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Washington, D.C.—Today, Rep. Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY) and Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) introduced two pieces of legislation that aim to support and provide students with more access to music and arts in our schools. The first bill, the Music In Our Schools Month Resolution, would support music in schools by affirming the importance of music education, the benefits students receive from its instruction, and recognizing the hard work of music educators across the country.
Washington D.C.- Today, Congresswoman Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY) announced that she has secured $16,025,453 in Community Project Funding for New York's 7th District in the 2023 government funding bill. This funding responds directly to some of the most pressing needs across her District.
"Madame Speaker I rise today in support of H.R. 8393 ‘The Puerto Rico Status Act.'
"For 124 years Puerto Rico, the nation where I was born and raised, has been a colony of the United States.
"Invaded by the United States during the 1898 Spanish American War, Puerto Rico has remained in a state of colonial limbo that flies in the face of the anticolonial values upon which the American Republic was founded.
Washington D.C.— Today, Rep. Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY) led four Members of Congress in sending a letter that urges Leadership to avoid a looming Medicaid cliff in Puerto Rico by temporarily increasing Puerto Rico's FMAP to 100 percent and upholding the CMS' determination to extend the Medicaid annual funding cap for Puerto Rico at FY 2020 levels, or $2.9 billion, in any end of the year government funding package.
Washington, D.C.—Today, Rep. Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY) introduced the Lifting American Children from Poverty Act of 2022, legislation to address the crisis that has left one in every seven children in the United States living in poverty. The bill recognizes the need for the full scale of the federal government to collaborate across agencies to find solutions to end child poverty and creates an interagency task force on child and family economic security.
Brooklyn, N.Y.—Rep. Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY) has issued the following statement in response to the tragic murder of Delma Mateo in a HUD-assisted housing complex in Sunset Park, Brooklyn.
"Tragically, a life has been taken due to unbridled and continued domestic violence. My heart is broken for the family, friends, and neighbors who cherished Ms. Mateo. I join the entire Sunset Park community in mourning this tragic loss.
New York, NY – U.S. Representative Nydia Velázquez (D-NY) and U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) led a bicameral letter calling on the Biden Administration to establish a Recovery Task Force for Puerto Rico. The task force would be modeled after the successful Hurricane Sandy Rebuilding Task Force created by the Obama Administration in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. The Puerto Rico Recovery Task Force's goal would be to provide a roadmap for the island's long-term recovery and ensure greater interagency cooperation.
Washington D.C.— Rep. Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY) has sent a letter to the heads of federal regulatory agencies charged with overseeing the nation's financial institutions and consumer protection laws. Velázquez wrote to the heads of the CFPB, Federal Reserve, FDIC, NCUA, and the OCC, expressing concerns over the economic exploitation of survivors of domestic violence.
New York, New York –Today, Rep. Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY) announced that the United States Department of Transportation has awarded $1,600,000 in planning grants for the comprehensive long-term maintenance and fortification of four East River bridges: Brooklyn Bridge, Manhattan Bridge, Williamsburg Bridge and Queensboro Bridge. These grants will be used for planning, feasibility analysis and revenue forecasting projects that will aid application for the Bridge Investment Program.
Washington, D.C.--In the wake of Hurricane Fiona, Rep. Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY) introduced the Puerto Rico Recovery Act, a bill requiring the Department of Homeland Security to waive the Jones Act for vessels or operators reasonably demonstrating their intention to provide disaster relief to Puerto Rico. The waivers would be valid for one year or until the end of the Major Disaster Declaration for Puerto Rico, whichever comes first. The bill was also introduced by Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) in the Senate.