New York — 7th District

Claire Valdez

Supports universal rent control and public housing

Valdez treats housing as a fundamental human right and advocates for government investment to counter private market speculation. She supports universal rent control, full funding for NYCHA, repealing the Faircloth Amendment, and passing the Homes Act to build public housing.

• Pass the Homes Act to establish a public option for housing
• Enact universal rent control nationwide
• Fully fund the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) and repeal the Faircloth Amendment

“Housing is a human right—but Congress has chosen to side with landlords and speculators instead of working people.”

Melvin Rivera

Supports tenant purchasing rights and anti-speculation taxes

Rivera focuses on transitioning renters into homeowners through legislative mechanisms and anti-speculation measures. His core proposal is the Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act (TOPA), supported by an anti-flip tax and expanded cease-and-desist zones to curb predatory real estate practices.

• Pass the Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act (TOPA) to give tenants first right of refusal on building sales
• Enact an Anti-Flip Tax to stop predatory property speculation
• Expand Cease & Desist Zones and reform SCRIE/DRIE and SCHE/DHE income caps to match NYC costs

“Shift from renter instability to ownership, stability, and community control.”

Claire Valdez

Supports PRO Act and ending at-will employment

Drawing on her background as a union organizer, Valdez advocates expanding collective bargaining and federal labor protections. She pledges to champion the PRO Act, end at-will employment nationwide, and capture automation gains through a 32-hour work week without loss of pay.

• Champion the PRO Act to facilitate union formation and penalize anti-union retaliation
• End at-will employment nationwide
• Support a 32-hour work week with no reduction in pay to reclaim gains from automation

“Unions are how we build power and expand democracy.”

Melvin Rivera

Supports repealing Taylor Law and public employee rights

Rivera supports worker justice and labor protections, particularly for public sector workers. He calls for repealing New York's Taylor Law to restore the full right of workers to organize, strike, and negotiate wages.

• Repeal New York's Taylor Law
• Protect workers' rights to organize, protest, and negotiate fair wages
• Improve compensation and working conditions for public employees

“Protect workers and restore fairness in the labor system.”

Claire Valdez

Supports abolishing ICE and pathway to citizenship

Valdez advocates dismantling Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and enacting broad immigration reform. She supports legalizing undocumented immigrants and protecting communities from deportation raids.

• Abolish and dismantle Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)
• Enact immigration reform creating a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants
• Protect communities targeted by ICE raids and address root causes of mass migration

“In Congress, Claire Valdez will fight to dismantle and abolish ICE.”

Melvin Rivera

Supports criminal enforcement and earned green cards

Rivera proposes an immigration framework that strictly focuses enforcement on criminal offenders while establishing earned legal pathways for long-term residents. He supports expediting green cards for law-abiding undocumented residents who have lived in the U.S. for 10 or more years and paid taxes.

• Focus ICE enforcement on criminal offenders while requiring proper judicial warrants
• Establish expedited Green Card pathways for law-abiding residents of 10+ years who pay taxes
• Protect places of worship, civic appointments, and administrative visits from enforcement actions

“A system that is lawful, humane, and practical.”

Claire Valdez

Supports shifting highway funding to mass transit

Valdez calls for redirecting federal funding away from highway expansion projects toward mass transit, walking, and biking infrastructure. She proposes fully funding the NYC Transit Authority and Long Island Rail Road to build an accessible, carbon-free system.

• Reallocate federal highway dollars to public transit, walking, and biking
• Fully fund the New York City Transit Authority and Long Island Rail Road
• Halt and reverse surface highway expansions like McGuinness Boulevard

“Claire will fight to redirect federal dollars toward public transportation, walking, and biking, and to build a new mass transit system that works for everyone.”

Melvin Rivera

Supports MTA audits and water infrastructure funding

Rivera focuses on financial oversight of transit authorities and upgrading local utility infrastructure. He calls for independent audits of MTA spending and congestion pricing, while advocating for the reinstatement of the 1905 Stock Transfer Tax to fund clean water and stormwater projects.

• Audit MTA spending practices and congestion pricing implementation
• Expand the Fair Fares program and support regulated transit alternatives
• Reinstate the 1905 Stock Transfer Tax (S1237A) to finance the Safe Water Infrastructure Action Program

“Audit MTA spending and congestion pricing”

Claire Valdez

Supports Green New Deal and AI data center moratorium

Valdez advocates for a Green New Deal to generate union jobs, lower energy bills, and clean up historical industrial pollution. She supports freezing electricity rates, retrofitting public housing, securing federal funds for the Newtown Creek Superfund site, and placing a moratorium on new AI data centers.

• Pass a Green New Deal to transition to clean energy and create green union jobs
• Support the AI Data Center Moratorium Act (S.4214) to protect the power grid and water supply
• Secure federal funding for the Newtown Creek Superfund cleanup and mandate polluter pay policies

“Claire will fight to cut pollution and lower costs by winning a Green New Deal that puts working people in charge of our energy system.”

Melvin Rivera

Supports flood resilience and clean water infrastructure

Rivera prioritizes local environmental hazards and climate adaptation. He advocates for upgrading sewer infrastructure, expanding urban cooling centers, enforcing strict lead safety regulations, and modernizing water systems.

• Invest in flood resilience, sewer upgrades, and urban climate adaptation
• Expand cooling centers and environmental support for seniors and residents with disabilities
• Enforce strict lead safety and municipal air quality standards

“Invest in infrastructure that supports public health and economic growth.”

Claire Valdez

Supports taxing billionaires and expanding social programs

Valdez favors democratic socialist economic policies that tax corporations and the wealthy to fund public services. She aims to eliminate corporate monopolies and rejects funding from corporate PACs and dark money groups.

• Tax billionaires and major corporations to fund universal healthcare and social programs
• Challenge corporate greed and monopoly market power
• Reject corporate PAC and dark money campaign contributions

“tax the rich, take on corporate greed, and fight to build an economy that actually works for working people.”

Melvin Rivera

Supports reforming public assistance to build independence

Rivera advocates reforming public assistance to transition recipients into high-earning private careers rather than long-term benefit dependency. He supports HRA apprenticeship programs, free enterprise, micro-loans, and breaking up corporate utility monopolies like National Grid.

• Restore HRA Apprenticeship Programs connecting participants to $70K–$100K career pipelines
• Allow families to retain welfare benefits while advancing economically to reach a 30% savings goal
• Challenge corporate utility monopolies like National Grid and expand startup capital for small businesses

“Transform public assistance into a system that builds independence—not dependency.”

Claire Valdez

Supports tuition-free higher ed and banning AI in early ed

Valdez advocates for tuition-free public higher education and eliminating student loan debt. She also supports a moratorium on generative AI tools in early education to protect student cognitive development and data privacy.

• Guarantee access to tuition-free higher education and dismantle student debt systems
• Enact a moratorium on generative AI use in early and developing education
• Ensure fair compensation, job security, and bargaining rights for adjunct faculty

“Whether you are pursuing an undergraduate or technical degree, Claire supports guaranteed access to tuition-free higher education.”

Melvin Rivera

Supports trade schools, apprenticeships, and parent control

Rivera focuses on vocational education, career readiness, and parental oversight. He calls for expanding trade schools, industrial high schools, mandatory financial literacy courses, and returning educational decisions to parents and local communities.

• Expand trade schools, industrial high schools, and vocational apprenticeships
• Mandate financial literacy and entrepreneurship training in school curricula
• Return greater educational oversight and control to parents and local communities

“Create an education system that leads to real-world success.”

Claire Valdez

Opposes corporate PAC and AIPAC money

Valdez rejects corporate PAC, fossil fuel, and AIPAC contributions to ensure independence from special interests. She advocates for small-dollar grassroots campaign financing.

• Refuse donations from corporate PACs, AIPAC, and fossil fuel interests
• Rely exclusively on individual grassroots contributions

“No dark money group or corporate PAC would ever consider giving me money. And I would never take it.”

Melvin Rivera

Supports FOIL expansion, contract audits, and matching fund reform

Rivera advocates for government transparency by expanding Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) requirements and conducting audits of municipal contracts and pension investments. He also calls for eliminating campaign matching fund abuses.

• Expand FOIL access to all entities receiving public funding
• Audit government contracts, spending, and public pension fund investments
• Reform petitioning systems and eliminate campaign matching fund abuse

“Government that works for the people—not above them”

Claire Valdez

Supports Medicare for All on Day One

Valdez proposes establishing a single-payer Medicare for All system to eliminate private health insurance corporations. Her plan covers primary care, prescription drugs, reproductive healthcare, and gender-affirming care funded by taxes on corporations and billionaires.

• Sponsor single-payer Medicare for All on Day One in Congress
• Eliminate employer-based private insurance control over healthcare access
• Include full coverage for reproductive care, contraception, PrEP, and gender-affirming care

“In Congress, Claire will sponsor Medicare for All on Day One and fight the insurance companies that profit from denying care and driving up costs.”

Claire Valdez

Opposes military aid to Israel and supports PR self-determination

Valdez advocates for a foreign policy focused on human rights, anti-imperialism, and ending military intervention. She pledges to end military aid to Israel, support Palestinian freedom, reintroduce the Puerto Rican Self Determination Act, cancel Puerto Rico's debt, and repeal the Jones Act.

• End all military aid and weapons sales to Israel
• Reintroduce the Puerto Rican Self Determination Act and cancel Puerto Rico's public debt
• Abolish La Junta oversight board and repeal the Jones Act to reduce grocery costs on the island

“oppose sending any more taxpayer dollars to Israel for bombs and weapons and demand that money be used to fund our communities at home.”

Melvin Rivera

Supports fully funding police and community policing

Rivera prioritizes public safety by expanding support and resources for law enforcement. He supports fully funding police departments, increasing officer pay, providing mental health services for police, and deepening community policing models.

• Fully fund law enforcement agencies
• Increase police salaries and mental health support services for officers
• Expand community policing initiatives to rebuild neighborhood trust

“Fully fund law enforcement”