In the News

WASHINGTON, D.C. – NPR’s Steve Inskeep spoke with Democratic Rep. Adriano Espaillat of New York on Monday’s Morning Edition about President Trump saying he doesn't think Democrats want a deal on DACA, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.

As the most unproductive congressional year in recent history winds down, House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) will be under tremendous pressure to pass an omnibus spending package that keeps the federal government open beyond Dec. 8, when the current funding authority expires. With a 239 member majority, Republicans should not need any help from Democrats to pass this bill. Yet, if anything has been made clear over the past ten months, it is the utter inability of Republicans and their president to lead. Republicans currently control all branches of government, including both houses of Congress. Under normal circumstances, this would mean a strong, unified collective governing body. But these aren’t normal circumstances and, so far this year, Republicans have needed significant help from House Democrats to pass funding legislation to keep the government open.

If Speaker Ryan does not call a vote on the DREAM Act (H.R. 3440) as a standalone bill, which would pass with bipartisan support, then he has two ways to approach the pending funding vote. First, he can choose to coalesce his Republican colleagues, including the extreme factions, and enact a hardline budget that drastically cuts funding for essential programs, all while attempting to increase funding for the unpopular border wall. With this, the Speaker would appease a small group of lawmakers at the expense – literally – of most Americans, which is a huge risk that would place Republicans in a difficult position heading into an election year.

Yesterday Sunday, October 29, 2017, with their friends, families, and community leaders, New York unveiled “Flight 587 Way” at 181st Street and Amsterdam Avenue in honor to the victims and their families whose lives have been marked on Monday, November 12, 2001 by this tragic accident. On the Morning of November 12, 2001, American Airlines Flight 587 bound to the Dominican Republic crashed into the Belle Harbor neighborhood of Queens. The passing of time has not erased the pain that all 265 victims left in their family, friends, and loved ones’ lives. This is the second deadliest plane crash in the United States aviation history, and to many – in the Dominican community – is essential to remember this catastrophic plane crash. “I’m proud to join my colleagues in government to honor the 265 victims by unveiling “Flight 587 Way”. said U.S Congressman Adriano Espaillat (NY-13). “The crash of Flight 587, on November 12, 2001, claimed the lives of all 265 victims, most of whom were Dominican or Dominican-American. We must always remember the lives of those lost that day, and I am proud to stand with the Dominican community to help memorialize those affected by this catastrophe.”

After Verizon's decision to remove Univision from Verizon Fios, AT&T recently decided to remove Televisión Dominicana from U-Verse and DIRECTV, which is their only channel that services the Dominican community, leaving viewers who were depending on the channel for news and updates in the dark. Not surprisingly, AT&T’s actions have provoked concern and outrage among Hispanic leaders. "Despite our best efforts to negotiate continued distribution, AT&T's proposals made access to Televisión Dominicana limited and more expensive for the Dominican community," said a spokesman for the channel. According to The Business in Television "There are 2.3 million Dominicans living in the United States, the fourth largest Spanish-speaking population, but AT&T and DIRECTV carry other networks targeting smaller population groups. Among those are three channels from Spain provided by a company partnered with DIRECTV, including the channel that replaced Televisión Dominicana."
In the latest of a series of actions, Congress member Adriano Espaillat - the first Dominican-American in Congress - called on the Boards of both AT&T and Time Warner to consider the importance of Televisión Dominicana in the lives of countless Dominican Americans in light of the proposed merger between the two companies.

On Wednesday, Rep. Adriano Espaillat (D-NY-13) and Rep. Luis V. Gutiérrez (D-IL-04) will debrief reporters following their individual trips this past weekend to Puerto Rico to help distribute supplies and other necessities in Comerío, a municipality located near the center-eastern region of the island. This marked the second joint trip the two Congressmen have taken to Puerto Rico as they continue to assess the damage following Hurricane Maria last month. Tomorrow’s briefing will be an opportunity to further discuss their experiences and their thoughts on what should come next in their continued push for federal funding to help Puerto Rico rebuild.

WASHINGTON.- El congresista Adriano Espaillat (NY-13) criticó abiertamente la decisión del presidente de los Estados Unidos, Donald Trump, de no certificar el Plan de Acción Integral Conjunto (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, JCPOA), también conocido como ” acuerdo nuclear con Irán”. En un comunicado de prensa, Espaillt dijo que esta decisión aisla a los Estados Unidos de sus tradicionales socios internacionales.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — For the first time in American history, a formerly undocumented immigrant is serving in Congress. In fact, there are two. Whether a historical coincidence or political fate, the same election that brought Donald Trump — the most nativist national political candidate since perhaps the “Know-Nothing” party ran Millard Fillmore in 1856 — to the White House also brought two formerly undocumented immigrants to the Capitol Building.

A pair of House Democrats unveiled legislation on Thursday that would prohibit the use of taxpayer funds to display Confederate symbols on federal property. That would include locations such as the Capitol, military bases, highways, parks and streets maintained by the federal government. Democratic Reps. Adriano Espaillat (N.Y.) and Dwight Evans (Pa.) are introducing the bill amid renewed furor over whether Confederate statues in the Capitol and localities across the nation should be taken down. "We recognize these symbols for what they are and for the abhorrence they represent, still today,” Espaillat said in a statement. “We defeated the Confederacy once, and we must be willing to defeat it once again, now and forever, as the tribute to the legacy we leave behind for the next generation.”