U.S. Rep. Nydia Velázquez addresses a town hall at Sunnyside Community Services. Photo: Shane O’Brien
Feb. 20, 2025 By Shane O’Brien
U.S. Rep. Nydia Velázquez held a town hall in Sunnyside Community Services (SCS) Wednesday night in response to the first month of the Trump presidency, urging voters to flood the offices of moderate Republicans with phone calls encouraging them to stand up to the Trump Administration.
Velázquez invited experts on a range of subjects from constitutional law to unions to speak at the event at SCS, located at 43-31 39th St., and also invited several fellow elected Democrats, including Assembly Members Zohran Mamdani and Claire Valdez, State Sen. Kristen Gonzalez, and Council Member Julie Won.
Panelists at Wednesday’s event included CUNY Professor of Law Natalie Gomez-Velez, Center for Constitutional Rights Executive Director Vincent Warren and Immigrant Justice Corps Legal Director Lauren Migliaccio. Javier Medrano, director of Latino & LGBTQ+ Outreach at the Office of Attorney General Letitia James, and Doria Catherine Montfort, vice president at the National Labor Relations Board Union, Labor 2, also spoke during the event.
Panelists emphasized the importance of educating undocumented immigrants about their constitutional rights while also stating that the Trump Administration has rolled back protections for all immigrations, increasing the risk of deportation for all non-citizens.
They also alleged that Trump has carried out several unconstitutional actions since taking office. Catherine Montfort pointed to the firing of NLRB board member Gwynne A. Wilcox, who was ousted from her role in January. Wilcox, who became the first black woman to serve as chair of the board, is protected from presidential removal from the NLRB except for malfeasance or misconduct, Catherine Montfort said.
“She was not provided with a notice or hearing before she was removed, she received a late-night email and had her equipment removed from her, and she has basically had no recourse except to file a complaint and federal report,” Catherine Montfort told the audience. “It is deeply concerning.”
Speakers also discussed ways Democrats can thwart the Trump Administration’s slew of executive orders despite controlling none of the three bodies of Government, with Velázquez regularly pointing to the power of grassroots movements to influence local politicians.
Mamdani and Velázquez. Photo: Shane O’Brien
Velázquez, who hosted an hour-long question-and-answer section at the end of the town hall, repeatedly stated that Democrats need just three Republicans to vote against some of Trump’s more polarizing measures.
She highlighted the importance of canvassing New York Republicans representatives, threatening moderate Republicans that they may lose their seats if they back unpopular cuts that adversely impact their constituents.
Trump has proposed to slash funding for several federal programs since taking office, targeting a range of sectors from healthcare to agriculture. Velázquez said Wednesday that no moderate Republican representatives should support cuts that impact working-class New Yorkers.
Brian Garcia, a local veteran who served in Afghanistan, raised concerns about proposed cuts to the Department of Veteran Affairs in the upcoming budget, which aims to introduce $4.5 trillion in tax cuts.
Velázquez promised to “fight” House Republicans over proposed cuts to a range of programs, including cuts to the Department of Veteran Affairs, and called on Republicans to “stand up” and demand transparency from the Trump Administration.
“I will not support a budget that targets veterans, that targets vulnerable communities, for the sake of providing $4.5 trillion in tax cuts for the wealthiest,” Velázquez told Wednesday’s town hall. “They’re going to cut $1.5 trillion from all kinds of programs, and they’re going to dismantle public education.
“There shouldn’t be a moderate Republican from New York voting against the interests of the people of New York,” Velázquez added. “We have three or four moderate Republicans. When you call my office and you ask us, ‘what can we do?’ If you know anyone in those districts, we can get them and tell them you can save democracy, and you can save this country if we work together.”
Other attendees pressed Velázquez on Democrat strategies to stand up for the working-class and showcase a plan for how they can thwart the Trump presidency over the next four years.
Photo: Shane O’Brien
Local resident Rachel Landy urged Velázquez to detail specific plans to fight the Trump presidency.
Velázquez responded that Democrats need to confront Republicans and ask tough questions, stating that she intends to be a “troublemaker” throughout the four years of the Trump presidency.
Mamdani, meanwhile, agreed that the party needs more troublemakers and stated that there is an ongoing fight for the soul of the Democratic Party.
“There is a battle for the soul of the Democratic Party right now that’s going on, and there’s a rightful critique of the party,” Mamdani told attendees.
Matthew Sheridan, on the other hand, pressed Velázquez on her plans to engage the working-class and show voters that the party is willing to stand up for them. Sheridan said Democrats should be hosting far more discussions on social media platforms rather than hosting in-person town halls with limited potential for engagement.
“People don’t know how to get involved their communities,” Sheridan told Velázquez. “They don’t think they have a party that’s willing to stand up for them.”
Sheridan added that there is a significant young crowd prepared to campaign on behalf of the Democrats but called on Velázquez and other Democrats to “give us a place to go.”
He also asked Velazquez if Democrats were prepared to use any leverage they had gained over the perceived unpopularity of Trump’s proposed cuts to demand their Republican colleagues’ support ahead of the budget.
Velázquez said she would vote no on any budget that “sacrifices veterans, children and the most vulnerable” and promised she would only vote on a budget that restored “all of the money that has been stolen by this administration.”
In an opening address, Velázquez accused the Trump Administration of carrying out an “attack on democracy” and said there is an ongoing constitutional crisis within the federal government.
She added that Elon Musk’s influence on Trump represented a threat to democracy, adding that it is not possible to hold Musk accountable in his current role as head of the Department of Government Efficiency.
“The Republicans who control Congress refuse to demand transparency or accountability,” Velázquez said at the beginning of Wednesday’s town hall.
Velázquez also blasted Trump for taking steps to kill New York’s congestion pricing program after Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy informed Gov. Kathy Hochul Wednesday that he was revoking federal approval for the project. Velázquez said the move represented a threat to New York’s sovereignty and pledged to fight the move in court.
“What about state’s rights?” Velázquez said. “We’ll see him in court.”
Although Velázquez acknowledged that Republicans currently control all three branches of Government, she said there are still steps that Democrats can take to limit the power of the Trump Administration and pointed to the power of grassroots activism.
Valdez and Velázquez. Photo: Shane O’Brien
Warren, meanwhile, pointed to the power of NAACP protests during the Civil Rights Movement as proof that grassroots organizing can impact change even when there is no appetite for change in government.
House Minority Speaker Hakeem Jeffries recently cast doubts over the Democrats’ ability to thwart Republican momentum before the mid-terms by questioning “what leverage” the party currently possesses.
However, Velázquez believes that the party can still influence federal politics by continuing to engage with voters and encourage activism. She encouraged voters to flood the offices of moderate Republicans with calls urging them not to support the upcoming budget rather than call the offices of Democrats who have already announced their opposition to the budget.
She pointed out that the current budget expires on March 14 and added that Democrats are demanding Republicans include language that will overrule actions taken by the Trump Administration. She also said Republicans will be responsible for any potential government shutdown.
“If they don’t, then they will have to pass the budget on their own, and if there are some Republicans who do not want to support the budget because it doesn’t cut enough, then they will shut down the government and It will be on them.”
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