Instead of marginalizing women, Congress must get to work on policies that can foster job creation and fuel economic growth.

It's time to focus on real solutions that will create jobs and build our economy for real strength and stability - not just for the fortunate few, but for every American.

The men and women who lived through and came to our rescue on 9/11 were not Democrats or Republicans or Independents. They were Americans first and foremost, and so were the people they saved.

While we can't begin to repay the debt we owe our veterans for their brave service, we can certainly take steps to ease the physical, psychological and financial hardships they may be experiencing.

If everyone in America can easily see who and what their lawmakers are requesting taxpayer money for, we can keep elected officials honest, end the days of political, special interest favors, and reduce wasteful spending.

When I was first elected to the House in 2006, it was important to me to send a clear message to the people of NY-20: I wanted to be a representative for the people and shed some light on their government, so I became the first member of Congress to post my schedule, my financial disclosures and my earmark requests all online.

As Congress focuses on comprehensive health care reform, one thing needs to be clear: We cannot fix health care if we do not address America's nursing shortage.

If we're going to be able to provide access to quality, affordable health care to every American - we need to have the trained health care professionals inside hospitals to provide that care.

Communities in every corner of America struggle to fill nursing vacancies to provide care for everyone who needs it.

Nurses are on the front lines of our care. And they need to be at the foundation of health care reform. Let's get health care done - and done right - by ensuring the amount of nurses we need to provide quality care for all.

The government can take smart steps to give all kids the healthy start they need to reach their full potential.

I love celebrating Mother's Day. Since I was a kid, it was a special day to tell my mother and grandmother how much I love them. Now that I'm a mom, it is a special day to spend with my children.

I look at each nominee. If they suck, I vote against them. If they're worthy, I vote for them.

I've never lived through a moment in history where people are using their voices and becoming strong advocates for what they believe in.

We can work with anybody. I mean, we passed the 9/11 health bill with Tom Cotton. Most people would assume I wouldn't be able to work with Tom Cotton and Rand Paul and Ted Cruz.

The press pool was taking bets on how many months I would last. There was nobody in the state who thought I had any shot at being a good senator.

I was a tennis player in high school and college.

By running, you're making that commitment that says, 'I'm dedicating myself to public service.' Win or lose, you're making that statement, and you actually are taking a step in that direction.

Sexism is alive and well in politics, as it is in all industries.

Just telling women: If you don't speak up, things aren't gonna change. If you don't become an advocate, it's not gonna change. If you don't vote, it's not gonna change. If you don't run, it's not gonna change.

When we do our legislation, we're not trying to figure out, 'How can I use this to run against you?' We say, 'How can we pass this bill to help both of our constituents?'

I'm grateful that President Trump is willing to talk about paid leave, but his policy, unfortunately, is woefully inadequate.

We'd certainly have paid leave already by now, we'd have equal pay, we'd have a living minimum wage - a lot of things would change having that diversity of opinion in Washington. We certainly wouldn't be debating whether women should have access to birth control.

It's a heavy feeling being in Washington. There are so many important issues at risk. You're in a fighting stance every day.

A lot of members of Congress are isolated. They tend to be affluent. They tend to have a lot of people doing things for them. So sometimes they don't understand what their constituents are feeling.

I didn't know how to pass a major piece of legislation; I didn't know how to get colleagues to support my views. It took a lot of asking for advice and learning. One of the lessons is that you have to be able to tell people why you care, and you're only going to be able to do that if you talk to someone whom an issue is affecting.

The silver lining of the Trump presidency is it is an era of activism, and one where women really want to be heard.

I was new at my job, and I needed to address my inexperience and weaknesses head-on.

Our Declaration of Independence was the start of a conversation about how to achieve life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness for every citizen. Our Constitution was always intended to grow and adapt as we formed a more perfect union, established justice, and ensured peace, security, and the blessings of liberty.

President Trump is tearing apart the moral fabric of this country.

We deserve a president who inspires us to stand for something greater than ourselves.

For too many, the shot for a brighter future is simply out of reach.

Show me a supposedly 'unfixable' problem in Washington, and I'll show you the political corruption standing in the way.

When the NRA wants to prevent gun reform, they funnel money into the campaigns of candidates nationwide to make sure they don't vote for common sense gun reform. Insurance companies do the same to block Medicare for All and prevent us from guaranteeing health care as a right, not a privilege.

As a candidate, Donald Trump said he would punish women for accessing abortion, and as president, he's made good on that promise by stacking the Supreme Court with anti-choice extremists Brett Kavanaugh and Neil Gorsuch.

I believe that reproductive rights are human rights, and they are nonnegotiable.

I have always stood up to protect women's access to safe and legal abortion, birth control and health care at Planned Parenthood.

Throughout my career I've fought for the rights of women as full and equal members of society.

As president, I will only nominate judges - including Supreme Court justices - who will commit to upholding Roe v. Wade as settled law and protect women's reproductive rights.

As president, I won't just continue to defend women's civil rights from political attacks - I'll make guaranteeing those rights a priority.

I'm proud to have stood with the LGBTQ community my entire career.

I was one of the first senators to support marriage equality, and led the effort to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act.

In America, we make a promise to seniors: After a lifetime of working and contributing to this country, you'll earn the benefit of a secure retirement, good health care, and peace of mind in your later years. To me, that's a commitment we have to keep.

I'll always stand up for America's seniors so they can age with dignity.

As a member of the Senate Aging Committee, I've gone to bat for seniors by cracking down on senior fraud, combating price gouging by pharmaceutical companies, and pushing for wealthy individuals to contribute their fair share to Social Security.