Dear Neighbor,

It has been a busy few weeks at home in the district and in Washington, DC. I attended a bunch of events throughout the 16th District, and stood with my Democratic colleagues against significant Medicaid and SNAP cuts in House Republicans’ budget plan.

But first, I have heard from many of you that a town hall would be helpful during these uncertain times. I am holding my first quarterly town hall on Wednesday at 6:30pm. I look forward to hearing your concerns and talking about the President’s address to Congress, which is tonight. You can RSVP here.

In Congress recently, the House voted on the Republicans’ budget plan that would make serious cuts to programs like Medicaid and SNAP to pay for tax breaks for billionaires. This was very frustrating, but I am glad that my Democratic colleagues and I stood together in voting against this resolution. We brought attention to this important issue on the House steps with Leader Jeffries on Tuesday (photo of my view below), and will keep working hard to prevent these cuts from becoming law. According to data from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, more than 196,000 residents in NY-16 rely on Medicaid and could be at risk of losing coverage, including 73,000 children.

You can watch my floor speech about this week’s vote here.

My office has heard from dozens of New Yorkers who have been affected by the policy decisions of the current Administration. House Democrats have launched a portal for people to share their stories and help us localize the impact of the policies. If you or someone you know has a story to share, submit it here.

Last week marked three years since Russia’s unprovoked, full-scale invasion of Ukraine. This was an attack on democracy, and the people of Ukraine have paid in blood every day for the promise of freedom. We support peace, but there cannot be an agreement on Ukraine’s future without Ukraine. That was true three years ago and remains true now.

I recently participated in mass at St. Michael’s Ukrainian Catholic Church in Yonkers, in solidarity with Ukrainian Americans and the Ukrainian people. As a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, I will continue to stand with Ukraine and their battle for democracy and freedom. You can watch my floor speech talking about our declining standing in world affairs here.

Last month I was joined by advocates from the League of Women Voters, AFL-CIO and the NAACP for a press conference on the Safeguard American Voting Eligibility (SAVE) Act, or as I like to call it, the Stop All Voter Engagement Act. Read our full press release here.

The SAVE Act would require documentary proof of citizenship, like a birth certificate or a passport to register to vote and require states to remove an individual’s registration from a voter roll if there is not documentary proof or verified information that the person is a U.S. citizen. U.S. citizens have the right to vote in national elections, period. We should be making it easier for people to vote, not harder. This disastrous bill will make it harder for women and college students to vote if it becomes law. We expect a House vote on it in the next few weeks.

You may have heard that the Social Security Administration is planning to close the hearing office in White Plains in May. At a time when the current administration is implementing policies that are slashing government services, closing the hearing office will force seniors to travel long distances – as far away as New Haven and Albany – to fight for their benefits.

I have been speaking with county officials, and we have identified several locations that might be amenable to the SSA to keep these critical services in the community it has served for several decades. I hope to have more information to announce soon! You can watch my floor speech on this topic here and my recent statement here.

I recently joined Councilman Riley’s Black History Month luncheon, honoring several local seniors for their years of community service. I also swung by the Tuckahoe Senior Center and provided an update to what I am working on in DC.

In DC, I met with the Ambassador to the U.S. from Kosovo, the Autism Society CEO, and attended the meeting for the bipartisan Task Force for Combatting Antisemitism. I also attended several briefings and hearings for the House Foreign Affairs and Small Business Committees.

One of the responsibilities of my district staff is helping residents like you navigate the bureaucratic federal government. If you need a passport, aren’t receiving the correct VA or Medicare benefits, or have an issue with the IRS, my staff may be able to help. You can contact us here: https://latimer.house.gov/services/help-federal-agency or call 914-323-5550 (Westchester) or 718-530-7888 (Bronx).

My office recently announced that it is now now taking programmatic and language requests for the Fiscal Year 2026 appropriations process. Ensuring the appropriate funding levels for federal programs can increase the availability of resources for transportation and water infrastructure projects, healthcare research, early childhood education, and SNAP. I encourage municipalities and non-profits to submit requests through our process.

Over the last two weeks, I have given several floor speeches to the House chamber. You can find all of them here:

• Objecting to the closure of the White Plains Social Security Administration hearing office
• Speaking about the Medicaid and SNAP cuts in the Republicans’ budget plan
• America’s standing in the world
• Social Security Administration staffing cuts and lowering costs

Make sure to follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Bluesky, Twitter/X, and YouTube to stay up-to-date on what I am working on. If this newsletter was sent to you by someone else, you can sign up for it here: https://latimer.house.gov/contact/newsletter-subscribe

I always appreciate your ideas and opinions. That two-way dialogue is important, now more than ever before. So please reach out.

More soon.

Sincerely,

Rep. George Latimer

Member of Congress