Reynoso pledges to 'fight for' Puerto Rico if elected to Congress in NY-7 * Brooklyn Paper

"Reynoso is running in the Democratic primary against Queens Assembly Member Claire Valdez, who is backed by the Democratic Socialists of America and Mayor Zohran Mamdani, and Queens Council Member Julie Won. The winner would be heavily favored to succeed Velázquez, the first Puerto Rican woman elected to Congress and one of New York's most influential progressive lawmakers."

"Reynoso's plan calls for reintroducing the Puerto Rico Self-Determination Act, setting a timeline to dissolve the federally imposed Fiscal Oversight and Management Board known as La Junta, permanently exempting Puerto Rico from the Jones Act, closing tax incentives formerly known as Act 22 and now consolidated under Act 60, scrutinizing LUMA Energy's management of Puerto Rico's transmission and distribution grid and preventing a looming drop in federal Medicaid support."

"At Monday's press conference, Reynoso described Puerto Rico policy as both a federal obligation and a local issue for a district shaped by generations of Puerto Rican organizing. "We shouldn't have to be Puerto Rican to help Puerto Rico," said Reynoso, who is Dominican American. "The time for leaders outside of Puerto Rico, outside of being Puerto Rican, to stand up and fight for what is our moral and constitutional obligation is now.""

"Reynoso also tied the platform to his own family's history in South Williamsburg. He said his parents arrived in the neighborhood in the 1970s and benefited from English-language classes, workforce programs and youth programs built by Puerto Rican community leaders. "My parents benefited from the hardships and the struggle of the Puerto Rican people," he said. "They laid the foundation for me to be able to stand here.""

Reynoso seeks the Democratic nomination in New York’s 7th Congressional District, a heavily Democratic Brooklyn-and-Queens seat with deep Puerto Rican political roots. He faces Queens Assembly Member Claire Valdez, backed by the Democratic Socialists of America and Mayor Zohran Mamdani, and Queens Council Member Julie Won. The winner is expected to succeed Nydia Velázquez, the first Puerto Rican woman elected to Congress and a major progressive lawmaker. Reynoso’s platform includes reintroducing the Puerto Rico Self-Determination Act, setting a timeline to dissolve La Junta, permanently exempting Puerto Rico from the Jones Act, closing tax incentives under Act 22 consolidated into Act 60, scrutinizing LUMA Energy’s grid management, and preventing a drop in federal Medicaid support. He frames Puerto Rico policy as both a federal obligation and a local issue shaped by generations of Puerto Rican organizing.

Read at Brooklyn Paper