Press Releases
Washington, DC –Rep. Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY) has announced the Preserving Cash for Transit Access Act, a bill that would require transit agencies like the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), to accept cash payments at each station.
Washington, DC –Rep. Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY) has released the following opening statement as prepared for delivery at today's House Natural Resources Committee legislative hearing on issues related to the island of Vieques in Puerto Rico.
"Good afternoon Chairman Grijalva and members of this Committee. From the 1940s until 2003, the US Navy used Vieques as a training ground for war, pummeling the island with bombs in the name of military exercises.
Washington, DC – Today, Rep. Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY) and Rep. Jamaal Bowman, Ed.D (D-NY) introduced the Healthy Future Students and Earth Pilot Program Act. This bill would create a voluntary grant program for school districts to help schools provide healthier, climate friendly, and culturally appropriate plant-based entrée options to students.
Washington, DC –Rep. Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY), Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), and 27 additional bicameral Members of Congress have sent a letter to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Marcia Fudge to urge the reestablishment of Federal Financing Bank (FFB) funding for HUD-insured multifamily risk sharing mortgages. The program was a successful partnership between the Treasury Department, HUD, and state and local Housing Finance Agencies (HFAs) around the country.
Washington, DC – Today, Rep. Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY) reintroduced the Anti-Hunger Pandemic Recovery Act. This bill will establish a temporary grant program that would provide community-based nonprofit feeding and anti-hunger groups with up to $500,000 in funding to partner with restaurants to expand meal access and delivery for low-income and vulnerable populations during a pandemic or health emergency.
Washington, DC – Today, Rep. Nydia M. Velazquez (D-NY) reintroduced a The National Coastal Resilience Data and Services Act (bill text can be found here). This bill will address present and future flooding risks, develop innovative and science-based solutions to combat the climate crisis, and create an interagency subcommittee on coastal flooding and sea level rise.
Washington, DC - Rep. Nydia M. Velazquez (D-NY) has reintroduced legislation to eliminate a controversial program that channels military-grade weapons and equipment to local and state police forces around the nation. The "1033" program was created in the early 1990s, and has resulted in a flood of rifles, armored personnel carriers and other instruments of war being shipped to local police departments. President Trump and his Administration fully supported the program, and former Secretary of Defense Mark Esper encouraged governors to "dominate the battlespace" in U.S.
Washington, DC – The House Committee on Financial Services has passed legislation authored by Rep. Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY) that would help to address the growing income discrepancy between CEOs and other senior staff and median-pay employees.
Washington, D.C. – Rep. Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY) has released the following statement in response to President Joe Biden's Joint Address to Congress: