Weekly Newsletter from the Office of Congressman Andrew Garbarino If you were forwarded this email, click here to subscribe ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ An update from the office of Congressman Andrew Garbarino SPOTLIGHT Happy St. Patrick's Day! Andrew wishes a Happy St. Patrick's Day to our Irish-American friends as they celebrate this weekend across Long Island. We are fortunate to be home to such a vibrant Irish-American community which has contributed so much to NY-02. ANDREW IN THE NEWS Garbarino leads call for VA to openly share veteran suicide data " The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) must address discrepancies between state, local, and federal suicide data for United States military veterans and be more transparent about sharing such data to help combat veteran suicides, said U.S. Rep. Andrew Garbarino (R-NY) and several of his colleagues. In September 2022, America’s Warrior Partnership (AWP) published an interim report on Operative Deep Dive, a project to combine local, state, and federal data to gain a comprehensive view of veteran suicides. 'Strikingly, the report from Operation Deep Dive found that former service members take their life at a 2.4 times greater rate than previously reported by the VA,' wrote Rep. Garbarino and his colleagues in a March 2 letter sent to VA Secretary Denis McDonough. 'These reports make clear that there are discrepancies between state, local, and federal veteran suicide data that must be addressed,'...'While data security and privacy of our veterans is paramount, organizations like AWP regularly work with other federal and state agencies and work through these same concerns to form meaningful partnerships,' the lawmakers wrote. 'We strongly encourage the VA to end the unnecessary wait and commit to working with those organizations like AWP that are committed to the same goal: ending veteran suicide.' " Click Here To Read The Full Article. WHAT'S NEW IN NY-02 Andrew Honors Members Of The West Babylon Fire Department This week, Andrew attended the West Babylon Fire Department Installation Dinner where he provided Congressional certificates of recognition honoring several of our brave West Babylon fire fighters including outgoing commissioner Daniel McCarthy and long time members John Kropp and Joseph Arcuri. Thank you to our first responders for all that you do for our community! Andrew Supports NYPD Youth Volleyball Clinic Andrew was proud to support a youth volleyball clinic in East Islip this week brought through a partnership with Assemblyman Gandolfo, East Islip Schools and the NYPD Sports Unit. Over 100 kids came out and participated in a clinic run by the NYPD men's and women's volleyball teams. United States Postal Service To Hold Jobs Fairs On Long Island The United States Postal Service will be holding several jobs fairs on Long Island in the coming weeks. 03/28 & 03/29 1051 Port Washington Blvd, Port Washington, NY 11050 11am-3 pm 03/30 & 03/31 1905 Route 112, Medford, NY 11763 10am-2pm USPS is the second largest employer in the U.S. and will be offering a variety of job opportunities to Long Islanders. CASEWORK HIGHLIGHT: Expediting Passport Approval A Lindenhurst resident contacted our office because she had not yet received her passport, despite paying for expedited processing ahead of imminent travel. The passport office was unresponsive to her and she didn't know what to do next. Andrew's casework team made contact with the passport office and her application was subsequently approved. She received her passport this week ahead of her trip. Andrew knows how frustrating dealing with bureaucracy can be. That is why he has an entire team dedicated to helping constituents get what they need for the federal government. If you need help dealing with a federal agency, contact our office and our team will get to work on your case. KEEPING UP WITH CONGRESS Andrew Opposes Government Sanctioned Drug Injection Centers New York City Mayor Eric Adams recently announced a plan to "optimize and expand" the number of supervised injection centers across the city at a time when overdose deaths are continuing to climb to record levels. Taxpayer dollars should not be going towards these sanctioned drug use centers that only worsen our opioid crisis. That's why Andrew recently became a cosponsor of The Defund Heroin Injection Centers Act to withhold federal funding from city, state, tribal, or private entities that operate supervised injection centers in violation of the Controlled Substances Act. Andrew Accepts Appropriations Requests For NY-02 Priorities The Appropriations process for Fiscal Year 2024 has started. This week, Andrew accepted submissions for appropriations requests ranging from funding for medical research to defense funding for Long Island manufacturers to stimulate our local economy. The appropriations process is an opportunity for Andrew to deliver federal dollars for local priorities. These requests will be submitted to the Appropriations Committee for consideration and approval. Stay tuned for more updates as the appropriations process proceeds. Thanks for reading! Do you know someone who might like to receive these updates? Forward this email to your friends and families and tell them to click below to subscribe! Click Here To Subscribe Rep. Andrew R. Garbarino Congressman representing New York's 2nd Congressional District ‌ ‌ ‌ Washington, D.C. 2344 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 Phone: (202) 225-7896 Patchogue 31 Oak Street Suite 20 Patchogue, NY 11772 Phone: (631) 541-4225 Rep. Garbarino | 2344 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515 Unsubscribe [email protected] Update Profile | Constant Contact Data Notice Sent by [email protected]