Project and content management for Contemporary Authors volumes
WORK TITLE: The Least among Us
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE:
CITY: New Haven
STATE:
COUNTRY:
NATIONALITY:
https://delauro.house.gov/ * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosa_DeLauro * http://thenewpress.com/authors/congresswoman-rosa-l-delauro * http://msmagazine.com/blog/2017/06/16/nevertheless-persisted-review-rosa-delauros-least-among-us/
RESEARCHER NOTES:
PERSONAL
Born March 2, 1943, in New Haven, CT.
EDUCATION:Marymount College, B.A.; London School of Economics, M.A.; Columbia University, M.A.
ADDRESS
CAREER
U.S. House of Representatives, Washington, DC, congresswoman from 3rd Connecticut district, serving on Steering and Policy Committee, 1991–.
WRITINGS
SIDELIGHTS
For more than a quarter of a century, Rosa Luisa DeLauro has served as the representative for Connecticut’s Third District. As the Ranking Member dealing with appropriations for Labor, Health, Human Services, and Education, Rosa is determined to increase support for education and make college more affordable for more American students and their families,” wrote the contributor of a brief biography to the congresswoman’s home page, the Rosa DeLauro Website. “Rosa strongly believes in the power of biomedical research and she is working to increase funding so that we can make lifesaving breakthroughs in science and medicine.”
DeLauro’s The Least among Us: Waging the Battle for the Vulnerable is dedicated to the principles she has espoused in her lengthy career in Congress. The Least among Us “presents a thorough, staunchly liberal look at the American social safety net,” said a Publishers Weekly reviewer, “describing it as ‘one of our country’s greatest legacies.'” The volume looks at the liberal reforms that were passed by a bipartisan Congress during the Great Depression of the 1930s and the Great Society reforms of the 1960s. At what point, DeLauro asks, did Republicans turn away from the values that had characterized American government for half a century? Her work, the author explained in an interview with Annika Hildebrandt and Hugo Barrillon in the Gate, “is focused on the social safety net and my battles to protect it and to expand it. The social safety net technically is a group of government programs but as I talk about them I believe it also reflects the values of this country. The book is about social responsibility for one another, accountable to one another, especially in times of great need for people. These programs were crafted by Democrats and Republicans, which is the story that I tell, and they have made a difference, a substantial difference.” “In her last pages, DeLauro steps away from the abyss, outlining 10 hopeful policies to ensure progress going forward,” stated Roxana Bacon in the Ms Blog. “Her solutions are a mirror of her rich experience: practical, compassionate and visionary. With the recent cruel attempts to slash programs to aid the poor, disabled and elderly, we should all embrace Rosa DeLauro’s blueprint. And we should give her a big hug, too.”
Critics recognized The Least among Us as an important statement of liberal values in an era dominated by conservativism. “In addition to being both a memoir and a well-needed history lesson from the beginning of the industrial age to the present-day,” declared J.D. Jung on the Underrated Reviews website, “De Lauro teaches us the nitty- gritty of what goes on in Congress.” “Following the contentious 2016 election, the author’s political vision neatly continues the conversation started by Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton,” declared a Kirkus Reviews contributor, “and it is a valuable asset for anyone interested in … resistance to [President] Trump.” Those “who want to know how the winds might shift in Washington,” wrote Walter Russell Mead in Foreign Affairs, “could … learn how DeLauro understands politics.”
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Foreign Affairs, November-December, 2017, Walter Russell Mead, review of The Least among Us: Waging the Battle for the Vulnerable.
Kirkus Reviews, May 1, 2017, review of The Least among Us.
Publishers Weekly, April 24, 2017, review of The Least among Us, p. 83.
ONLINE
Gate, http://uchicagogate.com/ (November 12, 2017), Annika Hildebrandt and Hugo Barrillon, “Fighting to Expand the Social Safety Net: An Interview with Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT).”
Ms. Blog, http://msmagazine.com/ (June 16, 2017), Roxana Bacon, “Nevertheless, She Persisted: A Review of Rosa DeLauro’s The Least among Us.“
New Press Website, https://thenewpress.com/ (January 10, 2018), author profile.
Rosa DeLauro Website, https://delauro.house.gov (January 10, 2018), author profile.
Underrated Reads, http://underratedreads.com/ (July 7, 2017), J.D. Jung, review of The Least among Us.
Congresswoman Rosa L. DeLauro
Rosa L. DeLauro has served as congresswoman from Connecticut’s Third District since 1991. She is a member of the House Democratic leadership and co-chair of the Steering and Policy Committee, the ranking member on the Labor, Health, Human Services, and Education Appropriations Subcommittee, and a member of the subcommittee responsible for FDA and agriculture, where she oversees nutrition and drug and food safety. She is the author of The Least Among Us (The New Press). DeLauro lives in New Haven, Connecticut.
Rosa DeLauro
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Rosa DeLauro
Rosa DeLauro Portrait.jpg
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Connecticut's 3rd district
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 3, 1991
Preceded by Bruce Morrison
Personal details
Born March 2, 1943 (age 74)
New Haven, Connecticut, U.S.
Nationality American
Political party Democratic
Spouse(s) Stan Greenberg
Children 3
Education Fordham University (BA)
London School of Economics
(MA)
Columbia University (MA)
Rosa Luisa DeLauro[2] /dɪˈlɔːroʊ/ (born March 2, 1943) is the U.S. Representative for Connecticut's 3rd congressional district, serving since 1991. She is a member of the Democratic Party. The district is based in New Haven, and includes most of that city's suburbs. She is currently the dean of the Connecticut congressional delegation.
Contents [hide]
1 Early life, education, and early political career
2 U.S. House of Representatives
2.1 Elections
3 Tenure
3.1 Abortion
3.2 Gun issues
3.3 Campaign finance and government reform
3.4 Sponsored bills
3.5 HR 875
3.6 Hurricane Irene
3.7 Health care
3.8 Committee assignments
3.9 Caucus memberships
4 Personal life
5 See also
6 References
7 Further reading
8 External links
Early life, education, and early political career[edit]
DeLauro was born in New Haven, Connecticut, the daughter of Luisa "Louise" (née Canestri) and Theodore J. "Ted" DeLauro. Her father, and all of her grandparents, were Italian immigrants.[3] She earned her high school diploma from The Academy of Our Lady of Mercy, Lauralton Hall in Milford, Connecticut. She earned a bachelor's degree from Marymount College in Tarrytown, New York, as well as separate master's degrees from the London School of Economics and Columbia University.
DeLauro worked as an administrative assistant and chief of staff for Senator Chris Dodd and executive director of EMILY's List before entering the House.
U.S. House of Representatives[edit]
Elections[edit]
In 1990, four-term incumbent Democratic U.S. Congressman Bruce Morrison of Connecticut's 3rd congressional district decided to retire to run for governor of Connecticut. She ran for the open seat and defeated Republican State Senator Thomas Scott 52%-48%.[4] She has never faced another contest nearly that close, and has been reelected twelve times, never dropping below 63% of the vote.[5]
2006
See also: United States House of Representatives elections in Connecticut, 2006 § District 3; United States House of Representatives elections in Connecticut, 2008 § District 3; and United States House of Representatives elections in Connecticut, 2010 § District 3
In the 2006 election she was re-elected to a ninth term, defeating Republican challenger Joseph Vollano with 76% of the vote.[6]
2008
She won re-election to her tenth term with 77% of the vote.[7] The top campaign contribution to DeLauro in 2007-2008 was $14,600 from employees of United Technologies.
2010
DeLauro won re-election to her eleventh term with 65% of the vote against Connecticut Republican Party treasurer Jerry Labriola Jr.[8][9]
Tenure[edit]
DeLauro speaking in 2016
DeLauro is one of the most liberal members of the House. She is a founding member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus.
DeLauro is interested in health policy issues, particularly women's health. She has introduced bills aimed at improving cancer treatment and research and women's health policies. As chair of the appropriations subcommittee that funds the Food and Drug Administration, she has been a critic of that agency's failures to protect the public from unsafe foods and medical products.
In May 2006, she was linked in press reports to U.S. Senator Christopher Dodd's potential bid for President in 2008.[clarification needed][citation needed] On February 2, 2008, DeLauro endorsed Illinois Senator Barack Obama for President.[10]
On October 3, 2008, DeLauro voted a second time in the House in favor the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008.[11] She worked to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act. She has urged politicians to be "big thinkers" on the issue of universal health care.[12]
The Wall Street Journal reported on December 17, 2008, that DeLauro was "a top contender" for the position of Labor Secretary in the Obama administration.[13] However, Obama nominated fellow congresswoman Hilda Solis for the position.[14]
DeLauro was critical of the Stupak-Pitts Amendment, which places limits on taxpayer-funded abortions in the context of the November 2009 Affordable Health Care for America Act.[citation needed]
Abortion[edit]
DeLauro is pro-choice. She supports the availability of abortions in all cases, along with the use of federal subsidies for abortion procedures. In 2006 she voted against HR 6099, a bill that would require abortion providers to follow specific procedures and formalities before performing abortions. In 2006 she also voted against a bill that makes it illegal to transport pregnant women under the age of 18 across state lines in order to obtain an abortion.[15] DeLauro has faced criticism from the Roman Catholic Church, of which she is a member, over her pro-choice position.
Gun issues[edit]
She has voted in support of stronger regulation of firearms in the United States. In 2006 she voted against the Trigger Lock Amendment that ends the use of funds from the Commerce Department FY2007 Appropriation bill to enforce laws requiring guns to be sold with locks.[16] DeLauro voted in 1999 to increase the amount of time given to perform background checks from 24 hours to 72 hours.[17] Earlier, in 1998 she voted to increase the minimum gun crime sentence.[18] On 14 January 2013, she introduced a bill allowing for the voluntary surrender of assault-type weapons with compensation to come in the form of tax credits.[19]
Campaign finance and government reform[edit]
In June 2010 DeLauro voted in favor of a bill for new disclosure requirements for political advertising. She voted against the 527 Reform Act of 2005, an act that put an end to party spending limits for candidates during general elections and again against the 527 Reform Act of 2006. DeLauro also helped to pass the Lobbying and Donation Regulations bill that put in place new regulations about lobbyists and donations for Congress members.
In 2002 DeLauro voted for the Help America Vote Act of 2002. This act provided, from federal funds, $3.9 billion to modernize technology and create new programs to reach a higher standard and to make voting an easier process for disabled citizens, military personnel, citizens living abroad, and first-time voters without valid identification. In 2006 DeLauro voted against the Federal Election Integrity Act of 2006 that required voters to show a government-issued photo identification before voting.[20]
Sponsored bills[edit]
DeLauro sponsored the Birth Defects Prevention, Risk Reduction, and Awareness Act of 2010 (H.R. 5462). This bill allows the Secretary of Health and Human Services to create a birth defects prevention, risk reduction, and awareness program. The program aims to increase awareness about pregnancy and breastfeeding by starting a nationwide media campaign and provides grants for research on certain exposures that affect pregnancy and breastfed infants. In November, 2010, this bill was received in the Senate and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.[21][needs update]
HR 875[edit]
DeLauro introduced HR 875,[22] the Food Safety Modernization Act of 2009.[needs update] This legislation is aimed at reforming the food safety responsibilities handled by the FDA. The introduction of this bill represents a potential conflict of interest, because of her husband's, Stanley Greenberg, relation to agricultural biotechnology corporation Monsanto.[23]
Hurricane Irene[edit]
In August 2011, the 3rd District suffered extreme damage when Hurricane Irene made landfall along the Connecticut coastline. Numerous homes were destroyed in East Haven[24] and other shore communities and many Connecticut residents lost power for days.[25] At the time Hurricane Irene hit the state and during the immediate aftermath, DeLauro was vacationing along Italy's Amalfi Coast and was not anticipated to return to the state until five days after the storm had passed.[26] A Hartford Courant column rated DeLauro's storm response an "F".[27] DeLauro told the New Haven Register she had "no apology for taking a vacation" and being out of state during the storm.[28]
Health care[edit]
In July 2014, DeLauro introduced the Sugar-Sweetened Beverages Tax Act, also known as the "SWEET Act", which would impose a 1 cent excise tax per teaspoon of caloric sweetener in soda, energy drinks, sports drinks, and sweet teas (roughly 9 cents on a 12 oz. soda).[29] “This act is intended to discourage excessive consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages by increasing the price of these products,” according to the text of the legislation. DeLauro and other supporters of the tax argued that it could help address the national epidemics of obesity and diabetes by discouraging consumers from consuming the products and also raise money to fund prevention and treatment programs and with research and dietary education to help reduce the costs of related health problems.[30] The bill was subsequently co-sponsored by several House members and progressed on to the House Energy and Commerce committee for Health and the House Ways and Means committee, but went no further.[31]
The bill was opposed by the American Beverage Association and the National Automatic Merchandising Association[32] (NAMA) stating that "People don’t support taxes and bans on common grocery items, like soft drinks" and that sweetened beverages "are not the main source of added sugars for children and teens and that a tax on sugary drinks unfairly singles out the industry."[30]
Committee assignments[edit]
Committee on Appropriations
Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies
Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (Ranking Member)
House Democratic Steering and Policy Committee (Co-Chair for Steering)
Caucus memberships[edit]
Populist Caucus
Personal life[edit]
DeLauro is married to political strategist Stan Greenberg.
DeLauro celebrated 25 years as an ovarian cancer survivor in 2010. She continues to support biomedical research, including efforts to develop a reliable screening test for ovarian cancer. [33]
DeLauro is one of the fifty richest members of Congress.[34]
She is an honorary board member of the National Organization of Italian American Women. She is a leader in the group Catholic Democrats.[35]
In May 2010, DeLauro became a brief internet sensation after the popularization of a website highlighting her allegedly Hipster wardrobe choices. Several news services picked up the story, eventually leading DeLauro to admit that while she had visited the site, she disagreed with its premise.[36][37]
In 2015, comedian and reporter John Oliver ran a story about chicken safety and how many representatives do not care about the chickens which they eat. She was listed as one of the affected members of the House Appropriations Committee, which eventually voted unanimously in favor of protecting chicken farmers.
See also[edit]
Women in the United States House of Representatives
About Rosa
Rosa DeLauro is the Congresswoman from Connecticut’s Third Congressional District, which stretches from the Long Island Sound and New Haven, to the Naugatuck Valley and Waterbury. Rosa serves in the Democratic leadership as Co-Chair of the Democratic Steering and Policy Committee, and she is the Ranking Member on the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Subcommittee, where she oversees our nation’s investments in education, health, and employment. Rosa also serves on the subcommittee responsible for the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, where she oversees food and drug safety.
At the core of Rosa’s work is her fight for America’s working families. Rosa believes that we must raise the nation’s minimum wage, give all employees access to paid sick days, allow employees to take paid family and medical leave, and ensure equal pay for equal work. Every day, Rosa fights for legislation that would give all working families an opportunity to succeed.
Rosa believes that our first priority must be to strengthen the economy and create good middle class jobs. She supports tax cuts for working and middle class families, fought to expand the Child Tax Credit to provide tax relief to millions of families, and introduced the Young Child Tax Credit to give families with young children an economic lift.
Rosa has also fought to stop trade agreements that lower wages and ships jobs overseas, while also protecting the rights of employees and unions. She believes that we need to grow our economy by making smart innovative investments in our infrastructure, which is why she introduced legislation to create a National Infrastructure bank.
Rosa is a leader in fighting to improve and expand federal support for child nutrition and for modernizing our food safety system. She believes that the U.S. should have one agency assigned the responsibility for food safety, rather than the 15 different agencies that lay claim to different parts of our food system. Rosa fights against special interests, like tobacco and e-cigarettes, which seek to skirt our public health and safety rules.
As the Ranking Member dealing with appropriations for Labor, Health, Human Services, and Education, Rosa is determined to increase support for education and make college more affordable for more American students and their families. She is also fighting to protect the Affordable Care Act so that all Americans have access to affordable care. Rosa strongly believes in the power of biomedical research and she is working to increase funding so that we can make lifesaving breakthroughs in science and medicine.
Rosa believes that we have a moral obligation to our nation’s veterans and their families, and her concern for these heroes extends to both their physical and mental well-being. Rosa supports a transformation in how the Department of Veterans Affairs is funded, including advanced appropriations for health services, to ensure its fiscal soundness; and she successfully championed legislation to guarantee that troops deploying to combat theaters get the mental health screening they need both before and after deployment, as well as championed legislation that now provides assistance to today’s Post-9/11 veterans choosing to pursue on-the-job training and apprenticeship programs.
Rosa belongs to 62 House caucus groups and is the co-chair of the Baby Caucus, the Long Island Sound Caucus, and the Food Safety Caucus.
Soon after earning degrees from Marymount College and Columbia University, Rosa followed her parents’ footsteps into public service, serving as the first Executive Director of EMILY's List, a national organization dedicated to increasing the number of women in elected office; Executive Director of Countdown '87, the national campaign that successfully stopped U.S. military aid to the Nicaraguan Contras; and as Chief of Staff to U.S. Senator Christopher Dodd. In 1990, Rosa was elected to the House of Representatives, and she has served as the Congresswoman from Connecticut’s Third Congressional District ever since.
Rosa is married to Stanley Greenberg, President of Greenberg Quinlan Rosner, a public issues research firm. Their children—Anna, Kathryn, and Jonathan Greenberg—all are grown and pursuing careers. Rosa and Stan have four grandchildren, Rigby, Teo, Sadie, and Jasper.
DeLauro , Rosa L.: THE LEAST AMONG
US
Kirkus Reviews.
(May 1, 2017):
COPYRIGHT 2017 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Full Text:
DeLauro , Rosa L. THE LEAST AMONG US New Press (Adult Nonfiction) $25.95 6, 6 ISBN: 978-1-
62097-220-5
What is the purpose of government? As longtime Connecticut congresswoman DeLauro answers quite
simply, the purpose is to use legislative power to protect, aid, and fight for the country's most vulnerable
and at-risk citizens.This belief, argues the author, embodies the spirit of the Democratic Party since the
Great Society initiatives of President Lyndon Johnson in the 1960s, and it opposes that of her Republican
colleagues in Congress, who consistently attack the concept of a social safety net as a wasteful use of tax
dollars and an infringement upon rights. As a senior leader among congressional Democrats, DeLauro sits
on numerous influential groups, including the Steering and Policy Committee and the Labor, Health,
Human Services, and Education Appropriations Subcommittee. In her years in these positions, she has
witnessed firsthand Republican attempts to dismantle many of the progressive legislative acts that have
defined recent American domestic policy, including the "Gingrich Revolution" during the 1990s. The fights
to protect these initiatives, and to draft new ones, are reinforced in DeLauro's chapters "In Defense of the
Hungry," "In Defense of People Who Get Sick," etc., in which she outlines her arguments for protecting
these groups. The timing couldn't be better for the author. Though his presidency is still in the early stages,
Donald Trump has already proven a worthy foe to the values DeLauro holds dear, and she references the
president and his policies throughout. However, the author is not merely a reactionary. For more than three
decades, she has maintained a consistent dedication to the principles she espouses in her book. Her primary
sparring partner is Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, to whom DeLauro devotes an entire chapter, exposing
his "assault on the poor" as a baseless attack. Following the contentious 2016 election, the author's political
vision neatly continues the conversation started by Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton, and it is a valuable
asset for anyone interested in the growing resistance to Trump. An impassioned, urgent defense of
democratic values and the role of government to serve and benefit all citizens.
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
"DeLauro , Rosa L.: THE LEAST AMONG US." Kirkus Reviews, 1 May 2017. General OneFile,
http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A491002845/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=9496863d.
Accessed 24 Dec. 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A491002845
12/24/2017 General OneFile - Saved Articles
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/marklist.do?actionCmd=GET_MARK_LIST&userGroupName=schlager&inPS=true&prodId=ITOF&ts=1514146850071 2/2
The Least Among Us: Waging the Battle for
the Vulnerable
Publishers Weekly.
264.17 (Apr. 24, 2017): p83.
COPYRIGHT 2017 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Full Text:
The Least Among Us: Waging the Battle for the Vulnerable
Rosa L. DeLauro. New Press, $25.95 (272p)
ISBN 978-1-62097-220-5
Congresswoman DeLauro presents a thorough, staunchly liberal look at the American social safety net,
describing it as "one of our country's greatest legacies." Until now, DeLauro writes, the safety net has been
supported by Republicans and Democrats alike. What now keeps her awake nights, she says, is the
increasing conservative opposition to this public good. DeLauro has done her homework, demonstrating in
this book the chops that have served her well in her many years as a U.S. representative from New Haven,
Conn. She notes the progress the country has made on a number of issues, such as sick leave, food stamps,
pay equity, and affordable care. The author also gets her jabs in, asserting that Speaker Paul Ryan "believes
he is helping the poor" while "making the poverty problem worse" and making "demeaning statements"
about people dependent on public assistance. DeLauro talks about the issues that have been central to her,
including the "faith and politics" that helped her through her life, a political family legacy--parents who
both served the community as aldermen--and the strength that surviving ovarian cancer at 43 provided her.
In today's hyperpartisan era, conservatives will be unimpressed, but Democrats and liberal independents
will find this book useful background for the upcoming fall's election discussions. (June)
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
"The Least Among Us: Waging the Battle for the Vulnerable." Publishers Weekly, 24 Apr. 2017, p. 83.
General OneFile, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A491250867/ITOF?
u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=0d2755d0. Accessed 24 Dec. 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A491250867
Nevertheless, She Persisted: A Review of Rosa DeLauro’s The Least Among Us
June 16, 2017 by Roxana Bacon | Leave a Comment
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Rep. Rosa DeLauro, Congress member from Connecticut, is a formidable force for change. She is not going to be stopped by the indifference, the ignorance or the disdain of those politicians who do not care about our country’s vulnerable populations. She is a freight train loaded with steely facts, a fireball of compassion for those whose lives need a helping hand. She has walked the walk and is still standing.
Her policy memoir, The Least Among Us, is not a vanity piece. The autobiography is sparse and included only to detail the crucible of experience that left DeLauro with no choice but to fight for those with little voice in our political institutions. She was the daughter of Italian immigrants who themselves were committed to social justice. There was never a time in her political career when she wasn’t watching, learning and ultimately leading a fight: making sure children do not go hungry, advocating for compassionate leave for workers, and working for health care for the sick, fair wages, gender equality and trade agreements that actually strengthen our economy.
Her inside-baseball legislative stories are epic, alternately thrilling and chilling. DeLauro was new to Congress in 1994 when Republican Speaker Newt Gingrich tried to rip up the decades-old bipartisan social contract that helped lift Americans out of the Great Depression. Gingrich’s infamous “Contract With America”—renamed the “Contract on America” by opponents—took direct aim at virtually every program DeLauro believes is fundamentally American: sharing the public largesse in ways that include economic, racial, age and gender differences and strengthen us all. Her conservative detractors in Congress, with their “painfully privileged mindsets and zero compassion,” define 2017 in ways that echo 1994. Indeed, many of the old players, from Gingrich to Grover Norquist to Rupert Murdoch, are pulling the strings of the current generation of political puppets. DeLauro has pushed for progress for more than 20 years, and she gives us a front-row seat to the contempt some conservatives have not just for the principle of helping the less fortunate, but for the unfortunate themselves.
This piece appears in the Summer 2017 issue of Ms.
Subscribe today to get a copy!
DeLauro is fierce, but she is also strategic. Winning in Congress often means not giving up. The true advocate brings her A-game every time, no matter how disheartening the outcome. And sometimes you win: DeLauro led the food fight that resulted in expansion of the food stamp program now known as SNAP, she tirelessly fought for the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act and she helped muscle the troops to pass the Affordable Care Act. With these and other policies DeLauro was a mover and shaker, relentless in forcing fellow legislators to hear the people’s stories and feel their pain.
Of great concern for DeLauro is not her misses in the political circus that we call Congress but its current ringmaster, Paul Ryan. In a series of data-filled indictments, DeLauro chronicles not only his specific assaults on the safety net, including SNAP, child care tax credits and Medicaid, but also his underlying philosophy. DeLauro says that the conservatives in power believe that the poor choose poverty—that they want handouts. “Blinding himself to the facts allows [Ryan] to assert that the best way to respond to a hungry child is to deny her parents aid that would allow them to buy a meal,” DeLauro writes.
In her last pages, DeLauro steps away from the abyss, outlining 10 hopeful policies to ensure progress going forward. Her solutions are a mirror of her rich experience: practical, compassionate and visionary. With the recent cruel attempts to slash programs to aid the poor, disabled and elderly, we should all embrace Rosa DeLauro’s blueprint. And we should give her a big hug, too.
Roxana Bacon has been an immigration lawyer and human rights activist for more than 40 years.
The Least Among Us: Waging the Battle for the Vulnerable
by Rosa L. DeLauro
Reviewed by Walter Russell Mead
In This Review
DeLauro, a Democrat who has served as the U.S. Representative for Connecticut’s Third District since 1991, grew up in the rough and tumble of New Haven politics. Both of her parents were elected as Democrats to the city’s Board of Aldermen and plied their trade in much the same way that past generations of ward politicians had done: doing favors, finding jobs for constituents, keeping their fingers on the pulse of the local community. Out of that experience DeLauro developed a concern for the underdog and a commitment to retail politics. In The Least Among Us, which combines backward-looking memoir with forward-facing prescriptions, DeLauro argues that, with inequality growing and newly arrived immigrants struggling in U.S. cities, old-school Democratic politics has much to offer. Should the Democrats recapture the House of Representatives in 2018, DeLauro’s mix of sharp intelligence, skilled partisan instincts, and long-term legislative experience will make her a key player. Readers who want to know how the winds might shift in Washington could do worse than to learn how DeLauro understands politics.
The Least Among Us: Waging the Battle for the Vulnerable – Rosa DeLauro
Posted on July 7, 2017 by J D Jung
(Reviewed by JD Jung)
“Morally speaking, the social safety net acknowledges that we are accountable to one another. It originated from our recognition that the vulnerable and the poor are not alien populations; they are us, in certain times and sometimes unforeseen circumstances.”
So, what happened? Why did a bipartisan agreement for this safety net that existed before FDR radically change with Newt Gingrich’s 1994 attempt to pass his “Contract with America”? Why don’t conservatives see this as also making economic sense?
And a big question for me personally: Why don’t these “religious” politicians see that accessible healthcare, that saves millions of lives, is the most a pro-life issue there is?
Rosa L. De Lauro, who has spent her twenty-six years in the U.S. House of Representatives fighting for the majority of Americans, addresses these questions and more in her book, The Least Among Us.
In addition to being both a memoir and a well-needed history lesson from the beginning of the industrial age to the present-day, De Lauro teaches us the nitty- gritty of what goes on in Congress. She provides detail of her legislative successes and failures and problems with being a member of the minority party. We learn about her battles for specific issues such as fair pay, fair trade, a safe food supply, worker’s rights, food and medical care for all and infrastructure investment. We also learn about her heart-breaking battles with her own church.
She tells us the many political lessons that she learned, even having to do with sexism in the Democratic congressional leadership.
For the sake of brevity, I have mentioned these topics in broad terms. However, there are no generalizations in this book. She provides specific reasons and data and gives compelling arguments why social programs do not encourage dependency. She gives us specific “wheeling and dealing” that went on in Congress to pass or kill certain bills.
If you’re still not sure if you want to read this book, at least read the “Conclusion: Ten Policies for an American Twenty-first Century”. That chapter should convince you to start from the beginning.
I realize that our readers reside all over the world and UnderratedReads’ core audience is international. We definitely want to keep it that way.
However, our core values are being tested and the United States as we know it is being threatened. This cannot be ignored. This alone makes The Least Among Us a must-read for all Americans.
Interviews
Fighting to Expand the Social Safety Net: an Interview with Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT)
By Annika Hildebrandt and Hugo Barrillon / Nov. 12, 2017, 5:14 p.m.
Rosa DeLauro
Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro, of Connecticut’s Third Congressional District, visited the University of Chicago on October 16 as a part of the national book tour for her new book, “the Least Among Us: Waging the Battle for the Vulnerable.” Congresswoman DeLauro serves as the Co-Chair of the Democratic Steering and Policy Committee, as well as Ranking Member on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Subcommittee. She is also dean of Connecticut’s congressional delegation, having first been elected in 1990. The Gate spoke with her after her event at the Institute of Politics.
The Gate: Tell us a little bit about your book: who are “the vulnerable,” and how are you fighting for them?
Rep. DeLauro: The book is The Least Among Us: Waging the Battle for the Vulnerable, and it is focused on the social safety net and my battles to protect it and to expand it. The social safety net technically is a group of government programs but as I talk about them I believe it also reflects the values of this country. The book is about social responsibility for one another, accountable to one another, especially in times of great need for people.
These programs were crafted by Democrats and Republicans, which is the story that I tell, and they have made a difference, a substantial difference. These programs include Social Security, Medicaid, Medicare, child tax credits, nutrition programs, unemployment insurance, minimum wage. I said here tonight, my hope is that healthcare will become part of a social safety net.
The safety net has raised people out of poverty: social security raises twenty-six million people out of poverty; refundable tax credits, eight million; the food stamp program, three and a half million; SSI, about another three and a half million; and housing assistance, over three million people, are lifted out of poverty because they avail themselves in these programs that are available to them. And they’re means tested! It’s not a free ride, especially with the nutritional programs and housing: these are means-tested programs.
Gate: What brings a Connecticut congresswoman to the University of Chicago?
DeLauro: I’m delighted to be here! The Institute of Politics is very well-known, very well-regarded. I’m a close friend of David Axelrod, who runs it. As part of the book tour I’ve been doing I’ve been in New York, San Francisco, Connecticut, D.C., and tomorrow I’m going to Seattle. I’m going to Los Angeles and Boston. In November, I’m going to Denver and to the Book Fair in Miami. Wherever anyone will listen to me, you know?
Gate: As Ranking Member of Labor, Health, and Human Services, how do you see the debate on healthcare moving forward with the President working to undermine the Affordable Care Act? Do you think that there is a bipartisan solution?
DeLauro: First of all, in regards to the bipartisan solution in the Senate right now, I don’t know what it looks like, and I want to see what it looks like. Senators Murray and Alexander are working on a bipartisan healthcare proposal*, and, as I said, I haven’t seen it yet, and I’m waiting to see what it is.
My vote for the Affordable Care Act is one of the proudest votes I ever cast in the Congress, but we knew it didn’t address every issue. It’s got very serious consequences; it’s a big transformation of the system, and to that end we should look at increased premiums and deductibles, we can look at bringing down the cost of public drugs and a public option, and lowering the age of Medicare to 55, increasing subsidies up to about five hundred percent of poverty, there are a number of ways to do that.
In the meantime, we have been fighting a battle just to save the Affordable Care Act. The President and Republicans in the Congress could not do that through a legislative process. They lost three times—three times!—because the American public stood up and said, when rhetoric came to reality, that they were relying on the Affordable Care Act, because, for many, it was the first time that they had healthcare, especially for people with a pre-existing condition.
So now, since the President could not win legislatively, he is undermining and sabotaging the Affordable Care Act in a whole variety of ways. The most recent was on the cost-sharing subsidy, to destabilize the insurance market. Those were put in place to help deal with the high cost of premiums and deductibles for people of modest means, so it helped to control their out-of-pocket costs. What they’d done in the appropriations bills, and in the bill where I am the senior Democrat, they have put in a rider which says, “None of the funds in this bill can be used to implement the Affordable Care Act.” They’ve cut back on the advertising to tell people how they can access the program; they cut money to CNS; they cut money for the Navigator Program, which are counsellors to help people make their way through the process; they have curtailed the enrollment time for people to be able to enroll; and they are going to shut the website down for a number of hours so people cannot access the website.
We have to do what we did to fight them on the legislative side, and that was, while the Congress was united on that effort, and there were Democrats and Republicans opposed to what they were doing, the American people were the real heroes because they marched, they went to members’ offices, they petitioned, they protested, they called, they stood tall and said, “No, you cannot do this.” We have to do that all over again to keep them from undermining the Affordable Care Act and take a look at this bipartisan solution and see if it has merit.
* Senators Murray and Alexander’s proposal was announced two days after this interview.
This interview has been edited for conciseness and clarity. Image licensed under Creative Commons; original here.
Annika Hildebrandt
Hugo Barrillon