AUSTIN, Texas — Every spring, thousands of entrepreneurs, innovators and investors and descend on this state capital for the annual South by Southwest technology convention. Over the past few years, SXSW Interactive has become a draw for federal policymakers, too, including prominent administration officials and members of Congress, many of them looking to build a […]

On March 4 in Washington D.C., both Senators and members of the House of Representatives took a stand for American songwriters and their right for fair use, distribution and compensation.  The Songwriter Equity Act (SEA) was re-introduced to Congress in hopes of amending sections 114 and 115 of the Copyright Act to change and improve the process that sets […]

WASHINGTON – Rep. Jeffries statement on the House approval of a Department of Homeland Security funding bill: “The collapse of the reckless Republican shutdown strategy is complete. These are dangerous times that require all hands on deck without distraction. The passage of legislation to fully fund the Department of Homeland Security is a critical step […]

Brooklyn, NY – Today, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (NY-08) released the following statement in response to the arrest of three Brooklyn terror suspects: “This development is a chilling reminder of why we must fund the Department of Homeland Security immediately. These three terror suspects appear to have been plotting to take the lives of innocent Americans, […]

A group of House Democrats stood inside the LaGuardia Airport Marine Air Terminal today to blast Republicans in Congress for an impasse that may shut down the Department of Homeland Security at the end of the week. Congress members Steve Israel, Kathleen Rice, Hakeem Jeffries and Joseph Crowley derided “dumb” and “dangerous” Republicans for attaching […]

Washington, DC – Democratic Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (NY-08) and Republican Rep. Peter King (NY-02) have introduced the Slain Officer Family Support Act of 2015, a piece of legislation that would extend the tax deadline so that individuals making charitable donations for the families of assassinated New York Police Department (NYPD) Detectives Wenjian Liu and Rafael […]

Doing the right thing could come with a writeoff. Reps. Hakeem Jeffries (D-Brooklyn) and Pete King (R-L.I.) proposed legislation Tuesday to extend the tax deduction period for anyone contributing to the families of two slain city cops. “Whenever tragedy occurs, it’s important for representatives of the community to step up and do the right thing,” […]

New York elected officials have broken ground on a $25 million project to protect the shoreline at Coney Island. Sen. Charles Schumer says the Army Corps of Engineers project will replenish and repair beachfront areas damaged by Superstorm Sandy in 2012. The work is being funded by federal Sandy relief dollars. It will include a […]

Democrats hailed a Brooklyn grand jury’s decision today to reportedly indict the NYPD officer who killed Akai Gurley last year–a stark contrast to reactions after a Staten Island grand jury voted not to indict a police officer in the death of Eric Garner. Progressives had kind words for Kenneth Thompson, the Brooklyn district attorney who […]

WASHINGTON –– The Congressional Black Caucus on Tuesday submitted an amicus brief in the Wisconsin voter I.D. case, BuzzFeed News has learned. The primary question before the Supreme Court is whether Wisconsin’s voter I.D. law, touted in recent speeches by Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, a presidential hopeful, violates the Constitutional guarantee of equal protection under […]