U.S. Elected Officials Representing Brooklyn
| Name | Political Party |
| Gillibrand, Kirsten | Democrat |
| Schumer, Charles E. | Democrat |
Washington, DC Office
478 Russell
Washington, DC 20510
Tel. (202) 224-4451
Fax (202) 228-0282
New York City Office
780 Third Avenue
Suite 2601
New York, New York 10017
Tel. (212) 688-6262
Fax (212) 688-7444
Albany Office
Leo W. O’Brien Federal Office Building
1 Clinton Square, Room 821
Albany, NY 12207
Tel. (518) 431-0120
Fax (518) 431-0128
Kirsten Gillibrand was appointed on January 23, 2009 to the position of United States Senator to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Hillary Rodham Clinton. Gillibrand was the first woman ever elected to represent New York's 20th Congressional District, and the first Democrat to win the Upstate seat in nearly 30 years.
As a Member on the House Armed Services Committee and the House Agriculture Committee, Kirsten was able to affect important pieces of legislation and promote Upstate New York's priorities. On the Agriculture Committee, Kirsten played a vital role in crafting the Farm Bill so that Northeast fruit, vegetable and dairy farmers receive increased assistance in getting their goods to market, and she also fought to increase funding for rural infrastructure projects.
Kirsten's Armed Services Committee work has allowed her to ensure that American troops have adequate body armor and that service members and their families receive the support that they deserve, like increased health, housing and payment benefits.
Kirsten is also active in the Blue Dog Coalition, which is focused on finding bipartisan solutions to maintaining a strong national defense and restoring fiscal responsibility to Washington. As a leader in the Coalition, Kirsten introduced a Balanced Budget Amendment to the Constitution in order to ban deficit spending and reduce our national debt.
In Congress, Kirsten is committed to passing policies that will keep America safe, cut taxes for middle class families and bring jobs and federal investments back to our region. Kirsten understands that partisanship is not going to solve our country's most pressing issues, and she was recently ranked as one of the most independent-minded Members of the House of Representatives.
Throughout her career, Kirsten has demonstrated her commitment to public service. During the Clinton Administration, she served as Special Counsel to the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Andrew Cuomo. She played a key role in furthering HUD's Labor Initiative and its New Markets Initiative, working to strengthen Davis-Bacon Act enforcement and drafting new markets legislation for public and private investment in building infrastructure in lower income areas.
As an attorney for fifteen years at some of the country's premier law firms, Kirsten worked on a wide range of legal and policy-related issues. Kirsten also used her legal background to help New York families that needed free legal representation, including abused women and their children who needed protection, families in homes where lead paint was found, and church communities in need of pro-bono work.
Kirsten was born and raised in Upstate New York, and currently lives with her husband, Jonathan, their four-year-old son, Theodore, and infant Henry in Greenport, Columbia County. A magna cum laude graduate from Dartmouth College, Kirsten went on to receive her law degree at the University of California at Los Angeles Law School, and served as a law clerk on the Second Circuit Court of Appeals.
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Washington, DC Office
313 Hart Senate Building
Washington, DC 20510
Phone: 202-224-6542
Fax: 202-228-3027
TDD: 202-224-0420
New York City Office
757 Third Avenue, Suite 17-02
New York, NY 10017
Phone: 212-486-4430
Fax: 212-486-7693
TDD: 212-486-7803
Albany Office
Leo O'Brien Building, Room 420
Albany, NY 12207
Phone: 518-431-4070
Fax: 518-431-4076
In 2004, New Yorkers re-elected U.S. Senator Charles E. “Chuck” Schumer to represent the State of New York in the U.S. Senate for a second-six year term. Chuck started off his second term by being appointed to the Democratic Leadership team by Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid (D-NV). Chuck also earned a seat on the Senate Finance Committee, which oversees the nation’s tax, trade, social security and health care legislation. Chuck also sits on the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs; the Judiciary Committee; and the Rules Committee. He is the Ranking Member of the Administrative Oversight and the Courts Subcommittee and the Economic Policy Subcommittee. Prior to his election to the Senate, Chuck represented the Ninth Congressional District in Brooklyn and Queens for eighteen years. Before that, he represented the Forty-Fifth Assembly District in Brooklyn for six years.
For the past two and a half decades, Chuck Schumer has been a leader on national issues and a tireless fighter for New York. For his efforts, the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle called Chuck "an accomplished, far-sighted legislator," while The New York Times wrote that Chuck "is a more serious lawmaker with more rooted values, sounder policy positions and a deeper commitment to the common good."
Serving three terms in the New York State Assembly, Chuck worked vigorously for his Brooklyn constituents. He sponsored legislation to protect local cemeteries from vandalism and passed laws limiting noise pollution by banning motorcycles from residential streets between 9 pm and 8 am. He was a staunch affordable housing advocate, and sponsored legislation that increased penalties for arson in houses of worship.
Throughout his 20 years in Congress, Chuck has been a pioneer in the fight against crime. His work in this area led Attorney General Janet Reno, the nation's top law enforcer, to state, "I have never met a public official more dedicated to fighting crime than Mr. Schumer."
In 1994, Chuck authored the Omnibus Crime Bill, which put 100,000 new policemen on the street, enforced the "three strikes and you're out" sentencing, and created after school programs for troubled teens. As of August 2000, the Crime Bill's COPS program had put 11,461 new officers on New York's streets.
Chuck was a leading sponsor of the Brady Bill, which instituted mandatory background checks for handgun purchases. Chuck co-wrote the Assault Weapons Ban, which outlawed the manufacture and importation of 19 types of semi-automatic weapons, including the Uzi, AK-47 and Tec-9. He also sponsored both the Hate Crimes Statistics Act and Hate Crimes Prevention Act, which organized data on crimes of bigotry and allowed federal authorities to prosecute these crimes. In 1992, Chuck authored the Anti-Auto Theft Act, which required car manufacturers to mark often-stolen vehicle parts with an indelible ID number. Chuck won the first federal funding for Albany, Buffalo, Syracuse and Rochester to implement Project Exile, a program that enforces strict sentencing guidelines for illegal gun possession. Chuck also sponsored legislation in the Senate that provided $125 million in funding for rape kit testing and $100 million for the Sexual Assault Forensic Examiners program to help law enforcement identify, arrest and convict perpetrators of sexual assaults.
In addition to his record on crime, Chuck has been a tireless advocate for women' rights. He is the author of the landmark Violence Against Women Act, which was the first federal legislation protecting women against domestic abuse. As Chair of the House Judiciary's Subcommittee on Crime and Criminal Justice, Chuck passed the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act and made blockading the entrances to family clinics a federal crime.
Since his election to the Senate, Chuck has made improving New York's economy his top priority. He has been particularly successful in bringing affordable air service to Upstate New York, helping deliver new airline Jet Blue to Buffalo, Rochester and Syracuse and working with low-cost carrier Southwest Airlines to expand service to Albany and Western New York. His Group of 35 developed a comprehensive plan to address New York City's long-term economic needs by adding 60,000 new square feet of desperately needed office space to accommodate 300,000 new jobs projected over the next twenty years.
Chuck also established an Economic Development Initiative (EDI), a comprehensive effort to attract new businesses and financial resources to Upstate New York. As part of EDI, Chuck has held business roundtables throughout the state, organizing meetings between economic development officials and business leaders in Rochester, Buffalo, Syracuse during his first year in office. Later he toured the state with the site selectors who help businesses decide where to locate offices and factories, and sent a brochure promoting Upstate's merits to CEO's in New York City.
Chuck is the author of legislation that would eliminate many of the barriers that delay low-cost generic medications from coming to the marketplace. Chuck's bill would save consumers 60% when they choose a generic drug over the name brand by the third year the generic alternative is on the market. Chuck is also the author of legislation that would create an electronic national organ registry that would immediately link donors and recipients nationwide. Chuck has also written bi-partisan legislation to stabilize the Medicare + Choice program to help correct funding disparities that have caused over 1.6 million Americans, many of them senior citizens, to lose their HMO coverage.
Improving access to quality education is another of Chuck's long-term priorities. He led the charge in Congress to make college tuition tax deductible, and for the first time in history, parents will be able to deduct a portion of their children's tuition. Chuck has developed a "Marshall Plan for Teachers," which would provide a series of incentives to attract the best and brightest to teaching, and successfully authored several amendments to the Education bill which would double funding for recruiting and retaining math and science teachers.
Chuck, as the Ranking Member of the Administrative Oversight and the Courts subcommittee, plays a key role in judicial nominations. He held hearings in June 2001 to examine the role of judicial ideology in the judicial confirmation process. Chuck is the author of bipartisan legislation to allow federal trials to be televised and also of legislation that would modernize the nation's voting system by providing guidance, expertise and $3.5 billion in grants to states and localities to upgrade their voting equipment. Chuck was also a strong supporter of the McCain-Feingold campaign finance legislation.
A member of the Banking committee in the House and the Senate, Chuck worked for a decade to pass the 1999 Financial Services Modernization legislation, which modernizes regulations governing the US banking, securities and insurance industries. He played a key role in drafting language to ensure that financial companies serve traditionally underserved areas and has exposed unequal lending practices of banks and predatory lending practices of subprime lenders in minority communities. Chuck is currently the Ranking Member of the Banking committee's Economic Policy subcommittee.
In 2005, Chuck was appointed to the Finance committee and the Finance subcommittee on Taxation and IRS Oversight. Occupying a seat once occupied by his former colleague, Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan, Chuck now leads the fight against the privatization of Social Security and to ensure the solvency of the program through a bipartisan solution. He is working to maintain Medicaid funding for our seniors and to prevent a tax-hike for middle-class Americans by maintaining the deductibility of state and local taxes on federal income tax returns. Chuck is concerned about the growing trade deficit with China and co-sponsored a bill that will help U.S. businesses by forcing China to adhere to its WTO obligations.
Chuck has also had a powerful effect on a wide-ranging number of issues, including:
• Consumers: The "Schumer Box," enacted in 1988, requires that credit card companies clearly inform consumers of their terms.
• Immigration: Chuck forged an agreement in 1986 that resulted in an overhaul of the immigration system. He is also the author of pending legislation that would crack down on fraudulent immigration consultants.
• AIDS: Chuck authored the Housing Opportunities for People with AIDS Law.
• Israel: Chuck is a staunch advocate for our Middle East ally and has been a leader in bringing restitution to Holocaust survivors and their families.
• Terrorism: Chuck was one of the authors of the 1996 Antiterrorism Act. He successful fought to maintain the Iran and Libya Sanctions Act, which maintains sanctions on rogue states, and demanded the State Department stop omitting Palestinian terrorists from its website offering rewards and information for the capture of those suspected of killing American citizens.
Since the terrorist attacks on September 11, Chuck has worked tirelessly to help New York recover and rebuild. On September 13, Chuck, along with Senator Clinton, secured a commitment from President Bush to provide $20 billion in federal funding to help New York pay for recovery and relief efforts. Chuck also helped create the federal Victims Compensation Fund, which helps the families of those lost on September 11 or anyone physically injured in the attack continue with their lives by providing the family with all of the money the person killed or injured would have earned over his or her lifetime, all within five months of filing the claim. Chuck and Senator Clinton also successfully lobbied for $5 billion in aid for New York in the economic stimulus package pending before the Senate.
In addition, Chuck:
• Helped broker a compromise between Senate Democrats and the Bush Administration to support the antiterrorism bill.
• Helped write new laws cracking down on money laundering.
• Wrote legislation providing federal terrorism reinsurance to make it easier for private companies to obtain insurance.
• Worked on legislation that would make terrorist hoaxes a federal crime.
• Fought for funding to strengthen security at New York's northern border with Canada.
• Successfully convinced HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson to use the availability of the generic version of Cipro to lower the price the federal government pays for the antibotic, saving the taxpayers over $100 million.
• Wrote legislation with Senator Clinton allowing the FBI to share information with local law enforcement agencies like the NYPD.
• Asked the USDA to conduct a full security assessment of the Plum Island Animal Disease Research Laboratory on Long Island and asked the NRC and Homeland Security to assess security risks for all of New York's nuclear facilities.
• Nominated Father Mychal Judge, the fallen New York Fire Department Chaplain, for the US Medal of Freedom.
• Worked with the US Embassy in Santo Domingo to expedite visa approvals for families of the victims of American Airlines Flight 587.
• Obtained liability protection for New York City and the Port Authority in the airport security bill.
• Fought for increased funding to enhance rail and Amtrak security.
• Fought for increased funding for port security.
• Called for a national sales tax holiday to boost consumer spending.
For a more complete list of Chuck's agenda and accomplishments, please click here.
A product of the Brooklyn public schools, Chuck, who was born on November 23, 1950, is a graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Law School. He was elected to the New York State Assembly at age 23 -- making him one of the youngest members since Theodore Roosevelt -- and to Congress at 29. In 1998, Chuck became New York's junior Senator, and he now holds the senior position. He lives in Brooklyn with his wife, Iris Weinshall, and their daughters, Jessica and Alison.
Source: United States Senate website
United States House of Representatives
| Name | District | Poltical Party |
| Clarke, Yvette D. | 11th | Democrat |
| Maloney, Carolyn | 14th | Democrat |
| Nadler, Jerrold | 8th | Democrat |
| Towns, Edolphus | 10th | Democrat |
| Velazquez, Nydia M. | 12th | Democrat |
| Vacancy | 9th | Democrat |
Washington Office
1029 Longworth HOB
Washington, DC 20515
Phone: (202) 225-6231
Fax: (202) 226-0112
District Office
123 Linden Boulevard 4th Floor
Brooklyn, NY 11226
Phone: (718) 287-1142
Fax: (718) 287-1223
Yvette D. Clarke is a Brooklyn native whose roots are firmly planted in her Jamaican heritage. A product of the New York City Public School System, Rep. Clarke received a scholarship to Oberlin College and was a recipient of the prestigious APPAH/Sloan Fellowship in Public Policy and Policy Analysis. Rep. Clarke served as the first Director of Business Development for the Bronx Empowerment Zone where she administered the $51 million budget that resulted in the revitalization and economic development of the south Bronx. Rep. Clarke was elected to the New York City Council in November 2001 as the representative for the 40th District in Brooklyn. She was re-elected to office in November 2003 and November 2005. Clarke succeeded her pioneering mother, former City Councilmember, Dr. Una S.T. Clarke, making them the first mother-daughter succession in the history of the New York City Council.
During her Council tenure, Rep. Yvette D. Clarke served as the chair of the powerful Contracts Committee and co-chair of the New York City Council Women's Caucus. She also served on the Education; Fire & Criminal Justice Services; Health; Land Use; Planning, Dispositions & Concessions; and, Rules, Privileges & Elections committees.
Rep. Clarke's voting record as a member of the New York City Council serves as a reflection of her philosophy that government should serve to protect people, uplift local communities and build bridges that bring everyone together. Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke is committed to continuing the district's legacy of excellence as set forth by the late Honorable Shirley Chisholm, the first African American woman and Caribbean American elected to Congress.
In November 2006, Rep. Clarke was elected to represent New York's 11th Congressional District with 89% of the vote. She is currently a member of three House committees and two subcommittees within each committee. Her House committee assignments are as follows:
• Education & Labor Committee
• Healthy Families & Communities subcommittee
• Health, Employment, Labor & Pension subcommittee
• Homeland Security Committee
• Transportation & Infrastructure Protection subcommittee
• Management, Investigations, & Oversight subcommittee
• Small Business Committee
• Contracting & Technology subcommittee
• Rural & Urban Entrepreneurship subcommittee
Washington Office
2331 Rayburn HOB
Washington, DC 20515-3214
202.225.7944 phone
202.225.4709 fax
Manhattan Office
1651 3rd Avenue Suite 311
New York, NY 10128-3679
212-860-0606 phone
212-860-0704 fax
Time Magazine has called her a “tenacious, resilient legislator.” The New York Sun said “her entire career has been marked by a kind of personal courage.” The Village Voice characterized her as “a tiger in the House on every dollar due New York.” And The New York Times said, “New York's Congressional delegation stands out for their moxie, kind of the way New Yorkers themselves often do. Among the brashest members is Representative Carolyn B. Maloney, a Democrat of Manhattan.” New York Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney is a strong voice for New Yorkers, and a national leader with extensive accomplishments on security, financial services, the economy, and women’s issues. As the co-founder of the House 9/11 Commission Caucus, Maloney helped author and pass legislation to implement all of the 9/11 Commission’s recommendations for improving intelligence gathering. And in the wake of the Dubai Ports debacle, she helped craft successful legislation to reform the system for vetting foreign investment in the United States.
As a renowned champion for domestic and international women’s issues, Maloney helped passed legislation to target the demand side of sex trafficking and provide annual mammograms for women on Medicare. Maloney also authored the Debbie Smith bill to process DNA kits, which has been called the most important anti-rape legislation in history. The story of the legislation was made into a movie by Lifetime Television, A Life Interrupted: The Debbie Smith Story, with actress Lynn Adams portraying Congresswoman Maloney. New York City has no stronger advocate in Congress than Maloney. She has doggedly fought for full federal assistance to help the city rebuild from 9/11, most recently helping secure the very first doses of federal money for the health care needs of those made sick by the toxic air at Ground Zero. She has also delivered significant federal funding for the Second Avenue Subway and East Side Access transportation projects, both of which run through her district. Maloney’s career has been a series of firsts. She is the first woman to represent New York’s 14th Congressional District, the first woman to represent New York City’s 7th Councilmanic district, and the first woman Vice-Chair of the Joint Economic Committee, a House and Senate panel that examines and addresses the nation’s most pressing economic issues. She was also the first woman to give birth while serving on the New York City Council. In addition to her work on the Joint Economic Committee, Maloney is Chair of the House Financial Services Committee’s Financial Institutions Subcommittee, which has jurisdiction over the nation’s banking system. As Subcommittee Chair, she has worked to modernize financial services laws and regulations, strengthen consumer protections, and institute vigilant oversight of the safety and soundness of our nation’s banking industry. Maloney is also a senior member of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.
Manhattan Office
201 Varick Street, Suite 669
New York, NY 10014
Tel. 212-367-7350
Brooklyn Office
445 Neptune Ave.
Brooklyn, NY 11224
Tel. 718-373-3198
“Jerry Nadler not only represents New York well, but he has represented the United States very well.”
– President Bill Clinton
Congressman Jerrold Nadler represents New York’s Eighth Congressional district. The Eighth, one of the most diverse districts in the nation, includes Manhattan’s West Side below 89th Street, Lower Manhattan, and areas of Brooklyn including Borough Park, Coney Island, Brighton Beach, Sea Gate, Bay Ridge, and Bensonhurst. Congressman Nadler was first elected to the House of Representatives in 1992 after serving for 16 years in the New York State Assembly. He was re-elected to his seventh full term in 2004 with a resounding 80 percent of the vote. Throughout his career he has championed civil rights, civil liberties, efficient transportation, and a host of progressive issues such as access to health care, support for the arts and protection of the Social Security system. He is considered an unapologetic defender of those who might otherwise be forgotten by American law or the economy, and is respected specifically for his creative and pragmatic legislative approaches. In his roles as an Assistant Whip and a senior member of both the House Judiciary Committee and the House Transportation Committee, Congressman Nadler has the opportunity on a daily basis to craft and shape the major laws that govern our country. From his leadership in response to the September 11th terrorist attacks on his district, to his insight and policymaking prominence on issues facing Israel and the Middle East, Nadler has constantly sought to be steadfast and responsive in his service to New York and the nation.
Promoting Liberty, Equality, and Progressive Values in America
Congressman Nadler is perhaps best known as a prominent member of the House Judiciary Committee. It was there that, as a third-term representative in 1998, he rose to national prominence as a vigorous defender of the Constitution during the Presidential impeachment hearings. Congressman Nadler’s unwavering demand for bipartisan adherence to the Constitution earned him national praise. Nadler is currently a senior Democrat on the committee, and he serves as the Chairman of the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties Subcommittee, which considers all proposed constitutional amendments and deals with such issues as expression, religious freedom, privacy, due process, civil rights, abortion, and LGBT rights. As Chair of the panel, the Congressman serves as the first line of defense in many of the most crucial ideological battles that take place in the House.Congressman Nadler’s work on First Amendment freedoms is widely recognized. He is one of Congress’s most vocal defenders of both the separation of church and state and of Americans’ right to exercise their religion freely. He was one of the lead Democratic sponsors of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act and the Democratic sponsor of the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act, which was signed into law by President Clinton in 2000 and was recently upheld by the Supreme Court. Nadler has also been a consistent champion of freedom of expression, fighting against countless efforts to restrict speech and quell dissent. As a leader of the Congressional Arts Caucus, Congressman Nadler was one of the chief defenders against House Republican efforts to destroy the National Endowment for the Arts. In the face of repeated back-door attempts to outlaw abortion, Congressman Nadler has long led House efforts to protect a woman’s right to choose. Kate Michaelman, the former president of NARAL Pro-Choice America, says “Jerry Nadler is at the forefront of the movement to protect reproductive freedom, fighting every day against anti-choice leaders in Congress and the White House. . .” And as a staunch supporter of equal rights, Nadler has spearheaded the opposition to attempts to write discrimination into the Constitution in the form of the so-called Federal Marriage Amendment. He has also authored landmark bills that would grant equal access to immigration and Social Security benefits to all Americans, regardless of sexual orientation.
There is nothing more fundamental to being an American than the assurance against unwarranted government interference in one’s personal affairs, and the guarantee of due process under the law. Yet some recent actions by Congress and the executive, in the name of enhancing national security, have threatened those basic rights. Congressman Nadler’s legislation to remove the most pernicious elements of the USA PATRIOT Act, and his insistence on constitutional treatment of those suspected of crimes, have won him plaudits across the board.In addition to his service on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties Subcommittee, Congressman Nadler also serves on the Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security Subcommittee. He previously served on the Subcommittee on Commercial and Administrative Law, which has jurisdiction over such key issues as consumer protection, bankruptcy law, and the right to competent legal representation. Formerly ranking Democrat on that subcommittee, Mr. Nadler led House opposition to the Republican-backed Bankruptcy Bill, legislation designed to maximize credit card company at the expense of consumer protections.These accomplishments, coupled with his expansive portfolio of other progressive achievements—from garnering hundreds of millions of dollars for the Section 8 affordable housing program, to shaping the national debate on Social Security by being the first to challenge the Republicans’ “doom and gloom” solvency forecast, to the passing of his bill to close the digital divide in education—led Vanity Fair, in its “Hall of Fame” tribute to Congressman Nadler, to say that he epitomizes “liberalism the way it ought to be.” And his record has earned him ratings of 100 percent from such groups as the League of Conservation Voters, Planned Parenthood, the NAACP, the Human Rights Campaign, Children’s Defense Fund, and the American Federation of Teachers.
Leading on Transportation Issues
In addition to his involvement in top-tier judicial issues, Congressman Nadler is also a longstanding and nationally recognized expert on transportation. During his 16 years as a New York State Assemblyman, Nadler was able to match his ideas for improving transportation and infrastructure with legislative solutions. In this capacity he founded and chaired the Assembly’s Mass Transit and Rail Freight Subcommittee. Since his election to the U.S. House, he has brought that expertise and enthusiasm to work for New York as a senior member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. He is now the highest-ranking Democrat from the Northeast, and co-chair of the Congressional Transit Caucus, where he’s fought for better subway service and New York’s fair share of mass transit funding. Congressman Nadler stood virtually alone for many years in decrying the downstate New York region’s isolation from the national rail freight system and its almost total reliance on truck-borne freight. Such dependence has created enormous costs to the area in terms of increased air pollution, asthma, congestion, and the general expense of doing business in the region. More alarming, the region’s over-dependence on the George Washington Bridge for moving freight creates a serious national security vulnerability.
Congressman Nadler proposed to reverse these effects by reconnecting New York to the nation’s rail freight system through the construction of a rail freight tunnel under New York Harbor. The Cross Harbor Tunnel project is steadily gaining momentum. Local, state, and federal leaders agree with Congressman Nadler and a variety of transportation experts that a rail freight tunnel is the best way to ease the truck-traffic burden, and in doing so, reduce air pollution, provide tremendous economic benefits, and bolster security by creating redundancy in the region’s goods-movement system.
Serving a Diverse and Fast-Paced District
Although he is today a legislator with nationwide impact, Congressman Nadler is first and foremost a representative for New Yorkers. As a longtime community activist and a New Yorker to the core, the best interest of Congressman Nadler’s district and City is the touchstone for his everyday service. Even when he is in Washington, New York comes first. From reclaiming Governor’s Island for New York City, to securing crucial federal funding for the High Line park project, to adjusting federal income tax brackets to reflect the higher cost of living in New York, Congressman Nadler is able to use his position in Congress to improve life in the City. The New York Times ranks Nadler “among the city's smartest and hardest-working House members.”There are two pillars of Congressman Nadler’s strategy for delivering resources for the district: an intimate knowledge of every neighborhood and community feature, and tireless advocacy at all levels of government. Nadler has been able to furnish critical funding for a wide variety of community projects and priorities. In Brooklyn, for example, the Congressman has been instrumental in shore restoration efforts, securing funding for Maimonides Medical Center and Coney Island Hospital, and making neighborhoods more livable—even securing free cellular phones for the Shomrim, Boro Park’s neighborhood anti-crime unit. In Manhattan, he has brought home considerable funding for the foundation and development of Hudson River Park, for programs at major cultural institutions, such as Lincoln Center and the Museum of Natural History, and for New York’s world-renowned institutions of higher learning.
Being an effective voice for the community isn’t, however, just about moving projects forward; programs that would do harm require a strong voice in opposition. When the City wanted to reopen the Southwest Brooklyn Incinerator, the Congressman was a leading voice in preventing an environmental and health crisis in Bensonhurst. And when Donald Trump tried to tear down part of the newly renovated West Side Highway to enhance the views of the Hudson River for a new luxury building project, Nadler organized the effort to stop him. “I don’t believe that New Yorkers work hard and pay taxes so they can line Mr. Trump's pockets,” Nadler said of the move, which would have cost the taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars.The needs of everyday New Yorkers are paramount in the Congressman’s eyes. When residents of the Haber House apartment complex complained of frequent crime against tenants, Nadler secured money from Congress to install security cameras. When commuters wanted to make foot traffic through Penn Station more efficient, he worked with station authorities to change the direction of key escalators. Throughout the district and the City, Nadler has used his transportation expertise to solve local traffic and transit problems, working to relieve congestion, improve bus and ferry routes, and to modernize access to the subway. Affordable housing, like adequate transportation, is a basic need in any community—and a priority for Nadler. He has fought in Congress and at home to preserve the City’s essential stock of Mitchell-Lama and Section 8 apartments. Congressman Nadler’s constituent services program allows residents of the Eighth District to seek help from the Congressman’s office in navigating the often-complex world of government services. Every day, Nadler’s constituent services staff help residents meet their basic needs, finding them access to healthcare, and acting as a liaison with government agencies, and in many cases helping with citizenship requests. The district includes one of the nation’s largest communities of new immigrants—especially from the former Soviet Union—and Congressman Nadler and his staff have made it a priority to address their needs.
Congressman Nadler also represents one of the largest and most diverse Jewish communities in any congressional district, nationwide. A former member of the National Governing Council of the American Jewish Congress and currently a member of the New York Board of the Anti-Defamation League, Nadler has worked throughout his career to support American Jewish community concerns and a safe, prosperous, and peaceful Israel. He has consistently stood behind Middle East peace efforts. Nadler is also a former member of the United States Holocaust Memorial Council, has authored a bill granting federal tax exemptions on settlements received by Holocaust survivors, and has been a principal supporter of federal hate crimes legislation.Congressman Nadler has also worked extensively on Black-Jewish relations, and was a recent recipient of the Foundation for Ethnic Understanding’s Racial Harmony Award.
Responding to Challenge
After the devastating terrorist attack on the Congressman’s district on September 11, 2001, Nadler led the fight in Congress and at the White House to secure $20 billion for recovery work—and he has been there to speak up for New York every time the rebuilding effort has a need in Washington. Immediately following the attacks, Congressman Nadler convened the “Ground Zero Elected Officials Task Force” to coordinate the delivery of much-needed aid and supplies to the residents and businesses in lower Manhattan. Nadler’s work to help New Yorkers repair their communities and their lives has earned him widespread praise, including the 2003 Legislator of the Year Award from the International Association of Firefighters. When the initial shock of the tragedy had subsided, the Congressman worked tirelessly to ensure that victims received the government attention they needed. He introduced legislation to expedite the payment of benefits to the families of public safety officers killed on September 11th, pushed to extend unemployment benefits for those who lost their jobs as a result of the tragedy, and worked closely with constituents and government officials to ensure that aid from the Federal Emergency Management Agency was properly delivered to all those needing it. Nadler secured $500 million in Community Development Block Grant funding for residents and small businesses recovering from the effects of the attacks, and he authored the September 11th Aid Preservation Act of 2002 and the September 11th Tax Correction Act to make sure that aid was granted, spent, and taxed appropriately.
Congressman Nadler has also taken the lead in the continuing fight to protect air quality in lower Manhattan. Soon after the attacks, the Environmental Protection Agency carelessly declared it safe for residents to return to their homes and denied its responsibility for conducting air quality tests and cleanup efforts in affected residences. The Congressman immediately called public attention to the EPA’s negligence in these actions, which gravely threatened the health of lower Manhattan residents and professionals, and hosted hearings to investigate this negligence and determine the actual extent of environmental hazards in the area. As EPA officials continually commit and cover up their mistakes and deny their responsibility, Congressman Nadler continues to fight on behalf of constituents for higher standards and greater range in the cleanup process. Juan Gonzalez of The Daily News wrote that “Of all the politicians in this town, Nadler has fought the hardest to get EPA to assume responsibility for indoor cleanup.”
Congressman Nadler launched his public service career in the late 1960s while a student at Columbia University, where he founded a group of students known as the “West Side Kids.” The Kids focused on reforming New York City Democratic politics through support of liberal and anti-Vietnam War candidates, and developed their political base through community organizing to improve local housing and education conditions. In 1976, after a stint as a legislative staffer, Mr. Nadler won a seat in the State Assembly, and there first developed his strong record on such issues as civil liberties, environmental protection, and campaign finance reform. He is credited with authoring much of New York State’s body of law on domestic violence and child support enforcement, and was one of the architects of the landmark Child Support Standards Act.
Washington Office
2232 Rayburn House Office Bldg.
Washington, DC 20515
Phone: (202) 225-5936
Fax: (202) 225-1018
Brooklyn Office
186 Joralemon Street, Ste. 1102
Brooklyn, NY 11201
Phone: (718) 855-8018
Fax: (718) 858-4542
Edolphus "Ed" Towns, a former social worker and community activist in Brooklyn, New York, is a 13-term veteran in the House, where he serves on both the powerful Energy and Commerce Committee and the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. Towns represents the 10th Congressional District of New York, encompassing the neighborhoods of East New York, Canarsie, Brownsville, Bedford-Stuyvesant, Cypress Hills, Clinton Hill, Mill Basin, Midwood, downtown Brooklyn, Boreum Hill, as well as parts of Fort Greene and Williamsburg. This area brings together Brooklyn's diverse populace—black, Hispanic, Caribbean, and Jewish voters.
In the 110th Congress (2007–2009), Representative Towns was appointed chairman of the Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on Government Management, Organization, and Procurement. He has focused on issues such as government contracting, education, health care for 9/11 workers, and minority business development. Rep. Towns is also member of Energy and Commerce's Health Subcommittee, the Commerce, Trade, and Consumer Protection Subcommittee, and the Telecommunications and the Internet Subcommittee. Through these subcommittee appointments, Rep. Towns has worked diligently to enhance consumers' privacy protections on the Internet, develop innovative initiatives to reduce asthma and expand access to care, and bridge the digital divide.
Over his long career, Rep. Towns' legislative work in education, telecommunications, healthcare, financial services and environmental issues has earned him numerous awards. Among his key legislative accomplishments, Towns counts pioneering programs to address quality of life concerns for all Americans, such as:
• Social Work Reinvestment Commission to address policy issues associated with the recruitment, retention, research, and support of the social work profession.
• Minority Serving Institution Digital and Wireless Technology Opportunity Act to authorize up to 250 million dollars in grants for minority-serving institutions to be used for networking equipment and instrumentation, campus wiring and the installation of wireless networks, systems upgrades, training, and technical assistance.
• Poison Center Support, Enhancement, and Awareness Act to sustain funding of poison centers and enhance prevention efforts and public health.
• Pedestrian Safety Enhancement Act to protect the blind and other pedestrians from injury or death as a result of silent vehicle technology.
• Flu Vaccine Availability Act to provide influenza vaccinations to all kindergarten through grade eight students in low-income metropolitan schools.
• Motor Vehicle Owners Right to Repair Act to protect the rights of consumers when repairing their motor vehicles.
• Student Right to Know Act, which mandated that student-athlete graduation rates be reported by colleges.
With steadfast dedication to the needs of the 10th Congressional District, Towns’ past victories include securing over $1 billion in federal funding to:
• Develop facilities and provide support for a small business clinic;
• Create a state of the art research and education institute;
• Fund research technologies to lessen the nation’s dependence on fossil fuels;
• Provide resources to study passenger safety and correct ADA and elderly mobility usage;
• Renovate and expand a recreational gymnasium used for motor and physical enhancement of blind and/or multi-handicapped children;
• Support community outreach initiatives;
• Implement innovative bilingual education programs for the gifted and talented, teacher training and special education;
• Enhance Medicare reimbursement rates for mid-level practitioners;
• Initiate additional standards for the inclusion of children in clinical trials;
• Place sports agents under the oversight of the Federal Trade Commission in an effort to halt unethical recruitment practices; and,
• Institute the Telecommunications Development Fund to provide capital for small start up telecommunications businesses.
As the original incorporator of Brooklyn Bridge Park, Rep. Towns understands the importance of preserving and restoring our environment. He remains committed to protecting our national parks and creating open spaces throughout Brooklyn. Recognized for fighting on behalf of Prospect Park in the heart of Brooklyn, the National Audubon Society lauded his efforts to secure much-needed federal funds for important restoration activities.
Born in Chadbourn, North Carolina to the son of a sharecropper, Rep. Towns earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Sociology from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University in Greensboro. He later received a Masters in social work from Adelphi University in Garden City, New York and seven honorary doctorate degrees from various reputable institutions.
Towns' varied professional background includes assignments as an administrator at Beth Israel Medical Center, a professor at New York's Medgar Evers College and Fordham University and a teacher in the New York City Public School System. He is also a veteran of the United States Army and an ordained Baptist minister.
Entering politics through his dedicated work in various civic associations, Rep. Towns has the distinction of being the first African American to serve as Deputy Brooklyn Borough President. Congressman Towns and his son, Darryl, a New York State Assemblyman, are the first African-American, father-son team to serve simultaneously in New York public office. Towns is married to Gwendolyn (Forbes) Towns, and the couple has two children, Darryl and Deidra, and five grandchildren.
Washington Office
2466 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
Phone: (202) 225-2361
Fax (202) 226-0327
Brooklyn Office
266 Broadway, Suite 201
Brooklyn, NY 11211
Phone (718) 599-3658
Congresswoman Nydia M. Velázquez is currently serving her eighth term as Representative for New York’s 12th Congressional District. She has made history several times during her tenure in Congress. In 1992, she was the first Puerto Rican woman elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. In February 1998, she was named Ranking Democratic Member of the House Small Business Committee, making her the first Hispanic woman to serve as Ranking Member of a full House committee. Most recently, in 2006, she was named Chairwoman of the House Small Business Committee, making her the first Latina to chair a full Congressional committee.Given her achievements, her roots are humble. She was born in Yabucoa, Puerto Rico - a small town of sugar-cane fields - in 1953, and was one of nine children. Velázquez started school early, skipped several grades, and became the first person in her family to receive a college diploma. At the age of 16, she entered the University of Puerto Rico in Rio Piedras. She graduated magna cum laude in 1974 with a degree in political science. After earning a master’s degree on scholarship from N.Y.U., Velázquez taught Puerto Rican studies at CUNY’s Hunter College in 1981.But her passion for politics soon took hold. In 1983, Velázquez was appointed Special Assistant to Congressman Edolphus Towns (D-Brooklyn). One year later, she became the first Latina appointed to serve on the New York City Council.By 1986, Velázquez served as the Director of the Department of Puerto Rican Community Affairs in the United States. During that time, she initiated one of the most successful Latino empowerment programs in the nation’s history - "Atrevete" (Dare to Go for It!).In 1992, after months of running a grassroots political campaign, Velázquez was elected to the House of Representatives to represent New York's 12th District. Her district, which encompasses parts of Brooklyn, Queens and the Lower East Side of Manhattan, is the only tri-borough district in the New York City congressional delegation. Encompassing many diverse neighborhoods, it is home to a large Latino population, with pockets of Polish communities, and parts of Chinatown.
As a fighter for equal rights of the underrepresented and a proponent of economic opportunity for the working class and poor, Congresswoman Velázquez combines sensibility and compassion as she works to encourage economic development, protect community health and the environment, combat crime and worker abuses, and secure access to affordable housing, quality education and health care for all New York City families.As the Chairwoman for the House Small Business Committee, which oversees federal programs and contracts totaling $200 billion annually, Congresswoman Velázquez has been a vocal advocate of American small business and entrepreneurship. She has established numerous small business legislative priorities, encompassing the areas of tax regulations, access to capital, federal contracting opportunities, trade, technology, health care and pension reform, among others. Congresswoman Velázquez was recently named as the inaugural "Woman of the Year" by Hispanic Business Magazine in recognition of her national influence in both the political and business sectors and for her longtime support of minority enterprise.
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