Meet Yassamin

Congresswoman Yassamin Ansari represents Arizona’s Third Congressional District – one of the most diverse communities in the country and home to Phoenix, the fifth-largest city in America. She is the youngest woman in the 119th Congress and serves as Democratic Freshman Class President.

In her first term, Yassamin has taken on corruption in Washington and been a fearless voice against Donald Trump and his authoritarian agenda. She’s worked to rein in ICE and protect immigrant communities, defend reproductive freedom, and advance a bold agenda to lower costs for Arizonans. On the powerful House Oversight Committee, she has taken on some of the most powerful figures in the country – fighting to hold abusers and their enablers accountable and demand justice for survivors in the Epstein case.

Raised in Arizona, Yassamin is the proud daughter of immigrants who instilled in her the value of education and hard work at a young age. Thanks in large part to her mother’s dedication to civic engagement, Yassamin began organizing on behalf of Obama for America as a high school student. She went on to earn her undergraduate degree in international relations with honors from Stanford University and her master’s degree from the University of Cambridge.

Yassamin began her career in 2014 as an advisor in the Executive Office of United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, where she served on the climate team that helped deliver the historic Paris Climate Agreement. Later, she worked directly with the Office of California Governor Jerry Brown as deputy policy director for the Global Climate Action Summit, and as a senior policy advisor to UN Secretary-General Antonio Gutierres.

The first Trump Administration’s attacks on women, working families, the environment and immigrants inspired Yassamin to fight back. She stood alongside thousands of Americans at the US Capitol to protest against the confirmation of extremist Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court, knowing the devastating ripple effects it would have on abortion access. Ultimately, she felt compelled to move back home to Arizona and run for local office.

After knocking on over 100,000 doors with her team in 2020, Yassamin became the youngest woman ever elected to the Phoenix City Council.

LEADING ON THE PHOENIX CITY COUNCIL

As a Councilwoman and Vice Mayor, Yassamin has championed reproductive freedom, housing affordability, climate action, good jobs and wages, and education – with proven results.

When the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, Yassamin passed a resolution to direct the Phoenix Police Department to make harsh state abortion laws its lowest priority for enforcement, protecting doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and patients.

She successfully pushed for more than $140 million dollars for new emergency shelter beds, permanent supportive housing, and mental and behavioral health services, and helped pass a new city policy that bans landlords from discriminating against renters or buyers based on their source of income. 

As a climate policy expert, Yassamin has led bold efforts to clean up our air and water in Phoenix. She built a coalition on the city council to unanimously pass the city’s first-ever Transportation Electrification Action Plan, ushering in a clean energy future for Phoenix. She also spearheaded a plan to electrify Phoenix’s bus fleet by 2040, reducing our carbon emissions and improving air quality in the city.

Yass is building a sustainable future for Phoenix

Yassamin was at the forefront of passing some of the most progressive, pro-union policies in Arizona’s history – from a prevailing wage ordinance that improves quality of life for thousands of construction workers, to a Worker Heat Safety ordinance that will protect 10,000 outdoor workers from extreme heat.

She stood alongside airport workers demanding livable wages and benefits and raised wages for thousands of city workers, from firefighters and police officers to bus drivers and librarians.

After shameful attacks targeting our LGBTQIA+ youth and trans community, Yassamin launched the annual Pride on the Block festival, to spotlight and celebrate our diverse queer communities. She also helped allocate millions in funding to organizations, including One n Ten and Prisma Community Care.

Supporting Phoenix's LGBTQIA+ community.

As a daughter of immigrants who emphasized access to education as a pathway to personal and generational resiliency, Yassamin established the Phoenix Promise Program – a scholarship program that supports 800 low-income students in pursuing a community college education.

IN congress

Yassamin was sworn into the U.S. House in January 2025, making history as the youngest woman in the 119th Congress and the first Iranian-American Democrat.

As the only freshman member to deliver a Floor Speech on her very first day, Yassamin wasted no time getting to work. In her first weeks in Congress, she fought back as the Trump Administration unleashed Project 2025 – rolling back environmental protections, targeting immigrant communities, slashing federal agencies, clawing back critical funding, and putting thousands of Americans out of work.

As a member of the powerful House Oversight Committee, Yassamin has taken on cabinet secretaries in high-stakes hearings, exposed corruption at every level of government, and stood toe-to-toe with wealthy and powerful men named in the Epstein files – demanding accountability and refusing to back down.

As Ranking Member of the Energy & Mineral Resources Subcommittee, Yassamin is leading Democrats in holding polluters accountable, protecting public lands, and advancing a clean energy future. She has also delivered real results for Arizona – bringing home over $17 million in federal funding in her first year alone to invest in local infrastructure, climate resilience, and community priorities.

Representing one of the most diverse districts in the country – where more than 64 languages are spoken – Yassamin has been a relentless advocate for immigrant communities.

After Donald Trump defied a Supreme Court order finding that Kilmar Abrego Garcia was wrongfully deported, Yassamin traveled to El Salvador to push for due process and justice. She has also conducted oversight visits to detention centers across Arizona, demanded accountability in cases like Yari Marquez, who has been wrongfully detained while battling leukemia, and continues to fight for DACA recipients while hosting Know Your Rights trainings and town halls to empower families across her district.

The daughter of Iranian immigrants, Yassamin has also spoken out forcefully against reckless foreign policy decisions that put innocent civilians and U.S. servicemembers at risk, including opposing Trump’s war of choice with Iran.

As the youngest woman in Congress, Yassamin introduced the HER Agenda – legislation to finally recognize and address women’s reproductive health-related pain and illness, while advancing long-overdue reproductive leave for people of all genders.

As Democratic Freshman Class President, Yassamin is helping lead a new generation of leaders, bringing her colleagues together to challenge the status quo, stand up to extremism, and ensure the next generation has a seat at the table.