Rosa DeLauro is the Congresswoman from Connecticut’s Third Congressional District, which stretches from the Long Island Sound and New Haven, to the Naugatuck Valley and Waterbury. Rosa serves as the Chair of the House Appropriations Committee and sits on the Democratic Steering and Policy Committee, and she is the Chair of the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Subcommittee, where she oversees our nation’s investments in education, health, and employment.
At the core of Rosa’s work is her fight for America’s working families. Rosa believes that we must raise the nation’s minimum wage, give all employees access to paid sick days, allow employees to take paid family and medical leave, and ensure equal pay for equal work. Every day, Rosa fights for legislation that would give all working families an opportunity to succeed.
Rosa stands with Connecticut’s seniors and is a strong supporter of Medicare and Social Security.
Protecting Medicare
Rosa supports a strong Medicare program to ensure we meet the health needs of seniors and opposes policies and budgets that would weaken Medicare. She supported provisions of the Affordable Care Act that improved the program, such as:
Strengthening Social Security
Rosa believes that preserving Social Security is part of our moral duty to keep retired Americans from falling into poverty. Social Security was founded on a promise: if you work in America, America will guarantee you a solid foundation for retirement. That is why Rosa works to strengthen Social Security and opposes privatization critical American cornerstone. She also introduced the Rebuild America Act which will increase Social Security benefits while strengthening the Social Security Trust Fund, ensuring its solvency for generations to come.
Social Security was always meant to be the bedrock of a balanced retirement plan. It guarantees Americans a dignified retirement, even if pensions, investments, and savings fail. Privatization would eliminate the last secure pillar of retirement in America. Rosa believes we must encourage Americans of all ages to save more of their income for the future, but that these efforts must complement Social Security, not threaten it.
Keeping Seniors Out of Poverty
Social Security has prevented over 50 percent of seniors from falling into poverty. However, women still face greater financial pressures, especially later in life. Seventy percent of the elderly in poverty are women, mainly due to income inequity and lost benefits over a lifetime that result. Rosa has fought to close the gender wage gap that reduces women’s economic security and believes in valuing all of the work that women do over a lifetime, including caregiving, in determining retirement benefits. She also fights to ensure that critical programs, such as Medicaid and anti-hunger programs, have enough resources to help eligible Connecticut seniors.