Lauren Underwood represents Illinois's 14th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives, having first been elected in 2018. Prior to her election, she worked as a registered nurse and served as a senior advisor at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services during the Obama administration. She currently serves on the House Appropriations Committee, including its subcommittees on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies, as well as the Department of Homeland Security Subcommittee.

Name

Lauren Underwood

Party

Democratic

State

Illinois

District

IL-14

Committees

Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Subcommittee, Appropriations Committee, Department of Homeland Security Subcommittee

Key Fact 1

Lauren Underwood was first elected to Congress in 2018, flipping a district that had been held by Republicans for over three decades.

Key Fact 2

She is a registered nurse with a Master of Science in Nursing and a Master of Public Health from Johns Hopkins University.

Key Fact 3

Before her election, she served as a senior advisor in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under President Obama.

Key Fact 4

She serves on the House Appropriations Committee, one of the most influential committees in Congress that controls federal spending.

Key Fact 5

Her committee assignments include the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Subcommittee.

Key Fact 6

She also serves on the Department of Homeland Security Subcommittee of the Appropriations Committee.

Key Fact 7

Underwood was re-elected in 2020 and 2022, representing a competitive district in the Chicago suburbs.

Key Fact 8

She is the youngest African American woman ever elected to the United States Congress.

Data from Congress.gov