We are living in a time of crisis: rising rents have meant they’ve either had to leave the neighborhoods where they were raised, or they are teetering on the brink of eviction, barely able to make ends meet. Democratic and Republican administrations have used billions of our taxes to fund senseless wars abroad, and fascism is on the rise across the country.

I am running for Congress in NY-13 to ensure we provide housing for all, to invest in our babies not bombs, to enact the Green New Deal, and to abolish ICE once and for all.

Our political system is corrupt, the federal government allows big businesses to flood our elections with unlimited dark money.

With Trump and his billionaire friends in power, the threat is at a higher level than ever before. It’s time to reclaim our power and put an end to this corruption. Our community deserves a leader for the people who is powered by the people — nothing less.

I will never take a dime from corporate PACs. I will fight to overturn Citizens United and ban super PACs money from our elections, and I will be an advocate for the “For the People” Act, which includes the creation of a publicly financed system of small-dollar matching funds for Congressional elections.

Our rights are under attack. A reactionary Supreme Court significantly weakened the 1965 Voting Rights Act (in particular, Section 2), and stripped voting rights away from Black Americans throughout the country. We must fight back by passing the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. But, we must also fight to ensure that our democracy centers concern for our neighbors, and not the greed of corporations. We must overturn Citizens United, and pass the “For the People” Act.

NY-13 is a district that has been disproportionately impacted by the climate crisis: from lacking necessary green spaces to combat extreme heat, and outbreaks of Legionnaire’s disease, to higher rates of asthma due to the busiest motor vehicle bridge in the world.

I am a staunch supporter of the Green New Deal, including a Green New Deal for public housing, which would have the equivalent impact of getting 400k cars off the street. Second, I am also a supporter of divesting from the American imperial war machine, which is the single largest contributor to our climate crisis globally. Third, I am an advocate for using federal funds to develop robust public transit infrastructure throughout the district, which would decrease air pollution, decrease reliance on cars, and improve quality of life for commuting families. Finally, we must have a moratorium on data center construction, due to the devastating impacts that they have on our environment.

For decades, both establishment Democrats and Republicans alike have advanced a doctrine of militarism, using billions of our taxes to fund senseless wars abroad. I am running for Congress in NY-13 because I believe that our foreign policy should be rooted in solidarity that centers human rights, justice, and respect for sovereignty. We should seek resolution through diplomacy and international bodies like the United Nations. And, we should stand end our complicity in human rights violations and war crimes worldwide.

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The biggest challenges facing our country are affordability, protecting democracy, and fixing our broken immigration system. For women especially working mothers affordability means the rising cost of housing, groceries, childcare, and healthcare makes it harder to support their families and build economic stability. Congressman Espaillat has focused on lowering costs for working families, expanding affordable housing, protecting access to healthcare, and investing in public infrastructure that creates jobs and opportunity.

Protecting democracy also means defending the voices of Black and Latino communities that continue to face barriers to fair representation and voting access. And on immigration, Congressman Espaillat believes we need humane reform that keeps families together, protects immigrant women and children, and creates a pathway to citizenship.

The federal government has a responsibility to ensure elections are fair, transparent, and accessible to everyone not just wealthy special interests and corporate donors. Congressman Espaillat supports stronger campaign finance transparency laws, protections against voter suppression, and reforms that help amplify the voices of working people, women, and communities of color who are too often shut out of the political process.

Congressman Espaillat believes the decision in Louisiana v. Callais raises serious concerns about the continued weakening of voting rights protections for Black and Latino communities. Decisions like this risk further disenfranchising communities of color and undermining fair representation in our democracy. As Chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, he has consistently defended the Voting Rights Act and opposed efforts that dilute minority voting power or weaken protections against discrimination.

The federal government must continue investing in clean energy, resilient infrastructure, and environmental justice especially in low-income communities and communities of color that are disproportionately impacted by pollution and climate disasters. Congressman Espaillat supports investments in public transit, green jobs, and clean air initiatives that both protect public health and create economic opportunities for working families, including women entering the clean energy workforce.

The United States should continue supporting international partnerships that promote democracy, human rights, peace, and global stability. Congressman Espaillat believes America is strongest when we lead through diplomacy, cooperation, and respect for international law while standing with democratic allies and defending vulnerable communities around the world.

The three most urgent challenges facing our country are attacks on democracy and civil rights, the housing crisis, and the lack of universal social rights.

First, we must protect democracy and human rights. I support abolishing ICE and creating an immigration system rooted in dignity, due process, and justice. We must defend voting rights and reject policies that divide communities based on race, religion, gender, or immigration status.

Second, healthcare and education should be rights, not privileges. I support Medicare for All, canceling student debt, and making public colleges and universities tuition-free so that opportunity is not determined by wealth.

Third, we must treat housing as a human right. That means investing in NYCHA, strengthening tenant protections, expanding affordable housing and vouchers, and supporting first-time homebuyers.

We must also stop prioritizing endless wars over investments in housing, healthcare, education, and our communities.

The federal government has a responsibility to ensure that elections are democratic, transparent, and accessible, not dominated by special interests. Democracy should belong to everyone, not just billionaires, corporations, and powerful donors. We must overturn citizens united.

Today, wealthy individuals and special interests can spend enormous sums to influence elections and gain access to policymakers.

This undermines public trust and makes it harder for ordinary people to have their voices heard.

I support campaign finance reforms that increase transparency, end the influence of big money in politics, strengthen grassroots participation, and expand public campaign financing.

Public financing can help level the playing field so teachers, workers, immigrants, organizers, and community leaders can run for office, not only those with access to wealthy donor networks. Lastly, solutions such as matching funds, must consider poverty and income levels in each district.

The Supreme Court’s decision in Louisiana v. Callais is a disappointment and an attack on the victories of the civil rights movement.

At a time when we should be strengthening democracy, this ruling weakens important protections under the Voting Rights Act and makes it harder to challenge electoral maps that dilute minority voting power.

For decades, the Voting Rights Act helped ensure that historically marginalized communities had a fair opportunity to elect representatives of their choice. Democracy works best when every community has a voice and fair representation.

This decision underscores the need to strengthen voting rights protections, combat gerrymandering, and expand democratic participation. Our institutions should reflect the people they serve, not concentrate power in the hands of a few.

The right to vote is fundamental. We should not be creating new barriers to equal representation but protecting and expanding it.

Climate change is an existential threat that is already affecting our communities through flooding, extreme heat, pollution, and rising costs. The federal government must treat it as both an environmental emergency and a social justice issue.

We need a rapid transition to renewable energy, major investments in resilient infrastructure and public transportation, and a phaseout of fossil fuels.

We must strengthen flood protection systems, modernize buildings through energy-efficiency upgrades, and invest in public housing projects like NYCHA retrofits that reduce emissions, and lower costs.

Climate action must address environmental injustice. Low-income people and communities of color have borne the greatest pollution burden, and should be prioritized for climate adaptation funding and remediation.

Climate action and economic development must come hand in hand through the creation of federal job guarantees grounded on sustainable development not corporate profits.

The United States has a responsibility to support international institutions because global challenges such as climate change, conflict, migration, public health crises, and economic instability cannot be solved by any country alone.

The United Nations plays a critical role in promoting peace, humanitarian assistance, sustainable development, and international cooperation. The United States should remain engaged in the UN and support reforms that make it more representative, transparent, and effective.

The United States should also support international law and accountability, including the International Criminal Court. Human rights and international humanitarian law must apply equally to all countries.

Regarding NATO, we should prioritize diplomacy, collective security, and conflict prevention. Military action should be a last resort.

America should lead through cooperation, human rights, and diplomacy instead of unilateralism and endless wars.