Ritchie Torres
American politician
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| 2025 | Torres reintroduced The B.O.D.E.G.A. Act in the House of Representatives, proposing legislation to combat crime in businesses like delis and bodegas by requiring panic buttons and potentially funding security technologies. |
| 2025 | Ritchie Torres voted in support of the Laken Riley Act, joining 45 other House Democrats and all Republicans in this legislative action. |
| January 2025 | Voted for the Laken Riley Act, which requires detaining undocumented immigrants charged with theft. |
| 2024 | Ritchie Torres ran for reelection in the 2024 elections and successfully defeated Conservative Party candidate Gonzalo Duran. |
| November 7 2024 | During a CNN interview with Jim Acosta, Torres criticized the 'Defund the Police' movement, stating there was never a mass constituency for it and that most Democrats did not endorse the movement. |
| April 2024 | In April 2024, Torres voted in favor of three military aid package supplementals for Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan. |
| March 2024 | Initially voted against the Laken Riley Act, which requires U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to detain undocumented immigrants charged with theft. |
| February 2024 | Left the Congressional Progressive Caucus due to disagreements over the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. |
| February 2024 | Removed from the Congressional Progressive Caucus due to disagreements over the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. |
| 2023 | Torres was one of 56 Democrats to vote in favor of H.Con.Res. 21, which directed President Joe Biden to remove U.S. troops from Syria within 180 days. |
| 2023 | Torres was among the 46 Democrats who voted against the final passage of the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 in the House, citing concerns over new SNAP requirements and funding reallocations. |
| November 2023 | Torres rejected calls for a ceasefire in the Israel–Hamas war, condemning claims that Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza as a 'blood libel'. |
| November 7 2023 | On November 7, 2023, Torres was one of 22 House Democrats who voted to censure Rashida Tlaib for promoting false narratives regarding the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack. |
| July 2023 | In July 2023, Torres was among 49 Democrats who broke with President Joe Biden by voting for a ban on cluster munitions to Ukraine. |
| February 2022 | Declared the 'defund police' movement as 'dead in New York City' and distanced himself from his previous stance. |
| 2021 | Became a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus |
| 2021 | Became Co-chair of the Congressional Equality Caucus |
| August 6 2021 | Torres introduced H.R. 4980, a bill to require full COVID-19 vaccination for U.S. flight travelers. |
| August 6 2021 | Introduced H.R. 4980, a bill to require full COVID-19 vaccination for individuals traveling on U.S. flights. |
| August 6 2021 | Introduced H.R. 4980, a bill to require full COVID-19 vaccination for air travelers. |
| August 6 2021 | Torres introduced H.R. 4980, a bill to require full COVID-19 vaccination for individuals traveling on flights within the United States and its territories. |
| August 6 2021 | Torres introduced H.R. 4980, a bill aimed at ensuring that any individual traveling on a flight to or from U.S. airports is fully vaccinated against COVID-19. |
| January 3 2021 | Ritchie Torres assumed office as a U.S. representative, becoming one of the first openly gay black men elected to Congress and the first openly gay Afro-Latino elected to Congress. |
| 2020 | Supported 'defunding the police' during the Black Lives Matter movement following George Floyd's murder, advocating for redistributing resources from policing to social services and community-based alternatives. |
| 2020 | After winning election in 2020, Ritchie Torres announced that he would not join the Squad due to their support for the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, which he opposes. |
| 2020 | Ritchie Torres was endorsed by the League of Conservation Voters for his support of environmental initiatives, including a Green New Deal. |
| November 2020 | Won the general election for U.S. Congress, becoming one of the first openly gay Black men elected to Congress and the first openly gay Afro-Latino elected to Congress. |
| November 2020 | Ritchie Torres won the general election for the U.S. House of Representatives. |
| August 4 2020 | Local election officials officially declared Torres the winner of the Democratic primary. |
| August 4 2020 | Local election officials declared Torres the winner of the primary, ensuring his likely election to Congress. |
| August 4 2020 | Local election officials declared Ritchie Torres the winner of the Democratic primary for the U.S. House of Representatives, solidifying his position as the likely next congressman from the 15th congressional district. |
| July 22 2020 | Ritchie Torres declared victory in the Democratic primary for the U.S. House of Representatives, although an official winner had not yet been declared. |
| June 23 2020 | Democratic primary held for the congressional race. |
| June 23 2020 | Democratic primary for U.S. House of Representatives was held. |
| August 2019 | In August 2019, Ritchie Torres announced that the city council was awarding $36.2 million for gun violence prevention and reduction, highlighting a rise in shooting incidents in New York City from 413 in the first half of 2018 to 551 in the same period of 2019. |
| August 2019 | In August 2019, Ritchie Torres announced Right To Counsel 2.0 along with fellow council member Vanessa Gibson, expanding legal aid to NYCHA tenants facing eviction. This initiative aimed to keep families together and prevent displacement, building on the success of the original law passed in 2017. |
| July 2019 | In July 2019, Ritchie Torres proposed legislation aimed at addressing the growing trend of cashless business practices in New York. His proposal sought to preserve access for individuals who rely on cash, ensuring that businesses could not refuse cash payments and could face fines for noncompliance. |
| July 2019 | The New York City council, under the influence of Ritchie Torres, considered how to address the taxicab industry, specifically the concerns raised by the National Taxi Workers' Alliance regarding the sale of medallions at inflated prices and the resulting debt burdens on drivers. |
| July 2019 | In July 2019, Ritchie Torres, as chair of the oversight and investigation committee, along with Robert Cornegy, released a report from a joint committee that conducted a forensic investigation into New York City's Third-Party Transfer program. |
| July 2019 | In July, Ritchie Torres announced his bid for the U.S. House of Representatives to succeed Representative José E. Serrano. |
| June 23 2019 | The Democratic primary for the U.S. House of Representatives was held, in which Ritchie Torres competed against Rubén Díaz Sr. |
| April 2019 | In April 2019, Ritchie Torres worked on legislation aimed at compelling companies employing gig workers to be transparent about the diversion of tips to cover base salaries, addressing the exploitation of independent contractors in the gig economy. |
| February 2019 | After Díaz said the City Council was 'controlled by homosexuals', the council dissolved the subcommittee he chaired. |
| 2018 | In 2018, Ritchie Torres highlighted the issue of evictions in New York City, stating that 838 families lost their homes during that year due to the actions of the NYCHA, which he described as one of the worst evictors in the city. |
| January 2018 | Ritchie Torres became chair of the oversight and investigations committee, a position that empowered him to address issues within the city council, including the taxi medallion predatory loans. |
| 2017 | The original Right To Counsel law was passed in 2017, providing legal assistance throughout the entire eviction process for tenants, which later influenced the expansion announced by Torres in 2019. |
| 2016 | Ritchie Torres served as a delegate for the Bernie Sanders campaign. |
| 2015 | Ritchie Torres described his first visit to Israel, led by the Jewish Community Relations Council, as a 'life-changing experience'. |
| 2015 | The Trump Golf Links opened in Ferry Point Park, which upset Torres and motivated him to fight for the well-being of economically disadvantaged New Yorkers. |
| 2013 | Ritchie Torres was elected as a member of the New York City Council for the 15th district, becoming the first openly gay candidate to be elected to legislative office in the Bronx and the council's youngest member. |
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