News From Congressman Eliot Engel

Engel Statement on Anniversary of Brown vs. Board of Education Decision

“Sixty-four years ago today, in the landmark Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka decision, the Supreme Court struck down the doctrine of ‘separate but equal’ as inherently unequal and unconstitutional. This ruling helped launch the civil rights movement that led to desegregation and the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

“Unfortunately, the work of the civil rights movement is still in jeopardy today. We owe it to all children to ensure that our schools are free from discrimination and that students have equal access to a quality education. On this anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education, we must rededicate ourselves to the fight against discrimination and the promotion of educational equality.”  

Engel Statement on One Year Anniversary of Mueller Investigation

On the first anniversary of the Mueller investigation into the Trump Russia Scandal, but President Trump’s complaints about the length of the inquiry ring hollow. Compared to the duration of other high-profile investigations, Special Counsel Mueller’s inquiry barely registers.  The Republican Benghazi Committee dragged on for more than two years and found nothing more than the multiple other investigations into the same matter. Iran-Contra, Whitewater, and Watergate all lasted years. So, the idea that Special Counsel Mueller should observe some arbitrary deadline set by the subject of the investigation – Donald Trump, himself – is preposterous.

“Yet, even though Special Counsel Mueller’s investigation is comparatively short, the seriousness of the allegations is already clear. Mr. Mueller is racking up convictions and indictments, and all indications suggest there are more to come. President Trump and his Republican allies must not interfere or take any steps to obstruct justice in any way. Frankly, it’s past time for Congress to pass legislation guaranteeing that the Special Counsel can do his job free from political interference.”

Engel Condemns Trump’s Domestic Gag Rule

“When you visit your doctors, you trust that they are providing you with all of the facts and unbiased counsel about your health. The Trump Administration wants to change that. 

“They have unveiled a policy that will bar providers that specialize in reproductive health, like Planned Parenthood, from even providing information about abortion to patients if those providers receive federal family planning funds. 

“Denying people comprehensive, unbiased information about all of their health care options is unconscionable. Every person deserves to have complete information when making decisions about their health. This latest attack on health care doesn’t just threaten Americans’ well-being—it gets in between patient and provider, where the Trump Administration has no business being.”

Engel Legislation to Tackle Opioid Epidemic Advances to Full House

The Poison Center Network Enhancement Act extends the U.S. poison center program for five years. Since 2011, U.S. poison centers have handled nearly 200 cases each day involving opioid misuse.

Yesterday the House Energy and Commerce Committee approved the Poison Center Network Enhancement Act, legislation co-authored by Congressman Eliot L. Engel and Congresswoman Susan Brooks, for consideration by the full House of Representatives. This legislation will reauthorize the nationwide poison center program for an additional five years. 

Since 2011, U.S. poison centers have handled nearly 200 cases daily involving opioid misuse. Poison centers have also helped detect trends in the opioid epidemic, and experts have educated Americans about ways they could potentially save the lives of their loved ones. The Upstate New York Poison Center, for example, used the New York State Fair to educate New Yorkers about proper use of naloxone, the overdose reversal drug.

This bill will ensure that these important activities continue.

“Most of us already know about much of the work poison centers do, but many may not know about the critical role poison centers are playing in the fight to end the opioid crisis,” Engel said. “It is absolutely essential that this work continues. In Westchester County, 124 people died due to opioids in 2016. In the Bronx, more New Yorkers died of overdoses than in any other borough. We must do more to end this epidemic, and I am proud to see this important bill moving forward as part of that effort.”