McCarthy: Keeping the Lights On and the Relief Flowing

If you’re like me, you couldn’t be more frustrated with the way things are going in Washington lately, with all the gridlock; the endless bickering and partisanship; the negative, divisive tone; and votes made not in the spirit of doing good for the people but just to score political points and headlines.

We’ve seen this played out over and over again this year, when the most extreme members of House Majority decided that for the first time in American history we should attach massive, job-killing spending cuts to routine matters like paying back money we owe, keeping the government open and delivering disaster relief funding.

The last two issues mentioned above were held hostage again in last-minute, high-stakes votes this week.  You may have read in the news that I was the only Democrat in New York State to vote yes on them.

I was proud to buck my party’s position on this matter to deliver for my constituents.  For me, it was simple – by voting yes on these budget bills I voted for the only things that matter here – to keep the lights on at the agencies we need to serve us and to get disaster relief funding delivered to our communities right now.

Governor Andrew Cuomo said this week that “We need the federal government to step up and we need the federal government to be helpful and we don’t need them to be playing their politics on this issue.”

I couldn’t agree more. 

Disasters like Hurricane Irene don’t wait for political debates in Washington, and neither do I.  The dysfunction we’re seeing today is not what I came Congress for, and I will continue to do everything I can to fight it – even if that means going against my own party.

As always, it’s a pleasure and an honor to serve you in Congress.  Please visit my website at www.CarolynMcCarthy.house.gov, and feel free to reach out with any questions or concerns or if my staff can be of assistance.