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Nita Lowey

D

New York U.S. House, District 17 (1988 - Present)

Quick Facts
Personal Details

Caucuses/Former Committees

Founder, Afterschool Caucus

Former Chair, Appropriations Committee, United States House of Representatives

Former Member, Congressional Advisory Panel, National Campaign to Reduce Teen Pregnancy

Former Co-Chair, Congressional Anti-Terrorism Financing Task Force

Former Member, Congressional Armenian Caucus

Former Member, Congressional Arts Caucus

Former Member, Congressional Biomedical Research Caucus

Former Member, Congressional Caucus for Women's Issues

Member, Congressional Friends of Animals Caucus, Former Member

Former Member, Congressional Human Rights Caucus

Former Member, Congressional India Caucus

Former Member, Congressional Task Force on Terror Financing

Former Member, Congressional Ukranian Caucus

Former Member, Congressional Women's Caucus

Former Chair, Congressional Women's Caucus

Former Member, Democratic Steering Group

Former Member, Executive Committee, Albanian Issues Caucus

Former Member, House Pro-Choice Caucus

Former Chair, House Pro-Choice Caucus

Former Co-Founder, Hudson River Caucus

Former Co-Chair, Long Island Sound Caucus

Former Co-Chair, Public Broadcasting Caucus

Former Chair, Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs, United States House of Representatives

Former Co-Chair, United Nations Working Group

Former Chair, United States House Appropriations Subcommittee on Foreign Operations

Former Member, United States House Select Committee on Homeland Security

Education

  • BA, Marketing, Mount Holyoke College, 1959

Professional Experience

  • BA, Marketing, Mount Holyoke College, 1959
  • Former Assistant, New York Secretary of State for Economic Development and Neighborhood Preservation
  • Assistant Secretary of State, State of New York, 1985-1988
  • Deputy Director, Division of Economic Opportunity, 1975-1985

Political Experience

  • BA, Marketing, Mount Holyoke College, 1959
  • Former Assistant, New York Secretary of State for Economic Development and Neighborhood Preservation
  • Assistant Secretary of State, State of New York, 1985-1988
  • Deputy Director, Division of Economic Opportunity, 1975-1985
  • Representative, United States House of Representatives, New York, District 17, 2013-present
  • Candidate, United States House of Representatives, New York, District 17, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2018
  • Representative, United States House of Representatives, New York, District 18, 1993-2013
  • Candidate, United States House of Representatives, New York, District 18, 1992, 1994, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2010
  • Representative, United States House of Representatives, New York, District 20, 1989-1993
  • Candidate, United States House of Representatives, New York, District 20, 1988, 1990

Former Committees/Caucuses

Founder, Afterschool Caucus

Member, Congressional Advisory Panel, National Campaign to Reduce Teen Pregnancy

Co-Chair, Congressional Anti-Terrorism Financing Task Force

Member, Congressional Armenian Caucus

Member, Congressional Arts Caucus

Member, Congressional Biomedical Research Caucus

Member, Congressional Caucus for Women's Issues

Member, Congressional Friends of Animals Caucus

Member, Congressional Human Rights Caucus

Member, Congressional India Caucus

Member, Congressional Task Force on Terror Financing

Member, Congressional Ukranian Caucus

Member, Congressional Women's Caucus

Former Chair, Congressional Women's Caucus

Member, Democratic Steering Group

Member, Executive Committee, Albanian Issues Caucus

Member, House Pro-Choice Caucus

Former Chair, House Pro-Choice Caucus

Co-Founder, Hudson River Caucus

Co-Chair, Long Island Sound Caucus

Co-Chair, Public Broadcasting Caucus

Co-Chair, United Nations Working Group

Former Chair, United States House Appropriations Subcommittee on Foreign Operations

Former Member, United States House Select Committee on Homeland Security

Current Legislative Committees

Chair, Appropriations

Chair, Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs

Religious, Civic, and other Memberships

  • BA, Marketing, Mount Holyoke College, 1959
  • Former Assistant, New York Secretary of State for Economic Development and Neighborhood Preservation
  • Assistant Secretary of State, State of New York, 1985-1988
  • Deputy Director, Division of Economic Opportunity, 1975-1985
  • Representative, United States House of Representatives, New York, District 17, 2013-present
  • Candidate, United States House of Representatives, New York, District 17, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2018
  • Representative, United States House of Representatives, New York, District 18, 1993-2013
  • Candidate, United States House of Representatives, New York, District 18, 1992, 1994, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2010
  • Representative, United States House of Representatives, New York, District 20, 1989-1993
  • Candidate, United States House of Representatives, New York, District 20, 1988, 1990
  • Member, American Jewish Committee of Westchester
  • Member, Board of Directors, Close-Up Foundation
  • Deputy Whip, Democratic Study Group
  • Member, Effective Parenting Information for Children
  • Member, Executive Committee, Democratic Study Group
  • Member, Legal Awareness for Women
  • Member, National Committee of Police Corps
  • Member, National Council for the Arts
  • Member, Westchester Jewish Conference
  • Member, Westchester Opportunity Program
  • Member, Windward School
  • Member, Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA), Women's Network
  • Chair, Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, 2001-2002

Other Info

Astrological Sign:

Cancer

  • 8

Policy Positions

2021

Abortion

1. Do you generally support pro-choice or pro-life legislation?
- Pro-choice

Budget

1. In order to balance the budget, do you support an income tax increase on any tax bracket?
- Yes

2. In order to balance the budget, do you support reducing defense spending?
- Yes

Campaign Finance

1. Do you support the regulation of indirect campaign contributions from corporations and unions?
- Yes

Economy

1. Do you support federal spending as a means of promoting economic growth?
- Yes

2. Do you support lowering corporate taxes as a means of promoting economic growth?
- No

Education

1. Do you support requiring states to adopt federal education standards?
- Yes

Energy & Environment

1. Do you support government funding for the development of renewable energy (e.g. solar, wind, thermal)?
- Yes

2. Do you support the federal regulation of greenhouse gas emissions?
- Yes

Guns

Do you generally support gun-control legislation?
- Yes

Health Care

Do you support repealing the 2010 Affordable Care Act ("Obamacare")?
- No

Immigration

1. Do you support the construction of a wall along the Mexican border?
- No

2. Do you support requiring immigrants who are unlawfully present to return to their country of origin before they are eligible for citizenship?
- No

Marijuana

Do you support the legalization of marijuana for recreational purposes?
- Unknown Position

National Security

1. Should the United States use military force in order to prevent governments hostile to the U.S. from possessing a nuclear weapon?
- Unknown Position

2. Do you support increased American intervention in Middle Eastern conflicts beyond air support?
- Unknown Position

Congressional Election 2000 National Political Awareness Test

Abortion

Indicate which principles you support (if any) concerning abortion.

1. Abortions should always be illegal.
- No Answer

2. Abortions should be illegal when the fetus is viable, with or without life support.
- No Answer

3. Abortions should always be legally available.
- X

4. Abortions should be legal only within the first trimester of pregnancy.
- No Answer

5. Abortions should be legal when the pregnancy resulted from incest or rape.
- No Answer

6. Abortions should be legal when the life of the woman is endangered.
- No Answer

7. Abortions should be limited by waiting periods and notification requirements as decided by each state government.
- No Answer

8. Prohibit the dilation and extraction procedure, also known as "partial birth" abortion.
- No Answer

9. Prohibit public funding of abortions and public funding of organizations that advocate or perform abortions.
- No Answer

10. Support "buffer-zones" by requiring demonstrators to stay at least five feet from abortion clinic doorways and driveways.
- X

11. Provide funding for family planning programs as a means to decrease the number of abortions.
- X

12. Other
- No Answer

Budget, Spending and Tax Issues, Part 1: Budgetary Priorities

Budgetary PrioritiesIndicate what levels of federal funding you support for the following general categories.

1. Agricultural
- Slightly Decrease Funding

2. Arts
- Slightly Increase Funding

3. Defense
- Maintain Funding Status

4. Education
- Greatly Increase Funding

5. Environmental
- Slightly Increase Funding

6. International aid
- Slightly Increase Funding

7. Law enforcement
- Maintain Funding Status

8. Medical Research
- Greatly Increase Funding

9. National Aeronautical Space Administration (NASA)
- Slightly Decrease Funding

10. National Parks
- Maintain Funding Status

11. Scientific Research
- Slightly Increase Funding

12. Transportation and Highway Infrastructure
- Maintain Funding Status

13. Welfare
- Maintain Funding Status

14. Other
- No Answer

15. Would you support enforcing the spending limits agreed to in 1997 by the President and Congress to balance the budget?
- No Answer

Budget, Spending and Tax Issues, Part 2: Defense Spending

Defense SpendingIndicate what levels of federal funding you support for the following categories.

1. Armed Forces personnel training
- Maintain Funding Status

2. Covert intelligence operations
- Slightly Decrease Funding

3. Defense plant conversion
- Maintain Funding Status

4. Military hardware
- Slightly Decrease Funding

5. Military space shuttle missions
- Slightly Decrease Funding

6. Pay for active duty personnel
- Slightly Increase Funding

7. National Missile Defense Program
- Greatly Decrease Funding

8. Modernization of weaponry and equipment
- Maintain Funding Status

9. Programs to improve military retention rates
- Maintain Funding Status

10. Research and development of new weapons
- Maintain Funding Status

11. Troop and equipment readiness
- Maintain Funding Status

12. Other
- No Answer

Budget, Spending and Tax Issues, Part 3: Budget Surplus

Budget SurplusIndicate your priorities for spending any anticipated federal budget surplus.

1. Defense
- Not a Priority

2. Education
- Medium Priority

3. Federal debt reduction
- Low Priority

4. Medicare
- High Priority

5. Social Security
- Highest Priority

6. Tax cuts
- Lowest Priority

7. Other
- No Answer

Budget, Spending and Tax Issues, Part 4: Taxes (A)

TaxesIndicate what levels you support concerning taxes, deductions, and tax credits in the following categories.Income Taxes - Family IncomeIncome Taxes - Retiree IncomeOther TaxesDeductions/Credits

1. Less than $25,000
- Eliminate

2. $25,000 - $75,000
- Slightly Decrease

3. $75,000 - $150,000
- Slightly Decrease

4. Over $150,000
- Maintain Status

5. Other
- Greatly Increase

6. Over $40, 000
- Slightly Decrease

7. Alcohol taxes
- Maintain Status

8. Capital gains taxes
- Slightly Decrease

9. Cigarette taxes
- Greatly Increase

10. Corporate taxes
- Maintain Status

11. Gasoline taxes
- Maintain Status

12. Inheritance taxes
- Greatly Decrease

13. Charitable deductions
- Maintain Status

14. Medical expense deductions
- Slightly Increase

15. Mortgage deductions
- Maintain Status

16. Child tax credit
- Slightly Increase

17. Earned income tax credit
- Slightly Increase

18. Student loan tax credit
- Slightly Increase

19. College tuition
- Marriage Penalty

Budget, Spending and Tax Issues, Part 5: Taxes (B)

Taxes

1. Do you support replacing the current U.S. income tax structure with a flat income tax?
- No

2. Should a married couple filing jointly pay the same taxes as if they were an unmarried couple filing separately?
- Yes

3. Would you cut taxes if there were an operating surplus?
- Yes

4. Would you cut taxes and use Social Security surpluses to supplement the difference?
- No

5. Other
- No Answer

Campaign Finance

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding campaign finance issues.

1. Support public taxpayer funding for congressional candidates who comply with campaign spending limits.
- X

2. Increase the amount individuals are permitted to contribute to federal campaigns.
- No Answer

3. Prohibit Political Action Committee (PAC) contributions to candidates for federal office.
- No Answer

4. Provide free or low-cost television advertising to candidates who agree to voluntary campaign spending limits.
- X

5. Ban unregulated soft money campaign contributions to political parties or committees.
- X

6. Prohibit non-U.S. citizens from making soft money contributions to national parties or party committees.
- No Answer

7. Require full disclosure of funding sources of issue advocacy commercials which appear within 60 days of an election.
- X

8. Make campaign spending limits mandatory for all federal candidates.
- X

9. Remove all contribution limits on federal candidates and parties, but require complete and immediate disclosure via the Internet.
- No Answer

10. Require congressional candidates to raise over half of their campaign money from their home state.
- No Answer

11. Other
- No Answer

Crime

Indicate which principles you support (if any) to address crime.

1. Broaden the use of the death penalty for federal crimes.
- No Answer

2. Increase spending to build more federal prisons.
- No Answer

3. Impose "truth in sentencing" for violent criminals so they serve full sentences with no chance of parole.
- X

4. Support programs to provide prison inmates with vocational and job-related skills and job-placement assistance when released.
- X

5. Support programs to provide prison inmates with drug and alcohol addiction treatment.
- X

6. Increase penalties for crimes committed on school grounds.
- X

7. Increase funding for community policing programs.
- X

8. Implement penalties other than incarceration for certain non-violent offenders.
- X

9. Require that crimes based on gender, sexual orientation, and disability be prosecuted as federal hate crimes.
- X

10. Enforcement of civil rights should primarily be the responsibility of the federal government.
- No Answer

11. Prosecute as adults, youths accused of a felony.
- No Answer

12. Provide block grants to states for implementation of programs to combat juvenile crime.
- No Answer

13. Impose harsher penalties for youths convicted of violent offenses.
- No Answer

14. Support the use of "boot camps" as alternative sentencing for juvenile offenders.
- X

15. Support programs that provide job training and placement services for at-risk youth.
- X

16. Other
- No Answer

Drug

Indicate which principles you support (if any) concerning illegal drugs.

1. Increase penalties for selling illegal drugs.
- No Answer

2. Support mandatory jail sentences for selling illegal drugs.
- No Answer

3. Support capital punishment for convicted international drug traffickers.
- No Answer

4. Expand federally sponsored drug education and drug treatment programs.
- X

5. Decriminalize the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes.
- No Answer

6. Increase border security to stop the flow of illegal drugs into the U.S.
- X

7. Eliminate federal funding for programs associated with the "war on drugs."
- No Answer

8. Other
- No Answer

Education

Indicate which principles you support (if any) concerning education (K-12).

1. Support national standards and testing of public school students.
- X

2. Allow parents to use vouchers (equal opportunity scholarships) to send their children to any publicly-funded school.
- X

3. Allow parents to use vouchers (equal opportunity scholarships) to send their children to any participating school: public, private or religious.
- No Answer

4. Allow parents to use tax-free savings accounts to send their children to any publicly-funded school.
- X

5. Allow parents to use tax-free savings accounts to send their children to any participating school: public, private or religious.
- No Answer

6. Support charter schools where teachers and professionals receive authorization and funding to establish new schools.
- X

7. Promote education flexibility by giving federal funds, in the form of block grants, to the states to spend it as they see fit.
- No Answer

8. Increase funding for block grants to states to help them hire additional teachers.
- X

9. Support teacher testing and reward teachers with merit pay.
- X

10. Increase funding for computers and computer training in public schools.
- X

11. Increase funding for school capital improvements (e.g. buildings and infrastructure).
- X

12. Eliminate restrictions on federal education funding, giving educators or local school districts more flexibility to design and implement their programs.
- No Answer

13. Support affirmative action in public college admissions.
- X

14. Eliminate federal financial aid for individuals convicted of drug offenses.
- No Answer

15. Increase funding of programs such as Pell grants and Stafford loans to help students pay for college.
- X

16. Support federal tax incentives to help families save for college.
- X

17. Other
- No Answer

Employment and Affirmative Action

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding employment and affirmative action.

1. Provide tax credits for companies that move job-creating industries into areas with high unemployment.
- X

2. Increase funding for national job-training programs that re-train displaced workers or teach skills needed in today's job market.
- X

3. Reduce government regulation of the private sector in order to encourage investment and economic expansion.
- No Answer

4. Establish empowerment zones in areas with large numbers of unemployed people.
- X

5. Eliminate any federal programs designed to reduce unemployment.
- No Answer

6. Increase the federal minimum wage.
- X

7. Encourage employers to offer flex-time scheduling, comp-time, and unpaid leave for family emergencies.
- X

8. Provide tax credits for businesses that offer on-site child care.
- X

9. The federal government should consider race and sex in making government contracting decisions.
- No Answer

10. The federal government should continue affirmative action programs.
- X

11. The federal government should discontinue affirmative action programs.
- No Answer

12. The federal government should utilize merit and qualifications in making government contracting decisions.
- No Answer

13. Other
- No Answer

Environmental

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding America's environment and natural resources.

1. Strengthen the regulation and enforcement of the Clean Water Act.
- X

2. Strengthen the regulation and enforcement of the Clean Air Act.
- X

3. Waive environmental review requirements for grazing permits.
- No Answer

4. Revise the 1872 mining law to increase the fees charged to mining companies using federal lands.
- X

5. Require states to fully compensate citizens when environmental regulations limit uses of privately owned land.
- No Answer

6. Encourage further development and use of alternative fuels to reduce pollution.
- X

7. Strengthen emission controls on all gasoline or diesel-powered engines, including cars, trucks, and sport utility vehicles.
- X

8. Promote the selling of pollution credits between nations to encourage industries to decrease pollution levels.
- X

9. Strengthen logging restrictions on federal lands.
- X

10. Reduce current federal regulations on the environment.
- No Answer

11. Give states added flexibility from the federal government in enforcing and funding federal environment regulations.
- No Answer

12. Other
- No Answer

Gun

Indicate which principles you support (if any) concerning gun issues.

1. Ban the sale or transfer of semi-automatic guns, except those used for hunting.
- X

2. Maintain and strengthen the enforcement of existing federal restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns.
- X

3. Ease federal restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns.
- No Answer

4. Repeal federal restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns.
- No Answer

5. Allow citizens to carry concealed guns.
- No Answer

6. Require manufacturers to provide child-safety locks on guns.
- X

7. Increase penalties for the possession of any illegal guns.
- X

8. Hold gun owners responsible for crimes committed with their guns by children age 16 and under.
- X

9. Raise the minimum age for ownership of handguns from 18 to 21.
- X

10. Require background checks of gun buyers at gun shows.
- X

11. Require a license for gun possession.
- X

12. Other
- No Answer

Health

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding health issues.

1. Providing health care is not a responsibility of the federal government.
- No Answer

2. Implement a universal health care program to guarantee coverage to all Americans regardless of income.
- No Answer

3. Support health care strategies focused on prevention, including health education, and natural medicines and remedies.
- X

4. Support a Patient's Bill of Rights to define and enforce the rights of insured patients, including greater access to specialists and emergency rooms, wider choice of health care providers, and appeal mechanisms when claims are denied.
- X

5. Support a Patient's Bill of Rights which includes the right to sue when claims are denied.
- X

6. Support a Patient's Bill of Rights which includes the right to appeal to an administrative board of specialists when services are denied.
- No Answer

7. Provide tax incentives to small businesses that provide health care to their employees.
- X

8. Expand eligibility for tax-free medical savings accounts, which would be taxed if used for purposes other than medical costs.
- No Answer

9. Limit the amount of damages that can be awarded in medical malpractice lawsuits.
- No Answer

10. Allow states and local communities to use federal funds for needle-exchange programs to combat the spread of HIV.
- X

11. Provide citizens age 55-65 the option of purchasing Medicare health coverage.
- X

12. Support legislation to provide prescription drug coverage under Medicare.
- X

13. Increase funding for AIDS programs.
- X

14. Other
- No Answer

Immigration

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding immigration.

1. Decrease the number of immigrants allowed into the country.
- No Answer

2. Increase the eligibility of legal immigrants for certain social programs (e.g. public housing, food stamps).
- No Answer

3. Require the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) to reduce the time between applying for citizenship and taking the oath of allegiance to six months.
- X

4. Provide extra federal aid to states with higher numbers of immigrants for necessary medical and social services.
- X

5. Prohibit states from passing laws that deny human services (medical care, education) to illegal immigrants or their children.
- No Answer

6. Grant U.S. citizenship to children born in the US only if their parents immigrated legally.
- No Answer

7. Increase the immigration quota for computer scientists and other information technology workers.
- X

8. Establish English as the official national language.
- No Answer

9. Support the separation of the INS into two bureaus: one administering naturalization and one administering border patrol.
- No Answer

10. Increase state autonomy in handling immigration issues.
- No Answer

11. Reimburse states for providing services to illegal aliens.
- No Answer

12. Other
- No Answer

International Aid, International Policy and Trade Issues, Part 1: International Aid

International AidIndicate which principles (if any) you support regarding U.S. International Aid.

1. Aid should be granted to countries when extraordinary circumstances cause disaster and threaten civilian lives.
- X

2. Aid should be granted to countries when it is in the security interests of the U. S.
- X

3. Aid should be granted to countries that are close allies of the U. S. and in need of financial/military assistance.
- X

4. Aid should be eliminated for any nation with documented human rights abuses.
- No Answer

5. Aid programs should be scaled back and eventually eliminated except for extraordinary circumstances.
- No Answer

6. Other
- No Answer

International Aid, International Policy and Trade Issues, Part 2: International Policy

International PolicyIndicate which principles you support (if any) regarding the Middle East.Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding the United States-United Nations relationship.

1. The U.S. should resolve future disputes with Iraq only through diplomatic means.
- No Answer

2. The U.S. should take unilateral military action if Iraq does not comply with all accepted United Nations resolutions.
- X

3. The U.S. should take military action against Iraq only as part of an international effort.
- No Answer

4. The U.S. should end the economic embargo against Iraq.
- No Answer

5. The U.S. should not continue to play a prominent leadership role in the peace process between Israel and the Palestine Authority.
- No Answer

6. The U.S. should continue to play a prominent leadership role in the peace process between Israel and the Palestine Authority.
- X

7. Other
- No Answer

8. The U.S. should participate in United Nations peacekeeping missions only when vital U.S. interests are involved.
- X

9. The U.S. should not commit military troops to United Nations peacekeeping missions.
- No Answer

10. The U.S. should withdraw completely from the United Nations.
- No Answer

11. The U.S. should pay its debt to the United Nations.
- X

12. Should the U.S. have full diplomatic relations with Cuba?
- No

13. Should the U.S. have full diplomatic relations with China?
- Yes

14. Should the U.S. recognize and extend full diplomatic relations to Taiwan?
- Yes

15. Should the US maintain ground troops in Kosovo?
- Yes

16. Do you support the cooperative threat reduction programs with Russia to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons to unfriendly nations?
- Yes

17. Do you support modifying the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty in order to deploy the National Missile Defense System?
- No

International Aid, International Policy and Trade Issues, Part 3: International Trade

International Trade

1. Do you support the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)?
- Yes

2. Do you support the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT)?
- Yes

3. Do you support continued U.S. membership in the World Trade Organization (WTO)?
- Yes

4. Do you support China becoming a member of the World Trade Organization?
- Yes

5. Do you support imposing tariffs on products imported from nations that maintain restrictive trade barriers on American products?
- Yes

6. Should a nation's human rights record affect its normal trade relations (most favored nation status) with the United States?
- Undecided

7. Do you support normal trade relations (most favored nation status) with Vietnam?
- Yes

8. Do you support granting the President "fast-track" authority in trade negotiations?
- No Answer

9. Do you support the trade embargo against Cuba?
- No

Moral and Ethical

Do you believe there has been a decline in moral and ethical standards in America over the last four decades?
- No Answer

Social Security

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding Social Security.

1. Allow workers to invest a portion of their payroll tax in private accounts which they manage themselves.
- No Answer

2. Allow workers to invest a portion of their payroll tax in private accounts managed by private firms contracted by the government.
- No Answer

3. Invest a portion of Social Security's assets collectively in stocks and bonds instead of U.S. Treasury securities.
- No Answer

4. Increase the payroll tax to better finance Social Security in its current form.
- No Answer

5. Lower Social Security's annual cost-of-living increases.
- No Answer

6. Limit Social Security benefits based on recipients' other income and assets.
- No Answer

7. Require individuals to pay the Social Security tax on incomes above $68,400 (which is currently exempt).
- No Answer

8. Support a lock box measure, limiting Congress's ability to spend Social Security and Medicare surpluses on any other federal programs except Social Security and Medicare, until each program's long-term solvency is guaranteed.
- X

9. Other
- No Answer

Technology

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding technology.

1. Continuing the moratorium on Internet sales taxes.
- X

2. Implement regulation of Internet content by the federal government.
- No Answer

3. Support on-line voter registration.
- X

4. Support voting on-line.
- No Answer

5. Support government mandates to curtail violent and sexual content on television.
- No Answer

6. Support strict penalties for Internet crimes such as hacking and Internet violence.
- X

7. Support strong Internet privacy laws.
- X

8. Regulating the Internet should not in any way be controlled by the federal government.
- No Answer

9. Other
- No Answer

Term Limit

Do you support amending the Constitution to limit the number of terms which members of Congress can serve?
- No

Welfare and Poverty

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding poverty and the welfare system.

1. Support housing assistance for welfare recipients.
- X

2. Provide homeless families with apartment vouchers they can use to supplement the cost of an apartment.
- X

3. Continue to give states and local governments responsibility for welfare programs through TANF block grants.
- X

4. Maintain current welfare-to-work requirements in order for states to qualify for block grants.
- X

5. Restore food stamp programs to legal immigrants.
- X

6. Transfer homeless housing programs to states through block grants.
- No Answer

7. Provide continued Medicaid benefits for those welfare recipients who have moved from welfare to work.
- X

8. Require states to return any unused welfare block grant funding to the federal government.
- No Answer

9. Direct federal poverty aid through religious, community-based or other non-profit organizations.
- No Answer

10. Other
- No Answer

Congress Bills
Speeches
Articles

Powerful Democratic Rep. Nita Lowey of New York to Retire

Oct. 11, 2019

WASHINGTON (AP) — Rep. Nita Lowey, the first woman to lead the powerful House Appropriations Committee and a 31-year veteran of Congress, announced Thursday that she will retire at the end of next year. The 82-year-old New York Democrat tweeted that it’s been a “deep honor and privilege to serve my community and my country.” Lowey is a longtime ally of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and is one of Capitol Hill’s old-school dealmakers. She combines a grandmotherly demeanor with decades of hands-on experience, especially in the annual foreign aid bill, for which Lowey has fought for money to combat AIDS, fund women’s health and education, and deliver economic aid to developing nations. She has also been a reliable ally of Israel. “Frankly to have a job that I love so very much made this a very difficult choice,” Lowey said in an interview. “But I just felt it was time.” She rose to the top of the committee earlier this year and was thrown into negotiations over ending the government shutdown and the battle with President Donald Trump over money for the U.S.-Mexico border wall. In August, Lowey attracted a primary challenger from the left in Mondaire Jones, who worked at the Justice Department in the Obama administration. Lowey, a mother of three who didn’t enter public life until her 50s, has not had a difficult election in years. Her 17th Congressional District is north of the city and includes Rockland County and parts of Westchester County. Lowey often stops in Capitol hallways to catch up on news about the families of Capitol Hill maintenance workers and others. Pelosi, in a statement, described Lowey as “a leader who is both gracious and tenacious; who seeks always to find common ground where she can and stands her ground where she can’t.” Rep. Kay Granger, a conservative Republican from Texas and longtime friend of Lowey’s, said that from their first interaction, Lowey “promised that she would always be an honest broker, that she would respect my position and opinions, and that we could disagree without being disagreeable.” Lowey has slowed down physically of late but has remained very much in charge of the wide-ranging business of the committee. Her slow amble through the hallways of the Capitol makes her easy to approach. She has used her perch to advocate for public works spending for new rail tunnels into Manhattan and recovery assistance from Superstorm Sandy. More than 20 years ago, she led a successful fight to deliver contraception coverage to federal workers via their federal health insurance plans, winning an uphill victory over then-Speaker Newt Gingrich, R-N.Y. Lowey’s retirement immediately prompted speculation that her seat could be an attractive target for Chelsea Clinton to launch a political career, though she lives in New York City. Bill and Hillary Clinton maintain a home in Chappaqua, New York, in Westchester County. Source: https://www.realclearpolitics.com/