U.S. Congresswoman Grace Meng is serving her fifth term in the United States House of Representatives. Grace represents the Sixth Congressional District of New York encompassing the New York City borough of Queens, including west, central and northeast Queens.
Grace is the first and only Asian American Member of Congress from New York State and the first female Congressmember from Queens since former Vice Presidential nominee Geraldine Ferraro.
Grace is a member of the powerful House Appropriations Committee and is Vice Chair of its Subcommittee on State and Foreign Operations. She also sits on the Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, and the Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies. The Appropriations Committee is responsible for funding every federal agency, program, and project within the United States government.
The best and most stable way to create jobs and lay the foundation for future innovation is through public and private funding of science, technology, and education programs. This means investing in early-childhood-education programs for children from low and middle-income families. I am a strong supporter of the Strong Start for America’s Children Act, H.R. 3461. Studies have shown that children in early-education programs have better educational outcomes, stronger job earnings, and lower levels of crime and delinquency.
As important as it is to get students in the doors, it is just as important to have well-trained educators. This is why I introduced the Early Childhood Education Professional Improvement Act, H.R. 3357. If enacted, this legislation would strengthen our nation’s preschool workforce by creating a federal grant program for states to prepare, develop, and support early-childhood professionals. As educators gain knowledge and skills through targeted professional development and support, the quality of early-childhood education in American will improve dramatically.
None of these crucial investments in our future is possible with sequestration (across-the-board spending cuts with no regard to a program’s effectiveness) looming in the future. While Congress was temporarily able to reduce the most immediate effects of sequestration through the Budget Act of 2013, sequestration in any form will continue to hamper federal spending in key areas that grow our economy and create jobs.
I believe in a balanced approach of getting Americans back to work and also expanding tax fairness. We cannot continue to foster a strong nation of innovators if we disregard our commitment to those who built it, or to the most vulnerable members of our society. The Federal Government does need to reduce spending, but cuts should not be implemented in the haphazard manner achieved through sequestration.