Nydia Velázquez: “It is our responsibility to protect taxpayers' money and to make sure that the program is implemented.”

I urge my colleagues not to engage in knee-jerk reactions that set back our real progress toward creating a more equitable criminal justice system.

Republicans want to cut vital food and healthcare support programs to pay for a tax cut for billionaires and large corporations. The GOP wants working families to pay for their billionaire handouts.

Of particular concern to me are the barriers that women, minority, and rural entrepreneurs face each and every day.

Today’s groundbreaking is the culmination of years of organizing by residents and community leaders for solutions to North Brooklyn's housing crisis.