Photo: Nick Ut/AP PhotoPresidentJoe Bidenis praising former Rep. Pat Schroeder for her pioneering work in Congress following her death on Monday.Schroeder, who represented Colorado from 1973 to 1997, died in Florida on Monday. She hadrecently suffered a strokeand was in the hospital, her former press secretary, Andrea Camp, told Associated Press. She was 82.“Pat Schroeder was a pioneer,” President Biden said in a statement shared with PEOPLE Tuesday. “In her 24 years in Congress, she seized every opportunity to advance equality for women, and the laws she helped pass fundamentally reshaped our country for the better.“Among Schroeder’s impressive accomplishments was the passing of the Pregnancy Discrimination Act in 1978, which protected women’s jobs after childbirth, and the 1993 Family and Medical Leave Act, “which allowed millions of women and men to care for family members without losing their jobs,” Biden added in the statement.Stephan Savoia/AP PhotoBiden, 80, also commended Schroeder’s contributions to laws opening jobs in the military to women, as well as legislation that increased access to “early screening for breast and cervical cancer for lower-income women.““On issue after issue, Pat stood up for basic fairness, sensible policy, and women’s equal humanity. The result was a legislative record that changed millions of women’s lives – and men’s lives – for the better,” said Biden.Biden also shared that he and Schroeder teamed up across the House of Representatives and the Senate in 1994 to pass the Violence Against Women Act. He said he “saw firsthand Pat’s moral compass, legal mind, and political savvy” as they worked together.“She inspired a generation of public servants, proved that a young mom could be a formidable Congresswoman, and did it all with legendary wit,” he continued.Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.Joe Mahoney/AP PhotoFormer House Speaker Nancy Pelosi released her ownstatementTuesday, calling Schroeder’s death “a profound loss.““On Capitol Hill, Congresswoman Schroeder was a trailblazer: the first woman to represent Colorado in Congress and the first woman to serve on the House Armed Services Committee. A co-founder of the Congressional Women’s Caucus, Congresswoman Schroeder relentlessly fought against sexism – not only across the Country but in the Capitol.“Pelosi added, “It was my great personal privilege to serve with Congresswoman Schroeder, whom many of us consider one of the bravest women to ever serve in the halls of Congress.”

Photo: Nick Ut/AP Photo

Pat Schroeder speaks to a reporter during an interview at the Los Angeles Convention Center on April 30, 1999. Schroeder, a former Colorado representative and pioneer for women’s and family rights in Congress, died Monday night, March 13, 2023, at the age of 82. Schroeder’s former press secretary, Andrea Camp, said Schroeder suffered a stroke recently and died at a hospital in Florida, the state where she had been residing.

PresidentJoe Bidenis praising former Rep. Pat Schroeder for her pioneering work in Congress following her death on Monday.Schroeder, who represented Colorado from 1973 to 1997, died in Florida on Monday. She hadrecently suffered a strokeand was in the hospital, her former press secretary, Andrea Camp, told Associated Press. She was 82.“Pat Schroeder was a pioneer,” President Biden said in a statement shared with PEOPLE Tuesday. “In her 24 years in Congress, she seized every opportunity to advance equality for women, and the laws she helped pass fundamentally reshaped our country for the better.“Among Schroeder’s impressive accomplishments was the passing of the Pregnancy Discrimination Act in 1978, which protected women’s jobs after childbirth, and the 1993 Family and Medical Leave Act, “which allowed millions of women and men to care for family members without losing their jobs,” Biden added in the statement.Stephan Savoia/AP PhotoBiden, 80, also commended Schroeder’s contributions to laws opening jobs in the military to women, as well as legislation that increased access to “early screening for breast and cervical cancer for lower-income women.““On issue after issue, Pat stood up for basic fairness, sensible policy, and women’s equal humanity. The result was a legislative record that changed millions of women’s lives – and men’s lives – for the better,” said Biden.Biden also shared that he and Schroeder teamed up across the House of Representatives and the Senate in 1994 to pass the Violence Against Women Act. He said he “saw firsthand Pat’s moral compass, legal mind, and political savvy” as they worked together.“She inspired a generation of public servants, proved that a young mom could be a formidable Congresswoman, and did it all with legendary wit,” he continued.Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.Joe Mahoney/AP PhotoFormer House Speaker Nancy Pelosi released her ownstatementTuesday, calling Schroeder’s death “a profound loss.““On Capitol Hill, Congresswoman Schroeder was a trailblazer: the first woman to represent Colorado in Congress and the first woman to serve on the House Armed Services Committee. A co-founder of the Congressional Women’s Caucus, Congresswoman Schroeder relentlessly fought against sexism – not only across the Country but in the Capitol.“Pelosi added, “It was my great personal privilege to serve with Congresswoman Schroeder, whom many of us consider one of the bravest women to ever serve in the halls of Congress.”

PresidentJoe Bidenis praising former Rep. Pat Schroeder for her pioneering work in Congress following her death on Monday.

Schroeder, who represented Colorado from 1973 to 1997, died in Florida on Monday. She hadrecently suffered a strokeand was in the hospital, her former press secretary, Andrea Camp, told Associated Press. She was 82.

“Pat Schroeder was a pioneer,” President Biden said in a statement shared with PEOPLE Tuesday. “In her 24 years in Congress, she seized every opportunity to advance equality for women, and the laws she helped pass fundamentally reshaped our country for the better.”

Among Schroeder’s impressive accomplishments was the passing of the Pregnancy Discrimination Act in 1978, which protected women’s jobs after childbirth, and the 1993 Family and Medical Leave Act, “which allowed millions of women and men to care for family members without losing their jobs,” Biden added in the statement.

Stephan Savoia/AP Photo

President Bill Clinton introduces Rep. Pat Schroeder, of Colorado, during a ceremony honoring community heroes from flood-afflicted states in St. Louis, on Aug. 12, 1993. Schroeder, a pioneer for women’s and family rights in Congress, has died at the age of 82. Schroeder’s former press secretary, Andrea Camp, said Schroeder suffered a stroke recently and died Monday night, March 13, 2023, at a hospital in Florida, the state where she had been residing.

Biden, 80, also commended Schroeder’s contributions to laws opening jobs in the military to women, as well as legislation that increased access to “early screening for breast and cervical cancer for lower-income women.”

“On issue after issue, Pat stood up for basic fairness, sensible policy, and women’s equal humanity. The result was a legislative record that changed millions of women’s lives – and men’s lives – for the better,” said Biden.

Biden also shared that he and Schroeder teamed up across the House of Representatives and the Senate in 1994 to pass the Violence Against Women Act. He said he “saw firsthand Pat’s moral compass, legal mind, and political savvy” as they worked together.

“She inspired a generation of public servants, proved that a young mom could be a formidable Congresswoman, and did it all with legendary wit,” he continued.

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Joe Mahoney/AP Photo

U.S. Rep. Pat Schroeder, D-Colo., sits on the porch outside her Capitol Hill headquarters in Denver on July 18, 1994. Schroeder, a pioneer for women’s and family rights in Congress, has died at the age of 82. Schroeder’s former press secretary, Andrea Camp, said Schroeder suffered a stroke recently and died Monday night, March 13, 2023, at a hospital in Florida, the state where she had been residing.

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi released her ownstatementTuesday, calling Schroeder’s death “a profound loss.”

“On Capitol Hill, Congresswoman Schroeder was a trailblazer: the first woman to represent Colorado in Congress and the first woman to serve on the House Armed Services Committee. A co-founder of the Congressional Women’s Caucus, Congresswoman Schroeder relentlessly fought against sexism – not only across the Country but in the Capitol.”

Pelosi added, “It was my great personal privilege to serve with Congresswoman Schroeder, whom many of us consider one of the bravest women to ever serve in the halls of Congress.”

source: people.com