Barbara Lee has been an elected representative since 1990, serving in the California State Assembly, the California State Senate, and, currently, the U.S. Congress. She is the most senior Democratic woman on the House International Relations Committee and also serves on the House Financial Services Committee.

Additionally, Lee has been the co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, Whip for the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC), and a Senior Democratic Whip. She has won international recognition in her leadership in the global fight against HIV/AIDS. Lee is one of the strongest voices in Congress in opposition to the War in Iraq and has been a leader in promoting policies that foster international peace, security, and human rights.

In 2013, Lee was made chair of the Whip Task Force on Poverty and Opportunity. Lee has worked to promote awareness of HIV/AIDS, and her legislation helped create the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS relief, and the Global Fund to Fight HIV/AIDS. In recent years, Lee has also engaged in efforts to create bipartisan support for efforts to aid Darfur as genocide-stricken Sudan heals.