NYC Primary Election 2020: Grace Meng Defends Congressional Seat
FOREST HILLS, QUEENS — Democrats in central and northeastern Queens will get to cast a ballot this month in a collection of local, state and federal primary races — including the 6th Congressional District, where Democratic U.S. Rep. Grace Meng will defend her seat against challengers Mel Gagarin and Sandra Choi.
Meng is a member of the powerful House Appropriations Committee, which is responsible for funding federal agencies, programs and projects. She is also Vice Chair of the Democratic National Committee. Prior to serving in Congress, she served in the New York State Assembly and worked as a lawyer. She was born in Elmhurst and grew up in Flushing and Bayside.
The 6th Congressional District includes parts of Auburndale, Bayside, Elmhurst, Flushing, Forest Hills, Glendale, Kew Gardens, Maspeth, Middle Village, Murray Hill and Rego Park.
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The primary election, slated for June 23, is open to registered Democratic voters. All New York voters may request a mail-in ballot due to the coronavirus pandemic. Ballots must be postmarked by the date of the election for the vote to get counted.
For those who want to head to the polls, click here to find your poll site. Early voting is available from June 13 to June 21.
Patch reached out to all candidates in the primary election to create these profiles. Responses have been lightly edited for clarity.
Grace Meng
Age as of Election Day (Nov. 3)
45
NYC neighborhood of residence
Bayside
Position Sought
U.S. Congress
Party Affiliation
Democrat
Family
Husband: Wayne Kye, Sons: Brandon and Tyler
Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?
No
Education
University of Michigan (BA, 1997), Cardozo School of Law (JD, 2002)
Occupation
Representative in Congress 2013-Present
Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office
NYS Assembly 2009-2012, Representative in Congress 2013-Present
Campaign website
Why are you seeking elective office?
As a woman of color and the daughter of immigrants, I understand the structural barriers and biases that affect many of the people of my district. As the mother of two young boys in public schools, I recognize the importance of investing in a future that works for everyone. Less than 25% of Representatives in Congress are women, less than half of that are women of color. We need diverse voices to find common ground and come up with solutions to help people who are often left behind in the decision making process.
The single most pressing issue facing our nation/state/community is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.
Growing up in the most diverse county in America taught me that every person deserves a seat at the table. It’s my priority to advocate for inclusive policies and ensure equal access to opportunities. This requires bringing down the structural barriers that prevent people from reaching their full potential. I have introduced legislation to effectively end homelessness, help new Americans thrive, and close the education gap. Because everyone deserves the basic resources they need to reach their full potential.
We must address the inequalities in our criminal justice system and seek restorative justice for marginalized communities. That is why I support legislation to reform the draconian criminal justice laws that led to mass incarceration, add accountability and transparency to our police systems, and establish a process of national reckoning and reconciliation for four centuries of racial injustice.
Since the 2016 Presidential Election, our country has seen a disturbing spike in the amount of hate crimes against the Jewish community, the LGBTQ community, immigrant communities, and communities of color. In Congress I have introduced legislation and helped allocate funds to help our communities address and combat hate crimes.
The COVID-19 outbreak exposed deep inequalities in our society. Immigrants, people of color, and low-income families were the hardest hit by this virus. I was proud to vote for the “Heroes Act” which included provisions I worked to obtain. This provided:
-Additional cash assistance to families.
-Extended hazard pay for all frontline workers.
-Expanded funding for SNAP, as well as allowing the program to cover hot food purchases from retailers.
-Ability of immigrants who use Individual Taxpayer Identification Numbers (ITIN) to receive economic stimulus payments..
-Extension of work permits for immigrants, many of whom are serving as essential workers on the frontlines of combating the coronavirus pandemic.
-The Emergency Educational Connections Act (H.R. 6563), my bill which would provide $1.5 billion for internet access for students who are doing remote learning.
-Nearly $200 billion to help struggling renters and homeowners pay their rent and mortgages to help them stay in their homes.
-Billions for coronavirus testing and contract tracing.
-Extensions of the enhanced unemployment insurance.
What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?
I have a proven record of advocating for my community. I am committed to running a positive, issue driven campaign and listening to all of my constituents, regardless of their background or political ideology. I understand the importance of listening to those who disagree with me and coming up with solutions to helping the people of this district, city, state and country.
Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform
I am deeply proud to represent the 6th Congressional district and honored that the voters continue to have confidence in me to be their voice in Washington. My platform is defined by advocacy for equal rights and access to opportunity for all Americans. I'm proud to have been a leader in the effort to expand access to health care, in the fight against climate change, and pushing for tougher gun safety laws. I have stood up to the Trump administration, fighting back against the President's divisive rhetoric and xenophobic policies, and I've fought for underrepresented communities such as the many hard working families and immigrants that make our borough great. I have and will continue working with our labor unions to ensure safe working conditions. I will continue fighting for women and equal pay; protecting social security and medicaid, ensuring that veterans receive the support and services they earned; fighting for affordable housing; and being a voice for the voiceless.
What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?
Since I was first sworn into Congress in 2013, I have fought tirelessly for the people of my district, and I have delivered results. I have passed legislation into law and secured billions of dollars in funding to help immigrant communities, seniors, veterans, the environment, health care, small businesses, and children and families. I've worked to strengthen affordable housing, gun safety and animal welfare laws. I have also fought to improve our schools in Queens and enhance student safety, and helped obtain improvements to our local transportation system including making our borough's infrastructure handicap accessible. Recently, I:
- Obtained funds to open a Small Business Development Center in our district to help local small businesses grow and succeed.
- Passed provisions into law seeking to combat excessive airplane noise over Queens.
- Worked to improve mail delivery; helped to avoid potential post office closures in our district; and convinced the Postal Service to retrofit all blue collection boxes in Queens to combat mail fishing.
- Passed legislation into law to combat telephone scams.
- Worked on keeping kids out of harm's way as Co-Chair of the Kids' Safety Caucus, the first bipartisan group in the House of Representatives I helped to launch that addresses kids safety issues.
- Defeated the President's effort to include a citizenship question on the 2020 Census which would have had a detrimental impact on accurate population count and future federal funding for New York.
I have worked with constituents, civic leaders and organizations from throughout Queens on numerous issues to strengthen our communities. My team and I have helped tens of thousands of constituents obtain services and assistance from the federal government; helping them navigate federal government agencies and cut through government bureaucracy and red-tape. I take the definition and title of my job — Representative — very seriously. I will always be there for my constituents and will continue fighting for them to ensure that our communities receive the resources to which we are entitled.
The best advice ever shared with me was: (No response)
What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?
I am a product of this district and I'm living and raising my family here. Born in Elmhurst and raised in Bayside and Flushing, I'm proud of the deep ties that I have throughout all our wonderful communities. I am honored to have the endorsements of The Working Families Party, One Queens Indivisible, New York State Nurses Association, IBEW-Local 3, 1199 SEIU, and the United Federation of Teachers among other local and national organizations, labor unions, and advocacy groups.
This article originally appeared on the Forest Hills Patch
