“Women for Lentol” Issues Letter in Support of Lentol’s Re-Election
Assemblyman Joe Lentol (D-North Brooklyn), running for re-election in the 50th District, has been endorsed by 50 women
community leaders who have formed “Women for Lentol”. The group has written a letter in support of Lentol, urging the community to vote for the Assemblyman in the upcoming Primary Election on June 23rd.
“I am proud to have the support of these community leaders and activists. Together, we have fought for reproductive rights, environmental protections, tenants’ rights, criminal justice reform, and protections for sexual assault victims,” said Lentol. “With Trump and the federal government continuing to threaten women’s rights and body autonomy, we need to do everything we can at the state level to protect women’s rights and wellbeing. Gender discrimination has no place in New York, and I am committed to being an effective ally for women in Albany.”
Rose to Hold Hearing on the Rise in Anti-Semitic Domestic Terrorism
U.S. Rep. Max Rose (D-South Brooklyn, Staten Island), Chair of the Homeland Security Subcommittee on Intelligence & Counterterrorism, will chair his first hearing of the year tomorrow on the rise in anti-Semitic domestic terrorism, which will include testimony from Jewish community leaders and homeland security experts.
“We are in a time of crisis and the time for action is now,” said Rose. “Acts of domestic terrorism and anti-Semitism are on the rise and the fear in the community is palpable. But this is not and cannot be an issue that only Jews have to worry about, because hate in all forms goes against who we are as a nation. I look forward to hearing directly from community leaders and homeland security experts on what actions are being taken, and what more can be done, to protect our communities and counteract the rising anti-Semitism.”
Rose’s hearing will focus on recent incidents of domestic terrorism motivated by anti-Semitism, including recent mass attacks in the New York City metro area, as well as the overall rise in anti-Semitic violence, underscored by recent FBI data showing that the number of anti-Semitic murders hit a 27-year high in 2018. Testimony will focus on the factors driving the recent rise in anti-Semitic violence; the actions that federal, state, and local government officials are taking to address this rise—and what more needs to be done; and how Congress can help counter the rise in violence motivated by anti-Semitism.
Schumer, Velázquez Demand HUD Meeting on Puerto Rico
Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Rep. Nydia M. Velázquez (D-Brooklyn, Queens and Manhattan) have led more than forty Members of Congress in calling for a meeting with the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), in light of the
agency’s ongoing refusal to release previously approved disaster relief funds. The letter notes that following earthquakes that struck Puerto Rico last week and over the weekend, the Island needs all the help it can get. However, HUD has refused to release funds that Congress approved as early as 2018 in response to Hurricane Maria.
“The Trump administration has repeatedly neglected our fellow Americans in Puerto Rico when they needed us the most – first after devastating hurricanes struck the island and now in the wake of these destructive earthquakes,” said Schumer. “If Secretary Carson won’t respond to our written questions, then he must meet with us face-to-face to answer for his decision to continue to unlawfully withhold congressionally appropriated aid for over a year and compound the perilous situation now facing
our fellow citizens. There is no legitimate rationale for these critical funds to continue to be withheld and we will demand that Secretary Carson immediately move to release the aid that will help hundreds of thousands of Americans.”
“We have repeatedly implored Secretary Carson to follow the law, do right by Puerto Rico and release the assistance our fellow citizens are legally due,” noted Velázquez. “We’ve written him multiple times and still have not received a satisfactory answer on when Puerto Rico will receive this aid. To this day, HUD remains in violation of the law, blocking the people of Puerto Rico from getting the help that Congress intended. That’s why, today, we’re demanding Secretary Carson meet with us, so we can impress on him the need to get this money in the pipeline and help the people of Puerto Rico recover.”
