Congressman-Elect Adriano Espaillat Visits CUIMC
At a breakfast forum with CUIMC leadership, Congressman-elect Adriano Espaillat promised to be a strong champion for National Institutes of Health funding. Not only is biomedical research important for the future of health care, he said, institutions like CUIMC that receive funding from the NIH are the largest employers in his district.
Congressman-elect Espaillat also discussed the challenges he and other members of Congress will face if the Republican-controlled Congress moves to repeal the Affordable Care Act. New York's 13th district includes many of the finest hospitals in the country as well as some of the neediest patient populations, he said, and he promised to fight any efforts that would unduly harm providers or reduce health insurance coverage.
When asked about President-elect Trump’s plan to spend $3.5 trillion on infrastructure, Mr. Espaillat responded that although efforts to upgrade subways, roads, and bridges are all important, Americans also must recognize that infrastructure includes science, education, and public health.
Congressman-elect Espaillat begins his first term on Jan. 3, 2017, when he will be sworn in to the 115th Congress. He will be the first American of Dominican heritage elected to Congress. Congressman-elect Espaillat has been a New York state senator since 2010 and was previously a member of the New York State Assembly. He succeeds Congressman Charles B. Rangel, who is retiring.