Congresswoman Lee Receives Lifetime Achievement Award from the Congressional Progressive Caucus
Washington, DC – Congresswoman Lee released the following statement upon receiving the Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) Lifetime Achievement Award:
“I am humbled and honored to receive the Congressional Progressive Caucus Lifetime Achievement Award.
Since its founding in 1991, the Progressive Caucus has been an tireless voice for peace and social justice. On the major issues of our time, the Congressional Progressive Caucus continues to led, from stopping endless war around the world to advancing policies that lift families out of poverty to standing up for marriage equality and hundreds of other issues affecting American families.
Thanks to the unrelenting work of the CPC and Progressive Congress, we have moved the dial and greater economic and political opportunities have been opened for all.
We are working towards creating more good-paying jobs, ending our nation’s failed Cuba policies, engaging in diplomacy in Iran to prevent the development of a nuclear weapons, expanding access to life-saving healthcare, raising the minimum wage and working towards a real living wage.
Our agenda is helping families and making a positive impact in communities across the country and around the world.
However, much work remains ahead of us. Race and gender are still a factor in this country.
The poverty and unemployment rates for people of color are often three times higher than the rates of their white counterparts. Women still only earn seventy-seven cents for every dollar a man makes, and the situation is even worse for women of color.
We must also continue our work to end discrimination against our nation’s LGBT community in employment, education, and marriage rights.
We have a lot of work to do but together, we can ensure justice and opportunity for all.
The Progressive Caucus is on the front lines every day, fighting for these policies and others to ensure our nation is truly a land of opportunity.
I could not be more proud to receive this award and be a member of the CPC.”
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Congresswoman Lee is a member of the Appropriations and Budget Committees, the Steering and Policy Committee, is a Senior Democratic Whip, former chair of the Congressional Black Caucus and co-chair of the Progressive Caucus. She serves as chair of the Whip’s Task Force on Poverty and Opportunity.