Maxine Waters

“The children and families of Gaza have been devastated by the war, and the food assistance being provided is far from sufficient,” said Congresswoman Waters. “The children of Gaza deserve three meals a day to begin to recover from the war and to grow up healthy and strong. My bill requires the State Department to ensure this minimum standard for children and families in Gaza.”

“More than three-quarters of the people of Gaza are facing acute hunger and malnutrition, and this is clearly unacceptable,” said Congresswoman Waters. “Children and families in Gaza deserve better.”

“I introduced the Food for Palestinian Children and Families in Gaza Act to require the State Department to certify that policies, processes, and procedures have been established and are in use to ensure that sufficient food assistance is being provided to ensure that all children in Gaza are able to eat at least three nutritious meals a day, and all other civilians in Gaza are able to eat at least two nutritious meals a day,” said Congresswoman Waters.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congresswoman Maxine Waters (CA-43), Ranking Member of the House Financial Services Committee and a congressional leader in the fight against HIV/AIDS, introduced H.Res.1039 in honor of National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, which is observed every year on February 7. Her resolution is cosponsored by 29 of her congressional colleagues and endorsed by several HIV/AIDS advocacy organizations. Congresswoman Waters has been spearheading initiatives to increase HIV/AIDS awareness, prevention, screening, and treatment since the 1980s. In 1998, she worked with the Clinton administration to establish the Minority AIDS Initiative, which significantly expanded HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment efforts for minority communities that are disproportionately impacted by HIV. Because of her advocacy, the funding for this initiative has increased from the initial appropriation of $156 million in Fiscal Year 1999 to more than $400 million per year today. Last year, she introduced the HIV Prevention Now Act ( H.R. 5126 ), to provide robust appropriations for prevention efforts, and the PrEP and PEP are Prevention Act ( H.R. 5127 ), to require health insurance plans to cover Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) and Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP) as preventive services. “National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day is a day set aside to increase HIV awareness and enhance prevention, testing and treatment among African Americans,” said Congresswoman Waters. “It is a day to commemorate the impact of HIV/AIDS on Black Americans and encourage continued efforts to reduce the incidence of HIV, eliminate health disparities, improve access to care and treatment, and show support for all those who are living with HIV/AIDS.” Black Americans continue to be disproportionately affected by HIV/AIDS. While Black Americans represent only 12 percent of America’s population, they account for 39 percent of new HIV diagnoses, 40 percent of people living with HIV/AIDS, and 43 percent of deaths among people with HIV/AIDS. [1] Furthermore, Black women account for about half of new HIV diagnoses among women, and Black young people account for about half of new HIV diagnoses among young people ages 13 to 24. [2] The rate of new HIV diagnoses among Black Americans is about 8 times that of whites. [3] “On National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, we must recommit our nation to eliminate health disparities, promote HIV prevention, testing and treatment throughout the United States, and end the HIV/AIDS epidemic once and for all,” said Congresswoman Waters. Congresswoman Waters’ resolution in honor of National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day is endorsed by AIDS Foundation Chicago, AIDS United, AMAAD Institute (Arming Minorities Against Addiction and Disease), LA Pride, NAESM Inc., NMAC (formerly the National Minority AIDS Council), and PFLAG National. Her resolution is cosponsored by Representatives Nanette Barrag?n (CA-44), Wesley Bell (MO-01), Andr? Carson (IN-07), Troy A. Carter Sr. (LA-02)

LOS ANGELES, CA - Congresswoman Maxine Waters (CA-43), Ranking Member of the House Committee on Financial Services, was honored with the Watts Area Ministers Legacy Award during the Annual Watts Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day Celebration, held Saturday in the Watts community of South Los Angeles. The award was presented by the Watts Area Ministers, a longstanding coalition of faith leaders serving South Los Angeles, in recognition of Congresswoman Waters’ decades-long commitment to civil rights, economic justice, housing equity, and advocacy for historically underserved communities. The award was presented under the leadership of Pastor Robert Taylor, President of the Watts Area Ministers. In accepting the honor, Congresswoman Waters reflected on Dr. King’s legacy and stressed that the fight for justice requires action, particularly in the areas of housing, economic opportunity, and voting rights. “Dr. King didn’t march so we could celebrate once a year and go back to business as usual,” said Congresswoman Waters. “He marched so Black folks could live with dignity, afford a decent home, earn a fair wage, and vote without interference. In the spirit of Dr. Martin Luther King, I am fully committed to the proposition that freedom is not voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed. I will keep fighting for equal rights, no matter who tries to roll them back.” During her remarks, Congresswoman Waters emphasized that Dr. King understood housing and economic security as civil rights issues, noting that stable and affordable housing is foundational to strong families and thriving communities. She tied that legacy to her work as the leading Democrat on the Financial Services Committee, where she has fought to expand affordable housing, strengthen fair lending protections, protect consumers, and hold financial institutions accountable. She also warned that the right to vote, won through sacrifice and struggle, is once again under attack, and urged communities to remain vigilant and engaged in protecting democracy. “The right to vote was paid for with blood,” Congresswoman Waters said. “John Lewis proved that on the bridge in Selma. We cannot allow anyone, courts, politicians, or even the President of the United States, to take away what our ancestors fought and bled for.” The Annual Watts Dr. King Day Celebration brought together clergy, community leaders, elders, families, and elected officials under the theme “Keeping the Dream Alive.” The program featured prayers, musical selections, civic presentations, and a moment of commemoration honoring Dr. King’s enduring impact. Congresswoman Waters thanked the Watts Area Ministers for the recognition and reaffirmed her commitment to continuing Dr. King’s unfinished work through legislative leadership and deep partnership with the community.

Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Maxine Waters (CA-43), Ranking Member of the House Financial Services Committee, sent letters on December 9, 2025, to six executive branch agencies in response to the Trump administration’s executive orders terminating diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) policies and programs. The letters ask how the agencies are implementing these anti-DEIA executive orders and what steps – if any – they have taken to ensure they are not violating civil rights law. The letters were signed by 40 Members of Congress. “Everyone deserves to have access to living-wage jobs; safe, affordable housing; quality health care; and educational opportunities,” said Congresswoman Waters. “Yet, the Trump administration’s anti-equity executive orders seek to weaponize civil rights enforcement, terminate longstanding legal government programs, and dismantle important, decades-old legal tools for ferreting out discrimination. Pursuant to these executive orders, the Trump administration has sought to cut funding for research into cancer, Black maternal health, autism, Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, and HIV; halt programs to improve teacher development and quality; withhold funding for domestic violence services, food access, and school-based mental health supports; and terminate grants for college preparatory programs. These attacks have harmed people of all backgrounds in this country: Black, white, Latino, Asian American, and Indigenous; from urban and rural areas; of every gender, sexual orientation, and ability. People in America deserve to know how the Trump administration is implementing these harmful executive orders.” Each letter was signed by the following 40 Members of Congress: Nanette Barragán, Joyce Beatty, Shontel M. Brown, André Carson, Troy A. Carter, Sr., Yvette D. Clarke, Steve Cohen, Danny K. Davis, Adriano Espaillat, Dwight Evans, Cleo Fields, Jesús G. “Chuy” García, Sylvia R. Garcia, Daniel Goldman, Al Green, Jared Huffman, Glenn Ivey, Jonathan L. Jackson, Pramila Jayapal, Henry C. “Hank” Johnson, Jr., Robin L. Kelly, Timothy M. Kennedy, Summer L. Lee, Jennifer L. McClellan, LaMonica McIver, Kelly Morrison, Eleanor Holmes Norton, Ayanna Pressley, Delia C. Ramirez, Janice Schakowsky, Terri A. Sewell, Lateefah Simon, Bennie G. Thompson, Rashida Tlaib, Ritchie Torres, Lauren Underwood, Maxine Waters, Bonnie Watson Coleman, Nikema Williams, and Frederica S. Wilson. The letters were sent to the Department of Agriculture, Department of Education, Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Justice, Department of Labor, and the Environmental Protection Agency.