Yvette Clarke

Yvette Diane Clarke is a Democratic U.S. Representative from New York's 9th Congressional District, first elected to the House of Representatives in 2006 and assuming office in 2007. Born on November 21, 1964, in Brooklyn to Jamaican immigrants, she attended Oberlin College and Medgar Evers College. Before her career in public office, she worked as a childcare specialist and served as the director of business development for the Bronx Empowerment Zone. Her political career began in the New York City Council, where she served from 2002 to 2006, succeeding her mother, Dr. Una S.T. Clarke, in the first mother-to-daughter succession in the council's history. In Congress, Representative Clarke has focused on issues such as technology, cybersecurity, healthcare, and immigration. She is a senior member of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce and the House Committee on Homeland Security. Clarke is the founder and co-chair of the Congressional Task Force on Black Women and Girls and has been a prominent leader in the Congressional Black Caucus. Her legislative work often emphasizes equity for marginalized communities and the unique needs of her Brooklyn-based constituency, particularly regarding affordable housing and civil rights.

Representative Clarke views healthcare as a fundamental right and supports expanding access through Medicare and Medicaid, with a specific focus on behavioral health and maternal health outcomes for minority communities. As the daughter of immigrants, she is a leading advocate for comprehensive immigration reform, including legal protections for DACA and Temporary Protected Status (TPS) recipients, and has introduced legislation such as the ASPIRE Act to provide relief for TPS-eligible individuals. On economic issues, she prioritizes housing affordability, introducing legislation to reform federal subsidy calculations to better serve low-income residents in high-cost urban areas. Clarke supports a transition to clean energy and advocates for environmental justice, utilizing her seat on the Energy and Commerce Committee to address climate change and promote sustainable infrastructure. In foreign policy, she chairs the Caribbean Caucus and focuses on building economic and diplomatic ties with CARICOM nations, while also supporting international humanitarian aid and security assistance for allies like Ukraine.