Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal represents Washington’s 7th Congressional District, which encompasses most of Seattle and its surrounding areas. She is the first and only South Asian American woman ever elected to the U.S. House of Representatives and one of just two dozen naturalized citizens currently in Congress.
Rep. Jayapal is the Chair Emerita of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, having led the Caucus for six years, growing it into a powerful voting bloc and establishing term limits. She serves on key committees, including the Steering and Policy Committee, the House Budget Committee, the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, and the House Judiciary Committee, where she is the first immigrant to ever serve as Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Immigration.
In Congress, Representative Jayapal has been a leader on a wide range of landmark progressive issues. She introduced the Medicare for All Act to guarantee health care as a human right, the Housing is a Human Right Act to invest billions into affordable housing, and the College for All Act to make public colleges and universities free for families making up to $125,000 while making community college and trade schools free for everyone. She also introduced the Ultra-Millionaire Tax Act to ensure the ultra-rich finally pay their fair share, the Roadmap to Freedom Immigration Resolution to humanely reform America’s broken immigration system, the Dignity for Detained Immigrants Act to stop the use of private, for-profit detention centers, the Access to Counsel Act, and the Ending Platform Monopolies Act to rein in Big Tech’s monopolistic practices while supporting small businesses, consumers, and workers.
Born in India, Representative Jayapal grew up in India, Indonesia, and Singapore before coming to the United States by herself at the age of 16. She attended college at Georgetown University and later received her MBA from Northwestern University before working in a number of industries in both the public and private sector. She is the author of two books, Pilgrimage to India: A Woman Revisits Her Homeland and Use the Power You Have: A Brown Woman’s Guide to Politics and Political Change.
She lives in West Seattle with her husband Steve Williamson, a long-time labor leader, and their dog Otis! She is also the proud mother of a daughter and stepson.
“Trans rights are human rights, and I’m proud to stand alongside Christopher Street Project to fight for trans dignity and justice every day. Together, we are making clear that the more anyone tries to silence trans people, the louder we will get.
Day after day, we see a constant onslaught of anti-trans rhetoric and legislation coming from elected officials. We will not only push back, but also push forward by finally passing the Trans Bill of Rights, our comprehensive legislation that ensures transgender and nonbinary people are protected and given the respect that every person should have, no matter where they live.”
