WHITE PLAINS WESTCHESTER DAILY NEWS SERVICE VISITS SINCE 2000 A.D. 25TH YEARl REPORTING THE NEWS YOU NEED TO KNOW News Service Since 2000 A.D. 2026 WILL BE OUR 26TH YEAR OF COVERING WHITE PLAINS NEW YORK USA . John F. Bailey, Editor (914) 997-1607 wpcnr@aol.com Cell: 914-673-4054. News Politics Personalities Neighborhoods Schools Finance Real Estate Commentary Reviews Policy Correspondence Poetry Philosophy Photojournalism Arts. The WHITE PLAINS CITIZENETREPORTER. TELEVISION: "White Plains Week" News Roundup, 7:30 EDT FRI, 7 EDT MON & the incisive "People to Be Heard" Interview Program 8PM EDT THURS, 7 PM EDT SAT on FIOS CH 45 THROUGHOUT WESTCHESTER AND, ALTICE OPTIMUM WHITE PLAINS CH 1300 Fighting for Truth, Justice and the American Way. TOP 10 VISITORS FROM AROUND THE WORLD :1. USA. 2.BRAZIL3.VIET NAM 4. CHINA 5. JAPAN 6.UK. 7.CANADA. 8.INDIA. 9.AUSTRALIA 10.IRELAND 11.GERMANY 12..ARGENTINA 13.BANGLADESH 14.RUSSIA. 15.NEWZEALAND. 16. FRANCE. 17.MEXICO. 18.UKRAINE. 19.SOUTH AFVRICA. 20. IRAQ.
Governor Hochul: “At 1:01 p.m. today, The U.S. Department of Transportation emailed us a letter from Secretary Duffy, announcing their attempt to end the congestion pricing program in the State of New York… I don’t care if you love congestion pricing or hate it. This is an attack on our sovereign identity, our independence from Washington. And we are a nation of states. This is what we fought for. This is what people like Alexander Hamilton and others fought for: To set up a system where we are not subservient to a king or anyone else out of Washington.”
Hochul: “In the streets of this city, where battles were fought; we stood up to a king. And we won then. And in case you don’t know New Yorkers, when we’re in a fight, we do not back down. Not now, not ever. Because, who are we fighting for here? We’re fighting for our residents, our commuters, our riders, our drivers, our emergency personnel.”
TONIGHT JUSTIN BRASCH AND THE DEMOCRATIC CITY SLATE
JANUARY HOUSING CONTINUES SLOW RECOVERY? MIRAGE? REALITY?–PRICES HIGHER AVAILABLE HOMES LOW
AMAZING STREAK: 100% OF HOME SELLERS GET THEIR LIST PRICE
SUSTAINABLE WESTCHESTER TELLS WHERE RATES ARE GOING WHETHER IT’S GREEN ELECTRICITY OR DIRTY ELECTRICITY — THE UPCOMING POSSIBILITIES FOR THE RENEWABLE ENERGY FIXED RATE
GOVERNOR HOCHUL BUDGET OFFERS WORKERS WHO CARE FOR THE DISABLED A 2.1% COST OF LIVING iNCREASE. WORKERS SAY UNACCEPTALE.
WPCNR THE LETTER TICKER. From Richmond Community Services. February 20, 2025:
Dear Richmond families,
We need your help!
For 10 years during Cuomo’s administration, the field of developmental disabilities received very little support, and we are still trying to recover from the consequences of it.
Governor Hochul unveiled her budget proposal, and there is only a 2.1% targeted inflationary increase to our budgets to “help with rising costs in the human services field.”
To keep up with the rising costs, I/DD providers throughout the state are asking for a 7.8% increase.
We need to be able to pay our staff who care for people we support a living wage.
We need to pay an increased cost of food, power, insurance, etc. 7.8% is a must for the field to continue to operate programs supporting your loved ones.
State legislators and Governor Hochul need to hear our voices.
To achieve that, Richmond is a proud sponsor of Rally in the Valley on March 7 at 10 AM in Ramapo.
Please join us and help us have a strong voice supporting people with developmental disabilities. You can register by following the link below, or let me know if you plan to join us, and we will register you. Richmond will support this fight with over 100 staff and residents.
It’s Monday. Time for another week (breathe in and breathe out). But first, here’s some public health news you can use, including tips on effectively engaging with your state leaders.
Webinar tomorrow
With the news of RFK Jr., the line between falsehoods and truth, especially around vaccines, has never been more blurred. The upcoming months and years will take something from all of us.
On Tuesday (Feb. 18) at 10 a.m. PT/1 p.m. ET, YLE will host a paid subscribers webinar titled Navigating Vaccine Conversations: Practical Strategies in a Changing Landscape. Katelyn Jetelina (YLE) will be joined by Drs. David Higgins and Kristen Panthagani—both physicians and excellent communicators. The goal is to equip you with tools that will surely need to be used today and in the years to come, both by talking with people directly and by approaching vaccine conversations online.
There are a lot of sick people out there… still. “Influenza-like illnesses” (defined as a fever, cough, or runny nose) have now reached heights we haven’t seen since the 1990s.
Influenza-like illnesses levels across the United States (Source: CDC; Annotated by YLE)
The main culprit is flu, which seems to have peaked but can always rebound. Flu usually gives us a rollercoaster because of the changing weather, different strains receding, and others taking over.
Regardless, flu hospitalization rates are higher so far this season than at the same time during each of the past 15 years. And, interestingly, this is the first winter that flu deaths passed Covid-19 deaths.
Respiratory illness deaths (Source: CDC; Annotated by YLE)
There’s a lot we can do about flu—it’s not too late to get the vaccine, as flu season typically has a long tail. Masks and ventilation/filtration help prevent spread. Tamiflu can also help once you do have symptoms, but it needs to be taken within 48 hours.
Many other infectious diseases are also popping up across the country, like measles and two severe human cases of H5N1. Here’s what we’ve seen in the past week:
Source: YLE
The Texas measles outbreak has doubled in size to 48 cases, including 13 hospitalizations mostly among kids. None were vaccinated, and the majority of cases are in Gaines County. Note: if you’re in a high-risk area, children can get an MMR vaccine as young as 6 months old (instead of waiting until 12 months).
Next door in New Mexico, a measles case was reported in Lea County—which borders Gaines County, Texas. However, this case didn’t travel, so whether it’s linked to the Texas outbreak is unclear.
On the other side of Texas, the Louisiana Department of Health stopped promoting routine vaccinations by banning vaccine events and ordering staff not to promote vaccinations. This came on the same day that RFK Jr. was confirmed as HHS Secretary.
Food recalls: Botulism in tuna
Canned tuna sold at Trader Joe’s, Costco, and H-E-B is recalled for risk of botulism—a potentially fatal form of food poisoning in which a toxin caused by bacteria attacks the body’s nerves. This recall is due to a defect in the “easy open” pull, allowing bacteria to enter. No direct human cases are connected to this yet, but FDA suggests throwing these out in an abundance of caution.
Products were sold under the Genova®, Van Camp’s®, H-E-B, and Trader Joe’s brand names across the U.S. See more details here.
10% of federal health workers are now gone
This was a hard weekend for all those on the front line of public health. More than 5,200 federal workers (10% of the CDC workforce, for example) were fired without merit.
Can they do that? Under Title V, which sets the rules for civil service hiring, there are limits to why employees can be fired. Legal reasons include misconduct or poor performance. However, there is a loophole: those employees on probation (e.g., those hired less than one year ago or promoted in the past year) have more limited protections. Those on probation were fired over the weekend. Some teams were warned that more cuts are on the way.
Here is what some fired civil servants were doing for Americans:
A modeler evaluated how diseases spread across the nation in real time, like mpox or measles outbreaks, so that they could be stopped.
The lone CDC researcher who focused on human trafficking.
Communication staff for vaccine safety, whose jobs were to translate the safety and rare but real vaccine safety signals to the public.
Laboratory disease detectives, including those who detected harmful fungal infections, re-established lab operations after hurricanes, improved rabies detections, and found diseases in wastewater.
What does this mean to you? In the day-to-day, not much will change. However, disrupting operations without a plan or vision on such a large scale inevitably introduces inefficiencies in places where speed protects the public’s health. It often takes time to see the on-the-ground impact of high-level policy changes.
Data are back up on the CDC website but with a banner
Doctors For America sued the administration after removing important health data and guidance from government health websites, like CDC. Many healthcare providers rely on this data and guidance to treat their patients, from sexually transmitted diseases to domestic violence to HIV. The judge ruled in favor of Doctors for America. So data have been restored. But now the web pages have a banner at the top:
Can we trust this data? Turning data on and off is fairly easy on the back-end switchboard. However, I know columns were being rearranged and variables being renamed. It’s possible data was messed up—either by accident or on purpose. Someone needs to do a confirmation analysis to ensure the data integrity is upheld. (Any takers?)
Superbowl ad for Hims & Hers weight loss drugs under scrutiny
Did you see the Hims & Hers commercial during the Super Bowl? Proceed with caution.
Hims & Hers—a telehealth startup—claims it has a “live-saving” weight-loss drug of compounded GLP-1. However, the ad skipped the safety disclaimer and failed to mention any risks of side effects. Compounded medications, while useful for specific patient needs, do not undergo the same rigorous FDA safety and efficacy testing as approved drugs. FDA has documented hundreds of adverse events linked to compounded versions of popular weight-loss drugs.
Two Senators—one Democrat and one Republican—sent a letter to the FDA warning of the ad’s risk of misleading patients. The Partnership for Safe Medicines, a coalition of nonprofits, also wrote a disapproving letter to the FDA.
No regulatory or legal action has been taken, and it’s unclear whether any will be, but we all need to remain vigilant about claims that will affect companies’ profits. With wellness influencers being elevated with the RFK Jr. nomination, there may be more of this.
Question grab bag: Engaging effectively with local leaders
“How can we help with all these slash-and-burn policies the new administration is authorizing? Are there steps we can take to fight these cuts? (I’m trying to be polite; I want to scream and swear.)”
Right now, we have to rely on checks and balances. Courts are one thing, but impact needs to be communicated effectively to state and local leaders. If you write or call to defend what is important to you, be sure to include some key factors for effective communication:
Highlight the jobs impacted and if it’s yours specifically.
Use very simple language and explain directly how your work impacts your community. Or why, as a citizen, you support or oppose policies. Aim for what the average middle schooler would understand. You can check the reading level of what you’re saying here.
Include stories to humanize the policies. Storytelling is the most effective way to communicate what we do or how we are impacted.
What you say matters: avoid polarizing words like misinformation. (Use “rumor” instead.) Other buzzwords are helpful, like innovation or data.
YLE hosted a webinar last month to frame health challenges across partisan lines. Check out the recording here.
Bottom line
You’re all caught up for the week. Stay sane and healthy out there.
Love, YLE team
Your Local Epidemiologist (YLE) is a public health newsletter with one goal: to “translate” the ever-evolving public health science so that people feel well-equipped to make evidence-based decisions. This newsletter is free to everyone, thanks to the generous support of fellow YLE community members. To support the effort, subscribe or upgrade below:
Justin Brasch currently White Plains Common Council for the last 8 years was nominated to run for Mayor in November by the White Plains Democratic Party last night at their nominating meeting.
Brasch is expected to be challenged in a primary in June by Nadine Hunt-Robinson if she obtains enough signatures to run on the ballot.
The Party nominated two new first time Common Council candidates Evelyn Santiago and Nick Wolfe.
Incumbent Councilman Richard Payne was nominated for a second 4-year term on the Council.
The Republican Party has not announced any Mayoral or Council candiates.
Tonight at 8 PM on the White Plains TV program, People to Be Heard Mr. Brasch is interviewed by John Bailey, The CitizeNetReporter
“Public transit is the lifeblood of New York City and critical to our economic future — as a New Yorker, like President Trump, knows very well.
“Since this first-in-the-nation program took effect last month, congestion has dropped dramatically and commuters are getting to work faster than ever. Broadway shows are selling out and foot traffic to local businesses is spiking. School buses are getting kids to class on time, and yellow cab trips increased by 10 percent. Transit ridership is up, drivers are having a better experience, and support for this program is growing every day.
“We are a nation of laws, not ruled by a king. The MTA has initiated legal proceedings in the Southern District of New York to preserve this critical program. We’ll see you in court.”
WPCNR THE POWER STORY . By John F. Bailey. Interview with Dan Welsh of Sustainable Westchester February 19, 2025:
The announced recent rate hikes of 11.4% for electricity and Natural Gas (13.3%) applied for by Con Edison to the Public Service Commission of New York should they be approved despite objections by Governor Kathy Hochul and State Senator Shelley Mayer of the 37th State Senate District have created questions on the need for such a high rate.
Consumers were stunned when State Senator Mayer announced last week her shock over the rate hikes that are double the rate of inflation in 2023 (currently 3.5% inflation as of last week).
The inflation rate in 2023 was approximately 8%. The new rates requested by Con Ed are more than 8%.
In another development last week a decision by the Federal Energy Commission approved a request by PJM INTERCONNECTION (the nation’s largest power grid covering the midwest) to allow that power company to build 50 new power plants powered by natural gas. ( That was reported last Thursday by TheNew York Times.)
What was not clear in the article was how this would affect the price of natural gas. Natural gas is the most expensive source of power to use to make electricity.
Three years ago when the New York Independent Services Operator decreed that all power companies drawing down from the Northeast power grid in New York would pay the highest priced rate which happened at the time to be natural gas.
In the last three months the Sustainable Westchester/Westchester Power consortium, which White Plains is a member along with 29 other cities and towns in Westchester County, has had a green energy sourced rate of 13.4 cents per kilowatt hour compared to 15.6 per kilowatt hour last year.
The clearance for 50 plants from the FEC allows PJM INTERCONNECTION to create more natural gas which PJM argues is a more reliable than solar power, wind, or water power to meet surging power demands created ny crypto currency, artificial intelligence creation and industry darlings of the moment.
WPCNR wondered how this line of reasoning (solar, wind and water power being “unreliable” sources of power), and with expansion of natural gas capacity possibly making natural gas even more expensive what the effect would be.
When New York Independent Services Operator decided three years ago to designate natural gas the source the price of which would be the rate for electricity for Sustainable Westchester/Westchester Power who opted for green rate electriticy generated, (from 7.5 cents per kilowatt hour to 15.6 cents for kilowatt hour)
I contacted Dan Welsh, Program Director of Sustainable Westchester, in Mount Kisco and asked him questions about power prices ahead and how conditions might affect Sustainable Westchester rates in the future
WPCNR: Has the new clean energy electric rates for 2025-26 been set yet? (I do not think they have)
DAN WELSH: Current rates are fixed through the end of November 2025. We’re about to start the dialogue with municipal participants for the next contract.
WPCNR:. Am I correct in assuming if the Trump Administration allows Natural gas to get first access to internet will this prevent new solar installations wind installations getting onto the grid?
DAN WELSH: Not 100% sure what you mean by “access to the internet”, but of course we hear the same news that you do – that natural gas and fossil fuels in general will be promoted by the Administration.
As far as what’s getting in the way of new renewables construction, low gas prices could threaten the returns and put (renewable sources) developers off, as can regulatory uncertainty.
There are so many things happening at once in the market, I can’t and should not be predicting where we’ll end up.
Factors associated with the price-determining natural gas markets that we know though –
Expected increase in exports – thatwould drive prices up if realized. Will the tariffs/trade disputes change things here?
Current (gas) storage levels are lower than they were in previous years which would push prices up too.
If there is an increase in production in response it would pull prices back down. Of course you can’t just order that, and even if you give away National Park land for drilling, producers will expand production only if the business case calls for it.
Right now, the unexpected winter chill, and also the uncertainties around policy and international events are sustaining futures prices, though not much over what we understand to be production break-even – we’re not seeing anything like the Ukraine war run-up.
WPCNR: 3. Natural gas was made the rate standard for setting price of electricity off the grid which had the effect of doubling the Westchester Power clean energy rate up to 15-1/2 cents. Since natural gas is going up in price does this mean your (new) negotiated green rate (next year) is going to go up like 5 cents way over the present rate right?
DAN WELCH: Natural gas sets prices in the market today because in the NYISO auctions the quantities available are such that it inevitably provides the last megawatt-hour of power required to fill the needs, and that’s what sets the price for all of the auction.
As noted, we’re locked in through November 30,2025. We hope that when we are ready to go to bid that things are relatively calm and we won’t see those high rates.
Welcome to the Northeast edition of Outbreak Outlook! It is only available to paid subscribers. If you wish to become a paid subscriber and access region-specific information, please click the Subscribe now button below. Thanks for reading! -Caitlin
Flu season is still at record levels in the Northeast, and unfortunately we haven’t caught a break just yet.
New York City leads the Northeast with outpatient influenza-like illness (ILI) at 12.2% in the most recent week, down slightly from 12.8% the week prior.
Cases of measles are rising across five U.S. states including New York, with 14 confirmed cases reported so far in 2025. According to CDC data, 43 percent of these cases have required hospitalization for isolation or complications management. The outbreak comes amid an already challenging respiratory virus season in New York State, where flu cases have reached a 15-year high. The other affected states are Alaska, Georgia, Rhode Island, and Texas. Outbreaks are primarily affecting unvaccinated individuals.
Massachusetts maintains high activity with outpatient ILI rising to 11.5% in the most recent week, up from 10.8%. Emergency department visits also increased to 9.6% in the most recent week, up from 9.1%, which means continued widespread transmission.
New Hampshire and New Jersey show persistent elevated activity. New Hampshire’s outpatient ILI increased to 10.9% in the most recent week from 10.4%, with emergency department visits rising to 9.6% from 9.2%. New Jersey’s outpatient ILI decreased to 10.0% from 10.5%, with emergency department visits also declining to 8.7% from 9.6%.
Outpatient influenza-like illness (%)
% of visits to the doctor that are for fever and cough or sore throat
Maine and Connecticut reported increasing ILI levels. Maine’s outpatient ILI rose to 6.9% from 5.8%, while emergency department visits jumped to 5.9% from 4.7%. Connecticut’s outpatient ILI increased to 6.8% from 6.4%, with stable emergency department visits at 8.8% but declining hospitalizations (17.4 per 100,000, down from 20.7).
Rhode Island, New York state, and Pennsylvania showed mixed trends. Rhode Island’s outpatient ILI decreased slightly to 6.9% from 7.1%, with emergency department visits falling to 5.3% from 5.8%. New York state (excluding NYC) saw outpatient ILI dip to 6.1% from 6.2%, with decreasing emergency department visits (5.4% from 6.1%) and falling hospitalization rates (15.4 per 100,000 from 17.2). Pennsylvania showed rising outpatient ILI at 5.0% from 4.5%, with emergency department visits increasing to 7.9% from 7.0%.
Northeast: ED visits for influenza (%)
% of visits to the emergency department that are for influenza
COVID-19
The spike last week in Covid-19 wastewater activity appears to have been a blip caused by a delay in New York wastewater reporting. New York wastewater activity is far lower than the rest of the region, so without New York data, the regional rate shot up. With New York data added back in this week, Covid-19 wastewater activity shows a slight upward tick, but remains moderate.
ED visits and hospitalizations decreased or held steady, with no states reporting increases.
Northeast Covid-19 Wastewater
Create interactive, responsive & beautiful charts — no code required.
Activity is very high and increasing towards a second winter peak in Vermont. In Pennsylvania, activity is high and increasing as well – and may be heading toward a second winter peak as well. The state continues to have the highest hospitalization rate in the region, of 10.0 hospitalizations per 100,000, but it did decrease a bit this week. We will see if this trend continues or if the wastewater activity continues to rise.
Wastewater activity has plummeted in the past two weeks in Rhode Island and Maine, declining ~2.5x, from very high almost to moderate levels in the former and almost moderate levels in the latter. Both states also reported decreases in ED visits and hospitalizations this past week.
Similarly, in Massachusetts, activity remains high, but has declined significantly in the past few weeks, as have ED visits and hospitalizations. Wastewater activity is also decreasing in Connecticut (very high activity) and New Jersey (high). Wastewater activity is stable at minimal levels in New York. (Insufficient data for New Hampshire).
Northeast: ED visits for Covid-19 (%)
% of emergency department visits that are for Covid-19
RSV
Data were not updated this week.
Stomach Bugs
Data were not updated this week, so nothing to report here.
Food recalls
The following foods are being recalled because they are contaminated. Please check your cupboards and throw out any of these items:
New:
Menma Ajitsuke Prepared Bamboo Shoots sold under Choshiya brand name (more info)
Canned Tuna sold under Genova, Van Camp’s, H-E-B, and Trader Joe’s brand names (more info)
Previously reported:
Alfalfa sprouts sold under the Jack and the Green Sprouts brand name (more info)
Blue Ridge Beef Natural Mix [for dogs] (more info). While not for human consumption, humans may be infected with Salmonella if they do not adequately wash their hands or contaminated surfaces after handling the product.
If you have food allergies, you may wish to review these FDA safety alerts and USDA alerts for foods with undeclared allergens.
In other news
The New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services reported the state’s first case of clade I mpox in an adult from Merrimack County who recently traveled to Eastern Africa. The individual is currently isolating at home, and health officials emphasize there is no risk to the public. This marks the third clade I mpox diagnosis in the United States, which is distinct from the clade II variant that caused the 2022 U.S. outbreak. The case appears to be travel-related, with no evidence of person-to-person transmission within New Hampshire or the United States.
The CDC has reported New York’s first case of clade1b mpox in a person who recently traveled from East Africa, marking the fourth known case of this strain in the United States following earlier cases in California, Georgia, and New Hampshire. The patient is currently in isolation with improving symptoms despite not receiving specific mpox treatments, and health officials are conducting contact tracing.
The Bentworth School District, Pennsylvania has switched to remote learning for two days after a severe flu outbreak affected both students and staff, including the superintendent himself who was too ill for interviews.
The Pennsylvania Game Commission has reported the first case of chronic wasting disease in Carbon County after a severely emaciated buck (deer) was found dead on private property, located more than 10 miles from any previously known cases. This follows last week’s first-time detections in neighboring Luzerne County, where two bucks tested positive, one from a hunting harvest and another from a deer-breeding farm. The fatal neurological disease, first detected in Pennsylvania in 2012, is caused by infectious prions that resist standard sterilization and cooking methods, prompting officials to urge hunters to test harvested animals before consuming the meat.
KEN JENKINS ELECTED FIRST BLACK COUNTY EXECUTIVE OF WESTCHESTER COUNTY TO FILL REST OF LATIMER TERM 100,000 TURN OUT FOR SPECIAL ELECTION LANDSLIDE WIN
STATE SENATOR SHELLEY MAYER BRISTLES AT CON ED RATE HIKE 4 TIMES RATE OF INFLATION
GOVERNOR HOCHUL THROWS THE BOOKS AT CON ED CALLS FOR AUDIT
DEMANDS PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION STOP THE MONEY GRAB
THE “CON ED BOYS” REQUEST FOR INCREASED ELECTRIC RATE AND NATURAL GAS DEMONSTRATES
PUSH TO ELIMINATE SOLAR WIND WATER SOURCES FOR POWER IGNORING PLANET DAMAGE
JOHN BAILEY TRACES HOW THE STATE REGULATORS HAVE FORCED GREEN POWERED RATES HIGHER TO ELIMINATE CONSORTIUM BUYS LIKE WESTCHESTER POWER– NO STATEMENT FROM WESTCHESTER POWER YET OR WESTCHESTER COUNTY
WHITE PLAINS EYES IMPROVING SPECIAL EDUCATION–REPORT SHOWS
THREE QUARTERS OF SPECIAL STUDENTS GRADUATE WPHS BETTER THAN STATE AVG
SPECIAL ED TEACHERS PLACEMENT RECOMMENDATIONS OFTEN IGNORED BY ACTUAL PLACEMENS.
DR. JOSEPH RICCA, SUPERINTENDENT ON “WHAT COMES NEXT” IN BUILDING BETTER SPECIAL ED
DISTRICT ATTORNEY SUSAN CACACE REPORTS SHOCKING ARREST OF COACH OF A PRIVATE SOCCER TEAM FROM WHITE PLAINS ON CHARGES OF PLAYER ENDANGERMENT.
MORE LOCAL NEWS TO WATCH INDOORS ON A SNOWY EVENING.
WITH JOHN BAILEY AND THE NEWS
THIS WEEK EVERY WEEK FOR 24 YEARS
ON WHITE PLAINS WEEK
TONIGHT AT 7 ON PEOPLE TO BE HEARD FIOS CH 45 AND OPTIMUM CH 76 AND WWW.WPCOMMUNITYMEDIA.ORG:
JUSTIN BRASCH INTERVIEWED BY JOHN BAILEY
ABOUT HIS RUNNING FOR MAYOR OF WHITE PLAINS, WHY, WHAT AND ISSUES
The start of 2025 has been anything but normal. Even as I begin my tenure as your Congressman, the Trump Administration has issued a bevy of actions and Executive Orders that have instantly reshaped the national debate. I hope to keep you informed in this newsletter and in numerous other ways.
I would like to recognize that February is Black History Month, and an important time to recognize the achievements of Black Americans in our country’s life and culture. Our country is a better place because of their contributions. Now more than ever, we must honor the history, voices and stories of Black Americans.
Committee Assignments
I have secured a seat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, with seats on the Middle East/North Africa and the South Asia (India/Pakistan/Sri Lanka) Subcommittees. I will also serve on the House Small Business Committee; I have introduced my first bill in this area, to improve transparency for small businesses who do business with the Federal government.
Both committees will keep me fully engaged — and we expect to file legislation on topics across all committees.
Actions in DC
I recently helped introduce a bill that will protect Americans’ privacy and prevent Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) employees, led by Elon Musk, from rifling through private data.
My colleagues and I have sent multiple letters to the Trump Administration about our concerns with its unconstitutional actions at the Treasury Department and USAID, and with the funding freeze. My office has received hundreds of calls and letters from concerned and upset constituents. These actions by the Trump Administration have been distressing and my colleagues and I are particularly concerned because these actions can only be constitutionally done by Congress.
I have spoken on the House floor in opposition to proposed tariffs that will raise the price of everyday goods for hard-working residents; and also in favor of FEMA support for natural disasters wherever they may occur, most recently with wildfires in California. I have also given praise and attention to the late Gus Williams, Mt. Vernon High School basketball great, and the Co-Op City power couple, Rod and Shirley Saunders.
Meet Me in DC
My staff and I have started meeting with groups visiting DC on a host of different issues. These past few weeks we have met with the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America, union members of SEIU 1199, students from the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, firefighters and education groups, and many folks visiting from the Bronx and Westchester.
At Home: Westchester and the Bronx
In addition to the work I am doing in DC, we have hard-working staff in both Westchester and the Bronx, with the full team still in formation. We recently held ceremonial inaugural events in Rye and Co-op City; I have maintained a vigorous schedule of in-person visits to groups and events of all sorts, in all of our communities.
Constituent Issues
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).
Over my many prior years in public office, at the City, State, and County level, I have always looked forward to your ideas and opinions. That two-way dialogue is important, now more than ever before.
