[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 70 (Wednesday, April 26, 2023)] [House] [Pages H2044-H2046] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
Date: 2023-04-26
Chamber: HOUSE
Mr. SANTOS: today I rise to address my first 100 days in Congress. As freshmen Members of Congress, we arrive in D.C. with a ``Mr. Smith Goes to Washington'' mentality. As you walk through these Halls for the first time, you realize that you are now a part of history. Like any new kid on the block, there is a learning curve. Although my learning curve might be slightly different compared to others, what I can say is that mistakes will be made, lessons learned, but speaking as a freshman, try to give yourself a grace period and learn to grow. Despite everything, I have learned and grown over the past 100 days in Congress. If only I could figure out how to navigate the Rayburn building. In 100 days, little did I know that I would introduce 11 bills of my own, be a cosponsor of 63 bills, and see three of those cosponsored bills pass in the House. Each of us, both Republicans and Democrats, are here because we individually believe that we can improve not just our congressional districts but our country. We may not always agree, but like any freshman Member, I am learning to find some common ground. One thing that is financially hurting not just my constituents, but all New Yorkers are the State and local taxes, also known as SALT. The first bill I introduced is H.R. 1260, the SALT Relief Act. The State of New York's top marginal individual income tax rate is 10.9 percent, making it the third highest top marginal income tax rate in the country after California and Hawaii. My constituents who specifically reside in Nassau County pay some of the highest property taxes in the country. My SALT bill aims to increase the $10,000 cap to $50,000. According to the Tax Foundation, the average SALT amount--property tax liability or sales tax liability--reported among itemizing filers was $30,227. Sadly, due to the $10,000 cap, the average SALT deduction was $9,023. I am aware that my district is a combination of affluent neighborhoods with famous constituents like Billy Joel, but it also includes the middle and working classes. This is not about handing out tax relief to the wealthy. It is about real tax relief for all Americans. In addition to my SALT bill, I recently introduced the Alimony Relief Act. Both of my bills are constituent-driven bills that seek additional deductions for taxpayers who are required to submit government-directed payments. The Alimony Relief Act is the classic example of a constituent who contacted my office, explained in great detail the issue that they were having with the government, and asking for my assistance. The issue is that they are paying income taxes on money they won't be able to spend themselves. For State tax purposes, alimony may be taxable income to the recipient and tax deductible to the individual obligated to pay spousal support. My alimony bill aims to implement that tax deduction for Federal purposes. Most of my legislative priorities in Congress are driven to provide economic relief, not just to my constituents but to all Americans. We must take a deep dive into the amount of foreign aid that the United States provides to countries who apply barbaric practices to those based on gender or sexual orientation. My bills, H.R. 2404 and H.R. 1736, both send a clear message that we should be standing up to countries that enforce policies that limit individuals to freely exercise any religion, and enrolling in or attending any educational institution. For example, in 2019, the foreign assistance statistic by country is staggering. I will not read off every country, but Afghanistan, we were providing them with a grand total of $4.8 trillion. To break it down, that is $1.2-plus trillion for economic aid and $3.6-plus billion in aid since the United States withdrew from Afghanistan. Restrictions on women's rights increased exponentially, including freedom of speech. In addition, institutions designed to support human rights were either shut down or severely limited. Another accomplishment since the Republicans took back the House, we have made great strides with putting an end to COVID-19.  {time}  1845  We passed a resolution terminating the COVID-19 national emergency declaration and passed the Pandemic is Over Act. In addition, I have introduced H.R. 2631, a bill called the Medical Information Nuanced Accountability Judgement Act. Medical freedom is an absolute right, and any Federal Government should not impose a mandate that requires individuals to receive a vaccine that has not been properly authorized for at least 10 years. My bill would help restore our military readiness. As a result of the Biden administration's vaccine mandate, more than 3,400 men and women were being involuntarily separated. Under the MINAJ Act, this would not be the case. While I look forward to the day when one of my bills passes, I can say that it is amazing to see three bills that I have cosponsored pass. House Republicans have made a commitment to put the country first and to reverse consistently bad policies from the Biden administration. Last week, we passed the Protection of Women and Girls Sports Act. I joined my colleagues to cosponsor a bill that protects biological women in sports. Over the last couple of years, biological women have been on the receiving end of an unfair disadvantage by competing against transgender male athletes. While the left calls this discrimination against transgender athletes, we simply call it as it is: robbing women of their hard-earned athletic achievements. I am proud to have cosponsored H.R. 5, the Parents Bill of Rights Act. Since House Republicans have taken the majority, we continue to build a future that allows for parents to be the primary stakeholders in their children's education. We are making their voices heard. Every parent has the right to know what their children are being taught and to be updated on their school's budget, spending, and, most importantly, when there is violent activity at school. One of the first bills I proudly cosponsored was the REIN In Act. Since President Biden was sworn into office, we have seen reckless government spending, historically high inflation that is harming the livelihoods of the American people, and small businesses that are still recovering from the pandemic. We demand transparency from the administration, and this bill would require the Office of Management and Budget to prepare a report including inflationary effects for any executive action with an estimated impact of at least $1 billion. The White House must report these findings to Congress each year to increase transparency over their actions. If I have learned anything in the past 100 days, it is that being a Member of Congress goes beyond spending time in our Nation's Capital. Spending as much time in our congressional districts as possible is a major key to success. As I split my time between Washington, D.C., and my district, there is one thing I can say for certain: Our best government is local. The mayors and other local government workerstruly know what is best for their communities and what kind of funds are needed from both the State and Federal levels. It is my goal to do all that I can to bring back funding to local towns in my district that will better their communities. Since opening my district office, I cannot begin to say how grateful I am for their hard work and commitment to helping my constituents directly with real issues and assisting them with requests that we can provide at the Federal level. My office has received 238 cases and resolved 143 of them. The top issues in New York's Third Congressional District are passports and immigration. As a reminder, this is a freshman office, and I do anticipate that the more we help, the more people will walk through our doors. I personally have taken constituent calls, some good, some not so good. At the end of the day, that is part of the job, and there is not much I can do about it. Whether they vote for you or not, you are their Member of Congress, and you work for them. I commonly say I have 700,000 employers, and I work for each and every one of them. During my time in the district, I have met with local government officials and discussed their concerns affecting their communities. It has been a privilege to work collaboratively with them and help secure Federal funding to help better our communities. The cities and towns of NY-3 asking for Federal assistance include Sands Point, Old Westbury, Port Washington, Belgrave, Great Neck, and Farmingdale. Their requests are centered around water filtration, public safety, and water infrastructure. These are issues that many communities face, and while they may not sound flashy, these are the matters of public health and the lives of our constituents, and the God-given right to clean water. One of the benefits of living in New York's Third Congressional District is having the privilege of honoring the dedicated men and women of the U.S. Coast Guard Sector Long Island Sound and Sector New York. While most of us take it for granted, the U.S. Coast Guard carries out more than just search and rescue missions. They protect our border, and they are the law enforcement branch of the U.S. Armed Forces. Having recently spent some time touring the Eaton's Neck station, all I could think of was how I could do more for them. The Coast Guard has made great strides in up-to-date equipment, yet they are still severely underfunded. Their search and rescue operations have increased by over 30 percent, and sadly, fatalities have gone up 20 percent since COVID. You see, Mr. Speaker, in New York's Third Congressional District, we have a lot of water activity, and with that, it created this new boater community that drove folks to the water in the absolute boredom of the pandemic, so that also increased the work activity for our Coast Guard. They mentioned that there are things boaters can do that can easily prevent some of these rescues, including buying a high-frequency radio for your boat, which allows communications between other boats and, most importantly, the Coast Guard.  Another thing that I took away from our tour, and I will continue to state it publicly, is to dress for the water, not the weather. Although it might be 80, 90 degrees outside, the water is still 40 degrees, so 15 minutes in the water and hypothermia kicks in. That just worsens the odds of a successful rescue. What I am saying tonight may sound boring, but part of the job is about listening. As a reminder, these unsung heroes safely evacuated over 500,000 people from Manhattan to escape New York City during 9/11, and now they are facing the potential of offshore turbines, which pose a major concern for the Coast Guard. Having previously stated that there has been an increase in search and rescue operations mainly due to the pandemic, having approximately 3,000 offshore wind turbines will pose a real concern for future search and rescue. Their helicopters would have to carefully traverse a waterway during a rescue operation without getting caught up in the wind turbines, in addition to Coast Guard vessels having difficulties with their radar capabilities navigating in and around these windmills. I will also add that the construction of these turbines can take up to 15 to 20 years to build, resulting in an expected 1,800 transits up the Hudson River from the Port of New York out to the sea. This places a huge responsibility on the shoulders of the Coast Guard to ensure the safety of all types of boaters and vessels. When meeting with members of the Coast Guard, there was something that stuck out, and it was their personal well-being. Men and women sometimes carry out very serious and dangerous missions at sea, which can be long and lonely. They sometimes have difficulties finding mental health services due to a limited budget. Some are utilizing food pantries and are unable to afford housing. Besides our gratitude, we should be doing more to invest in the Coast Guard. They protect our seacoasts, economic and security interests abroad, and, above all, save thousands of lives per year. This Friday evening, we will be announcing the New York Third Congressional District's winner of the 2023 Congressional Art Competition. Since I have been in Washington, I have always been amazed by the plethora of talent from high school students whose art hangs in the Cannon Tunnel heading toward the Capitol. I look forward to meeting with these students, learning about their talents, and hearing about their next steps in life. Water contamination is probably the last thing that one might associate with Long Island. Unfortunately, it is a fact. A local village in New York's Third District, Farmingdale, has been plagued with an ongoing water contamination issue, which has been declared an emergency since July 2021. Recently, I met with the mayor of Farmingdale, along with an environmental advocate, to discuss the ongoing issue, the strides they are making, and the Federal assistance requested to ease the financial burden on the taxpayers. In my district, the water contaminants, including PFAS, which are also known as forever chemicals, are impacting the water supply wells, which operate nearly 2 million gallons per day. This opened my eyes and made me truly see the positive side of public service. When political differences can be set aside, we can roll up our sleeves, show how we can find common ground, and work together for the greater good. While Annapolis has the Naval Academy, in New York's Third District, we have the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy located in Kings Point. It trains midshipmen as officers in the Merchant Marine Reserve. Like the Coast Guard, the academy needs more than $300 million in Federal funds to rehabilitate dilapidated buildings. Other long-term projects include the construction of academic buildings and projects to protect the waterfront basin of rickety piers. Since they opened their doors in 1943 on Long Island, we have taken great pride in being the home of the Merchant Marine Academy. Students come from all across the country to receive a quality education in our backyard. It is my hope to work closely with the academy, as well as the Department of Transportation's Maritime Administration, and see what we can do at the Federal level to continue to improve the infrastructure at the academy. These have been the last hundred days from my perspective, but as many of my colleagues have already said, we have only just begun. One final item before I wrap up. I want to talk about neuropathy. Neuropathy is a medical condition that results in damage to the nerves outside the brain and spinal cord. Those who suffer from neuropathy experience weakness and numbness, which typically occurs in the hands or feet. This can be incredibly painful and debilitating, and many are unable to live normal lives. This is also known as the suicide disease, due to limited effective treatments and because there is no cure. In February, I brought a guest to attend the State of the Union who suffers from neuropathy. He is a former volunteer firefighter named MichaelWeinstock, and he was assigned to the bucket brigade at Ground Zero. His responsibilities with the bucket brigade included finding survivors and removing rubble from the World Trade Center. In 2016, the World Trade Center Health Program was petitioned to add peripheral neuropathy to its list of covered conditions, which it declined to do. In 2017, an FDNY responder again petitioned the program to add peripheral neuropathy to its covered conditions list. Unfortunately, the World Trade Center Health Program declined to update its list a second time, citing insufficient evidence.  {time}  1900  It is sad that a bill needs to be introduced in the first place on this floor. My staff and I are in the process to find out why neuropathy is not recognized as a valid condition under the World Trade Center Health Program. The timeline for adding a condition is painfully slow, and it is frustrating to my constituents and others, who were impacted directly by the events of 9/11, who simply cannot wait any longer. As a Member of Congress, I can think of nothing more important than honoring our 9/11 first responders and see that neuropathy be included as a medical condition that is covered in the World Trade Center Health Program immediately. In my first 100 days, I can say without doubt that serving in Congress is a great honor and humbling, as any commitment to public service should be. I am eagerly looking forward to what the House GOP will achieve in the days and months ahead. Our Commitment to America will not waver. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.