[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 12]
[Senate]
[Pages 16557-16558]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        TRIBUTE TO BARBARA BOXER

  Ms. HIRONO. Mr. President, today I wish to recognize the 
contributions of

[[Page 16558]]

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

                          ____________________