Espaillat Leads Introduction of Legislation to Establish a National COVID-19 Memorial
NEW YORK, NY– Representatives Adriano Espaillat (NY-13), Ritchie Torres (NY-15), and Jamaal Bowman Ed.D. (NY-16) introduced legislation to establish a commission to create a National COVID-19 Memorial in New York City.
“Over one million American lives were lost due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and families continue to feel the impact of unprecedented financial, emotional and physical damages still today," said Congressman Adriano Espaillat (NY-13). "As we continue our nation's recovery and healing, it is incumbent on each of us to never forget the lives we lost and the impact to communities around the nation due to the pandemic. As we pause to reflect on the third year since the outbreak of the virus and the devastation left in its wake, I am reintroducing legislation to properly commemorate the lives we lost, honor the first responders and health care workers who dedicated themselves to helping keep each of us safe, and to support our nation both spiritually and economically as we continue to rebuild. We must never forget the impact of COVID-19 and the resilience of our nation to get through its devastation."
"The devastation of the COVID-19 pandemic serves as an inflection point in human history,” said Congressman Ritchie Torres (NY-15). “That’s why we must honor the memories of the more than one million Americans who lost their lives to the virus. We must also never forget the harrowing sacrifices of countless first responders, medical professionals, and other essential, frontline workers who risked their lives to help others. I’m proud to support legislation establishing a national COVID-19 memorial so that we always remember and forever preserve the memories of our friends, neighbors, family members, and all Americans.”
“It’s our responsibility to honor those who lost their lives to COVID-19 and acknowledge the incredible sacrifices of the essential workers who kept our communities going,” said Congressman Jamaal Bowman Ed.D. (NY-16). “My district was one of the hardest hit areas in the nation. We’ve seen first-hand an enormous loss of life and the worsening of issues like poverty, racism, and the mental health crisis. Out of respect for communities like ours and all who struggled across the nation through the pandemic, we must preserve the memory of it for history. A tragedy of this scale can’t be forgotten. We have to commemorate the nation’s losses and the sacrifices of so many community heroes, as well as recognize our collective resilience.”
The COVID-19 National Memorial Act would commemorate victims and help our country overcome the national tragedy of COVID-19 as a collective. This legislation would create a commission to plan, design, and raise funds for a national memorial in the Bronx that honors those who lost their lives to the pandemic as well as the doctors, nurses, first responders and other heroes who selflessly fought to overcome the invisible enemy of the virus. The bill urges that The Bronx community, which was one of the hardest hit parts of the country and the initial epicenter of the pandemic in the United States, be the location for the establishment of a national memorial.
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Representative Espaillat is the first Dominican American to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives and his congressional district includes Harlem, East Harlem, West Harlem, Hamilton Heights, Washington Heights, Inwood, Marble Hill and the north-west Bronx. First elected to Congress in 2016, Representative Espaillat is serving his fourth term in Congress. Representative Espaillat currently serves as a member of the influential U.S. House Committee on Appropriations responsible for funding the federal government’s vital activities and serves as Ranking Member of the Legislative Branch Subcommittee of the committee during the 118th Congress. He is also a member of the House Budget Committee and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC), where he serves in a leadership role as the Deputy Chair as well as Chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI). Rep. Espaillat is a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) and serves as a Senior Whip of the Democratic Caucus. To find out more about Rep. Espaillat, visit online at https://espaillat.house.gov/.
Media inquiries: Candace Person at Candace.Person@mail.house.gov