A Democrat, she represented Westchester County for three decades and became the first woman to lead the powerful House Appropriations Committee.

Longtime U.S. Rep Nita Lowey, 87, of New York,. has died from metastatic breast cancer, her family announced Sunday.

Nita Lowey, the New York representative who became the first woman to lead the budget-setting House Appropriations Committee, has died. She was 87. Lowey died Saturday at her home in Harrison, her family said Sunday in a statement. She had been battling breast cancer for several years.