Press Releases
WASHINGTON - Today, Rep. Karen Bass (D-CA), Chair of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa, issued the following statement regarding the alleged assault of three young women by the Zimbabwe police force.
"I am discouraged by the recent apparent detainment and brutal assault of three young women from the opposition party in Zimbabwe. Joannah Mamombe, Cecilia Chimbiri, and Netsai Marova have the right to peacefully protest the government, and should not be subjected to inhumane treatment while exercising their human rights.
WASHINGTON–House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime Chairwoman Karen Bass (D-CA) and House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) sent a letter to the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) Director Donald Washington to request that the agency provide Congress and the American people with information about their handling of COVID-19 for those in Marshals Service custody. Bass and Nadler have written to Department of Justice Attorney General William Barr twice regarding the Bureau of Prisons and U.S. Marshals Service’s handling of the coronavirus. To date, the Members have not received adequate responses.
In their letter, the Members note that “the USMS is responsible for the care of individuals charged with federal offenses, from the time they are arrested and ordered detained pretrial to the time they are either ordered released from USMS custody or are convicted and transported to serve their sentences in a BOP facility.
Today, Rep. Karen Bass (D-CA), Chair of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights and International Organizations issued the following statement in response to the United States preventing a vote by the United Nations Security Council on a resolution urging a ceasefire in war-ravaged countries to focus resources on the fight against the coronavirus pandemic.
"The Trump administration’s latest action to veto a UN resolution that called for a global ceasefire in order to collectively address this pandemic is yet another indicator that they are completely uninterested in cultivating a unified international front to combat this disease.
LOS ANGELES - Today, Rep. Karen Bass (D-CA) hosted a webinar for small business owners in her district. The event focused on resources available to combat the losses inflicted by the COVID-19 epidemic. You can watch the entire program below.
Find the slides used during the presentation here.
WASHINGTON - Today, Rep. Karen Bass (D-CA), Chair of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa, issued the following statement regarding G20 debt relief for low-income nations fighting COVID-19.
"This week G-20 nations agreed to suspend bilateral debt service payments until the end of the year for 76 low-income countries including 40 sub-Saharan African countries.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congresswoman Barbara Lee, Co-Chair of the Bipartisan Cuba Working Group, and Congresswoman Karen Bass, Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, released the following statement in response to a shooting outside the Cuban Embassy in Washington, D.C. last night.
“We were deeply disturbed and saddened to hear about the violence committed at the Cuban Embassy in Washington DC last night,” said the Congresswomen. “Acts of violence targeting diplomats and diplomatic missions are wholly unacceptable and should be quickly condemned.
LOS ANGELES - Today, Rep. Karen Bass (D-CA), Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, hosted a town hall with family members of incarcerated individuals to hear stories about COVID-19's impact on those in prison. You can watch the full event below.
"We hosted this event to hear the voices and the suggestions of those being impacted firsthand by this disease on the inside," said Rep. Bass. "When this pandemic hit, we knew immidiately that folks on the inside would be at the most risk.
WASHINGTON— In November 2017, Reps. Karen Bass (D-CA), Raúl M. Grijalva (D-AZ) and Chairman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) led 30 Members of Congress in requesting a Government Accountability Report (GAO) on the alleged mistreatment of pregnant women in ICE detention facilities, after numerous reports of horrific conditions in ICE custody—including solitary confinement and the denial of adequate healthcare. This week, the long-awaited GAO report was released.
In December 2017, the Department of Homeland Security updated its policy on the detention of pregnant woman that reversed previous guidance that discouraged incarcerating pregnant women barring extraordinary circumstances. The number of detentions decreased from 1,380 in calendar year 2016 to 1,160 in 2017, and then increased to 2,098 in calendar year 2018.
WASHINGTON – Today, House Judiciary Crime Subcommittee Chairwoman Karen Bass (D-CA) and Chairman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), led Members of the House Judiciary Committee in sending a letter to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) to seek answers regarding the measures the agency has undertaken to keep untraceable homemade firearms from falling into the wrong hands during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In the letter, the members wrote, “While the surge in firearm sales from federally licensed dealers has received nationwide attention, at least 16 companies that sell ghost gun kits have reported order backlogs and shipping delays due to overwhelming demand. The uptick in sales of ghost gun kits and parts have received substantially less notice, even though the incre
WASHINGTON-Today, Rep. Karen Bass (D-CA), Rep. Veronica Escobar (D-TX), Senator Kamala D. Harris (D-CA) and 48 of their colleagues sent a letter to Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Acting Secretary Chad Wolf demanding the release of detained children amid the COVID-19 pandemic. As the number of children in HHS custody infected with COVID-19 continues to increase, the lawmakers stressed the need to protect the health and safety of children in U.S. custody.
“There are currently nearly 2,400 children in Office of Refugee Resettlement’s (ORR) within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) custody, including licensed shelters.