Candidate Answers to JOLDC: Grace Meng for US Congress NY-06

Candidate Name: Grace Meng
Office Seeking Election for: US Congress NY-06
Campaign Website: https://www.gracefornewyork.com/

1. Based upon your life experiences and accomplishments, why do you believe you are best qualified to represent your district?

I am honored to represent the vibrant and diverse place where I was born and raised.

As a woman of color and the child of immigrants, I understand the structural barriers and biases that affect my constituents. I am currently serving my seventh term in Congress and have a demonstrated record of delivering for my district on the issues that directly affect working families. I’m proud to provide responsive and effective constituent services in multiple languages for my community.

2. What LGBTQ+ organizations have you been involved with, either on a volunteer basis or professionally?

I am a proud member and former Vice-Chair of the Congressional Equality Caucus and served on the Board of Equality PAC, which helps elect champions for the LGBTQ community to office.

3. What press conferences, demonstrations, rallies and protests in support of LGBTQ+ issues, pro-choice legislation, racial justice, criminal justice have you attended, including rallies specifically against Donald Trump and his policies?

I have participated in multiple press conferences, demonstrations, rallies, and protests in support of LGBTQ+ issues, pro-choice legislation, racial justice, criminal justice. In addition, since Donald Trump has returned to office I have participated in a number of rallies opposing the administration’s actions.

I recently attended and participated in the No Kings protests throughout my district, as I did last fall and summer. I have also financially supported and raised awareness of these events for my constituents. Protesting and rallies matter, they send a message to the White House that we the people do not accept his authoritarian conduct as the status quo. I have also been a long supporter of the St. Pats for All parade in Woodside.

4. In light of the Trump Administration’s war on women, the LGBTQ+ community, minorities and immigrants, what are your plans to organize and combat the Trump agenda?

As Congressional Democrats, it's not enough to say we oppose the Trump agenda and wait for the next elections, we need to fight for our communities and win today.

Even though Republicans control both houses of Congress, I led the fight to save critical agencies in the Administration’s crosshairs, including the Minority Business Development Agency, The Legal Services Corporation, which is the largest national funder of civil legal aid for low-income Americans, and the DOJ’s Community Relations Service, whose purpose is to help communities prevent and resolve conflicts related to civil rights,

These are agencies that protect and support marginalized communities. From my position as the vice-ranking member of the appropriations committee, I helped defeat the MAGA attempt to gut them.

When we retake the House this year, we will use every tool at our disposal to hold the Administration accountable and check Trump’s power, from subpoenas and investigations to withholding funds for federal agencies and passing laws.

5. Will you seek or accept endorsements from individuals who oppose LGBTQ+ and reproductive rights?

No, I will not.

6. Do you support the unrestricted right to reproductive care and abortion?

Yes.

7. Have you hosted, funded or otherwise supported Drag Story Hours in your community?

I have not, but I am always open to working with constituents on community events – especially those that uplift underrepresented voices and stories.

8. Do you support right-wing attempts to ban the teaching of “critical race theory”?

I am strongly opposed to efforts by Republicans to warp our students’ education. This past session, I fought measures proposed by Trump’s allies in Congress to roll back funding for education initiatives that didn’t fit their ideological aims. Even from the position of the House Minority, we were able to defeat many of these proposals in the Appropriations Committee and secure a win for equality.

9. How will you work to enhance protections for immigrants and uphold New York’s role as a Sanctuary City?

We need to dismantle and rebuild the agency from the ground up, prioritizing due process and community safety. This includes ending the use of militarized tactics, non-tactical masks, the detention of families, and weapons in immigration enforcement so that no more innocent people are harmed.

I am also a strong advocate of the Fairness to Freedom Act, which would ensure that undocumented immigrants who are facing removal are given access to a lawyer if they cannot afford one themselves.

Lastly, I am urging the Governor to support the New York for All Act, which protects immigrant communities by limiting state and local law enforcement involvement in federal immigration enforcement and restricting information sharing.

Our country is a nation of immigrants and I represent the World’s Borough. As a daughter of immigrants, I understand how difficult life can be for immigrant communities and that these communities are critical for our success as a country.

10. Do you support New York becoming a Transgender Sanctuary State?

Yes, I support the State’s actions to make New York a safe haven for people fleeing legal persecution from other states.

I am also a proud co-sponsor of the Trans Bill of Rights, federal legislation that would prohibit burdensome restrictions on patients’ ability to receive counseling and treatment while expanding access to services like telehealth.

11. If elected, will you commit to supporting legislation that raises taxes on the richest New Yorkers and large corporations in order to fund the services and investments our communities need?

It’s time for the rich and wealthy corporations to pay their fair share. I support legislation that would increase taxes on corporations and billionaires to fund priorities for our families, including Medicare for All.

In Congress, I opposed Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” which took money from the pockets of working people and gave it to his billionaire cronies. When we retake the House, I will fight to reverse that damage and pass progressive tax legislation that brings fairness to our tax system.

12. How will you represent the most vulnerable, including individuals experiencing homelessness and asylum seekers? Have you ever opposed any shelter in your district?

Housing is a human right, and guaranteeing access for New Yorkers requires both an expansion of our affordable housing stock and the services we provide to people experiencing homelessness.

Along with Rep. Jayapal, I introduced the Housing Is a Human Right Act, which would provide for over $200 billion in necessary affordable housing and support services and $27 billion for homelessness services, while making targeted investments in communities at disproportionate risk of homelessness.

13. Do you oppose the death penalty?

Yes.

14. Do you support outlawing solitary confinement?

Yes.

15. Do you commit to visit constituents who are incarcerated? Will you work to secure the release of individuals who have demonstrated sincere remorse, worked toward rehabilitation and are not deemed a threat to society?

Yes, absolutely. Just last month (March 2026) I visited the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn to meet with a constituent – an asylum seeker that had been detained by federal authorities.

Additionally, I have previously visited other correctional facilities on Rikers Island and in Westchester County, and advocated for rehabilitation-oriented programs.

16. Do you commit to make applications for clemencies available to your constituency including a link to an application in a constituent newsletter? Will you submit it to our club?

.

Through my office, I have advocated for clemencies in New York and endorsed the Candles for Clemency campaign supported by the Jim Owles Democratic Club. I would welcome working with advocates to make sure my constituents are informed of the opportunity to apply for clemency.

17. Did you rank Andrew Cuomo on your Democratic primary ballot in 2025? Who did you support for mayor in the 2025 Democratic primary and general election?

I did not endorse a candidate for Mayor last year.

18. In view of the fact that Ed Koch has been documented to have caused the deaths of scores of people with AIDS, excused city council members who voted against the gay rights bill and was blatantly racist, would you support renaming the former Queensboro Bridge?

Yes, I would gladly consider supporting city efforts to rename the bridge. I welcome any outreach to my office with the specifics and proposed names for this purpose.

19. Do you support naming the soon to be reconstructed 42nd street bus terminal the Bella Abzug Port Authority?

Yes.

20. If an incumbent, how did you vote on House Res. 719 “Honoring the Life and Legacy of Charles Kirk”? If not an incumbent, how would you have voted?

I voted present on the resolution. Political violence is deplorable in all forms. However, I could not vote for a measure that endorses homophobic and bigoted views, and weaponizes a tragedy for political gain.

21. Do you support the immediate impeachment of Trump and other administration officials? If yes, which?

Yes, but the process of filing articles of impeachment cannot be rushed. Ample time must be given for impeachment inquiry proceedings to thoroughly make clear that the President’s actions support charges of high crimes and misdemeanors. In the hyper politicized environment we find ourselves in, the case against the President must be clear and objective. With respect to the Trump Administration’s officials, I have called for the impeachment of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem before her removal.

22. When Democrats regain power, do you favor Justice Department prosecutions to hold Trump’s administration officials accountable for criminal offenses?

Yes - no one is above the law. There are countless examples of overreach and corruption from this administration that warrant investigation by the Department of Justice.

23. Would you vote to defund ICE?

ICE cannot continue in its current form under DHS, and what comes next needs proper guardrails and constitutional compliance as its baseline. This means evidence and warrants before arrests, badge identifications like any other agency, a ban on masks that shield agent identities, and legal accountability for misconduct.

I have repeatedly voted to reject this administration’s funding proposals for ICE that would divert more resources from public safety to continue the agency’s assault on innocent people.

24. If an incumbent, how did you vote on House Resolution to censure Rep. Rashida Tlaib? If not an incumbent, how would you have voted?

I did not vote to censure Rep. Rashida Tlaib. However, I unequivocally condemn the hurtful, inflammatory, and blatantly hateful rhetoric (“from the river to the sea…”) from the Congresswoman.

25. If an incumbent, how have you voted on allowing NSA to conduct warrantless searches? If not an incumbent, how would you vote?

Several times, I have voted against reauthorization of FISA without reforms. I strongly support reforming Section 702. In 2024, I voted to pass the bipartisan Reforming Intelligence and Securing America Act and voted for an amendment from Rep. Nadler to implement additional reforms. I have signed several letters calling for changes to FISA that include first amendment protected reforms, prohibitions to warrantless wiretapping, and increased transparency.

26. If an incumbent, how did you vote on House Res 58 “Denouncing the Horrors of Socialism”? If not an incumbent, how would you have voted?

I voted yes on this resolution, which came up in previous years, calling out foreign governments and brutal authoritarian regimes. Many of my constituents are refugees from countries with authoritarian governments, including Communist regimes. These people carry painful memories of repression and violence under dictatorship, and look to their representatives to reject that.

I believe we should reject autocracy in all its forms, including from the far-right here in the United States.

27. If an incumbent, how did you house on a resolution directing the removal of all troops in foreign nations not authorized by Congress?

I voted yes on both War Powers Resolutions this year. Our children shouldn’t be sent into harm’s way to fight Donald Trump’s wars with no strategy or exit plan. .

28. Do you support allowing DC to fund its own government, including the criminal justice system, without oversight by Congress?

Yes, I support statehood for Washington D.C.

29. What is your legislative remedy to secure the building of low and moderate-income housing around the state?

New York state is in a housing crisis, and it will require major investment in our affordable housing stock to fight displacements and homelessness.

To this point, the Housing Is a Human Right Act makes billions of dollars in federal assistance available to provide needed infrastructure support for deeply affordable housing.

Additionally, I was proud to secure $850,000 in upgrades for senior housing in my district. We need to build more affordable housing, but it’s also critical that we preserve existing units to prevent tenant displacement and maintain safe and sanitary living conditions for New Yorkers.

30. Will you refuse donations from AIPAC, SolidarityPAC, police and corrections associations, the fossil fuel industry, and the charter school industry?

I support comprehensive campaign finance reform, including a constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United. While fundraising is a reality of every campaign, my support comes from a broad coalition, including pro-democracy groups, environmental advocates, and labor organizations. My voting record has always been based on close conversations with constituents in my district, not any donors.

31. Do you support removing criminal penalties for consensual commercial sex work between adults?

I support a legal framework that prioritizes safety. The existing law puts sex workers in a precarious situation where cooperation with law enforcement may result in criminal penalties. That makes all of us less safe. I would need to review specific legislation, but our focus should be on preventing violence and trafficking of vulnerable people.

32. What additional information would you like the Jim Owles Liberal Democratic Club to consider when we are making our endorsement decision?

It’s been an honor to be endorsed by the Jim Owles Liberal Democratic Club in my previous runs for Congress, and I hope I can count on your support again. I am wholeheartedly dedicated to the mission of equality that Jim Owles and the GAA championed and will continue to fight for that mission in Congress.

I am proud to be supported by a broad coalition of organizations, activists, and elected officials, including the Congressional Progressive Caucus PAC, Attorney General Letitia James, Representative Nydia Velazquez, State Senator John Liu, and Councilmember Lynn Schulman to name several.

If you receive our endorsement, do you agree to identify the Jim Owles Liberal Democratic Club on all appropriate literature and electronic materials?

Yes!