Improving the education system in Orange County is one of Loretta's top priorities in Congress. It is what got her into politics in the first place. As a Member of the House Education and Workforce Committee, Loretta understands the challenges and opportunities for federal involvement and investment in our schools.
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Loretta is a leading voice on Homeland Security in the U.S. Congress. Currently in the 110th Congress, Loretta is serving as the Vice Chair of the House Homeland Security Committee and is the Chairwoman of the Border, Maritime and Global Counter-Terrorism Subcommittee of Homeland Security. She is also a Member of the House Armed Services Committee. Loretta has been a key player on central issues before Congress, such as securing our borders, protecting our ports and making sure our roads and bridges are safe from terrorist attack.
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The key to a strong community is the rule of law, and for that we need strong law enforcement. Loretta believes this strongly, which is why she has been a solid and consistent advocate of federal support for law enforcement in Congress. She understands that programs such as COPS and Byrne Grants have allowed law enforcement to innovate and do its jobs better, and focus local resources on essential needs—keeping the peace and prosecuting criminals.
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Loretta is the ranking woman on the House Armed Services Committee. She has been a vocal advocate for U.S. soldiers serving around the world, particularly those serving in combat zones. She personally worked to change the law to make sure that active duty Reservists serving in Iraq had access to TRICARE, the military healthcare system.
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One of the most important challenges facing America is the crisis in healthcare, and Loretta is working to make sure that Congress helps people deal with it. She has fought hard to preserve and strengthen time-tested programs like Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid that help Americans pay for medical costs.
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Loretta has family roots in organized labor. She was a dues-paying member of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union and joined rank and file on the picket lines during a major strike in 2002. Her parents both worked at a manufacturing plant where her father was a machinist and as a secretary, her mother helped to organize the plant workers.
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Loretta works closely with local chambers of commerce and business organizations to help create an attractive environment for economic growth in Orange County. Her work, for example, with OCTANe, a bio- and information-technology business association in Orange County, is laying the groundwork for the County's emergence as a center for innovation and growth in the years to come.
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Loretta has been a longtime champion for veterans, from supporting POW/MIA programs, to pushing for concurrent receipt, to ensuring that the Department of Veterans Affairs is fully funded.
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Loretta firmly believes that American foreign policy should be based on our bedrock values of democracy and human rights, and has fought hard to make sure that Congress and the Administration stick with those values.
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