Eliot Engel was born and raised in the Bronx to an ironworker and a homemaker. Engel’s love for this community propelled him to serve as a teacher and later as a guidance counselor in the South Bronx. In 1977, he was elected to the New York State Assembly where he served until he was elected to Congress in 1988. For over 30 years, Engel has held a high record of getting sponsoring legislation for the environment, stronger gun laws, is a founding member of the Medicare For All Caucus, and an early supporter of the Green New Deal and was named one of the “The Top Ten Most Effective Democratic Member of Congress” for two years in a row by the independent Center for Effective Lawmaking at Vanderbilt University. Engel is the Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and is a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee and sits on the Subcommittee on Health.