Rep. Nydia Velázquez, a longstanding member of the U.S. Congress representing New York’s 7th District since 1993, has recently voiced her concerns over several policy decisions via social media. Her remarks focus on healthcare, substance abuse legislation, and immigration policies.
On June 4, 2025, Velázquez expressed concern about the impact of recent legislative actions on healthcare coverage. She stated that “16 million will lose their healthcare, but the GOP still found the way to increase the deficit by $2.4 trillion.” She criticized these cuts as being less about debt reduction and more about providing “handouts for billionaires and sending the bill to working families.”
In a subsequent post on June 5, Velázquez explained her decision to vote against a bill she previously supported. She noted that while she had voted in favor of the SUPPORT Act in a prior Congress to fund substance abuse programs, she could not support it this time due to accompanying measures that “gut Medicaid, defund mental health care,” attributing these changes to Republican efforts.
Later that day, Velázquez addressed former President Trump’s new travel ban. She asserted that it was not related to safety but rather aimed at exclusion and isolation of the United States. Reflecting on past opposition to similar policies in 2017, she called for unity among Americans once again: “Just like in 2017, it’s discriminatory & wrong.”
Nydia Velázquez was born in Yabucoa, Puerto Rico in 1953 and currently resides in Brooklyn. She earned her BA from the University of Puerto Rico at Río Piedras in 1974.
