Last Thursday, we marked a new era when we swore in the most diverse Congress in U.S. history.

With a record number of women and members of color elected to the House of Rep­resentatives, we finally have a Congress that looks more like America.

Plus, the largest class of Congressional Black Caucus members ever means we’ve got more congressmembers working to address issues im­pacting African Americans than ever before.

I’m excited to be part of this sea change – as the only woman of color serving in Democratic leadership. As Co-Chair of the House Democrats’ Steering and Policy Committee, I will help shape our policy agenda and ensure that every perspec­tive is reflected at the leader­

ship table – and push for issues of racial justice and poverty to be held as top priorities for our caucus. But I can’t do it alone. And I’m thrilled to have so many new members – of different races, religions, economic back-grounds and regions – who will bring their ideas to Congress. And we need those ideas Last Thursday, we marked a new era when we swore in the most diverse Congress in U.S. history.

With a record number of women and members of color elected to the House of Rep­resentatives, we finally have a Congress that looks more like America.

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Plus, the largest class of Congressional Black Caucus members ever means we’ve got more congressmembers work­ing to address issues impacting African Americans than ever before.

I’m excited to be part of this sea change – as the only woman of color serving in Democratic leadership. As Co-Chair of the House Democrats’ Steering and Policy Committee, I will help shape our policy agenda and ensure that every perspec­tive is reflected at the leader­ship table – and push for issues of racial justice and poverty to be held as top priorities for our caucus.

But I can’t do it alone. And I’m thrilled to have so many new members – of different rac­es, religions, economic back­grounds and regions – who will bring their ideas to Congress.

And we need those ideas now, more than ever.

There’s no question that these are difficult times.

Our government is shut down. Our democracy is under attack – by adversaries abroad and cynical voter suppres­sion tactics here at home. The wealthy and well-connected are more powerful than ever, while financial security for working families in the East Bay and around the country has stagnat­ed and declined.

It will take vision and fear­lessness to restore a government for the people.

But House Democrats are ready to tackle these challenges – and fight for progress that ev­ery American can be proud of.

As our very first act in the new Congress, House Demo­crats passed a bipartisan bill to reopen the government and end President Trump’s shutdown.

Most families can’t afford to go weeks on end without a paycheck, nor should they have to. Our message to President Trump is simple: stop the games and open the government back up.

But we won’t stop there. Next, we are getting to work on a bold, progressive agenda for the American people.

We’ve already introduced H.R. 1 – the For People Act – which would protect and expand voting rights, get big money out of politics, and clean up corrup­tion in Washington. I am proud to cosponsor this legislation.

We’re also committed to expanding quality, affordable health care for the American people. For far too many fami­lies, access to health care is still determined by the zip code you live in, the contents of your bank

Congresswoman Barbara Lee

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