New York City Insider: Statement from Representative Adriano Espaillat on House Gun Violence Prevention Bill Package.

 

PRESS RELEASE For Immediate Release May 30, 2022

Statement from Representative Adriano Espaillat on House Gun Violence Prevention Bill Package.   NEW YORK, NY -- Today, Rep. Adriano Espaillat (NY-13) released the following statement in support of the upcoming House gun violence prevention bill package. "June is Gun Violence Awareness Month, a nationwide movement to call attention to the epidemic of gun violence, and House leadership has announced that when Members return the week of June 6th, the House will pass a comprehensive gun violence prevention package that the American people want and our nation so desperately needs," said Rep. Espaillat. "I am proud that this package will include a provision to guarantee that gun parts and gun kits are classified as firearms under federal law, ensuring that they are subject to background checks--which reiterates legislation I have introduced each Congress since 2017 - H.R. 1454, the Ghost Guns Are Guns Act. The upcoming House gun violence prevention package builds upon the House’s efforts to combat the epidemic of gun violence such as the House passage of requiring universal background checks and addressing the Charleston Loophole," Espaillat continued. "Gun violence remains a crisis that takes countless lives and a toll on our communities and children. The tragic shooting at the Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas; the racially motivated shooting in Buffalo, New York; the killings of Officers Rivera and Mora in Harlem; the brutal murder of Krystal Bayron-Nieves in East Harlem; the 11-month-old gunshot victim in the Bronx; and shootings every day in New York City and across America are utterly heartbreaking but are not unimaginable. We need more than thoughts and prayers, we need policy and action. My deepest sympathies are extended to all who have lost a loved one due to gun violence, and I commend House leadership for bringing additional gun violence prevention legislation to a vote," he added. "After House passage of this comprehensive gun violence prevention package, we must urge our Senate colleagues to take action. Congress must send the President commonsense, life-saving legislation to be signed into law. Not doing so will deepen the suffering of the horrible gun violence crimes across our nation. This is not a matter of red or blue, it is a matter of life and death that demands true policy change," Espaillat concluded.  According to the Gun Violence Prevention Task Force, every single day, 30 lives are lost to gun violence, much of which go unreported by the media.   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/.

New York City Insider: Reps. Espaillat, Castro Lead Push for Biden Administration to Expand Temporary Protected Status for Migrants from Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, and Nicaragua.

 

PRESS RELEASE For Immediate Release May 23, 2022

Reps. Espaillat, Castro Lead Push for Biden Administration to Expand Temporary Protected Status for Migrants from Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, and Nicaragua.   WASHINGTON, DC –  Today, Reps. Adriano Espaillat (NY-13) and Joaquin Castro (TX-20) led a bipartisan letter to President Biden, Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas, and Secretary of State Antony Blinken urging the administration to expand Temporary Protected Status protections for migrants from Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, and Nicaragua. Despite the ongoing humanitarian crises in Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, and Nicaragua, citizens of these nations who flee to the United States without legal status face an uphill battle to remain in the country. If detained, they can face deportation back to countries beset by food insecurity, political conflict, and economic instability — challenges that have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and twin hurricanes that hit the region in November 2020. An estimated 1.5 million migrants in the United States would benefit from extending TPS to Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, and Nicaragua. Today’s letter is endorsed by United We Dream, Immigration Hub, Church Worldwide Services, Kids in Need of Defense (KIND), Latin America Working Group (LAWG), Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA), and Women’s Refugee Commission (WRC) Additional co-signers on the letter include Reps. Jim McGovern (MA-02), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14), Jimmy Gomez (CA-34), Linda Sánchez (CA-38), Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12), Andre Carson (IN-07), Frederica Wilson (FL-24), Juan Vargas (CA-51), Anthony Brown (MD-04), Terri Sewell (AL-07), Lou Correa (CA-46), Dwight Evans (PA-03), Jesus “Chuy” Garcia (IL-04), Grace Meng (NY-06), Eleanor Norton (DC-AL), Pramila Jayapal (WA-7), Albio Sires (NJ-8), Barbara Lee (CA-13), Jan Schakowsky (IL-09), Troy Carter (LA-02), Mark Pocan (WI-02), Grace Napolitano (CA-32), Tony Cárdenas (CA-29), Nydia Velazquez (NY-07), Ritchie Torres (NY-15), Donald Payne Jr. (NJ-10), Mike Quigley (IL-5), Rashida Tlaib (MI-13), Carolyn Maloney (NY-12), Henry “Hank” Johnson Jr. (GA-04), Darren Soto (FL-09), Hakeem Jeffries (NY-08), Dina Titus (NV-01), Ruben Gallego (AZ-07), Ayanna Pressley (MA-07), Mark DeSaulnier (CA-11), Jimmy Panetta (CA-20), Thomas Suozzi (NY-03), Norma Torres (CA-35), Nanette Barragán (CA-44), Alan Lowenthal (CA-47), Sara Jacobs (CA-53), Judy Chu (CA-27), Veronica Escobar (TX-16), Jamie Raskin (MD-08), Cori Bush (MO-01), Lori Trahan (MA-03), Raul Ruiz (CA-36), Sylvia Garcia (TX-29), Ted Lieu (CA-33), Andy Levin (MI-09), Karen Bass (CA-37), Jason Crow (CO-06), Shelia Cherfilus-McCormick (FL-20), Salud Carbajal (CA-24), Raul Grijalva (AZ-03), Tom Malinowski (NJ-07), Debbie Dingell (MI-12), Frank Pallone Jr. (NJ-06), Gerry Connolly (VA-11), Maria Elvira Salazar (FL-27), David Scott (GA-13), Marcy Kaptur (OH-09), Gregory Meeks (NY-05), Jamaal Bowman (NY-16), Lucille Roybal-Allard (CA-40), Yvette Clarke (NY-09), Joe Neguse (CO-02), Adam Smith (WA-09), Marie Newman (IL-03), Steven Horsford (NV-04), Kathy Castor (FL-14), Kathleen Rice (NY-04), Sean Casten (IL-06), Al Lawson (FL-05), Donald McEachin (VA-04), Nikema Williams (GA-05), Ilhan Omar (MN-05), David Cicilline (RI-01), Jerrold “Jerry” Nadler (NY-10), Gwen Moore (WI-04) , Zoe Lofgren (CA-19), Haley Stevens (MI-11), Debbie Wasserman-Schultz (FL-23) The full letter is here and below. Dear President Biden, Secretary Mayorkas, and Secretary Blinken, We write to urgently request your administration expand Temporary Protected Status protections for migrants from Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, and Nicaragua. We have watched with concern the worsening humanitarian crisis in Central American countries in the aftermath of Hurricanes Eta and Iota in 2020, continued severe drought, and the COVID-19 pandemic. We believe designating Guatemala and redesignating El Salvador, Honduras, and Nicaragua for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) would go a long way in assisting those communities in the United States and enable them to better support their families back home.  The pressures of the November 2020 hurricanes compounded with the long-term effects of climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic have worsened food insecurity and violence in countries in Central America. Hurricanes Eta and Iota left over 9.3 million people, including 3.5 million children, affected and forced to leave their home communities. The hurricanes also left long-lasting damage by destroying key healthcare, education, and other infrastructure essential to everyday lives. Almost a year later, millions in Honduras, Guatemala, Nicaragua, and El Salvador still lacked access to humanitarian assistance, housing, and basic services. The COVID-19 pandemic and the hurricanes interrupted the crucial flow of remittances to Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, and Nicaragua, which served a crucial role in supporting the region’s economic recovery. The Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET) estimates areas affected by the two hurricanes, as well as the Dry Corridor in Honduras and Guatemala, will remain in crisis levels of food insecurity through at least May 2022. Over 8 million people went hungry in 2021, quadrupling from 2018, and these numbers will continue to rise as we see the increased effects of climate change on agriculture outputs, security, and economic integration. As your administration has recognized climate change as a key contributor to migration, these designations would support the administration’s efforts to address the root causes of migration as communities in Central America have weathered the brunt of climate change’s effects including consecutive years of drought and extreme weather events.  The changing political dynamics in these countries also underscore the difficulties individuals face in returning home. For example, the crackdown on civil society, journalists, and other dissidents in Nicaragua over the last few years has worsened to the point where return for many Nicaraguans means imprisonment or other forms of punishment. Similar situations have emerged over the last year in El Salvador and Guatemala. The U.S. Government must respond to these developments by adding these TPS designations to the larger landscape of assistance for Central American countries and as part of the administration’s effort to curb corruption, impunity, and violence in the region.  We believe that conditions on the ground in Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, and Nicaragua constitute “extraordinary and temporary conditions” that prevent nationals from safely returning. These countries have been dealing with the aftermath of such events for years and as conditions continue to worsen and new challenges arise, the United States should provide temporary protection and refuge. Furthermore, these designations would provide the U.S. government with an important tool to address root causes of migration from Central American countries by helping increase the flow of remittances and supporting government efforts to address in-country conditions without the additional tax of a large influx of individuals forced to return home. The designation would likely protect nearly 1.5 million migrants currently in the United States, providing immediate relief to these individuals and their families. We ask that these TPS designations be paired with a robust and comprehensive messaging campaign that offers clear instructions regarding eligibility and application procedures, as to prevent confusion and mass migration that occurred after the May 2021 Haiti TPS designation.  It is our view that Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, and Nicaragua meet the circumstances and standards for TPS. We look forward to continuing to support the efforts from your administration to address the root causes of migration in Central America in a holistic manner, including by taking this important step to uphold humanitarian protections and safeguard U.S. national security interests. Thank you for your consideration.   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/.

New York City Insider: Happening Today in the District: Join Congressman Adriano Espaillat for Coffee and Conversation.

 

For Immediate Release May 21, 2022

Happening Today in the District: Join Congressman Adriano Espaillat for Coffee and Conversation. UPCOMING DISTRICT EVENTS. NEW YORK, NY – This month, Congressman Adriano Espaillat (NY-13) kicked off a series of local meet and greet opportunities for constituents across the district. Today, he will be hosting his signature "Coffee With Your Congressman" at Buunni Coffee, located at 213 Pinehurst Ave, New York, NY 10033 (187th Street), with special guest Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine and local city and state officials. During the discussion, Rep. Espaillat will provide updates on his ongoing efforts to strengthen infrastructure in his congressional district as well as discuss grant opportunities for local community projects. These informal events provide residents the opportunity to discuss their concerns and share ideas on how to make improvements throughout New York’s 13th congressional district. Upcoming Dates: * May 21th:  Buunni Coffee, 213 Pinehurst Ave, New York, NY 10033 (187th Street) * Sat., May  28th: Sem ico Ion Cafe, 9 Edward M Morgan Pl, New York, NY 10032 (157th Street) * Sat., June 18th:  Bedford Park Cafe, 1 Bedford Park Blvd., Bronx, NY 10468 * Sun., June 26th: Wahizza, 4455 Broadway, New York, NY  10040 * Sat., July 2nd: The Fox Harlem, 2224 Frederick Douglas Blvd., (120th Street) * Sat., July 9th: El Caridad, 135 W Kingsbridge Rd., Bronx, NY 10468 * Sun., July 17th: Buunni Coffee, 213 Pinehurst Ave, New York, NY 10033 (187th Street) * Sat., July 23rd: Amouse Bouche, at La Marqueta, 1590 Park Ave. * Sat., July 30th: Fokkus Room & Cuisine, 138 West Fordham Rd.   All events are public and residents are required to RSVP prior to attendance by emailing RSVP.Espaillat@mail.house.gov or calling 212-497-5959.

New York City Insider: The Intelligent Way to Spend Excess State Dollars: Invest in Transit Not Counterproductive Manhattan Paywall.

 Keep NYC Congestion Tax Free 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: STATE COMPTROLLER REPORTS $5.5 BILLION IN EXCESS REVENUE; CIVIC/BUSINESS GROUP KNOWS THE SMARTEST WAY TO SPEND IT.

New York-May 20…New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli reported last week that the State has approximately $5.5 billion in excess revenue — plus billions in federal Covid recovery dollars — with no specific plans to spend it. A New York City civic and business organization, Keep NYC Congestion Tax Free, has what it believes to be the smartest use of those dollars: put it into transit infrastructure and cancel plans to add a Congestion Pricing Tax paywall in Manhattan. 

The group argues that a paywall to travel by car south of 60th Street in Manhattan will do what all paywalls do: discourage entry. But in this case, the group says, discouraging entry into New York City’s core business districts would be totally counterproductive, as the City and State are desperately trying to encourage people to return to those districts. 

Both Comptroller DiNapoli and Mayor Eric Adams raised red flags recently warning that tax revenue from those core business districts will be substantially diminished for years to come because of workplace changes spurred by Covid-19. And a movement is growing in New Jersey to move businesses to the Garden State to avoid the coming paywall. 

“Why on earth are we putting up a paywall to enter the exact areas of the city we’re desperately trying to revive?,” said Keep NYC Congestion Tax Free spokesman Joshua Bienstock. “Common sense suggests that excess dollars be used on capital — rather than operational — projects, and that would eliminate a chief rationale for the Congestion Pricing Tax. Moving forward with a congestion pricing paywall now would be a classic example of cutting off one’s nose to spite one’s face. New York leaders really need to re-think this.” 

In addition to hurting low- and middle-income New Yorkers living in transit deserts most, the group says, this regressive tax would massively increase traffic north of 60th Street in Manhattan and in the outer boroughs, and redirect carbon-belching trucks into communities of color. 

 Keep NYC Congestion Tax Free represents a diverse coalition of civic, business, and labor organizations and businesses throughout New York City. We share a simple vision: to keep our city congestion tax free.

New York City Insider: Representative Adriano Espaillat Votes to Invest in Chronically Underfunded Workforce Development Programs.

 

PRESS RELEASE For Immediate Release May 19, 2022

Representative Adriano Espaillat Votes to Invest in Chronically Underfunded Workforce Development Programs. Investing in workforce development programs will help fill job openings with qualified workers, address supply chain issues, and lower costs for families   WASHINGTON, DC –  This week, Representative Adriano Espaillat (NY-13) voted to pass H.R. 7309 – the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2022 (WIOA), which would invest in our nation’s workforce development programs and help fill job openings in New York's 13th congressional district with qualified workers. Espaillat spoke on House floor in support of WIOA, which includes his bill, H.R.7323 - Expanding Reentry Employment Assistance Act, that aims to expand reentry employment assistance for adults, prevent drop out among in-school youth, increase the employment rate of out-of-school youth, and reduce youth crime and violence. WIOA is the backbone of our nation’s workforce development system.  The law provides training and career services that help working people across the country get the skills they need and help employers secure a qualified workforce.  WIOA includes funding for job training for adults, dislocated workers, and youth as well as supportive services to help participants complete training and join the workforce.  “The evidence is clear that our economy has made meaningful progress toward recovering from the pandemic.  Despite this progress, we know job openings currently exceed applicants, and employers are clamoring for skilled workers,” said Rep. Espaillat.  “The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2022 would take a critical step forward to empower workers to fill those competitive job positions and—in turn—help reduce supply chain shortages and lower costs for families,” Espaillat concluded. Federal investment in workforce development has fallen markedly over time.  As a result, essential workforce development services are frequently unavailable to the people who need them most.  Strengthening WIOA programs is a key tool to help Americans get back to work and support businesses.  As the country recovers from the pandemic, the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2022 will provide more workers with pathways to better-paying jobs, lower costs, and strengthen our economic recovery.   View the fact sheet of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2022 here. Read the section-by-section of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2022 here.   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/.

New York City Insider: Representative Adriano Espaillat Voted to Improve Families’ Access to Baby Formula.

 

PRESS RELEASE For Immediate Release May 19, 2022

Representative Adriano Espaillat Voted to Improve Families’ Access to Baby Formula.   WASHINGTON, DC –  This week, Representative Adriano Espaillat (NY-13) helped pass two bills that will improve families’ access to infant formula, ensure every baby has the nutrition they need to live and develop and prevent this crisis from potentially happening again.  The supplemental funding bill (H.R. 7790) provides the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) urgently needed resources to help address the infant formula shortage, increase the number of FDA inspection staff, provide resources for personnel working on formula issues, help the agency stop fraudulent baby formula from entering the marketplace and improve data collection on the formula market. “I share the frustrations of women and families across the nation who are living in panic, worried their babies will go hungry. It is outrageous and criminal that in the world’s richest country, families are frantically searching for baby formula. Even more frustrating is the shortage was avoidable. The national infant formula shortage was driven by a company’s recall of product. We must investigate the monopolization of the U.S. formula industry and hold bad actors accountable. We must examine how we got here and activate policies to guarantee it never happens again. We must improve supply chain resiliency, market sustainability, and product diversification— it is quite literally a matter of life and death. By passing this bill, Congress is ensuring that the FDA can end the current shortage and help prevent it from ever happening again,” said Rep. Espaillat.  Regrettably, the infant formula shortage has taken an especially dangerous toll on vulnerable women and children who use Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) benefits to purchase formula.  In response, the Access to Baby Formula Act (H.R. 7791) provides flexibility so that low-income families can continue purchasing safe infant formula with their WIC benefits during a crisis, such as a supply chain disruption.  “As with most injustices, this crisis is disproportionately impacting women of color, children in foster care, LGBTQ families, and has particularly affected women and children who rely on WIC benefits to purchase formula.  WIC participants represent our nation’s most vulnerable families, and the Access to Baby Formula Act ensures we do not leave them behind.  By providing increased flexibilities, this legislation is delivering on WIC’s promise to provide families in need with the nutrition children need to live and develop,” Rep. Espaillat continued.   The Access to Baby Formula Act is particularly important as nearly half of all infant formula is purchased using WIC benefits and 89 percent of WIC participants purchased formula from Abbott Nutrition—the manufacturing plant that closed and spurred the shortage crisis.  In February 2022, an Abbott Nutrition facility recalled several infant formula products (including Similac, Alimentum and EleCare) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a warning to consumers not to use these recalled products.  To learn more about the Access to Baby Formula Act, click here.   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/.

New York City Insider: Use Excess Dollars to Halt Counterproductive Congestion Pricing Tax Paywall: Business Group.

 Keep NYC Congestion Tax Free 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: STATEMENT FROM KEEP NYC CONGESTION TAX FREE SPOKESMAN JOSHUA BIENSTOCK.

May 16, 2022

“New York State is sitting on billions of dollars in federal revenues yet to be earmarked while, at the same time, there is enormous concern from the New York State Comptroller and New York City Mayor that New York City’s core business districts will remain largely dormant for years following workplace changes prompted by the Covid-19 pandemic. 

“Common sense suggests that excess dollars be used on capital — rather than operational — projects. It further suggests that adding a $9-$35 paywall to enter Manhattan South of 60th Street in the form of a Congestion Pricing Tax would be seriously counterproductive toward the City’s long-term revitalization effort of its core business districts. 

“The smart play would be investing many of those dollars into mass transit infrastructure and repealing efforts to implement the Congestion Pricing Tax paywall. We urge prescient New York State elected leaders to step in now, before Congestion Pricing permanently damages New York’s economic recovery.” 

 Keep NYC Congestion Tax Free represents a diverse coalition of civic, business, and labor organizations and businesses throughout New York City. We share a simple vision: to keep our city congestion tax free.

New York City Insider: Espaillat Votes to Strengthen Illness Benefits For Federal Firefighters, Honors Life of Fallen FDNY Firefighter Timothy Klein.

 

PRESS RELEASE For Immediate Release May 13, 2022

Representative Adriano Espaillat Votes to Strengthen Illness Benefits For Federal Firefighters. Espaillat Honors Fallen FDNY Firefighter Timothy Klein on House Floor.   WASHINGTON, DC –  This week, Representative Adriano Espaillat (NY-13) spoke on the House floor to honor the life and legacy of hero fallen FDNY Firefighter Timothy Klein, who died tragically in the line of duty late last month. Additionally, this week, Rep. Espaillat voted for the Federal Firefighters Fairness Act to strengthen first responders’ access to workers’ compensation benefits after contracting cancer or other illnesses while on the job. The bipartisan legislation will help ensure that benefits cover the full range of occupational hazards faced by the nation’s 15,000 federal firefighters.  “Every day, these brave public servants put themselves in harm’s way, at times at their own peril, to save lives and protect communities in my district and across the country,” said Espaillat. “When they sacrifice themselves and pay the price for our safety through exposure to heat, toxins and at times death, America has a responsibility to provide them with the support they need. This bipartisan legislation will cut red tape and streamline critical benefits for our brave first responders.”  Firefighters are at high risk of contracting occupational illnesses through routine exposure to smoke, heat, and toxic substances.  While many states make it easier for firefighters to access benefits with a presumption that certain illnesses are work-related, the federal workers’ compensation system currently places the burden of proof on sick firefighters and their families.  The Federal Firefighters Fairness Act will remove these unnecessary bureaucratic hurdles for approximately 15,000 federal firefighters.  This legislation will establish an automatic presumption of work-related illness for a range of cancers and other illnesses.  Additionally, it empowers the Secretary of Labor to further expand this list based on scientific evidence.    The Federal Firefighters Fairness Act has been endorsed by the International Association of Fire Chiefs, the International Association of Fire Fighters, and the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE). 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/.

New York City Insider: Espaillat, Hispanic Caucus Continue Call for Redesignation of TPS for Honduras, Nicaragua, Venezuela, Haiti and El Salvador.

 

PRESS RELEASE For Immediate Release May 11, 2022

Espaillat, Hispanic Caucus Continue Call for Redesignation of TPS for Honduras, Nicaragua, Venezuela, Haiti and El Salvador.  Following White House Meeting, Members Also Reiterate Call For Designation of TPS for Guatemala.   WASHINGTON, DC –  Today, Representative Adriano Espaillat (NY-13), Second Vice Chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC), led Members of the CHC in a letter to Ambassador Susan Rice, Director of the Domestic Policy Council of the United States, following up on their call for the Administration to redesignate Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Honduras, Nicaragua, Venezuela, Haiti and El Salvador and TPS designation for Guatemala. This letter comes after the members’ April 25th meeting with President Biden and senior administration officials at the White House, where they discussed topics of critical importance to the Hispanic community and the CHC.—including a slate of executive actions on immigration, education, environmental justice, and healthcare. “As mentioned during our meeting, redesignating and designating TPS for the aforementioned countries would extend protections for immigrants who have already been in the United States for many years and are unable to return to their countries due to natural disasters, conflict, and humanitarian crises,” the members said in their letter. “We are deeply concerned that many living in the United States today remain ineligible for deportation protections, and, at a moment’s notice, can be put at risk of being re-exposed to unsafe and deadly conditions in their home countries.” The members also highlight that these additional TPS designations would help address U.S. labor shortages, protect the integrity of American families, and mitigate risks of further instability in Central America. “Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Guatemala are still recovering from hurricanes Eta and Iota, which ravaged Central America nearly 18 months ago. Millions of vulnerable people in the region are still in urgent need of assistance…” the members continued. “These temporary designations would give the US government more time to work with regional governments and civil society to ensure that the return of a large number of people to Central America does not exacerbate the region's instability and volatility.” In addition to Rep. Espaillat, the letter was also signed by Representatives Raul Ruiz, M.D. (CA-36), Chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus; Nanette Diaz Barragán (CA-44), First Vice Chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus; Veronica Escobar (TX-16), and Tony Cárdenas (CA-29). You can read the full text of this letter HERE, and below: Dear Director Rice: Thank you, and your team for taking the time to recently meet with Members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus to discuss administrative policy action that is critical for the Hispanic/Latino community. We look forward to sustained dialogue with the President on the various immigration matters my colleagues and I raised during our discussion that are of urgent importance to Hispanic communities across the country. We are eager to work together to make progress in this area. As it pertains to one of the issues, the matter of Temporary Protected Status (TPS), we wanted to thank you for your ongoing engagement about redesignating TPS for Honduras, Nicaragua, Venezuela, Haiti and El Salvador and TPS designation for Guatemala. We would like to reiterate the importance of extending TPS to said countries, and other Latin American and African countries facing ongoing conflict and environmental disasters.  As mentioned during our meeting, redesignating, and designating TPS for the aforementioned countries would extend protections for many immigrants who have already been in the United States for many years and are unable to return to their countries due to natural disasters, conflict, and humanitarian crises.  We are deeply concerned that many living in the United States today remain ineligible for deportation protections, and, at a moment’s notice, can be put at risk of being re-exposed to unsafe and deadly conditions in their home countries. Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua and Guatemala are still recovering from hurricanes Eta and Iota, which ravaged Central America nearly 18 months ago. Millions of vulnerable people in the region are still in urgent need of assistance as they face the combined effects of last year’s hurricanes, the COVID-19 pandemic, climate-induced food insecurity, and increasingly weak rule of law. The governments are not capable of absorbing potentially hundreds of thousands of returnees from the United States at this time. It is our firm belief that in addition to providing life-saving opportunities for eligible individuals already in the United States, such TPS designations would help address U.S. labor shortages, protect the integrity of American families, and mitigate risks of further instability in Central America. These temporary designations would give the US government more time to work with regional governments and civil society to ensure that the return of a large number of people to Central America does not exacerbate the region's instability and volatility. Additionally, last year the Biden Administration rightly designated TPS for Venezuela.  In early July, the Administration will need to decide whether to extend that designation or redesignate TPS for Venezuela, allowing more recent arrivals to apply for TPS.  Given the continuing deterioration of the country conditions in Venezuela, as mentioned during our meeting, we urge you to redesignate TPS to allow more people to apply so they remain safely in this country We were thankful for your attentiveness as we described the grave circumstances preventing nationals from these countries residing in the United States from being able to return to their home countries.  We hope you will continue to work swiftly with the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of State in determining TPS redesignation and designation for countries facing ongoing conflict and environmental disasters.  Thank you for your consideration, our offices look forward to working closely with and supporting the Biden administration on this important matter. Sincerely,  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/.

New York City Insider: Representative Adriano Espaillat Decries Supreme Court Draft Opinion Overturning Roe V. Wade.

 

PRESS RELEASE For Immediate Release May 3, 2022

Representative Adriano Espaillat Decries Supreme Court Draft Opinion Overturning Roe V. Wade.   NEW YORK, NY – In the wake of last night’s breaking news that a draft majority opinion written by Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito would overturn Roe v. Wade, Representative Adriano Espaillat (NY-13) issued the following statement: “I want every New Yorker–and American around the country–to know that this morning, abortion remains a constitutional right, and is still the law of the land,” said Rep. Espaillat. “Let me be clear: seeking abortion care should not be criminalized. Reproductive health care should be determined by the person seeking care and their trusted health care provider–not legislators, not presidents, and especially not a radical right-wing Supreme Court hellbent on upending judicial precedent and the rights of childbearing individuals. Any threat on abortion rights is an attack on those most impacted by the decision—people of color, LGBTQ people, people with low incomes, and those in rural communities. “Decades of attacks have left abortion rights hanging by a thread in the United States, and Mitch McConnell’s packed Supreme Court has signaled to the American people—and the world—that it is willing to inflict the greatest restriction of rights in the past fifty years,” Espaillat continued. “This draft opinion is a moral outrage and an awe-inducing example judicial malpractice. This Congress must send legislation that codifies Roe v. Wade to the President’s desk—with the House taking this first step already, the ball is in the Senate’s court to act. “And if there aren’t 60 votes in the Senate to do it, we need to abolish the filibuster to pass it with 50 votes – because the weight of history will be watching,” Espaillat concluded. 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/.