Pramila Jayapal

Democrat Representative of Washington's 7th district

  • 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