Tonko: 118th Congress off to ‘disturbing start’
ALBANY — For the first time in 100 years, it took more than one ballot to elect the speaker of the House of the Representatives. After a year of significant bipartisan gains, U.S. Rep. Paul Tonko believes the 15 rounds of voting and overall messy start to the 118th U.S. Congress is a warning sign of more chaos to come.
“A powerful statement was made by the 117th Congress and now, following that with the opening of the 118th, which to me, seemed to surround itself with chaos and confusion and crisis ... the stark contrast between the two sessions to date is very powerful,” the Amsterdam Democrat told reporters Saturday morning at his Albany office.
Tonko pointed to the American Rescue Plan, the CHIPS and Science Act and the Inflation Reduction Act as testaments to the success of last year’s legislative session, which he said has been regarded by many as one of the most productive sessions of Congress since 1965.
Now, Tonko worries how a House majority unable to elect a speaker will be able to mitigate some of the nation’s most pressing issues, like reducing inflation, lowering the debt ceiling and addressing climate change and its influence on severe weather events like the extreme flooding that slammed California in recent weeks.
“As we move forward, I think this is going to be a telling session,” he said.
In New York, where the nation saw its steepest population decline in 2021, Tonko said the biggest promise for growth will be the state’s innovation economy. His hope is the state will answer the call to become the one and only national center for semiconductor manufacturing, a designation he believes will attract and retain a population of professionals.
When asked about calls for the resignation of Rep. George Santos, under fire for fabricating large parts of his resume, Tonko said the New York Republican had abused one of the most paramount components of serving in a legislative capacity at any level.
“The trust between the representative and the representative’s constituents is powerful and essential, and once that trust is eroded, I don’t think you can serve in an effective capacity,” he said.
Tonko also commented on the Department of Justice investigation into President Joe Biden following the discovery of additional classified documents found at his Delaware residence and former offices, stating that the incident is unacceptable and that important documents should never be housed in a situation where they “can fall into the wrong hands.”
He did, however, compare the situation to the September raid of former President Donald Trump’s residence at his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida, where FBI agents found a trove of classified documents. With the documents discovered in relation to fellow Democrat Biden being “acknowledged and addressed to the National Archives within a day or so,” Tonko said the incident differs from Trump’s “resisting efforts of government to secure those documents” and “not responding to a subpoena.”
Tonko assailed the House Republicans’ introduction of the H.R. 23 bill to rescind funding made available to the IRS through the Inflation Reduction Act that enabled the agency to crack down on large corporations and high-income individuals who cheat on their taxes. The Congressional Budget Office estimated that passage of the legislation would increase the deficit by more than $114 billion over 10 years.
Overall, the congressman’s outlook following the first two weeks of the new legislative session is grim. Tonko said House Democrats are focused on continuing to forge ahead on bolstering a clean energy innovation economy, driving down the cost of health care and making certain that “the path forward is one of progress for the American public and for the American business community.”