Grace Meng: Legislative Record

Laws Enacted

Meng's most significant legislative achievement is the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act, which she introduced with Senator Mazie Hirono. The bill passed the Senate 94 to 1 and the House 364 to 62 before being signed into law by President Biden on May 20, 2021 . The law created a designated DOJ position to expedite review of pandemic-related hate crimes, mandated multilingual reporting mechanisms, and directed federal agencies to collaborate with community organizations on hate crime awareness. The bill also incorporated the text of the bipartisan Jabara-Heyer NO HATE Act, which strengthened hate crime reporting through implementation of the National Incident Based Reporting System .

Among her other enacted legislation, Meng has successfully passed measures to strike the word Oriental from federal law, designating it as outdated and offensive . She secured laws making Queens historic sites part of the National Park Service, protecting public housing residents from insufficient heat, supporting religious freedom, and establishing the first step toward creating a national museum of Asian Pacific American History and Culture . She also passed measures assisting veterans and military members, and provisions improving consumer protections and safeguards for children .

Meng's provision allowing menstrual products to be purchased with health savings accounts and flexible spending accounts was included in the 2020 CARES Act .

Key Legislation Introduced

The Menstrual Equity for All Act represents Meng's flagship ongoing legislative effort. First introduced and reintroduced across multiple sessions, the comprehensive bill seeks to make menstrual products available to students, low-income individuals, incarcerated people, and shelter residents while prohibiting sales tax on period products .

The Divided Families Reunification Act, a bipartisan bill seeking to help Korean American families reunite with relatives in North Korea, passed the House in July 2021 .

The Community-Based Approaches to Prevent and Address Hate Crimes Act, introduced in 2026, would authorize DOJ grant funding for community organizations working to prevent and respond to hate crimes, building on the framework established by the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act .

She led efforts to award a Congressional Gold Medal to Chinese American World War II veterans .

The Teaching Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander History Act, introduced in May 2025 with Senator Hirono, promotes the teaching of AANHPI history in schools nationally .

Committee Work

Meng sits on the House Appropriations Committee, where she serves as Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies in the 119th Congress . She also serves on the Subcommittee on National Security, Department of State, and Related Programs. She is New York's senior member on the full committee .

In the 118th Congress, she served as Vice Ranking Member of the Appropriations Committee and sat on the State and Foreign Operations subcommittee alongside the Commerce, Justice, Science subcommittee . She previously served on the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the House Small Business Committee earlier in her tenure .

Through her Appropriations role, Meng secured $30 million in the Commerce, Justice, Science spending bill to expand provisions of the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act in July 2021 . She has consistently used community project funding to direct federal resources to Queens, securing nearly $18 million for 15 projects in the 2026 fiscal year .

Voting Record

GovTrack records show Meng has generally voted in line with the Democratic caucus. Notable votes include support for the American Rescue Plan Act in February 2021 , opposition to the 2025 Republican reconciliation package , and votes for resolutions condemning antisemitism on university campuses (H.Res. 927, passed 303 to 126) . She voted for the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024 (passed 351 to 69) and for Israel-related resolutions including the No Funds for Iranian Terrorism Act (passed 307 to 119) .

Caucus Memberships

Meng chairs the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) and co-chairs the House Bipartisan Task Force for Combating Antisemitism . She is a founder and co-chair of the Congressional Kids Safety Caucus, the first bipartisan coalition in the House dedicated to child-safety issues . She helped create and served as founding member and former co-chair of the Quiet Skies Caucus, which works to mitigate excessive aircraft noise affecting communities . She has also served as Vice-Chair of the LGBTQ+ Equality Caucus . Earlier in her tenure, she served on the House Ethics Committee . Additional caucus memberships include the Congressional Caucus for Women's Issues, the Congressional Caucus on Korea, the Congressional Bangladesh Caucus, the Congressional Caucus on India and Indian Americans, and the Congressional Hellenic Caucus, among others .