Nydia Velázquez

Nydia Velazquez is the Democratic party representative from New York's 7th Congressional District. In 1992 Velazquez was the first Puerto Rican woman elected to the U.S. House. Velazquez is a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus.

Dinkins and the DSA

Velasquez received endorsements from Mayor David Dinkins, Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), Jesse Jackson, Rep. Jose Serrano and other prominent Progressives. Karen Ackerman ran the effort for Dinkins in Brooklyn for the Central Labor Council in 1989. As Velasquez's campaign manager in 1992, Ackerman ran the successful campaign against incumbent Steven Solarz for the newly created Congressional seat in the 12th District of New York. Moving to Washington, DC after the race, Ackerman served as Chief of Staff for Rep. Velazaquez until 1996.

Congressional career

In her speech to the Rainbow Coalition Leadership Summit, February 19, 1993, Velázquez paid tribute to the late Jesus Colon, a Communist Party USA (CPUSA) member and author of A Puerto Rican in New York. The speech was re-printed in full in the CPUSA's official organ, People’s Weekly World of March 6, 1993.

Immigration

Velesquez, Maxine Waters and Alcee Hastings were arrested and handcuffed in May 1994, in front of the White House in a protest against the Clinton administration policy of forcibly returning Haitian refugees.

NAFTA

In 1995 Velázquez, Marcy Kaptur, Peter DeFazio, Gene Taylor and Bernie Sanders co-sponsored a Bill, to force the US to withdraw from NAFTA within 90 days.

Jobs

On October 7, 1994 Velesquez, Bernie Sanders, Maurice Hinchey and Major Owens, introduced the "Jobs and Investment Bill" which would appropriate $42 billion for "make work" construction and infrastructure projects.

In 1995, Nancy Pelosi, Velasquez, Bernie Sanders, David Bonior, Eleanor Holmes Norton, Cynthia McKinney, Maurice Hinchey, Major Owens, John Conyers, Bob Filner, Alcee Hastings, Lane Evans, Edolphus Towns, Jim McDermott, supported DSA Rep. Ron Dellums' "Living Wage, Jobs for all Act."

In 1997 Rep. Matthew Martinez of California introduced the "Martinez Public Works Jobs Bill" at the the request of the Los Angeles Labor Coalition for Public Works Jobs. The leaders of the Coalition and its only affiliate, the New York Coalition for Public Works Jobs, are all members and supporters of the Communist Party USA. The bill had 33 original co-sponsors, including Velasquez.

This is the most significant jobs legislation introduced in Congress since Franklin Delano Roosevelt's New Deal established the Works Progress Administration (WPA). This bill is the WPA-type program for today.

Institute for Policy Studies

Velasquez took part in an Institute for Policy Studies and Share The Wealth Project discussion on "Eliminating Corporate Welfare."

Pardongate

Joseph Connor, an author and anti-terrorism advocate, spoke to The Daily Wire about how his father was murdered by the FLAN Puerto Rican terrorist group, and how former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was directly involved in pardoning the terrorists.

"When Hillary Clinton was looking to run for senator of New York, she had no connection to New York at all. She was from Chicago to Arkansas," Connor said. "And she got approached by various pro-terrorist politicians.".

These included Reps. Luis Gutierrez (D-IL), Nydia Velazquez (D-NY), and New York City councilman Jose Rivera, who gave Clinton "a packet on clemency" and requested that she "speak to the president and ask him to consider executive clemency" for the FALN. A couple of weeks later, clemency was granted to the terrorists and Clinton's Senate campaign expressed support for the move.