Issues
My political career began as a consumer advocate when I led the successful campaign in 1969 to put freshness dates on products sold in the supermarket. I am a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee, where I serve as the Chairwoman of the Consumer Protection subcommittee. On the Committee, I have continued my efforts to protect consumers from unfair business practices, unsafe products, insurance abuses, and harmful chemicals in products, and to improve the safety of children's products, vehicles, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals.
Legislation I've Introduced
OTHER IMPORTANT UPDATES
Many people believe that the Food and Drug Administration regulates cosmetics the same way it does food and drugs to ensure safety. The average person – men as well as women – uses 10 personal care products daily. We also use them on our children in the form of shampoos and lotions. In reality, cosmetics and other personal care products are one of the least regulated consumer products on the market today and the existing law has not been updated since 1938.
We must work to bring down the cost of education to ensure that students are not priced out of attending college or saddled with years of debt after graduation. Congress must make student loan funding a top priority and that is why I am a strong supporter of Pell grants, reduced interest rates for Federal Direct Stafford Loans, and other student loan opportunities. In addition, we need to increase available grants and create more programs to help individuals work off their loans.
Resources
Our economy is recovering from the Great Recession, but there is still considerable work to be done. Too many Americans can't find jobs or are working part-time or for lower pay than before the economic crisis. Too many Americans who are working have seen their hours shortened or their benefits cut back. Too many feel that their part of the American Dream – to provide for their families with a solid paycheck, own a home, send their kids to college, retire with dignity – is slipping away.
A fundamental building block of our democracy is the right of American citizens to vote and choose their representatives. We must do everything in our power to make sure that citizens maintain their voice in our society so that government works for the interests of all Americans, not just those who can afford to make large campaign contributions.
I am a strong supporter of medical research. Chronic diseases like cancer, arthritis, diabetes and heart disease affect 1 out of every 2 adults and kill nearly 2 million Americans every year. Funding through the National Institutes of Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Department of Defense provides the possibility of medical breakthroughs in the detection, treatment and ultimately cures for diseases that are creating so many hardships for individuals and families – and that cost our nation enormously in high medical costs and lost productivity.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is charged with ensuring the safety of drugs in the U.S. The FDA plays the important role of approving drugs based on the results of clinical trials as well as monitoring and gathering data to ensure to determine if any adverse drugs reactions have become apparent after the drugs enter the marketplace. The FDA developed MedWatch to provide important safety information to consumers and to allow consumers to report serious problems with human medical products.
Our country's strength and success is based on our robust middle class. These days, too many American families feel that the American Dream is slipping away – they are worried about finding good jobs, sending their kids to college, losing the equity in their homes, and even foreclosure. Rebuilding the American Dream so that every individual has access to opportunity and success is a challenge, but not an impossible one.
As a former elementary school teacher, I believe that we need to ensure that all children have fair, equal access to a high-quality public education. The future of our economy and the success of our country depend on a renewed commitment to public education. Policymakers need to work in partnership with teachers, parents, academics, administrators and students to build an adequately funded system to educate all our children.