News from Representative Clarke

March 18, 2022

To the Good People of New York’s 9th Congressional District,

I hope this edition of the Yvette Gazette finds you well, and I thank you for tuning in for the bi-weekly update on the work I champion in Congress. Always remember, I cannot do it alone. Your support is paramount in securing the investments and federal dollars we need to better our community. Together, with the on-going support of passionate individuals such as yourself, we bring tangible, meaningful change to our district.

To reach out to my office, send us an email at clarke.house.gov/contact/email/. If you’d like to call, you can reach my Brooklyn office at 718-287-1142, or my D.C. office at 202-225-6231. Remember to encourage your neighbors to sign up for this newsletter at clarke.house.gov/contact/newsletter/.

If you’d like daily updates on my work in Congress, visit my website, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram pages. I wish you well, and I look forward to my next opportunity to get in touch with you.

Regards,
Yvette D. Clarke
Member of Congress

Brooklyn Community Board 9

Home Help For Heroes Program

High School Internship Opportunity with the Brooklyn DA

New Funding for Boots to Business Training

New Congressional Map

Following the 2020 Census, our new Congressional map for New York's 9th District has arrived. While most of you will see no change, many of my current constituents will be represented by a different congressmember come the 118th Congress in early 2023. Please review the new map below, and feel free to reach out to my office with any questions or concerns.

Free At-Home Test Kits

Lower Internet Bills with the Affordable Connectivity Program

The Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) is an FCC benefit program that helps households afford the broadband they need for work, school, healthcare, and more by providing a discount of up to $30 per month towards internet service for eligible households in Brooklyn. A household is eligible if a member of the household meets at least one of the criteria below:

Participates in SNAP, Medicaid, Federal Public Housing Assistance, SSI, WIC, or Lifeline;
Participates in free and reduced-price school lunch or breakfast program;
Received a Federal Pell Grant during the current award year;
Participates in or meets the criteria for a participating provider’s existing low-income program; or
Income at or below 200% of the federal poverty guidelines

To submit your application, please visit http://www.acpbenefit.org/. To learn more about the program, click here.

Free At-Home COVID-19 Tests Through USPS

Place an order with the USPS here for one set of 4 free at-home COVID-19 tests. Orders are limited to one per residential address, they include 4 individual rapid antigen COVID-19 tests, and they will ship for free starting at the end of January.

Military Service and Social Security

If you are an active or retired service member and would like to know more about the social security benefits you are entitled to, please click here for invaluable information from the Social Security Administration.

Student Loan Deferment Extension

The Biden Administration recently announced that its deferment period on student loan repayments has been extended to May 1st, 2022, meaning all federal student loans will not need to be repaid until that date. To hear more from the president on this, please click here.

Sponsored Legislation; In the past two weeks, I introduced the following bill to the House of Representatives:

H.R. 7073 - Into the Light for Maternal Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders Act

For the sacred gift of life that it brings, pregnancy can be a precious and blessed time in the lives of mothers who are experiencing it. Tragically though, pregnancy also carries countless dangers to both mothers and their children that can persist long past birth,” said Congresswoman Clarke. “This legislation is not only a necessary step towards providing new and expecting mothers and their children with the resources they need to stay healthy, both physically and mentally, but it reaffirms our commitment to support mothers through whatever difficulties they may face. I am proud to stand with my colleagues in this noble pursuit.

Co-Sponsored Legislation; Over the past two weeks, I lent my support and commitment to the following bills:

H.R. 7062 - Honoring Harriet Tubman Act
Harriet Tubman, “the Moses of her people,” dedicated her entire life to fighting for freedom. She risked her life to escape slavery and then helped others to do the same. As an admirer and supporter of Tubman’s unwavering commitment to human rights, I cosponsored H.R.7062 to honor Tubman’s heroism by placing her statue in National Statuary Hall in the United States Capitol.

H.R. 7018 - Green Postal Service Fleet Act

This bill would prohibit the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) from purchasing new delivery trucks unless 75 percent of the new vehicles are electric or otherwise emissions-free. The passing of this bill is another necessary step for achieving sustainable regulations, protecting our environment, and safeguarding the livable, healthy planet our future generations rightfully deserve.

H.R. 7013 - Harriet Tubman Day Act

Harriet Tubman’s devotion for protecting human rights resonates with us to this date and should be commemorated nationwide. The Harriet Tubman Day Act, which would establish the first federal holiday named after a woman, seeks to pay tribute to Tubman’s righteous, everlasting commitment to freedom.

H.R. 7011 - Maternal and Child Health Stillbirth Prevention Act

Healthcare is a human right, and we need to ensure legislation is in place to protect that right. This bill would add stillbirth and stillbirth prevention to the Maternal and Child Health Services Block Grant, a grant that provides critical support to women, mothers, and infants. If passed, this bill would ensure that women have access to maternal health care throughout pregnancy, and reduce the current number of yearly stillborn cases.

CLARKE ISSUES STATEMENT ON TEN COMMUNITY PROJECTS THAT RECEIVED FUNDING AS PRESIDENT BIDEN SIGNS FY22 OMNIBUS APPROPRIATIONS BILL

Brooklyn’s fight for progress and ability to overcome the incredible hurdles our communities too often face has never lacked resolve or spirit, but rather resources. With President Biden’s signature, we take an important step to changing that. I am proud to announce that ten community projects dear to me and invaluable to our community will receive significant funding for their continued growth and development. From Brooklyn’s young girls who will soon find opportunities for personal and professional growth within their new, modern community center, to our patients who will gain top-of-the-line treatment methodologies that were once inaccessible to them, the value of these community projects far exceeds the dollar-figure behind them. Real, tangible progress is coming to Brooklyn, and I am both blessed and honored to have played a part in delivering it. Descriptions of each project are available here.

CLARKE ISSUES STATEMENT ON HER VOTE IN SUPPORT OF AID TO UKRAINE AND DEFENSE APPROPRIATIONS

We are living through challenging, very treacherous times. In the past couple of weeks, we have witnessed a violent and murderous assault on the people of Ukraine, ever since the Russian military invaded their country on the orders of the callous authoritarian, Vladimir Putin. The world has once again witnessed the devastating loss of life and human suffering that never fails to follow armed aggression. As the Congressional representative of the people of the 9th District of New York, home to many Ukrainian-Americans, I wish to extend my heartfelt condolences to those who have lost loved ones and who have been impacted by the terror that has been unleashed upon the people of Ukraine. My prayers are with the proud, resilient, and transcendently brave people of Ukraine as they contend with the unimaginable and relentless tragedies taking place within the borders of their homeland. To the Ukrainian people: Your strength and resolve in the face of this unprovoked attack on your civil society serves both as a shining example for the world to follow in pursuit of freedom and a warning to Mr. Putin and despots like him, that those sworn to defend democracy will not meekly surrender their precious freedoms but will resist and fight until the end. History has taught us that whenever a sovereign, democratic nation like Ukraine faces an existential threat from deranged madmen hellbent on war and suffering, America faces a difficult, yet crucial decision: to either sit idly by as innocent men, women, and children are murdered, or to pursue every avenue available to best defend freedom and democracy and that brings about a stable and lasting peace. Like so many other Americans, I am compelled to fight for freedom. First, let me be clear in stating that the threat of escalating global tensions with Russia is very real and very grave. Our nation must not and cannot inadvertently find itself in direct armed conflict with Vladimir Putin. That being said, we must always remain engaged in the ceaseless struggle for freedom and democracy whenever these sacred ideals are attacked, at home and abroad. Our choice today is not a choice between inaction and all-out war. I believe that there are meaningful measures the United States can and should take to support the Ukrainian people without providing Russia cause to plunge the world into another global world war. Last night I voted in support of crucial omnibus legislation that included increases in defense spending and critical aid for Ukraine for that very reason. Throughout my tenure in Congress, I have historically withheld my support from measures that would increase our nation’s defense spending while so many underfunded priorities and underserved communities remain at home. While I remain committed to increased investments in non-defense spending, given this legislation’s critical inclusion of aid provisions for the Ukrainian people and bans on Russian energy imports, as well as the current threats to democracy across the world, my decision became all too clear. This legislation is in the best interests of all Americans, both now and in the future. I recognize the pain that we all feel in the supermarket and at the gas pump is very real and that we must not take for granted the sacrifices of the American people that have allowed our country to take its stand on this issue. Our unity in this extremely consequential moment is required. I recognize that the value of this bill towards supporting our Ukrainian allies and putting America on a path to a future where we no longer rely on dictators for our energy cannot be overstated. We must boldly lead both globally and domestically in this moment. Our future depends on it. Though we remain hopeful for an expedited, peaceful resolution to this crisis, please know that the burden felt by our families and communities today will not be in vain as we pursue a more democratic, more humane future globally. It is a difficult cause, but one we must take up all the same. For the world, for the United States of America, and for our future. Slava Ukraini!

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