Frederica Wilson

For the 118th Congress:[13]

• Committee on Education and the Workforce
  • Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education
  • Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Development (Ranking Member)
• Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
  • Subcommittee on Aviation
  • Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials
  • Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment

• Congressional Black Caucus[14]
• Congressional Arts Caucus[15]
• Congressional NextGen 9-1-1 Caucus[16]
• Congressional Progressive Caucus[17]
• Medicare for All Caucus

When Kendrick Meek retired from Florida's 17th congressional district to run for the United States Senate in 2010, Wilson ran for the open seat and won the Democratic nomination.[18] She won the November 2 general election without electoral opposition in a district where the Democratic nomination is tantamount to election.

Education

During her career as an educator, Wilson founded the 5000 Role Models program, which seeks to bring down dropout rates. Since her time in the Florida legislature, she has strongly opposed standardized testing.[19] She has expressed concern with the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT), suggesting that the funds spent administering it would be better spent on improving education by hiring more teachers, and proposing in 2012 that tutoring companies be banned from exploiting vulnerable children, "even if it means banning companies like Ignite! Learning, founded by ex-Governor Jeb Bush's brother, Neil".[20]

Tea Party

Wilson has vocally opposed the Tea Party. At a Miami town hall meeting in 2011, she told citizens to remember that the Tea Party is the real enemy and that they hold Congress hostage. She said they had one goal: "to make President Obama a one-term president".[21]

Trayvon Martin case

Wilson took a vocal stance in the death of Trayvon Martin, a constituent of hers whose family she said she had known all her life. She was both praised and criticized for saying shortly after the killing that the motive of the accused, George Zimmerman, was racism. She suggested in March 2012 that Zimmerman had "hunted" Martin based simply on his race.[22] She said, "Mr. Zimmerman should be arrested immediately for his own safety."[1][2]

In March 2012, in a statement on the House floor, Wilson said, "Justice must be served. No more racial profiling!"[23] Calling the incident a "classic example of racial profiling quickly followed by murder", she called for Zimmerman to be arrested.[24] Wilson organized a rally in Miami on April 1, 2012, calling for Zimmerman's imprisonment. She criticized Florida's self-defense gun law, the "Stand Your Ground" law, in the wake of Martin's killing, even though she voted for it as a legislator. She said that when new laws work against the people, the laws "should be looked at and repealed".[25] In April 2012, Wilson said that Martin's death was "definitely" murder.[26] On July 13, 2013, a jury acquitted Zimmerman of the charges of second-degree murder and manslaughter.[27]

Concern was raised about Wilson's outspoken comments, with some asking if her rhetoric was "making it more difficult for the prosecutor to do her job".[28] Wilson has been calling for tougher laws to prevent racial profiling.[29]

Anti-hazing

Wilson led efforts to combat bullying and hazing both as the South Atlantic regional director for Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority and as a member of Congress.[30] A Miami Herald reporter nicknamed her "The Haze Buster" for her public stance against hazing. She was part of a coalition of African-American fraternity and sorority leaders who launched an anti-hazing campaign after the 2011 death of Florida A&M drum major Robert Champion Jr.[31]

Recognition

MSNBC's "The Grio", an African-American news and opinion platform, named Wilson to "The Grio 100" for 2012.[32]

Shooting of Charles Kinsey

After the release of the video showing police shooting mental health therapist Charles Kinsey in her district, Wilson tweeted in July 2016 that she was shocked and angered by Kinsey's shooting, adding, "Like everyone else I have one question: Why?"[33]

Death of La David Johnson

Following the death of Sergeant La David Johnson on October 4, 2017, in an attack in Niger, Wilson told the press that on October 16, 2017, President Donald Trump had called Johnson's widow while she was on the way to Miami International Airport for the arrival of Johnson's remains. In the car with her were Johnson's mother and other family members, as well as Wilson, a longtime friend of the family.[34][35][36][37][38] The widow put the call on speakerphone so that Wilson and others in the car heard it. Wilson said Trump "was almost like joking" and that he said "he [Johnson] knew what he signed up for, but I guess it still hurt". Trump later called Wilson's characterization of the conversation a "fabrication".[39][40] Johnson's mother confirmed Wilson's account on October 18,[41] at which point the White House ceased disputing Wilson's account of the call and instead claimed that she was "mischaracterizing the spirit" of the conversation.[40] On October 23, Johnson's widow also confirmed Wilson's account.[42]

On October 19, 2017, White House Chief of Staff John F. Kelly gave a press briefing at the White House. A gold star parent who was present at Trump's end during the phone conversation, Kelly did not deny that Trump said the words reported.[36] But he defended Trump's comments "forcefully and emotionally", saying that Trump "in his way tried to express that opinion that he's a brave man, a fallen hero".[36] He also attacked Wilson for having listened to the phone call and claimed that she had a "history of politicizing what should be sacred moments", citing the 2015 dedication of an FBI field office in Miami as an example. He claimed that her speech at that ceremony was "about how she was instrumental in getting the funding for that building" from then-President Obama.[36]

The details of Kelly's statement were disproven by the video recording of the event.[43][44][45] During her nine-minute speech, Wilson spoke for less than three minutes about leading an effort to expedite a bill through Congress. The bill's purpose was naming the FBI building after two FBI agents slain in the line of duty; the bill would normally not have become law in time for the building's dedication ceremony. Wilson dedicated the remainder of her speech to acknowledging other politicians involved in the effort, thanking FBI personnel, and talking about the slain agents.[46][47] The FBI secured the building's funding in 2009, before Wilson became a congresswoman in 2011.[45] The Miami Herald reported that Kelly had misquoted the cost of the building as $20 million versus the actual $194 million.[48] As a result, several newspapers have called for Kelly to apologize to Wilson.[49][50][51] The White House said the video did not capture all of Wilson's comments.[52]

On December 18, 2019, Wilson voted to impeach Trump.[53]

Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023

Wilson was among the 46 Democrats who voted against final passage of the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 in the House.[54]