Debbie Wasserman Schultz

Official statement

Reproductive Choice When it comes to weighing personal medical decisions, I trust women to make their own decisions about what is best for their bodies and their families. To that end, I will continue to be a staunch advocate for a woman’s right to access all legal, safe resources for planning her family. The Supreme Court has upheld legal assertions that decisions regarding a woman’s body should be kept between her and her doctor. I will always defend this right, including access to abortion services, for women here at home and around the world as a principle tenet of women’s comprehensive health.

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She continues to fight to ensure that our first responders, our local police and firefighters, have the tools they need to do their jobs.

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Additionally, we cannot truly promote the health of women without working to prevent and end violence against women and girls. Domestic violence, rape, trafficking, and assault of women are not private issues to be kept in the shadows – they are unacceptable violations of basic human rights. In addition to always supporting a fully-funded, inclusive Violence Against Women Act, I am proud that two of my bills challenging violence against women – the Rape Survivor Child Custody Act and the Trafficking Awareness Training for Healthcare Act of 2015 – have been signed into law. The Rape Survivor Child Custody Act encourages states to allow a woman to terminate the parental rights of a rapist, and the Trafficking Awareness Training for Healthcare Act develops best practices for health care professionals to identify and respond to victims of human trafficking.

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Official statement

I am proud to cosponsor the Paycheck Fairness Act, which would help ensure all employees receive equal pay for equal work, and to support the creation of a national paid leave program to guarantee paid leave. I also support legislation to address sexual harassment in the workplace, because all women should feel safe at their place of employment.

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There is no excuse for our persistent gender pay gap, or for parents to have to choose between caring for their children or being able to put food on the table.

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While conservatives and special interests assault our bedrock environmental statutes and try to roll back and eliminate dozens of significant, progressive environmental regulations, we simply cannot waver in our fight against climate change and our efforts to safeguard our clean air and water. In South Florida, we are fortunate to have one of the world’s great wonders in our backyard: the Florida Everglades, our famed River of Grass. Restoring this natural treasure is important not only to protect the water supply for more than 8 million Floridians and to protect biodiversity and endangered species, but also because I believe as a mother that we must leave this world better than we found it. As a senior member of the Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee, I use my unique position to advocate for South Florida and Everglades restoration, take bold action on climate change and renewable energy, and improve the quality of our air and water. It is imperative, now more than ever, that we adequately fund ecosystem restoration and clean energy initiatives as Florida deals with the full effects of our global climate crisis. During my time in Congress, I have helped secure billions to protect our natural wetlands and clean drinking water, and I will always worked side-by-side with my Democrat and Republican colleagues in the Florida delegation to protect Florida’s coasts and combat harmful algal blooms.

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Florida's coastlines and wetlands are national treasures which must be preserved for all Americans.

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Official statement

Protecting South Florida’s ecosystems, from our internationally renowned beaches to the Everglades, is a fundamental responsibility that I do not take lightly. We must continue to work to make certain we have proper safeguards to protect the environment—using, not ignoring, settled science—to protect our people and our planet.

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Official statement

While conservatives and special interests assault our bedrock environmental statutes and try to roll back and eliminate dozens of significant, progressive environmental regulations, we simply cannot waver in our fight against climate change and our efforts to safeguard our clean air and water. In South Florida, we are fortunate to have one of the world’s great wonders in our backyard: the Florida Everglades, our famed River of Grass. Restoring this natural treasure is important not only to protect the water supply for more than 8 million Floridians and to protect biodiversity and endangered species, but also because I believe as a mother that we must leave this world better than we found it. As a senior member of the Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee, I use my unique position to advocate for South Florida and Everglades restoration, take bold action on climate change and renewable energy, and improve the quality of our air and water. It is imperative, now more than ever, that we adequately fund ecosystem restoration and clean energy initiatives as Florida deals with the full effects of our global climate crisis. During my time in Congress, I have helped secure billions to protect our natural wetlands and clean drinking water, and I will always worked side-by-side with my Democrat and Republican colleagues in the Florida delegation to protect Florida’s coasts and combat harmful algal blooms.

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Official statement

Additionally, we cannot truly promote the health of women without working to prevent and end violence against women and girls. Domestic violence, rape, trafficking, and assault of women are not private issues to be kept in the shadows – they are unacceptable violations of basic human rights. In addition to always supporting a fully-funded, inclusive Violence Against Women Act, I am proud that two of my bills challenging violence against women – the Rape Survivor Child Custody Act and the Trafficking Awareness Training for Healthcare Act of 2015 – have been signed into law. The Rape Survivor Child Custody Act encourages states to allow a woman to terminate the parental rights of a rapist, and the Trafficking Awareness Training for Healthcare Act develops best practices for health care professionals to identify and respond to victims of human trafficking.

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Official statement

There is no excuse for our persistent gender pay gap, or for parents to have to choose between caring for their children or being able to put food on the table.

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Gun violence is a public health crisis. We need a sustained, collaborative effort to seriously reduce gun violence.

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She has been a tireless defender of Social Security and Medicare and is strongly committed to expanding access to quality and affordable health care, preventing senseless tragedies of gun violence, and defending the fundamental idea that all Americans have the right to be treated equally under the law.

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Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, more and more Floridians are finding that they now have access to quality coverage.

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Facing a House of Representatives controlled by Republicans, she stood up for civil rights and defended the idea that “Congress is not the appropriate venue to decide end-of-life or any private, personal family dispute.”

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Official statement

That’s why I introduced the Breast Cancer Education and Awareness Requires Learning Young Act, or the EARLY Act, which became law along with the Affordable Care Act in 2010. The EARLY Act focuses on a central tenet: that we must empower young women to understand their bodies and speak up for their health. It creates an education and outreach campaign that highlights the breast cancer risks facing young women 45 and under, and it empowers them with the tools they need to fight this deadly disease. It helps educate and sensitize health care providers about the specific threats and warning signs of breast cancer in younger women that lead to early detection, diagnosis, and survival.

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We know that information alone isn’t enough. Young women must also have access to the tools they need to fight this terrible disease. That’s why I introduced and passed the Protecting Access to Lifesaving Screenings Act, or the PALS Act, to help ensure that women get coverage for mammograms starting at age 40.

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Official statement

That is why I introduced legislation into the Defense Appropriations bill that would create a new task force to study metastatic cancer of all types, focusing on clinical and translational research to extend the lives of patients. This research panel would study stage III and IV of all types of cancer, searching for clues in tumor growth and genetic patterns that different cancers share.

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Official statement

For young cancer patients, we should be working to help preserve fertility that is often jeopardized as a result of cancer treatment. It is hard enough to be told you have cancer at a young age – but there’s no reason that treating the disease should prevent young women from having children down the road.

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Official statement

Beyond metastatic cancer, we need to focus on survivorship issues. Patients in their 20s, 30s, and 40s have a completely different experience than patients in their 50s, 60s, or 70s, and it is vital that we recognize and honor and focus on those differences. For young cancer patients, we should be working to help preserve fertility that is often jeopardized as a result of cancer treatment.

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Official statement

Women's Health The health and safety of women and girls will always be a priority for me. That is why one of the legislative achievements of which I am proudest is the Education and Awareness Requires Learning Young (EARLY) Act. After being diagnosed with breast cancer at age 41, I wanted to ensure that all young women would have the knowledge, resources and support necessary to make informed decisions about their own breast health. Under the EARLY Act, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is implementing a national education campaign about the threat that breast cancer poses to young women of all ethnic and cultural backgrounds. The EARLY Act was enacted into law in 2010 as part of the Affordable Care Act and recently reauthorized in 2014. The EARLY Act was just one of many Affordable Care Act provisions which promote the health of women and their families. The ACA makes it possible for women to get preventive care services such as mammograms, new baby care and well-child visits, with no out-of-pocket costs. It also protects women against being charged a higher premium just for being a woman.

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Official statement

All of this experience serves to enhance her commitment to lower health care costs, improve the quality of life for our children, protect Social Security and Medicare, and provide a sensible homeland security plan to protect our citizens from the ongoing threat of terror.

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Official statement

She has been a tireless defender of Social Security and Medicare and is strongly committed to expanding access to quality and affordable health care, preventing senseless tragedies of gun violence, and defending the fundamental idea that all Americans have the right to be treated equally under the law.

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This is not how America should treat human beings in our custody, regardless of their immigration status. We can enforce our laws without abandoning basic human dignity,

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I am a staunch supporter of the State of Israel and her citizens' right to live in peace and security.

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Official statement

All of this experience serves to enhance her commitment to lower health care costs, improve the quality of life for our children, protect Social Security and Medicare, and provide a sensible homeland security plan to protect our citizens from the ongoing threat of terror.

wassermanschultz.house.gov · Sources

Official statement

She has been a tireless defender of Social Security and Medicare and is strongly committed to expanding access to quality and affordable health care, preventing senseless tragedies of gun violence, and defending the fundamental idea that all Americans have the right to be treated equally under the law.

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She continues to take up the fight to give our troops and veterans the equipment and compensation they deserve.

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As Ranking Member, she is committed to ensuring our nation’s veterans have the resources and support they need.

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As a woman and mother, I am committed to legislative initiatives that promote gender equality and awareness of women's issues.

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