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[Para ver la versión en español visite aquí).
Dear Neighbors,
At midnight this week, the lights of our federal government dimmed once more—not because the work of the people is finished, but because those entrusted to govern chose obstruction over service. For the second time under their watch, Republicans—who control the presidency, the Senate, and the House—have driven our nation into a shutdown.
What is at stake is not abstract. It is your health care, your family’s security, and the fragile affordability of daily life. Without extending the Affordable Care Act’s premium tax credits, millions will lose coverage. For 24 million more, premiums will skyrocket by an average of 114%—letters already arrive warning families of impossible choices between rent, food, and medicine.
And while Democrats stand ready to pass a bipartisan deal that protects health care, supports schools, and prevents giveaways to the ultra-wealthy, Republicans have refused. They call it “fiscal discipline.” In truth, it is a raid on working families—demanding sacrifice from seniors, veterans, and children, while bending the knee to billionaires.
The pain of this shutdown is not theoretical—it is a daily betrayal felt in households across our state:
- Tens of thousands of New Yorkers furloughed or forced to work without pay.
- Head Start programs on the brink, leaving children without early education.
- Seniors unable to access Social Security benefit verifications for housing or loans.
- Veterans waiting in limbo for disability and education benefits.
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Farmers without aid, hospitals without reimbursements, and families without certainty.
Poll after poll confirms that the public understands where the blame lies. But this is not about percentages—it is about people’s faith. With that trust comes a responsibility: every negotiation, every vote, every stand must honor those who depend on it most.
When Washington closes its doors, the fallout does not stop at the Potomac—it lands here, in the bodegas where prices climb, in the homes of furloughed workers living paycheck to paycheck, and in the waiting rooms of clinics where families seek care. Even if I do not cast votes in Congress, my duty as your State Senator is to speak plainly when our neighbors’ livelihoods are on the line. Silence in moments like this would itself be a form of abdication.
My commitment, as your State Senator, is to stand with you and fight alongside those in Congress who refuse to surrender health, dignity, and fairness. Because the measure of a budget is not the wealth it preserves at the top—it is the lives it sustains at the heart of our communities.
In the sections below, you will find community updates, resources, and job opportunities. Even in this moment of political manufactured crisis, our work together remains constant: building a stronger, safer, and more united future for every New Yorker.
In Unity,
RJ
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