Ritchie Torres facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ritchie Torres
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Torres in 2020
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| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York's 15th district |
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| Assumed office January 3, 2021 |
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| Preceded by | José E. Serrano |
| Member of the New York City Council from the 15th district |
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| In office January 1, 2014 – December 31, 2020 |
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| Preceded by | Joel Rivera |
| Succeeded by | Oswald Feliz |
| Personal details | |
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Ritchie John Torres
March 12, 1988 The Bronx, New York, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Education | New York University (did not graduate) |
Ritchie John Torres (born March 12, 1988) is an American politician from New York. He is a member of the Democratic Party. Torres serves as the U.S. representative for New York's 15th district. This area covers most of the South Bronx. It is known as one of the poorest areas in the United States. It is also one of the smallest districts by size.
Before joining Congress, Torres was a member of the New York City Council. He represented the 15th district from 2013 to 2020. He was the first openly gay person elected to a legislative office in the Bronx. He was also the youngest member of the city council. Torres led the Committee on Public Housing. He also worked to investigate unfair lending practices. In 2016, Torres supported the Bernie Sanders presidential campaign.
In 2019, Torres announced he would run for the U.S. House of Representatives. He won the election in November 2020. He started his term on January 3, 2021. This made him and Mondaire Jones the first openly gay Black men elected to Congress. Torres also became the first openly gay Afro-Latino elected to Congress. He was a co-chair of the Congressional LGBTQ+ Equality Caucus.
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Early Life and Education
Ritchie Torres was born on March 12, 1988, in the Bronx, New York. He is Afro-Latino. His father is from Puerto Rico, and his mother is African-American.
Torres grew up in public housing in the Throggs Neck neighborhood. He often went to the hospital for asthma because of mold in his apartment. He has shared that he was raised by a single mother. She had to support three children on a low wage. He lived in difficult conditions. He was upset when a golf course was built nearby instead of housing for struggling families.
In junior high, Torres realized he was gay. He later shared this publicly during a school event about marriage equality. He attended Herbert H. Lehman High School. He also interned for the mayor and attorney general's offices.
Torres started at New York University. However, he left during his second year. He was dealing with severe depression. After recovering, he worked for city council member James Vacca. He became Vacca's housing director. In this role, he checked housing conditions. He made sure housing problems were fixed quickly.
New York City Council Member
At 25 years old, Torres ran for the New York City Council. He wanted to represent the 15th district. This district includes many neighborhoods in the Bronx.
When he won the Democratic nomination, Torres became one of the first openly gay political candidates in the Bronx to do so. After winning the general election, he became the first openly gay public official in the Bronx. He also served as a deputy leader of the city council.
Improving Public Housing
After being elected, Torres asked to lead the council's public housing committee. This committee oversees the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA). NYCHA is the largest public housing system in the U.S. It provides homes for over 400,000 low-income residents. Torres made improving living conditions for these residents a top goal.
He helped get $3 million for Concourse Village, Inc. This is a large housing cooperative in the South Bronx. He also secured nearly $1 million to fix Dennis Lane Apartments. Torres played a key role in showing how the city failed to deal with lead-paint contamination.
In 2019, Torres announced Right To Counsel 2.0. This plan expanded legal help for NYCHA tenants facing eviction. The council found that 84% of tenants could stay in their homes with legal help. Torres noted that NYCHA was one of the biggest evictors in the city.
Protecting Gig Workers' Tips
In 2019, Torres worked on a new law. It aimed to make companies that hire gig workers more honest about tips. Companies like DoorDash and Instacart were using customer tips to pay workers' base salaries. Torres said this practice took advantage of workers. His bill would make companies clearly state if tips were used for wages.
Addressing Taxi Medallion Issues
As head of the oversight and investigations committee, Torres looked into the taxi medallion market. Taxi medallions are special permits needed to operate a yellow cab in New York City. Their prices dropped sharply around 2014. This was likely due to competition from ride-share companies like Uber. Many medallion owners faced serious financial problems.
Torres said the fall of the medallion market was a "cautionary tale." He called it one of the biggest government issues in New York City's history. The city council discussed how to help the taxi industry. Many drivers were burdened with huge debts.
Supporting Cash Payments
In 2019, Torres suggested a law about businesses that only accept cards. He wanted to make sure stores and restaurants still accept cash. This is important for people who rely on cash for their purchases. Many people, especially those without bank accounts, depend on cash.
His proposal would fine businesses that refuse cash. It would also stop them from charging more for using cash.
LGBT Advocacy
Torres helped open the first homeless shelter for LGBT youth in the Bronx. He also secured money for senior centers to serve LGBT people. These centers are in all five NYC boroughs.
U.S. House of Representatives
Elections
2020 Election
Torres announced his plan to run for the U.S. House of Representatives in 2019. He shared that he had dealt with depression. He wanted to focus on public housing and poverty issues at a national level. New York's 15th congressional district is the poorest in the nation. Torres believes that to fight poverty, one must be a national policymaker.
His main opponent in the Democratic primary was Rubén Díaz Sr.. Díaz is a conservative Democrat who opposed same-sex marriage. Media outlets highlighted the differences between Torres and Díaz. Torres is openly gay, while Díaz had a history of anti-LGBTQ comments. Torres won the primary election.
Since the 15th district is strongly Democratic, Torres was expected to win the general election. He won in November 2020. This made him one of the first openly gay Black congressmen in U.S. history.
2024 Election
For the 2024 elections, Torres ran for reelection. He won against Gonzalo Duran, who was supported by the Republican Party.
Time in Office
Torres took office on January 3, 2021. He became the first openly gay Afro-Latin American member of Congress.
In August 2021, Torres introduced a bill. It would require people traveling on flights within the U.S. to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
Torres voted with President Joe Biden's positions most of the time in Congress. However, he voted against a budget bill in 2023. He was concerned about new work requirements for food assistance (SNAP). He also disagreed with changes to funding for the Internal Revenue Service.
Political Views
Torres says he is a loyal Democrat. He generally agrees with the main ideas of the Democratic Party.
Environment
Torres supports a Green New Deal. This plan aims to address climate change and create jobs. He believes public housing should be a model for energy-efficient buildings. He also wants to cover the Cross Bronx Expressway with green space. He calls the highway "environmental racism."
Foreign Policy
Torres calls himself a "pro-Israel progressive." After winning in 2020, he decided not to join a group of left-wing Democrats called the Squad. This was because of their support for the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement. Torres believes the BDS movement questions Israel's right to exist. He supports a two-state solution for Israel and Palestine.
In 2023, Torres voted to remove U.S. troops from Syria. In July 2023, he voted against sending cluster munitions to Ukraine.
In November 2023, Torres did not support calls for a ceasefire in the Israel–Hamas war. He strongly disagreed with claims that Israel was committing genocide against Palestinians. In February 2024, he was removed from the Congressional Progressive Caucus. This was due to disagreements over the Israeli–Palestinian conflict.
Torres voted for military aid packages for Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan in April 2024. He stated that the U.S. has a duty to help countries fight for their freedom.
Cryptocurrency
Torres is seen as a supporter of the cryptocurrency industry. He is part of the Congressional Blockchain Caucus. He has criticized how the SEC regulates cryptocurrencies.
Memberships
Committee Assignments
- Committee on Financial Services
- Committee on Homeland Security
- Select Committee on Strategic Competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party
Caucuses
- Congressional Equality Caucus (Co-chair)
- Congressional Black Caucus
- Congressional Hispanic Caucus
- Congressional Blockchain Caucus
Images for kids
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Torres outside his office
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Torres speaking at the Israeli embassy in 2024
