Hoyer Responds to Mikulski Retirement

WASHINGTON, DC –“For nearly four decades as a Member of the United States Congress, Barbara Mikulski has been Maryland’s untiring fighter for justice and opportunity and a trailblazer for breaking down barriers.  It has been my honor to serve alongside her in the House for six years and then to see her elected as Maryland’s Senator in 1987, since then becoming the longest-serving woman in that body and in Congress as a whole.

“Throughout her years in office, she has drawn on her experience as a social worker and community activist in Baltimore to sponsor and advance legislation to ensure that the most vulnerable in our country are protected from poverty, hunger, and disease and that the opportunities inherent in the American Dream are open to as many of our people as possible.

“Senator Mikulski was the author of the Paycheck Fairness Act to help close the wage gap for women and has been a leading supporter of Child Care and Development Block Grants.  As the senior member of the Maryland Congressional Delegation, Senator Mikulski has led our efforts to make sure that Maryland has the resources it needs to sustain strong communities, invest in public safety, and promote the growth of jobs for a growing middle class – and she made history for our state and our country when she became the first woman Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee in 2012.

“Senator Mikulski has spent her life in service to her city, her state, and her country, and her retirement will be a great loss to the Congress in which she has served with such distinction.  I join in thanking her for her service and wishing her all the best for the future.”