| Nancy Pelosi has represented San Francisco in Congress for more than 35 years. She served as the 52nd Speaker of the House of Representatives, having made history in 2007 when she was elected the first woman to serve as Speaker of the House. Pelosi made history again in January 2019 when she regained her position second-in-line to the presidency - the first person to do so in more than six decades. Speaker Pelosi is the chief architect of generation-defining legislation under two Democratic administrations, including the Affordable Care Act and the American Rescue Plan. Pelosi is fighting For The People- working to lower costs, increase paychecks and create jobs for American families.
Speaker Pelosi led House Democrats for 20 years and previously served as House Democratic Whip. In 2013, she was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame at a ceremony in Seneca Falls, the birthplace of the American women's rights movement.
Speaker Pelosi has long been a champion for families' health care. Pelosi was the architect of the landmark Affordable Care Act, which has guaranteed protections for all Americans with pre-existing medical conditions, forbid insurers from treating being a woman as a pre-existing condition, ended annual and lifetime limits on health coverage, and provided affordable health coverage for tens of millions more Americans. As Democratic Leader in 2017, Pelosi led the charge to defend American families from Republicans' monstrous "Trumpcare" legislation- mobilizing a massive nationwide campaign in support of the ACA and powering Democrats back into the Majority in 2018. For decades, Pelosi has also been a relentless leader on reducing the costs of prescription drugs by empowering the federal government to negotiate drug prices and capping out-of-pocket costs for seniors- action enshrined into law in the Inflation Reduction Act.
Pelosi has made the climate crisis the flagship issue of her Speakership. In 2022, Speaker Pelosi delivered House passage of the Inflation Reduction Act - which contained the biggest, boldest climate action in history. This law included many House-crafted provisions to accelerate America's transition to a clean energy future- putting the nation on a path to slash carbon pollution by 40 percent by 2030, while creating millions of new jobs and advancing environmental justice. This builds on progress from Pelosi's first Speakership- in 2007, she enacted comprehensive energy legislation that raised vehicle fuel efficiency standards for the first time in three decades and made a game-changing commitment to America's homegrown biofuels. In 2009, she led passage of the American Clean Energy and Security Act to create clean energy jobs, combat the climate crisis and transition America to a clean energy economy.
Speaker Pelosi has been a force for accountability, transparency and participation in government. Under her leadership, the House enacted the toughest ethics reform legislation in the history of the Congress - including the creation of an independent ethics panel. Pelosi also led an historic legislative campaign for voting rights, passing two once-in-a-generation pieces of legislation. The For The People Act would expand access to the ballot, clean up corruption in government, outlaw partisan gerrymandering and combat dark money in politics, and the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act would restore the federal government's power to defend access to the ballot across the country.
Pelosi has been a staunch champion of America's national security and a respected voice abroad in promoting democratic values. She is the longest-serving Member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence in history- serving from 1993-2003, including as Ranking Member from 2000-2003, and later in an ex officio capacity. As Speaker, she marshaled billions of dollars in security, economic and humanitarian assistance for the people of Ukraine after Russia's unlawful invasion in February 2022. She orchestrated an overwhelmingly bipartisan and bicameral effort to impose swift and severe consequences on Russia, including a ban on the import of Russian energy and the revocation of normal trade relations.
Speaker Pelosi has long been a leader in the fight for full equality. She spearheaded the historic repeal of the discriminatory "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy, allowing gay and lesbian Americans to openly serve their country. She passed the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, a law advancing justice for the millions of Americans at risk of violence for being who they are. As Speaker, she twice passed the watershed Equality Act- ensuring justice for the LGBTQ community in the workplace and in every place. Pelosi also led the charge to fight back against the Trump Administration's hateful ban on transgender Servicemembers. In one of her final acts as Speaker, she presided over passage of the landmark Respect for Marriage Act to uphold marriage equality under federal law.
Pelosi comes from a strong family tradition of public service. Her late father, Thomas D'Alesandro Jr., served as Mayor of Baltimore for twelve years, after representing the city for five terms in Congress. Her brother, Thomas D'Alesandro III, also served as Mayor of Baltimore. She graduated from Trinity College in Washington, D.C. She and her husband, Paul Pelosi, a native of San Francisco, have five grown children and nine grandchildren. |