“In my congressional district alone, there are nearly 100,000 uninsured constituents, and the opening of the exchanges means that they are one step closer to health care coverage that can literally–mind you, literally–make the difference between life and death”, said Rep. Lee.
On October 2nd, 2013 Rep. Barbara Lee of California asked for and was granted permission to address the United States House of Representatives for a few minutes regarding day two of the Republican shutdown of government and the absolutely disastrous consequences this is having on her state and the nation. As well the lives of millions of people.
“It’s no secret that the Tea Party Republicans came here not as public servants, but to destroy and decimate our government. Now, millions of families, children, seniors, Federal employees, and our economy are paying the price. The Republican refusal to back off their extreme, ideological demands has taken our country down a very dangerous path that will surely push millions more into hunger and poverty.”
“In my congressional district and throughout the State of California families are already feeling the impact of the Republican government shutdown. The California Women, Infants, and Children program is on the brink of turning away low-income pregnant women and new mothers if this shutdown continues. How ruthless can you get?”, she said.
“The California National Guard, the largest in the Nation, is forced to furlough technicians and aviation mechanics, even as the fire season is still upon us. And throughout the State of California, eighth graders, like my constituents from Oakland who wrote to me yesterday, are cancelling field trips to national parks and monuments which are closed to visitors. What are they going to do now? To add insult to injury, Republicans have shut down the government because they are obsessed with destroying the Affordable Care Act, which is the law of the land and which the Supreme Court upheld. Most Americans continue to see how senseless and wrong it is to shut down the government because you want to deny health care to millions. Two wrongs don’t make a right”, she explained.
“Despite the Republican government shutdown, health care exchanges established under the Affordable Care Act have successfully opened for enrollment, and now millions of uninsured Americans are just 3 months away from having the health care coverage they so desperately need. California, the first State to commit to establishing its own exchange, launched the Covered California exchange. Covered California’s exchange includes health care options for individuals and small businesses. In my congressional district alone, there are nearly 100,000 uninsured constituents, and the opening of the exchanges means that they are one step closer to health care coverage that can literally–mind you, literally–make the difference between life and death. Hostage taking really is a deplorable tactic”, said Rep. Lee (source: Congressional Record: http://thomas.loc.gov).
Rep. Barbara Lee House Committee and Subcommitte Assignments include the following:
House Committee on Appropriations
– Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies
– Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs
House Committee on The Budget
House Democratic Steering and Policy Committee
Rep. Lee’s leadership positions include the following:
Senior Democratic Whip
Chair, Democratic Whip Task Force on Poverty and Opportunity
Chair, Social Work Caucus
Vice-Chair, LGBT Equality Caucus
Whip, Congressional Progressive Caucus
Co-Chair, Out-of-Poverty Caucus
Co-Chair, Congressional HIV/AIDS Caucus
Co-Chair, Congressional Black Caucus Poverty and Economy Task Force
Co-Chair, Congressional Caucus on Sudan and South Sudan
Co-Chair, Health Care Task Force, Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus
Co-Chair, Peace and Security Task Force, Congressional Progressive Caucus