Adriano Espaillat: “Here we have someone who is standing up for his grandchild, for his ill wife, for his community. He is standing up for…”

“Here we have someone who is standing up for his grandchild, for his ill wife, for his community. He is standing up for family values, and yet he has to stand here and defend himself. His decision to step down is very personal and his decades of service speak for themselves. We are grateful for his unwavering commitment to public service. At a moment where some are working overtime to protect the wealthy and gut healthcare for working families, we should stand together united to defend affordable healthcare. That is the issue that we should be talking about here tonight. We should be standing together to talk about how we are going to lift the least among us and make it easier for them. That is what we should be talking about here tonight. Nearly 20 million people are at risk of losing coverage and that should be our priority. Chuy, myself, and Luis Correa, we call ourselves the three amigos because we have so much in common, although I am from New York, he is from Illinois, and Luis is from California. The word 'amigo' means friend. It has been lost in the journey. The meaning of that word has been lost, and I may add maybe mutilated, but I am here to call Chuy tonight 'my great friend'; 'mi gran amigo.'”