Sen. Barbara Mikulski (Md.) spoke for the Democratic women of the Senate at the Democratic convention Wednesday.
Mikulski, the longest serving woman in Congress, called for more women to enter government and make it more productive.
“We work on macro issues and macaroni-and-cheese issues. When women are in the halls of power, our national debate reflects the needs and dreams of American families,” Mikulski said Wednesday night in Charlotte, N.C. “Women leading means that Congress is working to create jobs, make quality child care more affordable and strengthen the middle class because we understand that America grows the economy and opportunity from the middle out, not the top down.
“These are our priorities. These are President Barack Obama's priorities,” she said.
Mikulski said she was proud that the first bill President Obama signed was the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act — Ledbetter spoke Tuesday night at the convention.
“That first bill was about America's first principles: equality, opportunity and prosperity,” Mikulski said. “Republicans in the Senate blocked our efforts to go further and end pay discrimination once and for all. We, the women of the Senate, with President Obama by our side, will keep fighting — our shoulders square, our lipstick on — because you deserve equal pay for your hard work.”
