Press Releases
Congresswoman Barbara Lee Honors Women's History Month
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 7, 2013 Contact: Carrie Adams (202) 225-2661 Washington, D.C.- Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-Oakland) issued the following statement today to commemorate Women's History Month: "The celebration of Women's History Month started as an idea in Sonoma, California in the 1970s by the Education Task Force, grew into to a week established in 1978, and now into a month-long celebration of the impact of women throughout history. "In the midst of the formation of … Continue Reading
March 06, 2013
Lee Statement on FY2013 Continuing Resolution, Defense and Military Construction/VA Appropriations Bills
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 6, 2013 Contact: Carrie Adams (202) 225-2661 Washington, D.C.- Today, Congresswoman Lee released the following statement regarding the FY2013 Continuing Resolution, Defense and Military Construction/VA Appropriations Bills: "As a member of both the Appropriations and Budget Committee, I rise in strong opposition to this Continuing Resolution. Although the proposal includes much-needed increases to support the Department of Veteran Affairs and our Embassy … Continue Reading
March 06, 2013
Congresswoman Barbara Lee Sends Letter Urging House Leadership to Increase Federal COPS Funding
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Carrie Adams (202) 225-2661 Washington, D.C.- Today Congresswoman Barbara Lee joined 80 members of Congress in sending a letter to Speaker Boehner and Leader Pelosi urging them to include robust supplemental funding for the Department of Justice's COPS Hiring Program in any deal to extend governments funding beyond the expiration of the current Continuing Resolution on March 27th. "As many communities across nation have the lowest police staffing levels in … Continue Reading
March 01, 2013
Congresswoman Barbara Lee Joins the Faith & Politics Institute's 13th Congressional Civil Rights Pilgrimage
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 1, 2013 Contact: Carrie Adams (202) 225-2661 WASHINGTON, D.C. - Representative Barbara Lee (D-CA) today announced participation in the 13th Congressional Civil Rights Pilgrimage from March 1 - 3. The pilgrimage of more than 20 Members of Congress, Civil Rights luminaries, and noted scholars and leaders will include events, meetings and tours in Birmingham, Selma and Montgomery, Alabama. Meriam Salem, a junior at Alameda Science and Technology Institute, … Continue Reading
February 28, 2013
Congresswoman Barbara Lee Praises Passage of Reauthorization of Violence Against Women Act
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 28, 2013 Contact: Carrie Adams (202) 225-2661 Washington, D.C.- In reaction to the passage of a bi-partisan reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act, Congresswoman Barbara Lee issued the following statement: "Today we had an opportunity to really stand up for tribal women, for the LGBT community, for immigrant women, for women all across the United States, and to finally pass the strongly bipartisan Senate version of the Violence Against Women … Continue Reading
February 27, 2013
Congresswoman Barbara Lee Rallies to Support the Voting Rights Act
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 27, 2013 Contact: Carrie Adams (202) 225-2661 Washington, D.C.- Today, Congresswoman Barbara Lee joined with The Tri-Caucus (The Congressional Black Caucus, The Congressional Hispanic Caucus, and The Asian Pacific American Caucus) to rally before the United States Supreme Court. As the court prepares to hear oral arguments surrounding Section V of the Voting Rights Act in Shelby County v. Holder, Congresswoman Lee gave the following statement: "Thank you … Continue Reading
February 26, 2013
Congresswoman Barbara Lee and Whip Steny Hoyer Announce New Task Force on Poverty and Opportunity
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 26, 2013 Contact: Carrie Adams (202) 225-2661 Washington, D.C.- Today, Congresswoman Barbara Lee joined Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer to launch the new Democratic Whip's Task Force on Poverty and Opportunity. Chaired by Congresswoman Lee, the mission of the Task Force is to raise the awareness of Members of Congress and the American people about the ongoing crisis of poverty, the positive human and economic impacts of reducing and eliminating poverty, as … Continue Reading
February 25, 2013
Rep. Barbara Lee Calls on GOP to Avert the Sequester, Protect American Jobs
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 25, 2013 Contact: Katherine Jolly (510) 763-0370 Washington, D.C. - Today, the Obama Administration released a new report on the harm that automatic spending cuts scheduled to occur on Friday would cause here in California. Rep. Barbara Lee renewed her call for House Republicans to take swift action on a balanced plan to stop these automatic spending cuts that would threaten our economy as well as a range of vital services for children, seniors, … Continue Reading
February 22, 2013
Congresswoman Barbara Lee Warns of Devastating Impact of Across the Board Spending Cuts
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 22, 2013 Contact: Katherine Jolly (510) 763-0370 Washington, D.C.- Today, Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA) highlighted a new report by the House Committee on Appropriations detailing the impact of the sequester, the broad, across the board cuts that would go into effect on March 1st if Congress does not act. According to the Appropriations Committee report, California would suffer $13 million in cuts from childhood education programs and $92 million from … Continue Reading
February 21, 2013
Barbara Lee Announces $2.5 Million in Federal Funding for HIV Research
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Katherine Jolly (510) 763-0370 Oakland, CA - Today, Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA) announced a $2,551,936 grant from the U.S. Department Health and Human Service (HHS) to the Alameda County Health Care Services Agency. The grant will be used to enhance access to a comprehensive, effective and cost efficient continuum of high quality, community-based care for low-income individuals and families with HIV, as well as to strengthen strategies to reach minority … Continue Reading
February 20, 2013
Congresswoman Barbara Lee Announces $3.4 Million Dept. of Transportation Grant for University of CA Transportation Center
Contact: Carrie Adams (202) 225-2661 Washington, D.C. - Today, Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA) announced a $3,397,600 grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) for the University of California Transportation Center (UCTC). The UCTC is a research consortium comprised of institutions lead by UC Berkeley that includes the University of California and California State University. The Center oversees research and development for Region IX, a DOT region which covers most of the … Continue Reading
February 15, 2013
Congresswoman Barbara Lee Introduces Bill to Create Department of Peacebuilding
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Feb 15, 2013 Contact: Carrie Adams (202) 225-2661 Washington, D.C.-Today, Congresswoman Barbara Lee introduced H.R. 808, the "Department of Peacebuilding Act of 2013" to create a cabinet-level Secretary and Department of Peacebuilding. The term "peacebuilding" refers both to activities that target the root causes of violence as well as the broad measures used to prevent violent conflict and create sustainable peace. "This culture of violence that we live in is … Continue Reading
February 15, 2013
Congresswoman Barbara Lee Calls for Special Envoy to Iran, Introduces Legislation
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 15, 2013 Contact: Carrie Adams (202) 225-2661 Washington, D.C.- Today, Congresswoman Barbara Lee introduced the "Prevent Iran from Acquiring Nuclear Weapons and Stop War Through Diplomacy Act," which would create a high level Special Envoy to Iran. The act pushes diplomacy as a vital route to preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, and directs the President to appoint a Special Envoy to pursue direct, sustained, bilateral and multilateral … Continue Reading
February 14, 2013
Congresswoman Barbara Lee and Senator Frank R. Lautenberg Introduce Bill to Expand Comprehensive Sex Education
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 14, 2013 Contact: Carrie Adams (202) 225-2661 Washington, D.C.- Today, Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA) and Senator Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ) introduced the Real Education for Healthy Youth Act of 2013, legislation that would give America's youth the knowledge they need to make educated decisions about their health. The bill would expand comprehensive sex education programs in schools and ensure that federal funds are spent on effective, age-appropriate, … Continue Reading
February 13, 2013
Reps. Lee And Moran Introduce Tiahrt Restrictions Repeal Act
Joined by Group of Appropriators to Speed Passage of Gun Violence Prevention Measures Washington, D.C.- Today, Representatives Barbara Lee (CA-13) and James Moran (VA-08) introduced the Tiahrt Restrictions Repeal Act. The Tiahrt Amendments, which have been included in Justice Department appropriations legislation since 2004, prohibit access to data on illegal guns, hinder background checks, and limit law enforcement's efforts to prevent gun violence. Specifically, the Tiahrt Restrictions … Continue Reading
February 13, 2013
Congresswoman Lee Reacts to President Obama’s State of the Union Address
Contact: Carrie Adams (202) 225-2661 Washington, D.C.-Today, Congresswoman Barbara Lee released the following statement in reaction to President Obama's State of the Union Address to Congress: "Tonight the President made a powerful case for Congress to finally act to create jobs and grow our economy. Part of this effort must be lifting millions out of poverty and into the middle class. Erasing the scourge of poverty in our nation is an economic and moral imperative. "As co-founder and … Continue Reading
February 07, 2013
Congresswoman Lee Defends Saturday Delivery for United States Postal Service
Contact: Carrie Adams (202) 225-2661 Washington, D.C. - Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-Oakland) issued the following statement in response to the United States Postal Service announcement that they plan on ending Saturday delivery: "I'm concerned by the United States Postal Service's announcement that they will be ending Saturday delivery. The jobs lost by this proposal would be devastating to communities. Ending Saturday mail service would immediately cut jobs for as much as one sixth of the … Continue Reading
February 07, 2013
Congresswoman Barbara Lee Commends President’s Advisory Council on AIDS (PACHA) Resolution on Ending Federal and State HIV-Specific Criminal Laws, Prosecutions, and Civil Commitments
Contact: Carrie Adams (202) 225-2661 Washington, D.C.- In response to the announcement that the President's Advisory Council on AIDS (PACHA) Resolution on Ending Federal and State HIV-specific Criminal Laws, Prosecutions, and Civil Commitments, Congresswoman Barbara Lee has released the following statement: "Today's announcement is an important advancement in our collective effort to modernize unjust and discriminatory HIV criminalization laws," said Congresswoman Barbara Lee, co-chair of … Continue Reading
February 06, 2013
Congresswoman Barbara Lee Introduces Bill to Audit the Pentagon
Contact: Carrie Adams (202) 225-2661 Washington, D.C.-Today, Congresswoman Barbara Lee introduced the "Audit the Pentagon Act of 2013" for increased transparency and accountability in the defense budget. This bipartisan bill will cut the budget of any Federal agency by five percent that does not receive an independent audit for the previous year. To protect benefits for the nation's veterans, military personnel accounts and the Defense Health Program would be exempt from cuts. "The American … Continue Reading
February 05, 2013
Congresswoman Lee Joins in Introduction of the Balancing Act
Contact: Carrie Adams (202) 225-2661 Washington, D.C.-Today, Congresswoman Barbara Lee joined fellow members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus at a press conference marking the introduction of The Balancing Act, a bill to repeal the sequester and achieve balance in long-term deficit reduction between revenue and cuts. The Balancing Act achieves fiscal balance by calling for one to one Defense and Non-Defense Cuts by eliminating $278 billion in wasteful Pentagon spending and investing in … Continue Reading