[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 48 (Thursday, March 22, 2012)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1994-S1995]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  TRIBUTES TO SENATOR BARBARA MIKULSKI

  Mr. LIEBERMAN. Madam President, I rise today to join my colleagues in 
congratulating Senator Barbara Mikulski from Maryland on becoming the 
longest-serving woman in the history of Congress. Senator Mikulski has 
thus reinforced her distinctive mark on this institution and her 
unmistakable place in our Nation's history.
  Those who have worked beside Senator Mikulski know her to be a 
dynamic force of nature. While she is not the tallest senator, she 
reaches the greatest heights with her strong principles, indomitable 
spirit, and steely resolve.
  From the neighborhoods of east Baltimore to the Halls of Congress, 
she has spent her career in the political trenches fighting for 
others--for women, for working Americans, and for her beloved Maryland. 
Senator Mikulski has been a practical leader for better women's health 
care. She fought to have women included in clinical trials and medical 
research at the National Institutes of Health and helped establish 
federal standards for mammograms.
  Her impact is not only felt in the lives of those she serves, but 
also in her relationships with those she serves with. At this time in 
our politics when the partisanship pulls us apart, when tribal 
instincts have coarsened our discourse and weakened our bonds, Senator 
Mikulski is a unifying force of comity in the Senate. She brings a 
sense of civility and a sense of humor to this institution at a time 
when both are sorely needed.
  Women senators fondly know Senator Mikulski as their Dean. She hosts 
regular bipartisan dinners for them and is a trusted mentor. She 
understands that while many of us come to Congress with competing 
goals, at the end of the day, we are colleagues. We have to work 
together. Unless we can affirm our bonds as colleagues and fellow 
humans, the work we are tasked with by the American people will not get 
done, and the public interest will suffer as a result.
  Senator Mikulski's remarkable career continues to inspire women 
across our country on the nobility of public service and the ability 
for one person to bring about positive change in the lives of others. 
It is a pleasure to serve beside her, and I wish her my very best for 
many more productive years here in the Senate.
  Mr. BENNET. Madam President, today I want to honor Senator Barbara 
Mikulski, who has represented the people of Maryland for more than 35 
years, and who earlier this week became the longest-serving female 
Member of Congress. Senator Mikulski is a fighter, a fearless leader 
and a role model for women and young girls everywhere, including my 
three daughters, Caroline, Halina and Anne.
  During the course of her distinguished career, Senator Mikulski has 
been an incredibly effective advocate, and in particular has taken a 
leadership role in mentoring other women as they follow in her 
footsteps to the halls of Congress. She has represented Maryland 
exceptionally well--on issues ranging from civil rights and the 
environment, to issues affecting working families and our criminal 
justice system.
  Tracking Senator Mikulski's career is also a good way to follow the 
progress of women in our country. When first elected to Congress for 
Maryland's 3rd district in 1976, Senator Mikulski was one of 21 women 
serving in Congress. Today there are 92 women serving, thanks in large 
part to the trailblazing efforts of Senator Mikulski.
  Through her work in an array of roles, from the women's amendment in 
the Affordable Care Act to her leadership on the Senate Subcommittee on 
Children and Families, Senator Mikulski is known as a coalition 
builder. This role has led her to cultivate personal and professional 
partnerships among the members of the Senate. Likely some of the 
country's most important work is done during the bipartisan dinners she 
frequently hosts for her female Senate colleagues.
  I am proud that my first vote as a Senator in January 2009 was in 
favor of one of Senator Mikulski's bills, the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay 
Act, which guarantees women equal pay for equal work. And I have 
thoroughly enjoyed

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working with her in the Senate HELP Committee on Elementary and 
Secondary Education Act reauthorization and passage of the Affordable 
Care Act. I look forward to continuing to work with Senator Mikulski on 
these and other important issues in the Senate.
  March is Women's History Month, and I can think of no better time to 
honor and reflect on what Senator Mikulski's work has meant to the 
United States Senate and to her constituents in Maryland. Let us follow 
the leadership of Senator Barbara Mikulski and continue to fight for a 
better America.
  Mr. WARNER. Madam President, I want to join my colleagues in today's 
well-deserved accolades for my friend, Barbara Mikulski.
  The other day, as often happens to most of us here, I found myself 
temporarily waylaid by an informal scrum of reporters in one of the 
Capitol hallways. And, unknown to me, I was blocking Senator Mikulski's 
path. She made me aware of that fact in her distinctive and typically 
endearing way: ``Hey, Tall and Lanky--make way for Short and Stocky!'' 
she said.
  But it is not just that humor and good nature that makes Barbara 
Mikulski such a great colleague and friend. As a resident and colleague 
from an adjoining State, I respect all she has done at the local level, 
in the U.S. House and now in the Senate, to move the National Capital 
Region forward in terms of the regional ties that join together this 
special region where we live and work.
  You see, Virginia and Maryland share more than just a common border. 
Our two States are home to hundreds of thousands of hard-working and 
under-appreciated Federal workers and retirees. Our States share safety 
and funding concerns related to Metro. We each have a shared 
responsibility in our stewardship of the Chesapeake Bay. Maryland and 
Virginia also share world-class NASA facilities on the Eastern Shore.
  As a friend, I appreciate her leadership role in helping this first-
time legislator--and recovering former Governor--make the sometimes 
difficult adjustment to this body. As the father of three daughters, I 
am grateful for the doors Senator Mikulski has opened--and sometimes 
kicked-open--for young women.
  Senator Mikulski truly is a force of nature. She is tough, focused 
and extremely effective. And as these testimonials demonstrate, Senator 
Mikulski is widely respected and loved by current and former members of 
this body.
  I am pleased to join these colleagues in thanking Senator Mikulski 
for her service, her leadership and her friendship.

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