Press Releases
Rep. Lee Announces Local Transportation Projects
Transportation Bill Passes Committee(Washington, DC ) - Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Oakland) announced that funding earmarked for several 9th Congressional District projects was included in the Transportation Equity Act that was passed by the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure today. “This bill provides much-needed money for East Bay transportation projects and vital economic stimulus for our community,” said Rep. Lee. “I believe in building healthy … Continue Reading
March 01, 2005
Rep. Barbara Lee Calls for Truth and Action for Haiti On Anniversary of Ouster of Aristide
(Washington, DC) - Representative Barbara Lee issued the following statement on the anniversary of the violent ouster of Haiti’s democratically elected President, Jean Bertrand Aristide: “Today marks the one-year anniversary of Haiti’s 33rd coup d’etat. The internationally orchestrated ouster of President Jean Bertrand Aristide last year sent Haiti into a political, social and economic downward spiral and cast a dark shadow of doubt on our nation’s commitment to the principle of democracy. … Continue Reading
February 16, 2005
Rep. Lee Presses Governor on the Need for Rehabilitation
(Washington, DC) - Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA) discussed issues of criminal justice and rehabilitation with Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger during his visit to Washington, DC to seek federal funds for California. “I talked with the Governor about changing the law to include rehabilitation in addition to punishment as the purpose of incarceration, as I attempted to do when I served in the California legislature. He listened very carefully and asked me to forward my thoughts to him in writing, which … Continue Reading
February 16, 2005
Rep. Barbara Lee Moves to Help Haiti
Bills Would Build Health Infrastructure, Investigate Coup (Washington, DC) - Rep. Barbara Lee re-introduced two pieces of legislation on Haiti today, a bill to strengthen Haiti’s health infrastructure and a bill to investigate the role of the US government in the coup that removed President Jean-Bertand Aristide from power in February of last year. “Today in Haiti less than 45% of Haitians have access to safe water and access to sanitation and Haiti accounts for 90 percent of AIDS cases in the … Continue Reading
February 16, 2005
Rep. Barbara Lee Introduces Bill to Designate a Caribbean-American Heritage Month
(Washington, DC) - Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA) introduced legislation this week to designate a national Caribbean-American Heritage month. The bill acknowledges and celebrates the contributions of Caribbean-Americans to the United States since the inception of the country and recommends June as the month for observation. As a member of Western Hemisphere Subcommittee of the House International Relations Committee and the bipartisan Caribbean Caucus, Rep. Lee wanted to recognize the role that … Continue Reading
February 10, 2005
Rep. Barbara Lee Gives State of the District Address
Criticizes Bush Hypocrisy, Cites Accomplishments, Outlines Vision (Oakland, CA) - Representative Barbara Lee delivered her first annual State of the District address Friday night at the Ron Dellums Federal Building in Oakland. In her speech, Rep. Lee discussed the disparity between the values President Bush expressed in his State of the Union address and those demonstrated in the budget he submitted to Congress. She highlighted her accomplishments, both in the district and legislatively, and … Continue Reading
February 09, 2005
Rep. Lee and Sen. Lautenberg Announce 'Responsible Education About Life' (REAL) Act
Students Discuss Need for Comprehensive, Medically Accurate Sex Education(Washington,DC) - Representative Barbara Lee (D-CA-09) and Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) today held a press conference today to announce the introduction of the Responsible Education About Life (REAL) Act, a measure to provide funding to states for comprehensive sexuality education programs that would include medically accurate information about abstinence and contraception. “It is time to get REAL about protecting our … Continue Reading
February 08, 2005
Rep. Barbara Lee Calls for Plan to Bring the Troops Home
Emphasizes the Costs of Preemptive War Doctrine(Washington, DC) - Representative Barbara Lee (D-CA-09) attended a press conference to announce legislation introduced by Rep. Lynn Woolsey (D-CA-06) that calls on the President to bring the troops home from Iraq. Rep. Lee is a cosponsor of the resolution and offered the following statement:“I’d like to thank my friend and fellow Co-Chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey for her leadership on this issue, and my … Continue Reading
February 08, 2005
House Passes Lee Bill in Support of National Black AIDS Awareness Day
Lee Calls on President & Congress to Match Rhetoric with Funding (Washington, DC) - The House of Representatives today passed legislation introduced by Congresswoman Barbara Lee and designed to support the goals and ideals of National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day. Lee authored the resolution to raise awareness among the general public and her colleagues in Congress, as African Americans are increasingly bearing the brunt of the AIDS epidemic in the United States. Celebrated every year on … Continue Reading
February 08, 2005
Rep. Barbara Lee Calls for Repeal of PNTR with China
(Washington, DC) - Representative Barbara Lee (D-Oakland) attended a press conference to announce the introduction of legislation to repeal permanent normal trade relation (PNTR) with China. Rep. Lee is a cosponsor of the bill and offered the following statement: “I would like to thank my colleagues, especially Congressman Sanders and Congressman DeFazio, for leading us in the fight to protect American workers against unfair trade policies. “Five years ago, I joined 196 of my colleagues in … Continue Reading
February 01, 2005
Congresswoman Barbara Lee Responds to State of the Union
(Washington, DC) - Representative Barbara Lee offered the following statement in response to President Bush’s State of the Union address this evening:“The President talked about his plan to privatize Social Security tonight and it’s important to recognize that he’s misleading America on Social Security, just like he did on Iraq. Social Security has problems that can be fixed with minor adjustments, but the President’s privatization scheme makes matters worse, not better. We just can’t afford … Continue Reading
February 01, 2005
Congresswoman Lee Honored for Conservation Record
(Washington, DC) - Representative Barbara Lee received the “Friend of the National Parks” award from the National Parks Conservation Association on Wednesday. “National Parks are national treasures,” said Rep. Lee. “Everyone has a stake in seeing to it that they are protected for generations to come.” Rep. Lee received the award for her votes in the 108th Congress that upheld the integrity of the National Park System or protected the parks from harm. Rep. Lee was one of only fifty one … Continue Reading
January 31, 2005
Rep. Lee Rejects UN Sudan Finding, Urges Action Warns Darfur May be Another Rwanda
( Washington , DC ) - Representative Barbara Lee responded to the release of a UN panel’s report that the Sudanese government and militia had committed war crimes in Darfur , but not genocide. Rep. Lee disputed the panel’s finding, and emphasized the need to take action.“The UN never called Rwanda a genocide, and look what happened there,” said Rep. Lee. “We can’t wait for 800,000 people to die, we must act quickly to stop the violence.”In May, 1994, The UN Security Council passed a … Continue Reading
January 30, 2005
Congresswoman Barbara Lee Calls for Start to Sudan Divestment Process
(Oakland, CA) - Congresswoman Barbara Lee, in an Op-Ed that appeared in the Los Angeles Times today, called for the California Public Employees Retirement System (CalPERS) to start to the process of divesting from companies doing business in Sudan in light of the Khartoum government’s involvement with the ongoing genocide in Darfur. The text of the Op-Ed follows:http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/sunday/commentary/la-oe-lee30jan30,0,6555066.story?coll=la-sunday-commentaryCOMMENTARYErase the … Continue Reading
January 27, 2005
Rep. Barbara Reports on Trip to Sudan And Conversation with Bush About the Genocide
(Washington, DC) — Representative Barbara Lee spoke at a press conference today about her recent trip to Africa, where she visited refugees displaced by the ongoing genocide in Darfur, and her meeting yesterday with President Bush where she discussed the genocide.“I saw the missing limbs, I looked in the eyes of the girls who had been raped, and the sheer force of the human suffering we witnessed has strengthened my conviction that we must take action to end the ongoing genocide in Darfur,” … Continue Reading
January 25, 2005
Rep. Lee Hand Delivers AIDS Message to Bush
Letter Seeks Cooperation in Greater Efforts (Washington, DC) - Representative Barbara Lee will deliver a letter to President Bush addressing global HIV/AIDS issues when she meets with him as part of the Congressional Black Caucus on Wednesday. The letter acknowledges the President for his work to raise the profile of the global HIV/AIDS pandemic and for working on a bipartisan basis to address the public health crisis posed by the virus, but points out that, in order to be effective, a greater … Continue Reading
January 25, 2005
Rep. Lee’s Statement on $80 Billion Supplemental Request for Iraq and Afghanistan
Washington, D.C. - Representative Barbara Lee released the following statement on news reports Monday night that President Bush will, this week, request an additional $80 billion for operations in Iraq and Afghanistan this year: “Simply put, this request represents the glaring failure of the Bush administration’s policy of preemptive war. “The president’s unnecessary war has resulted in the needless loss of brave servicemen and women and untold innocent Iraqis. It has isolated our country … Continue Reading
January 24, 2005
Rep. Barbara Lee Announces $125,000 Grant for Immigrant Food Stamp Outreach in Oakland
(Washington, DC) -Representative Barbara Lee announced a $125,000 grant for innovative food stamp outreach for the City of Oakland today. “I’m glad that I was able to help bring this funding to Oakland,” said Rep. Lee. “These funds will help us effectively reach some of our most underserved communities.” The grant is designed to test new outreach strategies that are specifically designed to target eligible low-income individuals and families in communities that have traditionally been … Continue Reading
January 11, 2005
REPS. LEE, STARK CALL ON PRESIDENT BUSH TO BEGIN BRINGING U.S. TROOPS HOME FROM IRAQ
WASHINGTON, DC - Today, East Bay Reps. Barbara Lee (D-Oakland) and Pete Stark (D-Fremont) sent a letter to President Bush urging him to begin the immediate withdrawal of US troops from Iraq and calling on him to present a timetable for troop pull out to the American people on Inauguration Day or as part of his State of the Union Address. "Daily insurgent violence only underscores for us that there can be no peace, security and stability in Iraq as long as US troops are perceived by most … Continue Reading
January 11, 2005
Congresswoman Barbara Lee Named Senior Whip
(Oakland, CA) - Rep. Barbara Lee was named Senior Whip today by Democratic second in command, House Democratic Whip, Steny Hoyer (MD). “I am honored to be given this responsibility, and I look forward to working closely with the leadership and my colleagues to promote our common Democratic agenda. Now more than ever we must be unified in putting forth an agenda that will protect Social Security, strengthen public schools, address the healthcare crisis, and combat social and racial … Continue Reading