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Nita Lowey | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Official portrait, 2007 | |
| Chair of theHouse Appropriations Committee | |
| In office January 3, 2019 – January 3, 2021 | |
| Preceded by | Rodney Frelinghuysen |
| Succeeded by | Rosa DeLauro |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromNew York | |
| In office January 3, 1989 – January 3, 2021 | |
| Preceded by | Joe DioGuardi |
| Succeeded by | Mondaire Jones |
| Constituency | 20th district (1989–1993) 18th district (1993–2013) 17th district (2013–2021) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Nita Sue Melnikoff (1937-07-05)July 5, 1937 New York City,New York, U.S. |
| Died | March 15, 2025(2025-03-15) (aged 87) Harrison, New York, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 3 |
| Education | Mount Holyoke College (BA) |
Lowey supporting a resolution condemning the imprisonment ofSalah Choudhury, a Bangladeshi journalist. Recorded March 13, 2007 | |
Nita Sue Lowey (/ˈloʊi/LOH-ee;néeMelnikoff; July 5, 1937 – March 15, 2025) was an American politician who served as aU.S. Representative fromNew York from 1989 until 2021. She was a member of theDemocratic Party. Lowey also served as co-dean of the New York congressional delegation, along with former U.S. RepresentativeEliot Engel. Lowey's district was numbered as the 20th from 1989 to 1993, as the 18th from 1993 to 2013, and as the17th beginning in 2013. The district included many of New York City's inner northern suburbs, such asWhite Plains,Purchase,Tarrytown,Mount Kisco, andArmonk.
In 2018, Lowey became the first woman to chair theHouse Appropriations Committee. She announced on October 10, 2019, that she would retire and not run for re-election toCongress in2020.[1]
Lowey was born inthe Bronx in New York City on July 5, 1937, the daughter of Beatrice (Fleisher) and Jack Melnikoff.[2] She graduated from theBronx High School of Science asvaledictorian of the class of 1955, and then fromMount Holyoke College with a bachelor's degree.[3]
Lowey worked forMario Cuomo's 1974 campaign forlieutenant governor of New York. She then served as an assistant secretary of state ofNew York for 13 years.[4]
Lowey ran for theUnited States House of Representatives fromNew York's 20th congressional district in the1988 election againstincumbentJoe DioGuardi.[4] She defeated DioGuardi. Her district was renumbered as the18th district after the1990 U.S. census and became the17th after the2010 U.S. census. For her entire tenure, Lowey represented a large slice of New York City's northern suburbs, including most ofWestchester County and all ofRockland County. She used to represent some of the far northern portions ofQueens and theBronx until redistricting after the2000 Census removed the New York City portion of her district.[citation needed]
Lowey consideredrunning for the United States Senate in 2000, but stepped aside whenFirst Lady of the United StatesHillary Clinton announced her candidacy.[5] Lowey was considered a top contender for appointment to Clinton's Senate seat after Clinton was nominated to beSecretary of State, but in a December 1, 2008, phone interview with theAssociated Press, she stated that she was not interested in giving up her senior seat on the House Appropriations Committee.[6]
Lowey was known for her advocacy for women's health, environmental protection, foreign aid to developing nations, and efforts to fight AIDS,[7] as well as her support for Israel.[8]
Early in her congressional career, Lowey sponsored anearmark for the purpose of "dredging theMamaroneck Harbor."[9] According to the local newspaper,The Journal News, the dredging was proposed because "the harbor was becoming too shallow 'to accommodate the larger yachts.'"[9]
Lowey supported thePublic Broadcasting Service. During the 1990s, she appeared at a congressional hearing accompanied bySesame Street charactersBert and Ernie.[10]
In 2001–2002, Lowey served as the first female chair of theDemocratic Congressional Campaign Committee.[11]
In early 2009, Lowey introduced the Transportation Security Workforce Enhancement Act, which calls for collective bargaining rights for federal workers at the TSA and Department of Homeland Security.[12]
Lowey was critical of theStupak-Pitts Amendment, which placed limits on taxpayer-funded abortions in the context of theAffordable Health Care for America Act. Because of the rancor and disruptions which marked many of the town hall meetings held in the summer of 2009 to discuss health care reform, Lowey chose to present her point of view on health care reform in a telephone conference call. Some constituents questioned the effectiveness of this approach.[13]
In 2015, Lowey expressed her disappointment at Congress's failure to address Puerto Rico's budget problems.[14]
Lowey announced her opposition to PresidentBarack Obama's 2015nuclear deal with Iran, stating the following:
In my judgment, sufficient safeguards are not in place to address the risks associated with the agreement. Relieving UN sanctions on conventional arms andballistic missiles and releasing billions of dollars to the Iranian regime could lead to a dangerous regional weapons race and enable Iran to bolster its funding of terrorists. The deal does not explicitly require Iran to fully disclose its previous military work to theIAEA's satisfaction before sanctions relief is provided, and inspectors will not have immediate access to the most suspicious facilities. There are no clear accountability measures regarding punishment for minor violations, which could encourage Iran to cheat.[15]
The Democrats won a majority in the U.S. House of Representatives in the 2018 elections. Subsequently, Lowey became the first Chairwoman of the House Committee on Appropriations. In 2019, Lowey helped negotiate an end to a 35-day government shutdown.[1]
On October 10, 2019, two months after DemocratMondaire Jones announced his intention to challenge her in a 2020 primary, Lowey announced she would not run for reelection in 2020.[16][17][18]
Like all Democratic members of Congress, Lowey was asuperdelegate to the2016 Democratic National Convention. Lowey pledged to supportHillary Clinton. When asked by theNew York Daily News whether Lowey might switch her support to candidateBernie Sanders if Sanders were to win the New York State Democratic presidential primary, Lowey's chief of staff responded, "absolutely not... Hillary Clinton is Congresswoman Lowey's friend, colleague and her constituent, and she is behind her 100%."[19]
Lowey was married to Stephen Lowey, a named partner in thelaw firm of Lowey Dannenberg Cohen & Hart, P.C. inWhite Plains, New York. According to theWest Corporation, his practice areas include securities law,antitrust law, and consumer protection.The Loweys have three children and eight grandchildren.[citation needed]
An estimate of Lowey's personal assets, based on financial disclosures members of Congress are required to provide (aside from that of personal residences and non-interest-bearing bank accounts), put her wealth at $41.2 million in 2010, based largely on her husband's investments.[23] This figure was derived from a special investigative series of asset wealth of all U.S. Congressional Representatives conducted byThe Washington Post.[23]
Lowey was Jewish.[24][25] She died from breast cancer at her home inHarrison, New York, on March 15, 2025, at the age of 87.[26]
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)In the 1990s, Lowey appeared at a congressional hearing with Bert and Ernie of "Sesame Street" after Republican leaders had threatened to kill the Public Broadcasting Service.
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromNew York's 20th congressional district 1989–1993 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromNew York's 18th congressional district 1993–2013 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromNew York's 17th congressional district 2013–2021 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Ranking Member of theHouse Appropriations Committee 2013–2019 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Chair of theHouse Appropriations Committee 2019–2021 | Succeeded by |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Chair of theDemocratic Congressional Campaign Committee 2001–2003 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
