Nydia Velazquez

Small firms are the backbone of the American economy, and nowhere is that more clear than in New York City. More than 200,000 small businesses throughout the Big Apple produce $4.5 billion per year in revenue, helping to make our city the vibrant and diverse place that it is.

As Chairwoman of the House Committee on Small Business, Congresswoman Velázquez is dedicated to helping entrepreneurs. She supports initiatives to limit the impact that rising energy costs and regulatory and tax burdens have on small businesses. Small firms also need assistance from Congress to secure better financing for capital purchases, obtain world-class training and development programs, and open doors to sell their products and services around the globe. Assisting small firms secure affordable health insurance for themselves and their employees is another top priority.

Our nation has always relied on the proven innovation and flexibility that comes with a small business economy. Entrepreneurs count on Congresswoman Velázquez as an unyielding advocate of their rights and needs, and can be certain that she will continue her efforts to provide them with the tools needed to succeed.

oday, there is a shamefully large gap between the rich and the poor in America. Working families should not have to live in poverty in a country of our wealth. Congresswoman Velázquez is focused on fostering principled investments that will eliminate the technological divide that exists and improve the quality of life for everyone in our communities.

The Congresswoman strongly supports efforts to establish a living wage, strengthening one of America’s most important anti-poverty measures—the Earned Income Tax Credit—and providing workers with the leverage they need to negotiate fair wages, health insurance and safe workplace conditions. These programs will help to improve the lives of all laborers in the 7th District and their families.

The federal government must join together with local communities to reclaim and restore environmentally-damaged areas so that residents can enjoy the use of safe and vibrant locations throughout their communities. She recognizes that revitalizing our neighborhoods is a key component to improving the local economy, and is committed to making New York’s 7th Congressional District a better place for all its residents.

Congresswoman Velázquez believes a cleaner environment means working people will have healthier communities in which to raise their families. In that regard, she has worked to protect our environment nationally, while addressing public health and environmental concerns at home, in New York. She also recognizes that climate change presents an existential threat to our nation, our planet and our future. She supports bold, meaningful action to address this problem.

She voted against the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal, which would accelerate a "race to the bottom" for environmental standards. She also opposed the Keystone XL Pipeline proposal, which would risk significant environmental degradation.

As the top Democrat on the Small Business Committee, she has supported policies that position entrepreneurs as leaders in the green energy revolution, enabling the development and adoption of cleaner energy sources to help slow climate change. The Congresswoman has also endorsed the "Green New Deal", a forward thinking plan to strengthen our economy, address climate change and tackle income inequality through public investments renewable energy.

Locally, the Congresswoman continues working with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to see progress made on Superfund sites in New York like the Gowanus Canal, Newtown Creek and the Wolff-Alport Chemical Company. She remains committed to seeing these sites remediated, while protecting the needs of the local community and area businesses.

As our City has recovered from Sandy, Rep. Velázquez has steered federal resources toward ensuring our communities are more resilient to future weather catastrophes. She helped bring $511 million in federal resources to Lower Manhattan and the Lower East Side for flood and storm resiliency projects. $100 million has gone to Red Hook for innovative flood protection systems and the Congresswoman is working to secure additional funds. As our climate changes, New York may see additional flooding and storms in the future and it is important our City and neighborhoods be prepared.

Finally, Rep. Velázquez recognizes that we still face public health and environmental challenges from 9/11. She helped successfully push the extension and full funding of the Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act and the 9/11 Victims Compensation Fund, which care for first responders and others suffering from 9/11-related ailments.

For all these efforts the Congresswoman has been recognized as a steadfast champion of the environment, receiving a 100% vote rating from the New York State League of Conservation Voters. She will continue working to protect our environment.

It is unacceptable that the United States of America is the only developed country in the world that does not have a universal healthcare system for its citizens. New York City residents and all Americans deserve a reliable and affordable healthcare system.

Over 30 million Americans are uninsured with the other 40 million stuck with high co-pays and deductibles, which is why Congresswoman Velázquez is a huge supporter and co-sponsor of Medicare-for-all. Medicare-for-all will ensure that every American has access to quality healthcare and prescription drugs without having to choose between their health and livelihood.

Congresswoman Velázquez has voted against every attempt by the Republican party to repeal the Affordable Care Act and that law's protections for patients with preexisting conditions. In fact, one of the first acts of the new Democratic Majority was to authorize the U.S. House of Representatives to defend the Affordable Care Act in court against efforts to dismantle it.

The GOP's attempt to repeal the Affordable Care Act would take away healthcare from over 24 million Americans and over 2.3 million New Yorkers. Congresswoman Velázquez is committed to working with her colleagues to ensure American voices are heard and our vital medical needs are safeguarded. Americans should have the right to live a healthy life that is not jeopardized by politics or partisanship.

Ultimately, Congresswoman Velázquez knows that that healthcare is a fundamental human right, not a privilege for the wealthy. She will continue efforts in Congress to secure access to insurance coverage and affordable, quality care for all Americans.