A strong and dedicated mentor can help a young woman get her foot in the door, get a promotion and get a raise.

A strong mentor can help a young woman find and advance in the career of her dreams that otherwise may have seemed impossible.

America is the only high income nation without a paid family leave program. This means that if you or a family member gets sick, there is no guarantee that you can take the time you need to take care of yourself or your loved one, leaving already vulnerable families in the position of making hard decisions in cases of illness.

Along with a livable wage, many parents are desperate for quality affordable child care.

For American families, Universal pre-K is an essential piece of the puzzle that not only allows their kids to get a good start, but it also allows mothers to remain on the job earning a paycheck and helping our economy grow.

If we expect our children to thrive at our colleges and universities, and succeed in our economy once they graduate - first we must make quality, affordable early childhood education accessible to all.

Hardworking men and women deserve not only job security, but also a paycheck when they need to take time off to care for a loved one.

Use your voice on the local level where it has the potential to be more widely heard.

Empowering women in the workforce is a key to growing the economy and having a thriving middle class.

The American people deserve to know that their elected leaders play by the exact same rules that they play by and that their lawmakers' only interest is what's best for the country, not their own financial gain.

When they return home from serving our country, our National Guard and Reserve members shouldn't have to be confronted with red tape in order to access the benefits they've earned fighting for our country.

Like all Americans, I will never forget where I was the morning of the 9/11 attacks.

For me, getting off the sidelines means women making a difference by letting their voices be heard on the issues they care about.

When women earn more, families are stronger, and children have better access to quality health care and education.

One of the primary reasons I first ran for Congress was to be a voice for our troops, veterans and military families.

Discriminatory wage practices undermine women's ability to provide for their families and survive on a decent retirement income.

I'm fighting to make childcare more affordable for working parents so they can continue working and advancing their careers, closing wage gaps that for too long have held women back from the fair economic opportunities they need.

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.