Congresswoman Lauren Underwood represents Illinois’ 14th Congressional District, a suburban, exurban, and rural district in northern Illinois. She flipped this seat from red to blue in a historic fashion in 2018, defeating a four-term Republican incumbent, and in 2020 became the first Democrat to ever be re-elected in IL-14.
In 2018, Congresswoman Underwood was the first person of color, first woman, and first millennial elected to represent her district. When she was sworn into office in 2019, she became the youngest Black woman to ever serve in Congress.
Congresswoman Underwood has proven herself to be a hard worker and an effective leader for her community. She currently serves on the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs and the House Committee on Appropriations. As only a sophomore member of Congress, Lauren has had eight pieces of legislation enacted into law by both Democratic and Republican administrations.
A registered nurse and public health expert, Congresswoman Underwood brings a critical perspective to Congress. She has made access to high-quality, affordable health care one of her signature issues. Her bill, the Healthcare Affordability Act, was included in President Biden’s American Rescue Plan.
During her tenure in Congress, Congresswoman Underwood co-founded the Black Maternal Health Caucus to combat the historic health disparities and unacceptably high death rates among Black mothers. Alongside colleagues in the House and Senate, she introduced a package of 12 bills to save moms’ lives: the Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act of 2021. She is also a member of the Congressional Black Caucus.
Prior to her first election, she worked to implement the Affordable Care Act as a career civil servant at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). She was later appointed by President Obama to serve as a Senior Advisor at HHS, where she helped communities prevent, prepare for, and respond to public health emergencies, bioterror threats, and other disasters.
Congresswoman Underwood received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan and two master’s degrees from Johns Hopkins University.