WGXC-90.7 FM
Audio Feature: This week in news for Rep. John Faso
Jan 27, 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 85.9 percent of his votes, up slightly from last week. Click here to download or play an audio version of this report (6:25).
• Rep. John Faso (R-Kinderhook) voted Jan. 22 to provide funding to reopen the federal government. The bill passed the U.S. House of Representatives 266-150, after the Senate approved it 81-18. In the Senate, the New York delegation split, with Chuck Schumer voting for the measure he helped negotiate, and Kirsten Gillibrand voting against. Faso released a statement via press release, that read in part, "Senate Democrats and Sen. Schumer have finally come to their senses and have agreed to reopen the government. It was wrong to hold the nation hostage to the DACA issue, something that was unrelated to the federal government’s budget." Gillibrand tweeted, "I want to see the government reopen as much as anyone, but this bill fails to fix the moral issue we must solve. That's why I voted against it." The Senate agreed to take up the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals law next month in exchange for some Democrats voting with Republicans on the spending bill.
• While the U.S. House of Representatives is out this week after voting to keep the government open, Rep. John Faso (R-Kinderhook) is still busy outside his home district, writing an opinion article in the conservative Washington Examiner online journal. Faso writes about the need for infrastructure spending in the United States. "The need is at least $5 trillion over the next ten years to bring our infrastructure rating from a 'D' to a 'B,' according to the experts," Faso writes. But, "Neither the federal government nor the States have the funding or borrowing capacity to foot the entire bill." Instead, Faso wants a private entity to spend the money. "I have introduced legislation that could fund $1 trillion worth of investment in roads, bridges, airports, and much more by spending very few taxpayer dollars. The bill, The Infrastructure Bank for America Act of 2017 (H. R. 3977), will establish a federally chartered bank to invest in infrastructure projects throughout the country," he writes. President Barack Obama proposed a similar plan, but Faso does not want our elected representatives picking who serves on the bank, but "board members are elected by shareholders of the bank." Read his entire opinion article in the Washington Examiner.
•
Paul Brooks reports in the Times Herald-Record that Rep. John Faso (R-Kinderhook) said at an Ulster County Chamber of Commerce event that he believes Republicans and Democrats can avert another government shutdown through compromise. Currently, the federal government is only funded through Feb. 8, after a two-and-a-half day shutdown last weekend led to a three-week extension in funding. Faso spoke at the Ulster County Chamber of Commerce breakfast Jan. 25 at the Best Western in Kingston. Congress may need to come to agreement on immigration policy before funding the government. “The president’s support for what is agreed to is going to be critical to getting some of the more conservative members to sign on. Some of these folks are not going to sign on regardless,” Faso said. And, he added, “Some of the people on the left are not going to sign on regardless." On his way out of the breakfast, he answered a question from a Times-Herald reporter. PLAY BRIEF CLIP AT END OF REPORT. Read the full story in the Times Herald-Record.
• City and State reports on donations to Faso from the billionaire Mercer family. Long Island-based Robert Mercer and his daughter Rebekah give millions of dollars each year to right-wing causes and candidates, including $25 million in 2016. Last year Robert and Rebekah each contributed the maximum amount, $5,400, to Faso’s campaign. Robert Mercer also donated $500,000 to the pro-Faso New York Wins political action campaign. Robert Mercer has again recently donated a total of $5,400 to Faso’s 2018 campaign, as did his wife Diana Mercer. Read the full story in City and State.
• Richard Moody is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media Democrat Gareth Rhodes is calling on U.S. Rep. John Faso to return campaign donations he received from the political action committee affiliated with U.S. Rep. Patrick Meehan of Pennsylvania. Rhodes is one of six candidates in the June 26 19th Congressional District Democratic primary. The winner of that race will face off against Faso in November. Meehan is accused of sexual misconduct and is alleged to have used taxpayer funds to confidentially settle a complaint filed by his former aide. Faso, a Republican from Kinderhook, took the money from the PAC, Patriots Leading a Majority. “...Rep. Faso claims to support changing Congress’ sexual harassment protocols, yet he still holds on to thousands of dollars in contributions from Rep. Meehan’s coffers,” Rhodes campaign spokesman Will Burns said. “Keeping these contributions sends an unacceptable message and calls into question Rep. Faso’s dedication to rejecting a culture that has allowed sexual harassment to go unchallenged in the halls of Congress, and our nation, for far too long.” Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.
• Rep. John Faso (R-Kinderhook) voted Jan. 22 to provide funding to reopen the federal government. The bill passed the U.S. House of Representatives 266-150, after the Senate approved it 81-18. In the Senate, the New York delegation split, with Chuck Schumer voting for the measure he helped negotiate, and Kirsten Gillibrand voting against. Faso released a statement via press release, that read in part, "Senate Democrats and Sen. Schumer have finally come to their senses and have agreed to reopen the government. It was wrong to hold the nation hostage to the DACA issue, something that was unrelated to the federal government’s budget." Gillibrand tweeted, "I want to see the government reopen as much as anyone, but this bill fails to fix the moral issue we must solve. That's why I voted against it." The Senate agreed to take up the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals law next month in exchange for some Democrats voting with Republicans on the spending bill.
• While the U.S. House of Representatives is out this week after voting to keep the government open, Rep. John Faso (R-Kinderhook) is still busy outside his home district, writing an opinion article in the conservative Washington Examiner online journal. Faso writes about the need for infrastructure spending in the United States. "The need is at least $5 trillion over the next ten years to bring our infrastructure rating from a 'D' to a 'B,' according to the experts," Faso writes. But, "Neither the federal government nor the States have the funding or borrowing capacity to foot the entire bill." Instead, Faso wants a private entity to spend the money. "I have introduced legislation that could fund $1 trillion worth of investment in roads, bridges, airports, and much more by spending very few taxpayer dollars. The bill, The Infrastructure Bank for America Act of 2017 (H. R. 3977), will establish a federally chartered bank to invest in infrastructure projects throughout the country," he writes. President Barack Obama proposed a similar plan, but Faso does not want our elected representatives picking who serves on the bank, but "board members are elected by shareholders of the bank." Read his entire opinion article in the Washington Examiner.
•
Paul Brooks reports in the Times Herald-Record that Rep. John Faso (R-Kinderhook) said at an Ulster County Chamber of Commerce event that he believes Republicans and Democrats can avert another government shutdown through compromise. Currently, the federal government is only funded through Feb. 8, after a two-and-a-half day shutdown last weekend led to a three-week extension in funding. Faso spoke at the Ulster County Chamber of Commerce breakfast Jan. 25 at the Best Western in Kingston. Congress may need to come to agreement on immigration policy before funding the government. “The president’s support for what is agreed to is going to be critical to getting some of the more conservative members to sign on. Some of these folks are not going to sign on regardless,” Faso said. And, he added, “Some of the people on the left are not going to sign on regardless." On his way out of the breakfast, he answered a question from a Times-Herald reporter. PLAY BRIEF CLIP AT END OF REPORT. Read the full story in the Times Herald-Record.
• City and State reports on donations to Faso from the billionaire Mercer family. Long Island-based Robert Mercer and his daughter Rebekah give millions of dollars each year to right-wing causes and candidates, including $25 million in 2016. Last year Robert and Rebekah each contributed the maximum amount, $5,400, to Faso’s campaign. Robert Mercer also donated $500,000 to the pro-Faso New York Wins political action campaign. Robert Mercer has again recently donated a total of $5,400 to Faso’s 2018 campaign, as did his wife Diana Mercer. Read the full story in City and State.
• Richard Moody is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media Democrat Gareth Rhodes is calling on U.S. Rep. John Faso to return campaign donations he received from the political action committee affiliated with U.S. Rep. Patrick Meehan of Pennsylvania. Rhodes is one of six candidates in the June 26 19th Congressional District Democratic primary. The winner of that race will face off against Faso in November. Meehan is accused of sexual misconduct and is alleged to have used taxpayer funds to confidentially settle a complaint filed by his former aide. Faso, a Republican from Kinderhook, took the money from the PAC, Patriots Leading a Majority. “...Rep. Faso claims to support changing Congress’ sexual harassment protocols, yet he still holds on to thousands of dollars in contributions from Rep. Meehan’s coffers,” Rhodes campaign spokesman Will Burns said. “Keeping these contributions sends an unacceptable message and calls into question Rep. Faso’s dedication to rejecting a culture that has allowed sexual harassment to go unchallenged in the halls of Congress, and our nation, for far too long.” Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.