Rodriguez Expresses Gratitude for Revocation of Public Charge Rule
Council Member Ydanis Rodriguez (D-Washington Heights, Inwood, Marble Hill) released a statement of appreciation after the Trump Administration’s public charge rule was struck down.
The public charge rule would have made it easier to deny green cards to immigrants who are likely to depend on some form of government assistance, like food stamps or public housing. On Friday, three federal courts issued an injunction blocking the enforcement of the rule nationwide.
“Today, all immigrants will be able to sleep better knowing that the public charge rule that would have negatively impacted hundreds of thousands of immigrants has been struck down,” said Rodriguez. “I would like to sincerely thank New York State Attorney General Letitia James for helping securing this preliminary injunction.”
Rivera to Rally for Menstrual Equality
Council Member Carlina Rivera (D-East Village, Gramercy Park) will be rallying for menstrual equality at City Hall this Friday.
The rally is scheduled for the first annual National Period Day, a day where lawmakers and activists will come together to advocate for free access to feminine hygiene products and the elimination of sales taxes on menstrual products.
The event will take place on Saturday, Oct. 19 on the steps of City Hall. Time TBD.
Brewer to Host Sealing and Expungement Workshop
Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer’s (D) Northern Manhattan office will be hosting a sealing and expungement legal workshop tonight.
At the workshop, representatives from NYC County Defender Services will answer questions about how to clear your record if you have a criminal conviction older than ten years.
The event will take place tonight from 6-8 p.m. at Gale Brewer’s Northern Manhattan Office, 431 West 125th St.
Espaillat Discusses Gordon Sonland’s Upcoming Testimony on CNN
Representative Adriano Espaillat (D-Washington Heights, Sugar Hill) appeared on CNN yesterday to talk about his expectations for former EU Ambassador Gordon Sondland’s testimony before Congress this Thursday.
Sondland will reportedly testify that President Donald Trump (R) told him that there was no quid pro quo in his call with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky. Espaillat called this a “significant” development in the Trump impeachment inquiry.
“I think it’s significant, because, first and foremost, the president is leading his entire administration in this chorus of denial,” said Espaillat. “But, in fact, we see that there is a conversation between these two men. We want to know what transpired in that conversation. One of them say, speak to me off the phone. We want to know what transpired there if, in fact, they did speak.
“But the president is really orchestrating and giving talking points to many people involved in the investigation, if not, telling them not to go to Congress and testify. So this is really a problem. This is all obstruction. When you ask someone not to testify or you forbid them to testify or you give them talking points for that testimony, I think all of this is obstruction.And the American people really want to get to the bottom of this. I think that we’re doing a good job in Congress interviewing the witnesses. We’ll have more witnesses this week.”
