Obama Praises Sen. Mikulski’s Career

Published at 10:47 am, March 2, 2015

EastIdahoNews.com Staff

Pete Souza / The White House(WASHINGTON) — President Obama praised Sen. Barbara Mikulski’s career on Monday, after she announced she was retiring to fight for the people of Maryland.

“Senator Mikulski is more than just a legendary senator for the people of Maryland, she’s an institution in the United States Senate. Barbara’s service to the people of Maryland spans decades, but her legacy will span generations,” Obama said in a statement.

“Barbara is the longest serving woman in Congress, and her leadership serves as an inspiration to millions of women and girls across the globe to stand up and lead,” the president continued.

At a news conference Monday, Mikulski, D-Md., said she doesn’t want to spend her time “campaigning for me. I want to campaign for the people.”

Mikulski, 78, who was first elected to the Senate in 1986, added, “I’m gonna be around. I’m Senator Barb.”

Read President Obama’s full statement on Sen. Barbara Mikulski below:

Senator Mikulski is more than just a legendary senator for the people of Maryland, she’s an institution in the United States Senate. Barbara’s service to the people of Maryland spans decades, but her legacy will span generations. Barbara is the longest serving woman in Congress, and her leadership serves as an inspiration to millions of women and girls across the globe to stand up and lead.

As the Chairwoman and now Vice Chairwoman of the Senate’s Appropriations Committee, Barbara has always known that our budgets should reflect our deepest held values. In that spirit, Barbara has wielded her gavel and used her booming voice to advocate on behalf of paycheck fairness, childcare, health care, education, women’s rights and countless issues that have contributed to the strength of America’s families.

Thanks to her leadership, more women excel in their careers, more children have access to quality education, more families have health insurance and more people are treated fairly under the law.

I look forward to working with Senator Mikulski over the course of the next two years, and Michelle and I extend our warmest wishes to Barbara in her next endeavors.

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