New York, NY – Assemblymember Eddie Gibbs delivered remarks at a virtual press conference with Mayor Eric Adams, City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, U.S. Congressmember Adriano Espaillat, Councilmember Marjorie Velazquez, and other leaders on April 16, 2022. Below is the transcript of New York City Department of Consumer and Worker Protection Commissioner Vilda Vera Mayuga’s introduction and Assemblymember Gibbs’ remarks:

Commissioner Vilda Vera Mayuga: I know last time we were in-person talking about this, Assemblymember Gibbs, you were there with us. We were all advocating for this to make it happen, and now we get to celebrate! Thank you so much for being back with us to this victory.

Assemblymember Gibbs: I certainly was, and I certainly was excited that day as I am today. I want to acknowledge Councilmember (Marjorie) Velazquez. I want to acknowledge my Congressmember, the great Adriano Espaillat, and our Speaker Adams. I want to thank you, Mr. Mayor, for having me today to discuss this major victory for New York families.

The pandemic was really hard on families in my district, East Harlem, and in every corner of our city. I went door-to-door in my district at the height of the pandemic and saw firsthand the economic hardships that my neighbors endured, and how difficult it was to pay for basic expenses.

As New York comes back stronger, healthier, and more equitable than ever, we cannot leave behind our hard-working families. That’s why my colleagues in Albany and I passed a budget that invests directly in everyday New Yorkers, putting money right back into their pockets, and one of the ways it does that is through the enhanced earned income tax credit.

This particular enhancement will benefit 800,000 New York City families. I want you to listen to that number again: 800,000 hard-working families.

That is 800,000 families that will have an easier time paying rent. That is 800,000 families that will have an easier time putting food on the table. That’s 800,000 families that will have an easier time paying for their utilities.

I am very appreciative to have a partner in Mayor Adams who shares the goal of investing in working families with an expanded social safety net, because we all know that when we invest in families, especially the ones who have been forgotten and left behind for too long, we are investing in our city’s future.

Again, I want to thank you, Mayor Adams, I want to thank you, Speaker Adams –– that Adams-Adams connection –– for coming to Albany and advocating for the everyday New Yorker. We received you guys, we understood the mission, and we accepted, and we passed the budget. So, thank you guys for your advocacy.