Press Releases
U.S. Rep. Grace Meng (D-Queens) tonight hailed Mayor de Blasio's decision to create a school holiday for Lunar New Year. Meng was among the first to introduce legislation that sought to close New York City schools for the holiday when she served in the New York State Assembly, and she has urged the Mayor – in person and publicly – to move forward with it. The Congresswoman will join the Mayor to make the official announcement on Tuesday, and she issued the following statement this evening:
U.S. Rep. Grace Meng (D-Queens) today joined Mayor de Blasio in Flushing to announce the creation of a school holiday for Lunar New Year. The following are her remarks as prepared for delivery:
"Thank you Mr. Mayor for making this announcement in Queens. It's always great to have you here in my district, and we're especially excited to have you here today.
It's been a long road. But we finally made it. At long last, a school holiday for Lunar New Year will be a reality in New York City.
Today, Reps. Joe Crowley (D-Queens, the Bronx), Vice Chair of the Democratic Caucus, and Grace Meng (D-Queens), a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and its Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific, announced that in the wake of Nepal's devastating earthquake, they are leading dozens of House members in a letter urging Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson and Secretary of State John Kerry to grant Temporary Protected Status (TPS) to Nepali nationals currently residing in the United States, so that they are not forced to return home to harmful and unsafe conditions.