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




                      TRIBUTES TO BARBARA MIKULSKI

  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 United States 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 
okay,'' 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 the summer of 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.''

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