The Serrano Report, Vol. VIII, #25

On Capitol Hill

Serrano Voices Support for Occupy Wall Street

This week, Congressman Serrano spoke out in support of the basic economic message of the Occupy Wall Street protests. The protests, which began in mid-September, are expressing opposition to an economic system that has eroded working people’s economic security while simultaneously greatly enriching a small segment of society, and to a political system that has failed to address those concerns.

“I’ve been watching the growing attention that the Occupy Wall Street protestors are garnering and have to say that I couldn’t agree with their economic message more,” said Serrano. “For years, many of us have been talking about the squeeze on working families and the favoritism toward the rich that has infected our national policies, but these protestors have helped spread that message to new and bigger audiences. This is a very welcome development. They have hit on a simple truth—the economic policies that our nation has enacted over the past several decades have made it harder and harder for the vast majority of the population to live a decent, stable life. Working families have the right to be outraged and fed up, and I believe these protestors are channeling that justified indignation. 

“We just spent a very long spring and summer in Washington listening to a debate about severe cuts to government spending—spending that supports working families. Meanwhile the jobs situation was blinking red the entire time. Poll after poll showed that people across the nation cared far more about job creation than government spending, but to hear the Washington discourse it would have seemed to have been the exact opposite. Now we’ve wasted months on the outlandish debt debate and done nothing to support job creation. No wonder there is such frustration.

“The protesters ask why we are focused on rebuilding roads and bridges and schools in Afghanistan and Iraq when we have out-of-work workers, crumbling bridges, roads and schools right here at home. I take it a step further and ask why we are spending money to occupy these nations and to support a hugely bloated military budget. We should bring the troops home, and redirect a significant portion of the defense budget to social and infrastructure spending here in our nation. 

“The protestors have done our nation a great service in restarting a conversation about the skewed economic priorities of some politicians and the nation’s wealthy who they seem to represent.  I am of the firm belief that we need a fundamental re-shifting of our nation’s economic policies and tax code to ensure that they help the vast majority of Americans, and not just the wealthy few. We need to invest in our future through schools and social spending. We need to favor ordinary people, not the powerful moneyed interests. I applaud what the Occupy Wall Street protesters are doing, and I add my voice to theirs as they ask Washington to focus on the real needs of working families.”

Serrano Opposes New Trade Bills

On Wednesday, the House passed new free trade agreements (FTAs) with Colombia (H.R. 3078), Panama (H.R. 3079), and Korea (H.R. 3080). These FTAs, which were modeled on the controversial North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), all passed by wide margins in the House. "I voted against these new free trade agreements because they will hurt American workers and cause more job losses," said Serrano. "In addition, these agreements do not support foreign workers’ rights. I did not support NAFTA and other free trade agreements, and I believe that the job benefits...that supporters promised never appeared. Instead, we’ve seen more and more jobs flow overseas and fewer and fewer good jobs created here in the USA. I cannot support agreements that disadvantage our workers, most especially in a weak economy. The Colombia agreement is particularly troubling, because of the widespread labor and human rights abuses in the country."

In addition to voting against the three trade agreements, Serrano voted in favor of H.R. 2832 to extend the Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA), which will lessen the negative effects of FTAs by offering assistance to communities, farmers, and firms, while also providing employment training and relocation allowances for workers.

The agreements have already passed the Senate and are expected to be signed by President Obama shortly.

Serrano Meets with House Interns

Today, Congressman Serrano met with participants of the Congressional Internship Program for Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities.  The program was established by Congressman Gregg Harper in 2010 in conjunction with George Mason University’s Mason LIFE program and the Committee on House Administration to provide students with disabilities with the educational and enrichment opportunity of interning on Capitol Hill.

Seated from left to right, Representatives Billy Long, Serrano, Greg Harper, Glenn Thompson, Cathy McMorris Rodgers, and David Price

In the Bronx

Serrano Attends Affordable Housing Ribbon Cutting

Last Friday, Congressman Serrano joined Comunilife President and CEO, Rosa M. Gil, Deputy Borough President Aurelia Green, NYC Councilmember Maria Del Carmen Arroyo, State Senator Rev. Ruben Diaz, Sr. and representatives from various agencies at a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Comunilife Supportive Housing Residence for Seniors on Prospect Avenue in the Bronx. This new affordable housing development will provide much needed low-income housing in the Bronx for as many as 60 seniors who have special needs. “I was happy to work with my colleagues to help provide funding under the HUD HOME Program for our most vulnerable New Yorkers,” said Congressman Serrano. "I am also very pleased that the community room in the new center was named after the legendary Puerto Rican composer Rafael Hernández."

From left to right, Joyce Culler from Community Board #2, Rosa M. Gill, President of Communilife, Deputy Bronx Borough President Aurelia Greene and Serrano at the ribbon-cutting for the new development

Serrano Attends Youth Education Kickoff

On Tuesday, Congressman Serrano joined Mayor Bloomberg, Anthony Marx, the President of the New York Public Library, and other elected officials at the launching of the first program in the Mayor’s Young Men’s Initiative, which was held at the Bronx Library Center on Kingsbridge Road. The Initiative, a city-wide, public-private partnership, will invest more than $127 million in programs to connect young men to opportunities for education, employment, and mentoring services across more than a dozen city agencies. “I look forward to the work this great program will do across our City to improve literacy rates among disconnected youth,” said Congressman Serrano. “Only through programs like these will we truly attack the persistent problem of illiteracy and its damaging consequences.”

Grant

Wetland Conservation Grants

Deadline: October 27, 2011

The United States Fish and Wildlife Service is inviting applicants to apply for the Small Grants Program, which supports public-private partnerships carrying out projects to further the goals of the North American Wetlands Conservation Act (Act). Proposed projects must involve long-term protection, restoration, and/or enhancement of wetlands and associated uplands habitats for the benefit of all wetlands-associated migratory birds. The program is designed to encourage new grantees and partners to carry out smaller-scale, long-term wetlands conservation projects that may otherwise not be able to compete in other grants programs.Typically, $3 million in funding has been available for the Small Grants Program each year. 

For more information about this grant visit the US Fish and Wildlife website.

For more information about other federal grants please visit grants.gov.