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Quick Facts
Personal Details

Caucuses/Former Committees

Member, Congressional Black Caucus, present

Member, Congressional Diabetes Caucus, present

Co-Chair, Congressional Task Force on Alzheimer’s Disease, present

Member, Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, present

Former Member, Capital Markets, Securities, & Investment Subcommittee, United States House of Representatives

Former Member, Congressional Children's Working Group

Co-Founder, Congressional Progressive Caucus

Former Chair, Democratic Caucus, California State Assembly

Former Member, Financial Institution and Consumer Credit Subcommittee, United States House of Representatives

Former Member, Monetary Policy and Trade Subcommittee, United States House of Representatives

Founder, Out of Iraq Congressional Caucus

Former Chair, Out of Iraq Congressional Caucus

Former Member, Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee, United States House of Representatives

Former Chair, Special Committee on Election Reform, Democratic Caucus

Former Member, Subcommittee on Immigration Policy and Enforcement, United States House of Representatives

Former Member, Subcommittee on Insurance, Housing and Community Opportunity, United States House of Representatives

Former Member, Subcommittee on Intellectual Property, Competition, and the Internet, United States House of Representatives

Former Member, Task Force to Investigate Terrorism Financing, United States House of Representatives

Former Member, Terrorism and Illicit Finance Subcommittee, United States House of Representatives

Chair, Congressional Black Caucus, 1997-1998

Education

  • BA, California State University, Los Angeles, 1970

Professional Experience

  • BA, California State University, Los Angeles, 1970
  • Former Chief Deputy, Office of City Councilor David S. Cunningham
  • Former Employee, Office of Mayor Tom Bradley
  • Former Employee, Office of Mervyn M. Dymally
  • Former Employee, Senator Alan Cranston
  • Campaign Manager, David S. Cunningham for City Council, 1973

Political Experience

  • BA, California State University, Los Angeles, 1970
  • Former Chief Deputy, Office of City Councilor David S. Cunningham
  • Former Employee, Office of Mayor Tom Bradley
  • Former Employee, Office of Mervyn M. Dymally
  • Former Employee, Senator Alan Cranston
  • Campaign Manager, David S. Cunningham for City Council, 1973
  • Representative, United States House of Representatives, District 43, 2013-present
  • Chief Deputy Whip, United States House of Representatives, 1990-present
  • Candidate, United States House of Representatives, District 43, 2018, 2020
  • Representative, United States House of Representatives, District 35, 1993-2013
  • Representative, United States House of Representatives, District 29, 1991-1993
  • Assembly Member, California State Assembly, 1977-1990

Former Committees/Caucuses

Member, Congressional Black Caucus, present

Member, Congressional Diabetes Caucus, present

Co-Chair, Congressional Task Force on Alzheimer’s Disease, present

Member, Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, present

Former Member, Capital Markets, Securities, & Investment Subcommittee, United States House of Representatives

Former Member, Congressional Children's Working Group

Co-Founder, Congressional Progressive Caucus

Former Chair, Democratic Caucus, California State Assembly

Former Member, Financial Institution and Consumer Credit Subcommittee, United States House of Representatives

Former Member, Monetary Policy and Trade Subcommittee, United States House of Representatives

Founder, Out of Iraq Congressional Caucus

Former Chair, Out of Iraq Congressional Caucus

Former Member, Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee, United States House of Representatives

Former Chair, Special Committee on Election Reform, Democratic Caucus

Former Member, Subcommittee on Immigration Policy and Enforcement, United States House of Representatives

Former Member, Subcommittee on Insurance, Housing and Community Opportunity, United States House of Representatives

Former Member, Subcommittee on Intellectual Property, Competition, and the Internet, United States House of Representatives

Former Member, Terrorism and Illicit Finance Subcommittee, United States House of Representatives

Chair, Congressional Black Caucus, 1997-1998

Current Legislative Committees

Chair, Committee on Financial Services

Member, Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis

Religious, Civic, and other Memberships

  • BA, California State University, Los Angeles, 1970
  • Former Chief Deputy, Office of City Councilor David S. Cunningham
  • Former Employee, Office of Mayor Tom Bradley
  • Former Employee, Office of Mervyn M. Dymally
  • Former Employee, Senator Alan Cranston
  • Campaign Manager, David S. Cunningham for City Council, 1973
  • Representative, United States House of Representatives, District 43, 2013-present
  • Chief Deputy Whip, United States House of Representatives, 1990-present
  • Candidate, United States House of Representatives, District 43, 2018, 2020
  • Representative, United States House of Representatives, District 35, 1993-2013
  • Representative, United States House of Representatives, District 29, 1991-1993
  • Assembly Member, California State Assembly, 1977-1990
  • Member, Los Angeles Women's Foundation, present
  • Former Member, Bhopal Justice Campaign
  • Co-Founder, Black Women's Forum
  • Former Member, California Peer Counseling Association
  • Former Member, Center for the Study of Sport in Society
  • Founder, Community Build
  • Member, Democratic National Committee
  • Former Co-Chair, Democratic Steering Committee
  • Founder, Free South Africa Movement
  • Former Volunteer Coordinator, Head Start Program
  • Founder, Maxine Waters Employment Preparation Center
  • Former Member, National Committee for Economic Conversion and Disarmament
  • Former Member, National Development and Voting Rights Institute
  • Founder, Project Build
  • Volunteer, Bill Clinton Presidential Campaign, 1992, 1996
  • Delegate, Democratic National Conventions, 1972-1988
  • Volunteer, Jesse Jackson Presidential Campaign, 1984, 1988
  • Volunteer, Edward Kennedy Presidential Campaign, 1980

Other Info

Astrological Sign:

Leo

First Job:

Factories and Segregated Restaurants

  • 2

Spouse's Occupation:

Former U.S. Ambassador to the Commonwealth of the Bahamas

Policy Positions

2021

Abortion

1. Do you generally support pro-choice or pro-life legislation?
- Pro-choice

Budget

1. In order to balance the budget, do you support an income tax increase on any tax bracket?
- Yes

2. Do you support expanding federal funding to support entitlement programs such as Social Security and Medicare?
- Unknown Position

Campaign Finance

1. Do you support the regulation of indirect campaign contributions from corporations and unions?
- Yes

Crime

Do you support the protection of government officials, including law enforcement officers, from personal liability in civil lawsuits concerning alleged misconduct?
- Unknown Position

Defense

Do you support increasing defense spending?
- Unknown Position

Economy

1. Do you support federal spending as a means of promoting economic growth?
- Yes

2. Do you support lowering corporate taxes as a means of promoting economic growth?
- No

3. Do you support providing financial relief to businesses AND/OR corporations negatively impacted by the state of national emergency for COVID-19?
- Yes

Education

1. Do you support requiring states to adopt federal education standards?
- Unknown Position

Energy and Environment

1. Do you support government funding for the development of renewable energy (e.g. solar, wind, geo-thermal)?
- Unknown Position

2. Do you support the federal regulation of greenhouse gas emissions?
- Yes

Guns

1. Do you generally support gun-control legislation?
- Yes

Health Care

1. Do you support repealing the 2010 Affordable Care Act ("Obamacare")?
- No

2. Do you support requiring businesses to provide paid medical leave during public health crises, such as COVID-19?
- Yes

Immigration

1. Do you support the construction of a wall along the Mexican border?
- No

2. Do you support requiring immigrants who are unlawfully present to return to their country of origin before they are eligible for citizenship?
- No

National Security

1. Should the United States use military force to prevent governments hostile to the U.S. from possessing a weapon of mass destruction (for example: nuclear, biological, chemical)?
- Unknown Position

2. Do you support reducing military intervention in Middle East conflicts?
- Yes

Trade

Do you generally support removing barriers to international trade (for example: tariffs, quotas, etc.)?
- Yes

2019

Abortion

1. Do you generally support pro-choice or pro-life legislation?
- Pro-choice

Budget

1. In order to balance the budget, do you support an income tax increase on any tax bracket?
- Yes

2. In order to balance the budget, do you support reducing defense spending?
- Yes

Campaign Finance

1. Do you support the regulation of indirect campaign contributions from corporations and unions?
- Yes

Economy

1. Do you support federal spending as a means of promoting economic growth?
- Yes

2. Do you support lowering corporate taxes as a means of promoting economic growth?
- No

Education

1. Do you support requiring states to adopt federal education standards?
- Yes

Energy & Environment

1. Do you support government funding for the development of renewable energy (e.g. solar, wind, thermal)?
- Yes

2. Do you support the federal regulation of greenhouse gas emissions?
- Yes

Guns

1. Do you generally support gun-control legislation?
- Yes

Health Care

1. Do you support repealing the 2010 Affordable Care Act ("Obamacare")?
- No

Immigration

1. Do you support the construction of a wall along the Mexican border?
- No

2. Do you support requiring immigrants who are unlawfully present to return to their country of origin before they are eligible for citizenship?
- No

Marijuana

Do you support the legalization of marijuana for recreational purposes?
- Unknown Position

National Security

1. Should the United States use military force in order to prevent governments hostile to the U.S. from possessing a nuclear weapon?
- No

2. Do you support increased American intervention in Middle Eastern conflicts beyond air support?
- Unknown Position

Congress Bills
Speeches
Articles

Medium - America Needs Emergency Rental Assistance Now

Jun. 29, 2020

When Congress passed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act in March, we took important steps to protect families who are struggling to remain stably housed. For example, we placed a moratorium on evictions for renters living in properties with federal housing subsidies or federally backed mortgages, and ensured that most families across the country will receive a check or direct deposit for $1,200 for each adult and $500 for each child. However, since eviction moratorium only applies to certain rental units with federal support, 75 percent of renters are not protected and vulnerable to eviction during the crisis. The crisis for renters has already started. According to a survey conducted by Apartment List, more than 32 percent of renters were unable to fully pay their rent at the beginning of June, with 20 percent being unable to pay anything at all. The unemployment rate in May was 13.3 percent. The Urban Institute has found that, under its worst case scenario, 17.6 million renter households or 40 percent of all renters, would need rental assistance, which would cost $96 billion to maintain for 6 months. Evictions can have serious consequences for renters. In addition to losing their homes, renters who cannot pay accrued back-rent will be subject to debt collection and face long-term damage to their credit that could take years to repair and make it next to impossible to rent a new unit. In January, before the crisis, the Financial Services Committee heard heartbreaking testimony from Mr. Jeffrey Williams who saw one eviction lead to two years of homelessness. Further, Black and Latino renters are especially vulnerable to the economic effects of COVID-19. For example, Black and Latino renters are more likely to be cost burdened (i.e. paying 30 percent or more of their income for rent) with 55 percent of Black renter households and 54 percent of Latino renter households experiencing moderate or severe cost burdens compared to 43 percent of White renter households. We were already facing a deplorable racial wealth gap and a homelessness crisis in which over 60 percent of the homeless population is Black or Latino, among other racial inequalities, before the pandemic hit. If we fail to prevent this pending wave of evictions, we will exacerbate the homelessness crisis and pending economic downturn, and inflict avoidable hardship on countless families for years to come with Black and Latino families feeling the brunt. The national fair market average for renting a two-bedroom apartment renting is $1,194. When you do the math, it becomes clear that the one-time $1,200 stimulus payment provided in the CARES Act is not enough to both pay rent and meet other expenses during this crisis. It is especially insufficient for people living in higher cost areas like the Los Angeles and Tacoma metro areas where the fair market rent is $1,791 and $1,265, respectively. Congress must act swiftly to build upon the CARES Act, including by funding $100 billion in emergency rental assistance. By providing these funds, we will not only prevent a huge wave of evictions but also shore up the finances of America's landlords. That's why we have advanced legislation to create a $100 billion emergency rental assistance fund which would help renters experiencing financial hardship during this pandemic pay their rent and utility bills. The program would use the framework of an existing homeless assistance program called the Emergency Solutions Grant program to distribute funds quickly to cities, states, and counties to provide assistance to their residents and landlords. Under the legislation, renters who cannot pay rent or utilities due to hardship related to the pandemic would be able to apply for and receive assistance for rent or utility bills, including any arrearages. Once a renter qualifies for assistance, the local administering agency would send the assistance payment directly to the landlord or utility company to cover the amounts owed. This way, both renters and landlords get the help they need, and evictions can be avoided. This bill was part of the Heroes Act, the COVID-19 response legislation passed by the House of Representatives in May. It is also a part of the Emergency Housing Protections and Relief Act, legislation containing the housing provisions from the Heroes Act, which the House is voting on today due to the emergency need for housing relief. Now we need the Senate to act and prevent a rental housing crisis. America cannot afford to leave renters behind.

Ethics charges

Jan. 1, 1900

In 2010, the Office of Congressional Ethics charged Waters with improper requests for a meeting with Treasury officials for OneUnited Bank. Waters' husband owned stock in the bank and served as a director until a few months before Waters requested those meetings. OneUnited reportedly got an infusion of TARP money, which could have protected an estimated $200,000 in bank stock owned by Waters' husband. On June 6, 2012, the House Ethics Committee announced they would go ahead with the investigation, which had been delayed due to charges by Waters that lawyers for the committee were biased and violated House rules. In July 2011, Billy Martin, a former Justice Department prosecutor, was brought in to act as outside counsel. His inquiry corroborated some of Waters' allegations, but concluded that a fair hearing was not denied. The committee announced on September 21, 2012, that Waters did not violate House rules.

Events

2020

Apr. 2
CA-43 Coronavirus Telephone Town Hall #2

Thur 6:00 PM – 7:30 PM PDT

Maxine Waters Los Angeles, CA

Mar. 19