News From Congressman Eliot Engel

Engel Statement on National Gun Violence Awareness Day

  Congressman Eliot Engel, a Member of the Congressional Gun Violence Protection Task Force, issued the following statement on National Gun Violence Awareness Day:

“Today, I am wearing orange to honor the victims of gun violence, including Hadiya Pendleton who, at fifteen years old, was shot and killed a week after performing at President Obama’s 2013 Inauguration. This movement was started when Hadiya’s friends wore orange to commemorate her life, and the lives of so many others that were cut short by gun violence.

“National Gun Violence Awareness Day brings attention to the 33,000 Americans who are killed by guns every year. And for every one person killed with a gun, two more are injured. Our country faces a gun violence epidemic. It is long past time we come together to pass responsible gun safety laws that keep guns out of the hands of dangerous individuals. In Congress, I’m fighting to keep our schools, streets, playgrounds, and homes safe. I’ve worked to ban assault weapons, high-capacity magazines and armor-piercing bullets, institute universal background checks, adopt extreme risk protection orders, and restore funding for gun violence research.  

“It is my hope that National Gun Violence Awareness Day will bring us one step closer to curbing gun violence in America.”

Engel, 64 House Dems Call Upon Trump To Stop Raising Health Care Costs

  Congressman Eliot L. Engel joined 64 House Democrats to urge President Donald Trump to end his campaign of intentional sabotage of the Affordable Care Act.

The Representatives sent their letter as a growing number of states face premium spikes that insurers have directly attributed to the Trump Administration’s acts of sabotage. These actions include the GOP tax scam – which the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office predicts will lead to millions more uninsured Americans – and moving to once again allow insurance companies to sell “junk plans.”

The Representatives wrote:

“We are deeply concerned by your Administration’s actions, which both trigger higher health insurance premiums as well as undermine access to high-quality, affordable health care for millions of hard-working Americans. The reporting of early filings by health insurers shows that healthcare premiums will rise sharply next year. Their justifications reveal that your Administration’s actions are to blame.”

A signed copy of the letter is available here.