Another Powerful Woman and First to Lead Either Party In Charge of House Appropriations Committee, Rep. Nita Lowey
New York State Congresswoman Nita M. Lowey is currently serving her fifteenth term in Congress, representing parts of Westchester and Rockland Counties. She was first elected to the US House of Representatives in 1988 and served in the Democratic Leadership in 2001 and 2002 as the first woman and the first New Yorker to chair the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. She is also the first woman to lead either party on the powerful House Appropriations Committee.
Lowey has been described as “courageous” by The New York Times, “terrific” by Newsday, and one of “New York's key Members of Congress” by the New York Daily News. The Journal News called Lowey “one of the most influential Members of Congress.”
Middle, Nita Lowey; right, Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Muppets Ernie and Bert; Photograph library.cqpress.com
At the beginning of the 113th Congress, Lowey was selected by her colleagues to be the Ranking Democrat on the powerful House Appropriations Committee. Lowey is an extremely effective, committed legislator with a substantial record. Congressional Quarterly called her one of the 50 most effective Members of Congress, saying she “maneuvers skillfully through the appropriations process,” and Newsday said she “delivers for New York.”
Few members of Congress have taken key leadership roles on so many vital public policy issues. Lowey is a leading Congressional proponent of educational opportunity, health care quality and biomedical research, improved homeland security preparedness, stricter public safety laws, environmental protection, women's issues, a leading international role for the United States, and national security.
An outspoken supporter of transportation, nuclear, and infrastructure security, Lowey was appointed to the Select Committee on Homeland Security and recognized by the New York Post as “a key general in the battle to rebuild New York” for her leadership in securing over $20 billion for recovery efforts after September 11, 2001. Her efforts to distribute homeland security grants based on risk and to screen airport personnel in secure areas have been endorsed by The New York Times. Lowey has also helped to obtain more than $68 million in federal funds to develop local bioterrorism response plans and to provide local first responders with interoperable communication devices, rescue equipment, and personal protective gear.
Lowey is a strong advocate for women, children, and families. She has been a champion of education throughout her career, fighting for school modernization, teacher development, and literacy programs. Under Lowey’s leadership, federal funding for after-school programs has increased from $1 million in 1996 to $1 billion today.
When GOP leaders threatened to eliminate the Public Broadcasting System (PBS) in the 1990s, Lowey "invited" puppets Bert and Ernie to a Congressional hearing. The resulting worldwide publicity is largely credited with saving the agency. When Republican leaders again targeted PBS for severe budget cuts in 2005, Lowey again successfully restored funding to the program. She has been equally stalwart in her defense of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and served on the prestigious National Council for the Arts in recognition of her leadership.
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