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Audio Feature: WGXC Congressional Report 20190624
Jun 24, 2019 12:01 am
This is WGXC's Congressional Report, tracking the votes, words, and actions of Rep. Antonio Delgado, a Democrat from Rhinebeck representing the 19th Congressional District, and Paul Tonko, a Democrat from Amsterdam from the 20th Congressional District. The Fivethirtyeight.com website reports that, so far, the first-term Congressperson Delgado votes with Donald Trump's positions zero percent of the time. Since Democrats took over the House of Representatives Tonko also votes with Trump's positions zero percent of the time. In the previous Congressional session, Tonko voted with Trump 22.6 percent of the time. Click here to download or play an audio version of this report (15:02).
• MidHudsonNews [dot] com is reporting barely halfway into his first year in office, U.S. Rep. Antonio Delgado has been endorsed for a second term by the League of Conservation Voters. The Rhinebeck Democrat has not yet announced his re-election plans, although a spokesperson says he intends to seek a second, two-year term. “I am committed to fighting for legislation to protect our environment and am honored to have the support of the LCV Action Fund,” the freshman lawmaker said. In a statement, Tiernan Sittenfeld, senior vice president of governmental affairs at the LCV Action Fund, said Delgado is needed in Congress “to keep fighting for the health and future of New Yorkers and people across the country.” Read the full story at MidHudsonNews [dot] com.
• Dan Freedman is reporting for the Times Union Freshman U.S. Rep. Antonio Delgado's concerns about financially burdensome student loans appears to be based on personal experience. The Rhinebeck Democrat's first congressionally mandated financial disclosure form shows he has a student debt ranging between $50,001 and $100,000. The disclosure was released June 14, along with those of his 434 House colleagues. The form requires lawmakers to state their assets, liabilities and income in dollar ranges, not precise numbers. The debt was listed as having been incurred in 2002, the year Delgado entered Harvard. Apart from the debt, the disclosure form shows Delgado and his wife, Lacey Schwartz Delgado, have assets between $263,000 and $745,000 against liabilities ranging between $100,002 and $600,000. U.S. Rep. Paul Tonko submitted a one-page form showing a pension from the New York State Employees Retirement System amounting to $65,901. The Amsterdam Democrat has served almost 25 years in the state Assembly, and turns 70 next week. His only listed asset was an account with SEFCU that ranges between $1,001 and $15,000. Read the full story in the Times Union.
• U.S. Rep. Antonio Delgado announced June 18, he is the co-sponsor of bipartisan legislation to improve childcare services nationwide. The Child Care Workforce and Facilities Act would provide competitive grants to states to train childcare workers and build or renovate related facilities in areas lacking quality childcare, especially in rural communities. The measure "...is a critical piece of legislation for rural communities to ensure they have the resources to support child development and growth from an early age. I am proud to join as a co-sponsor of this bipartisan bill and will work with my colleagues to bring this legislation to the House floor to improve childcare facilities and address the shortage in affordable, quality childcare services across Upstate, New York and the rest of the nation,” Delgado said in a statement. The Rhinebeck Democrat is also a co-sponsor of the Rebuild America’s Schools Act and has joined several letters advocating for appropriation funding for preschool development block grants, Head Start programs and federal TRIO programs, as well. Read the full press release at Delgado [dot] House [dot] gov.
• Tonko and Delgado both do not list any local events on their websites next week. Tonko never lists any events, and Delgado only lists events his staff organizes, not just events he attends.
• MidHudsonNews [dot] com is reporting barely halfway into his first year in office, U.S. Rep. Antonio Delgado has been endorsed for a second term by the League of Conservation Voters. The Rhinebeck Democrat has not yet announced his re-election plans, although a spokesperson says he intends to seek a second, two-year term. “I am committed to fighting for legislation to protect our environment and am honored to have the support of the LCV Action Fund,” the freshman lawmaker said. In a statement, Tiernan Sittenfeld, senior vice president of governmental affairs at the LCV Action Fund, said Delgado is needed in Congress “to keep fighting for the health and future of New Yorkers and people across the country.” Read the full story at MidHudsonNews [dot] com.
• Dan Freedman is reporting for the Times Union Freshman U.S. Rep. Antonio Delgado's concerns about financially burdensome student loans appears to be based on personal experience. The Rhinebeck Democrat's first congressionally mandated financial disclosure form shows he has a student debt ranging between $50,001 and $100,000. The disclosure was released June 14, along with those of his 434 House colleagues. The form requires lawmakers to state their assets, liabilities and income in dollar ranges, not precise numbers. The debt was listed as having been incurred in 2002, the year Delgado entered Harvard. Apart from the debt, the disclosure form shows Delgado and his wife, Lacey Schwartz Delgado, have assets between $263,000 and $745,000 against liabilities ranging between $100,002 and $600,000. U.S. Rep. Paul Tonko submitted a one-page form showing a pension from the New York State Employees Retirement System amounting to $65,901. The Amsterdam Democrat has served almost 25 years in the state Assembly, and turns 70 next week. His only listed asset was an account with SEFCU that ranges between $1,001 and $15,000. Read the full story in the Times Union.
• U.S. Rep. Antonio Delgado announced June 18, he is the co-sponsor of bipartisan legislation to improve childcare services nationwide. The Child Care Workforce and Facilities Act would provide competitive grants to states to train childcare workers and build or renovate related facilities in areas lacking quality childcare, especially in rural communities. The measure "...is a critical piece of legislation for rural communities to ensure they have the resources to support child development and growth from an early age. I am proud to join as a co-sponsor of this bipartisan bill and will work with my colleagues to bring this legislation to the House floor to improve childcare facilities and address the shortage in affordable, quality childcare services across Upstate, New York and the rest of the nation,” Delgado said in a statement. The Rhinebeck Democrat is also a co-sponsor of the Rebuild America’s Schools Act and has joined several letters advocating for appropriation funding for preschool development block grants, Head Start programs and federal TRIO programs, as well. Read the full press release at Delgado [dot] House [dot] gov.
• Tonko and Delgado both do not list any local events on their websites next week. Tonko never lists any events, and Delgado only lists events his staff organizes, not just events he attends.