Ted Lieu facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Ted Lieu
劉雲平
Official portrait, 2016
Vice Chair of the House Democratic Caucus
Incumbent
Assumed office January 3, 2023
Leader	Hakeem Jeffries
Preceded by	Pete Aguilar
Co-Chair of the House Democratic Policy and Communications Committee
In office January 3, 2019 – January 3, 2023 Serving with Matt Cartwright, Debbie Dingell, and Joe Neguse
Leader	Nancy Pelosi
Preceded by	Cheri Bustos David Cicilline Hakeem Jeffries
Succeeded by	Veronica Escobar Dean Phillips Lauren Underwood
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California
Incumbent
Assumed office January 3, 2015
Preceded by	Henry Waxman
Constituency	33rd district (2015–2023) 36th district (2023–present)
Member of the California State Senate from the 28th district
In office February 18, 2011 – November 30, 2014
Preceded by	Jenny Oropeza
Succeeded by	Jeff Stone (redistricted)
Member of the California State Assembly from the 53rd district
In office September 21, 2005 – November 30, 2010
Preceded by	Mike Gordon
Succeeded by	Betsy Butler
Personal details
Born	(1969-03-29) March 29, 1969 (age 56) Taipei, Taiwan Province, Republic of China
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Betty Lieu ​ (m. 2002)​
Children	2
Education	Stanford University (BA, BS) Georgetown University (JD)
Signature
Website
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch/service	United States Air Force Air Force Reserve
Years of service	1995–1999 (active) 2000–2021 (reserve)
Rank	Colonel
Unit	United States Air Force Judge Advocate General's Corps
Awards	Meritorious Service Medal (1 OLC) Air Force Commendation Medal
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese	劉雲平
Simplified Chinese	刘云平
Hanyu Pinyin	Liú Yúnpíng
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Liú Yúnpíng Wade–Giles Liu2 Yün2-p'ing2 IPA [li̯ǒu̯ y̌n.pʰǐŋ]

Ted Win-Ping Lieu (Chinese: 劉雲平; pronounced "LEW"; born March 29, 1969) is an American lawyer and politician. He is a member of the Democratic Party. Since 2023, he has represented California's 36th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives. Before that, he represented the 33rd congressional district from 2015 to 2023. This area includes parts of Los Angeles like South Bay and Westside, as well as cities like Beverly Hills and Santa Monica.

Ted Lieu moved from Taiwan to the United States when he was three years old. He is one of the few members of Congress who became a U.S. citizen after being born in another country. He earned two degrees from Stanford University and a law degree from Georgetown University. He served in the California State Senate from 2011 to 2014. Before that, he was a California state assemblyman from 2005 to 2010.

Lieu also served in the United States Air Force Judge Advocate General's Corps from 1995 to 1999. He continued to serve in the Air Force Reserve Command until 2021, reaching the rank of colonel. In 2017, he was appointed assistant whip for the 115th Congress. Since 2023, he has been the vice chair of the House Democratic Caucus.

Early Life and Education

Ted Lieu was born in Taipei, Taiwan. When he was three, his family moved to Cleveland, Ohio. He finished high school at Saint Ignatius High School in 1987.

In 1991, Lieu earned two bachelor's degrees from Stanford University. He studied computer science and political science. Later, he attended Georgetown University Law Center. He earned his law degree in 1994, graduating with high honors. While in law school, he was the editor-in-chief of the Georgetown Law Journal.

Early Career and Military Service

After law school, Lieu worked as a law clerk for Judge Thomas Tang. This was at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit from 1994 to 1995.

In 1995, Lieu joined the United States Air Force. He served for four years as part of the Judge Advocate General's Corps. In this role, he worked as a military prosecutor and advised commanders. He received several awards for his service, including the Air Force Meritorious Service Medal and the Air Force Commendation Medal. Lieu continued to serve in the Air Force Reserve from 2000 until 2021. He was promoted to the rank of colonel in December 2015.

Torrance City Council

On March 5, 2002, Ted Lieu was elected to the Torrance City Council. He served on the council until he was elected to the state assembly.

California State Legislature

California Assembly

Lieu as a California State Senator, 2011

Ted Lieu won a special election on September 13, 2005. He filled the seat for the California's 53rd State Assembly district after the previous assemblyman passed away. Lieu was reelected in 2006 and again in 2008.

As an assemblyman, Lieu led the Assembly Rules Committee. He was also a member of other important committees. He chaired the Asian Pacific Islander Legislative Caucus. He also led the Assembly Select Committee on Aerospace.

In 2008, Lieu helped resolve a disagreement involving the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA). He worked with state senator Leland Yee to change a rule. This rule would have punished LPGA players who did not speak enough English. Their efforts led to the rule being changed by the end of 2008.

Lieu strongly supports expanding public transportation. This includes projects in West Los Angeles, LAX airport, and the South Bay area.

He also helped write a bill to build a football stadium in Los Angeles. This bill aimed to make it easier for the National Football League to return to the city.

Laws Authored by Lieu

As an assemblyman, Lieu wrote laws on many topics. These included public safety, child safety, domestic violence, the environment, education, health care, and transportation.

Some of the laws he helped create include:

• ABx2 7: Called the California Foreclosure Prevention Act, this law was the first of its kind. It required lenders to offer home loan help or face a delay in foreclosures.
• AB 2052: This law allows victims of domestic violence to end a rental lease early. They need to provide a police report or a restraining order to their landlord.
• AB 86: This law gives school districts the power to discipline students who engage in cyberbullying.
• AB 800: This law requires reporting of sewage spills. This helps officials close beaches and public areas affected by spills.
• AB 236: This law requires the state to buy fuel-efficient cars for its fleet. It also mandates that alternative-fuel vehicles use alternative fuels.
• AB 392: This law requires employers to give spouses of military members two weeks of unpaid leave. This is for when the military member returns from deployment.
• AB 1150: This law stops health insurance companies from giving money to employees for canceling patient health care coverage.

California Senate

Lieu won a special election on February 15, 2011. He filled the seat for the California's 28th State Senate district. He won against several other candidates.

In 2014, Lieu voted for a bill that would have allowed state universities to consider a student's background in admissions. However, after hearing concerns from the Asian-American community, he and other senators asked for the bill to be paused.

U.S. House of Representatives

Official portrait, 2015

Election to Congress

In 2014, Ted Lieu ran for the California's 33rd congressional district. This seat was previously held by Henry Waxman, who retired after 40 years. Lieu won the general election against Republican Elan Carr. He and Waxman are the only people to have represented this district since it was created in 1974.

Key Legislation and Actions

Lieu has successfully passed several laws in Congress. He secured funding for the West Los Angeles VA hospital for safety upgrades. He also helped reauthorize a committee for homeless veterans.

In 2017, Lieu introduced a bill to prevent the president from launching a nuclear strike without Congress's approval. He also introduced a bill to end the money bail system for people waiting for trial.

Lieu is one of two members of Congress of Taiwanese American heritage. He was chosen by his colleagues to be the Democratic Freshman Class president. He serves on important committees, including the House Judiciary Committee and the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

He has been praised for introducing a bill to protect online privacy. This bill aims to stop states from forcing companies to weaken encryption. .....

In 2017, during a moment of silence for a church shooting, Lieu recorded a video. He called for action on gun laws, saying he would not be silent. He is a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus.

In 2018, Lieu and other representatives spoke out against the distortion of Holocaust history in Ukraine and Poland. In 2019, he signed a letter asking President Trump to limit military force without congressional approval.

In 2019, Lieu had a public exchange with an attorney for Congressman Devin Nunes. Lieu welcomed a lawsuit and challenged Nunes to take legal action. In 2020, Lieu condemned Azerbaijan's actions against Armenian people in Nagorno-Karabakh. He also criticized Turkey's role in the conflict.

In January 2021, Lieu was chosen as an impeachment manager (a prosecutor) for the second impeachment trial of President Trump. In April 2024, Lieu voted for military aid packages for Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan.

Committee Assignments

For the current Congress (the 118th Congress), Ted Lieu serves on:

• Committee on Foreign Affairs
• Committee on the Judiciary
  • Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property, and the Internet
  • Subcommittee on the Administrative State, Regulatory Reform, and Antitrust

In the past, he also served on the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology.

Caucus Memberships

Lieu is part of several groups in Congress, called caucuses. These include:

• Black Maternal Health Caucus
• House Baltic Caucus
• Congressional Arts Caucus
• Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (Whip)
• Veterinary Medicine Caucus
• U.S.-Japan Caucus
• Friends of Wales Caucus
• Medicare for All Caucus
• Congressional Progressive Caucus
• Congressional Direct Selling Caucus
• Congressional Caucus for the Equal Rights Amendment
• Rare Disease Caucus

Campaign Donations to Stanford University

From 2016 to 2018, Ted Lieu made donations from his campaign account to Stanford University. This is his alma mater, where he studied. It is not uncommon for members of Congress to donate to universities.

Political Views

Protecting Young People

In 2012, Lieu wrote a bill to ban certain practices for young people. This bill passed and became law in California. This made California the first state to have such a ban. Since then, other states have passed similar laws. As a U.S. Representative, Lieu has proposed a federal ban on these practices.

Foreign Policy Concerns

Lieu has spoken out about U.S. support for military actions in Yemen. He sent letters to government officials expressing his concerns. He questioned if some actions looked like war crimes. He also pointed out that some groups fighting in Yemen were allies with those the U.S. was supporting.

In 2018, Lieu criticized comments made by the FBI Director about Chinese students. He said that implying all Chinese students were spies was "irresponsible."

Immigration Policy

In 2018, Lieu played an audio clip in Congress. The clip featured children crying after being separated from their parents at the border. He wanted the American people to hear what was happening.

Personal Life

Ted Lieu and his family, 2014

Ted Lieu and his wife, Betty Lieu, live in Torrance, California. Betty is a former California deputy attorney general. They have two sons, Brennan and Austin. Lieu is Catholic.

During the first presidency of Donald Trump, Lieu was known for responding to Trump's tweets. He used his personal account, @tedlieu, to point out what he saw as misleading statements.

In 2023, Lieu received the Carnegie Corporation of New York's Great Immigrants Award.

Images for kids

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  Ted Lieu's signature

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  Lieu at Politicon 2018

See also

• List of Asian Americans and Pacific Islands Americans in the United States Congress
• Taiwanese Americans in Los Angeles