Hi friend,

Hope you and your family are staying well! It has certainly been an eventful month, and I hope you’re taking care and staying positive in the midst of all the chaos. In this week’s Patriot Weekly, I wanted to highlight Pride month and my work with local leaders to call on Republicans to pass the Equality Act, as well as give an update on reproductive rights here in New York ahead of the Dobbs anniversary next week.

I also wanted to share some of my interactions with Pete Hegseth when I had the chance to question him in a committee hearing last week. Especially in this moment, when there is uncertainty on the world stage, we need strong leadership overseeing our troops. I will keep holding Hegseth accountable and advocating for his resignation.

How to stay involved

Sign up for weekly emails

I need your help expanding our reach and getting more people signed on to our update emails like the Patriot Weekly. The more of us talking and working together, the stronger we are. Please forward this email to your network who may not be receiving them or who want to be more engaged politically at this moment. 

What's going on

Hudson Valley

  What I’m doing: This week, I joined local leaders to rally in support of the Equality Act. I’ve been a proud advocate of the Equality Act to protect everyone in our community from discrimination. From our schools, to our workplaces, to our homes and hospitals, I’ll keep fighting for equal rights and protections for every Hudson Valley resident in every corner of our community. And earlier this month, I joined the first ever Pride parade in Kingston. Growing up here, it was a very special day to me and I was proud to participate. Despite the weather, the celebrations lasted all day with great turnout, and you can check out the full video I recorded by clicking here.     What you can do: If one American’s rights can be taken away, then all of our rights can be taken away. Now is the time to stand up and speak out for EVERY member of our community. You can join me by calling your representative and encouraging them to also support the Equality Act. I would also encourage you to join a Pride event in your community. This is a moment to stand alongside our neighbors and a Pride event is a great way to do that.  

New York

  What I’m doing: While state protections are good, they’re not enough. We must codify the freedoms of Roe into federal law, something I have been a strong proponent of since coming into office. And while Republicans control the House, we must also be LOUD about attacks on these critical rights. They say they want to leave it up to the states, but just this year are trying to pass provisions that would defund Planned Parenthood (which impacts basic healthcare like cancer screenings) and eliminate plans that cover abortion care from the ACA marketplace. This is wrong, and I will continue to advocate to protect these rights at the federal level.
  What you can do: I have been banging the drum on all the ways the GOP reconciliation bill is disastrous for our communities, including the ways it affects reproductive rights. The first step you can take is call your senators and make it clear that this budget bill is a nonstarter. Then, make sure your representatives support codifying Roe into federal law. That is something that will take a Democratic House, so I would encourage you to find folks in competitive races to support as they try to flip seats, or even consider running for office yourself.

Washington

What I’m doing: Last week, I had the opportunity to question Pete Hegseth in a committee, which you can watch here and here. Every generation of veterans knows that an apolitical military is sacred, and I had the chance to question Hegseth on the politicization of our military and whether he thought it was appropriate for the President to be wearing campaign merchandise at military events in front of our troops – which he did not have a problem with. This is just another reason on a long list of why Pete Hegseth is not fit to lead. Especially in this moment, we need serious leaders overseeing our troops who care about the integrity of the institution itself. That’s why I told him to his face he needs to resign, and why I will continue taking every opportunity to hold him accountable.

What you can do: The bottom line is Pete Hegseth is unfit to serve in this role. He has been an embarrassment to his post and to our uniformed service members. I would ask that you share the clips linked above with your own social networks, as well as call your representatives and make it clear that Hegseth has got to go. We need to all come together and put pressure on him to resign immediately.

Going on offense

This month, my friend Mikie Sherrill won her primary election to be the Democratic nominee for Governor of New Jersey, and my friend Abigail Spanberger officially became the Democratic nominee for Governor of Virginia. During my time in Congress, I have worked with both of them very closely and I cannot imagine two better people to step up and do these jobs.

As Trump wreaks havoc on the federal government, having strong Democratic Governors is so important to protecting folks in their own communities. And these two races are the highest profile opportunities for voters to send a clear message about what is happening in Washington this year. They will set the stage for the ultra competitive midterm elections next year.

I have been proud to support both of them (including this video I made for Mikie!), and would encourage you to support both of their campaigns. You can donate to Abigail to flip VA’s Gov seat here, and donate to Mikie to help hold the NJ Gov seat here.

Keep the faith, keep up the fight, and thank you for reading!

In Solidarity,

Pat