Press Releases
Congresswoman Barbara Lee Denounces Republican Leadership’s Decision to Strip AUMF Repeal Amendment
July 19, 2017Washington, D.C. - Today, at a bipartisan press conference, Congresswoman Barbara Lee denounced Republican leadership's decision to strip her bipartisan amendment to repeal the 2001 AUMF from in the FY18 'minibus' spending bill. She was joined by Members of Congress and community organizations Vote Vets and Win Without War. "Today was a really sad day for our democracy. Republican leadership's unilateral decision to kill my bipartisan amendment, which would have finally put an end to our perpet… Continue Reading
Congresswoman Lee Blasts Dead of Night Removal of 2001 AUMF Repeal Amendment
July 19, 2017Washington, D.C. - Late last night, Congresswoman Lee's amendment to repeal the 2001 AUMF - which passed with bipartisan support in the House Appropriations Committee - was stripped from the FY2018 Defense, Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, Legislative Branch and Energy and Water Development National Security Appropriations Act. She released the following statement: "Over the years, I've seen Republican leadership deploy every manner of undemocratic, underhanded tactics in Congress. But … Continue Reading
Lee and Serrano Offer Amendment Prohibiting ICE Raids in Sensitive Locations
July 18, 2017Washington, D.C. - Today, Congresswoman Barbara Lee and Congressman José Serrano introduced an amendment in the House Appropriations Committee to the Fiscal Year 2018 Homeland Security bill to prohibit funding for ICE and CBP raids in sensitive locations like schools, hospitals, courthouses, and community health centers. Please click here to watch the full debate on the Lee-Serrano Amendment. Below are her remarks as prepared: "Mr. Chairman, this amendment that I have cosponsored with … Continue Reading
Lee and Pocan Offer Amendments on Trump Administration’s Muslim Ban
July 18, 2017Washington, D.C. - U.S. Representatives Barbara Lee (CA-13) and Mark Pocan (WI-02) today offered two amendments during the Appropriations Committee markup of the FY 2018 Homeland Security bill. The Lee Amendment would have prohibited any federal funding for implementation of the Muslim ban. The Pocan Amendment would have expanded the list of bona fide relationships under the Trump Administration's Muslim ban to include all familial relationships, including grandparents and grandchildren. "Our n… Continue Reading
Congresswoman Barbara Lee Seeks Funding to Strengthen Affordable Housing Programs, Combat Homelessness
July 18, 2017Washington, D.C. - Today, Congresswoman Barbara Lee introduced a set of amendments to the FY 2018 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Appropriations bill. The amendments would increase federal funding for affordable housing programs to assist low-income families and support the fight to end homelessness. Congresswoman Lee introduced two amendments that would invest millions in funding toward preserving affordable housing programs. To bolster the HOME Investment Program, Congresswoman… Continue Reading
Rep. Lee Offers Amendments to Appropriations Bills for FY18
July 17, 2017Washington, D.C. - Last week, Congresswoman Barbara Lee introduced several amendments in the House Appropriations Committee to the Fiscal Year 2018 Commerce, Justice, and Science (CJS), Financial Services, and Agriculture bills dealing with access to healthy food, criminal justice reform, reproductive freedom, and medical marijuana regulations. Congresswoman Lee's amendment funding $1 million for the Healthy Food Financing Initiative (HFFI) was adopted into the Agriculture Appropriations bill. … Continue Reading
Congresswoman Barbara Lee’s Statement on the Passage of the National Defense Authorization Act
July 14, 2017Washington, D.C. - Congresswoman Lee released the following statement following the passage of the FY18 National Defense Authorization Act: "The National Defense Authorization Act should be a roadmap for reigning in Pentagon waste and responsibly drawing down our endless wars overseas. Instead, Congressional Republicans have chosen to bankroll bloated Pentagon spending and funnel billions into the Overseas Contingency Operations slush fund, while refusing to address our fundamental obligation t… Continue Reading
Rep. Lee Statement on Meeting with Speaker Ryan to Discuss Repeal of 2001 AUMF
July 12, 2017Washington, D.C. - Congresswoman Lee released the following statement on her meeting with Speaker Ryan to discuss the repeal of the 2001 AUMF. Her amendment to the Defense Appropriations bill would repeal the 2001 AUMF within eight months of enactment, allowing Congress ample time to debate and vote on any replacement AUMF: "Earlier today, I met with Speaker Ryan to discuss my amendment to repeal the 2001 Authorization for the Use of Military Force (AUMF) in the Defense Appropriations bill. "I… Continue Reading
Congresswoman Lee Statement on Passage of Diversity and Inclusion Amendment
June 29, 2017Washington, D.C. - Today, Congresswoman Barbara Lee's amendment to address unconscious bias in hiring and managing Congressional staff passed the Appropriations Committee. This amendment directs the Chief Administrative Officer to issue a report addressing the ways in which Members and staff with hiring and management responsibilities can be given the tools to combat unconscious bias. "The staff who work in the halls of Congress should reflect the diversity of America - in every respect. Howev… Continue Reading
Congresswoman Lee Statement on Passage of AUMF Amendment
June 29, 2017Washington, D.C. - Today, Congresswoman Barbara Lee's amendment to repeal the 2001 AUMF passed the Appropriations Committee in a bipartisan vote. This amendment would repeal the 2001 AUMF 240 days after enactment of the DOD Appropriations bill. "At long last, I am pleased that my Democratic and Republican colleagues supported my effort to put an end to the overly broad blank check for war that is the 2001 AUMF. If passed into law as part of the DOD bill, it would repeal the 2001 AUMF eight mon… Continue Reading
Congresswoman Barbara Lee and Congressman Michael Burgess Re-Introduce the Audit the Pentagon Act of 2017
June 28, 2017Washington, D.C. - Today, Congresswoman Barbara Lee and Congressman Michael Burgess held a bipartisan press conference to re-introduce the Audit the Pentagon Act of 2017. This legislation would impose a penalty of 0.5% on the Pentagon each year that it fails to undergo an audit. "What's taking place at the Pentagon is simply outrageous. It's been nearly twenty-seven years since Congress passed the Chief Financial Officers Act of 1990, which required an audit of every agency. In the two and a h… Continue Reading
Congresswoman Lee: CBO Estimate for Senate Trumpcare Bill is a ‘Warning to the American People’
June 26, 2017Washington, D.C. - Congresswoman Barbara Lee released the following statement on the Congressional Budget Office's estimate on the Senate plan to repeal the Affordable Care Act: "The Congressional Budget Office's report on the Senate Republican 'health care' bill is a warning to the American people. If we do nothing - and allow this heartless bill to become law - 22 million of our neighbors and loved ones will lose lifesaving health coverage. "Families would be forced to choose between filling… Continue Reading
Congresswoman Barbara Lee Leads Call to Uber, Tech Industry to Address Diversity Deficit in Leadership
June 26, 2017Washington, D.C. - Today, Congresswoman Barbara Lee along with the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) - led by Chairman Cedric Richmond and Representatives G.K. Butterfield and Emanuel Cleaver- sent a letter to Uber, calling on the ride-share service company and other technology firms to prioritize diversity when filling senior leadership positions. "When the Congressional Black Caucus Diversity Task Force launched CBC TECH 2020 in May 2015, we cautioned leaders in the tech community that its lac… Continue Reading
Congresswoman Barbara Lee Marks One Year Anniversary of House Gun Violence Sit-in
June 23, 2017Washington, D.C. - Congresswoman Barbara Lee released the following statement today on the first anniversary of House Democrats gun violence sit-in on the House Floor: "One year ago today, I was proud to join my colleagues on the House Floor to demand action on the epidemic of gun violence in America. Democrats, led by Congressman John Lewis, sent a message loud and clear to Republicans: enough is enough, Americans deserve to be safe in their own communities." "Sadly, instead of working with D… Continue Reading
Congresswoman Barbara Lee Cosponsors Voting Rights Advancement Act
June 22, 2017Washington, D.C. - Today, Congresswoman Barbara Lee cosponsored the Voting Rights Advancement Act (VRAA), legislation which restores protections for voters in states with a recent history of discrimination. Four years after the Supreme Court's decision to gut the Voting Rights Act in Shelby County v. Holder, the VRAA addresses discriminatory voter ID laws, racial gerrymandering, and other voter suppression tactics enacted across the country. "Voting is the bedrock of our democracy. No American … Continue Reading
Rep. Barbara Lee Slams Senate Republicans’ Heartless Anti-Health Legislation
June 22, 2017Washington, DC - Congresswoman Barbara Lee released the following statement on Senate Republicans' Trumpcare bill: "It appears that Senate Republicans have done the impossible: they've made a morally bankrupt, heartless health care plan even worse. "Once again, President Trump and his Republican friends have shown just how out-of-touch they are with the needs and concerns of the American people. This bill would kick struggling families off of Medicaid and disproportionately devastate communiti… Continue Reading
Congresswoman Barbara Lee, Members of Congress File Largest Congressional Lawsuit in History Against President Trump
June 20, 2017Washington, D.C. - Last week, Congresswoman Barbara Lee along with nearly 200 Members of Congress filed a complaint in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia against President Trump, whose ongoing failure to disclose his foreign business dealings violates one of the Constitution's critical anti-corruption provisions: the Foreign Emoluments Clause. Congresswoman Barbara Lee released the following statement after Members of Congress held a press conference providing updates on the l… Continue Reading
Congresswoman Lee Marks 152nd Observance of Juneteenth
June 19, 2017Oakland, CA - Congresswoman Barbara Lee released the following statement in observance of Juneteenth: "Today we pause to celebrate and commemorate Juneteenth - the day in 1865 when news of slavery's end finally made its way to Galveston, Texas. More than two years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation, news of the Proclamation and the Union's victory in the Civil War had not reached Galveston, Texas. On this day, 152 years ago, all African Americans could finally claim their freed… Continue Reading
Statement from Bipartisan Cuba Working Group on President Trump's Plan to Roll Back Cuba Normalization Efforts
June 16, 2017Washington, D.C. - The Bipartisan Co-Chairs of the Cuba Working Group (CWG), Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA), Congressman Rick Crawford (R-AR), Congresswoman Kathy Castor (D-FL), and Congressman Tom Emmer (R-MN), released the following statement regarding President Trump's announcement that he intends to roll back the policies that expanded travel to and trade with Cuba: "We strongly disagree with the decision to reinstate failed isolationist policies towards Cuba. Restricting travel and trade… Continue Reading
Rep. Barbara Lee Slams President Trump’s Backwards Decision on Cuba
June 15, 2017Washington, D.C. - Congresswoman Barbara Lee released the following statement on the Trump Administration's reported decision to reverse Obama-era policies normalizing U.S. relations with Cuba: "I am appalled and saddened by the reports that President Trump will reinstate failed isolationist Cuba policies. Instead of considering the best interests of the American and Cuban people, the president has made a political decision to squander jobs, severely restrict travel, and undermine our internati… Continue Reading