A resolution honoring Senator Barbara Mikulski for becoming the longest-serving female Senator in history.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my warm congratulation for All Souls' Episcopal Church for its monumental 150th Anniversary. All Souls' Episcopal Church has lived up to its mission since its early establishment. Today, the Church continues to serve the Harlem community residents with great pride. For the last 150 years, All Souls' have walked through difficult paths, but each time the congregation and the leadership has been able to overcome the struggles.

All Souls' long history began in 1859 when early members gathered in a large room of a Depot on Sixth Avenue. Two years later, due to an unexpected demographic expansion, the leadership saw that it was necessary to relocate to a more suiting location. The construction of a new Church began. The consecration of the 48th Street became the home of the community up until 1906. In between this period, at least until 1902, All Souls' had reached its apogee. Under the leadership of Reverend Dr. Herber Newton, the Church was considered the most ``fashionable'' out of all churches in town. Reverend Dr. Newton's preaching and charisma were able to draw members from all classes and backgrounds. At this time, the exploding list of membership brought back the reconsideration of relocating the Church. The consecration was moved from 48th Street to 66th Street.

In 1902, Reverend Dr. Newton retired due to advancing age. The congregation was grateful for his leadership and bright visions. In 1906, All Souls' merged with the Church of the Archangel and relocated to the present location on 88 St. Nicholas Avenue. The two Churches stood side by side, sought strength for one another while reaching out to the community with high dedication and enthusiasm.

In the 1920s, the drastic change of demographic of the era was noticeable. Hispanics and African Americans began to move uptown, where at the time this area was heavily consisted of Caucasian population. A great lesson was learned with this new change. While our Nation was sunk into a deep racial violence and movements against the Black communities, All Souls' took the utmost civil action to defeat racism that occurred within the Church's leadership. The disagreement, which led to bitterness took place between the Vestry and Reverend Dodd, displays a valuable lesson for many to learn--one must stand up to speak for his or her principle despite social surrounding pressures. The courageous act of Reverend Dodd and Bishop Manning eventually enabled ``all people in the neighborhood'', regardless of race and color, to attend the services.

The livelihood of the Church was revived under the leadership of Reverend Lauder. Under his ministry, All Souls' was able to welcome old and new members. In addition, the Church was able to contribute to the community through programs. Reverend Lauder led the congregation and the community to establish a program, which reached out to assist those who needed shelters. This action

strongly reflects the mission of the church from the beginning and sends a genuine message to the community that together there is nothing we cannot do.

All Souls' Episcopal Church has contributed much to the strength and growth of Harlem. In the last few years, All Souls' has provided after school and summer programs, which were made available not only to Church members but to the entire community. This is the kind of message our community needs. Not only that All Souls' preaches the idea of openness and lending hands to those who have less than us, but it actually put the idea to practice and have certainly made an impact on one's life.

Mr. Speaker, colleagues, allow me to take this moment to wish All Souls' Episcopal Church and its congregation a special 150th Anniversary in this extraordinary moment of their history. With one and a half century of chronicle, struggles, and achievements, I can say without hesitation that All Souls' has become an essential element leading to the remarkable transformation of Harlem. The victory in the battle against racism within the Church contributed to the overall victory of the Civil Rights movement about four decades later. I am grateful for this institution's existence and its extensive efforts to reach out to all people regardless of race or color.

Mr. President, I am honored to join my colleagues in honoring my mentor and dear friend, Senator Barbara Mikulski, on becoming the longest serving woman in the history of the Senate. For more than 24 trailblazing years, Senator Mikulski has been one of the Senate's fiercest advocates for women, families, and for the people of Maryland who have now elected her to the Senate for five consecutive terms. Before she arrived in Washington in 1977 as the Representative from the Third District of Maryland, Senator Mikulski already had a distinguished career in public service, working in Baltimore as a social worker, then a community activist, and as a city council member. When she was first sworn in as a Member of the House of Representatives, she was one of just 18 female Members. When she entered the Senate 10 years later as the first Democratic woman Senator elected in her own right, she was one of just two women in this upper Chamber. But while those numbers have intimidated most, they only motivated and emboldened Senator Mikulski. She soon impressed her colleagues, as she continues to do today, with her work ethic, determination, keen understanding of issues, humor, and her commitment to her constituents.

She has broken many barriers in her career. She was the first woman ever elected statewide in Maryland, the first to chair an appropriations subcommittee, and the first woman to serve in the Democratic leadership. If we are no longer surprised today when we see women in power in Washington, it is only because we had pioneers such as Barbara Mikulski. As she recently told CNN: ``I might be the first, but I don't want to be the last.''

There are now 17 women serving in the Senate, and Senator Mikulski, the dean of the women, is our leader and our champion. I was both humbled and honored to have her escort me when I was sworn in as a Senator 2 years ago. That was just the beginning of her ongoing mentorship. Although the Senate can often be bogged down by partisanship, I appreciate that Senator Mikulski encourages and creates an environment of teamwork, respect, and friendship. But while we today mark her place in history as a woman Senator, she is widely regarded as one of the most respected, accomplished, and effective public servants in all of Congress. To use Senator Mikulski's own words, she showed it is not about gender, it is about agenda.

She is one of the Senate's strongest advocates for science and technology and the importance of investing in innovation to spur our economy. In fact, earlier this year, I was watching a 3D movie about the Hubble telescope at the Smithsonian with my daughter, a scientist, and there was Senator Mikulski featured in the movie for her role in preserving the telescope's budget, a feat she calls one of her proudest accomplishments.

She also wrote the Spousal Anti-Impoverishment Act, which protects seniors across our country from going bankrupt while paying for a spouse's nursing home care.

She shepherded through the Lilly Ledbetter Act, which helps to ensure that no matter your gender, your race, your national origin, religion, age, or disability, you will receive equal pay for equal work.

She fought tenaciously for her important amendment to health care reform legislation ensuring that a comprehensive list of women's preventive services, such as screenings for breast and cervical cancer, would be covered with no added out-of-pocket expenses.

I thank Senator Mikulski for her mentorship, her leadership, and her fierce belief in the empowerment of women in our communities and in public office. I congratulate her on this tremendous accomplishment, and I join my colleagues in looking forward to many more years of her distinguished service.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today with an amendment that would, quite simply, allow the President to continue to consult an Advisor on Energy and Climate Change.

Section 1535 of this bill, which forbids the President from hiring such an advisor, wouldn't save taxpayers a penny.

Section 1535, which my amendment would strike, is a misguided attempt to tell the President who he can and cannot consult.

Mr. Speaker, I ask you, would any member of this body allow us to deny them counsel on energy and climate issues?

This is NOT a rhetorical question--every member of this body that employs a staffer on energy or climate issues should carefully consider whether they would deny the President that same counsel.

Whether or not you agree with the President on energy and climate issues, I would ask you--is it appropriate to silence those with whom you disagree?

I would also remind my colleagues that Section 1535 of this bill, which my amendment would strike, does not save taxpayers any money at all--not even a penny.

All it does is deny the President the ability to consult with a certain type of advisor.

Section 1535 is an unprecedented intrusion into the President's ability to retain and consult advisors on issues of national importance.

And energy and climate change are issues of national importance.

In light of recent catastrophes like the BP oil spill, ongoing efforts to prevent the EPA from doing its job, and rising rates of mortality and morbidity due to unhealthy air, land, and water--it is more important than ever that we support increased resources for the President and the Administration to do their job of keeping us, and our environment, safe and healthy.

I've stood on this House floor many times, some of them in recent days, and talked about decreasing wasteful government spending.

I've written whitepaper reports, both in Congress and while a Cook County Commissioner, detailing the importance of streamlining and reinventing government.

But, the crux of those arguments is predicated on the fact that I believe that what the government does matters--that government's mission matters.

What we do here today, and tomorrow, and the day after that, matters.

But this CR, which combines ideologically driven cuts with pretend cuts, like Section 1535, is not the answer.

Taking a sledgehammer to non-defense discretionary spending is not the answer.

We've got to talk about what programs are working and support them at the same time we cut the ones that don't work.

We're facing a climate crisis--a climate crisis that has become political and polarizing, pushing leaders into opposite corners of this debate.

But the facts aren't a debate if they're based on science.

And science says that for decades and centuries to come we're going to be dealing with rising temperatures, acidic oceans, extinct species, and skyrocketing healthcare costs due to dirty air.

In these trying times, we're trying to tell the President of the United States he doesn't have the right to counsel on energy and climate change?

With all due respect, Section 1535 is an unserious attempt to achieve some measure of fiscal responsibility.

But the truth is, it hacks away at the constitutional separation of powers and doesn't save taxpayers any money at all.

How we address energy and climate change issues will matter for our children, and our children's children.

We must not hamstring our ability to do so.

I urge my colleagues to support this amendment.

Mr. President, I have another resolution at desk. I ask it be now considered.

I move to reconsider the vote by which the resolution was agreed to.

Mr. President, I now ask unanimous consent the following Senators be recognized to speak on this resolution and Senator Mikulski's historic milestone--I would note for Senators, we will be in a period of morning business when we complete the business of today-- Reid of Nevada for 2 minutes, McConnell for 2 minutes, Cardin for 2 minutes, Snowe for 2 minutes, and Mikulski for 3 minutes. I ask unanimous consent.

Mr. President, I came to the Senate in January 1987, in the same class as Barbara Mikulski. Every sixth January since, including today, Barbara Mikulski and I have been sworn in together. Taking that oath is humbling and meaningful for every Senator, but it is a little more meaningful this time around for Senator Mikulski, for Maryland, and for our country. She is now the longest serving woman Senator in our Nation's history.

She has had a pathbreaking career, and that is an understatement. She was the first woman to serve in the Senate Democratic leadership when we elected her our caucus secretary and she was the first woman ever to serve on the Senate Appropriations Committee.

The woman whose record she breaks was a significant Senator in her own right. Margaret Chase Smith of Maine was the first woman to be elected to both the House and the Senate.

I know Senator Mikulski very well. She is my friend and my confidant. I know that more than any records, she is most proud of what she has done with that time, time she has dedicated to tireless, passionate, and effective advocacy for those who need a voice or even a hand.

She is as committed to social and economic justice as any Senator who has ever served in this great Chamber and she has won the admiration and respect of her colleagues, both Democrats and Republican, especially those for whom she has given her time and her advice as a mentor and a role model.

Alongside all her records and accomplishments, I will always admire the way she led us in one of our darkest days. As evening fell on Washington, DC, for the first time after the Twin Towers fell in New York, hundreds of Members of Congress, from the House and the Senate, walked outside to the steps of the Capitol. We joined hands. Then, in a moment of silence, Senator Mikulski suggested we all sing ``God Bless America.'' We did. I will never forget that moment.

I will always remember a speech this good woman gave more than two decades ago. Senator Mikulski, Senator John Glenn, and I went on a trip to Poland, back when it was behind the Communist Iron Curtain. John Glenn, who, of course, was an international celebrity in addition to being a Senator, captivated the crowd. We were in a basement, meeting with some dissidents. Knowing Senator Mikulski is of Polish descent, I asked if she could speak next, after Senator Glenn. I thought she would say a few words about her heritage. I have heard a lot of speeches in my life, but none has ever moved me more than the speech Barbara Mikulski gave in that basement in Warsaw, Poland.

Congratulations to my friend, Senator Barbara Mikulski, and the State of Maryland for returning such a strong public servant to the Senate on their behalf.

Mr. President, the Senate boasts many persuasive voices, but there are few stronger than that of Senator Barbara Mikulski. To call her a trailblazer does not do justice to her long and storied career in Congress, representing the people of Maryland and advancing women's rights, civil rights, and justice for all Americans. This week, she becomes the Senate's longest serving woman Senator in U.S. history.

First elected to the House of Representatives in 1976, and to the Senate in 1986, Senator Mikulski has served the people of Maryland with honor and distinction. In Congress, she has remained committed to her roots in public service, which began as a social worker in Baltimore, helping at-risk children and helping seniors. After 5 years on the Baltimore City Council, Marylanders in the State's third congressional district sent Senator Mikulski to Congress, where she has continued her hard work and tireless advocacy for women and families.

Atop her list of priorities has been giving voice to issues concerning women's health. She worked to establish the National Institutes of Health Office of Women's Health and to implement standards to ensure that all women have access to quality mammography. She fought to expand access to maternity care. Most recently, through Senator Mikulski's leadership, the historic Affordable Care Act included strong antidiscrimination provisions to ensure that being a woman is no longer a pre-existing condition.

In early 2009, Senator Mikulski further proved she is, in fact, a force to be reckoned with, when her tireless efforts to advance the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act resulted in that legislation being one of the first laws to be signed by President Obama. Since the Supreme Court's 2007 decision in Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire, Senator Mikulski worked relentlessly to restore congressional intent and reverse the Court's decision to give employers blanket immunity for their discriminatory pay practices. The Ledbetter Fair Pay Act restored victims' ability to file suit for pay discrimination, and was an important step forward in ensuring that all workers receive equal pay for equal work.

I have been honored to work with Senator Mikulski in her capacity as

chairwoman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice and Science, where she has championed important programs to support state and local law enforcement, crime victims, and critical support programs for victims of domestic violence. I share her commitment to investing in the men and women who are charged with keeping our communities safe, and providing important support to victims of violence.

There is no question that Senator Mikulski is a leader in the Senate. As the dean of the Women of the Senate, she serves as a mentor to other women Senators who join the Chamber. She is a dedicated public servant, a strong voice for women, a consensus builder. She has said she is ``first and foremost the Senator from Maryland and the Senator for Maryland.'' For more than three decades, many of us have been proud to call her a friend.

I join with many others in congratulating Senator Mikulski on this historic achievement.

(At the request of Mr. Reid, the following statement was ordered to be printed in the Record.)

Mr. President, I want to say a few words about my dear friend, dear colleague, someone I so admire--Senator Barbara Mikulski-- on her remarkable accomplishments. Today, she took the oath of office, the Senator from Maryland, and made history as few others can make. Senator Mikulski has long been affectionately known here in the Senate as the dean of the women. Now she is officially the longest serving female Senator in the history of this great Nation.

This distinction adds to the considerable respect and admiration I already have for Senator Mikulski and who she is and what she does. Barb, like me, came from a decidedly middle-class beginning. We often talk about her dad, Willie, who owned a grocery store in east Baltimore, and my grandfather and dad--Jake and Abe--who were exterminators. They were similar because they were people of the community. Barb would tell me that people

would come in during difficult times--they had lost their job--and Willie would say, pay me when you can. It wasn't quite the same with my family, but my grandfather and then father, like him, felt people who had roaches or rats crawling through their little houses and apartments, when they couldn't pay, shouldn't have that service cut off for them.

So we were both infused with that great upwardly mobile, middle- class, help your neighbor, be part of a neighborhood, be part of a community feeling. Barb started her career as a social worker and made a name for herself when she led the fight to stop a highway project from destroying a historic section of her community. That is what launched her into politics. Like our best politicians, she came from the community. She didn't decide to be a politician, she came from the community, took on a fight, and saw how she could make government a friend to the people. So she went from the Baltimore City Council to the House of Representatives, and then, of course, to this august Chamber.

Throughout that time, she has never lost sight of from where she came. She has fought tirelessly and effectively to protect Maryland's seniors, ensuring they have access to an affordable, healthy, and happy environment. She has been a leading advocate of medical research, securing billions in funding for cutting-edge research into things as diverse as breast cancer and Alzheimer's. She has helped countless women and veterans get the health care they need, and the list goes on and on.

Let me say one other thing. As somebody who believes that we have to focus on the middle class, talk to the middle class, and have middle- class feelings and values infused in our bones, no other Senator does that as well as Senator Mikulski because it is who she is and because-- being the essentially humble and modest person she is--she has never lost sight of where she has come from.

So Senator Barb--as her constituents know her--you are beloved here as much as you are beloved in your home State of Maryland. Your sense of humor, your tenacity, your work ethic, your love of community, and your mother's crab cake recipe are unrivaled.

It is an honor to serve alongside such an accomplished woman. Senator Mikulski, congratulations again. You are a great Senator and a great friend.

Mr. President, I rise today to join my colleagues in honoring the Senator from Maryland, Barbara Mikulski--the longest serving woman in the history of the U.S. Senate.

It has been an honor to serve with Senator Mikulski in my 2 years in this body. She quickly became a dear friend and a valuable mentor--just as she has been for all of her other female colleagues as the dean of the women Senators.

It wasn't until 1932 that Hattie Caraway became the first woman ever elected to the U.S. Senate. And it wasn't until a half century later-- 1986--that against all odds, Barbara Mikulski became the first Democratic woman ever elected to the Senate in her own right.

Now the longest serving woman in this Chamber's entire history, Senator Mikulski is showing just what is possible when you ignore conventional wisdom, never stop fighting for what is right and just, and honor our commitment to the families that elect us every single day.

One of her hallmark battles has been the fight for equal pay for equal work for women. This is not only an issue of

justice, but an economic imperative. Even today, for every dollar a man makes, a woman makes just 78 cents--a disparity that is even worse for women of color. Latino women make just 53 cents, and African-American women make just 62 cents for every dollar a man makes. I know Senator Mikulski won't give up until we correct this outrageous injustice.

She also fought to strengthen our laws against domestic violence, and open up access to health screenings and treatment that can save lives. And, she led the fight against insurance companies that made being a woman a pre-existing condition.

Senator Mikulski has always fought to protect women's health and a woman's right to choose. Last year, I was proud to stand with her to defeat the dangerous Stupak amendment that would have denied lifesaving reproductive care for the women of this country--a victory we would not have won without Senator Mikulski.

In the words of Eleanor Roosevelt, ``the battle for the individual rights of women is one of long standing, and none of us should countenance anything which undermines it.''

It is that spirit--never backing down in the face of injustice-- Senator Mikulski is one of the strongest voices we have for women in this country and women around the world.

And every single day she's paving the way for more women in leading roles in America. There still may only be 17 women serving in the Senate today, but with her leadership and her strong voice, Senator Mikulski is showing the young women and young girls of this country that women's voices matter and are needed in the public debate.

Whether it is here on Capitol Hill or in State capitols around the country or heading small business or the boardrooms of major companies, Senator Mikulski is helping to inspire the next generation of women leaders by showing that our voices solve problems and lead to change.

Each of us owe her a debt of gratitude for her vision and pioneering spirit.

Thank you, Senator Mikulski, and congratulations on your historic achievement. It is an honor to work with you, and I hope to serve with you for many years to come.

Mr. President, I want to join my colleagues in congratulating Senator Barbara A. Mikulski as she becomes the longest serving female Senator in American history.

Senator Mikulski and I began our Senate careers in the 1980s, and it has been my privilege to serve with her. We have worked together on many, many issues, including 975 bills. Two hundred eighty-five of those bills passed the Senate and 184 were signed into law, including the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009 in the last Congress. I am proud of our combined accomplishments and to call her my colleague and friend.

It is a great honor to serve with Senator Mikulski. Senator Mikulski and I have more in common than some know. My life-changing experience with the VISTA program in the 1960s fueled my commitment to public service in much the same way Senator Mikulski's experience as a social worker in Baltimore fueled hers. Our early experiences remain the foundation of our shared commitment to quality health care for all people. Senator Mikulski and I have worked tirelessly together to expand access to cancer screenings and increase funding for medical research, including Alzheimer's disease. I was proud to stand with Senator Mikulski last year to pass historic health care reform. Her commitment to opening doors for all members of our society is to be commended.

Even though she stands at 4'11" and I at 6'7", we have stood eye-to- eye in supporting our veterans. And, we had many opportunities for collaboration as she was working on the Appropriations Committee and I chaired the Veterans' Affairs Committee. It is easy to work with someone like Senator Mikulski who is so committed to her values and the people she represents.

The first female senator, Rebecca Latimer Felton of Georgia, only held office for 1 day in 1922, having been appointed by Governor Thomas Hardwick upon the death of Senator Thomas Watson. During her first and last Senate address, she said ``When the women of the country come in and sit with you, though there may be but a very few in the next few years, I pledge that you will get ability, you will get integrity of purpose, you will get exalted patriotism, and you will get unstinted usefulness.'' Rebecca Felton's words forecast Senator Mikulski. There is no question that she has brought all of these skills and attributes, and much more, to the U.S. Senate over these last 24 years.

In some ways it is hard to believe Senator Mikulski is now the Senate's longest serving female Senator. She does a great job, and I understand she takes on the additional role of mentor to many new female Senators. I am thankful for that contribution which surely strengthens our entire Senate.

The people of Maryland made a wise choice in reelecting this remarkable Senator. I look forward to celebrating her next milestone in just over 2 years when she will become the longest serving female Member in the history of Congress.