As a mother, I care deeply about the food that my family eats. And as a lawmaker, I care deeply about New York’s farmers who work tirelessly to supply our country with a wholesome and safe food supply. That’s why, as a member of the Agriculture Committee, I’ve devoted much of my time in the Senate to ensuring that our food system is as safe for our families as possible. It’s also why I have grave concerns about the use of antibiotics in the production of food animals and its impact on the health of our families. The fact is that antibiotics are critical tools for treating illness in humans...

As we all know, there is no harder, or more rewarding job, than being a Mom. But for so many mothers who work outside of the home, it's made even harder by the lack of equal pay for women in our country. According to the U.S. Census Bureau , women only make 77 cents on the dollar compared to what men make. For women who are mothers, that pay gap is compounded by what is commonly referred to as the "Motherhood Penalty," which amounts to approximately 5% per child on average . To illustrate how wide this gap is, Catalyst compared the median income of a working single mother ($24,487) with that...

For most parents, a trip to the pharmacy shopping for baby products is a routine experience. And while we make choices on which products to buy for any number of reasons, we would never imagine any one of these products could be unsafe. We have faith that baby products are safe for our kids because our government wouldn’t allow toxic chemicals in children’s shampoos, pillows or toys. But, the truth is, we are going on faith alone. When I arrived in the Senate I was shocked to learn that regulators have been prevented from testing all of the 70,000 chemicals found in everyday home products. In...

This week, the U.S. Supreme Court blocked up to 1.6 million women from suing Walmart for sex discrimination in a class action lawsuit. The court's 5-4 conservative majority sided with business over women, claiming that Walmart's well-documented wage and hiring disparities are coincidences and not a result of a persistent culture of discrimination. This is unacceptable. In the U.S. today, women are paid only 78 cents on the dollar that men make. If the highest court in the land won't protect women from discrimination in the workplace, then we must stand together and demand action from Congress...

As we continue to mourn the passing of Geraldine Ferraro, and honor her extraordinary life, women today must not forget the words she spoke in her 1984 convention speech, “The issue is not what America can do for women, but what women can do for America.” These words should serve as a clarion call for this generation of women to take action in advancing women’s progress. So, as we mark yet another Equal Pay Day today, we also remember that in that same inspiring speech Geraldine Ferraro said, “It isn't right that a woman should get paid 59 cents on the dollar for the same work as a man.” She...

Child obesity is a crisis in this country. Over the last 30 years, child obesity rates have reached historic highs - more than tripling from just 5 percent to nearly 18 percent today. We must make improving child nutrition a top priority. If we fail to get serious about this issue today, we will face very serious consequences down the road. To get people focused on this emerging issue, I asked Rachael Ray to come to Washington last week to help me lobby my colleagues in Congress on the Child Nutrition bill. Rachael is so much more than just another celebrity with a cause. She likes to say...

As the mother of two young boys, food safety is extremely important to me, as I know it is to all of you. I'm sorry to say though, that right now, the statistics are startling. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), every year an estimated 87 million Americans are sickened by contaminated food, 371,000 are hospitalized with food-borne illness, and 5,700 die from food-related disease. Of these illnesses, 1 million are caused by salmonella and another 70,000 are due to E. coli. According to a recent report from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), 1...

While Washington continues to debate the need for a health care overhaul, a related challenge gets far too little attention. Over the past 40 years, child obesity has increased dramatically - rising by 150% among 2 to 5 year olds, 400% among children 6 to 11 years old and more than 300% among young adults age 12 to 19. Now, nearly 17% of all children are obese. This is much more than an individual or family problem. It's a pressing national crisis. Obesity puts our children at risk of developing serious diseases - such as Type 2 diabetes, heart disease and depression. It keeps our children...