Dear Neighbor,

It's a New Year, and a New Era for our city! As we look forward and prepare to embrace a different path forward in 2026, I'd like to yhank you for tuning into another edition of my newsletter to hear more about my work in Congress and my efforts in Brooklyn! The care you hold for our community never fails to inspire me, and I am so very proud and privileged to call you my constituent.

If you or your family need assistance, 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, X, 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

Read My Statement Condemning Trump's Unauthorized Military Strikes and Regime Change in Venezuela

“In a brazen affront to the rule of law and the U.S. Constitution and without any rational consideration of the grave consequences that will inevitably follow, in the dead of night, Donald Trump has plunged the United States into yet another dangerous foreign entanglement by unleashing direct military strikes upon Venezuela’s capital and capturing President Nicolás Maduro and his wife. For years, Maduro’s authoritarian rule has oppressed Venezuelans and weakened their country. He was a despot with no regard for his own nation. His people have endured extreme hardship, political unrest, uncertainty, and instability under his leadership — so much so that many took great risks to seek asylum behind our borders. However, this is not a case of the ends justifying the means. Despite this military operation and considering Donald Trump’s comments in its aftermath, it has become crystal clear that toppling Maduro for narco-trafficking was far from the primary reason the administration engaged militarily with Venezuela. This reckless and non-congressionally sanctioned regime change was driven not by national security, but by the pursuit of oil riches. This action has no place in U.S. foreign policy. It is an illegal and illegitimate doctrine of extreme aggression sanctioned solely by the executive branch. Since the Trump administration first initiated strikes off the coast of Venezuela, Americans have overwhelmingly opposed these illegal military actions and have rightly already rejected this unhinged escalation. President Trump lacked both the righteousness and the constitutional respect to bring his war before Congress. Had he done so, I would have voted no. This impulsive interventionism does not make Americans safer; it leaves our global reputation in tatters and further destabilizes an already volatile region and our South American and Caribbean relations. Worse still, Donald Trump has now threatened a lasting U.S. occupation of Venezuela and refuses to rule out a significant presence of American troops on the ground. The Venezuelan people deserve their chance at freedom. They do not wish to substitute their dictator with America’s. The Trump administration’s actions today will only serve to embolden and implicitly endorse our adversaries to carry out their own military aggressions against sovereign nations, eroding international norms and the rule of law. They have also paved the way for further interventions by Donald Trump and his enablers. The President’s imperial pursuits will not end with Venezuela. If left unchecked, more illegal military aggressions loom just over our horizon — they will undoubtedly come at great cost to American lives, resources, and moral standing.”

Virtual Haitian Community Town Hall with Leader Hakeem Jeffries