Congresswoman Maxine Waters has decades-long experience fighting for social progress and equality as a public servant. She ventured into politics and public service in 1976 in the California Assembly and immediately started advocating for and supporting social justice issues.
During her time as a Californian assemblywoman, she advocated for passing affirmative action legislation, child abuse prevention training laws, divesting California public funds (state pension funds) from companies doing business in apartheid South Africa, and banning police strip searches in cases involving nonviolent offenders.
In 1991, Waters ran for Congress to represent South Central Los Angeles and won. Since then, she has been a United States House of Representatives for California’s 29th congressional district, later renumbered to the 35th district and the 43rd district.
She has never garnered less than 71 percent of the vote in every general election she has run in since 1990.
Nicknamed “Auntie Maxine” by millennial activists for her tell-it-like-it-is attitude, Waters has earned a reputation for being an avid advocate for children and women, job training, programs for small business owners, people with low incomes, and community development in underprivileged areas.
“I’m so proud of this connection that I’ve made with these young people. They do call me Auntie Maxine,” she told MSNBC in 2017. “I embrace that, I love that, and I’m going to be their auntie. I’m going to keep telling the truth,” she added.
Political Activism around Issues of Housing for the Underprivileged
As the ranking member of the powerful House Financial Services Committee, she has advocated for affordable housing for low-income earners and taking measures to help families retain their houses.
Throughout her work on the committee, which oversees the financial regulatory agencies, banks and financial intuitions, Wall Street, and the housing market, she has been an avid advocate for strong oversight of mortgage services. Waters’s efforts earned her a spot in the 2013 HousingWire as a “Woman of Influence.”
She’s also a vocal advocate for increased funding for affordable housing and homelessness programs. In March 2023, Waters played a pivotal role in securing funding for the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
She released a statement urging her Democratic colleagues to oppose cuts to the HUD’s funding, stating, “I urge the Biden Administration and my Democratic colleagues in the Senate to commit to ensuring that the President’s housing budget is fulfilled and does not experience a single cut in the negotiation process.”
Her efforts and advocacy for affordable housing have helped families across the country attain and retain their homes.
Women’s Issues
Waters has been an advocate for gender equality and inclusion. She played a pivotal role in the legislation and enactment of the Offices of Minority and Women Inclusion in all federal regulatory agencies.
She also authored the bill that created the Center for Women Veterans, a bureau within the Department of Veterans that focuses on providing healthcare benefits and several other programs to women veterans.
Waters co-sponsored H.J.Res. 79 in 2020. The passage of the legislation extended the deadline for the ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment passed by Congress in 1972. By extending the deadline, the House brought the ratification of the ERA a step closer to reality.
Healthcare Issues
Congresswoman Waters is also known to advocate for increased accessibility and affordability of healthcare. Her efforts have helped many underprivileged people access vital healthcare services.
In July 2019, she fought hard to retain coverage for individuals with pre-existing conditions and the Obamacare threshold. That turned out to be a pivotal factor this year as we face an airborne virus that has fatal effects on those who have pre-existing medical conditions.
“Obamacare has been the law of the land for nine years. Since its passage, Obamacare has saved millions of lives and ensured all Americans access to quality and affordable health care,” she said in a statement.
The statement continued, noting that “If this landmark law is invalidated, 21 million people could lose their health insurance, 12 million adults could lose Medicaid coverage, and 133 million Americans with pre-existing medical conditions … could be denied health coverage or be charged significantly higher premiums.”
Her efforts to make it easier for individuals with pre-existing medical conditions such as AIDS/HIV and diabetes were beneficial to many people during the pandemic the following year.