Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz
Representative for Florida’s 25th District
pronounced DEH-bee // WASS-er-mun shuults
Wasserman Schultz is the representative for Florida’s 25th congressional district (view map) and is a Democrat. She has served since Jan 3, 2023. Wasserman Schultz is next up for reelection in 2024 and serves until Jan 3, 2025. She is 57 years old.
She was previously the representative for Florida’s 23rd congressional district as a Democrat from 2013 to 2022; and the representative for Florida’s 20th congressional district as a Democrat from 2005 to 2012.
![Photo of Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz [D-FL25]](/static/legislator-photos/400623-200px.jpeg)
Earmarks
Wasserman Schultz proposed $67 million in earmarks for fiscal year 2024, including:
- $13 million to Broward College for “Broward College: Aviation Training Center Remodel and Expansion”
- $9 million to Broward County, Port Everglades for “Broward County: Port Everglades Shore Power Systems Infrastructure Project”
- $8 million to Florida International University for “Advanced Materials Engineering Research Institute-Semiconductor Fabrication”
View all requests and justifications on Wasserman Schultz’s website »
View analysis and download spreadsheet from Demand Progress Education Fund »
These are earmark requests which may or may not survive the legislative process to becoming law. Most representatives from both parties requested earmarks for fiscal year 2024. Across representatives who requested earmarks, the median total amount requested for this fiscal year was $39 million.
Earmarks are federal expenditures, tax benefits, or tariff benefits requested by a legislator for a specific entity. Rather than being distributed through a formula or competitive process administered by the executive branch, earmarks may direct spending where it is most needed for the legislator's district. All earmark requests in the House of Representatives are published online for the public to review. We don’t have earmark requests for senators. The fiscal year begins on October 1 of the prior calendar year. Source: Appropriations.house.gov. Background: Earmark Disclosure Rules in the House
Analysis
Legislative Metrics
Read our 2022 Report Card for Wasserman Schultz.
Ideology–Leadership Chart
Wasserman Schultz is shown as a purple triangle ▲ in our ideology-leadership chart below. Each dot is a member of the House of Representatives positioned according to our ideology score (left to right) and our leadership score (leaders are toward the top).
The chart is based on the bills Wasserman Schultz has sponsored and cosponsored from Jan 3, 2019 to Sep 22, 2023. See full analysis methodology.
Committee Membership
Debbie Wasserman Schultz sits on the following committees:
Enacted Legislation
Wasserman Schultz was the primary sponsor of 11 bills that were enacted. The most recent include:
- H.R. 8816 (117th): PROTECT Our Children Act of 2022
- H.R. 8238 (117th): Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2023
- H.R. 4355 (117th): Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2022
- H.R. 7609 (116th): Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2021
- H.R. 2745 (116th): Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2020
- H.R. 1846 (115th): PROTECT Our Children Act of 2017
- H.R. 5571 (114th): Sexual Assault Survivors’ Rights Act
Does 11 not sound like a lot? Very few bills are ever enacted — most legislators sponsor only a handful that are signed into law. But there are other legislative activities that we don’t track that are also important, including offering amendments, committee work and oversight of the other branches, and constituent services.
We consider a bill enacted if one of the following is true: a) it is enacted itself, b) it has a companion bill in the other chamber (as identified by Congress) which was enacted, or c) if at least about half of its provisions were incorporated into bills that were enacted (as determined by an automated text analysis, applicable beginning with bills in the 110th Congress).
Bills Sponsored
Issue Areas
Wasserman Schultz sponsors bills primarily in these issue areas:
Health (28%) International Affairs (19%) Crime and Law Enforcement (15%) Commerce (11%) Armed Forces and National Security (9%) Housing and Community Development (6%) Immigration (6%) Government Operations and Politics (6%)
Recently Introduced Bills
Wasserman Schultz recently introduced the following legislation:
- H.R. 5670: To require certain actions relating to the protection of free, fair, and transparent …
- H.R. 5202: Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Reauthorization Act
- H.Res. 623: Censuring Paul Gosar, Representative of the 9th Congressional District of Arizona.
- H.Res. 600: Condemning the attack on the Argentine Jewish Mutual Association Jewish Community Center in …
- H.R. 4637: Jaime’s Law
- H.R. 4464: RAISE Act of 2023
- H.R. 4465: Making Condos Safer and Affordable Act of 2023
View All » | View Cosponsors »
Most legislation has no activity after being introduced.
Voting Record
Key Votes
Missed Votes
From Jan 2005 to Sep 2023, Wasserman Schultz missed 590 of 12,458 roll call votes, which is 4.7%. This is much worse than the median of 1.7% among the lifetime records of representatives currently serving. The chart below reports missed votes over time.
We don’t track why legislators miss votes, but it’s often due to medical absenses, major life events, and running for higher office.
Primary Sources
The information on this page is originally sourced from a variety of materials, including:
- unitedstates/congress-legislators, a community project gathering congressional information
- The House and Senate websites, for committee membership and voting records
- GPO Member Guide for the photo
- GovInfo.gov, for sponsored bills
