Press Releases
Congresswoman Lee Appointed Democratic Congressional Representative to the United Nations
September 16, 2019Washington, D.C. - Today, The White House and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced the appointment of Congresswoman Barbara Lee to serve as Congressional Representative of the United States to the Seventy-Fourth Session of the General Assembly of the United Nations. This is the fourth time Congresswoman Lee has been appointed to this position. Congresswoman Lee will continue to represent the 13th Congressional District of California while she assumes the duties of a Representative to the United … Continue Reading
Congresswoman Barbara Lee Observes the 18 Years Since Her No Vote on Blank Check for War Authorization
September 14, 2019Washington, D.C. - In recognition of the 18 years since Congresswoman Barbara Lee was the sole "no" vote on the 2001 Authorization for the Use of Military Force (AUMF) on September 14, 2001, Rep. Lee released the following statement: "I voted against the 2001 AUMF because I believed it was a blank check for endless war. Sadly, this turned out to be true. A recent report from the Congressional Research Service showed that the 2001 AUMF has been used as a justification for military force 41 times… Continue Reading
Congresswoman Lee Welcomes the Opening of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s 2019 Annual Legislative Conference
September 11, 2019WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, Congresswoman Barbara Lee released the following statement ahead of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation's 2019 Annual Legislative Conference where she will serve as an honorary co-host for four panel discussions and receive several awards, including the 2019 Phoenix Co-Chair Award: "This year's Annual Legislative Conference takes on special meaning as we mark the 400th anniversary of enslaved Africans arriving on our shores. I'm excited to gather with my colle… Continue Reading
Hoyer, Lee Statement on 2018 Census Bureau Report
September 10, 2019WASHINGTON, DC - House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer (MD) and Congresswoman Barbara Lee (CA), Chair of the Majority Leader Task Force on Poverty 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: anti-poverty programs work. While we are pleased the report shows that the poverty rate has fallen slightly to 11.8 percent, with 1.4 million Americans rising above the p… Continue Reading
Congresswoman Barbara Lee Calls on the Senate to Uplift Workers in Celebration of Labor Day
August 30, 2019WASHINGTON, D.C. - Congresswoman Barbara Lee released the following statement in observance of Labor Day: "As we celebrate Labor Day, we must remind the U.S. Senate to do their job and uplift working people by passing the House bills for fair pay and affordable health care," said Congresswoman Barbara Lee (CA-13). "American families are working harder than ever to put food on the table, pay rent and mortgages, afford childcare, and save for a secure retirement. Yet wages for middle and l… Continue Reading
Congressional Pro Choice Leaders Condemn the Trump Administration's Continued Attacks on Reproductive Health
August 20, 2019Washington, D.C. - Congresswomen Barbara Lee (D-CA) and Diana DeGette (D-CO) released the following statement after Planned Parenthood exited the Title X family planning program as a result of the Trump Administration's continued attacks on reproductive health: "Make no mistake: the Trump Administration's continued attacks on reproductive and abortion rights will have devastating consequences for the health of millions of low-income families across the country. The Title X program was created t… Continue Reading
Reps. Lee, Kennedy, DeGette Lead 125 House Democrats in Denouncing Trump’s Health Care Rights Law Rollback
August 13, 2019Washington, D.C. - Today, 125 Members of the U.S. House of Representatives, led by Congresswoman Barbara Lee, Congressman Joe Kennedy, and Congresswoman Diana DeGette, sent a letter to Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Azar asking him to withdraw a proposed rule that would roll back key provisions of the Health Care Rights Law, Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The proposed rule would embolden widespread discrimination in health care, including by allowing insurance companie… Continue Reading
Congresswoman Lee Joins National Labs Caucus Congressional Delegation Trip to California
August 12, 2019Oakland, CA - Today, Congresswoman Lee joined a congressional delegation joined by Congressman Bill Foster (D-IL), co-chair of the National Labs Caucus in the 116th Congress, on a tour of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in Berkeley, California, the first of a weeklong trip to national science laboratories in California. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory brings together multidisciplinary teams of researchers and creates world-class tools for scientific discovery, including the Advan… Continue Reading
Congresswoman Barbara Lee Denounces the Trump Administration’s Public Charge Rule
August 12, 2019Washington, D.C. - Today, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced the finalized public charge rule that negatively targets the health and wellbeing of immigrants in the United States by making it nearly impossible for them to receive a green card if DHS considers them likely to use public assistance. "Denying immigrants visas and green cards because they need help is wrong and xenophobic," said Congresswoman Barbara Lee (CA-13). "This proposed rule is a clear attempt by the Trump Ad… Continue Reading
Congresswoman Lee, Pro-Choice Caucus Leaders, and 146 House Members Urge Administration to Immediately Reverse Decision to Withdraw Funding from UNFPA
July 26, 2019WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, Congresswoman Barbara Lee, Co-Chair of the Pro-Choice Caucus, joined with Congresswoman Jackie Speier (CA-14), Co-Chair of the Democratic Women's Caucus (DWC), Diana DeGette (CO-1), Co-Chair of the Pro-Choice Caucus, Committee on Appropriations Chair Nita Lowey (NY-17), DWC Co-Chair Lois Frankel (FL-21) and 146 additional colleagues in sending a letter to Secretary of State Michael Pompeo urging the Administration to immediately reverse its decision to withhold U.S. fun… Continue Reading
Reps. David Trone, Barbara Lee, Don Bacon, Susie Lee Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Repeal the Ban on Pell Grants for Incarcerated Students
July 26, 2019Washington, DC - Today, Representative David Trone (D- MD) along with Reps. Don Bacon (R-NE), Barbara Lee (D-CA), and Susie Lee (D-NV), announced the introduction of the bipartisan Expanding Educational Opportunities for Justice-Impacted Communities Act. The new bill would repeal the ban on the receipt of Pell Grants by incarcerated individuals and the loss of federal financial aid eligibility for individuals convicted of certain drug offenses. The group will seek to pass the bill when Congress … Continue Reading
Congresswoman Lee Celebrates the Passage of the PRIDE Act
July 25, 2019WASHINGTON, D.C. - In response to the passage of the PRIDE Act, which amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide for equal treatment of same-sex married couples, Congresswoman Barbara Lee, founding member and Vice-Chair of the LGBT Equality Caucus, released the following statement: "In passing the PRIDE Act, we celebrate our diversity and correct a wrong against same-sex couples across the country who have been denied tax refunds merely because of who they are and the person that they love.… Continue Reading
Congresswoman Barbara Lee Applauds the Introduction of the Bipartisan Freedom to Travel to Cuba Act
July 25, 2019Washington, D.C. - In response to the introduction of the Freedom to Travel to Cuba Act, Congresswoman Barbara Lee (CA-13), Co-Chair of the Bipartisan Cuba Working Group, released the following statement: "As the Co-Chair of the bipartisan Cuba Working Group, I am proud to join Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA), Rep. Tom Emmer (D-MN), and my colleagues today in introducing H.R. 3960, the bipartisan Freedom to Travel to Cuba Act to end restrictions against U.S. citizens traveling to Cuba. Every American … Continue Reading
Congresswoman Barbara Lee Responds to Appropriations Hearing on the Homestead Child Detention Facility
July 24, 2019WASHINGTON, D.C. - Earlier today, following the Labor-Health and Human Services-Education Subcommittee hearing on Oversight of the Unaccompanied Children Program: Ensuring the Safety of Children in HHS Care hearing with the director of the Office of Refugee Resettlement, Appropriations Committee Member Barbara Lee (CA-13) released the following statement: "It is more evident than ever that the Homestead Child Detention Facility is ineffective in protecting the physical, mental, and emotiona… Continue Reading
Congresswoman Lee Responds to Special Counsel’s Judiciary Committee Testimony
July 24, 2019WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, in response to Special Counsel Mueller's testimony to the House Judiciary and Intelligence Committees, Congresswoman Barbara Lee released the following statement: "At this morning's hearings, Special Counsel Mueller made it clear - despite what President Trump has falsely insisted - that his report did not exonerate the President of obstruction of justice. Mueller made it clear that there was evidence to support that charge, but the Department of Justice was not in… Continue Reading
Hoyer, Lee Statement on USDA's Proposal to Put More Than Three Million Americans At Risk of Going Hungry
July 23, 2019WASHINGTON, DC - House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer (MD) and Chair of the Majority Leader Task Force on Poverty and Opportunity Barbara Lee (CA-13) released the following statement today following the Department of Agriculture's announcement that it will limit eligibility requirements to its nutrition assistance program:"The Department of Agriculture's announcement today that it will impose new restrictions on eligibility for nutrition assistance could result in more than 3 million Americans b… Continue Reading
Cannabis Caucus Co-Chairs Barbara Lee and Earl Blumenauer Applaud the Introduction of Landmark Cannabis Reform Legislation
July 23, 2019Washington, DC - Congresswoman Barbara Lee (CA-13) and Congressman Earl Blumenauer (OR-03), co-chairs of the Congressional Cannabis Caucus, today issued the following statements after the introduction of comprehensive cannabis reform legislation, the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act, by Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler: "For far too long, our federal cannabis policies have been rooted in the past. As states continue to modernize how we regulate cannabis, Co… Continue Reading
Congresswoman Barbara Lee Votes to Pass Raise the Wage Act, Increase Pay for Up to 33 Million American Workers
July 18, 2019WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, Congresswoman Barbara Lee voted to pass the Raise the Wage Act, landmark legislation to gradually increase the federal minimum wage to $15 over six years. According to independent economic analysis, the bill would increase pay for up to 33 million American workers, including 16 million people of color. This bill would also lift 1.3 million Americans out of poverty - including 600,000 children. She released the following statement after the final passage: "This is the … Continue Reading
PCC Statement on Immediate Effects of Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals’ Decision on Title X
July 16, 2019Washington, D.C. - Pro-Choice Caucus co-chairs Representative Barbara Lee (D-CA) and Representative Diana DeGette (D-CO) issued this statement on the Trump Administration's announcement on Monday that it will immediately enact its Title X domestic gag rule, following a decision by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals allowing it to go into effect: "The Trump Administration's decision to immediately implement its Title X gag rule is another reckless attack on people's reproductive rights, and will… Continue Reading
As Administration Escalates Tensions with Iran, Reps. Lee, Price, and Schakowsky Introduce Resolution for U.S. Re-entry into Iran Nuclear Agreement
July 16, 2019Washington, D.C. - As tensions rise with Iran, Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA), Congressman David Price (D-NC), and Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) introduced a resolution to urge the Trump administration to re-enter the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), also known as the Iran nuclear agreement. In addition to rejoining the JCPOA, the resolution encourages the Trump administration to engage in immediate de-escalation measures and to use sustained diplomacy as a tool to address ot… Continue Reading