Biography
Rep. Diana DeGette is a fourth-generation Coloradoan who has dedicated her life to serving the people of Colorado's First Congressional District.
DeGette is recognized as a leading voice in the nation's health care debate. As the top Democrat on the House Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee, DeGette has played a leading role in overseeing the nation's health care agencies and the nation’s overall response to the COVID-19 pandemic. She’s also led numerous efforts to ensure the nation's environmental laws are being properly enforced, lower the cost of insulin for millions of Americans and take on the climate crisis.
DeGette is committed to taking on the climate crisis and empowering our nation’s clean energy policies. She has led numerous efforts to hold the nation’s oil and gas producers accountable, reduce America’s overall emissions and expedite our transition to cleaner forms of renewable energy. In fact, one of the first bills President Biden signed into law after taking office was legislation DeGette authored to drastically reduce methane emissions from drilling sites across – a move climate scientists praised as critical to combatting the climate crisis.
A leader on health care…
Rep. DeGette believes Congress has a responsibility to make health care more accessible and affordable for all Americans. Among her Congressional colleagues, DeGette is seen as a leading expert on cutting-edge scientific research, including the use of human embryonic stem cells.
In 2005, DeGette authored the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act to overturn the restrictions President George W. Bush put in place to prohibit the use of embryonic stem cells for research purposes. While Congress voted twice to approve DeGette's legislation, President Bush vetoed it both times. In March 2009, President Obama included the language from DeGette's bill in an executive order he signed to reverse the restrictions.
In addition to expanding the use of stem cell research, DeGette has been instrumental in expanding the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), which provides health insurance to low-income children. She also played a key role in drafting the Affordable Care Act, which President Obama signed into law in 2010.
Despite her many accomplishments, the one piece of legislation DeGette is best known for championing is the 21st Century Cures Act, which has modernized the nation's medical research system. The bill, known simply as the Cures Act, has been widely hailed as one of the most important pieces of legislation that Congress has passed in recent years. From cancer research to precision medicine, it has enabled more labs to make more breakthrough discoveries that could soon lead to new cures and treatments for patients around the world.
Fighting to protect reproductive rights and health care…
As co-chair of the Congressional Reproductive Freedom Caucus, DeGette has been leading the fight to restore the protections we had under Roe v. Wade.
DeGette was instrumental in getting the House to pass a historic piece of legislation – known as the Women’s Health Protection Act – to enshrine into federal law the right of every American to access abortion care in the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. A move that would, in essence, negate the Supreme Court’s ruling and, once again, ensure all Americans can access the full range of reproductive health care services – regardless of where they live.
DeGette is also the co-author of the EACH Act, legislation that seeks to overturn the so-called Hyde Amendment, which continues to prevent millions of low-income women on Medicaid from accessing abortion care. In 2021, she led the fight to successfully exclude the Hyde Amendment from the government's annual spending bill in House for the first time in nearly 50 years.
With a long-standing belief that Roe v. Wade be considered the floor for women’s reproductive rights, not the ceiling, DeGette has dedicated her time in Congress to not only defending everyone’s access to reproductive care, but also expanding it. She has fought tirelessly to expand Americans' access to birth control and other family-planning services. And, in 2020, she helped lead the effort to rescind a Trump Administration rule that allowed employers to refuse to provide birth-control coverage for their employees.
Fighting to protect the environment…
A lifelong Coloradan, DeGette is guided by her traditional Western values and has a unique appreciation for our nation's natural resources and public lands. In 2019, DeGette sponsored legislation that was signed into law to make all national parks and public lands free for fourth grade students and their families to visit. She also authored a historic piece of legislation, known as the Colorado Wilderness Act, to protect and preserve 660,000 acres of wilderness across Colorado.
In 2007, DeGette successfully brokered a deal to enact tough new standards to protect Americans from lead in drinking water. She also played a key role in the effort to ban phthalates, a dangerous chemical which is harmful to children. And, as the top Democrat on the subcommittee that's responsible for overseeing the nation’s energy policies, she’s leading an effort to expedite the nation’s clean-energy transition to lower our emissions and put us on track to meet our climate-related goals.
Fighting to protect civil rights…
DeGette's passion for protecting people's rights is what led her to pursue public office. Prior to being elected to Congress, DeGette was an attorney in the Denver area where she focused on workers' rights. While in office, DeGette has worked tirelessly to protect the rights of women, immigrants and minorities in Colorado and across the country.
In 2019, DeGette convened the first House oversight hearing on the Trump administration's controversial policy of separating families at the border and continues to fight for the better treatment of immigrants and their families.
In recognition of her outstanding commitment to protecting civil rights, the ACLU of Colorado awarded DeGette with its Carle Whitehead Memorial Award, which is given to those who make extraordinary contributions to protecting civil rights and furthering civil liberties in Colorado. DeGette is also the recipient of the NEWSED Community Development Corporation's Civil Rights Award for her work to protect the rights of her fellow Coloradans.
A champion of bipartisanship…
Even in times of intense political division, DeGette has shown an ability to reach across the aisle to get results for the people of her district.
In 2017, DeGette was honored by the Javits Foundation for her renowned commitment to cooperation and collaboration across party lines.
In 2018, the U.S. Association of Former Members of Congress awarded DeGette with its Statesmanship award for her efforts to pass legislation in a collaborative and bipartisan manner.
A lifelong Denverite…
A graduate of Denver's South High School, DeGette earned her B.A, magna cum laude, from Colorado College in 1979; and a J.D. from New York University School of Law in 1982.
Before being elected to Congress, DeGette served two terms in the Colorado Legislature, including one term as Assistant Minority Leader from 1993-1995.
DeGette is married and has two daughters, a son-in-law, and two grandbabies.
Members of the House are responsible for introducing and voting on federal legislation, representing the interests of their constituents, and providing oversight of the executive branch. Key powers include drafting bills, serving on committees, approving the federal budget, and voting on matters of national policy, including declarations of war and presidential impeachments.