Put Congress Back to Work

Statement

For every hard-working American, if your job performance reflects the same lack of progress the House of Representatives has made this year, you don't leave the office for six weeks. This shouldn't be any different in Congress.

My colleagues and I do important work both in Washington and at home in the districts we have the privilege to represent, but there are more tasks at hard than ever before that Congress must tackle if we are to strengthen the middle-class and boost those struggling to enter it.

With so much left undone, the House of Representatives is in recess until Tuesday, September 8th -- almost forty days from now.

For years, the Republican-led House Majority has ignored the voices of their constituents related to voting rights, comprehensive immigration reform, a long-term highway bill, or any other of the countless challenges the American people ask Congress to address in poll after poll after poll.

That's why I have asked Speaker Boehner to cancel the almost six-week long recess and put us back to work to solve the problems our nation and its hardest workers face today.

Below is a small sample of issues the House must address today instead of leaving Washington:

· Long Term Reauthorization of the Highway Trust Fund: While uncertainty dominates many infrastructure projects and jobs in the Capital Region and across the nation, the House recently passed legislation to keep the Highway Trust Fund afloat -- but only for three months. I have called for a robust, multi-year reauthorization that allows states and cities to plan for aggressive infrastructure improvements that boost public safety, put people to work, and promote business development.

· Renew Export-Import Bank: House Republicans allowed the Export-Import Bank's authorization to run out without any signal the body would work with Democrats or the Republican-led United States Senate to renew the agency. The Export-Import Bank supported 164,000 jobs and reduced the deficit by $675 million in fiscal year 2014, and supports major employers in the Capital Region. I have called for the long-term renewal of the Export-Import Bank and have cosponsored legislation that would authorize the agency through 2022.

· Comprehensive Immigration Reform: In June of 2013, the United States Senate passed bipartisan legislation that would boost the economy, cut the deficit by almost $1 trillion over the next two decades, and address the reality of 11 million undocumented individuals living in the country. The House left the legislation untouched for more than a year and prospects of immigration reform remain as unlikely and uncertain as ever.

· American Jobs Act: A fully paid-for legislative plan that boosts exports, pursues a national manufacturing strategy, reshores jobs, and promotes the Capital Region's innovation economy.

· Voting Rights Act: Voting rights for all Americans took a major step back with a June 2013 Supreme Court decision that cleared the path for states make the democratic process onerous and more difficult for those at the ballot box. However, the Supreme Court put the ball back in Congress' court, which has yet to act to update the Voting Rights Act -- a legislative action that passed the House 390-98 in 2006. I am a cosponsor of the Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2015, which has yet to receive a hearing in the House of Representatives.

· Get Big Money Out of Politics: Recent Supreme Court decisions like Citizens United have put more political power in the hands of the country's ultra-wealthy, while taking voices away from the vast majority of Americans. I have cosponsored legislation and even a Constitutional Amendment that reduces the increasing power that money has in the modern American political system.

· When Women Succeed, America Succeeds: In an effort to strengthen families in Upstate New York and across the nation, this agenda calls for standard paid family leave, equal pay for equal work, and hiking the minimum wage.

· Act On Climate: Congress continues to operate with no clear national energy policy. The House continues to pass dangerous legislation that boosts polluters, harms public health, and fails to promote clean energy sources that reduce the nation's dependency on fossil fuels. I am the co-chair of the House Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition and I work with my colleagues to advance policies to arrest global warming, foster innovation, promote clean and efficient energies, and protect our nation's clean air, water and natural environment.

I want to hear from you. Respond to this email with what you think Congress needs to tackle immediately. If you believe like I believe -- that Speaker Boehner must cancel recess and bring us back to work -- please consider sharing this message with a friend or on social media.

If I can ever be of service to you or someone you know, please don't hesitate to contact my closest New York office to where you live. My door is always open.

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