Hoyer Floor Remarks Paying Tribute to Senator Barbara Mikulski
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congressman Steny H. Hoyer (MD-05) spoke on the House Floor to pay tribute to Senator Barbara Mikulski's service in the United States Congress. Below is a transcript of his remarks and a link to the video:
Click here to watch the video.
"Mr. Speaker, I rise today in tribute to someone who I have known and called a friend for many, many years, over three decades and, perhaps, four.
"Barbara Mikulski is the tallest short person I have ever met. She fills a room, everybody knows when Barbara Mikulski is in the chamber or in the room or in the auditorium.
"Barbara Mikulski, as you've heard, will retire at the end of this Congress after having served Maryland in the House and Senate since 1977. I had the opportunity to serve with her in this House for six years.
"For forty years, she has been a voice for the people of our state. Not just a voice for all the people, but – in particular – for those people whose voices needed amplifying: the poor, the sick, the overworked, and the underpaid.
"The Baltimore dock workers worried for their jobs. The women earning less than their male colleagues for the same work. The children in foster care or homeless shelters. All of them have come to see Barbara Mikulski as their champion.
"In many ways, she began her career as a social worker and brought that work to Congress. She [retires] as one of the most successful social workers in history.
"She's worked hard to clean up the Chesapeake Bay, support America's first responders, broaden our exploration of space and science—what a giant she has been for NASA—help seniors afford health care, and keep America's promise to its veterans.
"She passed the Lilly Ledbetter Equal Pay Act, introduced the Paycheck Fairness Act to end the wage-gap once and for all, and has fought continuously to raise the minimum wage.
"Senator Mikulski blazed a trail as the longest-serving woman in the history of Congress, the first woman to be elected without a relative as a predecessor, and the first Marylander to chair the Appropriations Committee.
"And she's left an indelible mark on millions across Maryland and across America.
"I've been proud to serve alongside her and will miss her in the Capitol, as I know so many others will as well. My colleagues and I rise — we will lament the loss of Barbara Mikulski as a colleague in the Congress, but we will be so proud to have called her our colleague and our friend."