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Audio Feature: This week in news for Rep. John Faso
Jan 20, 2018 11:43 am
Here's the week in the news for Rep. John Faso (R-Kinderhook), the District 19 Congressperson for the WGXC listening area. Faso returned to Washington D.C. this week where Fivethirtyeight.com currently reports Faso votes with Donald Trump's positions 85.5 percent of his votes, up slightly from last week. Click here to download or play an audio version of this report (4:27).
• Chris McKenna is reporting at The Fray Democrat Antonio Delgado’s campaign has announced it raised more than $425,000 during the last three months of 2017, for a total of $1.5 million overall. After expenses, Delgado now has more than $1 million on hand. If accurate, this is the largest amount raised by the three Democrats in the 19th Congressional District race that previewed their campaign finance reports, which are due to be filed by the end of the month. A total of six Democrats are hoping to challenge first-term Congressman, Kinderhook Republican John Faso, in the November general election. Other candidates eager to share their fundraising totals were Pat Ryan, who collected $317,000 in the fourth quarter, and Gareth Rhodes, whose said he raised more than $150,000. Despite a crowded field, Democrats have been able to raise significant sums. As of the end of September, Delgado and Brian Flynn had more in the bank than Faso, and Ryan nearly the same as the incumbent. Read the full story at The Fray.
• The Ulster County Chamber of Commerce says Rep. John Faso will speak at the group's January Breakfast Meeting. "Faso plans to discuss his second-year agenda for improving the local business climate. He is also expected to detail the reasoning behind his vote against the recent tax reform bill," according to the group's website. The event is at 7:30 a.m. Jan. 25 at the Best Western at 503 Washington Ave. in Kingston, and reservations are required. The cheapest ticket is $25. The event is not listed on Faso's Public Schedule website, which has been blank for several months.
• Rep. John Faso (R-Kinderhook) voted Jan. 17, for a second time, to continue to allow the National Security Agency to spy on Americans without a warrant. Just like last week, the vote was 256 to 164. The bill continued an expiring law that permits the government, without a warrant, to gather communications of foreigners abroad from United States firms such as Google and AT&T — even when they are talking to Americans. The bill was voted on a second time after it got Senate approval Jan. 16, with both New York senators, Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, voting against.
• Rafael Bernal reports in The Hill that while Republicans who hold a majority in Congress and the presidency struggle to pass a bill to keep the government open, a bipartisan group of House members including Rep. John Faso (R-Kinderhook) said on Jan. 16 they will introduce a bill to keep the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, program alive. "I joined over 40 of my colleagues in introducing the bipartisan USA Act. This proposal is a permanent legislative fix for Dreamers, while also strengthening our border security with 21st century technology," Faso said in a tweet. About 690,000 children born in this country to undocumented immigrants could be deported if Congress does not pass legislation before March. Last week the president undermined a similar bipartisan bill from the Senate, calling African countries an expletive. Read the full story in The Hill.
• Rep. John Faso (R-Kinderhook) voted for a short-term government funding bill late Jan. 18, which passed 230-197. The bill, if it passes the Senate and is signed by the president, would keep the government running through March. But passing the Senate and getting the president's signature are totally unknowns. The Senate voted late Jan. 18 to continue debate on the House bill on the next day. Current government funding expires at midnight Jan. 19, and Republican leaders have not said they have any back-up plans if this bill fails.
• Faso continued his bickering Gov. Andrew Cuomo this week on Twitter, this time criticizing Cuomo's budget proposal, writing, "Governor Cuomo's solution to New York State having one of the highest state and local tax burden in the country - add another $1 billion in new taxes and fees. We need to focus on adding more jobs, not more taxes." But, also on Twitter, he found common ground with Cuomo, who did not like how the Republican tax plan that Faso voted against raised taxes on New Yorkers. Cuomo had been urging New Yorkers to pay their taxes before the new year to get deductions taken out by Republicans, and Faso this week backed legislation to help that cause. "I joined a bipartisan coalition of my colleagues in introducing legislation to allow individuals who paid any or all of their 2018 property taxes in 2017 to deduct them on their current 2017 tax bill, regardless of when the taxes were assessed," he wrote on Twitter.
• Rep. John Faso (R-Kinderhook) voted to table a motion to impeach President Donald Trump on Jan. 19. The measure to table impeachment passed 355-66. All the votes not to table the measure were from Democrats.
• Chris McKenna is reporting at The Fray Democrat Antonio Delgado’s campaign has announced it raised more than $425,000 during the last three months of 2017, for a total of $1.5 million overall. After expenses, Delgado now has more than $1 million on hand. If accurate, this is the largest amount raised by the three Democrats in the 19th Congressional District race that previewed their campaign finance reports, which are due to be filed by the end of the month. A total of six Democrats are hoping to challenge first-term Congressman, Kinderhook Republican John Faso, in the November general election. Other candidates eager to share their fundraising totals were Pat Ryan, who collected $317,000 in the fourth quarter, and Gareth Rhodes, whose said he raised more than $150,000. Despite a crowded field, Democrats have been able to raise significant sums. As of the end of September, Delgado and Brian Flynn had more in the bank than Faso, and Ryan nearly the same as the incumbent. Read the full story at The Fray.
• The Ulster County Chamber of Commerce says Rep. John Faso will speak at the group's January Breakfast Meeting. "Faso plans to discuss his second-year agenda for improving the local business climate. He is also expected to detail the reasoning behind his vote against the recent tax reform bill," according to the group's website. The event is at 7:30 a.m. Jan. 25 at the Best Western at 503 Washington Ave. in Kingston, and reservations are required. The cheapest ticket is $25. The event is not listed on Faso's Public Schedule website, which has been blank for several months.
• Rep. John Faso (R-Kinderhook) voted Jan. 17, for a second time, to continue to allow the National Security Agency to spy on Americans without a warrant. Just like last week, the vote was 256 to 164. The bill continued an expiring law that permits the government, without a warrant, to gather communications of foreigners abroad from United States firms such as Google and AT&T — even when they are talking to Americans. The bill was voted on a second time after it got Senate approval Jan. 16, with both New York senators, Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, voting against.
• Rafael Bernal reports in The Hill that while Republicans who hold a majority in Congress and the presidency struggle to pass a bill to keep the government open, a bipartisan group of House members including Rep. John Faso (R-Kinderhook) said on Jan. 16 they will introduce a bill to keep the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, program alive. "I joined over 40 of my colleagues in introducing the bipartisan USA Act. This proposal is a permanent legislative fix for Dreamers, while also strengthening our border security with 21st century technology," Faso said in a tweet. About 690,000 children born in this country to undocumented immigrants could be deported if Congress does not pass legislation before March. Last week the president undermined a similar bipartisan bill from the Senate, calling African countries an expletive. Read the full story in The Hill.
• Rep. John Faso (R-Kinderhook) voted for a short-term government funding bill late Jan. 18, which passed 230-197. The bill, if it passes the Senate and is signed by the president, would keep the government running through March. But passing the Senate and getting the president's signature are totally unknowns. The Senate voted late Jan. 18 to continue debate on the House bill on the next day. Current government funding expires at midnight Jan. 19, and Republican leaders have not said they have any back-up plans if this bill fails.
• Faso continued his bickering Gov. Andrew Cuomo this week on Twitter, this time criticizing Cuomo's budget proposal, writing, "Governor Cuomo's solution to New York State having one of the highest state and local tax burden in the country - add another $1 billion in new taxes and fees. We need to focus on adding more jobs, not more taxes." But, also on Twitter, he found common ground with Cuomo, who did not like how the Republican tax plan that Faso voted against raised taxes on New Yorkers. Cuomo had been urging New Yorkers to pay their taxes before the new year to get deductions taken out by Republicans, and Faso this week backed legislation to help that cause. "I joined a bipartisan coalition of my colleagues in introducing legislation to allow individuals who paid any or all of their 2018 property taxes in 2017 to deduct them on their current 2017 tax bill, regardless of when the taxes were assessed," he wrote on Twitter.
• Rep. John Faso (R-Kinderhook) voted to table a motion to impeach President Donald Trump on Jan. 19. The measure to table impeachment passed 355-66. All the votes not to table the measure were from Democrats.