U.S. Rep. Tonko secures sixth term
New Congress must protect safety net programs
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Social Security, Medicaid, and Medicare have become easy targets for balancing the federal budget in the wake of major tax cuts approved by a Republicancontrolled Congress, according to U.S. Rep. Paul Tonko, D-Amsterdam.
Tonko, who was elected to a sixth term on Tuesday, says protecting such programs will be a high priority for Democrats, which have regained a majority in the House of Representatives.
“It’s important to save these safety nets that are essential to middle-class families,” he said. “We need to fight to keep these programs intact.”
Tonko defeated Republican challenger Joseph Vitollo with more than 63 percent of the vote, 163,472 to 83,950. His 20th District includes the southern half of Saratoga County including Saratoga Springs, along with parts of Rensselaer, Albany, Schenectady, Montgomery counties.
Tonko also said Congress must reach consensus on preserving key elements of President Obama’s Affordable Care Act, as a basis for improving health care for all Americans. Specifically, he called for increased purchasing power relating to pharmaceuticals.
On another front, he said the next Congress must make funding available for critical infrastructure upgrades that have been proposed but never brought to fruition.
“Not just roads and bridges,” Tonko said. “We need to do railroads, ports and modernize the grid to take advantage of green power. Drinking water projects are needed, and we need more access to broadband, along with workforce development, which is another form of infrastructure. We have a long way to go.”
In environmental matters, he called for reductions to carbon dioxide pollution and improved protection of water supplies.
But Tonko said one of the most critical issues facing Washington is the ability of a Republi-
can president and a divided Congress – the GOP maintained Senate control – to achieve things for the common good.
“There’s a great deal of acrimony and division in our government,” he said. “We need to heal that, walk humbly from the election field to the work field, develop a dialogue and work in a bipartisan way.”