1. Pramila Jayapal was born on September 21,1965 and is an American politician serving as the US representative from since 2017.
30 Facts About Pramila Jayapal
1. 2.
Pramila Jayapal is the first Indian-American woman to serve in the US House of Representatives.
3.
Pramila Jayapal co-chaired the Congressional Progressive Caucus from 2019 to 2021, followed by a term serving as Chair from 2021 to 2025.
4.
Pramila Jayapal serves on both the Judiciary Committee and Budget Committee.
5.
Pramila Jayapal spent most of her childhood in Indonesia and Singapore.
6.
Pramila Jayapal immigrated to the US in 1982, at age 16, to attend college.
7.
Pramila Jayapal earned a BA from Georgetown University and an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.
8.
Pramila Jayapal founded Hate Free Zone after the 2001 September 11 attacks as an advocacy group for immigrant groups.
9.
Pramila Jayapal stepped down from her leadership position in May 2012.
10.
On June 29,2018, Pramila Jayapal participated in Women Disobey and the sit-in at the Hart Senate Office Building to protest the Trump administration's "zero-tolerance" approach to illegal immigration.
11.
Pramila Jayapal said she was "proud to have been arrested" for protesting the administration's "inhumane and cruel" policy.
12.
Pramila Jayapal endorsed Senator Bernie Sanders for President of the United States in the 2016 Democratic primaries.
13.
In January 2016, Pramila Jayapal declared her candidacy for Congress in Washington's 7th congressional district, after Representative Jim McDermott announced his retirement.
14.
Pramila Jayapal became the first Indian-American woman to serve in the US House of Representatives.
15.
On January 6,2017, Pramila Jayapal objected to Georgia's 16 electoral votes, which Donald Trump had won by over 200,000 votes.
16.
On January 20,2020, Pramila Jayapal endorsed Senator Bernie Sanders in the 2020 Democratic presidential primaries.
17.
Pramila Jayapal's office responded with a statement calling the allegations "sexist", "ugly stereotypes", and lacking context.
18.
In 2024, Pramila Jayapal raised over $400,000 for the election campaign of Vice President Harris, as well as making other public statements in praise of Harris.
19.
In December 2019, Pramila Jayapal introduced a bill to urge India to lift curbs on communications in Kashmir.
20.
An October 24,2022, letter, led by Pramila Jayapal and signed by 30 progressive Democrats, called on President Biden to pursue negotiations with Vladimir Putin to end the invasion of Ukraine.
21.
The letter was withdrawn a day later after Pramila Jayapal said it was drafted months ago and was released by a staffer "without vetting".
22.
Pramila Jayapal opposed the decision of the Biden administration to supply cluster munitions to Ukraine.
23.
Pramila Jayapal was among the 46 Democrats who voted against final passage of the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 in the House.
24.
In February 2019, Pramila Jayapal sponsored and introduced the Medicare for All Act of 2019 with more than 100 co-sponsors.
25.
In 2021, Pramila Jayapal introduced similar legislation for the 117th Congress.
26.
Pramila Jayapal is a co-sponsor of legislation intended to make public colleges and universities free for most families and significantly reduce student debt.
27.
Pramila Jayapal initially lost her green card when she gave birth prematurely in India and was unable to return in time to maintain Permanent Resident status.
28.
Pramila Jayapal is the author of Pilgrimage: One Woman's Return to a Changing India, published in March 2000.
29.
In 2019, Pramila Jayapal publicly wrote that she had chosen to abort a pregnancy because it risked her and the unborn child's health.
30.
Pramila Jayapal was charged with felony stalking and released on $150,000 bail.