Press Releases
Rep. Lee: Graham-Cassidy is a Betrayal of our Fellow Americans
September 20, 2017Washington, D.C. - Congresswoman Barbara Lee released the following statement on the Graham-Cassidy proposal to block grant Medicaid and take away health care coverage and protections for millions of Americans: "Every American will get sick at some point. When a child is having an asthma attack, or a parent has been diagnosed with dementia, or a spouse is fighting metastatic cancer, families should be able to focus on care - not cost. "Graham-Cassidy would prevent people from getting the healt… Continue Reading
Rep Barbara Lee: Congress Must Stop Abdicating its Duty to Debate War
September 13, 2017Washington, D.C. - Congresswoman Barbara Lee released this statement on the Senate vote to table Senator Paul amendment to sunset the 2001 and 2002 Authorization for the Use of Military Force (AUMF): "For sixteen years, Congress has abdicated its fundamental constitutional responsibility to debate and vote on matters of war and peace. While young men and women risk their lives for this country, Congress has been unable to muster the courage to vote on our endless wars. "Earlier this year, my … Continue Reading
Engel, Ros-Lehtinen, Lee, Curbelo, Espaillat Lead 75 Members in Urging Trump to Protect Foreign Nationals in U.S. After Hurricane Irma
September 12, 2017WASHINGTON-Representative Eliot L. Engel (D-NY), Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee; Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), Chairman Emeritus of the House Foreign Affairs Committee; Representative Barbara Lee (D-CA); Representative Carlos Curbelo (R-FL); Representative Adriano Espaillat (D-NY) and 70 others today wrote President Trump urging him to grant Temporary Protected Status (TPS) to foreign nationals in the United States who are from Hurricane Irma-affected regions … Continue Reading
Hoyer, Lee Statement on 2016 Census Bureau Report
September 12, 2017Washington, D.C. - House Democratic Whip Steny H. Hoyer (MD) and Congresswoman Barbara Lee (CA), chair of the Democratic Whip Task Force on Poverty, Income Inequality, and Opportunity, released the following statement in response to today's report by the U.S. Census Bureau: "Today's report by the U.S. Census Bureau makes one thing abundantly clear: under President Obama's leadership, our recovery spread across the economic spectrum. We've seen sustained improvement in the three key economic ind… Continue Reading
Booker, Lee Introduce Bicameral Bill to Remove Confederate Statues From Capitol
September 07, 2017Washington, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) and U.S. Representative Barbara Lee (D-CA) introduced a bicameral bill to remove Confederate statues from the U.S. Capitol. The Confederate Monument Removal Act would remove all statues of people who voluntarily served the Confederate State of America from the National Statuary Hall Collection within 120 days. "The National Statuary Hall Collection is intended to honor American patriots who served, sacrificed, or made tremendous contribu… Continue Reading
Congresswoman Barbara Lee Statement on President Trump’s Cruel End of DACA
September 05, 2017Washington, D.C. - Congresswoman Barbara Lee released the following statement on President Trump's announced decision to end DACA: "The United States of America is, has been, and will always be a nation of immigrants. As such, our immigration policies should be focused on keeping families together, not tearing them apart. "Undocumented students who were brought to the U.S. through no fault of their own are working, going to school, living their lives, and contributing billions to the American … Continue Reading
Congresswoman Barbara Lee Marks Labor Day with Call to Raise the Minimum Wage
September 04, 2017Washington, D.C. - Today, Congresswoman Barbara Lee released the following statement in observance of Labor Day. "Our workforce is the most productive in world history. Yet despite constant innovation in manufacturing, technology and efficiency, millions of Americans remain locked out of the American dream. "In communities across this nation, discrimination and institutional barriers are holding wages stagnant and restricting opportunity. Sadly, women and communities of color bear the brunt o… Continue Reading
Congresswoman Barbara Lee & East Bay Leaders Stand Against Bigotry & Hate
August 22, 2017Oakland, CA - Today, U.S. Congresswoman Barbara Lee, California State Senator Nancy Skinner, California Assemblyman Rob Bonta, California Assemblyman Tony Thurmond, Alameda County Supervisor Keith Carson and Berkeley Mayor Jesse Arreguin hosted a press conference to condemn hatred, bigotry and violence, ahead of a planned white nationalists rally in Berkeley. "President Trump has emboldened white nationalists but we must hold steadfast to our progressive values as a community, regardless of th… Continue Reading
Congresswoman Barbara Lee Hosts Immigrants’ Rights Forum
August 22, 2017Oakland, CA - Today, Congresswoman Barbara Lee hosted a forum to discuss the Trump Administration's immigration policies and the direct impact these policies will have on the East Bay. "We have already witnessed President Trump's enhanced deportation policies in our community, with the heartless deportation Maria & Eusebio Sanchez. Sadly, more members of our community are in danger of being forced to say goodbye to the communities they've called home for many years," said Congresswoman Le… Continue Reading
Congresswoman Barbara Lee: There is No Military Solution in Afghanistan
August 21, 2017Washington, D.C. - Congresswoman Barbara Lee released the following statement in response to President Trump's announced plan to keep U.S. troops in Afghanistan. "I am deeply troubled by President Trump's failure to outline a comprehensive strategy to bring an end to our nation's longest war. After sixteen years at war, one thing is clear: there is no military solution in Afghanistan. Any lasting peace in Afghanistan must be secured through diplomacy. Further military engagement will only put o… Continue Reading
Congresswoman Barbara Lee Calls for Censure of President Trump After Remarks Excusing White Supremacists
August 17, 2017Washington, D.C. - Congresswoman Lee released the following statement after joining a resolution as an original co-sponsor calling for the censure of President Trump in the wake of his offensive remarks on August 15th when he asserted that "both sides" were to blame for the violence in Charlottesville and failed to fully denounce white supremacist and Neo-Nazi organizations: "I am horrified and outraged by President Trump's words and deeds following the violence in Charlottesville. Make no mis… Continue Reading
Congresswoman Barbara Lee, Quad Caucus Demand Immediate Removal of Steve Bannon, Sebastian Gorka and Stephen Miller from White House
August 15, 2017Washington, D.C. - Today, Congresswoman Barbara Lee and leadership of the Congressional Quad-Caucus - which is composed of chairs of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC), the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC), the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) and the Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) - sent a letter to President Donald Trump calling for the immediate removal of Steve Bannon, Sebastian Gorka and Stephen Miller from the White House. Bannon, Gorka and Miller serve as s… Continue Reading
Congresswoman Lee Calls for De-Escalation of Tensions with North Korea
August 10, 2017Washington, D.C. - Today, Congresswoman Lee joined Ranking Member John Conyers and more than 60 of their Democratic colleagues in sending a letter to Secretary of State Rex Tillerson urging the Trump Administration to exercise restraint with North Korea. "President Trump's belligerent rhetoric towards North Korea is dangerous. It's imperative that President Trump de-escalate tensions and pursue diplomacy with North Korea," said Congresswoman Lee. "Instead of saber-rattling, we should be pursuin… Continue Reading
Congresswoman Lee Responds to Deportation of Oakland Constituents
August 10, 2017Oakland, CA - Today, Congresswoman Lee released the following statement regarding the deportation of Oakland constituents Maria and Eusebio Sanchez: "Maria and Eusebio have lived in the Bay Area for more than twenty years. They are the parents to four beautiful children. Maria cares for sick patients at Highland Hospital and Eusebio has worked as a truck driver for over a decade. In their spare time, they give back to our community. Last year, they finally managed to buy a home in Oakland. The… Continue Reading
Congresswoman Lee Appointed Democratic Congressional Representative to the United Nations
August 02, 2017Washington, D.C. - Congresswoman Barbara Lee was appointed to serve as Congressional Representative of the United States to the Seventy-Second Session of the General Assembly of the United Nations. Congresswoman Lee will continue to represent the 13th Congressional District of California while she assumes the duties of a Representative to the United Nations. Below is her statement regarding the appointment: "I am deeply honored by this nomination to be a Representative of the United States to t… Continue Reading
ICYMI: POLITICO Magazine: How Barbara Lee Became An Army of One
August 01, 2017Washington, D.C. - Earlier this summer, Congresswoman Barbara Lee's amendment to repeal the 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) passed the Appropriations Committee with overwhelming bipartisan support, only to be stripped by Republicans on the Rules Committee at the request of Speaker Paul Ryan. On Sunday, POLITICO Magazine published a profile on Congresswoman Barbara Lee's vote against the 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force and her efforts to repeal it over the last 16… Continue Reading
Rep Barbara Lee’s Statement on the Senate ACA Repeal Vote
July 28, 2017Washington, D.C. - Congresswoman Lee released the following statement on last night's defeat of Senate Republicans' Affordable Care Act repeal bill: "Make no mistake: the American people have saved the Affordable Care Act. This victory belongs to the persistence of our constituents, who called and emailed and marched and showed up at town halls to protect their care. It's time for Republicans to face the facts - the ACA is here to stay. "I hope last night's vote was a wake-up call to my Republ… Continue Reading
Congresswoman Barbara Lee Introduces Resolution to Increase Access to Affordable Housing
July 28, 2017Washington, D.C. - Today, Congresswoman Barbara Lee introduced H. Con. Res. 74, reaffirming that all people deserve access to safe, affordable, and decent housing. The resolution supports expanded federal funding of affordable housing programs and affirms expansion of renters' rights because housing is a basic human right. "Housing is a basic human right. For far too long heartless budget caps have prevented us from making the necessary investments to ensure all Americans, especially the most … Continue Reading
Congresswoman Lee Slams Republican Obstruction of Bipartisan AUMF Repeal Amendments
July 26, 2017Washington, D.C. - Congresswoman Lee released the following statement on the defeat of her amendments, which would have repealed the 2001 AUMF and sunset funding for operations conducted under the 2001 AUMF, in the House Rules Committee: "For far too long, Congress has failed in its fundamental responsibility to debate matters of war and peace. Congress is missing in action - it's past time for us to do our job. "This week, I offered an amendment in the House Rules Committee to restore my bip… Continue Reading
Members of Congress Demand Answers on Cuts to Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program
July 26, 2017Washington, D.C. - 149 Members of Congress, led by Representatives Barbara Lee (CA-13), Lloyd Doggett (TX-35), Michelle Lujan Grisham (NM-1), Ted Deutch (FL-22), Pramila Jayapal (WA-7), and Marc Veasey (TX-33), sent a letter to Secretary Tom Price, requesting an explanation for the decision to unexpectedly cut short the Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program (TPPP) project period from five to three years. This harmful decision could endanger the long-term sustainability of proven programs. "The Teen… Continue Reading