My friend,

Here's a quick update on what I've been working on during a busy few weeks in Washington, DC, Staten Island and Southern Brooklyn...

New York City's sewer and water infrastructure is one of the most complex systems in the world, yet its extremely antiquated. We should be able to take full advantage of federal funding to keep them upgraded and resilient, however, the state has placed arbitrary funding caps that are putting our already flood-prone communities at a greater risk of catastrophic damage. I joined State Senator Jessica Scarcella-Spanton as she announced the introduction of new legislation to address this issue and bring more infrastructure funding to New York City.

Earlier this month we saw the Floyd Bennett Field migrant shelter evacuated due to inclement weather. Taxpayer resources were used to move thousands of migrants into a local high school, forcing students - who already lost years of in-person learning during the pandemic - to revert to virtual learning. I joined a bipartisan group in calling on Senator Chuck Schumer to pass my bipartisan legislation that would cancel this shelter and prevent the city from opening more on our federal park land. This crisis is unsustainable, unsafe, and not good for anyone involved, including the migrants themselves.

I joined local police, fire, and EMS unions to highlight new funding that was included in the NDAA for the World Trade Center Health Program which covers health care costs for our 9/11 first responders and survivors. We're approaching the 23rd anniversary of the September 11 attacks and thousands of our heroes are battling or have passed from illnesses related to that horrific day. We must do everything we can to ensure they continue to have have access to the highest quality care.

Our office was alerted of plans by the Mayor's office to open a migrant shelter in the basement of Canterbury House senior residences. We immediately sent a letter to the church who oversees the residence explaining how this proposal would violate several legal agreements with New York State along with zoning and fire codes, on top of diminishing quality of life for our seniors. Thanks to our letter, the Pastor announced the church would not move forward with the shelter, which is a win for the senior residents and community who never asked for a shelter to be placed there.

With Summer fast approaching, now is the time to apply for passports and renewals. Check your passport's expiration date and apply at least 10 weeks before planned travel.

If you need an expedited passport, make an appointment with the New York Passport Agency or contact our office for assistance - we've helped 855 constituents renew their passports since taking office!

Following the horrific assault of two NYPD officers by a group of migrants, I joined House Republican leadership and law enforcement officials in a roundtable discussion about the devastating impact of Biden's border crisis and solutions to fix it. The first thing Mayor Adams should due to fix this crisis is stop misinterpreting New York's 'Right to Shelter' law which was only meant for homeless New Yorkers, not citizens of other countries.

The next thing the Mayor needs to do is and allow the NYPD to work with federal immigration authorities to deport illegal migrants who are committing crimes in our city. Dozens of migrants have been arrested for murder, stabbings, robbery, assault, and prostitution. I took to the House Floor to highlight these crime and explain the city and state should not be forcing city taxpayers to provide these migrants with free housing, education, health care and legal services.

The House took overwhelmingly bipartisan action and passed the Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act that:

• Expands the Child Tax Credit that benefits millions of working families, including 100,000 families in our district.
• Extends President Trump's tax cuts that foster innovation, increase investment and help businesses purchase equipment.
• Improves the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit to build more affordable housing.
• Eliminates the Taiwan double tax to bolster semiconductor manufacturing in the U.S., strengthening our supply chain and reducing our dependence on communist China.

As a member of the Ways and Means Committee, I look forward to bringing more tax relief to Staten Island and Brooklyn by working to increase the Standard Deduction, provide SALT relief & exempt more Social Security income from taxation!

I was excited to welcome representatives from Brooklyn’s Fort Hamilton High School’s student government to the Capitol while they were in Washington for a leadership conference. If you're planning a trip to D.C. and would like to schedule a personal tour from our office, click the button below.

Washington DC Office

351 Cannon House Office Building

Washington, DC 20515

(202) 225-3371

Staten Island Office

1698 Victory Blvd

Suite 2L

Staten Island, NY 10314

(718) 568-2870