October 29, 2022
Dear Friends,
As I travel throughout the Capital Region, I am continually reminded of the resilience of our region’s residents. Even amid the unprecedented challenges of our time, including those arising from the COVID-19 pandemic, I have been inspired by the number of individuals, families, and community organizations determined to support their neighbors in need. And with my work last year to pass the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), I’m proud to have helped secure the federal investments that are allowing these essential efforts to continue.
Just this week, I was honored to visit three Capital Region organizations that are already utilizing this funding to continue working on behalf of our region’s most vulnerable residents.
On Tuesday, I visited the Wilton Food Pantry to see their operation at work and to hear more about how $50,000 from Saratoga County’s ARPA allocation has allowed them to keep their doors open and continue to serve food insecure families and seniors across Northern Saratoga County.
Later that day, I joined local leaders at the Mechanicville Area Community Services Center (MACSC) for a tour and a meeting with their passionate staff. With $60,000 in federal ARPA funds from Saratoga County and from the City of Mechanicville, MACSC will be able to conduct critical building upgrades that will bolster its efforts to meet the needs of the greater Mechanicville area for years to come.
And on Wednesday, I was thrilled to visit the site of Hometown Health Centers’ new dental clinic in Schenectady, which is being built with the help of $4 million in federal ARPA funding from Schenectady County and $750,000 in Community Project Funding I secured earlier this year. This new facility, expected to open next spring, will allow Hometown to greatly expand its critical dental services, supporting a chronically underserved population in the Schenectady area.
These are significant federal investments that are already bringing food security, improved healthcare, and other critical services to those in our Capital Region who need it most.
But I know that for too many in our region and beyond, times are still hard. Many are still struggling to put food on the table, and some small businesses and non-profit organizations continue battling to stay afloat. That’s why I’m working alongside my House Democratic colleagues to keep a laser focus on reducing inflation and cutting costs for working families.
With the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act, we are well on our way toward that goal. IRA cracks down on inflation by ensuring the biggest corporations are passing their record profits on to consumers in the form of lower prices. This legislation establishes a penalty on corporations who use profits to simply repurchase their own stock, compelling these companies to lower costs for their consumers instead. And all of this impact will be achieved without raising a dime in new taxes for small businesses or families making less than $400,000 per year.
Along with addressing rising costs, I’m working hard to combat the disease of addiction that continues to tear at the fabric of our communities. In addition to supporting the Biden Administration’s actions to bolster recovery services in rural communities and to deploy financial sanctions to disrupt the networks that bring fentanyl across our borders, I’m also advancing new legislation that will tackle this crisis directly—from my bipartisan Mainstreaming Addiction Treatment (MAT) Act that eliminates the outdated requirement barring providers from prescribing the life-saving treatment buprenorphine, to my Substance Use Prevention, Treatment, and Recovery Services Block Grant Act, which provides for sustained investment in proven programs that support families and communities struggling with addiction. With more than 107,000 Americans dying from an overdose just last year, it is essential that we continue our work to end this scourge and get these critical bills signed into law. I’ll be working around the clock in Washington to do just that.
This only scratches the surface of the work that remains ahead of us. In addition to addressing inflation and ending addiction, House Democrats are also working to accelerate our clean energy transition and to protect our fundamental rights, from the right to an abortion and the right to marry the person you love, to the all-important right to vote.
I am all too aware that these are enormous undertakings, but I am confident that through continued advocacy and hard work here at home and in the halls of Congress, we can achieve these goals and build a stronger Capital Region and a better America.
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 federal agencies. With that in mind, here is some information that may be of interest to you:
To help you and your loved ones stay safe this Halloween, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has put together some tips for your family:
Wear costumes that say “flame resistant” on the label. If you make your own costume, use flame-resistant fabrics like polyester or nylon.
Wear bright, reflective costumes or add strips of reflective tape so you’ll be visible to passing cars.
Wear makeup or hats rather than costume masks that may obscure your vision.
Test any makeup you plan to use at least 24-48 hours in advance. Put a small amount on the arm of the person who will be wearing it. If a rash, redness, or swelling develops, this could be a sign of a possible allergy.
Don’t wear colored contact lenses unless you have seen an eye care professional for a proper fitting and been given instructions for how to use the lenses.
For more tips from the FDA, click HERE.
I wish you and your families a safe, special, and most importantly a spooky Halloween!
