112th Congress

Number: 
112

Statement of U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney on the Release of the State Department’s Trafficking in Persons Report

“The 2011 Trafficking in Persons Report released today is a snapshot of what is happening to combat slavery around the world, including the United States.  It highlights both successes and failures and demonstrates very clearly what political will and political action can do to help end these horrific practices.  With this report, we gain an understanding of the problems we are facing and the work that needs to be done.

“I applaud Secretary Clinton and Ambassador CdeBaca for their commitment to these issues and pledge to continue my work in Congress as co-chair of the Human Trafficking Caucus to combat human trafficking.”

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Maloney Urges MTA to Clear Up Dust, Noxious Odors at 2nd Ave. Subway Construction Site

New York, NY – Alarmed by recent reports of noxious odors and dust plumes emanating from the Second Avenue Subway construction site near East 69th Street and Second Avenue, U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-Manhattan, Queens) today urged the MTA to redouble the agency’s efforts to mitigate quality-of-life concerns related to the subway project.  In a letter to MTA Chairman Jay Walder (a copy of which follows), Maloney also urged the MTA to test the air at the construction site to confirm that it is safe.  Joining Maloney at a press conference today to express their concerns were area residents and Manhattan Community Board 8 members Dan Quart, Barry Schneider, Jonathan Horn, Jim Clynes, and Patrick Stewart, along with other community members.

Rep. Maloney hails Federal transit funding: $197 million for 2nd Avenue Subway, $215 million for East Side Access

WASHINGTON, DC – Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) applauded the announcement of Federal Transit Administration funding for the two major New York City transit projects today. $197 million in funding for the 2nd Avenue Subway and $215 million for the East Side Access project -linking the LIRR to Grand Central Terminal- will be coming to the Metropolitan Transit Authority as part of the Full Funding Grant Agreements governing both projects.

Maloney Statement on President Obama's troop drawdown in Afghanistan

WASHINGTON --  Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney issued the following statement in reaction to the President's speech last night on Afghanistan:

"President Obama’s announcement last night of a drawdown of troops from Afghanistan is a welcome development.  Unfortunately, the pace of withdrawal falls far short of what I and many in Congress think should be the pace, and what the American people want.

"Our brave men and women in uniform have fought with honor, at great cost, and in the face of great challenges.  Their courage and professionalism helped lead to the death of Osama bin Laden and is to be commended.  But after years of war, it is time to hand over security to the Afghan people and government and bring our troops home. 

"I will continue to work for withdrawal of our troops and bringing this decade-long war to a close."

Rep. Maloney, Sen. Menendez reintroduce Equal Rights Amendment

WASHINGTON, DC – Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), and Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ) today reintroduced the Equal Rights Amendment at an event just outside the Capitol.

“The Equal Rights Amendment is still needed because the only way for women to achieve permanent equality in the U.S. is to write it into the constitution,” Rep. Maloney said. “While it’s been thrilling to see how far women have come in my lifetime, laws can change, government regulations can be weakened, and judicial opinions can shift. Making women’s equality a constitutional right—after Congress passes and 38 states ratify the ERA—would place the United States on record, albeit more than 200 years late, that women are fully equal in the eyes of the law.”

“The WalMart case decided by the Supreme Court this week is a classic example of how far attitudes must still come. The facts of the case support the view that over a million women were systematically denied equal pay by the world’s largest employer,” Maloney said. “While the ERA would apply only to government action, its effect would be sweeping, historic—and long overdue.”

Zadroga Bill Authors on Release of Draft Regulations for Reopened 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Reps. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), and Peter King (R-NY), authors of H.R. 847, the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act, today released the following joint statement on the release by Special Master Sheila Birnbaum  of draft regulations governing applications for compensation under the September 11 Victim Compensation Fund (VCF): 

“Thousands of 9/11 responders and survivors have been waiting to be compensated for their injuries, so we applaud Ms. Birnbaum’s efforts to release these draft regulations for public comment so quickly – indeed, only 34 days after she was appointed.   The draft rules will be available for public comment for 45 days, with the hope that they will be finalized before the tenth anniversary of the attacks.

Rep. Maloney Hails EPA Announcement That Newtown Creek Testing Will Start in Late Summer

Queens, NY – U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D Queens, Manhattan), Queens Borough President Helen Marshall, other local representatives, and members of the western Queens community met with EPA Regional Administrator Judith Enck and other EPA officials today to press for the expedited cleanup of Newtown Creek.  At today’s meeting, members of the community had the opportunity to ask the EPA questions about the proposed cleanup and express their concerns.

Six Congresswomen encourage Saudi woman’s efforts to allow women to drive vehicles in Saudi Arabia

WASHINGTON, DC – Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) and five other Congresswomen wrote Manal al-Sharif, a Saudi woman who was jailed for nine days after for the offense of driving, offering  encouragement and moral support to her efforts to overturn Saudi Arabia’s ban on women drivers. The arrest and jail term sparked much online debate and dissent in Saudi Arabia, and a protest was held outside the Saudi Embassy in Washington, DC today.

The lawmakers wrote:

We have been following your story with great interest as you pursue your campaign against the Saudi kingdom's driving ban. Your efforts on behalf of Saudi women, who only wish to protect themselves, are inspiring and we wish to extend our heartfelt admiration and support.

Rep. Maloney Addresses Seniors on Efforts to Fight GOP Plan to End Medicare

New York, NY – U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney today spoke to seniors at the Whittaker Senior Center on the Lower East Side about her efforts to fight plans put forward by the Republican House majority to end Medicare as we know it.  On April 15th, House Republicans passed a budget by a vote of 235 to 193 that would end Medicare as we know it – instead giving seniors an increasingly inadequate subsidy to buy private insurance.

Maloney Welcomes Elizabeth Warren to NYC

New York, NY – Last night, U.S. Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney and Hunter College President Jennifer Raab welcomed Professor Elizabeth Warren, Assistant to the President and Special Advisor to the Secretary of the Treasury on the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), to New York to discuss the CFPB and the need for strong consumer protections in the wake of the Great Recession.  Warren delivered her remarks at Hunter College’s Roosevelt House Institute for Public Policy, which stands at the location where a newly-elected president Franklin D. Roosevelt and Frances Perkins first laid out the concept that would become Social Security, widely considered to be our most important social safety net program.
 

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