What matters inside the halls of Congress is not how many retweets you get, it’s how many votes you control. Elected to Congress in 2016, Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., has established that power with remarkable speed. She is chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, which has 93 House members — over a third of House Democrats.

She got her start as an activist protesting the Bush administration in the wake of 9/11. Now she’s one of the most powerful members of Congress.

Jayapal tells Art of Power host Aarti Shahani how a horrific family crisis prepared her for anything — and what the pledge of allegiance means to her.