Ileana Ros-Lehtinen | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Chair of theHouse Foreign Affairs Committee | |
| In office January 3, 2011 – January 3, 2013 | |
| Preceded by | Howard Berman |
| Succeeded by | Ed Royce |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromFlorida | |
| In office August 29, 1989 – January 3, 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Claude Pepper |
| Succeeded by | Donna Shalala |
| Constituency | 18th district (1989–2013) 27th district (2013–2019) |
| Member of theFlorida Senate from the 34th district | |
| In office November 4, 1986 – August 29, 1989 | |
| Preceded by | Joe Gersten |
| Succeeded by | Lincoln Díaz-Balart |
| Member of theFlorida House of Representatives from the110th district | |
| In office November 2, 1982 – November 4, 1986 | |
| Preceded by | Roberta Fox (redistricted) |
| Succeeded by | Lincoln Díaz-Balart |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Ileana Carmen Ros y Adato (1952-07-15)July 15, 1952 (age 73) |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2, includingRodrigo |
| Relatives | Enrique Ros (father) |
| Education | Miami Dade College (AA) Florida International University (BA,MA) University of Miami (EdD) |
Ros-Lehtinen on human rights in relation to trade relations withRussia. Recorded November 16, 2012 | |
Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (/ˌɪliˈɑːnərɒsˈleɪtənən/Il-ee-AH-nə rossLAY-tən-ən;née Ileana Carmen Ros y Adato; born July 15, 1952) is an American politician and lobbyist fromMiami who representedFlorida's 27th congressional district from 1989 to 2019. At the end of her tenure, she was the mostseniorU.S. Representative fromFlorida. She was chairwoman of theHouse Foreign Affairs Committee from2011–2013. In 1989, she wona special election becoming the firstCuban American elected to Congress. She was also the firstRepublican woman elected to the House from Florida. Ros-Lehtinen gave the first Republicanresponse to the State of the Union address inSpanish in2011, and gave the third in2014.[1]
In September 2011, Ros-Lehtinen became the first Republican member of the U.S. Congress to co-sponsor theRespect for Marriage Act, which would repeal theDefense of Marriage Act.[2] In July 2012, she became the first Republican in the House to supportsame-sex marriage.[3]
On April 30, 2017, Ros-Lehtinen announced that she would not be running for re-election in 2018.[4]
Ileana Ros y Adato was born inHavana, Cuba one of two children born toEnrique Ros (1924–2013), who later became a businessman and ananti–Fidel Castro activist, and his wife, Amanda Adato. The family immigrated to the United States when Ileana was seven years old. She graduated fromSouthwest Miami Senior High School in Miami. She received herBachelor of Arts degree ineducation and herMaster of Arts degree in educational leadership fromFlorida International University inWestchester. She attended theUniversity of Miami inCoral Gables, earning anEd.D degree inhigher education.[5]
Ileana Ros-Lehtinen grew upCatholic and is now anEpiscopalian.[5][6]Her maternal grandparents wereSephardicJews, originally from theOttoman Empire, who had been active inCuba's Jewish community.[7] Her maternal grandfather left the city ofKırklareli for Cuba in 1913, fleeing the devastation and economic collapse caused by theFirst Balkan War.[8] Her mother later converted toCatholicism to marry her father.[7][9]
Ros-Lehtinen was an educator and the owner/operator of a private school inMiami-Dade County.[10] She was elected to theFlorida House of Representatives in 1982, where she met state RepresentativeDexter Lehtinen (D-Miami). They married on June 9, 1984, after he switched parties. They both served in the State House until 1986. In 1986, they were both elected to theFlorida Senate, where he was elected to District 40 and she was elected in District 34.[11][12] In 1988, Lehtinen resigned his seat to become U.S. Attorney of South Florida. In 1989, Ros-Lehtinen resigned her seat to become a U.S. Representative.
After incumbentDemocratic U.S. CongressmanClaude Pepper died on May 30, 1989, there was aspecial election scheduled for August 29, 1989. State Senator Ros-Lehtinen defeated Democrat Gerald Richman 53%–47%.[13] She was the firstCuban American elected to theUnited States Congress and the first Republican woman elected from Florida. Upon her election, Ros-Lehtinen was incorrectly informed that she was also the firstLatina elected to Congress,[14] the first having been Rep.Barbara Vucanovich, who was of partialMexican descent and was elected in 1982.[15] In 1990, she won re-election to a full term with 60% of the vote.[16] In total, she was elected to fourteen full terms, never winning with less than 58%.[17]
Ros-Lehtinen joined Majority LeaderSteny Hoyer (D-Maryland) on a congressional delegation to theUnited Nations in order to encourage international support for an end to thegenocide in Darfur. In addition, when Ros-Lehtinen returned from a trip to Darfur in April 2007 where she visitedSudanese refugee camps, she strongly encouraged the United States and the international community to find a solution to this humanitarian crisis.[18][19]
After the 2008 elections, then President-electBarack Obama rang Ros-Lehtinen to congratulate her on her re-election. She hung up on him, believing that it was aprank call from a radio station. She did the same to Obama's chief of staffRahm Emanuel when he rang to confirm the original call was genuine, and only accepted the call after CongressmanHoward Berman managed to speak to her.[20][21]
Ros-Lehtinen played a key role in keeping the International Protecting Girls by Preventing Child Marriage Act of 2010 from being passed into law.[22] Although the bill had unanimously passed the Senate with bipartisan support, she persuaded enough Republicans in the House to vote against the bill so that it did not receive the required two-thirds majority. She reportedly invoked concerns about the legislation's cost and that funds could be used to promote abortion.[23]
Ros-Lehtinen was the chairwoman of theHouse Foreign Affairs Committee from2011–2013. During the2011 Libyan civil war, she expressed support of theLibyan opposition; on February 26, 2011, she released a press release which stated, "stronger penalties must be imposed in order to hold the regime accountable for its heinous crimes, and to prevent further violence against the Libyan people". But on March 20, 2011, the day after theNATO strikes to enforce theno-fly-zone began, she expressed a different view in a press release: "I am concerned that the President has yet to clearly define for the American people what vital United States security interests he believes are currently at stake in Libya."[24] The congresswoman has also been a forerunner in cutting U.S. aid to foreign lands, including the State Department, The Peace Corps, the Asia Foundation, the U.S. Institute of Peace and theEast–West Center. She also advocates cutting funding to Lebanese Armed Forces and the West Bank and Gaza.[25]
After comments by State Department overIsraeli settlements, she demanded that theObama administration halt its "condemnations" of "an indispensable ally and friend of the United States." In September 2011, she introduced a bill to cut off US funding to any UN organization which recognizes Palestinian statehood.[26] Ros-Lehtinen has been an opponent of funding for the Peace Corps. In 2011, she led a hearing about the perils that volunteers faced and the lack of concern for victims of sexual abuse while serving.[27] Ros-Lehtinen pressured theState Department to accelerate its processing of passports, something that had hindered American citizens' travel during the crucial summer travel season. Calling the delay "outrageous, incomprehensible, unconscionable" at a hearing of theHouse Foreign Affairs Committee, where she is chairwoman, Ros-Lehtinen brought the pressure of committee Republicans to bear on the State Department'sBureau of Consular Affairs and spur them to action.[28]
On May 7, 2014, Ros-Lehtinen introduced theVenezuelan Human Rights and Democracy Protection Act (H.R. 4587; 113th Congress) in the House. The bill would imposesanctions againstVenezuela andauthorizeappropriations to support civil society in that country.[29] The sanctions would be directed at any government official who was involved in the mistreatment of protestors.[30] She said that the bill was to "condemn the ongoing human rights abuses being committed in Venezuela, and to answer the cries of the people of Venezuela."[30] Ros-Lehtinen also said that she was "pleased that the House of Representatives has acted to punish the thugs of the Maduro regime for brutally repressing and violating the human rights of those seeking to exercise their basic freedoms of speech and assembly in Venezuela."[31]
She was a member of theRepublican Main Street Partnership.[32] In 1993, Ros-Lehtinen became one of the first two women to play in the annualCongressional Baseball Game, alongsideBlanche Lincoln (then under her maiden name Lambert) andMaria Cantwell.[33]
A major individual campaign contributor to Ros-Lehtinen isIrving Moskowitz, a funder ofIsraeli settlements in theWest Bank andEast Jerusalem.[39]J Street, a lobby group, called on Ros-Lehtinen to return campaign contributions from Moskowitz and said that he "actively undermines the two-state solution and theforeign policy of the United States by funding illegal settlements in the occupied territories".[40][41] American Council on World Jewry president Jack Rosen expressed "great concern"[42] about the demand.
A leading Republican moderate, Ros-Lehtinen opposedDonald Trump's 2016 presidential candidacy.[43] In April 2017, she called on President Trump to removeSteve Bannon from his position as the chief strategist in the Trump administration.[44] As of May 2018, Ros-Lehtinen had voted with her party in 85.7% of votes in the115th United States Congress and voted in line with President Trump's position in 68.7% of the votes.[45][46]
TheNational Journal, as cited in the Almanac of American Politics 2016, gave Ros-Lehtinen a composite score of 54% conservative and 46% liberal.[47] She was ranked as the sixth most bipartisan member of the U.S. House of Representatives during the114th United States Congress in the Bipartisan Index, created byThe Lugar Center and theMcCourt School of Public Policy to assesscongressional bipartisanship.[48] During the first session of the115th United States Congress, Ros-Lehtinen's ranking improved to second.[49][50]
She signed theTaxpayer Protection Pledge.[51] Ros-Lehtinen voted against theEmergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 in its initial September 29, 2008 vote, which failed,[52] but voted in favor of the revised bill in its October 3, 2008 vote, which passed.[53] In February 2017, she voted against a resolution which would have directed the House to request 10 years of Trump's tax returns, which would then have been reviewed by theHouse Ways and Means Committee in a closed session.[54] Ros-Lehtinen voted in favor of theTax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017.[55] According to one estimate, 39,900 of Ros-Lehtinen's constituents could lose their health insurance in 2019 due to the bill's passage.[56]
Ros-Lehtinen was rated 57% conservative and 43% liberal on foreign policy issues by theNational Journal.[47] She supportedPresident George W. Bush's surge policy inIraq, supportsIsrael, and is in favor of continuedsanctions against Cuba. She supported thede facto government inHonduras, headed byRoberto Micheletti, that emerged after themilitary coup against PresidentManuel Zelaya. Speaking of the decision to invadeIraq: "Whether or not there is a direct link to theWorld Trade Center does not mean that Iraq is not meritorious of shedding blood. The common link is that they hate America."[57]
On November 23, 2010, she called on the Obama administration to "announce publicly, right now, that we will stay away fromDurban III, deny it US taxpayer dollars, and oppose all measures that seek to facilitate it... we should encourage other responsible nations to do the same."[58] Ros-Lehtinen opposes US support to theUnited Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East[26] and thePalestinian Authority. She says that she is a "strong supporter of Israel" and regards the U.S. relationship with Israel as "critical to the national security interests of both nations".[59] She supportedPresident Donald Trump's decision torecognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital.[60]
Ros-Lehtinen played a prominent role in theCuban-American lobby, which puts pressure on theCuban government to bring about political change in Cuba. She was a member of theCongressional Cuba Democracy Caucus. She also advanced strongly held views on Cuba, and lobbied against ending theUnited States embargo against the country. In 2004 she formed the Cuba Democracy Group aimed at curtailing U.S. agriculture exports and preventing U.S. banks from doing business with the Cuban government.[61]
Ros-Lehtinen has defended former fugitive Velentin Hernández, convicted of murdering Luciano Nieves, a fellowCuban exile who supported negotiations with the Cuban government,[62] In the 1980s, she lobbied for the release and pardon of Cuban exileOrlando Bosch, who had been convicted ofterrorist acts and has been accused of involvement in the 1976 bombing ofCubana Flight 455, which killed 73 people, helping organize an "Orlando Bosch day" to gain support for his release.[63][64][65] Ros-Lehtinen played a prominent role in the unsuccessful attempt by relatives ofElian Gonzalez to gain custody of six-year-old from the Castro regime, calling Cuba "that system of godlesscommunism".[66] She also attempted to blockJimmy Carter's visit to the island in 2002.[67][68]
Ros-Lehtinen stirred controversy by calling for the assassination of Cuban leaderFidel Castro. She appeared in aBritish documentary entitled638 Ways to Kill Castro, saying: "I welcome the opportunity of having anyone assassinate Fidel Castro and any leader who is oppressing the people." After a 28-second clip began circulating on the Internet, she claimed the filmmakers spliced clips together to get the sound bite. Twenty-four hours after the controversy erupted, director Dollan Cannell sent unedited tapes of his interview with Ros-Lehtinen to reporters. The uncut version contradicted her response, showing she had twice welcomed an attempt on Castro's life. Although she attempted to distance herself from her denial, Cannell requested an apology.[69]
Ros-Lehtinen opposed President Donald Trump's 2017executive order to temporarily curtail Muslim immigration until better screening methods are devised. She said, "I object to the suspension of visas from the seven named countries because we could have accomplished our objective of keeping our homeland safe by immediate implementation of more thorough screening procedures."[70]
In 2003, she received a 0% rating fromNARAL Pro-Choice America. In 2006, she received a 100% rating from theNational Right to Life Committee for her abortion-related voting record. She is against allowing federal funds and federal health coverage for abortions. She wants to stopembryonic stem cell research. She has voted to make it a crime to harm afetus while committing a crime. She is againstpartial-birth abortions unless it is necessary to save the mother's life. She has voted to ban minors from being transported to receive an abortion and wants to prohibit minors from traveling over state lines for abortions.[71]
Ros-Lehtinen has been a notable Republican voice in favor ofLGBT rights. In a Winter 2013 interview with theHuman Rights Campaign, she said that her support forsame-sex marriage was based on "coming from Cuba, losing my homeland to communism, seeing the state control everything—I'm a person that believes in individual liberties and not having the government control everything." When asked about her support for her sonRodrigo, a transgender LGBT rights advocate, she commentedt:
It's important for families to support their children and to support their children's choices. It's important to listen to your children, accept your children and have your children know that you love them unconditionally. It's not "I love you, but ..."—there's no "but." "It's just "I love you."... To do otherwise is—you're hurting yourself, you're going to shun your child or grandchild. You're going to say, "No, I have my views and my views are the perfect views and no one can have a different point of view. I'm right and everything else is wrong... that's a lonely way to live. It just means you'll be out of that person's life, and who wants to be cut out of their child's life?[14]
Although Ros-Lehtinen voted for theDefense of Marriage Act in 1996,[72] she began to support LGBT issues over the next decade (due in part to her district, which includes large LGBT populations inSouth Beach inMiami Beach and in theFlorida Keys, as well as Rodrigocoming out). She was one of three Republican members of theLGBT Equality Caucus, of which she is a founding member and a vice-chairwoman. While she is not a co-sponsor of theUniting American Families Act, she supports anti-hate crime laws, anti-discrimination bills, believes gays and lesbians should be allowed to serve openly in the armed forces, is a sponsor of theDomestic Partnership Benefits and Obligations Act, and voted against theFederal Marriage Amendment.[73] She was one of fifteen Republican House members to vote in favor of theDon't Ask, Don't Tell Repeal Act of 2010, and was the first Republican cosponsor of the bill.[14][74][75]
In September 2011, Ros-Lehtinen became the first Republican member of the U.S. Congress to co-sponsor theRespect for Marriage Act, and signed on to a letter toIRS Commissioner Schulman requesting that the IRS provide clear guidance for LGBT taxpayers.[2][76] The letter asks the IRS to ensure that tax law is being applied fairly to all individuals. In July 2012, she became the first Republican in the House to fully support same-sex marriage.[77] In 2013, she was a signatory to an amicus curiae brief submitted to the Supreme Court in support of same-sex marriage during theHollingsworth v. Perry case.[78]
Ros-Lehtinen has remained active in politics since leaving office, endorsing the Republican campaign ofMaría Elvira Salazar for her old congressional seat in 2020.[79] She donated to the congressional reelection campaign ofDemocratFrederica Wilson in 2022.[80]
After leaving Congress, Ros-Lehtinen was hired by the lobbying firmAkin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld (Akin Gump).[81][82] In 2024, she was among the Akin Gump lobbyists hired byNippon Steel to navigate theproposed acquisition of U.S. Steel.[83]
At Akin Gump, she has worked as a foreign agent for the government of theUnited Arab Emirates.[84] In July 2020, she was involved in the Emirates’ attempt of defaming the regional rivalQatar, where a report of 124 pages was published by her. EntitledReport Concerning Qatar’s Al Jazeera Media Network & The Foreign Agents Registration Act, the report submitted to theFARA claimed that the media agencyAl Jazeera was funded, owned, directed and controlled by Qatar. Both the lobbying firm and Ros were putting efforts on behalf of the UAE to crush the global influence of Al Jazeera.[85][86]
In September 2020, theU.S. Department of Justice’s Public Integrity Section opened an investigation into allegations against Ileana Ros that she misused campaign funds. She allegedly used the funds for personal expenses and vacations, where expense reports from a political action committee showed $4,000 spent on a trip toWalt Disney World inOrlando, Florida with family in December 2017 and another transaction of $3,100 at a restaurant onNew Year's Eve in 2018.[87]
In 1984, Ros-Lehtinen marriedDexter Lehtinen, a former attorney for theU.S. District Court for the Southern District and they have two children,Rodrigo, atransgender LGBT rights activist, and Patricia Marie.[88] She is the step-mother of Katherine and Douglas Lehtinen. She is anEpiscopalian.[89]
Taiwan:Order of Propitious Clouds with Special Grand Cordon (2018).[90]{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)2018-4-2 United States of America Order of Propitious Clouds with Special Grand Cordon Chairman Emeritus of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs Ileana Ros-Lehtinen
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromFlorida's 18th congressional district 1989–2013 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Chair of theCongressional Hispanic Conference 2005–2007 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Ranking Member ofHouse Foreign Affairs Committee 2007–2011 | Succeeded by |
| New constituency | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromFlorida's 27th congressional district 2013–2019 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Chair ofHouse Foreign Affairs Committee 2011–2013 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial) | ||
| Preceded byas Former U.S. Representative | Order of precedence of the United States as Former U.S. Representative | Succeeded byas Former U.S. Representative |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
