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June 24, 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 the bi-weekly update on the work I champion in Congress. Before we begin, I'd like to take a moment to address something weighing heavily on all our minds: today's ruling from the Supreme Court regarding the right to choose. Make no mistake, this decision is devastating, destructive, and entirely harmful to women across the nation. It will lead to tragedy, and I am heartbroken. Please read my full statement here.
If you'd like to reach me to share your thoughts on the future of the right to choose in America, 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
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DCAS Pride Event
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
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Free At-Home Test Kits
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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.
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Casework
Cases Open: My staff is always hard at work assisting our constituents. As of today, we have a total of 619 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 114 cases from constituents. That means 114 separate issues our neighbors in the 9th District brought to my attention, were resolved.
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Sponsored Legislation: In the past two weeks, I introduced the following bill to the House of Representatives:
H.R. 8178 - GREEN Communications Act
As the climate crisis worsens and communities like our beloved Brooklyn stand ceaselessly imperiled on its frontlines, we must focus our efforts on targeted, comprehensive legislation aimed at protecting the countless families at risk of its impact. In the face of an ever-increasing number of climate threats like storms, wildfires, and rising sea levels, it is critical our communities remain reliably connected to the communication networks that are so indispensable during an emergency. Building resilient climate infrastructure is an essential component of overcoming this crisis, and I am proud to fight for legislation that does just that.
Co-Sponsored Legislation: Over the past two weeks, I lent my support and commitment to the following bill:
H.R.8210 - Stop Anti-Abortion Disinformation Act
At a time when reproductive rights are facing an all out assault, it is especially essential for anyone seeking abortion care to be able to find a trustworthy, safe provider. Too often, crisis pregnancy centers deceptively advertise the services they provide and endanger those who have gone to them for help. The Stop Anti-Abortion Disinformation Act would prohibit this egregious behavior so people looking for care get the accurate information they need..
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CONGRESSWOMAN CLARKE ISSUES STATEMENT ON SUPREME COURT DECISION OVERTURNING ROE V. WADE
Today stands among the darkest in our nation’s history. To undo Roe v. Wade after 50 years of established precedent amounts to nothing less than a war on women’s reproductive rights and freedoms, and we cannot and will not stand for it. For the countless people across this nation who will suffer under this ruling, for the many who will lose their lives on account of its cruelty, for the Black and brown women, low-income women, and rural communities who have already faced lifetimes of the traumatic impacts of systemic discrimination, we must act. The time has long passed to end the filibuster and codify the Women’s Health Protection Act into law. Today, more so than ever, it is incumbent upon elected officials at every level of government to ferociously protect a woman’s right to choose. Forced pregnancy is an inhumane and immoral travesty, and one that will become commonplace in America unless we act deliberately and with haste. Let me be clear: this decision will not end abortion. Not in New York, where the right to choose is eternally entwined in the very fabric of our state, nor in the countless communities living under the oppressive thumb of trigger laws that have readied to outlaw abortion for decades. What this ruling will do is strip Americans of their access to safe abortions. It will kill women. And though I am furious, and disgusted, and heartbroken, now is not the time to mourn or wallow. Now is our moment for action – before it is too late.
CLARKE ISSUES STATEMENT ON SCOTUS RULING STRIKING DOWN NEW YORK GUN LAW
It is truly unconscionable, and quite frankly, disrespectful, that The Supreme Court would strike down a common sense gun law that protects the residents in a state confronting a serious crisis and uptick in gun violence. Sadly, we live in a society governed by individuals tasked to uphold our principles and security, and yet, cast a vote that blatantly disregards the tragic reality of a nation still reeling from back-to-back mass shootings that took the lives of innocent children, teachers, and seniors. We’ve reached an impasse with gun violence in New York and all across our nation. We must widen our aperture on a number of different practices that will help mitigate the damage of gun violence, and striking down New York’s common sense gun law is a direct challenge to every New Yorker’s safety and sense of security. We live under the constant threat of gun violence. It is an epidemic that does not discriminate. It has tragically reached our NYPD officers, our young people, and even our children. The gun violence in America is a public health issue. It’s a moral issue. We’ve passed legislation in the House to stem the flow of guns throughout our nation. Unfortunately, every attempt Democrats have made to curb gun violence has been obstructed with inaction in the Senate, and today, from The Supreme Court. At the end of the day, the laws of our land and our State must be respected, and enforced. New Yorkers need and demand common sense gun laws, not continued obstruction that does nothing but keep us in limbo and unprotected.
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