Press Releases
Congresswoman Barbara Lee Votes Against Unconditional Israel Funding, Supports Ukraine and Taiwan Aid
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Congresswoman Barbara Lee (CA-12), Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on State and Foreign Operations, released the following statement on the national security funding bills voted on today by the House of Representatives: the Israel Security Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2024; the Ukraine Security Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2024; the Indo-Pacific Security Supplemental Act, 2024; and 21st Century Peace through Strength Act. “As Ranking Member … Continue Reading
April 15, 2024
Congresswoman Barbara Lee, Tri-Caucus Leaders Call on Small Business Administration to Publish Complete Minority Contracting Data
WASHINGTON, DC - Congresswoman Barbara Lee (CA-12) and Tri-Caucus Leaders Reps. Steven Horsford (NV-4), Judy Chu (CA-28), and Nanette Barragán (CA-44) led a letter Friday with over 40 House Democrats to the Small Business Administration urging Administrator Guzman to publish a complete version of federal contracting spending data broken down by race and ethnicity. The administration published this kind of data for the first time in December 2021, but the data released in January 2024 for … Continue Reading
April 11, 2024
Congresswoman Barbara Lee Releases Statement on POTUS Executive Rule on Gun Background Checks
Washington, D.C. - Congresswoman Barbara Lee (CA-12) released the following statement on reports of the Biden administration taking executive action to expand background checks for gun purchases and close the “gun show loophole.” The loophole allowed individuals to purchase firearms at gun shows from private sellers without undergoing a background check. Private sellers at these events are not required to conduct background checks on buyers, unlike licensed firearms dealers who are required to … Continue Reading
April 05, 2024
Lee, Pocan, McGovern, Schakowsky Urge Biden, Blinken to Withhold Weapons Transfers After Humanitarian Aid Workers Killed
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Representatives Barbara Lee (CA-12), Mark Pocan (WI-02), Jim McGovern (MA-02), Jan Schakowsky (IL-09) and 36 of their colleagues sent a letter to President Biden and Secretary of State Blinken asking them to withhold pending offensive weapons transfers to Israel after seven humanitarian aid workers from World Central Kitchen, including one American, were killed in an Israeli airstrike, and to place conditions on future weapons assistance. “We write to express … Continue Reading
April 04, 2024
Congresswoman Barbara Lee Reacts to the Oakland A's Relocation to Sacramento
Washington, D.C. - Congresswoman Barbara Lee (CA-12) issued the following statement in reaction to the Oakland Athletics announcement to leave the Oakland Coliseum and play their home games for the 2025-2027 seasons in Sacramento, California. "This is a sad day for Oakland and for generations of A's fans. The A's have been one of the most successful franchises in Major League Baseball and have brought immense pride to the city of Oakland. Billionaire greed got us to this point - I hope MLB … Continue Reading
April 04, 2024
Lee, Velázquez, and Lieu Lead Colleagues in Call to IRS to Tackle Medical Debt From Non-Profit Hospitals
Washington, D.C. or Oakland, CA - Today, Representatives Barbara Lee (D-CA), Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY), and Ted Lieu (D-CA) led a letter to Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Commissioner Daniel Werfel calling on the agency to use its authority to ensure greater accountability for nonprofit hospitals contributing to the medical debt crisis impacting over 100 million individuals living in the US. Medical debt also has a disproportionate impact on Black, Hispanic, and Asian American Pacific … Continue Reading
April 02, 2024
Representatives Lee & Jacobs, Senator Booker Issue Joint Statement on Congressional Delegation Trip to Chad-Sudan Border
Washington, D.C. - Today, Representatives Barbara Lee (D-CA), Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs, and Sara Jacobs (D-CA), Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa, and Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ), Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health Policy, issued the following joint statement after returning from Chad. In Chad, they had meetings in N’Djamena with the … Continue Reading
March 28, 2024
Representatives Lee, Blumenauer Call on Biden Administration to Reissue Cole and Wilkinson Memos to Protect State Legal Marijuana Markets
Washington, DC - Today, Democratic Cannabis Caucus Co-Chairs Representatives Barbara Lee (CA-12) and Earl Blumenauer (OR-3) led a letter to President Biden urging his administration to reissue overdue protections against federal interference in state-legal marijuana markets. "We write to share our frustration that the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has not reissued overdue protections against federal interference in state-legal marijuana markets. We urge you to correct this oversight and … Continue Reading
March 15, 2024
Representatives Lee and Swalwell celebrate $30 million in funding for the East Bay Greenway Multimodal Project
Oakland, CA - Today, Representatives Barbara Lee (CA-12) and Eric Swalwell (CA-14) celebrated $30 million in federal funding from the United States Department of Transportation for the East Bay Greenway Multimodal Project, which will span from Lake Merritt to Bayfair. Reps. Lee and Swalwell submitted a letter of support for the project and advocated for its inclusion in the 2021 Surface Transportation funding bill. The project will construct approximately 10 miles of complete street … Continue Reading
March 14, 2024
Representatives Lee, Blumenauer, Colleagues Call on Biden Administration to Grant Clemency for Non-Violent Cannabis Offenses
Washington, DC - Today, Democratic Cannabis Caucus Co-Chairs Representatives Barbara Lee (CA-12) and Earl Blumenauer (OR-3) led a letter to President Biden urging his administration to grant clemency to individuals incarcerated for non-violent marijuana offenses. For decades, unfair cannabis policies have led to unjust incarcerations and worsened racial disparities in the criminal justice system. Since the passage of the Marijuana Opportunity, Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act, it has … Continue Reading
March 13, 2024
Congresswoman Barbara Lee Releases Statement Opposing Bill to Ban TikTok
Washington, DC - Congresswoman Barbara Lee (CA-12) released the following statement regarding her vote against H.R. 7521, the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act. The legislation today passed the House by a vote of 352-65. “Today, I voted NO on rushed legislation to ban TikTok from American app stores. While there are significant national security threats to data privacy that must be dealt with, they should be dealt with comprehensively. Congress must … Continue Reading
March 11, 2024
Congresswoman Barbara Lee Finalizes $17.4 Million for East Bay Projects in Government Funding Package
Washington, DC - Representative Barbara Lee (CA-12) voted to finalize $17,477,036 in community project funding that she secured for California’s 12th District in the Fiscal Year 2024 spending bills. This funding was included in the first of two Appropriations Committee minibus bills and responds directly to some of the most pressing needs in the East Bay. "I recently voted to send over $17 million in Community Project Funding to the East Bay. I know this funding will have a profound impact on … Continue Reading
March 08, 2024
Congresswoman Barbara Lee Reacts to President Biden’s State of the Union Address
Washington, DC - Congresswoman Barbara Lee (CA-12) released the following statement after President Biden’s 2024 State of the Union address: “Tonight, President Biden illustrated for the world just how much the Biden-Harris administration has achieved despite the incredible dysfunction of GOP leadership in Congress. “President Biden outlined how he is building an economy from the middle out and the bottom up, not the top down, through job creation and taxing corporations and the wealthiest … Continue Reading
March 06, 2024
Congresswoman Barbara Lee Votes to Pass Bipartisan Government Funding Legislation to Lower Cost of Living, Protect Reproductive Care, and Confront the Climate Crisis
Washington, DC - Today, Representative Barbara Lee voted to pass the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024, a package of six domestic funding bills focused on helping families and communities across the United States. The investments in the bill will help families with the high cost of living, create and sustain good-paying jobs, invest in clean energy, and help vulnerable people. “Despite nonstop GOP political theater and infighting, House Democrats have again put people over politics and … Continue Reading
March 02, 2024
Congresswoman Barbara Lee Releases Statement on U.S. Airdrop of Aid Into Gaza
Washington, DC - Congresswoman Barbara Lee (CA-12) released the following statement on the U.S.’s first airdrop of aid into Gaza. “Gaza is facing a horrific humanitarian crisis. Just this week, over 100 Palestinians were killed as crowds rushed food trucks. Current aid levels are nowhere near adequate. This action by President Biden to airdrop aid directly to Gazans is a good step, but it will not change the reality in Gaza, especially with Israel blocking access to aid on the ground. “What … Continue Reading
March 01, 2024
Congresswoman Lee Statement on Women's History Month
Washington, DC - Today, Representative Barbara Lee (CA-12) released a statement in celebration of Women's History Month, recognized every March. “During Women’s History Month, we honor the influential women in the East Bay and across the country whose legacies continue to shape our world. Women like activist Stacey Park Milbern, former Congresswoman Patsy Takemoto Mink, and Rev. Dr. Pauli Murray serve as beacons of inspiration, paving the way for progress. Their resilience in the face of … Continue Reading
February 29, 2024
Congresswoman Lee Calls on Biden-Harris Administration to Increase Focus on Combatting Hate Crimes and Bigotry
Washington, DC - Today, Representative Barbara Lee (CA-12) sent a letter to President Biden urging his administration to elevate combatting hate crimes and bigotry as a major focus and prioritize funding aimed at ensuring the safety and protection of civil rights for all Americans as Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 budget priorities are being developed. With a rise in hate crimes across the country, including in the East Bay, Congresswoman Lee was moved to hear from leaders in the community on how to … Continue Reading
February 28, 2024
Congresswoman Barbara Lee Joins Secretary Granholm for Cuberg Battery Factory Ribbon-Cutting in CA-12
San Leandro, CA - Congresswoman Barbara Lee (CA-12) joined United States Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm Monday in San Leandro, California to unveil the Cuberg Battery Factory, a pilot lithium-metal anode battery manufacturing facility that has received support from the DOE Small Business Innovation Research grant. In 2016, Cuberg founder Richard Wang participated in the Cyclotron Road accelerator program through Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, including in-kind support. In 2018 … Continue Reading
February 19, 2024
During Black History Month, Reps. Lee, Jackson Lee, Bush, Bowman Call on President Biden to Act on Racial Equity & Reparative Justice Legislation
Washington, DC - Today, Representative Barbara Lee (CA-12) led a letter with Reps. Sheila Jackson Lee (TX-18), Cori Bush (MO-1), and Jamaal Bowman (NY-16) calling on the Biden Administration to help advance critical racial equity and reparative justice legislation introduced in the 118th Congress through executive actions that would ensure these bills receive the attention needed to pass swiftly. With more than 150 organizations and individuals signed-on to the corresponding organizational … Continue Reading
February 06, 2024
Congresswoman Barbara Lee Releases Statement on Immigration “Deal”
Washington, DC — Congresswoman Barbara Lee (CA-12), Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on State and Foreign Operations, issued the below statement in response to the proposed GOP immigration deal. “This latest failed attempt at legislating by the GOP clearly illustrates that the party of Trump has no interest in solving America’s challenges, only playing political games. Let’s be clear: we cannot support any border deal that doesn’t bring meaningful, comprehensive … Continue Reading