New York City Insider: Representative Adriano Espaillat Leads Congressional Call to Create National Youth Employment Program.

 

For Immediate Release February 8, 2022

Representative Adriano Espaillat Leads Congressional Call to Create National Youth Employment Program.  Espaillat Urges Federal Funding to Create Program to Increase Economic Opportunity, Improve Physical and Mental Well-being, and Strengthen Social Bonds for Youth.   WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Representative Adriano Espaillat (NY-13) led 6 of his House colleagues in a letter calling on House Appropriations leadership to include $50 million to create a National Youth Employment Program as part of the final FY22 federal spending bill to compliment New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ expansion of the summer youth employment program to address the root causes of crime, including poverty.  “It’s clear: early workforce experience increases the likelihood of our youth being employed in higher quality jobs later in life – yet many young people in America are often robbed of this opportunity because of systemic disadvantages and inequality,” said Rep. Espaillat. “We have a duty to invest in programs that foster safe, healthy, and hopeful communities where young people can learn, dream, and thrive – especially in light of this unprecedented wave of gun violence raining down on our communities. When our children are occupied, they’re kept safer – and that’s why I’m urging my congressional colleagues to support my call for this critical funding that will continue to benefit our youth, communities, and workforce for years to come.” Programs like the National Youth Employment Program seek to connect youth to work and in return provide profound quality of life improvements such as better physical and mental well-being, stronger social bonds, and a lower likelihood of poverty. The creation of a National Youth Employment Program would provide youth with resources and opportunities that they are often not granted access to, including the financial knowledge and skills necessary to break cycles of inequality. “Including this $50 million to create a National Youth Employment Program in our final FY22 federal spending bill will ensure our youth have the resources and opportunities they need – but are often not given access to – to have the financial knowledge and skills necessary to break these cycles of inequality and live prosperous lives,” Espaillat concluded. This letter was also signed by Representatives Jerrold Nadler (NY-10), Jamaal Bowman, Ed.D. (NY-16), Nydia M. Velazquez (NY-07), Mondaire Jones (NY-17), Lucy McBath (GA-06), and Ritchie Torres (NY-15). You can read the full text of the letter HERE, and the text of the correspondence below: Dear Chair DeLauro, Chair Leahy, Ranking Member Granger, and Vice Chairman Shelby: As Congress considers funding for Fiscal Year (FY) 2022, we urge you to include $50 million to create a National Youth Employment Program. This funding was secured in the House-passed FY 22 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (LHHS) bill and matches the funding level included in the President’s Budget request. This new competitive grant program will provide funding for youth employment programs, including summer and year-round opportunities. While we were pleased to see it included in the Senate LHHS bill, the Senate level of funding falls short by $25 million. The House level of funding ensures that youth and young adults who have been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic and systemic inequality are able to receive the resources and opportunities they need. Additionally, we ask that you prioritize the need to develop and expand Summer Youth Employment Programs (SYEP’s), a core tenant of the National Youth Employment Program.  Studies show that SYEPS’s reduce crime by providing routines, supervision, and reduced economic incentives for criminal activity. Historically, crime in cities dramatically increase during the summer months, especially in urban cities. Ahead of the Summer 2022 season, we must be proactive. In doing so, we must address the root causes of violence: poverty and systemic racism. We have the chance to do so now by including $50 million to create a National Youth Employment Program which invests in programs that foster safe, healthy, and hopeful communities where our youth, principally opportunity youth, can learn, dream, and thrive. We encourage and support the House level of funding for the National Youth Employment Program as it more adequately addresses the needs of our youth and our societies. We believe this will be for a historic investment in young people, particularly among young people who have been historically excluded from economic opportunity, including opportunity youth, foster youth, youth of color, youth experiencing homelessness, and young people impacted by the criminal legal system. Thank you for your attention and consideration of this request.    Representative Espaillat is the first Dominican American to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives and his congressional district includes Harlem, East Harlem, West Harlem, Hamilton Heights, Washington Heights, Inwood, Marble Hill and the north-west Bronx. First elected to Congress in 2016, Representative Espaillat is serving his third term in Congress. Representative Espaillat currently serves as a member of the influential U.S. House Committee on Appropriations responsible for funding the federal government’s vital activities. He is also a member of the House Committee on Education and Labor and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC), where he serves in a leadership role as the Second Vice Chair and is a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, where he serves as Deputy Whip. Representative Espaillat also currently serves as a Senior Whip of the Democratic Caucus. To find out more about Rep. Espaillat, visit online at https://espaillat.house.gov/.