24 CityAndStateNY.com
November 18, 2019
4 NITA LOWEY
CHAIRWOMAN HOUSE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE IN JANUARY, Rep. Nita Lowey became the first woman
5 ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ CONGRESSWOMAN
SINCE REP. ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ – univer-
sally known as AOC – took office at the start of 2019, she has proven that her power goes beyond her symbolic win over a powerful incumbent, then-Rep. Joseph Crowley. Ocasio-Cortez has become an outspoken voice on middle- and working-class issues, including minimum wage increases and national rent control. To mixed reactions, she was involved in the protests against Amazon coming to Queens, hailing the pullout as a victory against “corporate greed.” She has also pushed the boundaries on mainstream issues, calling for the “New Green Deal” to combat climate change and pushing to abolish U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The youngest woman ever elected to Congress, she has become a leader of the progressive left as the movement tries to define a new era of the Democratic Party. Along with three other minority first-term congresswomen, AOC is a vocal member of the “The Squad” and has drawn criticism from both parties. She rarely misses an opportunity to hit back, although she has taken steps to mend fences with her fellow Democrats.
U.S. HOUSE; AARON-SCHWARTZ/SHUTTERSTOCK; CELESTE SLOMAN; STATE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT
to chair the Appropriations Committee, one of the most powerful committees in Congress, with jurisdiction over discretionary spending. Over the past year, she has used that power to threaten President Donald Trump’s farmer payouts and pass a short-term budget to avoid another government shutdown in September. She has also come out strongly in support of the impeachment inquiry. However, Lowey won’t be leading the committee for long, as she announced in October that she won’t be running for reelection in 2020 after more than three decades in office. Tied for the most senior member of the New York delegation (elected in 1988, along with Rep. Eliot Engel), Lowey has garnered praise for her bravery, candidness and effectiveness by media members, constituents and colleagues alike. She is a strong progressive on issues like reproductive rights, the environment and consumer safety – but has remained an equally strong ally of Israel, even as some members of her party challenge the United States’ support of the nation.