On the recordMarch 21, 2012
I come to the floor this afternoon to celebrate Barbara Mikulski's service to this country. I had the honor of presiding for the last hour and heard the statements of so many of my colleagues. I heard them talk about how, when she joined this Chamber in 1986, Barbara Mikulski was the first woman elected to the Senate who was not preceded by a husband or a father, the first woman elected to the statewide office to serve the State of Maryland, and only the 16th woman to have served in the Senate ever. Today she is truly the dean of women Senators. She is a mentor and a friend to the rest of us, and she has always set the bar high. This is a woman who took on city hall as a young social worker in Baltimore-- and won. This is a woman who has championed landmark legislation that has touched the lives of millions on issues ranging from health care to education to civil rights. She has shattered glass ceilings, not just in the Senate but in the Congress as a whole. If that is not enough, she has even graced the glossy pages of Vogue magazine.…
