WASHINGTON, DC – In response to the recently revealed comments made by Republican Congressman Ted Yoho, DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz issued the following statement:

“Ted Yoho’s comments aren’t just from a different decade, they harken back to another century when Americans were denied their basic rights as citizens. Yoho’s view is abhorrent and immoral and should be roundly condemned in the strongest possible terms.

“Unfortunately, Ted Yoho’s comments are just one example of what is wrong with today’s Republican Party that thinks the problem in our democracy is that there are too many people participating and is systematically trying to make it harder for eligible citizens to participate in the electoral process.

“As Americans, we should all be focused on continuing our long and proud history of expanding access to the polls and encouraging more participation. That’s a core belief that Democrats hold, not just because it’s good for our party, but because it’s good for our country.”

Washington, DC – DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz issued the following statement today on the results of Tuesday’s primaries in Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Kentucky, Oregon, and Pennsylvania:

“On behalf of the Democratic National Committee, I congratulate all of the candidates who secured the Democratic nomination in their respective races today. Across the country, Democrats have nominated candidates who are focused on moving our nation forward with commonsense initiatives that grow the economy, create jobs, and expand opportunity for all while Republicans push policies that benefit the fortunate few and special interests.

“It’s fitting that John Boehner admitted today what we already knew, that ‘there’s not that big a difference’ between the Tea Party and the GOP. Even the candidates purportedly backed by the establishment have been pulled so far to the right that it is a distinction without a difference. The civil war in the Republican Party is over and the Tea Party won.

“Strong, female Democratic candidates Alison Lundergan Grimes and Michelle Nunn will oppose Republican nominees who have been deeply hurt by their primary contests. The scrutiny placed on Mitch McConnell in the last few months has only shown that mainstream Kentuckians are sick and tired of someone they see as the embodiment of everything that’s wrong with Washington. David Perdue and Jack Kingston have made it to the runoff only by embracing the most extreme positions of the Tea Party that leaves the middle class even further behind. And they are about to move even further to the right as they begin a long, divisive runoff.

“Democrats will put Mark Pryor’s history of fighting for Arkansas families against Tom Cotton’s putting personal ambition and adherence to donors like the Koch brothers over the middle class. Tom Wolf, a smart, business-oriented leader, is well-positioned to defeat an embattled Tom Corbett, whose disastrous record of restricting voting rights and women's health care choices have, in part, made him the least popular governor in America. Jason Carter is a talented and dedicated public servant who is committed to fighting for middle class Georgians. Senator Merkley has been a tireless advocate for Oregon’s working families and he’s poised to run against a Republican who is woefully out of touch with the values of Oregonians.

“With House Republicans obsessed with voting to repeal health care reform and politically charged investigations instead of taking action to provide economic security for middle class families, it is no surprise that they continue to put forward extreme and out of touch candidates who put ideology above all else. Today’s Democratic nominees join the fight to provide opportunity for all, instead of the few, and will offer voters a clear choice in November.”

Washington, DC – DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz issued the following statement today on the 60th anniversary of the Supreme Court’s decision in the case of Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka:

“Sixty years ago, United States Chief Justice Earl Warren handed down the Supreme Court’s decision in the case of Brown v. Board of Education. We celebrate that decision as an important milestone in our progress on civil rights, reversing the misguided precedent of Plessy v. Ferguson in the field of public education and declaring separate educational facilities to be inherently unequal.

The decision also espoused the importance of education, as Warren wrote, “In these days, it is doubtful that any child may reasonably be expected to succeed in life if he is denied the opportunity of an education.”

Children are the members of our society least equipped with the resources and experience to plan for their future, and yet no period will have a greater impact on the rest of their lives than their education during their childhood. Unfortunately, dramatic inequalities in education still exist.

Democrats are committed to expanding opportunity for all and ensuring equality under the law. Sixty years after Brown v. Board of Education, we must not forget that the surest way to preserve the prospect of the American Dream for all is to invest in our future generations.”

Washington, DC – DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz issued the following statement today on the 60th anniversary of the Supreme Court’s decision in the case of Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka:

“Sixty years ago, United States Chief Justice Earl Warren handed down the Supreme Court’s decision in the case of Brown v. Board of Education. We celebrate that decision as an important milestone in our progress on civil rights, reversing the misguided precedent of Plessy v. Ferguson in the field of public education and declaring separate educational facilities to be inherently unequal.

The decision also espoused the importance of education, as Warren wrote, “In these days, it is doubtful that any child may reasonably be expected to succeed in life if he is denied the opportunity of an education.”

Children are the members of our society least equipped with the resources and experience to plan for their future, and yet no period will have a greater impact on the rest of their lives than their education during their childhood. Unfortunately, dramatic inequalities in education still exist.

Democrats are committed to expanding opportunity for all and ensuring equality under the law. Sixty years after Brown v. Board of Education, we must not forget that the surest way to preserve the prospect of the American Dream for all is to invest in our future generations.”

Washington, DC – DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz released the following statement endorsing Representative John Conyers’ reelection:

“I fully support Representative Conyers' reelection effort. The people of Michigan have greatly benefitted from his decades of public service, and I'm confident they will choose him to represent their interests in Congress once again as they have done for nearly fifty years. I had the privilege of serving under Congressman Conyers’ leadership as a member of the House Judiciary Committee and have seen firsthand over the years why he has earned the respect of his constituents and his colleagues. His leadership will be a valuable contribution to the 114th Congress.”

As we close out National Women’s Health Week, I’m struck by the dramatic contrast between Republicans’ and Democrats’ priorities when it comes to women’s health.

Democrats are hard at work helping women access health care by defending the Affordable Care Act, and with it, no co-pay preventive care, guaranteed access to maternity coverage, and ending discrimination by health insurance companies based on pre-existing conditions or gender. And, of course, we believe that a woman’s health care decisions should be made between her and her doctor. Period. Not her boss. And certainly not politicians.

But at the state and national level, Republicans have repeatedly taken actions that restrict access to health care for women and families. Yes, they’ve voted more than 50 times to repeal or undermine Obamacare, but their disregard goes beyond even that. Just last week, the RNC passed a resolution that makes their restrictive and extreme women’s health agenda one of their focuses going into the midterm elections. Now it’s not enough to just hold pro-life beliefs – the RNC is saying this is central to their message and encouraging GOP candidates to follow suit.

When the RNC backs extreme policies like that, there are real-world consequences for women. In my home state, Florida Republicans including Gov. Rick Scott are taking constrictions on women's health to a new level. The state legislature recently passed two new restrictions that will interfere with a woman’s right to make her own medical decisions with her doctor, and instead inserts the GOP’s extreme agenda into these very private discussions (learn more about HB 1047 and HB 59 here).

If Rick Scott signs these bills – and I’m sorry to say that I’m confident he will – my home state will be the next in a long line of states to roll back the clock on women’s rights. It is senseless and it is wrong. This National Women’s Health Week, I’m standing with Florida women.

Earlier today, the DNC released a new video, “When in doubt, #Benghazi,” on the GOP’s politicized vote. Watch here.

Washington, DC – DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz issued the following statement today on the establishment of the Select Committee on Benghazi:

“The attacks in Benghazi on September 11, 2012 – in which four Americans died courageously serving their country – were a national tragedy. The American people join their families in mourning their loss.

“Such a tragedy requires our leaders to take action that can prevent a similar incident from occurring ever again, as the Obama Administration and Democrats in Congress are working to do. But House Republicans have demonstrated that they would rather spend their time exploiting tragedy in a crass political ploy to motivate their base for the midterm elections and to raise money.

“More than a year and a half removed from the Benghazi attacks, it is not a coincidence that the creation of the select committee follows in the wake of positive news concerning Republicans’ previous obsession, the Affordable Care Act.

“With Republicans insisting on the establishment of a special committee, Democrats offered several criteria, including equal representation, which would at least ensure the proceedings were conducted in a bipartisan and fair manner. Republicans rejected these principles and awarded the Chairmanship to a member who has embraced conspiracy theories and already called this a trial.

“While Republicans waste taxpayer time and money on more political theater, Democrats will remain focused on strengthening security at our embassies and bringing the perpetrators of this heinous attack to justice while prioritizing solutions to improve economic security for middle class American families.”

This month we celebrate the heritage of the Asian American and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) community and their contributions to our country. We also celebrate increasing political empowerment of AAPI’s as our community is finding its political voice. 

With over 20 million citizens nationwide, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders are among  the fastest growing demographics in the country and are an integral part of our nation’s future. And this growing community supports the Democrats’ mission to improve our schools, spur job creation and economic growth, and ensure that everyone can participate equally in our society.

The support of the AAPI community has made a significant difference for Democratic candidates in races in the past several election cycles. Notably, in the 2006 Virginia Senate Race, Senator Jim Webb enjoyed the support of three out of every four Asian American voters, which helped him eke out a narrow election victory by a margin of less than 0.5 percent.

In 2012 President Obama won an estimated 2.3 million of Asian American votes to Romney’s estimated 900,000 votes, or 71 percent to 28 percent. And in 2013, Terry McAuliffe led among Asian Americans 63 percent to Ken Cuccinelli’s 34 percent in a poll taken right before Election Day, a 29 percent margin.

With this repeated pattern of success at the top of the ticket, it is imperative we continue to build on this momentum to help down ballot candidates.  This fundamental premise means that we must reach AAPI voters all across the country through voter registration and informing them about important Democratic issues like common sense immigration reform, affordable health care, and raising the minimum wage that affect them personally.

And as many in the AAPI community continue to support Democrats, the Democratic National Committee is also working with state parties to develop AAPI caucuses of their own and working to connect them with the National Democratic AAPI Caucus.  Ultimately, these state and local AAPI Caucuses will become part of the national network, connected to the National AAPI Caucus.  Such a network of Caucuses will leverage each other for support, for lessons learned, for useful tools, and for so much more.

Just last month I was in Arizona working with the Arizona Democratic Party to help kick off their AAPI caucus. I participated in their first meeting as a Caucus and helped them with some basic tools.  And in the coming weeks, I’ll be doing the same in New York.   My promise to the State Democratic parties is that any state party that has an interest in establishing an AAPI Caucus, I am available to come to their state and help get a Caucus started.  

Outreach to the AAPI community by state parties is important, and is also part of the reason why Democrats will be successful again in the 2014 election. This AAPI heritage appreciation month, join me and the Democrats in working together to continue our journey of empowering our community, to continue to increase our political voice, and re- dedicate ourselves to fighting for our shared Democratic values.

Washington, D.C — DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz released the following statement today in recognition of Cinco de Mayo:

“Cinco de Mayo celebrates a Mexican victory over the French Army at the Battle of Puebla. On May 5, 1862, Mexican fighters and workers stood together in opposition to  a foe against whom they were out-manned and out-armed. Fueled by the hope of creating a better life for their children and grandchildren, they defied the odds by emerging victorious.

“Today’s celebrations of Mexican American heritage and culture recognize that the spirit of resilience and determination that compels one to defend one’s home is the same that fortifies others to leave their home behind for a better life. America is enriched and strengthened by immigrants who were willing to make sacrifices on behalf of future generations. It’s why the time is now for common sense reform to fix our broken immigration system.

“Democrats are committed to making sure that the American dream remains in reach for those willing to fight for it. We can do so by investing in education, guaranteeing fair wages for honest work, and ensuring access to quality, affordable health care. Cinco de Mayo is an opportunity to honor the contributions of millions of Americans of Latino descent.  The values we celebrate today may not be unique to Americans, but they are what unify us as Americans.”