News from Representative Clarke

May 27, 2022

Dear Brooklynites 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 my bi-weekly update on the work I champion in Congress. Sadly, it is necessary to address something weighing heavily on all our minds and hearts these recent weeks: the tragedy of gun violence striking across this nation. Though we are all angry, tired, and uncertain of what tomorrow might bring, please know my resolve has never wavered to keep fighting to deliver the change we desperately need, and demand on gun control.

If you'd like to reach me to share your thoughts on the future of gun control in this nation, you can contact my office via email at clarke.house.gov/contact/email/. Or, if you prefer 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

Scholarship Opportunity For Brooklyn Students

Upcoming Park Beautification and CleanupProm Dress Drive And Giveaway

Repair Grants For Homeowners

What You Need-To-Know About Passport Services

Applying for a passport can be a challenging and stressful experience. To avoid any unforeseen circumstances, I recommend planning ahead and applying early. As of April, the current processing times following a passport application are as follows:

Routine Service: 8 to 11 weeks
Expedited Service: 5 to 7 weeks

Please note, processing times begin the day Passport Services receives the application at a passport agency or center, not the day the application is mailed or submitted.

To check the status of your passport application, please visit: passportstatus.state.gov with the following information:

Last name on application
Date of birth
Social Security Number (Last Four Digits)

For more detailed information, please click here.

Home Help For Heroes Program

NYC's Summer Student Program

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 August 31st, 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.

Casework

Cases Open: My staff is always hard at work assisting our constituents. As of today, we have a total of 610 active cases, which we diligently work towards resolving. These cases can involve anything from trouble securing hard-earned social security checks to difficulties attaining a passport. If you have an issue you are struggling with that you believe we can help resolve, please do not hesitate to reach out to my Brooklyn office.

Cases Closed: In recent weeks, my staff closed 71 cases from constituents. That means 71 separate issues our neighbors in the 9th District brought to my attention, were resolved.

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

H.R. 7739 - Affordable Housing and Area Median Income Fairness Act of 2022

In my beloved Brooklyn and too many communities across this nation, the security of affordable housing has become entirely out-of-reach to those who rely on it. For the communities of color most impacted by these inequities, we cannot afford to do nothing while they suffer under the unaffordability of safety. The simple measures within the Affordable Housing and Area Median Income Fairness Act won’t only lower income caps and rent prices and significantly increase the supply of affordable housing – they will keep our communities’ most vulnerable groups safe in homes that won’t bankrupt them. This bill is a fundamental step in our fight against housing insecurity, and I am proud to have introduced it

H.R. 7845 - NIH Clinical Trial Diversity Act of 2022

Representation matters in every sector of our society, especially pertaining to pathology. When our nation’s clinical trials fail to adequately consider the unique needs of minority populations and different age groups and genders – in defiance of the data that clearly points to the need for clinical trial inclusions of diverse groups disproportionately affected by certain illnesses and diseases – it undermines every aspect of patient care and flagrantly fractures the bridge between science and medicine. Simply put, we have a crisis of underrepresentation in clinical trials that demands immediate action. For far too long, America’s most underserved people have been deficiently included in clinical trials vital to the discovery of new medicines and treatments. Consequently, breakthroughs in diagnostics, treatment and patient care rarely account for the specific health traits and needs of these diverse groups. And it indefensibly puts them at a heightened risk for adverse reactions. This bipartisan legislation, the NIH Clinical Trials Diversity Act, offers a clear pathway towards overcoming this alarming obstacle in our medical industry, and I am proud to support it

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

H.R.7814 - Health Care Providers Safety Act of 2022
Healthcare providers are essential healthcare workers who have been showing up, innovating, and constantly adapting. Those who provide critical abortion services have had to do this in the face of unrelenting threats, violence, and harassment by extremists. As we see violent extremism rise in this country, it’s time for Congress to act and provide additional protections to these invaluable healthcare providers so they may have the resources they need to stay safe and protected as they continue their essential service.

H.R.7791 - Access to Baby Formula Act of 2022

The shortage of infant formula has been not only distressing for families in Brooklyn and across the nation, but debilitating. For the untold women and children who rely on WIC benefits to purchase their formula, the crisis has been especially alarming. Thanks to this legislation that has already been signed into law by President Biden, we are beginning to turn the tides in our fight to keep our most vulnerable families safe and with the nutrition they need.

CLARKE ISSUES STATEMENT ON DRAFT CONGRESSIONAL REDISTRICTING MAP THAT FRACTURES HISTORIC BROOKLYN DISTRICTS

As an appointee of Judge Patrick McCalluster of Steuben County, Special Master Jonathan R. Cervas was tasked with drawing new congressional district boundaries in New York State that reflect free and fair election rules, laws and statutes. The State of New York has been clear about its mission to keep communities of interest together through the redistricting process and the newly proposed map disregards that objective entirely. Article III, section 5 of the constitution of the State of New York clearly states that ‘districts shall not be drawn to have the purpose of, nor shall they result in, the denial or abridgement of racial or language minority voting rights’ and that ‘maintenance of cores of existing districts […] including communities of interest’ must be considered.

One community of interest that has been fractured is the Tilden Public Housing Development in Brownsville. This development provides affordable housing for some of the most vulnerable in the congressional district. The principles of fairness, neutrality, and logic do not justify the splitting of the Tilden Public Housing Development across two congressional districts. Full stop. Maintaining the cores of our existing districts is an important factor in New York law with respect to redistricting. I currently represent one of the most diverse constituencies in the nation that is also home to multiple communities of interest. However, this map cracks the core and the foundation of New York’s Ninth District. In a recent article, Susan Lerner, Executive Director of Common Cause NY stated, ‘[the current drawing of the congressional map] divides communities of interest and neighborhoods, particularly in New York City and Brooklyn, and ignores the core of existing congressional districts.’ This divide is not just unconscionable and erroneous, it’s unconstitutional. The historic nature of Central Brooklyn Congressional Districts are well known throughout New York City, New York State and indeed across our great nation. As proposed, this map cracks the historic neighborhoods of Crown Heights, Bedford-Stuyvesant, and Clinton Hill, seemingly at random.

Furthermore, it is well known that Bed-Stuy was once divided in the mid 1960’s which led to a lawsuit to ensure their voting rights were not denied or abridged to ensure the community had equal opportunity to participate in the political process. The cracking of this district is a regressive action that dismisses precedent for this community. This proposal harkens back to an era in our nation where laws were designed to limit minority representation in our democracy. The practice of “cracking” or diluting the voting power of historically oppressed communities was shameful when carried out by avowed racists in positions of power in previous decades and extremely disappointing when enabled by an out of state, unelected consultant today. Whatever the intention, the draft proposal substantially weakens the political power of the minority communities in these areas. The draft New York Congressional maps, if left unchanged, does not protect and preserve communities of interest. I am highly concerned that this map will in effect disenfranchise the power of the constituency of the Ninth Congressional district and I strongly recommend that Special Master Jonathan R. Cervas revisit the draft map and keep these historic communities intact.

CLARKE ISSUES STATEMENT ON MASS SHOOTING IN BUFFALO, NEW YORK

This was a purely evil act by a racist extremist and I am deeply heart broken and saddened by this senseless act of cowardly violence committed against unsuspecting shoppers. My heart goes out to all the victims and the families affected by this horrific tragedy. Beyond condolences and outrage, it’s clear America needs a national strategy to combat domestic terrorism once and for all. Sadly, this is not a phenomenon. Black communities across our nation continue to be under threat of domestic terrorism and racist extremists. Racism has had a long and brutal history inflicting wrenching pain, and generational trauma on our bodies since the birth of our nation. From lynching’s, Jim Crow policies to the burning of Black Wall Street and Dylann Roof calmly gunning down Black worshipers praying in a church. Black people continue to endure these vicious racist attacks on our humanity, our culture and our civil rights. Enough is enough. The time has come to confront this incessant hatred with the same determination it has in dehumanizing Black people and other marginalized groups. We must come together as a nation to address this level of violence and the factors that lead up to it, and stop it for good. This must be a mission that unites all Americans because racism threatens our public safety and corrodes our democracy.

NY Magazine: 6 Things to Know About New York’s New Congressional Map
The Hill: Cyber officials express confidence over ‘significant progress’ in federal security

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