April 30, 2021

April Recap Newsletter

Read newsletter as a PDF here.

Dear neighbor, 

Happy Monday and Eid Mubarak to all of our Muslim neighbors! Wishing those who celebrated a peaceful Eid al-Fitr as the new moon appears. May this Eid al-Fitr serve as time to reflect on the sacrifices of the fast, and the sacrifices over the past year to keep yourself, your family, and community safe. For all of NY-16 I hope all is well with you, your family and loved ones. Today I am happy to provide you with an update on some of the business our office conducted throughout the month of April.

 

Last month, we had the opportunity to spend time in the district meeting with neighbors and other elected officials to bring federal resources where they are most needed in NY-16. We hosted a town hall at Yonkers YWCA to discuss our eventful first 100 days in Congress and I met with seniors (pictured to the right) while visiting the New Rochelle Housing Authority.

I also toured the Gun Hill Houses and Anne’s Place, a shelter run by Project Renewal. A huge honor was having Rye High School Freshman Maddy Rye join me virtually for Biden’s Address to Congress as my guest. Maddy has been working with her peers to register seniors for COVID-19 vaccines. Pictured below are COVID Angels from Rye High School who also helped seniors register for a COVID-19 vaccine. I look forward to seeing them all grow in the district. 

One of our proudest accomplishments in April was submitting 10 Community Project Funding requests to the House Appropriations Committee, along with more than 200 other programmatic and language requests to bring federal funds to our communities in FY22. I also submitted 7 requests for transportation and pedestrian safety improvements in our district as part of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee’s Member Designated Projects. We’ll be working hard to get these requests approved to bring home support for essential services and programs in the district. Every single person in our district deserves access to equitable, modern, and fully-funded services.  

Please continue reading for more updates on our work in the district and our legislative agenda. As always, do not hesitate to reach out to one of my offices for any questions and/or concerns. 

Legislative Update

In April, I voted for the following bills below which passed in the U.S. House of Representatives in order to advance issues like equitable legal representation, pay equity, and preventing discrimination against individuals seeking refuge in the United States. 

Additionally, in April I sent a letter to President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris urging them to make historic and much-needed expansions and improvements to the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program through the American Families Plan. Many individuals rely on SSI benefits to survive, but are still subjected to living in poverty due to the limitations on benefits the program imposes. 

I also sent a letter with Representative Espaillat to President Biden and administration officials urging for an ambitious and equitable commitment from the United States in efforts to address the climate crisis domestically and internationally. As the richest country in the world, and the nation most responsible for carbon emissions since the industrial revolution, the United States has a unique and profound responsibility to lead the global energy transition

In the wake of the Derek Chauvin conviction, I wrote a letter to President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, and the Department of Justice (DOJ) requesting the DOJ reopen its investigation into the death of Tamir Rice. Derek Chauvin’s conviction was one step toward basic accountability and I am calling on the Biden administration to do more.

Lastly, I led three letters to the House Appropriations Committee to advocate for increased broadband access for HUD-assisted households, increased oversight of charter schools, and additional financial support for teachers and school leadership in public schools. I am grateful to the over 50 colleagues who joined me in advocating for these causes.

In addition to votes in the House and writing the aforementioned letters, I also supported over 70 of my colleagues’ bills,resolutions, and letters. Below I highlight some of these legislative efforts:

District Update

In April, my office saw a major uptick in casework. We currently have 475 open cases, of which about 40 are closed per week. By far, immigration cases are most prominent in our district, given that about a third of our district is foreign born. These cases also take the longest to complete. Our response rate to constituents who need assistance with a federal agency or other department is currently around 72 hours. We are steadily working to resolve your needs! 

Last month, I joined Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer in Co-op City to call on President Biden and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to green light refinancing on a $500 million loan for the Co-op City in the Bronx for essential renovating and repairs to Co-op City — improvements that are urgently needed to ensure the health and safety of residents, many of whom are seniors. 

My office also wrapped up the Congressional Art Competition for high school students. On May 1, we hosted a virtual reception to announce the winners, who were provided scholarships from generous constituents. The first place piece will hang in the U.S. Capitol with other submissions from throughout the country for an entire year. To view all the submissions and winning pieces, click here. 

For all other concerns please feel free to reach out to my office. We are able to assist with the following services: 

In everything I do I also want to take the time to honor constituents who deserve to be celebrated and appreciated. If you or someone you know would like to be featured by my office for the work you do or for a special accomplishment please share at this link! 

Kind regards,

Congressman Jamaal Bowman