NY’s Rep AOC Holds In-Person Town Hall In the Bronx To Discuss Critical Funding Under Threat, Immigrant Rights, Healthcare, Other Important Issues Affecting Constituents

NY’s Rep AOC Holds In-Person Town Hall In the Bronx To Discuss Critical Funding Under Threat, Immigrant Rights, Healthcare, Other Important Issues Affecting Constituents

Below are several of the congresswoman’s recent press releases.  Many of the issues covered during this town hall, which also included a Q&A segment, are presented in these press releases in greater detail.  New Yorkers should know which of the national issues that are currently pressing directly affect them and their families.  The importance of educating oneself about what is actually going on cannot be overstated.  The video below shows the Town Hall in its entirety, including the question and answer segments. The congresswoman has also introduced a bill with Rep. Malliotakis to fund the Healthy Start program, which provides critical funding to improve maternal and infant health.  SNAP nutrition programs, healthcare funding, and cuts to senior food programs were important to her audience.  

Ocasio-Cortez, Ivey Join House Colleagues in Demanding Return of Kilmar Abrego Garcia

Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14) joined Congressman Glenn Ivey (MD-04) and several House colleagues in a letter last week to President Donald Trump demanding the immediate return of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who was wrongfully deported to El Salvador, to the United States, despite having been granted protection from deportation by a United States immigration court. Despite the Trump Administration admitting Mr. Abrego Garcia’s removal was a mistake and the Supreme Court ordering the facilitation of his return, the Trump Administration has indicated repeatedly it does not intend to comply with the Supreme Court’s order and bring Mr. Abrego Garcia back to the United States. Mr. Abrego Garcia is a Maryland resident, living in Maryland’s Fourth Congressional District with his U.S. citizen wife and family.

Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez is joined by 150 of her House Democratic colleagues in sending this urgent letter to President Trump.

“Your administration has admitted that Mr. Abrego Garcia’s removal was an “administrative error.” As such, the Supreme Court of the United States ordered, in a unanimous ruling, that your administration must “facilitate” Mr. Abrego Garcia’s “release from custody in El Salvador and to ensure that his case is handled as it would have been had he not been improperly sent to El Salvador.” This would mean his return to the United States,’ said the lawmakers. “The U.S. government must comply with the Supreme Court’s ruling and do everything in its power to get Mr. Abrego Garcia back to his family in the United States as quickly as possible.”

150 House Democrats signed the letter, including Reps. Amo, Ansari, Balint, Barragán, Bell, Bera, Beyer, Bonamici, Boyle, Brownley, Budzinski, Carbajal, Carson, Carter, Casar, Casten, Castor, Castro, Chu, Cisneros, Clarke, Cleaver, Cohen, Conaway, Connolly, Correa, Costa, Courtney, Craig, Crow, Davids, Davis, Dean, DeLauro, DelBene, DeSaulnier, Dexter, Doggett, Elfreth, Escobar, Espaillat, Evans, Foster, Foushee, Frankel, Friedman, Frost, Garcia (CA), Garcia (TX), Goldman, Gomez, Gonzalez, Goodlander, Gottheimer, Green, Hernández, Horsford, Houlahan, Hoyer, Hoyle, Huffman, Jackson (IL), Jacobs, Jayapal, Johnson (GA), Johnson (TX), Kamlager-Dove, Keating, Kelly (IL), Kennedy, Khanna, Krishnamoorthi, Landsman, Larsen, Larson, Lee (PA), Leger Fernandez, Liccardo, Lofgren, Lynch, Magaziner, Matsui, McClain Delaney, McClellan, McCollum, McGovern, McIver, Meeks, Menendez, Meng, Mfume, Moore (WI), Morrison, Mrvan, Mullin, Nadler, Neguse, Norcross, Norton, Ocasio-Cortez, Olszewski, Pallone, Panetta, Peters, Pettersen, Pingree, Pocan, Pressley, Quigley, Ramirez, Randall, Raskin, Rivas, Ross, Ruiz, Sánchez, Scanlon, Schakowsky, Schneider, Scholten, Schrier, Sewell, Sherman, Sherrill, Simon, Smith (WA, Soto, Stansbury, Stevens, Subramanyam, Takano, Thanedar, Thompson (MS), Thompson (CA), Titus, Tlaib, Tonko, Torres (CA), Torres (NY), Trahan, Vargas, Veasey, Velázquez, Vindman, Wasserman Schultz, Waters, Watson Coleman, Williams, Wilson.

Please find the text of the letter here.

Ocasio-Cortez, Velázquez Call on Secretary Kennedy to Reverse Job Cuts in San Juan Medical Products Laboratory

Washington, D.C. – Today, Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY) sent a letter to the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to stop the reduction in force (RIF) and reorganization plans at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) impacting FDA’s San Juan Medical Products Laboratory (SJNLMP).

The SJNLMP is one of the few FDA-owned and operated facilities specializing in pharmaceutical drug analysis. It has evaluated and led to removal of thousands of adulterated products from the market that otherwise would have exposed American consumers to unsafe products. The laboratory also plays a critical role in ensuring that the drugs and medical products that are part of HHS’ Strategic National Stockpile (SNS) remain safe and available for the nation’s armed forces and civilian populations during emergencies and conflicts.

According to constituents, on April 1st, 2025, a RIF notice was distributed to the 20 laboratory employees and since then the laboratory has ceased operations.

“Shutting down this laboratory is against your commitment to protect “essential services” and “frontline jobs” as doing so jeopardizes the safety of millions of Americans by weakening FDA’s ability to detect contaminated pharmaceuticals, respond to health emergencies, and safeguard national security,” wrote the lawmakers. “Additionally, this decision would eliminate over 20 highly skilled jobs in Puerto Rico.”

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“April 1 was the worst day of my life — receiving the RIF notice shattered me,” a SJNLMP employee said. “After years of dedication to public health, I felt abandoned, invisible, and heartbroken.”

“Receiving the RIF notice felt like having the ground pulled from under us,” a SJNLMP employee said. “After years of sacrifice and commitment to public health, it was devastating to be dismissed so suddenly, without acknowledgment of our work or our worth.”

“Receiving the RIF notice was devastating and left me feeling discarded after years of dedicated public service,” a SJNLMP employee said. “It created uncertainty, fear, and a deep sense of injustice. We were blindsided despite the critical role we played in protecting public health.”

“When I received the RIF notice, I felt an overwhelming sense of shock and betrayal,” a SJNLMP employee said. “It was heartbreaking to see our vital work disregarded so abruptly. The uncertainty about our future was deeply unsettling.”

HHS’ RIF plans at SJNLMP will impact various FDA initiatives. Some are the Health Fraud Program, which focuses on identifying and removing dietary supplements that are unsafe or advertised with misleading claims from the market, the Shelf-Life Extension Program, which verifies the stability of SNS drugs and medical products, an existent Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) to advance analytical methods for drug safety, and various Import and Surveillance Programs designed to monitor the safety of pharmaceutical imports. “We urge you to prioritize the health of the American people and the integrity of our pharmaceutical supply chain by ensuring that the San Juan Medical Products Laboratory remains fully staffed and operational,” wrote the lawmakers.

For a full copy of the letter, click here.

Ocasio-Cortez, Kennedy, Meng Lead NY Congressional Delegation in Opposing Trump’s Cuts to The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

Washington, D.C. – Today, Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14), alongside Congresswoman Grace Meng (NY-06) and Congressman Timothy Kennedy (NY-26), led several members of New York’s Democratic Congressional delegation in writing to U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins to demand that the administration reverse their proposed staffing and benefits cuts to the Department of Veterans Affairs.

“This proposal would cut 80,000 employees – over 15% of the VA’s total workforce – who help provide health care, housing, and other services to our veterans, including more than a quarter of whom are veterans themselves. We urge you to immediately reverse course on the proposed firings and ensure that the more than 688,000 veterans in New York State receive timely care, benefits, and peace of mind,” the lawmakers wrote. “It is the federal government’s responsibility to “honor the contract,” – we must honor that commitment by providing the care, benefits, and opportunities every veteran has earned through their sacrifice.”

A total of 15 lawmakers signed the letter. In addition to Rep. Ocasio-Cortez, Rep. Kennedy, and Rep. Meng, the following members joined in signing: Representatives Yvette Clarke (NY-09), Adriano Espaillat (NY-13), Daniel Goldman (NY-10), George Latimer (NY-16), John Mannion (NY-22), Gregory Meeks (NY-05), Joseph Morelle (NY-25), Jerrold Nadler (NY-12), Josh Riley (NY-19), Paul Tonko (NY-20), Ritchie Torres (NY-15), and Nydia Velázquez (NY-07).

The letter details that previous shortages and firings have already affected care quality by leading to reduced patient-provider interactions, longer waiting times, delays in benefits, and increased workloads for existing staff. The lawmakers also emphasize that staffing shortages across VA offices in New York have created a widespread atmosphere of fear and instability across the state, encouraging the Department to stand against any proposed staffing or benefits cuts.

The full letter is available here.

Ocasio-Cortez, Malliotakis Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Improve Support for New Parents and Infants

Washington, D.C. – Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14) and Representative Nicole Malliotakis (NY-11) introduced legislation that would reauthorize the Healthy Start program, which provides critical funding for community-based efforts that improve maternal and child health.

“Healthy Start serves countless families across the nation. In my district, The Bronx Healthy Start Partnership provides essential public health services to ensure that all babies and new parents can receive medical and non-medical support that improves their health outcomes,” said Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. “This bipartisan bill would ensure that Healthy Start programs across the country can continue to fill in where traditional health care falls short, working to eliminate major health disparities that leave the most vulnerable communities wounded.”

“Over the past two years, this program has delivered more than $2 million to my district to support women, infants, and families in low-income communities,” said Representative Nicole Malliotakis. “Our bipartisan legislation will continue the authorization of the Healthy Start program, which aims to improve health outcomes for new mothers and reduce infant mortality rates and other adverse perinatal outcomes nationwide.”

The full bill text is available here. The legislation will go through the Energy and Commerce Committee, where Representative Ocasio-Cortez now serves.

The Healthy Start program invests in communities across the country to improve health outcomes before, during, and after pregnancy. The Bronx Healthy Start Partnership provides case management, educational activities, and other support services to more than 475 families in the Bronx community each year.

Local Healthy Start projects are community-driven and tailored to the specific needs of each community to help reduce disparities in infant mortality and maternal health outcomes, so that all new parents and their babies can be healthy. These projects work to enroll pregnant women, other women of reproductive age, new parents, children from birth to 18 months, and fathers/partners. This bill would authorize $145 million in critical funding for each fiscal year from 2026 through 2030.

Healthy Start program funding goes to communities experiencing high rates of adverse health outcomes, including infant mortality rates that are at least 1.5 times the U.S. national average, or high rates of preterm birth, low birth weight, and maternal illness.

Banner Image: Rep AOC Town Hall graphic. Image Credit – Rep. AOC