Doris Matsui

Doris Okada Matsui (born Doris Kazue Okada; 松井 佳寿恵, September 25, 1944) is an American politician, who has served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from California's 7th congressional district since 2005. The district, numbered as the 5th from 2005 to 2013 and the 6th from 2013 to 2023, is based in Sacramento.

During her time in Congress, Matsui has been an advocate for healthcare reform, environmental protection, and technology innovation. She is a member of the House Energy and Commerce committee, where she serves as ranking member of the Communications and Technology Subcommittee.

She has authored and co-sponsored several pieces of legislation, including the CHIPS for America Act, legislation that invested $52 billion to reassert American leadership in the strategically important semiconductor industry.

Matsui played a key role in crafting the Affordable Care Act and has led efforts to expand mental health care, telehealth and find cures for rare diseases.

Matsui has been a vocal advocate for disaster preparedness and response, and played a key role in securing over $3 billion in federal funding for the Sacramento region’s flood protection infrastructure. She has secured major investments to rebuild Sacramento’s infrastructure – including funds for regional public transportation and the Sacramento International Airport. She has also supported efforts to combat climate change and promote renewable energy.

Matsui currently serves as one of three House members appointed by the speaker of the House on the Smithsonian Board of Regents.

Before her time in Congress, Matsui worked as a government affairs consultant and served as Deputy Assistant to the President in the Clinton Administration, where she worked with President Clinton to create the first White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in 1999. She also served as a board member for several nonprofit organizations, including the California Museum for History, Women and the Arts, the National Park Foundation and the National Park Foundation.

Early life and career
Matsui was born Doris Okada in the Poston War Relocation Center internment camp in Poston, Arizona, and grew up in Dinuba, in California's Central Valley. While attending the University of California, Berkeley, where she earned a B.A. in psychology, she met her husband. They had one child, Brian.

Doris Matsui was a volunteer on Bill Clinton's 1992 presidential campaign. When he was elected, she served on his transition team. After his inauguration, Matsui was appointed deputy special assistant to the president and deputy director of public liaison, working under Alexis Herman. One of her duties was to work with the Asian American community. She served in the White House from 1993 to 1998. Clinton appointed Matsui to the board of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in September 2000. Later, she became a lobbyist in Washington, representing corporate clients until 2005, when she decided to run for Congress against a field of local Democrats.

Tenure


Matsui's husband, Representative Bob Matsui, died from complications of myelodysplastic syndrome on January 1, 2005, two months after being elected to a 14th term in what was then the 5th district. On January 9, 2005, the day after his funeral, Matsui told supporters she was running for his open seat. In the special election on March 8, 2005, she garnered 68% of the vote and was sworn in for the balance of her husband's term. Press reports said that Matsui won the election before the polls opened, as most votes in the election were absentee ballots, which she won overwhelmingly. Matsui was elected to a full term in 2006 and has been reelected eight more times without serious difficulty. The 7th is the most Democratic district in interior California; it and its predecessors have been in Democratic hands without interruption since 1953.

Matsui voted with President Joe Biden's stated position 100% of the time in the 117th Congress, according to a FiveThirtyEight analysis.

Women's rights
Matsui is pro-choice and received an endorsement from NARAL. She supports federal health funding that includes abortion funding. Matsui has advocated for access to reproductive health care by funding contraception programs and making them readily available. She supports emergency contraceptive capabilities in hospitals for rape victims. Matsui opposes restricting minors from traveling across state borders for abortion procedures. She has voted to continue stem cell research. Matsui opposed the overturning of Roe v. Wade. She called the decision "devastating" and said she was "deeply heartbroken and angered" by it.

On March 8, 2021, on the second anniversary of the U.S. women's national soccer team's pay discrimination lawsuit, Matsui and Rosa DeLauro introduced the Give Our Athletes Level Salaries (GOALS) Act, to ensure the U.S. women's national soccer team was "paid fair and equitable wages compared to the U.S. Men's team". The GOALS Act threatens to cut federal funding for the 2026 World Cup if the U.S. Soccer Federation does not comply.

Technology
As Ranking Member of the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Communications and Technology, Matsui has been recognized for her leadership on issues related to technology and innovation.

She chairs the Congressional Spectrum Caucus and has worked to promote the deployment of next-generation wireless technologies,stressing the importance of maintaining a healthy spectrum pipeline. Matsui has worked on policies that support access to reliable, affordable, high-speed broadband for families and students, and authored legislation to close the divide on digital equity and access.

Energy and the environment
Matsui is a member of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce and co-chairs the Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition (SEEC).

Matsui supports American energy independence and desires that the U.S. run on at least 25% renewable energy by 2025. Matsui opposes the expansion of oil production, offshore drilling offshore drilling, and subsidies for oil and gas exploration. She voted to provide tax subsidies for investment in renewable, alternative sources of energy.

Matsui supports initiatives aimed at promoting sustainable infrastructure, providing tax incentives for clean energy, and reducing harmful emissions. She has spoken out in support of the robust tax incentives and credits through the Inflation Reduction Act.. Matsui was a supporter of the Clean Water Act and seeks cleaner beaches, lakes, and other bodies of water. She voted to allow the EPA to regulate greenhouse gasses and promote strict limits to pollution levels for industries. Matsui supports strong emission standards for light and heavy duty vehicles, supports the California Clean Air Act waiver, and has urged the EPA to set stringent emission standards.

LGBTQ+ rights
Matsui is a vocal advocate for gay rights and was given a rating of 100% by the HRC. She opposes discrimination in the workplace and in schools based on sexual orientation. She supported the repeal of don't ask, don't tell and sought the reinstatement of gay soldiers who had been discharged from the military.

Gun control
Matsui seeks to expand gun control and supports stricter regulations on gun purchases and sales. She supports banning large-scale purchases of ammunition and seeks to end the gun show loophole. Matsui supports firearms manufacturers being held responsible for product misuse cases and lawsuits.

Health care
In a discussion about the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, Matsui said that as "more Americans get to know and understand the law, and feel its effects in their lives, the less the public will want to see us take steps back to the broken health care system we have experienced for decades in this country." She has opposed many attempts to repeal, reduce, or privatize Medicare or Medicaid. In addition, Matsui has sought to expand medical coverage to children and the mentally ill. She voted against patients being denied treatment for non-emergency issues without a Medicare copay.

Matsui seeks to expand mental and behavioral health services, authoring the Excellence in Mental Health Act, which was signed into law by President Obama in 2014. The Excellence in Mental Health Act established a network of Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics across the country.

She co-chairs the Rare Disease Congressional Caucus, whose work seeks to expand access to care for patients with rare and ultra-rare diseases. Matsui supports the expansion of telehealth, authoring the Telemental Health Care Access Act. She has supported efforts to expand digital health platforms in her district.

Taxes and pensions
Matsui supports a progressive tax system and seeks to shut down offshore loopholes for business. She voted against continuing capital gains and dividend tax breaks. She supports extending AMT exemptions which benefit higher-income taxpayers in states like California with high state income taxes.

Matsui favors continuing Social Security as it is now, and has opposed moves to privatize it or allow citizens the option to have alternative retirement funds. She also opposes raising the retirement age.

Committee assignments
For the 118th Congress:
 * Committee on Energy and Commerce
 * Subcommittee on Communications and Technology (Ranking Member)
 * Subcommittee on Energy, Climate, and Grid Security

Caucuses and other memberships

 * Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus
 * Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition (SEEC), Co-Chair
 * Congressional Food Allergy Research Caucus, Co-Chair
 * Rare Disease Congressional Caucus, Co-Chair
 * Congressional High-Tech Caucus, Co-Chair
 * Congressional Spectrum Caucus, Co-Chair
 * National Service Congressional Caucus, Co-Chair
 * Congressional Caucus to Cure Blood Cancers and Other Blood Disorders, Co-Chair
 * House Democratic Caucus Task Force on Aging and Families, Co-Chair
 * Smithsonian Board of Regents
 * Congressional Mental Health Caucus
 * Democratic Women's Caucus
 * Congressional Equality Caucus
 * Gun Violence Prevention Task Force

Personal life
Matsui has one son, Brian. She has two grandchildren. On April 11, 2020, Matsui married AES Corporation co-founder Roger Sant.