Meng Asks Key Congressional Panels to Help With Her Efforts to Make Feminine Hygiene Products More Accessible to Women

U.S. Rep. Grace Meng (D-Queens) announced today that she has called on key Congressional panels to help with her efforts in making feminine hygiene products more accessible to women.

Meng sent letters to the Chair and Ranking Members of three House Appropriations Subcommittees requesting that they include provisions in their upcoming spending bills to increase the availability of feminine hygiene items. The letters include three separate pieces of correspondence and ask for the following:

• A provision urging the Bureau of Prisons to provide female inmates with feminine hygiene products free-of-charge

Request made in letter to the Chair and Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies

• A provision requesting the Secretary of State to report on every foreign aid and assistance program that makes toilet paper or soap – but not feminine hygiene products – available to individuals. The goal is to determine the feasibility of providing funding for feminine hygiene products in U.S. foreign assistance initiatives.

Request made in letter to the Chair and Ranking Member Appropriations Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs

• A provision that would allow money spent for feminine hygiene products to not be considered income when determining eligibility for HUD housing and homeless and assistance programs. The goal is to not penalize homeless or low-income women who spend money to purchase feminine hygiene products.

Request made in letter to the Chair and Ranking Member of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies

“Menstruation is something that women cannot control and it’s time to stop viewing the issue as taboo,” said Meng. “All women and girls deserve equal access to feminine hygiene products to prevent health problems and that includes federal prisoners, homeless and low-income women, and women in developing countries. I ask these Subcommittees to include my requests in their spending bills, and I will continue to push ahead until feminine hygiene products are more accessible and affordable for women and girls everywhere.”

In addition to the appropriations requests, Meng has spearheaded several efforts to make feminine hygiene products more accessible to women. She recently convinced FEMA to add feminine hygiene products – such as tampons and pads – to the list of items that homeless assistance providers can purchase with federal grant funds. She is pushing legislation that would allow Americans to buy feminine hygiene products with money from flexible spending accounts. She has also advocated for the elimination of the New York State sales tax on tampons and pads and recently helped unveil a pilot program to supply these items to middle and high schools students in New York City, including schools in her district in Queens.