WGXC-90.7 FM
Audio Feature: This week in News for Rep. John Faso 20180306
Mar 10, 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. The Fivethirtyeight.com website currently reports Faso votes with Donald Trump's positions 86.6 percent of the time, the same as last week. Click here to download or play an audio version of this report (11:19).
• The Columbia County Sanctuary Movement held a rally outside of U.S. Rep. John Faso's office in Kinderhook March 5. According to a press release, the group, along with ICE-Free Capital District, Ulster Immigrant Defense Network, Showing Up For Racial Justice Hudson, Showing Up For Racial Justice Ulster, Tin Horn Uprising, local faith leaders and communities, are continuing to call upon Faso to support a clean Dream Act. That legislation would provide protection and a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants brought to the United States as children. Following the rally, the group will adjourn to Kinderhook Town Court to show their support for the so-called Kinderhook 9, a group of nine protesters arrested after activists took over the meeting room in Faso's district office Dec. 18, chanting and playing music.
• Amanda Purcell is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media U.S. Rep. John Faso and Hudson officials are calling on the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson to investigate living conditions at Bliss Towers. Faso released the letter to Carson March 5, in which he requested immediate action. Faso has asked for a face-to-face meeting with Carson to discuss the conditions at Bliss Towers and the unresponsiveness of HUD's Buffalo regional office staff. “The living conditions at Bliss Towers are completely unacceptable,” Faso said. “What I saw during a recent visit combined with reading the recent inspection reports made it clear that Bliss Towers needs immediate intervention by HUD. By bringing this to the attention of Secretary Carson, it is my hope that immediate progress will be made and HUD’s regional office in Buffalo will step up to the plate in order to solve this problem.” Faso visited Bliss Towers in January at the invitation of Mayor Rick Rector and Second Ward Alderperson Tiffany Garriga. Along with Hudson Housing Authority Executive Director Tim Mattice, Faso has also called for an audit of the housing authority’s financial records, tenant files, procurement and use of public housing funds over the past three years. “I am very appreciative of any and all efforts being made to address the needs of Bliss Tower to ensure that the residents are provided a safe and quality place to reside,” Rector said in a statement. The mayor declined further comment on the matter. Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com. Click here to listen to part of a WGXC interview by Victor Mendolia of Second Ward Alderperson Tiffany Garriga
• Hudson Valley 360 reports that while Rep. John Faso (R-Kinderhook) is not announcing any local appearances himself, members of his staff will be taking meetings at other spots in District 19 besides his offices. A member of Faso's staff will be at the Milan Town Hall Building in Dutchess County, 20 Wilcox Circle, Milan, 11 a.m.-1 p.m. March 14; and at the Pawling Town Hall, 160 Charles Coleman Blvd., 11 a.m.-1 p.m. March 21. On March 7 Faso took phone calls from constituents, with a live webstream on his website at http://faso.house.gov/live. Faso did not archive the discussion, but WGXC did. Click here to download or play the telephone call. The Congressperson has not held one traditional town hall meeting, like past local representatives Scott Murphy, a Democrat, and Chris Gibson, a Republican, held many times. Read the full story at Hudson Valley 360.
• On March 7, Rep John Faso (R-Kinderhook) voted with the GOP majority to pass the "Blocking Regulatory Interference from Closing Kilns Act" 234-180. The bill addresses the Environmental Protection Agency’s National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants for Brick and Structural Clay Products Manufacturing and for Clay Ceramics Manufacturing from 2015. If passed and signed, the bill would allow companies to ignore compliance dates until after judicial review of the final rule. So larger emissions of hazardous air pollutants would be allowed for a longer time under this legislation. On March 6, Faso also voted for the Comprehensive Regulatory Review Act which passed 264-143. Republicans say that bill would force banks to more frequent comprehensive reviews of their banking regulations. Some Democrats disagreed, such as California's Rep. Maxine Waters. “If this bill were enacted financial services regulators would be forced to spend more time and resources on backward looking reviews and deregulating the financial services industry rather than strengthening protections for consumers and the economy,” she said.
• The Columbia County Sanctuary Movement held a rally outside of U.S. Rep. John Faso's office in Kinderhook March 5. According to a press release, the group, along with ICE-Free Capital District, Ulster Immigrant Defense Network, Showing Up For Racial Justice Hudson, Showing Up For Racial Justice Ulster, Tin Horn Uprising, local faith leaders and communities, are continuing to call upon Faso to support a clean Dream Act. That legislation would provide protection and a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants brought to the United States as children. Following the rally, the group will adjourn to Kinderhook Town Court to show their support for the so-called Kinderhook 9, a group of nine protesters arrested after activists took over the meeting room in Faso's district office Dec. 18, chanting and playing music.
• Amanda Purcell is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media U.S. Rep. John Faso and Hudson officials are calling on the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson to investigate living conditions at Bliss Towers. Faso released the letter to Carson March 5, in which he requested immediate action. Faso has asked for a face-to-face meeting with Carson to discuss the conditions at Bliss Towers and the unresponsiveness of HUD's Buffalo regional office staff. “The living conditions at Bliss Towers are completely unacceptable,” Faso said. “What I saw during a recent visit combined with reading the recent inspection reports made it clear that Bliss Towers needs immediate intervention by HUD. By bringing this to the attention of Secretary Carson, it is my hope that immediate progress will be made and HUD’s regional office in Buffalo will step up to the plate in order to solve this problem.” Faso visited Bliss Towers in January at the invitation of Mayor Rick Rector and Second Ward Alderperson Tiffany Garriga. Along with Hudson Housing Authority Executive Director Tim Mattice, Faso has also called for an audit of the housing authority’s financial records, tenant files, procurement and use of public housing funds over the past three years. “I am very appreciative of any and all efforts being made to address the needs of Bliss Tower to ensure that the residents are provided a safe and quality place to reside,” Rector said in a statement. The mayor declined further comment on the matter. Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com. Click here to listen to part of a WGXC interview by Victor Mendolia of Second Ward Alderperson Tiffany Garriga
• Hudson Valley 360 reports that while Rep. John Faso (R-Kinderhook) is not announcing any local appearances himself, members of his staff will be taking meetings at other spots in District 19 besides his offices. A member of Faso's staff will be at the Milan Town Hall Building in Dutchess County, 20 Wilcox Circle, Milan, 11 a.m.-1 p.m. March 14; and at the Pawling Town Hall, 160 Charles Coleman Blvd., 11 a.m.-1 p.m. March 21. On March 7 Faso took phone calls from constituents, with a live webstream on his website at http://faso.house.gov/live. Faso did not archive the discussion, but WGXC did. Click here to download or play the telephone call. The Congressperson has not held one traditional town hall meeting, like past local representatives Scott Murphy, a Democrat, and Chris Gibson, a Republican, held many times. Read the full story at Hudson Valley 360.
• On March 7, Rep John Faso (R-Kinderhook) voted with the GOP majority to pass the "Blocking Regulatory Interference from Closing Kilns Act" 234-180. The bill addresses the Environmental Protection Agency’s National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants for Brick and Structural Clay Products Manufacturing and for Clay Ceramics Manufacturing from 2015. If passed and signed, the bill would allow companies to ignore compliance dates until after judicial review of the final rule. So larger emissions of hazardous air pollutants would be allowed for a longer time under this legislation. On March 6, Faso also voted for the Comprehensive Regulatory Review Act which passed 264-143. Republicans say that bill would force banks to more frequent comprehensive reviews of their banking regulations. Some Democrats disagreed, such as California's Rep. Maxine Waters. “If this bill were enacted financial services regulators would be forced to spend more time and resources on backward looking reviews and deregulating the financial services industry rather than strengthening protections for consumers and the economy,” she said.