Political Quotes

“I couldn't be more pleased as well as privileged to join all of my colleagues today in congratulating a very good friend and colleague, the dean of the women of the Senate, Senator Barbara Mikulski, on overtaking Congresswoman Edith Nourse Rogers as longest serving woman in the history of the Congress. As someone who has had the privilege of knowing Senator Mikulski since 1978 when I was first elected to the House of Representatives, for me, this milestone represents a watershed moment in the life of American politics. For nearly 35 years, I have witnessed Barbara Mikulski summon and harness a seemingly limitless reservoir of energy as a fierce advocate and a champion on behalf of the people of Maryland as well as the country. With equal parts vigor and vigilance, she has demonstrated a devotion to her constituents that has been unerring in its promise and ironclad in its purpose. It is precisely that caliber of service that the people of Maryland have rewarded time and time again. As I stated on this very floor at the outset of this Congress when she surpassed the length of service of Maine's legendary Senator Margaret Chase Smith, Senator Mikulski is synonymous with ``the special bond of trust which should exist between the governing and the governed.'' She has ``recognized injustice and acted boldly to quell it . . . giving a voice to the voiceless . . .…”