U.S. Representative Pramila Jayapal, who has represented Washington’s 7th district in Congress since 2017, issued a series of statements on December 16, 2025, criticizing recent actions and rhetoric from Republican lawmakers.
In a post published at 21:09 UTC, Jayapal wrote: “These comments from Senator Tuberville and Congressman Fine are disgusting, racist, and Islamophobic. They have zero place in our society, much less in Congress, and must be universally condemned immediately.”
Later that day at 21:31 UTC, she addressed proposed legislation concerning unaccompanied immigrant children: “Today, House Republicans are trying to pass a bill that treats all unaccompanied immigrant children as unvetted criminals, subjecting them to invasive bodily searches and prolonged detention. It’s a cruel, inhumane, and dangerous set of policies.”
At 23:20 UTC the same evening, Jayapal commented on congressional scrutiny of the Southern Poverty Law Center: “Today, House Republicans wasted committee time targeting the Southern Poverty Law Center, going after the organization’s finances & ties to Democratic administrations. It’s stunning hypocrisy coming from the party of the Koch brothers and the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025.”
Jayapal has served in Congress since replacing Jim McDermott in 2017. She previously held office in the Washington State Senate between 2014 and 2016. Born in Chennai (formerly Madras State) in 1965 and currently residing in Seattle at age 57, Jayapal is an alumna of Georgetown University (BA) and Northwestern University.
