Click here (46:52) to listen to WGXC's Congressional report, a look back at the week in news for Rep. John Faso (R-Kinderhook).

Ariél Zangla reported in the Daily Freeman U.S. Rep. John Faso was invited to attend a health care town hall meeting Monday night in Kingston, but according to his spokesperson he will not be there. The “Save our Healthcare Town Hall” will be held from 6:30 to 9 p.m., Mon., May 8, at the Senate Garage in Uptown Kingston. Faso spokesperson Courtney Weaver said the Kinderhook Republican is attending a senior forum earlier that same day in Kingston, but was already committed to another event in the evening, not the health care town hall. Rick Moody reported for Columbia-Greene Media Faso does not intend to hold any meetings with large groups of constituents during the current seven-day session break. "The congressman does not have any scheduled town halls next week. However, he will be meeting with individual and groups of constituents regarding various policy matters," Weaver said. While Faso, who represents New York's 19th Congressional District, is skipping the meeting on Monday night, U.S. Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney, Democrat of Cold Spring, said he would attend. Maloney represents the neighboring 18th Congressional District. In a tweet, Maloney wrote, “I’m headed to Kingston Monday night to do @RepJohnFaso’s town hall meeting. If he won’t do it, I will. Join me? #AdoptADistrict.”

Josh Dawsey is reporting at Politico New York a former aide to Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo will run against first-term Republican Congressman John Faso next year. Gareth Rhodes worked for Cuomo until 2015 before he went off to Harvard Law School. Rhodes has begun the process of meeting with Democratic leaders and plans to move back to the 19th Congressional District later this year. Rhodes joins six other candidates already vying for the Democratic nod in the race to replace Faso. Steven Mitchell Brisee, Brian Flynn and Antonio Delgado, have already filed the requisite paperwork. An additional three candidates, Jeff Beals, Patrick Ryan and Sue Sullivan, have also declared their intent to unseat the Kinderhook Republican in 2018. Read the full story at Politico New York.


The National Republican Congressional Committee released May 9 a digital ad campaign in NY-19 Congressional district in support of Republicans voting for the new healthcare titled “Promise Made, Promise Kept.” That's to support John Faso (R-Kinderhook), who voted for the bill, and has been taking much heat with protests almost every day locally since the vote. "Republicans kept their word to voters by repealing and replacing the disastrous Obamacare law. Democrats are happy to sit on their hands playing political games in Washington – the only place where it's considered a bad idea to actually deliver on your promises," said NRCC spokesperson Chris Martin.

Richard Moody provides a brief introduction in The Daily Mail to potential congressional challenger, Brian Flynn of Hunter. Flynn, along with six other Democrats, have declared their intent to seek the 19th Congressional District seat, currently held by Kinderhook Republican John Faso. Flynn, a Democrat, filed to run on March 1. "We talked about how John Faso betrayed his constituents for the alt-right and how we needed to find someone to replace him," Flynn said. "My friend said, ‘Well, why don’t you run?’" Flynn runs AccuMED, a Buffalo medical equipment manufacturing company. His list of priorities include investing in job training, transportation infrastructure, broadband infrastructure and fighting the heroin and opioid epidemic. "Jobs are available here, but people are not qualified to take them," Flynn said. According to his March filing with the Federal Election Commission, Flynn has a campaign war chest of approximately $175,000 on hand. He said one of his greatest sources of funding right now are former Faso supporters. Read the full story in The Daily Mail.

New York Senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, both Democrats, released strong statements May 9 denouncing President Trump for firing FBI Director James Comey, and saying an independent prosecutor now must investigate the ties between Trump and Russia. A day later Rep. John Faso (R-Kinderhook) released a statement with less definition: "The firing of FBI Director James Comey is at the same time unsurprising and shocking. It is unsurprising in that his actions relating to the Clinton email matter caused major controversy on both sides of the political aisle. He appeared to assume a decision making position which would have been better left to his Justice Department superiors. His statements the other day before a congressional committee regarding Huma Abedin’s emails were perhaps the final misstep he has made in this regard. However, the firing was shocking in that the FBI has an ongoing investigation into Russian efforts to influence the US elections last year. The public must have absolute confidence that the FBI investigation will be thorough, and result in a complete resolution of that question regardless of the outcome. The facts must be known. Therefore it is incumbent upon the administration to nominate a new FBI director who will be someone of unquestioned integrity and experience, acceptable to both Republicans and Democrats in the Senate, to lead this critical agency on the Russian investigation and all other matters coming before it. If the nominee does not pass that test, then the only alternative in my view would be the selection of an independent investigator to get to the bottom of this matter once and for all."

The report concludes with audio from Neva Wartell, speaking with protesters outside Catskill's senior center on May 11 as Rep. Faso made an appearance.