Lee was the only candidate on stage to call for an unconditional ceasefire in Gaza

LOS ANGELES — In the final debate between the top candidates vying to be the next U.S. Senator from California, Congresswoman Barbara Lee stood in stark contrast to her opponents in her call for an immediate, unconditional ceasefire in Gaza, her goals for a true living wage to match the cost of living in California, her advocacy for climate justice and her fight to reduce the U.S. Defense budget and invest resources into our veterans and communities.

On if she would vote for a resolution for Israel to impose an immediate ceasefire:

• “Yes.”

On what the United States’ role should be in foreign policy:

• “The United States needs to lead in seeking a peaceful world. That is the only way this planet is going to survive. The military solution will always be there, but we need to prioritize our investments into preventing wars and into development and diplomacy and humanitarian, and helping young people around the world know they have a future.”

On fighting for an affordable California:

• “Let’s be honest, first of all, we have to talk about what it takes for people to live in California. We have a huge affordability crisis. The cost of living is much too high. First at the federal level, of course, we have to raise the minimum wage. We haven’t raised it in a decade–$7.25 to $17.00 in 2025. Okay, great first step. But in California, for example, we have $16 an hour now and believe you me, every single study that you have seen that has written about the affordability crisis in California–people working two or three jobs just to pay rent, just to afford childcare. We have to think about and talk about a living wage. What does it mean to have a living wage in California? Over $100,000 in many parts of California, people are just barely surviving. They’re living on the edge. So we have to think about what it takes for people to afford to live in California. That means a LIVING wage.”

On reducing the Defense budget and investing in California:

• “I’m the daughter of a veteran, 25 years he served in World War II, in Korea, served in Japan. He was a proud patriot and he told me, over and over again to make sure that our readiness was intact but also that we protect our troops. And let me tell you, the Pentagon budget is excessive. It’s $890 billion dollars.We need to cut at least $100 billion out of the military budget and put into readiness and put into our troops. I lead each and every year my effort to pass the People Over Pentagon Act. And in the Senate, I will do that.”
• “Military contractors, they’re scamming the taxpayers……We need to reduce the military budget, put more into readiness into our troops, into our veterans into our domestic needs, and we also need to put more into development and diplomacy instead of increasing the military budget.”

On a just approach to climate change:

• “I don’t think any of my opponents have ever lived in a neighborhood where a smelter plant was emitting toxic chemicals throughout their childhood. I grew up…in a Black and brown community where these toxic chemicals made everyone sick and have lasting health impacts. Climate justice is extremely important. In the Senate, I will fight to ensure we pass a Green New Deal that includes a just transition for workers from a fossil fuel economy to a green economy.”

On comprehensive immigration reform:

• “I was born in El Paso, Texas, in an immigrant community in a border town…I understand the importance of comprehensive immigration reform because border security will not work without comprehensive immigration reform.”
• “It is a shame and disgrace that we cannot allow our DACA students, our Dreamers to become United States citizens. In the Senate, that would be the first thing I would do, making sure that I fight with Senator Padilla to ensure the pathway to citizenship for our Dreamers as well as our farmworkers. We haven’t protected our farm workers the way we should. The Farm Worker Modernization Act should have been passed by the Senate by now. It hasn’t been.”