New Faces in Congress is a brand new diary series meant to highlight our new and diverse members of Congress in the Democratic Party. These 36 House freshmen range from political neophytes to seasoned legislative veterans. The series will run every Sunday morning, bright and early.
Last week, the New Faces in Congress series kicked off with a profile on Rep. Dan Goldman of New York’s 10th district. If you missed it, feel free to click on this link to read all about him!
The next entry in this series is about an up and coming progressive voice. Before joining Congress, she was working hard in the North Carolina Senate to pass progressive priorities in spite of being in the minority. Life is tough being in the minority of a legislative body!
When longtime Rep. David Price retired, this freshman was one of the many candidates interested in the 4th district of North Carolina. She had to navigate a tough primary election where her main competition came from someone to her left (and would’ve joined the Squad if elected). She hasn’t sought out the spotlight like many others do, but by no means should she be underestimated!
Today, the spotlight is on Rep. Valerie Foushee!
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Biography
Her biography on her campaign website is rather detailed. Here are the particulars on Rep. Foushee.
Valerie Foushee was born and raised in Orange County, North Carolina. Valerie was the oldest of six children, born to two teenage parents. She watched her parents work multiple jobs to make ends meet, and was in segregated schooling until sixth grade. Still, Valerie’s parents taught her about the importance of hard work, community, service to your neighbors and education, and those values still shape her today.
For Valerie, a commitment to service is where it all started. As a parent to young children in the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools, she would leave work at the Chapel Hill Police Department at 7:00 a.m. and work in her children’s classroom until 9:00 a.m. It was through that volunteer service that she knew kids, especially black and brown kids, needed a champion on the School Board, who was always looking out for them and their success. So she ran, and she won.
Over the next twenty-four years, Valerie went from serving on the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City School Board, to being the first African American female elected to the Orange County Board of Commissioners, to serving in the North Carolina state House and then state Senate. In each of those elected positions, Valerie was focused on the issues that matter most; a good education, creating good-paying jobs, and being a champion for underrepresented communities.
In the General Assembly, Valerie has worked across the aisle to increase access to health care and end the practice of child marriage. And she has stood up to radical Republicans when they have attacked a woman’s right to choose, targeted our immigrant communities, and attempted to strip North Carolinians of their voting rights.
In Congress, Valerie will be a champion for working families, a leader to reform our criminal justice system and tackle systemic racism, and a fighter to protect our environment and address climate change.
Valerie is married to her high school sweetheart, Stan. Stan is a retired Fire Marshall for the City of Carrboro. They have two sons, Stanley II and Terrence, and one grandson, Stanley III.
Rep. Valerie Foushee pictured with President Obama.
Faith has been a very important part of her upbringing and her life. This interview with Foushee while she was in the State Senate captures exactly what her faith means to her life and how she approaches her legislative career. Here’s the gist of what the interview was about — I’d listen to the entire interview on the link to really get to know her.
This interview is in association with the Marian Cheek Jackson Center’s Life History Series. Senator Valerie Foushee, born May 7th 1956 is a lifelong member of the First Baptist Church. She began attending First Baptist at the age of two when her grandmother would bring her and her siblings to church as their parents worked. She met her husband and the majority of her loved ones at the church, because it has been a focal point of her life spiritually and socially. Her children are also members of the First Baptist congregation and attend on a regular basis as she did as children. She reflects on this in the time transcribed. Valerie reflects on how being a part of the First Baptist community shaped her as an individual, not just as a spiritual center but as a social and educational community center. She reveals that that is where she was first introduced to parliamentary procedure, which influenced her future career as a North Carolina State Senator. She concludes this portion with the discussion of how her faith sustained both her and her family through troubled and painful periods and how she and her husband and long time friend use prayer in their lives.
Ballotpedia adds a little more background on her, including her educational background and her career experience before becoming a part of the legislature.
Valerie Foushee was born in Orange County, North Carolina.[1] Foushee earned a bachelor's degree in political science and Afro and African-American studies from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2008.[2] Her career experience includes working as an administrator with the Chapel Hill Police Department and in administrative positions with insurance and research companies.
Foushee comes to Congress with a compelling biography and the legislative experience to match almost any other freshman member of the House!
Notable Media Headlines
Unlike the first entry in the New Faces in Congress series, Rep. Valerie Foushee does not go out of her way to make headlines in the media. That makes this section much more difficult to write!
Her biggest headline that I could find, other than her winning her election in 2022, happens to be about Camp Lejeune and the NC Congressional delegation demanding answers about the toxic water settlement funds not being distributed.
Last month, Judge James Dever told involved parties that at the rate people are filing lawsuits in the case, it would take him and two others 1,900 years to hear all the cases. He’s looking for a way to expedite the process.
The lawmakers are looking to help Dever with that cause. They include Reps. Richard Hudson, a Republican from Southern Pines, Dan Bishop, a Republican from Charlotte, Greg Murphy, a Republican from Greenville, Don Davis, a Democrat from Snow Hill, Valerie Foushee, a Democrat from Hillsborough, and Matt Cartwright, a Democrat from Pennsylvania, and Sen. Mike Braun, a Republican from Indiana.
All of them said they’ve heard from their constituents who voiced concerns about the Navy and the Department of Justice’s delays in responding to the claims and settling the lawsuits.
In response, the lawmakers are asking the two agencies to respond to a series of questions by June 9 related to the number of claims and lawsuits and their status, and plans to process and resolve them.
Among the questions asked in the letter: “How many individuals with pending Camp Lejeune claims have died while waiting for a resolution to their case?”
Another minor headline recently involved her presenting a resolution recognizing NCCU (an HBCU) as national champions.
Foushee has definitely joined in on some events that are important. Recently, she joined the other Democratic women representatives from North Carolina in protest of the draconian abortion ban just passed in the state.
She helped bring the heat to absentee GOP members of the House during the debt ceiling standoff.
She recently joined her predecessor, Rep. David Price, for a forum to talk about what it is truly like being in Congress.
The past and present for U.S. House District 4 in North Carolina sat together in the Chapel Hill Public Library on a rainy Sunday afternoon. Dozens of their constituents gathered around for a talk and Q&A with Rep. Valerie Foushee and David Price, hosted by the League of Women Voters chapter for Orange, Durham and Chatham counties.
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While Price has returned to academia, Foushee is just getting started with her time in the U.S. House. After handily winning election in November, she was officially sworn into the 118th United States Congress at the start of 2023.
Foushee told Chapelboro she has felt very prepared, but that her biggest surprise is how little the House members work in the chamber beyond votes.
“I guess I didn’t watch enough C-SPAN to realize that is certainly not the case,” she said with a chuckle, “that most of the work is done in committee. In the chamber, it’s about any amendments to change what has happened in those committees. And so, you can watch what’s going on from your office and just be in your chamber prepared to vote when it’s time to do so.”
U.S. Rep. Valerie Foushee speaks to a room of visitors at the Chapel Hill Public Library during Sunday’s event hosted by the League of Women Voters.
Foushee landed two committee assignments in her first weeks on the job, both of which she said were at the top of her wish list. She will spend her first terms serving on the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, as well as the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology.
Hopefully her profile will continue to grow as time ticks by in Congress!
Bills and Legislative Priorities
This 8:17 long interview with Rep. Valerie Foushee touches on her background, as well as her legislative priorities in this 118th Congress. Hint: she is a stalwart progressive and also is seeking reform on a plethora of issues both in North Carolina and across the USA.
If sitting through the following interview isn’t for you, then maybe this questionnaire she filled out for the IndyWeek may be what you are looking for instead.
Now that a few months have passed, Foushee reflects on her first 100 days in office and all that she has accomplished in such a short period of time. She heralds her start at constituent services!
Foushee is a part of the Progressive Caucus, and the Congressional Black Caucus. If it involves progressive causes, it is likely that the legislative priorities and bills are amongst those she endorsed or co-sponsored.
Medicare for All:
Momnibus:
Green New Deal:
Of course, she isn’t just working on those legislative priorities, given the fact that they won’t pass this Congress. Another bill she introduced is the Supporting Women COPS Act, which advances the role of women in law enforcement.
Foushee was a YES on the Bipartisan Debt Ceiling Deal, but has not issued a statement on why she voted for the measure.
There is so much more she is trying to accomplish in Congress, even in the minority. In order to get the full picture, it is best to follow her on social media. Her Twitter account is right above! She needs the followers too, as she has around 1k followers.
Rep. Valerie Foushee brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to Congress, and her previous work in North Carolina makes her a likely work horse that will sponsor and pass through critical legislation, especially if the Democratic Party gets both Houses of Congress once again.
So far, she has shown no inclination to be driven more by media appearances than legislating. While I prefer work horse legislators, I also see the value in being able to navigate the media landscape to pitch your message and priorities to the people of the USA. I also know that as a black woman, Foushee suffers from misogynoir and is less likely to be in the spotlight due to that fact.
Keep an eye on Rep. Valerie Foushee, especially since she is likely to be one of three surviving members of the Democratic Party in North Carolina. This is because the state Supreme Court is allowing the state legislature to redraw the lines to eliminate up to four of her colleagues! Her voice in North Carolina will only grow in importance at that point.
Next Sunday, I will profile Rep. Kevin Mullin from California’s 15th district. See you then!
Please help our Democratic freshmen in the 118th Congress raise more funds with the New Faces in Congress Fund. Until election day in 2024, we plan to regularly add new names to our list of recipients. Please share a link to this site on your social media!
