US Representative Lauren Underwood represents the 14th Congressional district of Illinois. She is a registered nurse and was a senior policy advisor at the US Department of Health and Human Services in the Obama administration. During her time at HHS, Lauren helped communities across the country prevent, prepare for, and respond to disasters, bioterror threats and public health emergencies. As a career public servant at HHS, Lauren worked to implement the Affordable Care Act — broadening access for those on Medicare, improving healthcare quality and reforming private insurance. In 2018, Congresswoman Underwood defeated a four-term Republican incumbent and was elected to the US House of Representatives and serves on the House Homeland Security Committee as Vice Chair and the Education and Labor and Veterans Affairs Committees. She is the youngest African American woman to ever serve in Congress.