Hudson Valley Pattern for Progress held its annual “Across the Aisle” event Friday at Marist College in Poughkeepsie. New York Republican Congressman John Faso and Democratic Congressman Sean Patrick Maloney discussed infrastructure, college debt, the Hudson River, federal budget and more.
Congressmen Faso and Maloney, who represent the 19th and 18th Districts, respectively, said they will continue to work across the aisle. Both sit on two committees vital to the Hudson Valley, Transportation and Infrastructure and Agriculture. Faso is also on the Budget Committee, and addressed a question on potential cuts to the Community Development Block Grant program via the proposed Fiscal Year 2018 budget.
“I don’t support the majority of what he’s proposed for the discretionary domestic side of the budget, and actually I know most of the Democrats don’t, and I can tell you most of the Republicans, at least on the Budget Committee, are very concerned about the approach — CDBG — the Community Development Block Grant program, CDC [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention], NIH [National Institutes of Health], NOAA [National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration], EPA [Environmental Protection Agency], the Peace Corps, the soft power agencies that we use, the NGOs [non-governmental organizations] to help project American strength and goodness around the world,” Faso said.
Maloney also criticized many of the proposed budget cuts.
“It would be one thing if it was part of a comprehensive effort to balance the budget, right? And then guys like me might say, ‘oh, those cuts are going to be tough’ but the response would be but we’re going to tighten our belts and balance this budget, right. I could respect that,” Maloney said. “That’s not what’s going on here. This proposal doesn’t take one dollar off the deficit. It just gets you the line of scrimmage because they want to cover these proposed increases in defense.”
Then there’s Medicaid. And Faso’s resolve to reform it.
“So I’m committed, I’m bound and determined I’m going to get this thing enacted into law and we are going to finally stop this horrendous public policy of imposing these costs,” Faso said. “Let the state do what its responsibilities are. Let Albany take control of this and let the county property tax be cut because no longer have to fund a Medicaid mandate.”
Maloney agrees that the state should lift the Medicaid burden from counties, but not as part of a health care package.
“The problem with the way John’s trying to do it is that it is the 30 pieces of silver he asked for to support this terrible Trumpcare, health care bill,” said Maloney. “So the problem with that, the problem with it, John, is that you’re using it as the price for your vote on a health care bill that will whack New York because it will destroy traditional Medicaid program which will blow a huge hole in the state budget.”
“Sean, it was not 30 pieces of silver, it was…” Faso said.
“That might have been a little harsh, right?” Maloney says.
Yeah, it was a little harsh,” Faso said.
“But it’s a harsh bill, man, like you’re going to support a terrible health -care bill for that stupid thing. It’s not a good idea,” said Maloney.
“But the bottom line is that there were other changes that a number…You know, it’s funny…” Faso said.
The disagreement continued. Maloney blasted the Republican health care plan and Faso discussed Medicaid and both the good and the bad of health care reform. And there are efforts afoot to revive the GOP-fueled American Health Care Act and satisfy Conservatives, with Republican New Jersey Congressman Tom McArthur having introduced an amendment. Again, Faso.
“Well, I’m looking at it and I think anything that we can do to try to bridge differences and gaps in our conference would be helpful,” says Faso.
As for whether he supports the McArthur Amendment:
“Well, I have to see the actual language. I’ve just read a summary of it,” says Faso. “And I’ve been around this process long enough to know that you’ve got to verify the actual language before you do anything else.”
Again, Maloney:
“Yeah, the McArthur Amendment is lipstick on a pig,” Maloney says. “It is the same old stuff about going after pre-existing conditions.”
Regarding the Hudson River, both criticized a U.S. Coast Guard proposal to establish up to 10 anchorage sites. They also spoke about General Electric’s dredging of PCBs, overseen by the Environmental Protection Agency. Here’s Maloney.
“I wish the Obama EPA had not given the sort of clean bill of health they did to GE the way they’ve done,” Maloney said. “I think we could have expected more from GE. I think we still can, by the way.”
And here’s Faso.
“We should, though, wait and see what the fish studies tell us as to the efficacy of the dredging project that EPA had deemed complete and take it from there,” Faso said. “And let the chips fall where they may. If the studies show that we have to dredge more in more places, then so be it.”
Questions came from Pattern for Progress President Jonathan Drapkin, the audience and via Twitter.
