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News 12 Staff

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Welcome back to this episode of Power and Politics, everyone, as our breakdown of the so-called big beautiful bill continues this week. And joining us now is Bronx Congressman Richie Torres, who has been sounding the alarm about the effects of this law and what they'll have on the borough in the city at large. Congressman Torres, thanks so much for the time this week on Power and Politics. honor to be here. We appreciate it. Now, simply put, you voted against this bill, so why on the party line vote? The Republican reconciliation law. It's a catastrophe for the working families of America and nowhere is it more catastrophic than here in the Bronx. You know, when America sneezes, the Bronx gets the flu and the Bronx is going to be the hardest hit by the so-called big beautiful bill. Uh, the legislation will cause 17 million Americans to lose health coverage. It will cut Medicaid by $1 trillion the largest healthcare cut in history. It will cut SNAP by $300 billion the largest food assistance cut in history. It will raise the cost of electricity by an average of 7% for families and 10% for businesses with increases as high as 30% in the hardest hit states. It will add trillions of dollars to our national debt and it will create. Uh, a mass deportation industrial complex, um, I cannot imagine a greater assault on the needs of the Bronx. Uh, than the so-called big beautiful bill orchestrated by Donald Trump and congressional Republicans. In that response there you specifically highlighted the cuts to Medicaid and SNAP as part of that bill that is going to have a very damaging impact in the district, especially. Can you elaborate on how widespread and paint a picture of of how you anticipate those impacts being felt in the borough with regards to SNAP and Medicaid specifically? Look, the Bronx depends heavily on both Medicaid for healthcare and SA for food. Uh, my congressional district in the Bronx has the highest rate of Medicaid enrollment in the country, around 70%. Uh, and about a third of the Bronx is enrolled in SNAP, depends on SNAP for food assistance. And even if you're not among the 70 million Americans who are directly enrolled in Medicaid. You're among the 330 million Americans who receive your healthcare from a hospital that depends on Medicaid. So most of the hospitals in the Bronx receive most of their funding from Medicaid, and a $1 trillion cut to Medicaid could cause hospitals to close and collapse. Uh, and that's the greatest concern I have. And keep in mind that healthcare is not simply a social safety net, it's the economy of the Bronx. It's 25% of the Bronx economy. Montefiore, which is the largest healthcare provider, is also the largest employer in the Bronx, employing tens of thousands of people. And so I have a real concern that the Republican reconciliation law could lead to mass unemployment in places like the Bronx. So with that in mind, any plans or work underway within your office to offset the expected impact of those cuts? Obviously we are in a Republican-led Congress, hence why this bill was able to be passed and signed into law, but what work can be done to offset those effects? We have to take back the house. I mean, we have to win back the House, make Hakeem Jeffries the first African American speaker in American history, and reverse the devastating cuts that Republicans have made to Medicaid because, you know, no state, including New York. is going to compensate for the loss of federal funding that is brought on by the Republican reconciliation law. So we have no choice but to repeal these cuts. And restore Medicaid as a social safety net for places like the Bronx. When we talk about the bill we've heard about the headlines regarding SNAP and Medicaid and and tax relief on the other side of the aisle. What is in the bill, Congressman, that is not being talked about right now that's not making headlines that you think will have an impact here in the Bronx and on New Yorkers? I, I have a concern that the legislation is going to raise the cost of living, including the cost of electricity. Um, you know, in 2024, clean energy made up 90% of new electricity generation in the United States. Solar alone made up about 60%. And the Republican reconciliation law would defund the very tax credits that are driving most of electricity generation in the United States. And so I worry we're gonna have less electricity supply, higher electricity cost. Which will make life miserable for American families and businesses, including those in the Bronx. You mentioned tax credits. I know the child tax credit is something that you have been vocal about in the past and pushing for, especially here in the borough. That's something that is included in this bill. Are you satisfied with what made it across the finish line with regards to the child tax credit? No, it's, it's a shell of its former self. So, you know, in March of 2021, we passed the American rescue plan, which included an expanded child tax credit that cut child poverty by 50%, not only here in the Bronx but across the country. The new version Of the child tax credit is exclusionary. It excludes the lowest income families in places like the Bronx. So, the Bronx is left behind by the version of the child tax credit that Republicans put in the bill. Congressman Torres, I want to talk about some local issues as well, and specifically your renewed calls last week to clean up the ongoing issues that we've seen in the hub, the drug use, the homelessness issue. This is a call to action that you made last summer that is now being renewed this summer, and since then, the Adams administration has put up some barricades around the plaza. They've put a mobile command unit in the middle of it there to help with enforcement. What is your take on that approach to responding to the issues at the hub from the administration? We're making progress toward improving quality of life and public safety in the hub, which is the central commercial corridor of the Bronx. Uh, the pedestrian plaza, which had become a hotbed of drug trafficking, has been barricaded. Uh, the NYPD has set up a mobile command unit. The at TSNY Sanitation has set up a mobile command unit, so the conditions on the ground have dramatically improved. Having said that, we're far from mission accomplished. Um, what we need is not a short term reaction, but a long term sustained commitment, a multi-agency commitment. To ending the open air drug market once and for all in the hub of the South Bronx. More power and politics with Congressman Torres in just a couple of minutes. Stay with us.

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Welcome back to Power and Politics as we return to our conversation with Congressman Richie Torres. Congressman, I want to switch to the New York City mayoral election. We were talking about electoral politics just a minute ago. You endorsed Andrew Cuomo in his primary bid for mayor. Are you gonna throw your support behind him during the general since he has announced that he'll be staying in it this past week? Uh, my endorsement of the governor only applied to the primary, uh, so for the general election, I'm neutral at the moment. Um, and, and I will see how the race plays out. What are your thoughts on this strategy that's being proposed by particularly former governor, uh, Patterson that, uh, the candidates should band together in order to defeat Mamdani? Is that a coalition, uh, that you are interested in seeing them move forward with? Look, New York City is overwhelmingly Democratic. Um, Zoran Mamdani is the Democratic nominee. He won fair and square, and I suspect he is likely to win the general and become the next mayor of New York. And I've said to Zoran that I look forward to building a working relationship with him. We're not going to agree on every issue, but when I disagree with him, I'll hold his feet to the fire as I would any mayor, and when I agree with him, I will cooperate with him for the good of the city and the country. Uh, and so that's the approach that I would take to, uh, a mayors or in Mamdani. So no endorsement at this time, but a possibility that you would consider supporting Mamdani overall in the general? Uh, I have no intention of endorsing, but you know, I accept, I accept the results of the election, and I I I I respect and accept Zoran Mamdani as the Democratic nominee, and I look forward to working with him, uh, when he's likely to be the mayor of New York. All right, Congressman Torres, thank you so much for your time and for the breakdown of this bill and of course a look at local politics as well. We appreciate it. Absolutely. Take care. And that is all for this week here on Power and Politics on News 12. Thanks so much for watching.

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