Press Releases

Brooklyn, NY –Earlier today, Rep. Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY) and New York State Assemblymember Jo Anne Simon held a press conference to voice their concerns with the City's Gowanus Neighborhood Rezoning Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS). The lawmakers, both of whom represent the Gowanus neighborhood, are urging the City to reevaluate the study, which they argue does not adequately consider the consequences of climate change in Gowanus or combined sewer overflow into the canal Superfund cleanup.

Washington, DC - Rep. Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY) released the following statement in honor of Rosh Hashanah:

Washington, D.C.—With the announcement of the closure of the Metropolitan Correctional Center (MCC) in Manhattan, Reps. Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY) and Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) led ten House members and New York's two Senators in a letter to the Bureau of Prisons raising concerns over the welfare of detainees, many of whom have been transferred to the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) in Brooklyn, which has serious facility and staffing needs.

Below are excerpts from the letter:

Washington D.C. - Rep. Nydia Velázquez (D-NY), Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY), and 43 members of congress sent a letter to Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas and Secretary of State Antony Blinken to urge an 18-month extension and redesignation of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Nepal.

"The science is clear: Chlorpyrifos are a dangerous threat to our farmworkers, children and the overall public health. That's why last week we sent a letter to the Environmental Protection Agency urging them to take action and get this neurotoxic pesticide out of our food before the court-ordered August 20^th deadline. We're pleased the EPA listened to our call and is finally banning the use Chlorpyrifos on our nation's crops.

Washington, DC – Rep. Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY), Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), and 6 members of Congress sent a letter to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) head urging the agency to meet an August 20th court-ordered deadline to finalize its plan to get chlorpyrifos, a neurotoxic pesticide, off of food.

Washington, D.C.—The following earmarks to fund community projects in New York's 7^th Congressional District have been secured by Congresswoman Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY) and have passed the House as a part of H.R. 4502. Under the bill, these local initiatives will all receive federal funding.

Washington, DC – Rep. Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY) and Rep. John Katko (R-NY) introduced the COVID-19 and Pandemic Response Centers of Excellence Act, this bill will designate academic medical centers as research and communication hubs that will improve the United States' ability to swiftly respond to emerging public health threats and to continue battling COVID-19. Academic medical centers have been at the forefront of our nation's fight against the COVID-19 pandemic and have historically been used to establish infrastructure for advancing live-saving medical discoveries.