article_snippet: Sen. Barbara Mikulski, the longest serving woman in the history of Congress, announced Monday that her will not run for re-election. '
article_snippet: the 78-year-old old Maryland Democrat, now in her fifth term, said her asked her when deliberating whether to seek a sixth term next year. '
article_snippet: Senate Appropriations Committee Ranking Democrat Barbara Mikulski, a Marylander shown in 2012, announced that her plans for the future don't include Congress .
article_snippet: Senate Appropriations Committee Ranking Democrat Barbara Mikulski, a Marylander shown in 2012, castigated Republicans on Feb. 24 for refusing to pass a Homeland Security funding bill without a string attached that would de-fund the persident's executive actions on immigration .
article_snippet: Mikulski, a tough, no-nonsense lawmaker who rose to the leadership of the powerful Appropriations Committee, became the longest-serving woman in the history of Congress in 2012.
article_snippet: her was first elected to the House of Representatives in 1976 and has served in Senate since 1987.
article_snippet: her said that when her term has ended, 'I will know that I will have given it my best shot.'
article_snippet: her becomes the second Senate Democratic woman to announce Her retirement this year, following Barbara Boxer of California.
article_snippet: After a short tenure as chairman, Mikulski now is the top Democrat on the panel after Republicans captured control of the Senate in last November's elections. '
article_snippet: Mikulski played off former CIA Director Michael Hayden's recent comment that Senate Intelligence Committee Chairwoman Dianne Feinstein, a California Democrat, was motivated by 'emotional feeling' when Mikulski sought an investigation of the spy agency's harsh treatment of terrorism suspects .
highlights_snippet: Mikulski is a Maryland native who bas been in Congress since 1976 and a senator since 1987 .
  
highlights_snippet: Mikulski's exit announcement came just weeks after a similar announcement from California Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer .