A former labor lawyer, Linda T. Sánchez represents California’s 38th congressional district – but the first thing her family and friends will tell you is that she’s never stopped “kicking ass for the working class.” Most of all, she is also a proud mom, dog lover, and Dodgers fan.
Elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2002, Sánchez is the first Latina to serve on the powerful House Committee on Ways and Means and the House Judiciary Committee. A lifelong progressive, Sánchez has devoted her career to helping working people get ahead: advocating for families, improving America’s education system, and bringing jobs to Southern California.
Civil rights are human rights and I firmly believe that all people are created equal. The right to vote, the right to marry the person you love, and the right to serve your country are all inalienable rights protected by the United States Constitution. I’m proud to serve in Congress and help restore and protect these civil rights.
We have seen constant attempts to erode civil rights and roll-back equality across the country – especially for communities of color and marginalized groups. The Supreme Court has weakened some of our most basic protections in ways that Congress never intended. State legislatures across the country continue to craft laws designed to deliberately disenfranchise people of color, low-income individuals, people with disabilities, LGBTQ+ individuals, and seniors.
As a defender of our civil rights, I am proud to be a lead author of the Voting Rights Advancement Act (VRAA) with Representatives Terri Sewell from Alabama, Judy Chu from California, and civil rights icon the late John Lewis of Georgia. The Voting Rights Advancement Act would restore the pre-clearance process to ensure that states and counties with a history of voting rights violations cannot introduce changes to their voting process without federal approval. The bill also expands access to voting for a number of historically marginalized communities and increases transparency by requiring notice and disclosure for changes in voting standards.
I am also proud to uplift the rights of our LGBTQ+ community as a Vice Chair of the Congressional LGBT Equality Caucus. I believe your gender, whom you love, where you live, or the color of your skin should not make it more difficult for you to be an American. Unfortunately, LGBTQ Americans continue to face discrimination in far too many facets of life. I will continue fighting for dignity, respect, and equality for all Americans.
A good education can open up many opportunities. As a daughter of immigrants, I am a living testament to the power of education. I believe every child has access to the highest quality education, which prepares them to be competitive in today’s globalized economy. I am committed to ensuring our nation makes the right investments in education to provide future generations with the tools they need to achieve their goals.
As the mother of a young son, I strongly believe when students are safe at school and receive adequate support to meet the challenges they face, they are more likely to stay in school and to thrive there. That’s why I have introduced several bills that will help make schools safer, more stable places for students to grow and learn.
Students cannot learn when they are shamed, intimidated, or in fear for their physical safety or emotional distress. To help all children succeed in school, we must recognize that bullying is not just “kids being kids.” It is harmful and damaging behavior that must be taken seriously. More than one in five children in America will be bullied either at school or online, and seventy percent of students say they have witnessed bullying in their schools. Bullying contributes to decreased academic achievement, including high dropout rates and increase absenteeism, and physical and psychological issues.
Current federal law provides funds to promote school safety but does not expressly focus on issues of bullying or harassment. As a condition of receiving future Safe Schools funding, the Safe Schools Improvement Act would require schools and districts to ensure that their codes of conduct specifically prohibit bullying and harassment and would require states to include bullying and harassment data in their state-wide reporting. The legislation would also allow schools to train faculty and staff on how to prevent bullying and address it effectively when it does occur.
I have introduced this bipartisan legislation since 2007. It is widely supported by my colleagues and over 70 outside organizations, like the Human Rights Campaign, GLSEN, National Association of School Psychologists, National Education Association, and more.
The average student-to-counselor ratio in California’s public schools is 644 to one, a ratio that hardly allows for individual attention and intensive support. Unfortunately, in California, counselor-to-student ratios are almost always determined by the overall student population of a school, rather than by the number of students at risk of dropping out. School counselors are an integral part of the effort to increase graduation rates because they can identify potential problems early in a student’s school career.
That is why I introduced the Put School Counselors Where They’re Needed Act, which would address this problem by providing funding for additional counselors in high schools with high drop-out rates. These additional counselors would work intensively with students at risk and would collaborate with parents, teachers, and others to create a comprehensive plan to get these students back on the right track.
In addition to this legislation, I introduce a resolution each year that honors and recognizes “National School Counseling Week.” School counselors play an important role in shaping the lives of our young people. They can often identify and intervene in an issue before a student drops out, and provide necessary, multifaceted support to students who need it the most. School counselors also help guide and encourage students in achieving the dream of going to college, and help others identify an alternative path that works for them.
Expanding access and affordability to secondary school is another issue I am working hard to improve. Student loan debt has reached an astonishing $1.5 trillion and is crippling young college graduates who are trying to start their post-college lives. Hard working young adults shouldn’t have to start life already behind, which is why I have been a proud cosponsor of the Democratic proposal to reauthorize the Higher Education Act. The College Affordability Act is a comprehensive piece of legislation that would tackle the rising cost of tuition and increase federal student aid.
In prior Congresses, I have worked with some of my colleagues to introduce the America’s College Promise Act. This legislation would provide grants to states to make the first two years of community college completely free. Opening up the door to an education so many Americans want, but many may not have the means to achieve. I am proud to say that this legislation was included as part of the College Affordability Act.
As we continue working to pass comprehensive legislation, I have worked with my colleagues to pass smaller bills that would provide immediate relief to students. In 2017, I introduced the All-Year Access Act with Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-CA) to restore the year-round Pell Grant eligibility which was eliminated in 2011. This legislation was signed into law by the President in 2017.
We are already witnessing the devastating effects of climate change. The science is clear that if we do nothing to reduce and eliminate greenhouse gas emissions, these effects will continue to worsen. Both current and future generations will pay a heavy price for our inaction. Fortunately, California continues to lead the fight against climate change as the world’s fifth largest economy. That is why I am fighting to preserve our state’s authority to take action where the federal government has failed: from fuel economy standards to
Pollution disproportionately hurts minority communities, especially here in Los Angeles County. Latino children are 40 percent more likely to die from asthma than non-Latino white children. In my largely Latino district, my constituents bear the brunt of our nation’s environmental burdens. Thirty-one percent of Latinos live within 30 miles of a power plant. Equally alarming is the fact that Latinos are also one hundred and sixty-five percent more likely to live in counties with unhealthy levels of particulate matter pollution.
That is why I am a strong supporter of legislation to protect our air and water, recommit our nation to the global fight against climate change, and strive for environmental justice.
Expanding carbon-free energy is one of the most important ways to mitigate climate change. As a member of the House Committee on Ways and Means, I am fighting for a tax code that makes clean energy more affordable and accessible to working families. As we accelerate the deployment of renewable energy, reducing our consumption of energy represents a win-win for consumers, business, and our planet. That is why I have reintroduced legislation to incentivize insulating pipes and mechanical equipment to make buildings more energy efficient while supporting good-paying union jobs. I was proud to see that incentive included in the larger infrastructure bill passed by the House of Representatives.
Quality, accessible, affordable health care should be a right, not just a privilege reserved for the wealthy few. Thanks to the Affordable Care Act (ACA), we've made this fundamental right a reality. I am proud of the work I did in the Ways and Means Committee to prohibit health insurance companies from charging women higher health insurance premiums than men.
The committee that I sit on, the Ways and Means Committee, is very active on health care issues. Ways and Means is the chief tax-writing committee in the House of Representatives and has jurisdiction over Medicare, Social Security, and social service programs. Most recently, we have held numerous hearings on protecting people with preexisting conditions, caring for aging Americans, stopping surprise billing, and lowering prescription drug costs.
The numbers speak for themselves – tens of millions of uninsured Americans have gained health insurance coverage since enactment of the ACA. Millions more got health coverage through the ACA Marketplaces, including young adults who were able to obtain or continue coverage on their parents’ policies, and those who are newly covered by Medicaid.
Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, working families have more security, and many of those who already had health insurance now have better coverage. In the private market, millions more now have access to expanded coverage for preventive health care services, such as a mammogram or flu shot, without cost-sharing. Benefits in other plans (e.g., coverage received from your employer) are more reliable and comprehensive than ever before. As an added benefit, the ACA reduced the rate of health care cost growth by spending and utilizing our health care dollars more wisely.
While the ACA is not perfect, efforts by the Trump Administration to sabotage health coverage for millions of Americans, many of those including our most vulnerable populations, is not right. I will continue working with my colleagues to protect coverage for patients with pre-existing conditions. This work includes continuing to cross the aisle with Republican colleagues to make this law more effective, but I will not vote for any law that will deny health care for millions of Americans.
I am proud to have helped pass the Affordable Care Act and the improvements it made to Medicare. The ACA makes Medicare stronger by adding new benefits, fighting fraud, and improving care for patients. And we’re already seeing results: So far, 8.2 million seniors have saved more than $11.5 billion on their prescription drugs since 2010, an average of $1,407 per senior. And over the next ten years, the law will save the average person in Medicare $4,200.
Today, more than 37 million seniors in Medicare have also received free preventive services with no co-pay under the Affordable Care Act, and Medicare Part B premiums have held steady for the past few years. The ACA also managed to control medical costs and extend the Medicare Hospital Insurance Trust Fund until at least 2030. These are remarkable accomplishments and I’m proud to support health care reform that provides better care and better results for our seniors.
I am also proud to support legislation that would provide seniors in Medicare access to dental, vision, and hearing services. There is currently a coverage gap for these services under Medicare and our seniors deserve access. Increasing access would improve quality of life and independence.
Prescriptions are not recommendations. Our friends and family members need these medications. However, I have heard so many stories from people in our community about skipping their medications, watering down their dosages, or not even bothering to get their medicine from the pharmacy. People are choosing between paying their rent, mortgage, bills, and food over their prescriptions.
This is unacceptable. That is why I am proud to support legislation that would give security back to the American people, our friends and family. I believe that the Secretary of Health and Human Services should be allowed to negotiate for better prices on prescriptions drugs in Medicare. These negotiations would not only lower the cost of prescription drugs for those on Medicare but will lower the price for all Americans.
I am proud to have helped pass legislation that would lower the cost of prescription drugs and reinvest these savings into new treatments and cures through research funding at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). These savings will also be reinvested back into the Medicare program to help our seniors and people with disabilities.
For millions of American families, including my own, the heartbreak of watching a loved one struggle with Alzheimer’s disease or related dementias is a pain we know all too well. An estimated 5.8 million Americans of all ages are living with Alzheimer’s in 2019. This devastating disease disproportionately affects certain groups – especially women and Latinos. This year, Alzheimer’s and other dementias will cost the United States an estimated $290 billion, including $195 billion in Medicare and Medicaid payments. By 2050, the number of people age 65 and older with Alzheimer’s may grow to a projected 14 million, and at the current rate, the cost of Alzheimer’s will reach $1.1 trillion in 2050.
That is why I am proud to sponsor the bipartisan Concentrating on High-Value Alzheimer’s Needs to Get to an End (CHANGE) Act. My legislation will give providers the tools they need to detect and diagnose Alzheimer’s at its earliest stages. It will also better support the caregivers of those living with it. The bill has broad bipartisan support and has also been introduced in the Senate.
In 2007, as Chairwoman for the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Commercial and Administrative Law, I held a hearing to examine if the National Football League’s (NFL) player disability plan was adequately serving former players. Many of these players suffered from chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) as a result of multiple concussions they endured while playing in the NFL.
In 2009 and 2010, I participated in multiple hearings regarding head injuries and football, and grilled NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell over the league’s concussion awareness campaign. These hearings resulted in greater public awareness and changes to how football teams address player concussions on all levels of play. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has found that more than 300,000 athletes lose consciousness from concussions every year in the United States, and the total number of concussions could be as high as 3.8 million. I am proud to continue working on this important issue through my involvement in the congressional Traumatic Brain Injury Taskforce.
Our housing market’s continued improvement is central to strengthening our economy. In Congress, I am proud to advocate for resources that will strengthen our housing market and help families in our district to achieve the American dream. To help reduced the economic pressures, I have led efforts to expand affordable housing programs and increase access to financial tools for families across Southern California. I am committed to continue fighting for resources to help seniors, veterans, and working families make homeownership a reality.
I will continue to join with my California Democratic colleagues to help local struggling families remain in their homes. As a delegation, we have urged banks to participate in the “Keep Your Home California” program, which helps homeowners at risk of foreclosure and requested that the President urge the Federal Housing Finance Agency to allow Fannie Mae and Freddy Mac owned mortgages to be refinanced. I was also a strong advocate for the Homeowners’ Bill of Rights and joined with Southern California colleagues to preserve the Housing and Urban Development multifamily field office in Los Angeles.
I believe in the importance of strengthening our communities, which is why I have always been a strong advocate for the Community Development Block Grants program (CDBG). CDBG funding provides communities with the resources to make sure that its residents have access to various services and programs. These programs fund emergency shelters, food for low income families, services for seniors, and recreational scholarships for needy children. This funding is crucial to the success of Southern California communities.
In addition, I am proud to support robust funding for programs such as the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Grants program and the veterans supportive housing program (HUD-VASH), which help address homelessness in our communities. These programs provide Southern California communities with funding for homelessness prevention efforts, rehousing initiatives, and mental and health care services to those experiencing homelessness.
If you are having difficulties with your family’s housing situation, please e-mail me or call my office at 562-860-5050.
For generations, the United States has held a proud tradition of welcoming immigrants and refugees. As the the daughter of immigrants, I know that each generation of immigrants comes to our country to work hard, persevere, and provide better opportunities for their families. Home to more than 3.5 million immigrants, Los Angeles’ highly diverse immigrant communities are the embodiment of the American dream.
Unfortunately, our broken immigration system puts the American dream out of reach for many immigrants. The best and brightest minds are shut out of our economy, leaving us at a competitive disadvantage. Entire groups are people are forced into the shadows for fear of inhumane treatment or deportation. Families are broken apart and children are forced to grow up without their parents for years on end.
This reality hurts thousands of families in our district, and is simply unacceptable. We need a plan that protects family unity and provides relief for the undocumented population that has been living and contributing to our communities for decades, while also protecting the rights of those seek asylum and other forms of humanitarian relief, modernizing and improving our legal immigration system, and maintaining the security of our borders.
That’s why I support legislation like the Dream and Promise Act, which would provide permanent relief to undocumented young people who are pursuing or have completed their education. Our district is home to thousands of hardworking Dreamers. They are teachers, servicemembers, health professionals, and much more. I am proud to support a pathway for Dreamers to become full citizens of the only country they have ever known.
To fix our immigration system and restore the American Dream we must continue working to develop policies that treat immigrants fairly and humanely; ensure efficient processing of immigration backlogs; and provide smart border security.
As a card-carrying member of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 441 and former labor lawyer, I am a staunch defender of worker’s rights. As your representative in Congress, I am fighting every day to improve working conditions and protect the rights of workers in our community and across the country. I am committed to fighting for legislation that will increase project labor agreements, raise the minimum wage, ensure Davis-Bacon Act protections, protect the Jones Act, and expand the National Labor Relations Act. In addition, I am proud to be a Co-Chair of the Congressional Labor Caucus, and a founding member of the Labor and Working Families Caucus.
I have fought my entire career to protect working families by developing and implementing a pro-labor agenda. Unfortunately, there has been many attacks to gut commonsense policies that protect good jobs for working families. Jobs give us the security and freedom to take care of our families and give back to our communities.  Jobs are about dignity, and I will continue to protect hard-won progress.
With a combined history of work in the labor movement and membership on the Committee on Ways and Means, which has jurisdiction over our federal trade policy, I bring a unique perspective to international trade issues. I use my position on the Ways and Means Committee to advocate for fair trade policies and a fair level playing field for U.S. workers and businesses competing in the global marketplace. When done right, trade can spur innovation, create jobs across our region and country, and bring the “Made in the USA” label to more countries around the world. It is through this lens that I approach the trade issues that come before Congress.
During my time in Congress I fought to ensure that trade agreements reflect our national priorities and will continue to work tirelessly to improve our trade agreements. Specifically, I am an advocate for improved labor rights, environmental protections, Buy America provisions, and civil rights equality as the United States undertakes trade negotiations with potential partners.
Recently, I was honored to serve on the Conference Committee for the Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act. As part of that process, I was able to collaborate with members of the House and Senate to reach a compromise and bicameral agreement on our nation’s customs’ trade functions. Included in the final customs bill was the bulk of the ENFORCE Act that I have championed for several years.
Under the ENFORCE Act, domestic producers will be able to petition U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to investigate possible anti-dumping and countervailing duty evasions. For far too long, U.S. manufacturers have been hurt by foreign competitors and their fraudulent schemes to avoid paying the duties they owe on manufactured goods. The ENFORCE Act also puts in place timelines for CBP to make preliminary and final determinations about whether an importer is engaged in duty evasion.
I have also introduced an amendment to the Trade Priorities and Accountability (TPA) Act, which would have prohibited the U.S. from entering into trade deals with countries whose laws call for the imprisonment, torture, or even death penalty for the supposed "crime" of sexual orientation. I also joined with over 100 bipartisan Members of Congress calling for the suspension of Brunei from the pending Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations until the country rescinds a new criminal code that violates the human rights of LGBT individuals.
The most important duty of the United States Congress is to protect the American people. To do so, we must maintain a well-trained military, deploy our men and women in uniform only when absolutely necessary, and preserve our civil liberties and freedom. I am fighting to restore the constitutional authority of Congress to declare war.
During a time of global instability and unrest, the United States must remain a steadfast force for peace and democracy in the world. As a member of the United States delegation to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Parliamentary Assembly, preserving our alliances is one of my highest priorities. As Vice-Chair of the Economics and Security Committee, I am working with my colleagues across the alliance to make our economies more resilient.
One of our most important tools for fostering peace is our diplomatic corps. During the 113th and 114th Congress, I served on the United States House Select Committee on Benghazi, where I prioritized preventing future attacks on our diplomatic corps over partisan politics.
I remain a strong supporter of Armenia and have worked hard in Congress to push the administration and international leaders to bring a lasting peace to the region. I will continue to fight for the right of the people of Artsakh to determine their own future. I am also deeply concerned that there are still those who refuse to acknowledge the atrocities that occurred in 1915. Their denial is disrespectful to the 1.5 million Armenians who died and to those who risked their lives to escape the violence. As a consistent proponent of the Armenian Genocide Resolution, I was proud to fight for and help secure its passage after decades of denial.
I am a proud supporter of Israel and its security. As the only true democracy in the Middle East, the United States and Israel share so much in common and I will continue to fight to ensure our alliance with Israel remains one of our most important relationships.
For generations, our nation has lived by a simple promise: Americans who have worked hard their entire lives have the right to retire with dignity and security. Seniors’ golden years should be “golden”—living in good health, without financial insecurity. Our seniors have worked hard and kept their end of the deal. I will always fight to ensure our government keeps its end of the deal and protects senior citizens.
I will fight against efforts to privatize Social Security and proposals to turn Medicare and Medicaid into block grant programs. These programs have made an immeasurable difference in our daily lives and I assure you that I will do everything I can to strengthen, protect, and improve these essential programs.
Dismantling the promise of Social Security would take away guaranteed, inflation proof benefits for today’s children and young adults. No one wants to return to the tragic days before Social Security, when seniors would work until the day they died because they could not afford to retire. To honor a lifetime of work and service, I will continue working with my colleagues to protect, strengthen, and expand Social Security.
I am proud to have helped pass the Affordable Care Act and the improvements it made to Medicare. The ACA makes Medicare stronger by adding new benefits, fighting fraud, and improving care for patients. And we’re already seeing results: So far, 8.2 million seniors have saved more than $11.5 billion on their prescription drugs since 2010, an average of $1,407 per senior. And over the next ten years, the law will save the average person in Medicare $4,200.
Today, more than 37 million seniors in Medicare have also received free preventive services with no co-pay under the Affordable Care Act, and Medicare Part B premiums have held steady for the past few years. The ACA also managed to control medical costs and extend the Medicare Hospital Insurance Trust Fund until at least 2030. These are remarkable accomplishments and I’m proud to support health care reform that provides better care and better results for our seniors.
As a former member of the Small Business Committee in the House of Representatives, I know that small businesses are the backbone of our country. That is why I am working hard in Congress to provide critical financial support to small businesses, by opening the federal contracting system and increasing access to capital to help create new opportunities, grow existing businesses, and boost our economy.
I am proud to partner with local agencies who support entrepreneurs in our community. Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs) are one of our nation’s most invaluable resources for entrepreneurs learning how to plan, establish, and scale their small businesses. Through no-cost, in-person consulting and low-cost training, SBDCs are funded in part by annual appropriations and help small businesses with business planning, accessing capital, marketing, and more. Unfortunately, getting the word out about these services remains a persistent challenge. That is why I introduced the Supporting Entrepreneurs and Economic Development (SEED) Act to direct entrepreneurs they denied for a Small Business Administration-backed loan to their nearest SBDC. Those entrepreneurs can receive counseling to improve their odds of approval and strengthen their business plans.
During tax season, small businesses should not be overly burdened with the stress of filing their taxes. That's why I was proud to champion a bill that became law to reduce duplicative filing costs for small businesses looking to offer retirement plans to their employees. This bill would help small businesses provide greater retirement security to more Americans.
Small businesses make receive about one-quarter of federal government contracts, yet make up 99% of all businesses. Despite government goals of awarding contracts to small businesses, the $500 billion federal marketplace remains largely closed. I want to level the playing field, making sure everyone has a fair shot at winning federal contracts.
As both the first Latina and the most senior Democratic woman currently serving on the Committee on Ways and Means, I bring a unique perspective on federal tax issues to my work. I also serve on the Select Revenue Measures (Tax Policy) Subcommittee of the Ways and Means Committee, focusing much of my time on examining potential changes and improvements to our federal tax code.
It is no secret that recent partisan Republican changes to the tax code picked multinational corporate winners while leaving too many working families as the losers. I have long supported reforming the code to be fairer, simpler, and provide more certainty for all. But the Republican tax reform package was balanced on the backs of working families, while not creating a level playing field for the small businesses in my community.
This Congress, I have been proud to work with our new Democratic majority to take thoughtful steps to undo some of the worst harms created by the 2017 law changes. So far we have tackled affordable childcare, shoring up our pension system, and climate change through the tax code. We are also worked to thoughtfully to address long overdue infrastructure needs across the country exacerbated by the pandemic.
I was proud to see a bill I sponsored to consolidate paperwork and make it more efficient for small businesses to offer retirement plans signed into law this Congress as part of a larger package.
I am continuing to fight for legislation I've authored to:
As a Southern California native, I understand the multifaceted challenges facing our region when it comes to smart transportation policy. I have consistently worked to bring federal dollars back to the 38th Congressional district and the Los Angeles County area to repair aging bridges, roads, and railways. The 38th Congressional district is uniquely positioned as part of a major transportation corridor thanks to the passage of goods from the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. Commercial goods coming in through the ports travel through our communities each day and I am focused on ensuring safe and reliable passage for those goods while keeping an eye towards ways to reduce pollution.
I am a strong supporter of mass transit projects in the region to help combat air pollution and ease freeway congestion. The ever-expanding commuter rail system in Southern California is one key component of this goal and I am pleased to continue to work with colleagues at the federal, state, and local levels to ensure future projects meet the needs of our growing community. I was proud to support the reauthorization of federal surface transportation programs and will continue to work diligently with my colleagues to ensure Southern California receives its fair share of sorely needed federal transportation dollars.
I am dedicated to honoring the contributions of our service men and women. I want to ensure that those who serve today have incentives to continue, those who served in the past are properly honored, and those who choose to serve in the future are coming into a military system that is the best in the world.
Our service members make tremendous sacrifices for our country, but their credit score should not be one of them. Too many service members face challenges when they return home because of missed payments incurred while deployed. For many years, I have introduced the Fair Credit Reporting for Service Members Act to give military service members and their families some peace of mind. This bill would allow service members to dispute any negative information, or “dings,” on their credit report that occurred while they were serving in a combat zone or aboard a U.S. vessel. This bill will allow for credit reports that more accurately reflect the full picture. In the 116th Congress, my legislation passed the U.S. House of Representatives.
First introduced in 2014, this legislation came from meetings I had with two courageous parents, John Kelsall, then President of the Lakewood Chamber of Commerce and his wife, long time Southern California non-profit leader, Teri. They lost their son, Jonas, a Lieutenant Commander and proud Navy Seal, in 2011, during a tour in Afghanistan. To keep their son’s legacy alive, they founded a nonprofit veteran’s business incubator to assist returning U.S. military veterans.
While updating me on the organization’s challenges and successes, they shared one hurdle that kept coming up over and over. Service members and veterans were having trouble obtaining loans to help grow their businesses. This was often due to missing payments that were out of their control during deployments, resulting in hits to their credit. I knew something had to change. Our country continues to ask so much from our men and women in uniform. They deserve financial peace of mind during deployments and they will have that when this becomes law.
I recognize that many Vietnam veterans returned to the United States in obscurity and without a formal “thank you” or “welcome home.” In an effort to help give Vietnam Veterans the warm reception so many of them didn’t receive, I have introduced a bill each year calling for a “Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day”. This legislation has the support of the Vietnam Veterans of America and AmVets.
*Jose Ramos, a Vietnam veteran from Whittier, led a group of veterans on a bike trek across the country to Washington, D.C. The effort brought attention to the “Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day” initiative.
I have worked hard to ensure the benefits veterans were promised are protected. I continue to oppose legislation that would shut down vital hospitals, cause veterans to lose coverage, and cut services to our veterans.
I was a proud co-sponsor of the Faster Care for Veterans Act, which would allow for a pilot program for veterans to use an internet website to schedule and confirm appointments.
I am committed to ensuring veterans in California get the benefits they have earned. Our nation has a duty to provide veterans the support and care they deserve when they leave active service.
Paid Family Leave
The United States is one of the few developed countries without a national paid family leave program. The Family Medical Leave Act, passed in 1993, was a good start towards providing workers with job security while they care for a child or loved one, however roughly 40% of all U.S. workers are not covered under FMLA. It is time to guarantee paid family and medical leave for every American worker.
Earned-Income Tax Credit (EITC)
The Earned-Income Tax Credit (EITC) continues to be one of America’s most powerful anti-poverty and work support programs. Each year, the credit helps approximately 24 million working families make ends meet, lifting nearly five million out of poverty. As Vice Chair of the House Democratic Caucus and a member of the tax-writing Ways and Means Committee, I have worked to improve and defend these tax credits for working families because the EITC is especially beneficial to Latino households.
Child Tax Credit (CTC)
The Child Tax Credit (CTC) is an important tax credit that helps low- and moderate-income working families offset the cost of raising children. Along with the EITC, the CTC helps millions of hard-working Americans make ends meet, pay for childcare, and provide the basics for their children. I will continue to oppose efforts to cut the Child Tax Credit or make it harder for families to qualify for the full CTC.
Ending Gender-Based Discrimination
Gender-based discrimination continues to be a big problem for women in the United States. Disparities between incomes of male and female workers are well-established. Despite recent efforts to reduce this income-gap, women still earn about 79% of their male counterparts. In 2009, I was an original cosponsor of the landmark Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which is designed to reduce gender based discrimination in the work place. Women should receive equal pay for equal work, and I am proud the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act became law on January 29, 2009.
Defending Women's Health Care Access
I have always been a steadfast supporter of the Title X Family Planning program, which is designed to provide access to contraceptive services and women’s health education. I will continue to oppose cuts to Title X funding because they are vital to educating women and girls in California's 38th Congressional District.
Promoting Equality in High School and College Sports
Women deserve to receive equal treatment across the board, which is why I oppose efforts to cut funding for women’s collegiate athletics. Sports develop self-esteem, leadership, and provide many physical and mental health benefits to young women. Women should have the same access to athletic teams as men do. That is why I have always been a vigorous supporter and defender of Title IX.
Minimum Wage
I believe in a living wage for all workers. Taxpayers are forced to subsidize the low-wage policies of huge, profitable employers like Walmart or McDonalds when hard-working, full-time employees need to turn to social safety net programs to get by. A living minimum wage will help working families put food on the table and put a roof over their heads. I will also fight for federal paid sick days legislation that will give workers the flexibility they need to take care of their loved ones without losing their jobs.
Securing Safety Nets
Republicans are constantly trying to chip away at important food and nutritional services for working families. Year after year, I have been an outspoken critic of block granting Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and a proponent of expanding the reach of this necessary service.
Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) is another critical service we must work to strengthen. WIC provides nutritional support to pregnant women and their newborn and young children at a time when they need it the most. However, WIC only covers children until their fifth birthday, leaving a critical gap between their fifth birthday and the start of kindergarten for many. I have introduced the WIC Act with my colleague Rep. Rosa DeLauro, which would raise the age of eligibility from five to six. This would allow children access the critical resources WIC provides without a gap.
Labor and Working Families Caucus
Rep. Linda Sánchez is recognized by her colleagues and the national media as a leading voice for working families. She is a co-founder of the Labor and Working Families Caucus and has worked tirelessly to ensure that workers are safe on the job, from industrial accidents, as well as from employer intimidation and retaliation. As a working mother Rep. Sánchez understands what it is like to juggle the demands of kids, work, family, and laundry all at the same time. That is why she is a leading advocate for policies such as paid maternity and paternity leave and sick leave which will help make the lives of working families a little easier.