[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 12]
[Senate]
[Page 16418]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      TRIBUTE TO BARBARA MIKULSKI

  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. And on her next chapter, I 
wish her Godspeed--and may the force be with her.

                          ____________________