To our Neighbors in NY-14,
Happy New Year! We hope that you are having an amazing holiday season and warmly embracing the new year! Each year, we like to reflect on all we accomplished and look forward to the work to come.
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Last year, Rep. Ocasio-Cortez secured real wins, not just for our district, but for people across our country. These victories aren’t just a reflection of policies - they’re the result of your support and dedication to being a part of our legislative process.
In case you missed it, here are our top wins from 2025:
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Providing Advancement Opportunities for New Air Traffic Controllers
This summer, Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Congressman Tom Suozzi (NY-03) hosted a press conference to celebrate Vaughn College’s admission into the Enhanced Air Traffic Collegiate Training Initiative, a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) program that will make our skies safer and allow Vaughn students to get critical air traffic control training right here in NY-14. Vaughn’s entry into this program means that more New Yorkers and people living on the East Coast who want to become air traffic controllers can do it without moving to a different part of the country.
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Passing Legislation to Fund Maternal and Infant Health Programs Out of Committee
In September, Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez continued to advocate for her legislation, which she leads alongside Representative Nicole Malliotakis (NY-11), that supports maternal and infant health programs during a markup in the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. In New York’s 14th district, the Bronx Healthy Start Partnership serves more than 475 families in our community each year - providing case management, educational activities, and connections to food, housing, and transportation assistance.
After discussing the bill, the full committee unanimously voted to advance the Congresswoman’s bipartisan Healthy Start Reauthorization Act of 2025 to the House floor for a vote.
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Celebrating $2.4M in Federal Funds to Neighborhood Housing Services of Queens
This year, Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez visited Neighborhood Housing Services (NHS) of Queens to celebrate $2.4 million in federal funding. NHS Queens was able to build ‘La Casita’, a headquarters that expands the organization's ability to provide services such as foreclosure prevention, affordable housing counseling and first-time homebuyer support. We hope to bring back over $14 million in CPFs for youth violence interruption, climate resilience, and survivor support in 2026.
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Stock Trading Ban for Members of Congress
In September, Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez joined a press conference to introduce the bipartisan Restore Trust in Congress Act, legislation that aims to ban Members of Congress and their families from trading individual stocks.
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Announcing GrowNYC’s New York State Regional Food Hub Launch
In 2024, Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez secured $1,000,000 in federal funding for GrowNYC to build the New York State Regional Food Hub in Hunts Point. This year, the Congresswoman had the pleasure of joining GrowNYC, New York State Governor Kathy Hochul, local elected officials and project partners to celebrate the opening of the New York State Regional Food Hub. This facility is already strengthening the local food economy, supporting New York farmers, and expanding access to healthy and affordable foods for low-income communities across New York City.
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Calling to Block the Shipments of Bombs to Israel
This fall, Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez joined her colleagues in calling for the enactment of the Block the Bombs Act, legislation that would block bombs, tank shells, and artillery rounds to the Israeli government, and prevent the Trump administration from going around Congress to deliver them. It is part of the Congresswoman’s work to end the genocide in Gaza, release the hostages, and fight for a diplomatic solution that ends cycles of violence.
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New Accessibility Ramp Construction at Jackson Heights Post Office
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Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez, Jackson Heights residents, and local leaders have long pushed for USPS to make the neighborhood post office accessible to everyone, including people with disabilities, seniors, and parents with strollers. This inaccessibility created an unnecessary hurdle for our community members. However, after years of advocacy from constituents like Ms. Beverly and Mr. Mario Damiani from the United States Access Board, this summer our office was thrilled to announce that construction of a ramp for the Jackson Heights Post Office had begun. Construction began on May 30, 2025 and has now been completed. In addition to the ramp being installed, there will also be an expanded garden space.
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Advocating for a Pathway to Citizenship for 9/11 Heroes
This year, Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez introduced the 9/11 Immigrant Worker Freedom Act, legislation that would provide a path to citizenship for immigrant first responders, workers, and volunteers who assisted with clean-up and search-and-rescue efforts at Ground Zero following the September 11th attacks.
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Know Your Rights Workshops
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This year, our office hosted several Know Your Rights workshops alongside Make the Road, Immigrant Defense Project, the New York Immigration Coalition (NYIC) and local community partners.
You can visit our website to find more information, and downloadable flyers in English, Spanish, Bangla, Mandarin, and Arabic. If you have an upcoming check in with ICE or a court hearing at 26 Federal Plaza, know you have the right to:
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Leading Introduction of Legislation to Combat Non-Consensual, Sexually Explicit Deepfake Imagery
In May, Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez alongside Congresswoman Laurel Lee (FL-15), Senator Richard J. Durbin (D-IL) and Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC), reintroduced the Disrupt Explicit Forged Images and Non-Consensual Edits Act (DEFIANCE Act), bipartisan legislation that would grant survivors the right to take civil action against individuals who knowingly produce, distribute, solicit and receive or possess with the intent to distribute nonconsensual sexually-explicit digital forgeries. This work built on progress made by the passage of the TAKE IT DOWN Act that was previously signed into law.
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Wishing you and your loved ones a Happy New Year!
In Service,
The Office of Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
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