New York — 9th District

Yvette D. Clarke

Supports AI regulation and privacy safeguards

Clarke focuses on regulating emerging technologies to protect civil rights and constituent privacy in housing and government oversight. She introduced legislation banning biometric recognition in federal housing and received backing from anti-AI groups.

• Introduced H.R.4008 to ban biometric recognition technology in federally assisted housing.
• Endorsed by 'Stop the AI Steal' campaign organizations.

“prevent use of biometric recognition technology in certain federally assisted dwelling units”

Joel Anabilah-Azumah

Opposes AI in government operations

Anabilah-Azumah makes opposing the outsourcing of government functions to AI a cornerstone of his campaign. He warns that autonomous artificial intelligence risks evading human guardrails and eliminating government accountability.

• Pledges to fight all attempts to outsource government functions to artificial intelligence.
• Warns of 'SkyNet' scenarios where corporate or military AI evades human control.

“I will fight all attempts to outsource government functions to artificial intelligence. Humans must be in charge of governing other humans at all times.”

“The potential for a SkyNet scenario is very real.”

Yvette D. Clarke

Supports expanding public housing funding

Clarke prioritizes federal intervention to solve the affordable housing crisis, maintaining that the private market cannot meet low-income needs. She introduced legislation to reform area median income formulas, fund public housing capital needs, and expand rental assistance.

• Introduced the Affordable Housing and Area Median Income Fairness Act to cut rent in subsidized areas.
• Cosponsored the Public Housing Emergency Response Act (H.R.4546).
• Introduced the Hardest Hit Housing Act (H.R.5200) to fund rental vouchers and capital needs.

“Congresswoman Clarke has been a relentless advocate to ensure that Brooklyn remains affordable for everyday residents, especially low-income communities, as the district’s economic make-up has shifted in recent years.”

Joel Anabilah-Azumah

Opposes high property taxes and housing regulations

Anabilah-Azumah advocates protecting property owners from high taxation and onerous federal and local regulations. He promotes private property ownership as an essential component of community prosperity.

• Opposes excessive government regulation and taxes on property ownership.
• Promotes independent homeownership over reliance on public assistance.

“Property ownership should not be punished by the government with high taxes or onerous regulations.”

Yvette D. Clarke

Supports immigration reform and abolishing ICE

Clarke advocates for comprehensive immigration reform, sponsoring the ASPIRE Act for TPS recipients and defending DACA holders. She supports abolishing ICE, requiring body cameras for enforcement officers, and opposing border enforcement bills like the Laken Riley Act.

• Advocates for the abolishment of ICE and co-sponsored body camera mandates for ICE and CBP (H.R.1013).
• Introduced the ASPIRE Act (H.R.4384) to provide relief to TPS-eligible individuals.
• Voted Nay on the Laken Riley Act (S.5) and the SAVE Act (H.R.22).

“she is a proponent for the abolishment of ICE”

“Our immigration crisis has come to a head. Children have been separated from families, and conditions in immigration detention centers have been deteriorating – we must take substantial action to prevent these inhumane circumstances.”

Joel Anabilah-Azumah

Opposes foreign adventures and anti-American sentiment

Anabilah-Azumah rejects using American tax dollars as an endless resource for foreign projects or social experiments. He emphasizes patriotic values and investment in domestic neighborhoods.

• States America should not serve as an endless piggy bank for social experiments.
• Emphasizes bridging urban communities with pro-America policies.

“We want people who don't like America to go somewhere else where they would be happier. We are not an endless piggy bank for social experiments and foreign adventures.”

Yvette D. Clarke

Supports diplomacy and CARICOM partnerships

Clarke co-chairs the Congressional Caribbean Caucus, focusing US foreign policy on Caribbean community trade, investment, and diplomacy. She voted against the National Defense Authorization Act for FY2024.

• Co-chairs the Congressional Caribbean Caucus focused on CARICOM trade and investment.
• Voted Nay on the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024.

“build the relationship between the United States and the Caribbean community (CARICOM) on matters of trade, immigration reform, and direct investment through development programs.”

Joel Anabilah-Azumah

Opposes intervention in foreign military conflicts

Anabilah-Azumah urges resisting unwinnable foreign conflicts, arguing that international wars drain resources needed for domestic infrastructure. He advocates staying out of major geopolitical conflicts to focus on bringing manufacturing back to the U.S.

• Pledges to resist attempts to drag the U.S. into unnecessary military conflicts.
• Calls for staying out of foreign wars to re-shore manufacturing and rebuild American infrastructure.

“I will resist all attempts to drag the United States into unnecessary and unwinnable military conflicts.”

“We have to our best to stay out of a major war so that reinvestment in American infrastructure can take place.”

Yvette D. Clarke

Supports green and resilient infrastructure

Clarke supports infrastructure spending centered on climate resilience, grid upgrades, and building retrofits. She served on the Energy and Commerce Committee and Homeland Security Committee handling infrastructure oversight.

• Advocates federal funding to retrofit buildings and upgrade the energy grid.
• Introduced legislation requiring federal agencies like FEMA to factor climate change into infrastructure planning.

“We will need to allocate trillions of dollars to retrofit buildings, upgrade our power grid to accommodate renewables, and make our nation's infrastructure more climate resilient.”

Joel Anabilah-Azumah

Supports nuclear energy and transit projects

Anabilah-Azumah advocates a major national campaign to rebuild roads, rail, pipelines, and nuclear power plants using funds saved from foreign wars. He specifically targets local projects such as the Utica Avenue Subway extension.

• Calls for building the Utica Avenue Subway extension in Brooklyn.
• Proposes constructing new nuclear power plants alongside roads, rail, and pipelines.

“We want investment in American infrastructure such as the Utica Avenue Subway instead of war.”

“We have to go on a major infrastructure campaign to rebuild roads, rail, pipelines, and new nuclear power plants.”

Yvette D. Clarke

Supports middle-class tax relief and small business aid

Clarke supports middle-class tax relief, economic stimulus programs, and targeted federal support for small businesses and minority entrepreneurs.

• Supports middle-class and small business tax relief.
• Promotes business opportunities for women and minority entrepreneurs.

“Provide tax-relief for the middle-class and small businesses”

Joel Anabilah-Azumah

Supports $17 federal minimum wage

Anabilah-Azumah advocates raising the federal minimum wage from $7.25 to $17 per hour. He argues higher starting wages allow families to achieve self-sufficiency and reduce reliance on government welfare programs.

• Proposes increasing the federal minimum wage to $17 per hour.
• Aims to shrink welfare dependency by ensuring full-time work covers living expenses.

“Due to the increased demand for labor in the very near future (before AI fully takes hold), it is my position that the federal minimum wage has to increase from $7.25/hour to $17/hour.”

Yvette D. Clarke

Supports Green New Deal

Clarke supports the Green New Deal to transition the nation away from fossil fuels toward clean energy jobs. She introduced the FEMA Climate Change Preparedness Act (H.R.4823) and BREATHE Act (H.R.585) to mandate federal climate planning.

• Supports the Green New Deal.
• Introduced FEMA Climate Change Preparedness Act (H.R.4823).
• Voted Nay on the Lower Energy Costs Act (H.R.1).

“Congresswoman Clarke is a strong supporter of the Green New Deal, which will reduce the United States dependence on fossil fuels and aims to guarantee new high-paying jobs in clean energy industries.”

Joel Anabilah-Azumah

Supports expanding nuclear power

Anabilah-Azumah calls for constructing new nuclear power plants as a core element of rebuilding American infrastructure and energy domestic capacity.

• Advocates building new nuclear power plants as part of infrastructure renewal.

“We have to go on a major infrastructure campaign to rebuild roads, rail, pipelines, and new nuclear power plants.”

Yvette D. Clarke

Emphasizes value of institutional knowledge

Clarke notes that while term limits prevent entrenchment in theory, long-tenured representatives provide crucial institutional knowledge required to navigate Congress effectively for their constituents.

• Maintains that long-serving members provide valuable institutional knowledge to facilitate legislation.
• Open to term limit concepts in theory but emphasizes constituent representation.

“I believe that long-tenured members can provide the institutional knowledge necessary to facilitate the legislative process.”

Joel Anabilah-Azumah

Supports 12-year term limits

Anabilah-Azumah supports limiting congressional service to a maximum of 12 years and advocates that candidates have prior business or non-profit experience before seeking office.

• Supports a strict 12-year maximum term limit for members of Congress.
• Believes representatives should acquire significant business or non-profit experience prior to public office.

“I support term limits (max 12 years).”

Yvette D. Clarke

Supports Medicare for All

Clarke views healthcare as a fundamental human right, supporting Medicare for All and opposing efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act. She has sponsored legislation addressing opioid addiction, mental health parity, and behavioral health reporting in Medicaid.

• Supports Medicare for All and defended the ACA against repeal.
• Passed H.R.5583 to mandate Medicaid reporting on adult behavioral health measures.
• Authored the Opioid Addiction Action Plan Act.

“Access to affordable and adequate healthcare should be a right for all Americans - not a privilege. Congresswoman Clarke is a strong supporter of Medicare for All and fought relentlessly against the repeal of the ACA.”

Yvette D. Clarke

Supports federal abortion rights

Clarke consistently votes against federal restrictions on abortion access, earning top endorsement ratings from Planned Parenthood and NARAL Pro-Choice America. She also advocates for paid family leave and founded the Congressional Task Force on Black Women and Girls.

• Voted against restrictions on abortion funding including the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act.
• Earned top ratings from Planned Parenthood and NARAL Pro-Choice America.
• Voted Yes on extending paid parental leave for federal employees.

“Congresswoman Clarke has been a strong advocate for critical services that support women’s reproductive rights.”

Joel Anabilah-Azumah

Supports unrestricted free speech protections

Anabilah-Azumah makes protecting free speech a core commitment, opposing censorship by government entities, foreign countries, or technology platforms regardless of how unpopular the speech is.

• Pledges to ensure citizens can speak freely without interference from governments or tech companies.
• Defends speech protections for unpopular viewpoints.

“I will ensure that citizens of the United States have the ability to speak freely, even when their statements are unpopular.”

“We want to be able to speak freely without interference from our countries, other countries, or the whims of tech companies.”