Rep. Delgado touts record, urges civility
U.S. Rep Antonio Delgado on Thursday outlined his accomplishments during his first year in office and called for restraint in the rhetoric he said is dividing the country.
“Irrespective of party, we are living in some very divided and very, very partisan times,” Delgado, DRhinebeck, said at the monthly Ulster County Regional Chamber of Commerce breakfast meeting. “Democratic norms, like mutual tolerance ... just tolerance, are eroding.
“We are treating our partisan rivals like enemies, traitors, and I can’t engage in that,” he said to those gathered at the Best Western Plus hotel on Washington Avenue in Kingston. “It’s not helpful for our democracy, and we’ve got to be better. We’ve just got to figure out a way to see each other for who we are.
“We’re all Americans here, and it’s important that we never forget that,” he added. “... Let’s exhibit some restraint, if we can. I certainly will do my part.”
Delgado said that during his first year in office, he introduced 28 bills for consideration and was one of only six members of the House to have two or more bills signed into law.
Beyond what he’s done in Washington, Delgado said, he spent 2019 traveling New York’s 19th Congressional District, which comprises some or all of 11 counties.
The congressman said he held three town halls in each county in the district, opened five district offices, visited 26 farms and countless small businesses, and formed four bipartisan locally based advisory groups on issues ranging from agriculture and veterans to health care and small businesses.
“I made it a point to connect with all of these individuals and organizations and business owners to better understand the needs of the community on the ground and pursue legislation,” Delgado said.
Delgado said he even took a family vacation across the district, visiting with his wife and two young children a variety of sites and attractions along the way.
“It’s important to get out there and connect with everybody,” he said.
Delgado said that as a member of Congress, he was “happy” to support the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Trade Deal, which he said could provide relief to the region’s farmers, and is hopeful that the trade deal being worked on with China will provide some relief for small business owners.
He said he was the only freshman lawmaker to introduce legislation aimed at moving the nation toward universal health care, by adding Medicare as a choice to the existing market. Delgado said inserting a nonprofit public option into the existing profit-making model would allow more people to get health care and could drive down the cost of private health care.
He also said he has introduced legislation to make it easier for small businesses to comply with federal regulations by requiring the Small Business Administration to create a centralized website that houses compliance guides designed to help small businesses meet federal regulations. He also has introduced the Tax Fairness for the Self-Employed Act, which he said would change the tax code to give self-employed small business owners access to the same tax deductions as large corporations for health insurance premiums.
Delgado said he also will continue to advocate for changes to the way the federal government views broadband internet coverage and need to benefit the rural regions that he said are left without access because of current practices.
Also, the congressman said, he will continue to push at the federal level for funding to support rural economic development projects and workforce development programs that focus on providing more funding and opportunity for the trades and industries that support sustainable jobs and fight climate change.