PERSON: Jerrold Nadler

Congressman

Congressman Jerrold “Jerry” Nadler represents the Eighth Congressional District of New York, which includes much of the West Side of Manhattan, the Financial District and a number of diverse neighborhoods in southwestern Brooklyn. He began his political career in 1976 in the New York State Assembly, where he served for 16 years. In 1992, following the death of Congressman Ted Weiss, Nadler was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in a special election and has served in Congress ever since. He was re-elected to his tenth full term in 2010, receiving over 75 percent of the vote.

In 2007, Rep. Nadler was given the honor of serving as the Chair of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties. In 2011, when Republicans took control of the House, he assumed the position of Ranking Democrat on that Subcommittee. He is also the highest ranking Northeastern member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, an Assistant Democrat Whip, and the New York State Congressional Delegation’s representative on the Democratic Steering and Policy Committee, affording him the opportunity to work on a daily basis to craft and shape the policy and major laws that govern our country.

Throughout his career, Rep. Nadler has been a champion of civil liberties, civil rights (including women’s and LGBT rights), safe and efficient transportation, and a host of progressive issues such as access to health care, support for the arts and protection of the Social Security system. He is considered an unapologetic defender of those who might otherwise be forgotten by the legal system or the economy and is especially respected for his creative and pragmatic legislative approaches to problems. He also has particular expertise and policymaking prominence on issues facing Israel and the Middle East.

Rep. Nadler is a major advocate for increased funding of New York’s mass transit system, better subway service and a more intelligent regional goods movement policy. For many years, he stood virtually alone in decrying downstate New York’s isolation from the national rail freight system and its almost total reliance on truck-borne freight, a view now held by governmental leaders and advocates across the spectrum. He has long advocated the Cross Harbor Rail Freight Tunnel to address that problem.

Rep. Nadler’s district also includes Ground Zero, the site where the Twin Towers once stood. After the 9/11 attacks, he was instrumental in securing $20 billion in federal funds to rebuild Lower Manhattan. He has been a House leader working tirelessly to address the health and environmental impacts of the collapse of the World Trade Center on first responders and area residents, workers and students. He has led the battle to win health care and compensation for 9/11 victims and continues to demand that the Environmental Protection Agency conduct proper testing and clean up of the affected areas.

Locally, the Congressman’s office has received numerous awards for its excellent constituent service work, particularly in the area of immigration. And his robust community relations program has long played a key role in preserving affordable housing, stopping senseless overdevelopment, reducing crime and enhancing our children’s educational opportunities. Additionally, the Congressman has brought billions of dollars to the district for its infrastructure, social welfare and cultural needs.

Rep. Nadler is a graduate of Crown Heights Yeshiva, Stuyvesant High School, Columbia University and Fordham Law School. He lives on the West Side of Manhattan with his wife, Joyce Miller. They have one son, Michael.

— house.gov