             male medical students, not 1 woman. So Olympia, Connie, 
             Pat, and Barb showed up at NIH and pounded the table and 
             said, ``Let's start practicing good science instead of bad 
             stereotypes and make sure we are included where we should 
             be in a legitimate, scientific way.'' Out of that came the 
             appointment of Bernadine Healy as the head of NIH; out of 
             that came the Office of Research on Women's Health at NIH; 
             and out of that came the famous hormone replacement study 
             that Dr. Healy championed. Then Tom Harkin and Arlen 
             Specter helped us get money in the Federal checkbook.
                One study changed medical practice and lowered breast 
             cancer rates in this country by 15 percent. Wow. That is 
             what working together does--to try to save lives a million 
             at a time. That was on women's health.
                Then we saw growing concerns about the issue of the 
             high cost of college. The first mortgage many of our kids 
             are facing is their student loans. Working together with 
             the other side of the aisle, we created AmeriCorps, making 
             sure we enabled people to be able to be of service to our 
             country and earn a voucher to pay down their student 
             loans.
                Then there was a roundtable where I met with parents of 
             special needs children, and a mother asked me to change 
             the law from ``retardation'' to ``intellectual 
             disability'' because she was being bullied. Well, I came 
             back here and drafted legislation. Again, on the other 
             side of the aisle was Mike Enzi, who worked with me to 
             pass that.
                Rosa now is a member of the Special Olympics. She wins 
             medals. She was Person of the Week on television. That is 
             what Mondays in Maryland means. It is worth everything to 
             do things like that.
                In Maryland, we worked along with Senators Sarbanes and 
             Hardin to clean up the bay. We worked to make sure our 
             port was viable. We worked not only on our Port of 
             Baltimore for ships of commerce, but also we worked on the 
             space community at Goddard. I am so proud of the fact that 
             I worked very hard to save the Hubble Space Telescope. 
             That Hubble Space Telescope turned out to be the richest 
             contact lens in world history. But again, with astronaut 
             Senators Jake Garn and John Glenn working together, we did 
             it, and it ensured America's premier leadership in 
             astronomy and in space for years and for several decades.
                Over the years, though, I could go through 
             accomplishment after accomplishment, but one of the things 
             I have learned as my lesson in life is that the best ship 
             you could sail on in life is something called friendship. 
             It is friendship that makes life worth living. It enables 
             life to have the value of giving. That is what friendship 
             is. When I think about the friends along the way whom I 
             have met both in my hometown and my State, there are also 
             those who are here, people who on both sides of the aisle 
             are absolutely so important to me--and the fact that we 
             have worked on both sides of the aisle.
                I spoke about Senator Cardin and Senator Sarbanes. On 
             the Senate Appropriations Committee, it was Senator Shelby 
             and Senator Kit Bond; we could actually work together. We 
             put our heads together to try to come up with real 
             solutions for real problems, and we could do that.
                The other is not to judge one another because we have a 
             party label. I am so darned sick of that. In the year of 
             the women, so many came--like Barbara Boxer and Patty 
             Murray and Dianne Feinstein, also Senator Kay Bailey 
             Hutchison, who came from Texas. I got a call from Senator 
             Hutchison one day, and my staff said: ``Ew, she wants to 
             work with you on something. Ew, ew. She is a conservative 
             from Texas and she wants to do something for women.''
                I said, ``How about if we listen? Could we start with 
             listening? Could we start with just listening?''
                Senator Hutchison had a fabulous idea on IRA 
             contributions. In those days, if you were in the 
             marketplace, you could put in $2,000, but if you worked 
             full time at home, you could put in only $500. What 
             Senator Hutchison wanted to do was to make it have 
             parity--that old word, ``parity.'' I said yes. Our staffs 
             told us not to work with each other, but we were going to 
             forge ahead.
                We went out to dinner to talk over strategy, but we 
             talked together about our lives, how she got her start, 
             obstacles she faced. We had such a good time that we said: 
             ``Let's invite other women.'' Well, that became the famous 
             dinners--the famous dinners that the women of the Senate 
             have. We knew we would never be a caucus because we were 
             not uniform in our views or the way we voted, but what we 
             wanted to be was, No. 1, a zone of civility where we would 
             treat each other with respect, our debates would be 
             observed with intellectual rigor, and when the day was 
             over, the day would be over. Those dinners have now stood 
             the test of time, and I am so proud of them.
                I have been so proud to work with my colleague, the 
             senior Senator from Maine, Ms. Collins, who has been such 
             a friend and such an ally. Though we are not a caucus, we 
             are a force when we can come together. We have made 
             change, and we have made a difference. That doesn't go 
             down in the rollbooks, but I think it certainly should go 
             down in the history books.
                So as I get ready to leave the Senate, what will I 
             miss? Well, I will never have another job as consequential 
             as this. This is pretty consequential. The fate of this 
             country, and maybe even the world, lies in the hands of 
             the Congress of the United States.
                I will miss the people in the Senate, the wonderful 
             professional staff, but I am also going to miss the 
             doorkeepers, the elevator operators, the cafeteria 
             workers, the police officers who say: ``In helping the 
             one, we help the many.'' We learn so much from them; I 
             have learned so much from them.
                I learned a lot from the elevator operators. One was a 
             lady of very modest means who every day would say to me 
             and to all of us, ``Have a blessed day.'' What a great 
             gift she gave us: ``Have a blessed day.''
                Another elevator operator, who himself has recovered 
             from very challenging health issues, always cheerful, 
             asks, ``How is your day?'' The last thing you could do is 
             to not return a smile. Those are the kinds of people whom 
             I will always remember, all those helping hands.
                So I say to my colleagues now that I will never, ever 
             forget you. Helen Keller, though she was blind, was a 
             great visionary, and she said that all that you deeply 
             love you never lose. All whom I have ever met have become 
             a part of me; each and every one of you have become a part 
             of me. Everybody I met along the way, whether it was at 
             roundtables or the elevator operators, have become a part 
             of me. You shaped me, and you have helped me become a 
             better person.
                So when I wrap up and people say ``Well, what do you 
             think you are going to do, Barb,'' I will say my plan is 
             not a job description but a life description. Every day I 
             am going to learn something new. Every day I am going to 
             give something back. Every day I am going to do something 
             where I keep an old friend or make a new one. I want to 
             thank God that I live in the United States of America, 
             which enabled me to do this.
                In conclusion, George Bernard Shaw--I don't know how he 
             would have felt about me, but he wrote this, and I think 
             it is pretty good. He said this:

               I am [of the opinion] that my life belongs to the 
             [whole] community, and as long as I live, it is my 
             privilege to do for it whatever I can.
               For the harder I work, the more I live. I will rejoice 
             in life for its own sake. Life is no ``brief candle'' to 
             me. It is a sort of splendid torch which I have got hold 
             of for the moment, and I want to make it burn as brightly 
             as possible before handing it on to future generations.

                God bless the U.S. Senate, and God bless the United 
             States of America.
                (Applause, Senators rising.)
?

                                           

                                      TRIBUTES

                                         TO

                                 BARBARA A. MIKULSKI
                              Proceedings in the Senate
                                             Thursday, December 1, 2016
               Mr. REID. Mr. President, at times it seems that 
             Democrats and Republicans in the Senate don't agree on 
             very much, but the one thing we all agree on without any 
             exception is this: Our colleague Barbara Mikulski of 
             Maryland can turn a phrase better than anyone else. It is 
             one of her many gifts. Just listen to some of the 
             memorable lines we have heard her utter.
               Running for her first term in the Senate, Barbara said, 
             ``I might be short, but I won't be overlooked.''
               Just prior to the 2013 government shutdown, she told 
             Senate Republicans, ``You can huff and puff for 21 hours, 
             but you can't be the magic dragon that blows the 
             Affordable Care Act away.''
               Earlier this year, she spoke of the Zika virus as 
             follows:

               The mosquitoes are coming. The mosquitoes are already 
             here. You can't build a fence to keep them out, and the 
             mosquitoes won't pay for it. The mosquitoes are here--this 
             is not an Obama fantasy.

               My personal favorite was something she said at a welcome 
             reception for the 1986 class. We gathered in the Russell 
             Building, and it was a festive occasion for Democrats. We 
             had many new Democrats. It was a huge class--Daschle, 
             Shelby, Breaux, Graham, Conrad, and Fowler. There were 
             many Democratic Senators, but the day was stolen by 
             Barbara Mikulski. We were all asked to say a word. About 
             her opponent, she stood and said: ``I may be short, but it 
             sure wasn't hard for me to slam dunk Linda Chavez.''
               It is safe to say that with that quip, Barbara 
             immediately hit it off with all the Members of the Senate 
             class.
               From the moment she first set foot in the Senate, 
             Senator Mikulski was determined to be herself--honest, 
             disciplined, principled, undaunted, with an incredible wit 
             and a fierce love of Maryland.
               You will not find a Member of this body more devoted to 
             her circumstances--and we will talk about those in a 
             little bit--devoted to her constituents and her State than 
             Senator Barbara Mikulski. She served the State of Maryland 
             for more than 50 years. A graduate of Mount Saint Agnes 
             College and the University of Maryland, she made her name 
             as a social worker and a political activist.
               Her grandparents are well known, especially her 
             grandmother. They ran a bakery. I have heard her talk 
             about that bakery so many times, how the people in the 
             neighborhood would come and wait for that bakery to open. 
             Her grandparents went there very early, as bakers do. She 
             speaks with nostalgia, warmth, and love of her 
             grandparents.
               Her own parents ran a little grocery store next to a 
             steel mill. They would get there early in the morning, and 
             the steelworkers would come and get their lunches and 
             sometimes their breakfasts in that grocery store. Her 
             parents were part of her life, as were her grandparents. 
             She is so proud of them.
               In 1966 the Baltimore City Council proposed building a 
             large highway through the center of the city of Baltimore. 
             There was a downside to the plan: It would have razed 
             entire neighborhoods, African-American neighborhoods and 
             especially immigrant neighborhoods. They would have to 
             leave their homes.
               The city's leaders, political bosses, and, of course, 
             the wealthy real estate interests and many others--the 
             power brokers of the State of Maryland, the city of 
             Baltimore--knew this was a done deal, but the power 
             brokers didn't count on a young social worker named 
             Barbara Mikulski to fight for these families. It was her 
             first political activism, and activism it was. It was her 
             alone. Because of her magnetism, her warmth, and her 
             ability to organize, she organized an effort to stop the 
             highway. Everyone said it couldn't be done, but no one 
             bothered to tell Barbara. She rallied the citizens of 
             Baltimore in opposing the highway, and what a rally it 
             was--not one rally, not two, but many of them until it was 
             determined that she had won and the power brokers had 
             lost. These people got to keep their homes, and today 
             there is no superhighway towering over the center of 
             Baltimore. People remember Barbara Mikulski for that.
               Barbara's fight against the highway made her a hero in 
             Baltimore and propelled her to the city council in 1971. 
             In 1976 Barbara Mikulski fought her way to the Congress of 
             the United States as a Member of the House of 
             Representatives. After five terms in the House, Barbara 
             Mikulski ran for a seat in the Senate, in the one I just 
             told you about. She slam-dunked her opponent, making her 
             the first Democratic woman in history to win seats in both 
             the House of Representatives and the Senate of the United 
             States. Today Senator Mikulski is the longest serving 
             woman to serve in the U.S. Congress. For more than 40 
             years she has served the people of Maryland.
               She is the first woman and first Marylander to chair the 
             prestigious Senate Appropriations Committee. Her 
             legislative record reflects her hard work for women and 
             for equality. She worked with then-Senator Joe Biden to 
             pass the first Violence Against Women Act in 1994. She was 
             the architect of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. She was 
             repeatedly in the forefront to fight for paycheck 
             fairness, which determined that men and women who do the 
             same work should be paid the same money.
               When so many of us were duped by misinformation about 
             the Iraq war, Barbara Mikulski was not duped. She voted 
             against the war.
               Barbara's career in the Senate has been historic, but I 
             would be remiss if I failed to note her impact on my life 
             and my career. As I said, we came to the Senate together. 
             We served together. We got the same committees. We, of 
             course, served together in the House, but that is a huge 
             body--435 Members. Frankly, I served there two terms. I 
             know the Presiding Officer [Mr. Rounds] served in the 
             House. It is a huge body. When I left there after 4 years, 
             I can remember a vote taking place. Where did these people 
             come from? It is hard to get to know 435 people, but I 
             knew Barbara. Everybody knew Barbara. But in the Senate we 
             came together, served on the same committees, and we got 
             to know each other very well early on. Barbara Mikulski 
             has always protected me, looked out for me.
               One of my first memories took place right here in the 
             well. I was new, she was new, and it was a very close 
             vote. It was an issue that was her issue, and I couldn't 
             vote her way. That happens here. It was a close vote. 
             People were nudging me: ``You have to change. You are 
             going to upset everybody. You are a Democrat; you can't do 
             that.''
               In walked Barbara Mikulski into this crowd. I was there. 
             I was really kind of afraid, but she wasn't. She walked 
             in. People moved away. She said, ``Leave him alone. It is 
             a matter of principle.'' People left me alone. That is who 
             she is. Was she disappointed? I know she would have been 
             disappointed had I not done what I believed in.
               I served for 10 years with John Ensign, the Senator from 
             Nevada. John and I had a unique relationship. In 1998 I 
             won an election for the Senate between Ensign and Reid by 
             428 votes. That was a close election. But as fate would 
             have it, 2 years later he came to the Senate. Senator 
             Bryan retired, and he came to the Senate.
               Well, John had some personal issues. He hadn't been here 
             very long at all and had some personal issues. I called 
             him at home, and he said, ``Yes, I have some problems 
             here.'' I thought how I could help him. Here in the Senate 
             we have the right to do what is called pair. Senator 
             Ensign and I rarely voted alike anyway. So I said, ``Well, 
             John, what I will do, so it won't affect your voting 
             record, is that I will just pair with you and that way it 
             won't show you have missed votes.'' So I agreed to do 
             that, and for 2 weeks I told him I would do that.
               Well, it worked out fine because we voted differently on 
             everything, except there came an issue that affected 
             Senator Mikulski. She came to me and asked, ``Why are you 
             voting that way?'' I told her, ``Senator Ensign has a 
             personal issue, and I told him I would pair with him.'' 
             She said, ``If you had done anything else''--and I won't 
             use her exact language--``you would have been a fool.'' I 
             wasn't a fool in her mind. Even though it was not good for 
             her, she was supportive of me. She would not have been 
             satisfied that I had done something that was wrong in her 
             mind, and she accepted my explanation and that I had to do 
             what I did. We have always had a lot of respect for each 
             other.
               Senator David Pryor of Arkansas had a heart attack and 
             became very ill. He was a wonderful Senator. Everyone 
             liked him. But he announced he couldn't serve as secretary 
             of the Democratic caucus, and that was something that I 
             was interested in. But I also heard Barbara Mikulski was 
             interested in it. She had been so good to me so often that 
             I immediately went to Barbara, and with the two of us 
             together, I said, ``Barbara, do you want this secretary's 
             job?'' She said, ``Yes.'' I said, ``You have it.'' That 
             was the end of that. Nobody opposed her.
               Well, surprisingly, a few years later, out of nowhere, 
             Wendell Ford, who was the whip, decided he wasn't going to 
             run for reelection. It was a surprise to everyone. He was 
             assistant Democratic leader, and that was something I was 
             interested in, but again there was Barbara Mikulski. I 
             didn't say a word. The word was out there that I was 
             interested in it. So as fate would have it, I was walking 
             from my office in the Hart Building over toward the 
             Russell Building, and she was coming in the other 
             direction. Those of us who know Barbara know that a lot of 
             times she is a person of few words. She is not a gadfly. 
             Sometimes she talks a lot, but sometimes she doesn't want 
             to talk. We were passing each other in the hall, and she 
             said, ``I want to talk to you for a minute.'' She said, 
             ``You took care of me in the Senate; the whip's job is 
             yours.'' That ended it. It was all over. When that was 
             done, I had a clear route to be the whip of the Senate--
             the Democratic Senate.
               That is the relationship I have with Barbara Mikulski. 
             So she is as responsible as anyone for my years in 
             Democratic leadership. Without her friendship and her 
             loyalty my last 20 years in the Senate would have been 
             much different. Working with Barbara Mikulski is one of 
             the highlights of my congressional career. Just hearing 
             her speak is a privilege.
               I have seen and listened to good orators. When I was in 
             the House--and my friend, the Democratic whip is here--we 
             heard Jim Wright. Jim Wright was a great orator. He was 
             the majority leader and the Speaker of the House. He was 
             really good. Tom Lantos, an immigrant from Hungary, could 
             speak. He was so dynamic, so good. Claude Pepper had a 
             different style but was someone you listened to. Here in 
             the Senate I have listened to some great orators. Back 
             there was Dale Bumpers. I can still see him. He had a long 
             cord here. He had an extra-long one, and he would walk up 
             and down these aisles speaking. He was a great orator. I 
             listened to him. George Mitchell, one of my predecessors, 
             was so good, so articulate--and Dick Durbin, from 
             Illinois. They are all terrific orators.
               But in my estimation, there is no better orator who I 
             have come across in my congressional service than Barbara 
             Mikulski. We have talked about her one liners, but I would 
             like, just for a minute, to talk about a trip I took with 
             a congressional delegation led by the very famous John 
             Glenn--war hero, astronaut, and gentleman. We went to 
             places in Europe. The Iron Curtain was down. We went to 
             Poland. Barbara Mikulski's heritage is Polish. They called 
             in John Glenn to give a speech. Ted Stevens from Alaska 
             was also on that trip. I said, ``We have someone here who 
             is of Polish heritage. Let's listen to her.'' Oh, what a 
             speech--I mean it was spellbinding. She talked about how 
             she felt about who she was and about her grandparents and 
             her parents.
               So I know there is no better orator than Barbara 
             Mikulski. That is because she speaks from the heart. She 
             is honest and so genuine. As the Baltimore Sun wrote: 
             ``People know authenticity when they see it, and there's 
             nothing fake about Barbara Mikulski, most especially her 
             love of her job.'' That is pretty good, coming from the 
             biggest newspaper in the State.
               Barbara has loved her job in the Senate, and the people 
             of Maryland and the United States have loved having her as 
             their advocate and defender. She leaves the Senate as she 
             entered it, as a political activist and a fighter.
               So, Barbara, thank you very much for your guidance, your 
             mentoring, your friendship. It has been an honor to work 
             by your side. We are forever friends. Godspeed, Barbara 
             Mikulski.
               I yield the floor.

               Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, let me just echo the comments 
             of our Democratic leader, Senator Reid, in relation to 
             Senator Mikulski. I will save a few moments perhaps next 
             week to speak my own tribute to her and give my own 
             reminiscences. But I didn't want to abruptly change the 
             subject without saying I am in total agreement with 
             Senator Reid in terms of the quality of service and 
             friendship that we have had with the senior Senator from 
             the State of Maryland.
                                              Tuesday, December 6, 2016
                Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I join my colleagues in 
             saluting the public life of Senator Barbara Mikulski. 
             Before I do that, I want to thank a woman who is not here. 
             She was a Catholic nun and the debate coach for Senator 
             Mikulski when she was in high school at the Institute of 
             Notre Dame, an all-girls Catholic high school in 
             Baltimore, the same school Nancy Pelosi graduated from.
                As a young Barbara Mikulski was preparing to debate a 
             particularly tough opponent, this nun, her debate coach, 
             told her: ``You can do it, Barb--get out there and roll 
             those Jesuit boys!''
                I went to a Jesuit college and law school, and I am 
             proud and relieved to report that I never had to face 
             Barbara Mikulski in that kind of debate. I have rarely 
             found anybody who can stand up to her in a debate. She can 
             still ``roll those Jesuit boys,'' or anyone else who tries 
             to stand in the way of helping women, children, seniors, 
             or advancing fairness.
                Barbara Mikulski has been my colleague for 20 years, my 
             friend, the chairwoman of my Appropriations Committee and 
             the ranking member, and so many times an inspiration.
                As most of my colleagues know, my first job was working 
             in the Senate as an intern, myself, in the office of 
             Senator Paul Douglas of Illinois. Like Barbara Mikulski, 
             Paul Douglas was a champion for the underdog, and he was a 
             pit bull when it came to protecting the American 
             taxpayers.
                Every year, the University of Illinois chooses a leader 
             of uncommon decency and courage to receive the Paul H. 
             Douglas Award for Ethics in Government. This year, I was 
             honored to present that award on behalf of the University 
             of Illinois and in the name of Paul Douglas to Barbara 
             Mikulski of Maryland. I know Senator Douglas would have 
             been thrilled that she is carrying on that same public 
             service tradition.
                Some day--and I hope and trust I will live to see it--
             the ultimate glass ceiling will break, and there will be a 
             woman elected President of this country. When that 
             historic day comes, we can be sure that Senator Barbara 
             Mikulski will have had a hand in bringing it about.
                Many of my colleagues have spoken about the long list 
             of times she has already broken glass ceilings herself: 
             Barbara Mikulski, first woman ever elected statewide in 
             her beloved State of Maryland; Barbara Mikulski, first 
             Democrat elected to both the U.S. House and the U.S. 
             Senate; Barbara Mikulski, first woman to ever serve as 
             head of the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee.
                But as Barbara, very self-deprecating, has often said, 
             she has never been interested in simply being the first. 
             She wants to be ``the first of many,'' and she has been.
                When Maryland voters sent Barbara Mikulski to this 
             Senate in 1986, there were two women in the entire body: 
             Nancy Landon Kassebaum of Kansas, a Republican, and 
             Barbara Mikulski of Maryland, a Democrat--2 women in this 
             Chamber out of 100 Senators. Today, there are 20 women 
             Senators, and after they are sworn in on January 3, there 
             will be 21. That is great progress, but not nearly enough 
             by Barbara Mikulski's standards.
                Senator Mikulski also had the brainchild of making sure 
             the women in the Senate became an even more powerful 
             force. Her bipartisan, women Senators-only dinners were a 
             rare display of bipartisanship in an institution too often 
             divided. The discoveries of common cause, common trust, 
             and common purpose resulting from those dinners have made 
             a big difference on the floor of the Senate.
                Barbara Ann Mikulski is the proud granddaughter of 
             Polish immigrants. Her parents owned a small grocery store 
             in Baltimore. She, her parents, and her two younger 
             sisters lived across the street in one of the famous 
             Baltimore rowhouses. As a young girl, Barbara thought 
             about becoming a Catholic nun. She changed her mind 
             because, as she put it, ``that vow of obedience kind of 
             slowed me down a bit.'' So she found other ways to 
             practice the social gospel of justice.
                She was a driving force behind the first bill signed by 
             President Barack Obama, the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. 
             I was there that day. The President signed the bill, and 
             he took the first pen from the first bill he was signing 
             and handed it to Barbara Mikulski because he knew that she 
             had been a champion for equality in the workplace for 
             women throughout her career.
                There are two stories that I always think of when I 
             think of Senator Mikulski.
                In October 2002, the Senate voted on whether to 
             authorize the war in Iraq. Only 23 of the 100 Senators 
             then serving voted against the Iraq war resolution. Of 
             those 23 Senators, only 8 still remain in the Senate 
             today: Barbara Boxer, who is leaving at the end of this 
             Congress, Patrick Leahy, Patty Murray, Jack Reed, Debbie 
             Stabenow, Ron Wyden, Barbara Mikulski, and myself. This is 
             a woman who has always been willing to risk her career to 
             follow her conscience.
                One of her great heroes is Dorothy Day, founder of the 
             Catholic Worker Movement. The reason, Barbara Mikulski 
             says, is that Dorothy Day was always ``trying to find the 
             hopes of people,'' rather than preying on people's fear 
             and anger.
                I saw Barbara Mikulski's instinctive appeal to hope on 
             that infamous sad day--September 11, 2001. As dust was 
             settling on that heart-wrenching, heart-breaking day, most 
             of the Members of the Senate gathered on the steps of the 
             Capitol. The hope was that there would be a demonstration 
             by Members of both parties to the Nation and to the world 
             of solidarity. Suddenly--unplanned, unscripted--Barbara 
             Mikulski started singing ``God Bless America.'' Everyone 
             joined in. In one of America's darkest hours, Barbara 
             Mikulski brought us together. That is what a real leader 
             does.
                I and so many in the Chamber and so many untold 
             millions of Americans are going to miss her presence in 
             the Senate. We take consolation in knowing that, while she 
             is leaving the Senate, she is not leaving the fight. She 
             will never leave the fight.
                Those of us who are returning in the next Congress have 
             learned from Senator Mikulski, and we will continue to 
             fight the good fight to invest in life-saving, job-
             creating medical breakthroughs at the National Institutes 
             of Health--or, as Barbara Mikulski calls it, the 
             ``National Institutes of Hope.'' We will continue the good 
             fight she has fought with such pithiness and passion to 
             make our Nation safer and make our economy fairer for all 
             Americans. I know that she will continue that fight as 
             well.
                Barbara Mikulski may be leaving the Senate, but no one 
             ever has, and I doubt anyone ever will, think of 
             Baltimore's Barbara Mikulski as ``retiring.''
                I yield the floor.

                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 as 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, this is a bittersweet 
             moment as I rise to pay tribute to my esteemed colleague, 
             dear friend, and fellow Senator, Barbara A. Mikulski, the 
             longest serving woman in the history of the U.S. Congress.
                Senator Barb has been more than a dedicated champion 
             for the State of Maryland; she has fought tirelessly for 
             the welfare of all Americans across the country but 
             especially the disadvantaged--equal pay for equal work, 
             funding for childcare for working families, quality health 
             care for all Americans, an ambitious space exploration 
             program, robust homeland security programs, and fire 
             protection grants. These are but a few of the causes 
             Senator Barb has worked on for more than four decades as 
             an outstanding public servant and legislator.
                She is rooted in the city we both call home, Baltimore, 
             where her father ran a grocery store in Highlandtown. She 
             earned her bachelor of science degree in sociology from 
             Mount Saint Agnes College and a master of social work 
             degree from the University of Maryland School of Social 
             Work. She became a social worker and then demonstrated her 
             formidable organizational skills and resolve when she led 
             the successful opposition to a 16-lane highway that was 
             going to cut through the Fells Point neighborhood in 
             Baltimore. Throughout her 40 years of congressional 
             service, she has returned to Baltimore almost every night.
                She ran for the city council in 1971, where she served 
             for 5 years before she was elected to the House of 
             Representatives to represent Maryland's Third District--a 
             seat she held for 10 years. I was proud to succeed her in 
             the House when she was elected to the Senate in 1986 and 
             became the first female Democratic Senator elected in her 
             own right. Here in the Halls of the Senate, she opened 
             doors that had previously been closed to women. She 
             refused to accept second-class treatment because of her 
             gender and fought to be recognized as an equal. 
             Generations of young women who chose to participate in 
             public life or who dreamed of joining the U.S. Senate have 
             benefited from Senator Barb's trailblazing legacy.
                From affordable housing and education to childcare, 
             health benefits, and pensions, she has left an indelible 
             imprint on the Nation's social policies as a senior member 
             of the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and 
             Pensions. It is fitting that she authored the Lilly 
             Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009--the first major bill to be 
             signed into law by the first African-American President. I 
             know one of her proudest accomplishments is strengthening 
             the social safety net for seniors by passing the Spousal 
             Anti-Impoverishment Act, which helps keep seniors from 
             going into bankruptcy while paying for a spouse's nursing 
             home care.
                Senator Barb said, ``We work on macro issues and 
             macaroni and cheese issues. ... Our national debate 
             reflects the needs and dreams of American families.''
                In 2012, she became the first woman and the first 
             Marylander to chair the Senate Appropriations Committee. 
             She has worked well with Senator Cochran and other 
             Republicans on the committee to produce annual 
             appropriations bills under difficult budget constraints. I 
             think she has shown how the Senate can work in a 
             productive, bipartisan fashion.
                Senator Mikulski has served as the dean of the women 
             Senators from both parties, promoting collegiality, 
             civility, and consensus-building. In this capacity, again, 
             she has been one of the leaders of this institution with 
             respect to making it work better.
                Senator Barb has always had her feet planted firmly on 
             the ground, but she has reached for the stars. No one has 
             been a stronger advocate for the National Aeronautics and 
             Space Administration, NASA; the National Oceanic and 
             Atmospheric Administration, NOAA; the National Science 
             Foundation, NSF; and for researching and understanding the 
             universe to make life better here on Earth than Senator 
             Barbara Mikulski.
                Not only has she reached for the stars, she is a star. 
             NASA named a supernova after her in 2012--Supernova 
             Mikulski--discovered, fittingly, by the Hubble Space 
             Telescope on January 25, 2012. The supernova is 7.5 
             billion light-years away and the remnants of a star more 
             than 8 times as massive as our own Sun.
                Senator Mikulski has so much political energy per 
             square inch of height that she has reached her own orbit 
             in space. Even though her realm includes the entire 
             universe, Senator Barb always kept the needs of 
             Marylanders close to her heart during her tenure. Whether 
             it is fighting for funding to restore the Chesapeake Bay, 
             supporting mass transit improvements in Baltimore, 
             standing up for Federal employees and retirees who work 
             and live in our State, or posting the world's best recipe 
             for crabcakes on her Web site, I know I speak on behalf of 
             each and every Marylander when I say how much we will miss 
             her outstanding leadership and unwavering commitment to 
             our State.
                I am privileged to have worked with Senator Barb for 10 
             years in the Senate and for 20 years before that when I 
             was in the House of Representatives. I am proud to have 
             stood alongside her as two members of Team Maryland.
                On a personal basis, I have a very close friend and my 
             service in the Senate is much more productive, much more 
             enjoyable, and much more rewarding because of Senator 
             Barbara Mikulski.
                The U.S. Congress, the State of Maryland, the United 
             States, and, indeed, the world are better places because 
             of Senator Mikulski's public service. She may not be the 
             tallest Senator, but she certainly leaves the biggest 
             shoes to fill. I will miss her, but I will remain 
             internally inspired by her shining example of public 
             service at its best.
                                            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.
               The first colleague I wish to speak about is from 
             Maryland. Some call her Senator Mikulski, some call her 
             Senator Barb, but everyone knows this: She is tough. It 
             explains how she got here in the fist place.
               You see, Barbara Mikulski had a lot of dreams growing 
             up. She wanted to be a scientist. She wanted to be a nun. 
             She even wanted to be an astronaut. If not for a ``C'' in 
             chemistry, a vow of obedience, and the thought of wearing 
             a flight suit--or so we have heard--she probably could 
             have done all of those things. But Senator Barb chose a 
             different path--or rather all of them at once. You see, 
             you don't have to work in a lab to champion science 
             research; you can serve as the lead Democratic 
             appropriator on the Commerce-Justice-Science Subcommittee. 
             You don't have to put on a habit to look out for others; 
             you can serve as dean of the Senate women and cultivate 
             mentorship among your colleagues. And you certainly don't 
             have to blast into space to blaze a trail--something this 
             longest serving female Member of Congress knows very well. 
             It wasn't an easy road getting here. It wasn't an easy 
             road when she got here. No Democratic woman had ever been 
             elected to the Senate in her own right before Barbara 
             Mikulski. But, as she said on the stump, ``I might be 
             short, but I won't be overlooked.'' Boy, she hasn't been. 
             I doubt she ever will be. Maybe it has something to do 
             with the mantra she follows: ``Do or do not--there is no 
             try.'' No surprise that this ``Star Wars'' fan is taking 
             advice from Master Yoda.
               She has learned a lot from others, too, like her great-
             grandmother, who emigrated from Poland with hope and 
             little else--hope that her family might one day experience 
             this country's many freedoms and opportunities. I know she 
             would be proud of her great-granddaughter today, proud of 
             this crime novelist, this crabcake gourmet, this senior 
             Senator from Maryland.
               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. ...
               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.

                Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, yesterday I had an 
             opportunity on the floor to talk about Senator Mikulski, 
             but I just want to take 1 minute--because I know a lot of 
             my colleagues want to speak--to thank her on behalf of the 
             people of Maryland.
                Yesterday I was with Senator Mikulski at the 
             inauguration of Catherine Pugh, our new mayor of 
             Baltimore. As is the tradition on programs, the senior 
             Senator speaks and then the junior Senator speaks, so I 
             had the opportunity to speak after the dynamic remarks of 
             Senator Mikulski. That has been a burden that I have had 
             now for 10 years. As I pointed out to the people of 
             Maryland, we are losing one of the great giants and 
             advocates for our State, and that is going to be a great 
             loss. The only benefit I can see is that I will not have 
             to follow Senator Mikulski on the program in the future.
                We are living part of a legacy, and we know that. We 
             know that what we do here in the U.S. Senate one day will 
             be recorded in the history of our country. I know that 
             Senator Mikulski will be mentioned frequently for her 
             incredible accomplishments here in the U.S. Senate.
                On a personal basis, I just wanted to express that my 
             life in the U.S. Senate has been special. For all of us, 
             being in the Senate is special, but my enjoyment, 
             productivity, and life in the Senate has been made so much 
             greater because of my seatmate and friend, Senator Barbara 
             Mikulski.

                The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mrs. Ernst). The Senator from 
             Maine.

                Ms. COLLINS. Madam President, it is with deep 
             affection, admiration, and appreciation that I rise today 
             to offer my heartfelt congratulations to our colleague and 
             my dear friend, Senator Barbara Mikulski, as her service 
             in the Senate comes to a close. As the longest serving 
             woman in the history of the U.S. Congress--30 years in 
             this Chamber, in addition to 10 years in the House--she 
             has earned the gratitude of the people of her beloved 
             Maryland and of the entire Nation. That gratitude is based 
             on much more than simple arithmetic, much more than just 
             how many years she has served here, impressive though that 
             is. In reflecting on her service, it is difficult to 
             decide where to begin--her accomplishments, her vision, or 
             her complete dedication to the people she serves, the 
             dedication that began in that neighborhood in Baltimore 
             that she describes so passionately today. No matter where 
             we begin, we end up in the same place--it is all about her 
             character.
                Perhaps the best way to describe Senator Mikulski's 
             character is by noting that she is not only officially the 
             longest serving woman in the history of the Congress, but 
             she is also unofficially the dean of the women in the 
             Senate. That title perfectly demonstrates the trust and 
             respect she has earned from her colleagues. As a brandnew 
             Senator in 1997, I was one of those tutored by this 
             accomplished and experienced dean. At that time, Senator 
             Mikulski had already been in the House and the Senate for 
             a combined 20 years. She didn't know me from Adam--or 
             perhaps I should say from Eve--yet, despite the difference 
             in our seniority, our States, and our parties, she took me 
             under her wing. She was one of the first people who called 
             me after I was sworn in as a new Senator. I was so 
             grateful for her kindness and her wisdom. She invited me 
             to a power workshop in her office, along with Mary 
             Landrieu, the other woman who was elected that year. She 
             taught me the ropes of the appropriations process and 
             instituted regular bipartisan dinners for the women of the 
             Senate.
                In the years since then, I have come to know her as a 
             fighter, a trailblazer, and a person of such integrity.
                Maybe it is all those years with the nuns that taught 
             you that.
                It has been a privilege to work with her on such vital 
             issues as home health care, maritime issues, higher 
             education, pay equality, and an issue near and dear to 
             both of us, Alzheimer's research. Serving with her on the 
             Appropriations Committee, I have witnessed first hand what 
             an extraordinary leader she is--fair, openminded, yet with 
             firm expectations and a clear sense of direction.
                Senator Mikulski is, above all, a hard worker. Growing 
             up in east Baltimore, she learned the value of hard work 
             in her family's grocery store, as we have heard today. Her 
             commitment to making a difference in her neighborhood led 
             her to become a social worker, helping at-risk children 
             and our seniors. The statement she made sums up her 
             approach to serving in Congress: ``I was a social worker 
             for Baltimore families. Now I'm a social worker building 
             opportunities for families throughout America.''
                Two years ago, I was honored to stand alongside Senator 
             Barb to accept the Allegheny College Prize for Civility in 
             Public Life. We were representing all of the women of the 
             Senate for our leadership in bringing an end to the 
             devastating government shutdown of 2013 and working 
             together on so many other issues.
                With our dean setting the example, we have always 
             rejected the idea of a women's caucus because we, like the 
             men in the Senate, span the ideological spectrum. Who 
             would expect otherwise? We have worked together across 
             party lines to serve all Americans. As Senator Mikulski 
             puts it ``It's not about gender, it's about the agenda.'' 
             In fact, all of us have our favorite sayings that the 
             Senator from Maryland has taught us, and we will miss her 
             way with words so much.
                When Senator Mikulski reached her Senate longevity 
             milestone 5 years ago, she surpassed my personal role 
             model in public service, the legendary Senator from Maine, 
             Margaret Chase Smith. Just as the great lady from Maine 
             inspired me and countless other young women of my 
             generation to serve, the great lady from Maryland inspires 
             the young women of today, always encouraging them to go 
             for it.
                Throughout her life in public service, she has lived by 
             one guiding principle: to help our people meet the needs 
             of today as she helps our Nation prepare for the 
             challenges of tomorrow.
                What an honor it has been to serve alongside Senator 
             Barbara Mikulski. I have learned so much from her. I will 
             never forget the day she told me I had the soul of an 
             appropriator, which I knew was the highest compliment she 
             could give me. She was right. We have worked on that 
             committee to get so much done.
                I wish her many more years of health, happiness, and, 
             most of all, that most important ``ship,'' friendship.

                The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from California.

                Mrs. BOXER. Madam President, before Senator Collins 
             leaves the floor, I want to thank Senator Collins for her 
             beautiful remarks about Barbara Mikulski. As I leave here, 
             I have said publicly--the press has asked: ``What is your 
             hope?''
                I often say, ``My hope is with the Senator from Maine, 
             Senator Collins, to bridge some of the partisan divides.''
                It has been an honor to serve with you. I know you have 
             a lot on your shoulders as we move forward.
                Senator Mikulski, I want to take a few minutes to talk 
             about you. Some Senators have focus and drive. Some have 
             compassion. Some have empathy. Some have sharp negotiating 
             skills. Some have a quick wit. Some are great students of 
             history. Some are champions for the least among us. 
             Senator Barbara Mikulski, you are all of these things. You 
             are everything a Senator should be and more. As my mentor, 
             as my treasured friend, you have been a major influence in 
             my career. Honestly, I can say I would not be here as a 
             U.S. Senator without your guidance.
                One of my favorite things about Barbara is her 
             wonderful sense of humor. It is legendary. She is 
             hilarious when she wants to be.
                When I was in the House of Representatives, I was 
             fighting to integrate the all-male House gym. The room to 
             which they had assigned the women was about 6 by 6, and it 
             had showers and hair dryers. You know the big hair dryers 
             that come over your head like that? It had no exercise 
             equipment. It had no space. It was the size of a shoebox. 
             We women decided we needed some exercise, so we packed 
             into the tiny room.
                There was then-Congresswoman Mikulski, Congresswoman 
             Ferraro, Congresswoman Schroeder, Barbara Kennelly, 
             Olympia Snowe, who looked like she had just stepped out of 
             Vogue magazine. I was in my sweat suit, and so was Barb. 
             The teacher was leading us in an aerobics class, and she 
             said, ``Put your hands above your head.'' We did it. She 
             said, ``Put your hands out to the side.'' We did it. Then 
             she said, ``Put your hands on your hips and bend at the 
             waist.'' With that, Barbara yelled, ``Look, if I had a 
             waist, I wouldn't be here.'' That is my Barb. She can use 
             laughter to defuse any situation. I will always love her 
             for it.
                When I started thinking about my own long shot bid for 
             the Senate--and it was worse than a long shot--the first 
             person I went to after my family was Barb. It was a few 
             years after she had made history by becoming the first 
             Democratic woman ever elected in her own right to the U.S. 
             Senate. She got right to the point: ``How old are you, 
             Babs?''--using the nickname she calls me to this day. I 
             told her I was almost 50.
                God, that sounds so young, Barbara.
                I told her I was almost 50. I explained it was going to 
             be a tough fight. I was up against two powerful male 
             opponents in the Democratic primary, and I was an asterisk 
             in the polls. What was her response? She looked at me and 
             she said, ``Go for it. It's worth the fight you'll have to 
             wage to get here. And it will be a fight.'' And it was.
                In 1992, four new women came to the Senate, and who was 
             waiting for us with open arms? Senator Mikulski. This is 
             what she said: ``Some women stare out the window waiting 
             for Prince Charming. I stared out the window waiting for 
             more women Senators--and it is finally happening!'' That 
             is who Barbara is. She never set out to make a name for 
             herself. She wanted to blaze a trail that was wide enough 
             for all of us to follow.
                Just days after I won that first Senate race, she sent 
             all the new women Senators a guidebook she herself had 
             written about how to get started in the Senate, how to get 
             on committees. She invited us to her office for lessons on 
             Senate procedure and how to set up our offices. She had 
             covered everything.
                In the years since, as you have heard, she has hosted 
             regular dinners for all the women in the Senate--
             Democratic and Republican alike. We reach across party 
             lines and come together because of her. We talk about our 
             work, our families. We share our struggles and our 
             triumphs. What is said there stays there.
                Senator Mikulski has led us by example, showing us how 
             to build coalitions, how to bridge the partisan divide, 
             which includes strong partnership with our male 
             colleagues, whom she calls ``Sir Galahads.'' She has also 
             shown us how to stand up and make our voices heard. As she 
             says, go ``earring to earring'' with our opponents and 
             ``put on our lipstick, square our shoulders, suit up and 
             fight.'' Legendary Mikulski words.
                To me, Senator Mikulski is the whole package--a 
             skilled, intelligent negotiator, a Senator who fights for 
             the people, and a woman who helps other women. She is our 
             cherished leader, and that is why she will always be known 
             as the dean of the Senate women.
                When Barbara announced she would be leaving the Senate, 
             I wrote her a rhyme. I love to write rhymes and lyrics. I 
             wrote her the following rhyme:

              Before Mikulski won the day,
              A guy would have to pass away,
              And then his wife would take his place.
              Finally, a woman in a Senate space.
              But Barb she got there in her own right.
              First Democratic gal to win that fight.
              She won the race and joined the misters.
              But finally NOW she has 19 sisters!

                Barbara, next year, because of what you started, 
             because of the people you encouraged, there will be 21 
             women in the Senate--a record. Sitting here in my chair, 
             my seat, will be an incredible woman.
                Senator Mikulski, Barb, my treasured mentor, my dear 
             friend, thank you for everything. We have been through 
             battles together. I am forever grateful to you, and I will 
             always treasure our friendship.
                I yield the floor.

                The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Maryland.

                Ms. MIKULSKI. Madam President, I thank the gentlelady 
             from California.

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

                Ms. MIKULSKI. That is the way we talk here. I thank the 
             gentlelady from California for her kind words. 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.
                Madam President, I do have to say that among the many 
             things with which I have been honored and have appreciated 
             was when Senator Mikulski accepted my offer to stay at the 
             Stabenow bed and breakfast after long session nights and 
             days when the Appropriations Committee was negotiating and 
             doing the incredible work that had to be done. I had the 
             honor of being able to put up a plaque in my home that 
             says: ``Senator Barb slept here.'' I will always be 
             honored to have had that opportunity on top of all of the 
             other ways we have worked together.
                It really is an honor to stand here. I can't imagine 
             the Senate without Senator Mikulski and Senator Boxer. I 
             can't imagine the Senate without the incredible service of 
             my dear friend and colleague, who is our dean in every 
             sense of the word--the senior Senator from the State of 
             Maryland. For over 30 years she has worked tirelessly. We 
             know that. We hear it every day. We know what the people 
             in Baltimore, the Chesapeake Bay area, and all of Maryland 
             care about. She has been fighting and standing up for them 
             every single moment of every single day. I so admire that, 
             and I am so grateful. She has been a wonderful inspiration 
             and mentor to me. We have all heard about our dinners and 
             the power briefings on appropriations. She has been a 
             continual source of inspiration and a mentor to me.
                She reached out to me, as she does to all of our 
             colleagues, when I was first elected. She welcomed me and 
             showed me what it meant to be a good Senator representing 
             my State of Michigan and how to get things done. Senator 
             Mikulski has always been willing to lend a helping hand 
             and has never given up when it comes to fighting for the 
             people she represents and being a trailblazer.
                I came into the Senate with a master's degree in social 
             work. Senator Mikulski has often said that we are the two 
             official do-gooders in the Senate. We have taken our 
             interest from helping people individually to another level 
             by becoming policymakers, thereby giving us the 
             opportunity to touch more lives by using our skills and 
             our background in education as well.
                We all know--but I think it is important to remind 
             ourselves--that she was only 26 when Senator Mikulski 
             talked about the highway proposal that would have 
             destroyed a neighborhood full of working people. She spoke 
             up. She was noticed, and she wasn't afraid to say exactly 
             what she was thinking. She was and is absolutely fearless 
             in every good sense of that word. She brought that 
             fearlessness to the Senate. That fearlessness made her the 
             first woman to serve as chair of the Appropriations 
             Committee of the Senate. It doesn't get more important 
             than that in setting policy and having an impact on 
             people's lives in our country by prioritizing the 
             interests of the American people in every funding 
             decision. That fearlessness was on display when she helped 
             bring us closer to the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 
             2009, making it closer to having equal pay for equal work 
             than it has ever been before.
                Senator Mikulski fought for health care. I was proud to 
             join her in making sure that women could receive 
             preventive care without a copay. She made sure that women 
             were truly represented and that our needs were met in 
             health care reform, and that will continue to impact all 
             of the lives of women across the country.
                When she turned her eyes to the stars, wondering what 
             was up there, she made sure that the Goddard Space Flight 
             Center was a leader in exploring the unknown. Like the 
             supernova named after her, she has absolutely astonished 
             us with her brilliance, and nothing will be quite the same 
             after she leaves here.
                Her work in the Senate has made it possible for so many 
             women and girls across America to put their hat in the 
             ring and say: ``I want to run for office, and I can do 
             it.''
                Senator Mikulski said it best--there are so many 
             wonderful quotes I will always use--when she said: ``Put 
             your lipstick on, square your shoulders, and suit up. Go 
             into the fight and get things done.'' That has become a 
             mantra for us in working together.
                I thank Senator Barb. You will be greatly missed, but I 
             know you have so much more to give. I know you will always 
             make a difference in people's lives in every single thing 
             you do every single day, and we will be forever grateful.

                Ms. MIKULSKI. Madam President, again, I thank the 
             gentlelady from Michigan. We both have master's degrees in 
             social work. I joke, but I am actually serious when I say 
             we are certified do-gooders. When people hear about social 
             work, they sometimes think it is about giving money away, 
             but it is really about trying to help people build lives, 
             build families, and therefore build the Nation. The 
             Senator from Michigan's championship in that area has been 
             amazing to me.
                I am so glad my friend from Michigan is here in the 
             Senate, whether she is standing up for the people in 
             Flint, MI, so they have safe drinking water, or standing 
             up for those who need help in the area of food and 
             nutrition so there aren't food deserts in communities. 
             That is one of the biggest public health initiatives. If 
             you are a diabetic, you can't comply if all you can get is 
             fast food and french fries. If you are a child, you need 
             good food and good nutrition. My friend knows more than 
             anybody that you need to feed the body, the mind, and the 
             spirit, and she has certainly done that. It has been great 
             being your pal and partner.
                Many people don't know this, but Senator Cardin and I 
             commute every day. When those appropriation cycles got 
             pretty late, after midnight, the gentlelady from Michigan 
             offered her home to me. We had a saying: ``Stop whining 
             and have a glass of wine.'' There was nothing like being 
             able to talk about your day with a colleague who will 
             offer inspiration and encouragement at the end of the day. 
             My friend offered her home, but she has really fought for 
             so many people to have a home and a community in order to 
             have what they need so they can learn and prosper in this 
             country.
                I just wish you so much and wish you all the best.
                Thank you very much.

                The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Delaware.

                Mr. COONS. Madam President, I wish to offer a few brief 
             comments, if I might, so I may thank and congratulate 
             Senator Mikulski for her tireless contributions to the 
             State of Maryland and the whole country.
                As many know, she is a passionate, capable, effective 
             champion for people of all backgrounds, and she got her 
             start in local government. One of the things we have in 
             common is that I, too, started in a very humble office as 
             a county council member in my home community of New Castle 
             County, DE.
                The way I first met Barbara Mikulski and first saw her 
             toughness, grit, passion, and determination was in a fight 
             over a program she helped give life to, the national 
             service program known as AmeriCorps. AmeriCorps is a 
             fantastic national program that partners with the Federal 
             Government, State, and local governments, the private 
             sector, and nonprofit volunteers. She has been a tireless 
             champion for AmeriCorps over many years and has made a 
             lasting difference in its areas of focus and work.
                During my short 6 years here, she has been a great 
             friend and a mentor to me and to so many others on both 
             sides of the aisle. Joe Biden, our Vice President, has 
             often said: ``Show me your budget, and I will show you 
             your values.'' As leader of the Senate Appropriations 
             Committee, Senator Mikulski helped to lift up our values 
             and helped to make sure we invested in effective programs 
             that made sure we fed the hungry, housed the homeless, 
             fought for manufacturing, and ensured that Federal workers 
             who lived in Maryland and Federal agencies that were 
             rooted, not just in Maryland but around the country, had 
             the resources, support, and capacity to make a lasting 
             difference here in our region and for the entire country.
                I just wanted to add my voice to colleagues who stood 
             here on the floor and said: We are so grateful to Senator 
             Barbara Mikulski for her decades of service to Baltimore, 
             to Maryland, and to our country, and for all she has done 
             to lift us up together.
                Thank you.

                The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mrs. Capito). The Senator from 
             Mississippi.

                Mr. COCHRAN. Madam President, I rise to compliment and 
             congratulate my good friend and colleague, the senior 
             Senator from Maryland, Barbara Mikulski, on her decision 
             to retire from the U.S. Senate. We are going to miss her 
             very much. She has been a very effective Senator in 
             speaking not only as a representative for the State of 
             Maryland but also for the entire country on so many 
             different issues and Federal responsibilities of our 
             government. She has been very successful in every way--
             serving as chair of the Committee on Appropriations, where 
             it has been my pleasure to work closely with her as the 
             vice chair when the Republicans were in the minority, and 
             then coming to chair the committee, with her as the 
             ranking Democratic member during other periods.
                It has been a distinct honor to serve with her on the 
             Appropriations Committee. In 2012, she became the first 
             woman to chair the committee. She has also served as vice 
             chairwoman for the past 2 years. I am pleased that we have 
             been able to work together to report bills that reflect 
             our shared commitment to national security, scientific 
             research, education, and economic development. Senator 
             Mikulski has been a very valuable partner throughout. Her 
             approach to funding decisions as chairwoman and vice 
             chairwoman highlights the importance of the constitutional 
             role of Congress to be good stewards of taxpayer money.
                I congratulate Barbara Mikulski on her distinguished 
             career representing the people of Maryland which reflects 
             great credit on our U.S. Senate. Best wishes to her.
                I yield the floor.

               Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, history is dotted with the 
             stories of trailblazers, people who shape the public 
             discourse at a pivotal moment in time or change the 
             direction of the debate. One of those trailblazers is 
             Barbara Mikulski, the longest serving woman in Senate 
             history, the first woman to represent Maryland in the U.S. 
             Senate, and the first woman to chair the Senate's 
             Appropriations Committee. She is tough. She is direct. She 
             is dedicated. She is a fighter. She is a leader.
               Barbara Mikulski has always fought for our families and 
             our children. From her roots as a social worker and 
             community activist to the levels of leadership in the 
             Senate, she has held firm to her adage that she is not 
             just the Senator from Maryland, she is the Senator for 
             Maryland. From her first years in the Senate until now, 
             she has promoted education, nutrition, health care, and 
             gender equality in the Senate.
               She led our historic efforts to pass the Lily Ledbetter 
             Fair Pay Act--shouting from the rooftops the simple 
             principle that women deserve equal pay for equal work. She 
             continued that legacy with the Paycheck Fairness Act. 
             Wouldn't it be a fitting tribute if the Senate considered 
             and approved that commonsense legislation before she 
             retires?
               Like others in this Chamber, she was a vocal and 
             steadfast supporter of the Violence Against Women Act and 
             our most recent efforts to reauthorize and expand those 
             life-saving programs. She led the efforts to ensure that 
             the Affordable Care Act made clear that no one should be 
             discriminated against in preventive care. Who can forget 
             her fierce advocacy to make the letter of the law clear 
             that being a woman is not a preexisting condition?
               When Barbara assumed the mantle chairing the 
             Appropriations Committee, she brought with her the tough 
             but fair grit that has been her hallmark in the Senate. 
             When asked about earmarks, her retort was simple: ``I've 
             told Senators that if you're opposed to earmarks, I'll 
             honor that and won't include any for your State.'' You 
             always know where you stand with Barbara Mikulski.
               Thirty years ago, when she first came to the Senate, 
             women filled just two seats in this body. When the Senate 
             convenes next year, there will be 21. I hope it won't be 
             another 30 years for the Senate to be truly representative 
             of the country we serve.
               A lifelong Baltimore resident, ``Senator Barb'' has 
             never forgotten her roots, probably because she never 
             left. She remains a Marylander through and through, 
             dedicated to her State and never forgetting that listening 
             to your constituents is the most important job of all. 
             When Senator Mikulski announced her retirement, she told 
             her constituents that the question came down to whether 
             she wanted to spend her time ``raising money or raising 
             hell to meet your day-to-day needs?'' That is Barbara. 
             This rang through in her farewell speech today to the 
             Senate.
               We often talk of the lions of the Senate. Barbara 
             Mikulski ranks among them. I will miss her fierce 
             advocacy, her counsel, her commitment, her tenacity, and 
             her grit. I value her friendship, and we will miss her.

               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, Barbara Mikulski is another fearless 
             leader whom I admire.
               When I first came to the Senate in November 1992, there 
             were only three female Senators: Jocelyn Burdick of North 
             Dakota, who retired a month later; Nancy Kassebaum of 
             Kansas; and, of course, Senator Barb.
               Senator Mikulski often quips, ``I may be short, but I 
             won't be overlooked.'' History certainly will not overlook 
             the contributions she has made.
               Rising to become the first woman to chair the Senate 
             Appropriations Committee, Senator Mikulski is often 
             described as a trailblazer. To the women in the Senate, 
             she is a mentor, the dean of the Senate women.
               From 3 women in 1992 to 20 women Senators today--and 21 
             in the next Congress, much of that progress can be 
             attributed to the leadership of the longest serving woman 
             in Congress, Senator Mikulski. ...
                                             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 Mikulski--what an extraordinary 
             individual. She is a pioneer. She was the first Democratic 
             woman Senator elected in her own right. She is the longest 
             serving woman in the history of the Congress. Barbara 
             Mikulski and history are one and the same. She has made 
             it. She came from very modest roots in Baltimore. She 
             talked yesterday on the floor about her father and mother 
             running a small grocery store in her neighborhood. She 
             took that sense of community, that sense of dedication, 
             and that sense of selfless service to others. As she said, 
             she was inspired by the nuns that taught her, and that 
             inspiration was extraordinary and fully realized in her 
             life. There are a lot of Sisters of Mercy and Sisters of 
             Notre Dame who are sitting back today thinking: I knew 
             that young lady had it in her.
                She certainly did. She led us on the Appropriations 
             Committee, the first woman to chair the committee. She has 
             done so much to assist me on issues that are so important 
             to Rhode Island. I must say that she and Kit Bond, one of 
             her colleagues, were extraordinary in recognizing the 
             problems of lead exposure in children and providing needed 
             resources. I thank her for that.
                She has assisted the fishermen in communities in Rhode 
             Island with real assistance and real aid. She has done it 
             over and over. She has given me profound advice, counsel, 
             and kindness.
                She said yesterday on the floor: ``The best ship in the 
             world is friendship.'' I agree, but ultimately the measure 
             of our service and of our days is kindness. I must say 
             that by that measure, she is a very towering figure in the 
             Senate, in the history of the United States, and I thank 
             her. ...
                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. ENZI. ... Mr. President, I also want to take some 
             time today to speak about the senior Senator from 
             Maryland, Barbara Mikulski. In the years to come, Senator 
             Mikulski will be known for a lot of things that made her 
             years of service to the people of Maryland quite 
             remarkable. It will always be mentioned that she has been 
             the longest serving woman in the history of the U.S. 
             Congress.
                Although that is important, Senator Mikulski did not 
             come to Washington to see how long she could stay. She 
             came here to see how much of a difference she could make. 
             In the end, she served for so many years because of what 
             she was able to do with her time in the House and then in 
             the Senate. The people of Maryland have such a strong 
             affection for Senator Mikulski because they always felt 
             like she was one of them. She never lost touch with the 
             people back home.
                Her family name was well known to the people in her 
             neighborhood because her parents ran a grocery store. 
             Every morning they opened their store early so people 
             could stop by to pick up something before they headed off 
             to work.
                In that, and so many other ways, her family played an 
             important role in the day-to-day life of their 
             neighborhood and her neighbors never forgot that. When the 
             opportunity came for Senator Mikulski to run for a seat in 
             the House representing Baltimore, she didn't hesitate. She 
             took her case to the people and they liked what they 
             heard. She won what was to be the first of a long series 
             of elections, each of which she won easily and 
             impressively.
                Senator Mikulski has a number of interests, and one of 
             the things I am sure she enjoyed about Congress has been 
             her ability to take up a number of those issues to make a 
             difference in people's lives. In everything she has done, 
             she has always found a way to help the people back home. A 
             key example of that is her fight over ``the road.'' The 
             battle dates back to 1966 when Barbara was a social worker 
             in Baltimore. The city council proposed building a highway 
             to connect downtown Baltimore to its suburbs, a plan that 
             Barbara worried would cause Polish-Americans, African-
             Americans, and lower income residents to lose their homes. 
             As is her way, Barbara sprung to action by forming a 
             community group of opposition. The road was blocked. 
             Barbara wound up on the city council, and the area where 
             the road was supposed to be built is now one of 
             Baltimore's biggest draws.
                As far as her work in the Senate goes, one of her many 
             legislative victories that I will long remember is work 
             she did on something that came to be known as Rosa's Law. 
             Rosa was a 9-year-old young lady who was diagnosed with 
             Down syndrome. Her mother was well aware of what a hurtful 
             label things like ``mental retardation'' and ``mentally 
             retarded'' were to those who saw them in the Federal laws 
             that were written to help them. Barbara knew there was 
             only one solution to this problem and that was to 
             eliminate those terms from Federal law.
                I was pleased to be able to help in the effort to pass 
             that bill, seeing how much it meant not only to Rosa and 
             her family but to Senator Barbara Mikulski. Our work on 
             that bill will stay with me and will be a reminder of the 
             reason we work so hard to pass legislation and answer the 
             needs of the people back home.
                In the end, it is all about making lives better. That 
             is something Barbara has done every day of her service in 
             Congress. As the longest serving woman in Congress, she 
             has continued to earn the title of ``Dean of Senate 
             Women.'' She has been a mentor and source of good advice 
             to her colleagues who appreciated being able to ask for 
             her opinion and her guidance on their work on the Senate.
                She certainly helped me when I was a new Senator and 
             was advocating for low-income housing in Jackson, one of 
             the rich areas of our State. With her support, we got that 
             done and made sure there was a mix in the community of 
             different occupations and people.
                Her reputation has been to not only help the Members of 
             the Senate with whom she has served, it also helped serve 
             to encourage the women of Maryland to get active and 
             involved in the work that must be done to make her home 
             State and our Nation better places to live. In a very real 
             sense, her leadership skills have inspired the next 
             generation of Maryland's leaders.
                Now Senator Mikulski is leaving the Senate after having 
             made a difference and leaving her mark on the history of 
             Congress. One of the key things she will be remembered for 
             is her tireless support of NIH. I know they will miss her 
             and her commitment to the principles and values that 
             guided her through her career, from her service on the 
             Baltimore City Council to her work in the House of 
             Representatives and then the Senate. She made a difference 
             everywhere she served. For that reason and for many more, 
             she will never be forgotten.
                My wife Diana and I join in sending our best wishes to 
             Senator Mikulski for her years of service. Now that her 
             Senate adventure has come to an end, she will undoubtedly 
             come up with more challenges to pursue in the years to 
             come. I am hoping these plans might include a followup to 
             her mystery novel that was set in the Senate. We are 
             looking forward to seeing what the next chapter of her 
             life may include.
                Good luck to these fellow Senators.

               Ms. HEITKAMP. Mr. President, today I wish to honor my 
             friend, colleague, and mentor from Maryland, Senator 
             Barbara Mikulski, who is retiring at the end of this year. 
             Barbara has an impressively long and distinguished career 
             in public service, representing her home State of Maryland 
             in Congress for nearly 40 years.
               Since I came to the Senate in 2013, it has been a 
             pleasure to serve alongside titans like Senator Mikulski. 
             As a matter of fact, my first official Senate office was 
             tucked in between hers and then-Senator Rockefeller's on 
             the fifth floor of Hart. As neighbors we formed a friendly 
             bond, and I oftentimes would stop by to chat with her or 
             sometimes just Mrs. O'Malley, who runs a tight ship. On 
             occasion, Senator Rockefeller and I would overstay our 
             welcome, and Mrs. O'Malley would kick us out and send us 
             back to our offices. For those of you who don't know, Mrs. 
             O'Malley has played a critical role in Senator Mikulski's 
             office for nearly 30 years and has helped instill the 
             values of hard work and dedication to a generation of Hill 
             staffers.
               As the longest serving woman in Congress, Senator 
             Mikulski has inspired a generation of women to pursue 
             careers in public service and run for higher office. As 
             dean of the women Senators, Barbara worked to mentor new 
             women Senators on how to be effective legislators and 
             build coalitions across party lines to advance landmark 
             legislation. The bipartisan women's group has met 
             regularly under her leadership, helping bridge partisan 
             divides that so often plague this Chamber by getting 
             Senators to know each other on a personal level over her 
             homemade Maryland crabcakes.
               One cannot mention Senator Mikulski without also 
             mentioning her fierce advocacy and determination to make 
             Maryland and our country a better place to live, work, and 
             raise a family. One of the first bills I cosponsored when 
             I came to the Senate was the Violence Against Women 
             Reauthorization Act, VAWA, which Barbara played a critical 
             role in originally passing. Since its passage in 1994, 
             VAWA has been effective in responding to domestic 
             violence. Additionally, she has worked tirelessly in the 
             fight to close the pay gap for women, who currently earn 
             about three-quarters of what men earn, by advancing the 
             Paycheck Fairness Act, which I have proudly cosponsored 
             twice now. Women shouldn't make 77 percent of what men 
             earn for the same job. This hurts families who are just 
             looking to take care of their kids, put food on their 
             table, and keep a roof over their heads.
               Just as Senator Mikulski has been an advocate for 
             families, she also understands the critical role science, 
             research, and innovation play in creating economic growth 
             in the United States. Maryland is home to several great 
             institutions, such as the Goddard Space Flight Center, 
             which I had the pleasure of visiting last fall, that are 
             at the forefront of their respective fields. When I was at 
             Goddard, the Director showed me the fascinating work their 
             researchers and engineers are engaged in and how NASA's 
             various missions help us enhance crop production and be 
             better stewards of our planet. Her work on the Senate 
             Appropriations Committee has helped keep the United States 
             at the forefront of scientific discovery and technological 
             innovation.
               Senator Mikulski is the best of American public service. 
             She is smart, honest, empathetic, and outrageously funny. 
             She has earned her reputation as a force to be reckoned 
             with. On her next chapter, I wish her Godspeed--and may 
             the force be with her.
                                               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. ...
                So there are two other Senators who are retiring this 
             week, and one of them is Senator Barbara Mikulski. She has 
             been, as the Presiding Officer [Mrs. Capito] knows, the 
             dean of the women in the Senate for a very long time. She 
             is the queen of one liners, and one of my favorite ones is 
             one she uses when she talks about women elected officials. 
             She always says: ``We see things not just at the macro 
             level but at the macaroni-and-cheese level.''
                After a few years when I had been in the Senate, she 
             called us into the President's Room--a number of the women 
             Senators--to gear up for a debate that mattered to the 
             women of this country. She, literally--being short, as she 
             is--stood on the couch in that room and said, ``Gear up. 
             Square your shoulders. Put your lipstick on. Get ready for 
             the revolution.''
                Now, at the time, I was not even sure what the 
             revolution was. I was thinking all the time that she had 
             probably used that line for maybe much weightier things. 
             But that is her life. She is an advocate. She is a leader. 
             She is someone who has championed the women of the Senate 
             and all women in elected office. She is the one who was 
             here first, of her own making. She is not someone who took 
             over a seat after a husband or father had died. She ran, 
             and she ran on her own merit, and she leaves on her own 
             merit. She leaves on the merit of passing incredibly 
             important bills for Maryland, incredibly important 
             legislation for this country. I will miss her as a mentor, 
             and we will always miss her dearly. ...
                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. ...

               Mr. HATCH. Mr. President, today I wish to pay tribute to 
             Barbara Mikulski, who is retiring from the Senate this 
             year, having spent 40 years serving the people of Maryland 
             in Congress.
               Senator Mikulski has been a trailblazer all her life. 
             She grew up in east Baltimore and attended Mount Saint 
             Agnes College and the University of Maryland School of 
             Social Work. She began her career as a social worker and 
             community organizer before being elected to the Baltimore 
             City Council in 1971. In 1976, Senator Mikulski won 
             election to the U.S. House of Representatives, where she 
             served for 10 years before winning election to the Senate 
             in 1986.
               At the time Senator Mikulski began her Senate service, 
             she was one of only two female Senators. Today there are 
             20 female Senators. Next Congress there will be 21. 
             Senator Mikulski has served as a role model and mentor for 
             many of these leaders. She is the longest serving woman in 
             the history of the U.S. Congress and retires as an icon 
             for many young women who dream of serving their country in 
             elected office.
               Senator Mikulski has been a leader for many years on 
             health care, education, and veterans issues. She is the 
             first woman and first Marylander to chair the Senate 
             Appropriations Committee, one of the most influential 
             committees in Congress. Senator Mikulski has been a strong 
             supporter of our Nation's space program throughout her 
             time in Congress and was instrumental in the creation and 
             launch of the Hubble and Webb space telescopes. She even 
             has a supernova named after her--Supernova Mikulski.
               Senator Mikulski has fought long and hard for the people 
             of Maryland and for the issues she believes in. She is 
             tenacious and dedicated and knows how to get things done. 
             I wish her the very best as she moves on to her next 
             endeavor.

               Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, today I wish to pay tribute 
             to a dear friend and colleague, Senator Barbara Mikulski, 
             as she retires after three decades in the U.S. Senate.
               Senator Mikulski has been serving the people of Maryland 
             in one form or another for more than 50 years.
               From her time as a social worker helping at-risk 
             children and seniors, to the Baltimore City Council, to 
             her four decades of service in the U.S. Congress, Senator 
             Mikulski has always been a strong champion for women, for 
             working families, and for Maryland.
               On the rare occasion I have found myself on the other 
             side of an issue from Senator Mikulski, as we in Virginia 
             occasionally have been, I actually find myself wishing 
             Maryland had a little bit less of a tenacious advocate in 
             the Senate than Barbara Mikulski.
               But luckily for me, I have much more often had the good 
             fortune to be standing side by side with Senator Mikulski.
               I have been proud to work with her and learn from her on 
             a great many issues which will remain her legacies even 
             after she leaves the Senate.
               In her position on the Senate Appropriations Committee, 
             for instance, Senator Mikulski has been instrumental in 
             making sure the Federal Government abides by its 
             commitments to Metro, and we have worked together to 
             improve oversight of the system's safety.
               In an environment where they are more often treated as 
             political punching bags than like the dedicated public 
             servants they are, Federal employees have always known 
             that they can count on Senator Mikulski to have their 
             backs.
               Senator Mikulski might occasionally have trouble 
             reaching the microphones--but when it comes to the issues 
             affecting women, children, working families, and Maryland, 
             Senator Mikulski's voice is nearly always the loudest 
             voice in the room.
               Today there are more students in school, more women in 
             the workforce, and fewer seniors living in poverty as a 
             result of her determination and her leadership.
               It is well known in this body that Senator Mikulski is a 
             force of nature, with a wit to match.
               Her signature one liners aren't just funny--though they 
             usually are--but she also has a way of cutting to the 
             heart of the issue and speaking directly to people that I 
             know will be greatly missed by both her colleagues and her 
             constituents.
               It is no surprise that the people of Maryland have 
             chosen, over and over again, to send this extraordinary 
             leader back to the Senate on their behalf.
               Today there are 20 women Senators, but when Barbara 
             Mikulski first decided to ``suit up'' and run for the 
             Senate, women in public office at any level were a rarity 
             indeed--rarer still in this body.
               Thirty years after President Reagan, campaigning for her 
             opponent in that first Senate race, predicted that Barbara 
             Mikulski would go the way of other short-lived fads like 
             the ``Edsel, the hula hoop, and the all-asparagus diet,'' 
             Senator Mikulski retires from the Senate as the longest 
             serving woman in congressional history.
               So while she may be leaving us here in the Senate, one 
             of Senator Barb's greatest legacies may be inspiring 
             generations of American women to follow in her footsteps.
               Senator Mikulski, thank you for your service and your 
             friendship.

               Ms. HIRONO. Mr. President, I wish to recognize the many 
             accomplishments of my colleague Senator Barbara Mikulski, 
             the dean of the Senate women. When she took office during 
             the 100th Congress in 1987, Barbara was the first 
             Democratic woman Senator elected in her own right. There 
             were only two women Senators at the time, Barbara and 
             Nancy Kassebaum. Certain expectations that we could 
             consider arcane, such as women were expected to wear 
             skirts or dresses on the floor, were still in place. In 
             1993, Barbara, Nancy, and their staffs mounted a simple 
             protest--they wore trousers on the Senate floor.
               ``The Senate parliamentarian had looked at the rules to 
             see if it was OK,'' she recounted. ``So, I walk on that 
             day and you would have thought I was walking on the Moon. 
             It caused a big stir.''
               As someone who rarely wears skirts and only wears 
             pantsuits on the Senate floor, I and many others are 
             grateful. This simple act of commonsense defiance, if you 
             will, in a body steeped in tradition, exemplifies 
             Barbara's approach to getting things done and getting on 
             with the important matters of the day. That she is a 
             trailblazer goes without saying.
               Throughout her time in the Senate, Barbara has fought 
             for equal pay for equal work. The gender pay gap costs 
             women hundreds of thousands of dollars over their 
             lifetime. She led the charge in the Senate to pass the 
             Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, and I am proud to stand with 
             her in calling for the passage of the Paycheck Fairness 
             Act and other equal pay proposals.
               As our dean, usually over dinner, we get to know each 
             other on a personal level. In a body where these 
             opportunities are rare, it matters. During summer 2014, it 
             was my turn to host our gathering. I greeted each Senator 
             with a lei, served local food from Hawaii, and hosted a 
             hula performance. The aloha spirit was definitely present.
               The next day, Barbara told me that the dinner was very 
             special and gave her a better understanding about what it 
             must be like to be in Hawaii. It meant a lot to me for 
             Barbara to make that observation because Hawaii truly is a 
             special place where embracing and caring for others, our 
             ohana, is how we aspire to live.
               Barbara has shown her aloha spirit to me and so many 
             others throughout her time in public service. I will miss 
             her wit, leadership, drive, and compassion.
               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, this year we are also saying farewell to 
             our colleague, Barbara Mikulski, the senior Senator from 
             Maryland.
               Senator Mikulski first entered politics almost 50 years 
             ago when she was elected to the Baltimore City Council in 
             1971. Five years later, she was elected to the U.S. House 
             of Representatives and, a decade after that, she was 
             elected to the U.S. Senate.
               Senator Mikulski is the longest serving woman in the 
             history of Congress and is the first woman Senator to be 
             elected in her own right.
               These achievements are notable, but they are not what 
             inspired Barbara to come to work every day.
               Senator Mikulski once remarked that, ``Each one of us 
             can make a difference. Together, we make change.'' That is 
             what Barbara Mikulski sought to do every day.
               As a member of the Health, Education, Labor, and 
             Pensions Committee, Senator Mikulski has championed 
             education, workers' rights, and health care. She has stood 
             up for our children and our seniors.
               As a member of the Appropriations Committee since she 
             arrived in the Senate, Barbara Mikulski has worked 
             tirelessly to ensure that the programs that advance those 
             priorities receive the funding they need to be successful.
               Margaret Chase Smith once said, ``Public service must be 
             more than doing a job efficiently and honestly. It must be 
             a complete dedication to the people and the nation.''
               Senator Mikulski dedicated her life to the people of 
             Maryland and the country. We will miss her in this Chamber 
             and wish her well.

               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, I would also like to honor Senator 
             Barbara Mikulski, who blazed a trail for women in the 
             Senate and always looks out for the members of our 
             communities no matter their gender, race, or identity. As 
             the father of two daughters, as well as a son, I greatly 
             admire Senator Mikulski's work to break barriers for 
             women. She has fiercely fought to ensure that all women 
             have access to essential health care services, is a 
             champion for equal pay, and passed legislation that 
             expanded childcare access for all families.
               A daughter of Baltimore and a former social worker, 
             Senator Mikulski also knows the challenges that our 
             communities face. She has been dedicated to supporting our 
             older industrial communities like Baltimore and Detroit so 
             that they can compete in the new economy. I would also 
             like to recognize her leadership as vice chairwoman on the 
             Appropriations Committee. We owe her a debt of gratitude 
             for her eagle eye and unrelenting spirit in defending 
             essential programs in areas including health care, 
             education, job creation, infrastructure, and national 
             security. Our work on breaking down barriers and advancing 
             these priorities is not yet done, but I thank Senator 
             Mikulski for leading the way. ...
               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.
                     Proceedings in the House of Representatives
                                             Thursday, December 8, 2016
               Mr. SARBANES. Mr. Speaker, I rise today and join with my 
             colleagues from Maryland in congratulating and saluting 
             Senator Barbara Mikulski on her amazing and outstanding 
             career.
               They often say of people that, once they start their 
             career, they never look back. Well, in Senator Mikulski's 
             case, she always looked back. She always remembered where 
             she came from, and she fought for the people of east 
             Baltimore every step of the way.
               I had the pleasure over the years, as I attended events 
             with Senator Mikulski, of gathering what I call Mikulski-
             isms, these golden nuggets of wisdom that you can live by. 
             I wanted to mention a few.
               She used to talk about the need to cooperate. She used 
             to say: ``I am not into finger-pointing; I am into 
             pinpointing.''
               She said, ``When others are wringing their hands, we 
             need to come with a helping hand.''
               She talked about the fact that, behind every me, is a 
             ``we.''
               She talked about how people have three shifts every day: 
             they work at their job, they come home and they work for 
             their family, and they serve in their community.
               I remember her once referring to a particularly futile 
             effort as ``spitting off the Bay Bridge to raise the 
             tide.''
               We love to remember Senator Mikulski's voice. We are 
             going to miss her in this place, but we are going to 
             remember that voice that fought for Baltimore, for 
             Maryland, and for America.

               Mr. RUPPERSBERGER. Mr. Speaker, I rise to salute Senator 
             Barbara Mikulski, the longtime quarterback of Team 
             Maryland, on the occasion of her well-deserved retirement 
             after nearly four decades in Congress.
               Senator Mikulski has truly made history, both by her 
             extraordinary longevity and her tenacious leadership. She 
             is the longest serving woman in the Senate, and the first 
             Democratic woman elected to the Chamber in her own right.
               Barbara and I bonded over our shared passion for local 
             government. We both know it is where the rubber meets the 
             road, and we both believe that all politics is local. That 
             is what has made her so popular and so effective.
               We have both worked hand in hand as appropriators, 
             Senator Mikulski as the ranking member of her respective 
             committee. She has worked tirelessly for critical 
             resources to improve our roads, schools, and police, to 
             create jobs, and create opportunities.
               There are two things about Senator Mikulski that have 
             always impressed me in her public service.
               First, she always relates to her father's corner store 
             on South Eden Street in Baltimore City. When he opened his 
             doors each day, he would say, ``How may I help you?'' 
             Senator Mikulski often quotes that mantra and, more 
             important, lives by it every day of her life for the 
             people of the State of Maryland.
               The second thing that impresses me is a saying she 
             always says, ``It is not about the building.'' Senator 
             Mikulski has never cared about the bricks and mortar. She 
             cares about the people who work inside the building, what 
             they can do, how they help the citizens, and how she can 
             help them.
               Barbara, for all you have done for Baltimore, for 
             Maryland, and for the country, the words ``thank you'' 
             just don't seem enough. I am very proud to call you my 
             friend and mentor, and I wish you all the best in the days 
             ahead.

               Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, I rise in tribute to someone 
             whom I have known and called a friend for many years--over 
             three decades, perhaps four--Barbara Mikulski--the tallest 
             short person I have ever met. She fills a room. Everybody 
             knows when Barbara Mikulski is in the Chamber or in the 
             room or in the auditorium.
               Barbara Mikulski, as you have heard, will retire at the 
             end of this Congress after having served Maryland in the 
             House and Senate since 1977. I had the opportunity to 
             serve with her in this House for some 6 years.
               For 40 years, she has been a voice for the people of our 
             State, not just a voice for all people, but, in 
             particular, for those people whose voices needed 
             amplifying: the poor, the sick, the overworked, the 
             underpaid, the Baltimore dockworkers worried for their 
             jobs, the women earning less than their male colleagues 
             for the same work, the children in foster care or in 
             homeless shelters. All of them have come to see Barbara 
             Mikulski as their champion.
               In many ways, she began her career as a social worker 
             and brought that work to Congress. She returns as one of 
             the most successful social workers in history. She has 
             worked hard to clean up the Chesapeake Bay, to support 
             America's first responders, and to broaden our exploration 
             of space and science. What a giant she has been for NASA. 
             She has helped seniors afford health care and keep 
             America's promise to its veterans. She passed the Lilly 
             Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, introduced the Paycheck Fairness 
             Act to end the wage gap once and for all, and has fought 
             continuously to raise the minimum wage.
               Senator Mikulski blazed the trail as the longest serving 
             woman in the history of Congress; was the first woman to 
             be elected without a relative as a predecessor; and was 
             the first woman and first Marylander to chair the 
             Appropriations Committee. She has left an indelible mark 
             on millions across Maryland and across America.
               I have been proud to serve alongside her and I will miss 
             her in the Capitol as I know so many others will as well. 
             My colleagues and I rise. We will lament the loss of 
             Senator Mikulski as our colleague in the Congress, but we 
             will be so proud that we have been able to call her 
             colleague and friend.

               Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Speaker, I welcome this opportunity to 
             reflect, once again, on Senator Mikulski's vision for 
             America and upon all that she has achieved in public life.
               On a personal note, I am deeply grateful that God has 
             given me the opportunity to know and work with a woman who 
             all would agree is a remarkable human being and a person I 
             am honored to call my friend.
               Barbara Mikulski's progressive values are solid, and 
             they are clear, and we have always known that she would 
             fight for all of us every single day. Less well known, 
             however, is Barbara Mikulski's lifetime vision of bringing 
             all of America's working families together in support of 
             progressive change. Here is a dream that ties together her 
             roots in Highlandtown, in Baltimore, with my own heritage 
             from south Baltimore and west Baltimore.
               She is, indeed, a very special woman. She has never 
             forgotten from whence she has come. One of the things I 
             also love about Barbara Mikulski is that she consistently 
             synchronizes her conduct with her conscience.
               We will miss her, but we know that Barbara will always 
             be fighting for the people of our great city, for the 
             great people of the State of Maryland, and for the people 
             of these great United States.

               Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Mr. Speaker, long before the last ``Star 
             Wars'' movie came out, I said, ``When Senator Mikulski is 
             with you, the Force is with you.''
               Senator Mikulski has been a powerful force for good in 
             Maryland and throughout the Nation. She has been a fierce 
             fighter for American workers, for our veterans, for our 
             seniors, and for people from all walks of life. Her 
             leadership on the Appropriations Committee brought vital 
             investments to the thriving Port of Baltimore and to the 
             Social Security Administration. She has supported security 
             missions in places like Fort Meade, investments in life-
             saving research at the NIH, and discoveries at NASA. She 
             authored the very first bill that was signed by President 
             Obama, the Lilly Ledbetter law, to give women who faced 
             pay discrimination their day in court.
               Barbara Mikulski started in politics by fighting a plan 
             to build a highway through her beloved neighborhood of 
             Fells Point. She won that fight, and, 40 years later, she 
             is still waging and winning fights for working families.
               A few years back, when NASA's scientists discovered a 
             new supernova, they named it Supernova Mikulski, and I 
             know her legacy will always burn bright for Maryland and 
             for our country.
               Thank you, Senator Barb.

               Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, as a Representative from Ohio 
             and as the senior woman in the House, I join my remarks to 
             those of former Congresswoman and now U.S. Senator from 
             Maryland, Barbara Mikulski, in tribute to her incredible 
             service.
               When I first arrived, she was a Member of this House, 
             and I remember how gracious she was to me. Her background 
             from working class, blue collar America--from a steel town 
             like Baltimore, which has transformed since then--brought 
             the concerns and the passion of someone from the working 
             class. She continued on that road every single day whether 
             she was here on the House side or went to the other body 
             as the longest serving woman in U.S. history. Imagine 
             that.
               Baltimore is famous for having little steps that people 
             go into their bungalows from, and she took a giant leap. 
             Even though she was probably still one of the shortest 
             Members of Congress physically, she remains one of the 
             tallest women in American history. I think of her when I 
             look at the dome of the Capitol, and I see the woman 
             facing east--the symbol of liberty. She held aloft high 
             not just the flag, but the vision for an America inclusive 
             of all.
               We wish her Godspeed in the years ahead. I maintain my 
             fond memories of her and of her incredible leadership on 
             every subcommittee on which she served and of the 
             honorable service that she provided not just to the 
             citizens of Maryland, but to our entire country.
               God bless you, Senator Mikulski, your family, your 
             friends, and those who value your service beyond measure.
             
             
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