Summary

Current Position: US Representative of NY District 5 since 1998
Affiliation: Democrat
Former Position: State Delegate from 1993 – 1998
Other Positions:   Ranking member, Foreign Affairs Committee
District: Queens

Gregory W. Meeks is a lawyer who  has served his district for seventeen year tenure in the U.S. House of Representatives. In the last Congress, Meeks’s district included most of southeastern Queens, including Jamaica, Laurelton, Rosedale, Cambria Heights, Saint Albans, Springfield Gardens, The Rockaways, and the John F. Kennedy International Airport.

OnAir Post: Gregory Meeks NY-05

About

Source: Government page

Gregory Meeks 1From public housing to the nation’s Capital, Gregory Weldon Meeks has lived a true American success story. Known for his compassionate and tenacious representation of his constituents, and his coalition-building skills, Meeks proudly serves the constituents of New York’s Fifth Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Early Life

Congressman Meeks’ compassion and ability to collaborate are rooted in his upbringing. His family ventured north during the Great Migration from Rock Hill, South Carolina, eventually settling in East Harlem. He grew up in a public housing project and knew in his early years that he wanted to be a lawyer. He was inspired by a mother and father who worked hard to ensure that their children would have opportunities for advancement that they never did. Meeks’ parents passed on to him a profound sense of social justice, commitment to community, and willingness to extend a helping hand to those in need.

He carried these values with him to Adelphi University where he earned a bachelor’s degree in history. At Howard University Law School, Meeks embraced the jurisprudence of his idol, Thurgood Marshall, and of Charles Hamilton Houston. In the years to follow, Congressman Meeks worked as a Queens County Assistant District Attorney, a prosecutor for a special anti-narcotics taskforce, and chief administrative judge for New York State’s worker compensation system. In 1992, he was elected to the New York State Assembly, where he served until 1998, when he won a special election to represent the Fifth Congressional District of New York.

Work in Congress

Congressman Gregory W. Meeks, now in his thirteenth term, has devoted his energy and skill to serving one of the most diverse constituencies in the nation. His efforts on behalf of his district, New York City and State, and the nation as a whole have earned Rep. Meeks the respect of his constituents, New Yorkers, and Democrats and Republicans alike. He is known for being an effective, principled, and common sense leader. As a fervent supporter of the Affordable Care Act enacted under President Obama, Congressman Meeks believes that it should be enhanced. Congressman Meeks is part of the forward-thinking, pro-growth Democratic members who comprise the New Democrat Coalition (NDC), the largest ideological caucus in Congress. He co-chairs the NDCC Trade Task Force.

Congressman Meeks is the Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. He formerly served as the Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Rep. Meeks was the first Black Member of Congress to serve as Chair of that committee in the 117th Congress. Meeks is a multilateralist with decades of experience in foreign policy. He believes that the United States should build coalitions around our interests and work with other countries to build a stable and prosperous future.

He is a senior member of the House Financial Services Committee, where he served as the Chairmen of the Subcommittee on Consumer Protection and Financial Institutions which oversees all financial regulators such as, FDIC, Federal Reserve and all matters pertaining to consumer credit and the stability of the banking system. Rep. Meeks previously served as a Dodd-Frank conferee. Key provisions in the Wall Street reform law – including its stress testing requirement, the creation of the Office of Minority and Women Inclusion at the financial regulatory agencies, and the requirement that U.S. public companies who use natural resources to report their due diligence in stamping out conflict minerals– were co-authored by Congressman Meeks and remain in the law today. Rep. Meeks introduced a bill that would require government contractors and public companies to submit data on the racial, ethnic, and gender composition of their corporate boards.

If you’re interested in learning more, please refer to the Committees and Caucuses page.

District Work

Congressman Meeks is focused on revitalizing the economy, creating jobs, and enhancing the resiliency of the Fifth District’s transportation, housing and environmental infrastructure, which were hit hard by Superstorm Sandy.

Throughout his tenure in Congress, Congressman Meeks has fought to make New York City accessible and full of opportunity for all New Yorkers. One result of Representative Meeks’ tireless efforts came to fruition in April of 2017, at the groundbreaking ceremony of the Crossing at Jamaica Station. The housing and retail project, which will bring approximately 4,000 construction jobs to Jamaica, includes hundreds of new affordable residential units. To make this crucial economic development possible, Congressman Meeks secured $21 million in federal tax credits.

Ever striving to improve NYC’s accessibility, Congressman Meeks strengthened the major regional transportation hub in Jamaica, Queens via the Intermodal Enhancement and Atlantic Avenue Extension—which includes parts of the LIRR and NYC subway system, Airtrain connection to JFK Airport, and a total of 31 bus lines. He secured over $6 million and $10 million through the Federal Transit Administration and Federal Highway Administration respectively, to vastly improve transportation in his district, especially to and from JFK airport. Congressman Meeks also worked with Governor Cuomo to provide a significant $10 billion upgrade to JFK Airport. Ever focused on increasing diversity, Congressman Meeks advocated for Minority and Women Business Enterprises (MWBEs) in the bidding process.

Increasing diversity in all sectors of the economy is important to Congressman Meeks and in 1999 he secured $250,000 in federal funding to initiate the Science Engineering Mathematics and Aerospace Academy (SEMAA) at CUNY’s York College. The SEMAA program continues to educate and inspire young students to this day.

Not only has Congressman Meeks worked to build up Jamaica, but he has been keen on building up Far Rockaway, too. To this end, Congressman Meeks collaborated on the monumental Roadmap for Action, introduced in 2016, which will provide $91 million for the revitalization of Downtown Far Rockaway. These funds marked the continuation of Meeks’ ongoing effort to increase affordable housing options, improve transportation infrastructure, and boost the local economy.

Additionally, in the spring of 2017, Congressman Meeks and New York City launched a new ferry service, “NYC Ferry,” in the Rockaways a month ahead of schedule. This critical project had been in the works since 2005, when Representative Meeks procured $15 million in federal funding.

For years, Congressman Meeks has introduced a bill to allow for fairness in the recoupment of disaster assistance, to help not only his district rebuild after Superstorm Sandy, but also other districts suffering from natural disasters.

Personal Life

Congressman Meeks is a member of the Allen AME Church in St. Albans, New York and a proud member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. As a huge sports fan, Meeks enjoys watching the New York Knicks, the New York Giants, and the New York Mets. He is married to Simone-Marie Meeks and has three daughters – Ebony, Aja, and Nia-Aiyana.

Personal

Full Name: Gregory W. Meeks

Gender:  Male

Family:  Wife: Simone-Marie; 3 Children: Ebony, Aja, Nia-Aiyana

Birth Date:  09/25/1953

Birth Place:  Harlem, NY

Home City:  Saint Albans, NY

Religion: African Methodist Episcopal

Source:

Education

JD, Howard University Law School, 1975-1978

BA, History/Political Science, Adelphi University, 1971-1975

Political Experience

Representative, United States House of Representatives, New York, District 5, 2013-present

Candidate, United States House of Representatives, New York, District 5, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2018, 2020, 2022

Representative, United States House of Representatives, New York, District 6, 1998-2013

Candidate, United States House of Representatives, New York, District 6, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2010

Assembly Member, New York State Assembly, 1992-1998

Offices

Washington, DC Office

2310 Rayburn HOB
WashingtonDC 20515

Phone: (202) 225-3461
Fax: (202) 226-4169

Jamaica Office

153-01 Jamaica Avenue 2nd floor
JamaicaNY 11432

Phone: (718) 725-6000
Fax: (718) 725-9868

Rockaway Peninsula Office

67-12 Rockaway Beach Boulevard
ArverneNY 11692

Phone: (347) 230-4032

Contact

Email: Government page

Web Links

Politics

Source: none

New Legislation

Issues

Source: Government page

It is my duty to provide for and protect Americans’ well-being. To me that includes ensuring your access to a healthy living environment, and to quality, affordable healthcare.

Growing up in a public housing project, I was inspired by parents that worked hard to ensure better opportunities for their children than the ones they ever had.


Our country runs on workers, and current policies don’t reflect what people deserve.


The immortal words of Dr. King remain true today: Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.


There’s no denying that immigrants have shaped America into the beautiful, diverse, and flourishing nation that it is today.


Technological achievement and innovation has been a hallmark of the era in which we live.


More Information

Services

Source: Government page

District

Source: Wikipedia

 

New York’s 5th congressional district is a congressional district for the United States House of Representatives, represented by Democrat Gregory Meeks. The district is located in Queens. A plurality of the district’s population is African-American, and a majority of the district’s population is non-white.

The district includes the entire Rockaway Peninsula as well as the Queens neighborhoods of Broad Channel, Cambria Heights, Hollis, Howard Beach, Jamaica, Kew Gardens, Laurelton, Queens Village, Richmond Hill, Rosedale, Saint Albans, Springfield Gardens, and South Ozone Park, as well as John F. Kennedy International Airport.

Wikipedia

Gregory Weldon Meeks (born September 25, 1953) is an American lawyer and politician who has been a U.S. representative from New York since 1998. He is a member of the Democratic Party and chaired the House Committee on Foreign Affairs from 2021 to 2023. He still sits on the committee as ranking member.

In the last Congress, Meeks’s district included most of southeastern Queens, including Jamaica, Laurelton, Rosedale, Cambria Heights, Saint Albans, Springfield Gardens, The Rockaways, and the John F. Kennedy International Airport. It was made up largely of economically diverse African-American and West Indian American communities, but also included a small part of Ozone Park and part of Howard Beach known as Old Howard Beach, both of which are predominantly middle-class Italian-American communities. He also represented much of Kew Gardens and northern Richmond Hill, as well as the largely Irish American western part of Rockaway Peninsula.

Early life, education, and career

Meeks was born in East Harlem, New York City and raised in a housing project. He received his B.A. degree from Adelphi University and his J.D. degree from Howard University School of Law. He is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity.[1] He worked as an Assistant District Attorney and for the Special Narcotics Prosecutor for the City of New York before joining the Investigations Commission on official misconduct and organized crime. He then was Supervising Judge for the New York State Workers Compensation System. Meeks was a member of the New York State Assembly (31st D.) from 1993 to 1998.

House of Representatives

Elections

2008

Meeks was criticized for initially supporting Hillary Clinton over Barack Obama for president. His House primary election challenger was to be Ruben Wills, a former chief of staff for State Senator Shirley Huntley and an organizer for Obama. Wills said, “I was on board with Obama from Day 1; Meeks had to be dragged across the line.” Some suggested that a young black political class was seeking to assert the neighborhood’s power against what it saw as an older establishment, based in Harlem, that had long exercised disproportionate influence in New York City.[2][3] Wills did not qualify for the ballot, so no primary election took place.

2012

Meeks in June 2012

Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) named Meeks one of the most corrupt members of Congress in 2011.[4] It was subsequently reported that his continuing ethical and criminal probes would cause his premature exit from Congress,[5] but Meeks has denied this.[6] In October 2011, hiphop artist and law school graduate Mike Scala announced his candidacy in the Democratic primary.[7] Meeks won the primary and was reelected in the November general election with 90% of the vote.

Tenure

Meeks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel, November 12, 2023

On March 3, 2015, Meeks participated with fellow Democrats in a boycott of the speech delivered by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Congress.[8]

In July 2020, after the primary defeat of House Foreign Affairs Committee chair Eliot Engel, Meeks declared his candidacy for chair. On December 3, 2020, Meeks defeated Joaquin Castro 148-78 in a House Democratic Caucus vote.[9]

Meeks voted with President Joe Biden’s stated position 100% of the time in the 117th Congress, according to a FiveThirtyEight analysis.[10]

SALT deductions

In November 2021, Meeks called for increasing the cap on SALT deductions.[11]

Philippines visit

On August 25, 2007, Silvestre Reyes, chair of the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and the Armed Services Committee, and four other representatives visited American troops deployed in the southern Philippines to overview the US-Philippines relationship. Reyes headed the bipartisan delegation, which included Rodney P. Frelinghuysen, member of the Appropriations Committee and the select intelligence oversight panel; Heather Wilson of the Committee on Energy and the Intelligence Committee; Meeks; and Dutch Ruppersberger of the Appropriations and Intelligence Committees. They drove to the base of the Joint Special Operation Task Force Philippines (JSOTFP), a US-led body that trains Filipino soldiers against terror in Barangay Upper Calarian.[12]

Fall of Afghanistan

On the day of the fall of Kabul, Meeks said in a statement that the Taliban victory was “inevitable”. He also said, “It is abundantly clear that the Taliban’s advance was ultimately inevitable, at least without a commitment to surge tens of thousands of U.S. troops for an unknown span of time. That is a commitment the American public has made clear it does not support.”[13]

2013 CREW report

In 2013, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington named Meeks as one of the most corrupt politicians in Washington.[14] This was as a result of claims that he purchased a home for over $150,000 less than it was worth,[15] met with former Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez on behalf of a donor,[16][17][18] and failure to disclose a private loan on congressional financial statements.[19]

Congressional auto lease

The New York Times reported that Meeks utilizes the option to use tax dollars to lease a car for use as a member of Congress. This option does not exist for Senate members. The lease is forgone by many members of Congress, but Meeks has held the most-expensive lease among all members. He has used tax dollars to lease a 2007 Lexus LS 460 for $998 per month. Meeks was unwilling to provide further comment when questioned by the Times about the lease arrangement, saying, “These are never lighthearted stories.”[20]

Malaysia visit

In August 2022, Meeks traveled to Malaysia with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other members of Congress as part of Pelosi’s Asia tour. Malaysia was their second stop after Singapore.[21] They discussed security challenges, economic opportunities and governance priorities between Malaysia and the U.S.[22]

Meeks poses with Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken before Blinken testifies before the House Committee on Foreign Affairs on March 10, 2021.

G20 Bali summit

On October 6, 2022, The United States embassy at Jakarta stated that Meeks represented Pelosi and would deliver the keynote address at the P20 Bali summit‘s plenary session on “Effective Parliament, Dynamic Democracy”. His speech discussed the importance of defending democratic values, combating climate change, strengthening food and energy security, advancing sustainable development and recovery from COVID-19, and deepening inter-parliamentary coordination to address these challenges.[23]

Committee assignments

Caucus memberships

Personal life

Meeks has African-American heritage, and according to DNA analysis, he descends mainly from people of Sierra Leone.[31] His great-grandparents lived in South Carolina when slavery was abolished.[32]

See also

References

  1. ^ Lawrence Kestenbaum. “Alpha Phi Alpha Politicians”. The Political Graveyard. Retrieved August 23, 2010.
  2. ^ Hernandez, Raymond (July 1, 2008). “A New Campaign Charge: You Supported Clinton”. The New York Times.
  3. ^ Obama Forces Back Challenges To Meeks In SE Queens Primary | www.qgazette.com | Queens Gazette
  4. ^ Staff (2012). “Gregory Meeks (D-NY)”. CREW’s Most Corrupt. Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington. Archived from the original on July 31, 2012. Retrieved February 12, 2020.
  5. ^ Vincent, Isabel; Klein, Melissa (October 2, 2011). “Pushing Meeks out door”. New York Post.
  6. ^ U.S. Rep. Greg Meeks (November 3, 2011). “Meeks Clears Air”. Queens Tribune. Archived from the original on April 24, 2012. Retrieved June 28, 2012.
  7. ^ Queens-Politics (October 28, 2011). “Scala Seeks Democratic Endorsement For 6th Congressional”. Queens-Politics.com. Queens-Politics.com. Retrieved June 28, 2012.
  8. ^ “List of 56 Democrats Not Attending Netanyahu’s Speech”. IJ Review. March 3, 2015. Retrieved March 4, 2015. [dead link]
  9. ^ “Castro launches bid for House Foreign Affairs gavel”. July 21, 2020. Archived from the original on July 22, 2020.
  10. ^ Bycoffe, Aaron; Wiederkehr, Anna (April 22, 2021). “Does Your Member Of Congress Vote With Or Against Biden?”. FiveThirtyEight. Retrieved November 15, 2023.
  11. ^ “Dems agonize over tax cuts for rich: ‘Bad policy, bad politics’. POLITICO. November 18, 2021. Retrieved November 20, 2021.
  12. ^ Matikas Santos (June 28, 2012). ‘Dindo’ will hit N. Luzon, 10 areas under Signal No. 2″. Philippine Daily Inquirer. Archived from the original on October 4, 2008. Retrieved June 28, 2012.
  13. ^ Choi, Joseph (August 16, 2021). “Top House Democrat: Taliban advance was ‘ultimately inevitable’. The Hill. Retrieved August 16, 2021.
  14. ^ “Rep. Gregory Meeks(D-NY) Named One of the Most Corrupt Members of Congress”. CREW. Archived from the original on August 7, 2020. Retrieved May 12, 2020.
  15. ^ Lipton, Eric; Hernandez, Raymond (March 19, 2010). “Congressman Cries Poor, but Lifestyle May Disagree”. The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 12, 2020.
  16. ^ Report, Post Staff (September 25, 2011). “Meeks’ moral morass”. New York Post. Retrieved May 12, 2020.
  17. ^ Muessig, Ben (December 29, 2009). “Queens Rep. Tied To Ponzi Schemer — And Hugo Chavez?”. Gothamist. Retrieved May 12, 2020.
  18. ^ Editorials (December 29, 2009). “Come clean, Mr. Meeks: Congressman must explain relationship with shady billionaire”. nydailynews.com. Retrieved May 12, 2020.
  19. ^ Smith, Greg B. (July 8, 2010). “FBI looks into secret $40,000 personal loan to Queens pol Gregory Meeks”. nydailynews.com. Retrieved May 12, 2020.
  20. ^ Hernandez, Raymond (May 1, 2008). “What Would You Drive, if the Taxpayers Paid?”. The New York Times.
  21. ^ “US speaker Nancy Pelosi arrives in Malaysia”. MalaysiaNow. August 2, 2022. Retrieved August 3, 2022.
  22. ^ “Dewan Rakyat, US House of Reps to have open line to build better ties”. Daily Express. August 2, 2022. Retrieved August 3, 2022.
  23. ^ Sinaga, Yuni Arisandy (October 6, 2022). Santoso, Anton (ed.). “Ketua komite luar negeri DPR AS hadiri KTT P20 di Jakarta” [Chairman of the U.S. House of Representatives foreign committee attends the P20 Summit in Jakarta]. Antaranews (in Indonesian). Retrieved October 7, 2022.
  24. ^ “Members”. House Baltic Caucus. Retrieved February 21, 2018.
  25. ^ “Members”. Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus. Retrieved May 17, 2018.
  26. ^ “Our Members”. U.S. House of Representatives International Conservation Caucus. Archived from the original on August 1, 2018. Retrieved August 4, 2018.
  27. ^ “Members”. U.S. – Japan Caucus. Retrieved December 14, 2018.
  28. ^ “Membership”. Congressional Black Caucus. Retrieved March 7, 2018.
  29. ^ “Members”. New Democrat Coalition. Archived from the original on February 8, 2018. Retrieved February 5, 2018.
  30. ^ “Members”. Afterschool Alliance. Retrieved April 17, 2018.
  31. ^ Congressman Greg Meeks Ancestry Reveal on YouTube
  32. ^ Gronich, Marc “A Q&A With Rep. Gregory Meeks” Jewish Press June 19, 2020
New York State Assembly
Preceded by

Member of the New York Assembly
from the 31st district

1993–1998
Succeeded by

U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by

Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from New York’s 6th congressional district

1998–2013
Succeeded by

Preceded by

Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from New York’s 5th congressional district

2013–present
Incumbent
Preceded by

Chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee
2021–2023
Succeeded by

U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial)
Preceded by

United States representatives by seniority
29th
Succeeded by