Pramila Jayapal
Democrat Representative of Washington's 7th district
Representative
Washington, district 7
January 3, 2017 - January 3, 2019
Representative
Washington, district 7
January 3, 2019 - January 3, 2021
Representative
Washington, district 7
January 3, 2021 - January 3, 2023
Representative
Washington, district 7
January 3, 2023 - January 3, 2025
4
Congresses Served
4
House Terms
September 21, 1965 (59 years old)
Birthday
- Serves as the U.S. representative since 2017
- First Indian-American woman in the U.S. House of Representatives
- First Asian American to represent Washington at the federal level
- Served in the Washington State Senate from 2015 to 2017
- Was a civil rights activist and executive director of OneAmerica, a pro-immigrant advocacy group
- Co-chaired the Congressional Progressive Caucus from 2019 to 2021, then served as chair
- Serves on the Judiciary Committee and Budget Committee
- Born in Chennai, India, and immigrated to the U.S. in 1982 for college
- Holds a BA from Georgetown University and an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University
- Worked as a financial analyst and in sales and marketing before moving into public sector work
- Founded Hate Free Zone (later OneAmerica) post-September 11 attacks
- Participated in protests against the Trump administration’s immigration policies
- Advocated for a $15 minimum wage and police reform in Seattle
- Endorsed Bernie Sanders in the 2016 Democratic primaries
- Advocates for universal health care, environmental justice, and transparency in government
- Supports decreasing U.S. military spending and immigration reform
- Criticized for running a volatile and dysfunctional workplace by former staffers
- Supports a ban on stock trading by members of Congress
- Opposed the provision of cluster munitions to Ukraine by the Biden administration
- Holds leadership positions including Senior Whip of the Democratic Caucus and Chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus
- Lives in Seattle with her family; has a transgender child
- Tested positive for COVID-19 in January 2021
- Endorsed Bernie Sanders in the 2020 Democratic presidential primaries