“Senator Barbara Mikulski’s historic 25th year in the Senate is a reason to celebrate. This remarkable Senator’s principled, highly effective leadership, her dedication to fairness and equality, and her extraordinary work championing issues important to women and families is unsurpassed in Congress today. As the longest-serving female senator in United States history, she is both a symbol of how far our nation has come and an inspiration for other women seeking public office.

As the Senate’s dean of women, Barbara Mikulski has been an organizer, a mentor, a champion, a role model, and a powerful and persistent advocate. She has pioneered measures to help women meet the dual demands of work and family, fought for equal pay and against discrimination of all kinds, promoted women’s health including the right for all women to access reproductive health services, and protected the interests of older women as Social Security and pension policies were developed.

We congratulate Senator Mikulski on the start of her historic fifth term. The nation is better off because of her leadership. As we look to the challenges facing women and families in coming years, it is reassuring to know that Maryland voters have returned Barbara Mikulski to the Senate so she can continue fighting for the measures that women and families need, and for progress for our nation.”