|
|
|
Hi friend, Thank you so much for being part of this team; the grassroots momentum from across our community is continuing to build and grow. I’m excited to send the second “Patriot Weekly,” my newsletter to keep you updated on what I’m working on and how we can all work together to serve and protect our community and our Constitution. Last week, I held a series of additional community meetings and events with constituents and heard story after story of heartbreaking (and infuriating!) harms being done to people and families across our district. I am DEEPLY concerned about our country’s future, but I am also very proud of how our community is coming together to chart a better path. This week’s email is focused on how Elon Musk and President Trump are cutting off crucial services for Americans who put our country above themselves. These heroes are the best among us, and we need to make sure they receive the benefits they deserve. What's going on Hudson Valley Earlier this month, the Trump Administration shut down the acute inpatient care unit at our local Veterans Hospital (Castle Point) without any warning. This is where the most vulnerable veterans get their care – the 20 beds at this location were for things like medical detoxification and substance use care. What I’m doing: Last week, I wrote to the head of all New York VA Medical Centers, telling her point blank: “Our veterans are heroes, and they have fulfilled their oath. I will not and cannot tolerate the VA not fulfilling theirs.” I followed up with a speak out event/rally earlier this week, elevating the voices of local veterans who received care at Castle Point. The interviews with Vets included here are heartbreaking, but we can’t look away. We need to keep up the pressure. Thank you to the many community members and activists who attended in support. What you can do: As one of my good friends and fellow veterans said at the Speak Out, “We need everyday citizens as well. This isn’t just a veterans issue, it is a Hudson Valley issue.” We need as many people as possible sharing posts like this one on X and BlueSky. But social media isn’t the only channel we need to utilize. If you can, write letters to local news outlets like Mid Hudson News, the Poughkeepsie Journal, and the Daily Freeman.
New York This week, The Trump White House cut staffing at the World Trade Center Health Program (WTCHP) – which provides no-cost medical monitoring and treatment for certified WTC-related health conditions to those directly affected by the 9/11 attacks – by 20%. Shockingly, this included firing Anthony Gardner, whose older brother, Harvey, was killed on 9/11. What I’m doing: I took the fight to Elon Musk directly on X, as you can see here. My team and I then worked to continue elevating the story, ensuring it was covered on NYC broadcast channels like Pix11, and working with Jake Tapper’s team to have Anthony appear for an interview on The Lead, which you can watch here. What you can do: We need to get the word out on this, and that means getting as many personal stories as possible from those impacted. I’m working with my team on getting more stories from constituents personally impacted, but this goes far beyond the Hudson Valley. For those who don’t remember, the WTCHP is the exact program we were supposed to fund in last year’s government funding bill, until Elon started tweeting and it got removed It is crucial we continue to get this story told not just all over New York, but nationally, especially as we push to get this included in any future government spending bill. If you know of anyone affected, you can have them email us at [email protected]
It feels hard to believe this all happened in just the last 7 days. But, on top of it all, Trump fired 1,000 VA employees indiscriminately. This puts care for our veterans at risk, and included firing American heroes like Luke Graziani, a disabled Army veteran with 4 kids who served multiple tours overseas! What I’m doing: No equivocation here. I demanded Elon come before Congress to testify on exactly how and why this happened, and rallied fellow veterans, both in Congress and out, to join me in the call. He needs to answer for ALL of this, on the record, in front of the American people. What you can do: I’m working with my friends at VoteVets to gather details on all vets impacted by DOGE, whether because they were fired, someone they know was fired, or they are unable to access VA programs. Here is the form they are using, which I’d encourage you to share.
Going on offense What I’m doing: In Congress, on TV, on social media, and everywhere I can I’m blasting Elon Musk and DOGE for their attacks on veterans, our civil servants, working families, and every American who isn’t a billionaire supporting Trump. What you can do: We’re having another Zoom Town Hall on Wednesday, March 5th at 5:30pm. We would love to see you there! As previously mentioned, we’ll have these calls once per month so if you can’t attend this upcoming call, don’t worry. There will be more opportunities to get together and talk about the current situation. We will also always send an email after each Zoom session with the information that was discussed on the Zoom. So if you’ve signed up for our email updates, you will receive that as well.
In Solidarity, |
|
|
