Congresswoman Barbara Lee Celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month

Press Release

Today, Congresswoman Barbara Lee joined millions of Americans in celebrating the beginning of Hispanic Heritage Month, which runs from September 15 through October 15 every year.

"During Hispanic Heritage Month, we honor the Hispanic community and pay tribute to the extraordinary contributions that Hispanics have made throughout our history, and continue to make to America every day," Congresswoman Lee stated. "As someone who was born and raised in the border city of El Paso, Texas, my life has been enriched by the Latino community and their cultural richness and vibrancy."

"Latinos are a vital part of my district and our nation, economically, culturally, and politically," Congresswoman Lee added. "As the fastest growing ethnic group in our country, the 52.5 million-strong Hispanic community makes America a stronger nation. And over several generations, American life has been enriched by Hispanic contributions in business, education, government, and the arts."

House Democrats are continuing to work hard to try to improve the lives of America's Hispanics. A top priority is comprehensive immigration reform, which unites families, secures our borders, protects our workers, and offers hardworking immigrants an earned pathway to citizenship. Comprehensive reform would have major economic benefits -- expanding economic growth, creating jobs, and reducing the deficit. In June, the Senate passed commonsense reform -- by a bipartisan vote of 68 to 32. Now it is time for the House to act. Instead of making up excuses for not taking up reform, House Republicans should be joining Democrats who are ready to vote for solutions to fix our badly broken immigration system.

Another top priority is creating jobs and strengthening economic growth -- a critical agenda for America's Hispanic community. Democrats are fighting for such initiatives as rebuilding America's infrastructure, strengthening American manufacturing, investing in community colleges to train American workers in the skills that today's employers need, providing incentives for small businesses to grow and hire, and eliminating tax incentives for companies to move jobs overseas.

A third top priority is successfully implementing the Affordable Care Act, which is vital to America's Latino community. When enrollment in the new Marketplaces opens on October 1, the 10.2 million Hispanics who are currently uninsured will have new access to affordable, quality private health plans. In addition, the ACA is already providing an estimated 8.2 million Hispanics with private insurance free preventive services, such as well-child visits and blood pressure and cholesterol screenings. Also, because of the ACA, 913,000 Latino young adults up to age 26 who would otherwise be uninsured have already obtained coverage on their parents' plan.

"This month as we celebrate the contributions of Hispanics, Democrats in Congress will continue to work to reignite the American dream for all Americans, including Hispanics, building ladders of opportunity for all," Rep. Lee concluded.

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