Press Releases
Meeks, Jacobs Condemn M23’s Seizure of Bukavu, Demand Restart to U.S. Assistance for Civilians
Representatives Gregory W. Meeks, Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and Sara Jacobs, Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Africa, issued the following statement condemning the M23’s seizure of Bukavu in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC): “The M23’s seizure of Bukavu in South Kivu this weekend further threatens Congolese civilian lives and has displaced thousands as the rebels and allied militias, backed by Rwandan Defense Forces, marched south. Reports of … Continue Reading
February 13, 2025
Rep. Sara Jacobs Leads Effort to Reverse Trump’s Transgender Military Ban
Rep. Sara Jacobs (CA-51), Co-Chair of the Transgender Equality Task Force, led 41 members in an effort to reverse President Trump’s transgender military ban. In a letter to Secretary Hegseth, the lawmakers urged the Secretary to rescind his recent memo that targets transgender service members and to compel President Trump to rescind Executive Order 14183. Kicking out the thousands of transgender service members in the Armed Forces would undermine readiness and recruitment efforts and take 20 … Continue Reading
February 13, 2025
Rep. Sara Jacobs: Eliminating USAID Puts Americans at Risk and Worsens Waste, Fraud, and Abuse
At a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing entitled “The USAID Betrayal,” Rep. Sara Jacobs (CA-51) explained how President Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s elimination of USAID programs puts Americans in danger and exacerbates the potential for waste, fraud, and abuse. Watch Rep. Sara Jacobs’ Remarks Here Rep. Brian Mast: “Now I recognize the representative from California, Ms. Jacobs.” Rep. Sara Jacobs: “Thank you, Mr. Chairman. First of all, a question for my colleagues. I know all of us … Continue Reading
February 11, 2025
Rep. Sara Jacobs Introduces Legislation to Protect USAID
Rep. Sara Jacobs (CA-51) introduced legislation today to protect the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the chief arm of the U.S. government to promote America’s soft power, which helps countries recover from natural disasters, prevents the spread of diseases, eradicates poverty, and promotes good governance and democratic reforms. The Protect U.S. National Security Act reiterates that any USAID reform should abide by existing laws and not harm American soft power, … Continue Reading
February 11, 2025
Reps. Sara Jacobs and Chrissy Houlahan Lead Democratic HASC Women in Demanding Answers on Pause of Military Sexual Assault Trainings
Rep. Sara Jacobs (CA-51) and Rep. Chrissy Houlahan (PA-06) led all the Democratic women on the House Armed Services Committee, including Reps. Mikie Sherrill (NJ-11), Marilyn Strickland (WA-10), Jill Tokuda (HI-02), Maggie Goodlander (NH-02), and Sarah Elfreth (MD-03), in demanding answers regarding the pause of military Sexual Assault Prevention and Response (SAPR) training programs. In a letter to Secretary Hegseth, the lawmakers stressed that pausing or terminating these trainings is … Continue Reading
February 04, 2025
Meeks, Jacobs Condemn Trump Administration’s Attempt to Undermine USAID and U.S. Foreign Assistance
Representatives Gregory W. Meeks, Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and Sara Jacobs, Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Africa, today issued the following joint statement on the Trump Administration’s unlawful actions to change the status of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). “With the unilateral actions taken over the last few days, Donald Trump is again ignoring the rule of law and allowing billionaire Elon Musk—who is neither elected … Continue Reading
January 28, 2025
Rep. Sara Jacobs Pens Teen Vogue Op-Ed Calling on Democrats to Win Back Young People By Delivering on Housing and Child Care
Rep. Sara Jacobs (CA-51), one of the youngest Members of Congress, penned an op-ed for Teen Vogue, calling on Democrats to win back the support of young people by addressing two of their biggest costs: child care and housing. Read Rep. Sara Jacobs’ Op-Ed Here In part, Rep. Sara Jacobs wrote: “Younger generations like mine don’t really trust institutions or those in power — and for good reason. I was in seventh grade on September 11, 2001, and then watched as the US spent billions of dollars … Continue Reading
January 27, 2025
Meeks, Jacobs Condemn Seizure of Goma by M23 Rebels, Warn of Escalating Humanitarian Crisis
Today, Representatives Gregory W. Meeks, Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and Sara Jacobs, Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Africa, issued the following statement regarding the M23’s reported seizure of Goma in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), a development which exacerbates an already dire humanitarian crisis with over 400,000 civilians displaced in the past month alone and nearly two million displaced in 2024. “We strongly condemn the actions of M23 … Continue Reading
January 27, 2025
Reps. Jacobs, Whitesides, Friedman, Rivas Introduce Bill to Improve Efficiency of Disaster Recovery After LA Wildfires
Reps. Sara Jacobs (CA-51), George Whitesides (CA-27), Laura Friedman (CA-30), and Luz Rivas (CA-29) introduced legislation to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the federal government’s disaster recovery efforts following the devastating wildfires in Los Angeles and surrounding areas. Over 30 federal entities currently contribute to the federal government’s response to natural disasters, making it difficult for people who’ve survived a tragedy to navigate this complex process, know … Continue Reading
January 24, 2025
Jacobs, Van Hollen Confirm UAE Providing Weapons to RSF in Sudan, in Contradiction to its Assurances to US
Today, Representative Sara Jacobs (D-Calif.) and U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) announced that, based on a Biden Administration briefing and as also demonstrated by recent reporting, they have confirmed the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is providing weapons to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Sudan, in direct contradiction to the assurances it has made to the United States. The announcement follows their push for the Biden Administration to secure assurances that the UAE would not supply … Continue Reading
January 16, 2025
Reps. Sara Jacobs, Eric Sorensen Reintroduce Bill to Prevent Trans Military Ban Ahead of Donald Trump’s Inauguration
Ahead of Donald Trump’s inauguration on Monday, Rep. Sara Jacobs (CA-51), Co-Chair of the Transgender Equality Task Force, and Rep. Eric Sorensen (IL-07) reintroduced legislation that would prevent discriminatory policies like a transgender military service ban or “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” The Ensuring Military Readiness Not Discrimination Act, commonly referred to as “the Truman Amendment,” builds on the progress of President Truman’s historic 1948 executive orders and would prohibit … Continue Reading
January 15, 2025
Rep. Sara Jacobs Statement on Israel and Hamas Deal to Release the Hostages and Secure a Ceasefire
Rep. Sara Jacobs, the youngest Jewish Member of Congress, released the following statement on the Israel-Hamas deal: “After 15 months of horror, this deal feels bittersweet. Like many Jews, I’m still processing the attack on October 7th that killed 1,200 people, left many more assaulted, raped, tortured, and kidnapped, and sparked a rise of antisemitism and Islamophobia in America and around the world. And like many young people, I’ve been horrified by the Israeli military’s campaign that … Continue Reading
January 09, 2025
Reps. Jacobs, Pettersen, Luna, Lawler Introduce Bipartisan Resolution to Allow Proxy Voting for New Parents
Today, U.S. Representatives Sara Jacobs (D-CA), Brittany Pettersen (D-CO), Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL), and Mike Lawler (R-NY) introduced a bipartisan resolution to allow proxy voting for Members of Congress who are new parents under the Rules of the House for the 119th Congress. This resolution is a step toward making Congress more accessible to women and young parents and ensuring the legislative body reflects the life experiences of the people it serves. Proxy voting for new parents would … Continue Reading
December 23, 2024
Rep. Sara Jacobs Celebrates 2024 Accomplishments
This year, Rep. Sara Jacobs (CA-51) delivered for San Diego by bringing home millions of taxpayer dollars and expanding access to child care and housing for military families. Rep. Sara Jacobs said: “This has been a tough year for our community and our country. Our politics feel more divided than ever, but despite all of the chaos in Washington, I’ve shown that we can still get things done. My team assisted over 1,400 San Diegans who needed help getting answers from federal agencies and … Continue Reading
December 17, 2024
Rep. Sara Jacobs Secures Key Wins in Bipartisan AI Task Force Report
Rep. Sara Jacobs (CA-51) secured key wins in the Bipartisan Task Force on Artificial Intelligence (AI)’s final report, which was released today. She secured many principles and recommendations on issues including strengthening the capacity of sectoral agencies, privacy and data protection, bias, global AI governance, transparency, robust oversight of kinetic weapons systems, and equitable access. At a press conference earlier today, Rep. Sara Jacobs said: “As one of the youngest Members of … Continue Reading
December 13, 2024
Rep. Sara Jacobs, Sen. Elizabeth Warren Introduce Bipartisan, Bicameral Bill to Improve Privatized Military Housing
Rep. Sara Jacobs (CA-51) and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) introduced bipartisan and bicameral legislation to improve the quality of privatized military housing. The Military Housing Oversight and Service Member Protection Act would overhaul the privatized military housing system by increasing oversight, requiring further transparency, establishing tenant protections, providing appropriate medical care, and strengthening ethics requirements. “Our military families sacrifice so much for us - … Continue Reading
December 11, 2024
Rep. Sara Jacobs: FY 2025 NDAA Will Undermine Military Recruitment
Rep. Sara Jacobs (CA-51) released the following statement after voting against the FY 2025 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which included a gender-affirming care ban for dependents. If passed into law, this would mark the first time that Congress put anti-LGBTQ+ provisions into statute since Don't Ask, Don't Tell and the Defense of Marriage Act in the 1990s. This year’s NDAA also failed to include Rep. Jacobs’ bipartisan and bicameral provision to expand TRICARE coverage of IVF and … Continue Reading
October 25, 2024
Jacobs, Kamlager-Dove Introduce Legislation to Institutionalize African Diaspora Advisory Council
Congresswomen Sara Jacobs (CA-51) and Sydney Kamlager-Dove (CA-37) introduced a bill to codify the President’s Advisory Council on African Diaspora Engagement in the United States, ensuring the Council is not a one-off initiative but an important asset that continues to be utilized by future administrations. Congresswoman Jacobs, the Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa, said: “The African diaspora in the United States is a special, and often untapped, resource … Continue Reading
October 24, 2024
Rep. Sara Jacobs, Sen. Tammy Duckworth Seek to Protect IVF Coverage in Final NDAA
Rep. Sara Jacobs (CA-51) and Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) continued their push to ensure the FY2025 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) preserves the requirement contained in both the House-passed and Senate-reported versions of NDAA that requires TRICARE coverage of fertility services, including in vitro fertilization (IVF). In a letter to House and Senate Armed Services Committee leadership, the lawmakers - who authored and successfully secured inclusion of the IVF coverage provisions … Continue Reading
October 07, 2024
Rep. Sara Jacobs Releases Statement on One Year Since October 7th Attack in Israel
On the first anniversary of Hamas’ brutal attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, Rep. Sara Jacobs (CA-51), the youngest Jewish Member of Congress, released the following statement: “Like millions of Jews around the world, I woke up one year ago today in complete horror. I am still grappling with the aftermath of that day - the loss of nearly 1,200 innocent people, the trauma of many more who were assaulted, raped, tortured, and kidnapped, the pain felt by San Diego’s sister city Sha’ar HaNegev, … Continue Reading