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Still Think Democrats Aren't Fighting Back? Introducing Lauren Underwood. [1]

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Date: 2025-04-25

Representative Lauren Underwood is simply one of the most effective Democratic members of the House. Since her election in 2018, when she defeated a Republican incumbent and became the youngest Black woman ever elected to Congress, she has had five pieces of legislation passed (3 signed into law by Trump, 2 by Biden), worked closely with Vice President Harris on issues surrounding Black maternal health, and has held on to a swing seat in Illinois through four congressional elections.

Laureen Underwood was raised in Illinois. At eight years old, Underwood was diagnosed with supraventricular tachycardia, a condition that prior to the passage of the ACA would have allowed companies to deny her health insurance. She obtained a nursing degree from the University of Michigan before acquiring to Masters Degrees from John Hopkins. While in University, she chose to focus on Public Health Policy, putting her expertise into effect starting in 2014 when she joined the Obama administration as a senior advisor spearheading the Implementation of the ACA.

In 2017, she decided to run for Congress against a Republican incumbent. Afro.com did a profile of Underwood and Shontel Brown, who I profiled earlier in this series (www.dailykos.com/...) on March 25 (afro.com/...). In that article, she explained that her motivation to run sprang from her opponents vote to destroy the ACA in 2017. “I launched my campaign in 2017 after watching my congressman break his word about protecting health care coverage for people like me with preexisting conditions.”

Much of her interest remains focused on health care issues, specifically around Black Maternal Care and expanding the ACA. “I am still very motivated around the idea that every American should have healthcare— period. People should not be dying preventable deaths because of severity, lack of access, racism within our healthcare system, etc.,” In 2019 she and Representative Alma Adams joined with then Senator Kamala Harris to found the Black Maternal Health Caucus. Together, they wrote and introduced a legislative package called the “Momnibus Act” to address racial disparities in maternal health.

She also helped pass a law, signed by President Biden, that expanded Social Security for the first time in twenty years.

x Our bill to expand Social Security benefits for the first time in more than 20 years is now law, and more than 130,000 Illinoisans will see an increase in their checks. READ ➡️ underwood.house.gov/media/press-... — Rep. Lauren Underwood (@underwood.house.gov) 2025-01-22T14:55:13.828Z

If you wish, you can listen to Lauren Underwood detail her history in her own words in this speech to the Women’s Caucus at the 2024 Democratic Convention.



So far, so good. But the question you want answered is, how is she fighting back against Trump today?

First, she continues to work on legislation to improve the lives of Americans, retaining her focus on healthcare and Black maternal health. Providing a clear legislative alternative to Trump and the Republicans is an important part of battling the Trump administration. She co-sponsored, along with Gregory Meeks, Suzan DelBenne and others, a bill to terminate Trump’s declaration of a national emergency that he used to impose tariffs on Canada and Mexico, a bill to expand subsidies under the ACA, a bill to add certain cancer screening tests to Medicare and Medicaid, a bill to change labour laws to make organizing unions easier, and a bill to provide the admission of Washington DC as a state.

Another bill she co-sponsored would stop Elon Musk and his adolescent Musk Minions from accessing American’s personal information. Two days ago, she signed a discharge petition in order to try and force it to a vote in the House.

x UPDATE: I just signed a discharge petition to force Republicans to bring this bill to the floor for a vote — Rep. Lauren Underwood (@underwood.house.gov) 2025-04-22T14:32:46.072Z

She is working to ensure the Trump administration stops withholding money that has been promised to the people of Illinois.

x 🚨 I’m LIVE at 4pm PT! Join me and @underwood.house.gov on Instagram Live to talk about threats to Medicaid, Medicare & the Affordable Care Act. As a doctor, I know how these cuts hurt our communities. Tune in to learn what they could mean for you! — Congressman Raul Ruiz, MD (@repraulruizmd.bsky.social) 2025-02-20T18:36:03.607Z

She is also speaking directly to the American People through participation in Town Halls. In this clip, a local Chicago station covers a recent town hall she held in Joliet, Illinois. This is one of a number of town halls she held during this term.

Finally, like many elected Democrats, she is participating in and speaking to protest marches including the recent Hands Off march.

And she is fighting back against the lawlessness of this regime.

x We must take Donald Trump’s threats to unlawfully detain and deport U.S. citizens seriously — because he means it. pic.twitter.com/eGblxWbCF8 — Lauren Underwood (@LaurenUnderwood) April 24, 2025

Lauren Underwood, although her focus is undeniably on health care issues, has also supported initiatives across a number of different issues facing the American People. Ashlee Banks, who wrote the profile of Lauren Underwood and Shontel Brown in Afro.com, concluded her story with, “Underwood and Brown exemplify the next generation of Black women leaders in Congress—leaders who are policy-driven, community-focused and unafraid to challenge the status quo. Their work spans crucial issues, from healthcare and economic justice to civil rights and education, reflecting their commitment to creating tangible change for their constituents and beyond.”

Lauren Underwood is simply one of the most exceptional Democratic members of the House. She introduces and gets passed legislation to improve the lives of ordinary Americans. She communicates transparently with people in her district, and has earned the trust of a district that had a history of voting Republican. She has further marched in the streets with ordinary Americans challenging the authoritarian and unconstitutional acts of the Trump administration. She is knowledgeable, skilled, and a tremendous asset for the Democratic Party.

As I have said, it is important for readers of this site to know that the vast majority of Democrats are committed to fighting back against Trump. Diaries from readers and from the Front Page are often click bait designed to foment a rage that does nothing to help this fight. It’s easy to tear down, it’s easy to give in to anger and despair. We often hear that, “only this person is fighting back” when the fact is most Democrats are working hard to push back against Trump’s ongoing descent into fascism.

Americans need to join with those engaged in the fight against Trump. Their actions need to be highlighted, their work recorded, and their courage supported. It is for this reason that I chose to amplify the vast majority of Democrats, especially those like Lauren Underwood, that are unheralded and less well known, who are meeting the moment with strength and resolve every day.

If you want even more information on how Democrats are attacking this illegal and corrupt administration, go seek out Janesaunt’s diaries “Dems Dems and More Dems”, which is published three times a week, and lpeacocks Thursday diaries on the Congressional Black Caucus.

T2 has also just begun a series called the Rainbow Roundup, where focus is placed on LGBTQ lawmakers and journalists. And Billboteach has one focusing on Hispanic elected Democrats.

You can gain easy access to all these diaries by following the Democratic Party Spotlight Group.

My diaries appear Monday and Friday.

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