Nydia Velázquez
U.S. Representative from NY, District 7
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Biography
Nydia Velázquez is the first Puerto Rican woman elected to Congress, serving as ranking member of the House Small Business Committee with deep community roots.
Nydia Margarita Velázquez represents New York's 7th Congressional District covering portions of Brooklyn, Queens, and lower Manhattan including Williamsburg, Sunset Park, and the Lower East Side. Born in Puerto Rico, Velázquez earned degrees from the University of Puerto Rico and New York University, serving as the first Latina in the New York City Council before her 1992 election to Congress. She made history as the first Puerto Rican woman elected to Congress. In the 119th Congress, Velázquez serves as ranking member of the House Small Business Committee, having chaired it twice, and sits on the Financial Services Committee's Financial Institutions Subcommittee. She is a leading voice on small business advocacy, economic development for underrepresented entrepreneurs, housing policy, Puerto Rico's status and economic development, and immigration reform. She announced in November 2025 that she would not seek re-election, concluding a historic 34-year career in Congress.