Gwen Moore - U.S. House of Representatives

U.S. House of Representatives

Moore was elected to the United States House of Representatives in 2004, earning 69.6 percent of the vote and defeating Republican attorney Gerald Boyle in the general election. Moore was one of a handful of African-Americans to have been elected to Congress as freshmen in 2004, and she was the first African-American and second woman (after Tammy Baldwin) to represent Wisconsin in Congress.

Moore has become a prominent advocate for women’s rights, who releases frequent statements on topics ranging from domestic abuse awareness to abortion rights. In January 2011, she was elected Democratic co-chair of the Congressional Women's Caucus to become a leader on health insurance reform and the protection of reproductive rights. During the congressional debate in February 2011 on the Pence Amendment proposing to defund the health services organization Planned Parenthood, in response to comments from Paul Broun suggesting that Planned Parenthood promoted racist eugenics because more black women than white women have abortions, Moore spoke about her experience raising children on little money, and why "planned parenthood is healthy for women, it’s healthy for children and it’s healthy for our society". She publicly opposed the launched investigation into the financial accounting of Planned Parenthood, stating that the investigation “is an unfortunate waste of taxpayer dollars.” Moore voted “nay” on Amends Federal Health Care Law to Prohibit Abortion Coverage on October 13, 2011. In March 2012, during the House debate over re-authorizing the Violence Against Women Act, she spoke about her own experience of being sexually assaulted and raped as a child and as an adult, criticizing the all-male Senate Judiciary Committee that voted no on the bill.

In the House, Moore has earned, over the first session of the 109th Congress, 90% and higher legislative agenda approval scores from Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, the Sierra Club of Wisconsin, and the Service Employees International Union. Moore has focused herself legislatively on traditional Democratic and progressive issues, believing that the federal government should play a significant role in the amelioration of poverty and the resolution of difficult local problems. Moore has received support from Interest Groups ranging from the American Civil Liberties Union (93%), The Human Rights Campaign (100%), and The National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League (NARAL) (100%), to The National Farmer’s Union (100%) and Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund (100%). Moore lacks support from Interest Groups regarding hunting and sportsmen rights (0% support from Sportsmen and Animal Owner’s Voting Alliance), pro-life issues (0% support from National Right to Life), and conservative tax reform stances (0% support from Americans for Tax Reform.)

During her first term, Moore introduced legislation to provide certain economic incentives and tax cuts to small businesses to promote job creation, and also cosponsored legislation in support of community block grants, continued and expanded Medicaid funding, the amendment of the Truth in Lending Act to prevent so-called "predatory lending", and the removal of troops from Iraq; Moore is also a cosponsor of two prospective amendments to the US Constitution, providing for uniform national election standards and prohibiting gender discrimination under law.

Moore publicizes that, “her number one priority is to create jobs” through her position in The House. She has fought for tax reforms in favor of lower-income citizens, stating that “one week of Bush tax cuts for millionaires could help 350,00 hungry mothers and babies for an entire year.” Citing previous legislation and cuts to programs in favor of low-income children, Moore has recently proclaimed that “ already cut the entitlement and snatched the safety net from up underneath kids.”

Moore has sponsored seven bills since Jan 4, 2005, two which have made it out of committee (Average) and zero which have been successfully enacted (Average, relative to peers). Moore has cosponsored 343 bills during the same time period (Many, relative to peers).

On May 6, 2006, Moore and eight fellow members of the Congressional Black Caucus were arrested and ticketed for unlawful assembly and disorderly conduct after they stepped onto the grounds of the Embassy of the Sudan to call attention to the ongoing Darfur conflict in Sudan. Moore said that the group expected ex ante to be arrested but that they were pleased to participate in a "peaceful act of civil disobedience".