Ritchie Torres

Personal account in which I speak for myself rather than for the federal government. Government account: @RepRitchie. Campaign account: @RitchieTorresNY.

[Ritchie Torres @RitchieTorres]

It’s official. We won! It is the honor of a lifetime to be able to serve our community in Washington DC. The counting took longer than expected, but today the @BOENYC certified our victory & I want to say thank you..

[Ritchie Torres @RitchieTorres]

The shift toward digital-only gaming is restricting gamers’ affordability and access to their own games.

Imagine purchasing a video game, only to discover a few years later that you can no longer play it—even though you paid for it.

I am introducing the Power to the Players Act to defend your right to own, transfer, and play the games you purchase.

It’s time to return power where it belongs: to the players.

[Ritchie Torres @RitchieTorres]

A lithium-ion battery fire at Patterson Houses killed four members of the same family. Poorly made lithium-ion batteries are ticking time bombs in our homes. What happened in the South Bronx can happen anywhere in America.

I passed a House bill establishing federal safety standards for these batteries. The Senate must stop delaying and pass it.

[Ritchie Torres @RitchieTorres]

Over the weekend, I traveled to Berlin with a delegation of constituents to commemorate the 88th anniversary of Kristallnacht, the Nazi-organized pogrom that saw the widespread destruction of Jewish businesses and synagogues, foreshadowing the horrors of the Holocaust.

I never imagined returning to America to discover that, during the same week as Kristallnacht’s anniversary, extremists had organized a boycott of Jewish businesses, declaring, “These Zionist establishments must go.”

We are unlearning the lessons of history at great peril not only to our Jewish brothers and sisters but also to ourselves.

[Majority Democrats @MajorityDems]

Congratulations to Rep. Ritchie Torres on his reelection! He knows what’s important to the people of the Bronx because he was born and raised there — and he also knows how to fight to get it for them.

[Team Hochul Adams @TeamHochul]

From universal childcare to holding Trump’s ICE agents accountable, Congressman Ritchie Torres knows Governor @KathyHochul is fighting for New Yorkers.

Make your plan to vote: https://t.co/heBFX2XXrD

[Ritchie Torres @RitchieTorres]

I attended a heartbreaking vigil for Javits Frimpong, a 15-year-old boy murdered in broad daylight. The grief, shock, and trauma we all feel across the Bronx are soul-crushing.

No child should fear being gunned down on the way to school. No child.

No parent should have to bury a child.

[Ritchie Torres @RitchieTorres]

Aleksander Nilaj is a Bronx community leader who operates a food pantry serving 7,000–8,000 families every month.

On October 13, despite nearly two decades of living in and serving the Bronx, Aleksander was abruptly detained by ICE during a routine immigration check-in at 26 Federal Plaza.

Detaining a community leader with no criminal history serves no legitimate public policy purpose. It is an act of cruelty, plain and simple.

[Ritchie Torres @RitchieTorres]

The Bronx is now home to the largest mural in the United States.

Located at Morrisania Air Rights, the mural, entitled Un Mar de Gente (“A Sea of People”), sends a powerful message: No matter who you are, where you come from, what language you speak, or what God you worship, you are welcome here in the Bronx.

Diversity is not only our history. It is our DNA and our destiny.

[Jeff Coltin @JCColtin]

Ritchie Torres is a fundraising machine without a competitive race - so he's helped deliver $10 million to fellow Dems this cycle, his campaign says.
From the Heard Around Town newsletter:

[Ritchie Torres @RitchieTorres]

Since September 3, 2026, my colleagues and I in the Congressional Bronx Delegation have been calling on the Trump Administration to exempt the Bronx from Medicaid paperwork requirements.

I am proud to report that the Bronx has received the waiver, preserving Medicaid coverage for 200,000 Bronx residents.

[Ritchie Torres @RitchieTorres]

FACT: The annual funding Israel receives from the US amounts to less than one-tenth of 1% of the federal budget. Less than 1/10th of 1%.

FACT: That annual funding would cover only a few hours of federal health care spending. A few hours.

Yet politicians who specialize in scapegoating would have you believe that Israel is responsible for America’s affordability crisis.

Like every form of scapegoating before it, it is a dangerous lie.

[Kathy Hochul @KathyHochul]

Loved connecting with local leaders and voters in the Bronx alongside @BPGibson2025. Big thanks to @RitchieTorres for bringing us together.

As Governor, I’ll keep investing in building more housing, improving transportation, and strengthening our health care facilities.

[Rep. Ritchie Torres @RepRitchie]

Earlier this month, Pal-Awda boasted about forcing a Jewish community event out of Queens. Now the group has set its sights on Riverdale, targeting Jewish families in our borough simply for gathering together. Riverdale is home to one of the most vibrant Jewish communities in New York, and its families deserve to come together without fear.

Organizing a campaign to hunt down these gatherings and drive them out of our neighborhoods is an attack on Jewish New Yorkers. Pushing anyone out of public life in our city because of their faith is nothing to celebrate, and the Bronx will not tolerate it.

[Kathy Hochul @KathyHochul]

It was an honor to join Rev. Dr. Richard E. Griffiths and the family at Bronx Bethany Church of the Nazarene this past Sunday. With your leadership, I know our best days are still ahead. Congratulations on 62 years of making a meaningful impact on families in the community.

[Ritchie Torres @RitchieTorres]

I traveled to the ICE Delaney Hall Detention Facility to fight for my constituent, Aleksander Nilaj, to ensure he receives the medical care he needs and to demand his release.

I have known Alek for two decades as a community leader. He runs a food pantry that serves thousands of families in need. He is beloved by the Bronx community because he is one of us.

Tearing apart Alek’s family and the community that needs and loves him is cruelty. Pure and simple.

[Ritchie Torres @RitchieTorres]

Earlier today, my Congressional Office received an envelope containing a suspicious substance. My team immediately notified the FBI, NYPD, and FDNY, all of which responded promptly. The FDNY tested the substance and determined that it was non-hazardous. We have since turned over the envelope to the FBI, and an investigation is ongoing.

We are living in a time when threats against elected officials and their staff have become the new normal. Although my team is understandably shaken by the incident, we will not be deterred from serving the people of NY-15 in the Bronx.

[Ritchie Torres @RitchieTorres]

Donald Trump fired Katie Zacharia, his braindead press secretary, after just five days.

Less than half a Scaramucci.

[CNN Breaking News @cnnbrk]

President Donald Trump has fired Katie Zacharia as press secretary, advisers to the president said, ending her turbulent week-long stint as the White House’s top spokesperson. https://t.co/PEd92ttNEY

[Kotaku @Kotaku]

Democratic Congress member Ritchie Torres is introducing legislation in Congress to regulate digital video game ownership.

"A game that can be taken away the moment a company pulls the plug is not a purchase. It is a rental disguised as a sale."

https://t.co/bcgECOmnR2

[Ritchie Torres @RitchieTorres]

During the 75th annual convention of the Puerto Rico Builders Association, I spoke out about the moral imperative of equal treatment for Puerto Rico.

Federal law flagrantly discriminates against the three million American citizens who call Puerto Rico home, denying them equal access to Medicaid, SNAP, and HUD-assisted affordable housing.

[Ritchie Torres @RitchieTorres]

I had a wonderful time touring the Renaissance Youth Center (RYC) in the South Bronx.

RYC is no ordinary community center. It is a vibrant educational community that punches above its weight, offering an extraordinary range of programs and opportunities for young people.