In an interview with Listin Diario, Adriano Espaillat explains why he was reelected to the US House in New York’s 13th Congressional District. Running for the Democrat Party, Espaillat swept the vote with 92.6%. He said he was able to come up with specific solutions for his communities within his jurisdiction that gave voters confidence he was their best candidate.
In the interview, he said he was encouraged to seek reelection because he felt a win of Joe Biden of the US Presidency would give him more backing to deliver to his constituents. One of his proposals is a second avenue subway extension.
Santiago-born, Espaillat has kept close ties to his home country. He is a key liaison with the Dominican community in New York.
“I’ve always been in the minority, which always made it difficult for us to achieve the things we wanted to achieve, but I hope that with this new administration [Biden’s], better things can be achieved for our district and for the nation,” he told Listin Diario. He forecasts a marked change for the better in policies for the 13th District.
Espaillat is a member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the United States House of Representatives, the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Small Businesses of the House. He is a member of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) and plays a leadership role as the CHC Whip.
As reported in Listin Diario, Espaillat passed legislation related to affordable housing while serving in the State Assembly. In the State Senate, he supported an agreement to maintain rent regulation for one million apartments.
In response to recent protests against police brutality and racism, he introduced a plan called the “Harlem Manifesto” that urges national legislators to support bills to eliminate private prisons, abolish the country’s death penalty, and ban military equipment in police departments, among others.
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Listin Diario
6 November 2020