Meet Rosa DeLauro

To really know Rosa, you have to know her family. From her first days tagging along with her father in Wooster Square, to standing up for her beliefs in Congress, one thing has never changed about Rosa — she cares deeply about people. Rosa’s parents always stressed the importance of hard work, compassion for others, and a quality education. Her father, Ted, came to America when he was 13, speaking no English, but went on to serve as a New Haven Alderman whose earnest work earned him the nickname “Mayor of Wooster Square.” Rosa’s mother, Luisa, was raised by Rosa’s grandmother, who was widowed with six children in 1918, and supported the family by running a pastry shop, Canestri’s, in New Haven’s Wooster Square. Despite these challenges, Luisa DeLauro became the longest-serving member of the New Haven Board of Aldermen, serving from 1965 to 1998.

Soon after earning degrees from Marymount College and Columbia University, Rosa followed her parents’ footsteps into public service, serving as the first Executive Director of EMILY’S List, a national organization dedicated to increasing the number of women in elected office, and as Executive Director of Countdown ‘87, the national campaign that successfully stopped U.S. military aid to the Nicaraguan Contras, and then as Chief of Staff to U.S. Senator Christopher Dodd. In 1990, Rosa was elected to the House of Representatives, and she has served as the Congresswoman from Connecticut’s 3rd District ever since. Rosa is married to Stanley Greenberg and their children—Anna, Kathryn and Jonathan Greenberg—all are grown and pursuing careers. They have six grandchildren: Rigby, Teo, Sadie, Jasper, Paola, and Gus.

Rosa DeLauro is currently serving her 17th term as a United States Congresswoman for Connecticut’s 3rd Congressional District. Rosa is the elected Ranking Member of the mighty House Appropriations Committee, and previously served as Chair of the Appropriations Committee overseeing nearly every aspect of government spending. Only the second woman in history to lead this powerful panel, and the first Congressperson ever from Connecticut, Rosa used her gavel to finalize the overdue funding bills for fiscal 2021, 2022, and 2023, secured critical COVID-19 relief, and turned her attention to the job of directing the roughly $1.4 trillion in annual spending that Congress invests to build a more equitable country.

Rosa also serves in the Democratic leadership as Ranking Member of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education. Rosa is charged with overseeing what she considers the core responsibilities of our federal government and sees Appropriations as the center of that activity. She also serves on the subcommittee responsible for FDA and agriculture, where she oversees drug and food safety. She is Dean of her delegation and a founding member of the Progressive Caucus. She is the author of numerous bills, including more recently The Paycheck Fairness Act and the Child Tax Credit.

For Rosa, her work has been and will always be about helping people. Since coming to Congress, she has built a reputation as a hard-working, passionate, and forthright advocate for her constituents, an honest broker who works with members of all parties, and a leader on matters of domestic and social policy. She has helped improve schools, bring tax relief to middle-class families, protect employee pensions, and encourage job creation in Connecticut.