When mothers earn their fair share, young children have greater access to quality health care, educational opportunities, and safe communities. By ending the wage gap, we will help ensure that every child can achieve his or her God-given potential.
— Kirsten Gillibrand
The government can take smart steps to give all kids the healthy start they need to reach their full potential.
Communities in every corner of America struggle to fill nursing vacancies to provide care for everyone who needs it.
I find that when you open the door toward openness and transparency, a lot of people will follow you through.
If everyone in America can easily see who and what their lawmakers are requesting taxpayer money for, we can keep elected officials honest, end the days of political, special interest favors, and reduce wasteful spending.
The men and women who lived through and came to our rescue on 9/11 were not Democrats or Republicans or Independents. They were Americans first and foremost, and so were the people they saved.
I'm fighting to make childcare more affordable for working parents so they can continue working and advancing their careers, closing wage gaps that for too long have held women back from the fair economic opportunities they need.
One of the primary reasons I first ran for Congress was to be a voice for our troops, veterans and military families.
I have not been in Washington very long, but I've been there long enough to be shocked by how antiquated some of our laws have become.
We must do everything we can to help our service members and veterans transition into civilian life once they return home, and that means preparing them for the tough job market.
The American people deserve to know that their elected leaders play by the exact same rules that they play by and that their lawmakers' only interest is what's best for the country, not their own financial gain.
Use your voice on the local level where it has the potential to be more widely heard.
If one of my colleagues wants to block a bill, they should stand up in front of the American people and explain why.
For American families, Universal pre-K is an essential piece of the puzzle that not only allows their kids to get a good start, but it also allows mothers to remain on the job earning a paycheck and helping our economy grow.
A strong mentor can help a young woman find and advance in the career of her dreams that otherwise may have seemed impossible.
I love celebrating Mother's Day. Since I was a kid, it was a special day to tell my mother and grandmother how much I love them. Now that I'm a mom, it is a special day to spend with my children.
Obesity puts our children at risk of developing serious diseases - such as Type 2 diabetes, heart disease and depression. It keeps our children from performing their best at school.
If we're going to be able to provide access to quality, affordable health care to every American - we need to have the trained health care professionals inside hospitals to provide that care.
When I was first elected to the House in 2006, it was important to me to send a clear message to the people of NY-20: I wanted to be a representative for the people and shed some light on their government, so I became the first member of Congress to post my schedule, my financial disclosures and my earmark requests all online.
There is no greater call to service than that of our brave men and women who serve our country in combat across the globe.
It's time to focus on real solutions that will create jobs and build our economy for real strength and stability - not just for the fortunate few, but for every American.
Discriminatory wage practices undermine women's ability to provide for their families and survive on a decent retirement income.
For many of the brave men and women who have fought on the front lines, returning home means trying to navigate a complicated and bureaucratic Veterans Administration benefits system.
For me, getting off the sidelines means women making a difference by letting their voices be heard on the issues they care about.
When they return home from serving our country, our National Guard and Reserve members shouldn't have to be confronted with red tape in order to access the benefits they've earned fighting for our country.
Empowering women in the workforce is a key to growing the economy and having a thriving middle class.
As we all know, there is no harder or more rewarding job than being a mom.
Hardworking men and women deserve not only job security, but also a paycheck when they need to take time off to care for a loved one.
Along with a livable wage, many parents are desperate for quality affordable child care.
A strong and dedicated mentor can help a young woman get her foot in the door, get a promotion and get a raise.
When we create hope and opportunity in the lives of others, we allow love, decency and promise to triumph over cowardice and hate.
Nurses are on the front lines of our care. And they need to be at the foundation of health care reform. Let's get health care done - and done right - by ensuring the amount of nurses we need to provide quality care for all.
As Congress focuses on comprehensive health care reform, one thing needs to be clear: We cannot fix health care if we do not address America's nursing shortage.
The horrific damage of 9/11 did not end when those buildings came down.
While we can't begin to repay the debt we owe our veterans for their brave service, we can certainly take steps to ease the physical, psychological and financial hardships they may be experiencing.
Instead of marginalizing women, Congress must get to work on policies that can foster job creation and fuel economic growth.
While we can never truly repay the debt we owe our heroes, the least we should do for our brave veterans is to ensure that the government takes a proactive approach to delivering the services and benefits they have earned, so they can access the care they need and so richly deserve.
When women earn more, families are stronger, and children have better access to quality health care and education.
Like all Americans, I will never forget where I was the morning of the 9/11 attacks.
The brave men and women who have served - and those who continue to serve - our armed forces have selflessly sacrificed for our nation, and we owe it to them to provide the best services and protections available when they're overseas and after they return home.
In addition to being an economic security issue, the failure to pay women a salary that's equal to men for equal work is also a women's health issue. The fact is that the salary women are paid directly impacts the type of health care services they are able to access for both themselves and their families.
I believe transparency in government is key to restoring our nation's faith in its elected leaders.
If we expect our children to thrive at our colleges and universities, and succeed in our economy once they graduate - first we must make quality, affordable early childhood education accessible to all.
America is the only high income nation without a paid family leave program. This means that if you or a family member gets sick, there is no guarantee that you can take the time you need to take care of yourself or your loved one, leaving already vulnerable families in the position of making hard decisions in cases of illness.
My hope is that in the future, women stop referring to themselves as 'the only woman' in their physics lab or 'only one of two' in their computer science jobs.
