February 28, 2021

February Recap Newsletter

Read newsletter as a PDF here. 

Dear neighbor, 

Happy March and Womens’ History Month! I hope this message finds you well, healthy and in good spirits. I want to express my gratitude again for all those that reached out to send condolences for my beloved mother, Pauline Bowman, who battled COVID-19 for many weeks before transitioning last month. My mother’s legacy and the love she poured into my family and community will remain with me — and I share that energy with you as I serve New York’s 16th Congressional District. 

During the month of February, my team and I worked hard for you and the rest of the District, handling dozens of cases involving immigration, postal issues, housing, and COVID-19 vaccinations. We were able to meet with community partners as well, including local students. I even had the opportunity to stop by the Doles Center in Mount Vernon to speak with essential workers serving our community during this pandemic. 

In our legislative work, we remain focused on fighting to uplift communities who have not been heard or represented by our government, building pathways to racial and economic justice, and creating a better world for our kids. Last month I wrote letters, introduced resolutions, and co-sponsored bills addressing testing in schools, postal issues, COVID relief and more. You can see below for a full update on what we’ve worked on.

As we enter March, I’m looking forward to working to bring more COVID relief and vaccine access to families in the district and transforming our public education system in wake of the pandemic. Please read below for further insight into exactly what I am doing to serve you and how I plan to continue serving you this month to round out my first 100 days in Congress.  

As always, do not hesitate to reach out to one of my offices for any questions and/or concerns. 

Legislative Update

We have had a busy and eventful month of February in Congress, and our work to create a more just economy is taking a big step forward soon. 

One bill I would like to highlight is the SALT Deductibility Act. The SALT deduction allows taxpayers to deduct certain taxes paid to state and local governments from their federal filing up to $10,000 per year. This benefits wealthy earners at the expense of low and middle income earners. In addition, the cap limits states’ abilities to provide essential services to constituents to survive this pandemic. This act would repeal Trump’s 2017 SALT deduction cap and allow New Yorkers to fully deduct their state and local taxes from their federal taxes.

Yesterday, I introduced the Care for All Agenda, a resolution to strengthen and expand the care economy and conditions for care workers amid the pandemic. This issue is very personal to me and my family. Care workers are the backbone of our economy, and it’s our responsibility to ensure that the basic needs of care workers are met, including equitable pay, benefits, safe working conditions, and the ability to unionize. I’m looking forward to expanding our work on this issue, and many more, in the coming weeks. Click here for more information on our resolution.

Below, please find a recap of legislative actions we took in February to improve the lives of those in our district and around the country: 

Bills co-sponsored

Resolutions signed:

Additionally, I joined 21 letters with my colleagues to address a range of issues, from vaccine distribution in New York to offshore wind power in New York and New Jersey. See here for some highlights of letters this month: 

  • As this pandemic continues, renters still need relief – in this letter Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, myself and 52 co-signers urged HUD and the Treasury to issue new guidelines for relief.  As a result of this action, President Biden and the Treasury issued new guidelines to improve access to the Emergency Rental Assistance Program. More information on that program is available by clicking this link. 

  • In this letter, my colleagues and I called on President Biden to combat anti-semitism by nominating an Ambassador-at-Large to protect religious freedom from further hate crimes.

I look forward to continuing to work with my colleagues including those across the aisle to work for the American people. 

District Update

Our focus remains on working to serve our constituents and address your concerns. Overall, our office has also assisted more than 130 constituents with casework helping individuals and families find answers to their problems or pointing them in the right direction. 

As we mentioned in previous newsletter updates, residents of Yonkers and Mt. Vernon can schedule an appointment to get vaccinated at a new mass vaccine site our office secured for the district. We’re currently working to secure additional vaccine sites in more neighborhoods. Please see below for instructions on how to register to receive a vaccine at this new site. 

Site location: 

New York National Guard Armory 

2 Quincy Place

Yonkers, NY 10701

Appointments will be made available to all eligible residents of Westchester County. To register, visit  NY.GOV/VACCINE or call 833-697-4829.

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

Kind regards,

Congressman Jamaal Bowman