In This Time of Crisis and Gridlock, Bipartisanship is the Only Way Forward October 21, 2023 Dear Friends,In recent months, House Republicans have been playing a brazen game of political brinksmanship with the livelihoods of millions of Americans. In May, they threatened to tank the global economy by forcing our nation to default on its debts unless President Biden agreed to their demands for devastating spending cuts that would have slashed assistance for the hungry and weakened critical environmental protections. And last month, they led our nation on a crash course towards a government shutdown by insisting on new limits on abortion care and even further draconian budget cuts. Democrats provided the votes necessary to avoid each of these catastrophic outcomes, including three weeks ago when we passed legislation to keep our government up and running until November 17th, 2023. But instead of using this 45-day window to work on advancing a federal budget that meets the needs of the American people and supports our allies, Republicans are wasting the nation’s time bickering amongst themselves. The House cannot advance a budget or any other critical legislation until it elects a Speaker. For weeks, Democrats have been urging Republicans to come to the table to advance a consensus candidate who will govern responsibly and get the work of the people done. Jim Jordan, the GOP’s latest and newly ousted “speaker-designate,” was anything but a serious legislator. During his 16 years in Congress, he has failed to pass even a single piece of legislation into law, instead conspiring to force government shutdowns and pursuing efforts to criminalize abortion and slash Medicare and Social Security. A key promoter of the “Big Lie,” he worked closely with former President Trump to peddle baseless claims of election fraud and sought to overturn the 2020 presidential election. Following Republicans’ latest failed attempt to nominate a Speaker, we are now less than four weeks from the new deadline to pass a full-year federal budget and keep the doors of our government open, yet we are no closer to a long-term resolution. Even as the House remains paralyzed by GOP infighting, Democrats are showing leadership during this time of crisis. This week, President Biden traveled to Israel to demonstrate our nation’s steadfast support after Hamas’s appalling terrorist attacks that claimed the lives of more than 1,300 innocent people, including at least 31 Americans. The President met with Israeli leaders to determine what they need to defend themselves from terrorism, and also emphasized the urgent need to address the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza by allowing food, water, and medicine to reach the innocent civilians caught in the crossfire. President Biden has now requested new funding that would strengthen our allies in Israel, Ukraine, and Taiwan while providing humanitarian assistance for the civilians of Gaza, and the Democratic-led Senate is ready to act now. But we cannot advance this vital aid package through the House or keep our government open without reasonable governing partners who are willing to reach across the aisle. Democrats have tried to offer our Republican colleagues a path away from the gridlock and dysfunction currently consuming the House. During the past few weeks of chaos surrounding the election of a new Speaker, we’ve repeatedly raised the idea of forming a bipartisan governing coalition with pragmatic members of the Republican conference. But Republicans have stubbornly rejected our efforts at every turn, seemingly content to allow a small band of extremists to control the agenda of the People’s House. My Democratic colleagues and I are committed to a bipartisan path forward: one that promotes consensus and facilitates up-or-down votes on legislation that has strong support from both sides of the aisle. In this time of crisis, I will continue to urge my Republican colleagues to join us in this common-sense effort so we can support our allies and get back to work on behalf of the American people. As always, thank you for reading. Your friend, DID YOU KNOW?My office and I are working to make sure you remain informed with the latest updates and recommendations from state and federal agencies. With that in mind, here is some information that may be of interest to you:Last month, the New York State Office for New Americans (NYSONA) held a webinar in partnership with the New York State Division of Consumer Protection to deliver information about how to recognize and avoid immigration-related scams.The webinar includes information to help viewers recognize the warning signs of a fraud, tips for avoiding common scams, and connections to resources to stay informed.You can view a recording of the webinar HERE, or view the PowerPoint slides from the presentation HERE.To request more outreach presentations from the Division of Consumer Protection, you can email [email protected] more information on the Division of Consumer Protection, click HERE.