Press Releases

Washington, DC – Rep. Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY) has written the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture calling for a comprehensive study on the state of food insecurity in Puerto Rico. The request follows the two-year anniversary of Hurricane Maria's landfall where failed disaster relief resulted in a humanitarian crisis and, according to some estimates, the loss of 3,000 residents' lives.

Washington, DC – The House Financial Services Committee has passed legislation authored by Rep. Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY) aimed at addressing growing income discrepancy between company CEOs, other senior staff and median-pay employees. Velázquez's bill, the Greater Accountability in Pay, H.R. 4242, would require public companies to disclose the pay raise percentage of its executives and median-pay employees, as well as compare each to the rate of inflation.

Washington, DC – Rep. Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY) has introduced H.R. 4299, the Data Preservation Act of 2019, which would promote the discovery and use of the Nation's geoscience collections by reauthorizing the National Geological and Geophysical Data Preservation Program within the United States Geological Survey through 2024.

Washington, DC – U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and U.S. Representative Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY-7) today condemned President Trump for his decision to seize $400 million in military construction funding from Puerto Rico to build a wall at the Southern Border. Last week, the Pentagon announced that it would redirect over $3 billion in military construction funding for 127 projects across the country. Among the affected projects are the construction of a National Guard Readiness Center, a Power Substation, and a Maneuver Area Training Equipment Site in Puerto Rico.

Washington, DC – Rep. Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY) released the following statement regarding media reports that Federal Emergency Management Agency staff and the President of Cobra Energy have been arrested in relation to Hurricane Maria recovery funds:

Washington, DC – Rep. Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY) released the following statement opposing the Trump Administration's plan to take more than $402 million of Department of Defense money from Puerto Rico to help fund the building of a border wall with Mexico:

"It is tragically ironic that as we approach the two-year anniversary of Maria and our fellow citizens continue struggling to recover, the President of the United States is effectively pulling the rug out from under them to pay for an unpopular, hateful and ineffective border wall.

Washington, DC – Today, Rep. Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY) announced that local health centers within New York's 7^th Congressional District have received federal grants to continue their Health Center Cluster and Ryan White Title III HIV Capacity Development and Planning projects.

Washington, DC – Rep. Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY) released the following statement regarding news that Alan Fleishman had passed:

"I am heartbroken to hear of my dear friend Alan's passing. Alan was a fearless advocate for LGBTQ+ rights. He was able to challenge barriers to equality with tenacity and resolve, while maintaining his sense of humor. Coupled with his innate ability to build networks and his strategic savvy, Alan was responsible for creating a more inclusive national dialogue.