Debbie Wasserman Schultz is a political survivor in every sense of the word. The first Jewish woman elected to Congress from Florida, she overcame a highly public resignation as DNC Chair in 2016 and a private, grueling battle with breast cancer (involving seven surgeries kept secret from the public) to remain one of the most influential Democrats in the House.
She represents Florida’s 25th District, a suburban stronghold in Broward County that includes Weston, Davie, Dania Beach, and Hollywood. The district is culturally distinct for having one of the largest Jewish populations in the country and a massive Venezuelan exile community (Weston is often called "Westonzuela"), driving her hawkish stance on both antisemitism and the Maduro regime.
A "Cardinal" of the House (senior appropriator), she currently serves as the Ranking Member of the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Subcommittee. This role allows her to funnel billions into veteran healthcare and base infrastructure, a critical priority for Florida’s large veteran population.
Her signature legislative achievement is the EARLY Act (Breast Cancer Education and Awareness Requires Learning Young). Drawing from her own diagnosis at age 41, she authored this law to mandate education about breast health for young women, arguing that "cancer doesn't check your ID." In the 119th Congress, she continues to lead the fight for its reauthorization and funding.
She is arguably the Democratic caucus's most vocal defender of Israel. A Co-Chair of the Abraham Accords Caucus, she has frequently broken with the progressive "Squad" to support military aid to Israel, particularly in the aftermath of October 7th, framing the conflict not just as foreign policy but as an existential issue for her constituents.
"She survived seven surgeries in secret while whipping votes on the House floor. Debbie Wasserman Schultz is the unbreakable force of Florida politics."
Debbie Wasserman Schultz: The Survivor
Debbie Wasserman Schultz has lived two lives in Washington. To the national public, she is best known as the former Chair of the Democratic National Committee (DNC), whose tenure ended in controversy during the 2016 election. But to her constituents in Broward County and her colleagues on Capitol Hill, she is defined by a ferocity that borders on the indestructible.
Her resilience was forged in 2007. Just months after becoming a Chief Deputy Whip, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Carrying the BRCA2 gene mutation, she opted for a double mastectomy and the removal of her ovaries. Remarkably, she kept the diagnosis and seven subsequent surgeries a complete secret from the public and most of her colleagues for over a year, scheduling operations during congressional recesses and returning to work days later. She only revealed her battle after she was cancer-free, turning her pain into policy by passing the EARLY Act, which directed the CDC to launch breast cancer education campaigns for young women.
Legislatively, she is a powerhouse on the Appropriations Committee. Having previously chaired the Military Construction subcommittee, she now serves as its top Democrat, wielding the "power of the purse" to modernize VA hospitals and improve housing for military families. She is known for her mastery of the appropriations process, using it to secure hundreds of millions of dollars for Everglades restoration, arguing that the "River of Grass" is the lifeblood of South Florida’s water supply.
Her foreign policy is intensely local. Representing thousands of Venezuelan exiles in Weston, she has been a relentless critic of the Maduro regime, often aligning with Republicans to pass sanctions (like the REVOCAR Act of 2025) and demanding Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Venezuelans. Similarly, representing a district with a dense Jewish population, she has been a frontline warrior against antisem...
