Nanette Diaz Barragán was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in November 2016, becoming the first Latina ever to represent California’s 44th Congressional district.
Born in Harbor City and growing up in its surrounding harbor communities, Nanette’s humble beginnings shaped her interest in issues that matter locally: environmental and health justice, immigration reform, strengthening the economy and affordable and accessible education.
As the youngest of eleven children raised by immigrant parents from Mexico, Nanette knows about the challenges that many low-income minority families face firsthand. Her father, a local tv repairman, instilled in her a strong work ethic and influenced her love for baseball (in particular, for the Los Angeles Dodgers). Her mother, who only completed the third grade, cleaned homes, cared for others and worked in factories to make ends meet. Nanette learned from her parents the values of hard work, and obtained her undergraduate degree from UCLA and her Juris Doctor from USC Gould School of Law.
Our seniors deserve health and financial well-being in their golden years. We must honor the promises the Social Security system made to workers and retirees. Maintaining the integrity of this safety net is a national priority. Without Social Security income and Medicare coverage, many seniors would fall into poverty—an unkind reward for a lifetime of work.
It is vital that we honor the promises our Social Security system has made to our nation’s workers and retirees. Maintaining the integrity of this vital safety net must be a national priority, as Social Security income is necessary for seniors no longer in the workforce. At a time when President Trump and Republicans in Congress have signaled a desire to dismantle many Social Security protections—forcing seniors to negotiate their own health and retirement benefits—it is imperative that we continue fighting to preserve the guaranteed benefits our nation’s seniors depend on.
I am fighting to preserve and strengthen healthcare reforms that make quality, affordable healthcare coverage accessible to all of America’s seniors. The care and services provided by Medicare and Medicaid are often the only resources available for senior healthcare. Seniors deserve to have a dignified retirement, not to have their access to healthcare and basic income programs cut out from underneath them.
I am proud to represent more than 16,000 veterans living in California’s 44th District. Our veterans answered the call to defend our democracy and freedom, and in return we must honor them and their families by ensuring they have all the tools and resources necessary to succeed in civilian life. As a member of the bipartisan Congressional Military-Veterans Caucus, I will continue to ardently champion for America’s veterans, active duty personnel, and their families.
Our service members make tremendous sacrifices for our country, but too many don’t get the support they need when they return home. I introduced the Housing Homeless Veterans Act to address our veteran homeless problem by directing housing vouchers for homeless veterans to areas of the country where they are needed most.
Many assume that joining the military means an automatic guarantee of citizenship. It does not. I am passionately working to address the growing issue of deported veterans. My legislation, the Veterans’ Pathway to Citizenship Act, grants lawful permanent resident (LPR) status to any current or former member of the Armed Forces, and provides guidance and resources so that service members can more easily obtain citizenship. Anyone who risks their life to fight for our country should be granted citizenship.