Joe Crowley (D-Ny-14)

LEGISLATOR US Representative JOE CROWLEY (D-NY-14) IN OFFICE CONTACT Up for re-election in 2016 Email Contact Form LEADERSHIP POSITION https://crowley.house.gov/ contact-me/email-me House Democratic Caucus Web crowley.house.gov 9th Term http://crowley.house.gov Re-elected in 2014 Twitter @repjoecrowley https://twitter.com/ repjoecrowley Facebook View on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/ repjoecrowley DC Office 1436 Longworth House Office Building BGOV BIOGRAPHY By Brian Nutting and Mina Kawai, Bloomberg News Joseph Crowley, vice chairman of the Democratic Caucus for the 113th Congress and one of the party's top campaign money raisers, works for government actions that benefit his mostly middle-class district while keeping in mind the needs of Wall Street financial firms that employ many of his constituents. He has served on the Ways and Means Committee since 2007. He was a key Democratic supporter of the 2008 bailout of the financial services industry -- loudly berating Republicans on the House floor as an initial bailout bill went down to defeat -- as well as subsequent help for the automobile industry. In addition to his post as caucus vice chairman -- the fifth-ranking post in the Democratic leadership -- Crowley is also a finance chairman for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, the political arm of House Democrats, and serves on the Steering and Policy Committee. He has a garrulous personality to match his burly, 6-foot-4 frame. He's been known to break into song and is generally well-liked by friend and foe alike. Crowley has been a solid supporter of Democratic Party positions, as illustrated by the ratings he has received from organizations on opposite ends of the political spectrum: A lifetime score of 90 percent-plus from the liberal Americans for Democratic Action and 8 percent, through 2012, from the American Conservative Union He favors abortion rights, gun control and same-sex marriage. In 2013, he demonstrated outside the Capitol building in a push for comprehensive immigration-law changes. He and seven other Democrats were arrested in a sit-in. In the 112th Congress, Crowley was one of the Democratic leadership's appointed chief deputy whips. He also was © 2015 Bloomberg Finance L.P. All Rights Reserved In the 112th Congress, Crowley was one of the Democratic leadership's appointed chief deputy whips. He also was elected to chair the New Democrat Coalition, a group of centrist, pro-business party members. In the 113th Congress, he dropped his affiliation with the coalition. Members of that group are generally more supportive of international trade agreements than the average House Democrat, and Crowley voted in 2011 for free-trade agreements with Panama, Columbia and South Korea. Notwithstanding those votes, Crowley was endorsed in his 2012 re-election campaign by the New York AFL-CIO and his lifetime score, through 2012, from the national AFL-CIO was 93 percent. He is a supporter of government safety-net programs. In 2014, when Congress passed a multi-year farm bill that cut food- stamp spending, Crowley complained, ``The fact that an $8 billion cut in food stamps is considered a compromise just shows how unreasonable the original demands were. What have we come to when we arguing about how much of a cut to hungry children is reasonable?'' Cousin Killed Crowley says he is dedicated to the fight against terrorism after his cousin John Moran, a New York Fire Department battalion chief, was killed in the Sept. 11, 2001, World Trade Center collapse. Early Years Growing up in an ethnically diverse neighborhood in Queens prompted Crowley's interest in international affairs. He was on the Foreign Affairs panel for the first dozen years of his House tenure. He says his work on the committee has helped strengthen ties between the U.S. and other countries, including India and Bangladesh. Among other issues, Crowley was a leader in an effort to change military regulations that prevented armed services members of the Sikh faith from wearing beards and turbans. Crowley's parents are both of Irish descent -- his mother was an immigrant from Northern Ireland. His father was a police officer. He has been involved in efforts to end violence in Ireland and Northern Ireland and in the 113th Congress was co- chairman of the Ad Hoc Committee on Irish Affairs. Crowley, who majored in communications and political science in college, entered politics at age 24, when he was elected to a seat in the state Assembly. He spent 12 years in the legislature. He was influenced by his uncle, Walter Crowley, who served on the New York City Council, and his House predecessor, Thomas J. Manton. When Manton decided to retire in 1998, he did so only a few days after he had filed for re-election. That left it up to local party officials, including Manton, to name a replacement candidate and, with Manton endorsing Crowley, his nomination was assured. In the solidly Democratic district, he sailed to an easy victory in November and has had no electoral difficulties since. On Capitol Hill Crowley made two failed attempts for higher positions within the party before his success in late 2012 as Democrats organized themselves for the next Congress. He ran for the vice chairmanship of the Democratic Caucus in February 2006, and chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee in 2005. Crowley, who represents a Queens-based congressional district that also contains neighborhoods in the Bronx, is chairman of the Queens Democratic Party organization, He enjoys playing the guitar, and is sometimes spotted performing in public. On St. Patrick's Day in 2011 he sang at Sidetracks Restaurant in Queens for the Irish step-dancing crowd. Updated April 25, 2014 BIO FROM REPRESENTATIVE'S WEBSITE From the Representative's Website A native of Woodside, Queens and lifelong New Yorker, Joe has served the people of the Bronx and Queens in Congress since 1998. Before being elected to Congress, Joe received a bachelor's degree from Queens College, ran a successful small business for nearly a decade and represented the 30th Assembly District in the New York State legislature. Throughout his career in public service, Joe has been driven by a desire to protect New York's middle class. © 2015 Bloomberg Finance L.P. All Rights Reserved As Vice Chair of the Democratic Caucus, the fifth-highest ranking position in House Democratic Leadership, Joe's efforts in Congress are focused on building strong communities, creating jobs, increasing access to health care and housing, protecting seniors' hard-earned benefits, and opening up educational opportunities for working families. His seat on the prestigious Committee on Ways and Means allows Joe to work directly on issues of importance to the residents of the 14th District ^ keeping Medicare and Social Security strong, improving health care for all Americans and creating a fair and equitable tax code for American families and small businesses. Joe is dedicated to making the Bronx-Queens community more prosperous and secure. He established the Crime Stoppers program in 2002 to support local organizations that are working to reduce crime and improve the quality of life in our neighborhoods, and it has delivered more than $1 million in federal funding to the Bronx-Queens community for graffiti clean-up, after-school programming, and civic patrol efforts. He is focused on further strengthening and expanding urban hospitals and specialty health centers, such as the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Montefiore Westchester Square. These are not only world-class medical facilities, but large and reputable employers in the area. Joe is also firmly committed to preparing all young Americans for work in the 21st century by advocating for public education, championing increased federal support for Head Start and other pre-kindergarten programs and fighting to maintain critical financial aid, such as Pell Grants, so more students can afford a college education. The 14th Congressional District is one of the most diverse areas in the country. Through his work with a range of local organizations, Joe has enriched his understanding of international affairs and become a leading voice in efforts to promote democracy and human rights around the world. He successfully introduced and passed legislation to honor Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi with the Congressional Gold Medal for her tireless efforts to bring peace and democracy to Burma. He has also fought for women's rights both in the U.S. and overseas by introducing and spearheading the passage of the Girls Protection Act, legislation that prohibits the transport of minors abroad for the purpose of female genital mutilation. Like most New Yorkers, Joe's life was profoundly changed on September 11, 2001. Tragically, his cousin, Fire Department Battalion Chief John Moran, was among the brave first responders who died that day in World Trade Center Tower 2. To make sure we never forget the sacrifices made that day, Joe spearheaded an initiative to honor the first responders who lost their lives trying to help their fellow New Yorkers with a Public Safety Officer Medal of Valor. And, to ensure that New York and the nation are better prepared for future threats, Joe led efforts to create the Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) which targets homeland security funding to at-risk urban centers, such as New York City. To date, New York City has received over $950 million in funding to make our airports, train stations and ports safer and more secure. Joe was also instrumental in passing the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act to provide 9/11 first responders and workers with health monitoring and care. Both local and national media have recognized Joe for his effective and impressive record of leadership in Congress.

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