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As the U.S. House of Representatives is scheduled to gavel out for a staggering 53 days, Congressman Paul D. Tonko (D-NY) today asked Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-WI) to cancel the planned recess, citing an extensive list of issues left unaddressed by the House Majority. After votes concluded last Thursday, the House will now stand in recess for more than seven weeks until Tuesday, September 6.

“Simply put, Congress must do its job. If anyone else put up the disappointing performance that Congress has this year at their own job, they wouldn’t get to take off for seven weeks,” said Tonko. “My colleagues and I do important work both in Washington and in the districts we represent, but our to-do list is a mile long in Congress, and we should have stayed in Washington to meet these challenges.

“Since 2011, the Republican-led House Majority has ignored the voices of those seeking better infrastructure, immigration reform, updates to the Voting Rights Act, and progress on countless other issues. This summer, we have pressing public health crises which remain unaddressed. Let’s get to work on a response to a potential Zika outbreak, the opioid epidemic, and gun violence in our communities.

“With the House now in recess for 53 days until September 6, I continue to urge Speaker Ryan to bring us back, re-open the House, and get to work and do our jobs for the American people.”

Currently, only 17 more legislative days remain on the calendar before Election Day on November 8, as the House is also scheduled to recess for the entire month of October. Tonko listed a sample of the issues he believes the House should have tackled before leaving town:

·         Water Infrastructure: Our national water infrastructure is in dire need of repair and replacement. As cities like Albany sit on pipes as old as the Rutherford B. Hayes administration, Congress continues to punt on an ambitious plan to protect our most precious natural resource: water. Tonko introduced the AQUA Act in February to force Washington to get real about what we must do to bring our water infrastructure into the 21^st century.

·         Zika Funding: The House GOP has blocked meaningful emergency funding to address the Zika crisis for four months, most recently tying Zika legislation to an assault on women’s access to comprehensive health care. Tonko supports the President’s request from February of $1.9 billion in emergency funding to support the full range of activities needed to prevent, detect, and respond to the Zika virus and its serious associated health effects.

·         Gun Violence Prevention: 91 Americans die each day from gun violence in our communities and, after the horrific tragedies in Orlando and Dallas, the House GOP could not reach consensus to bring a bill drafted by the gun lobby to the House Floor for a vote. Tonko participated in the historic House sit-in last month and continues to make the case for legislation that expands background checks, blocks suspected terrorists from purchasing firearms, and lifts the 20-year ban that currently blocks the Centers for Disease Control from researching the health effects of gun violence.

·         Mental Health and Opioid Epidemic: The House recently made progress on mental health reform, but the House Majority continues to balk on a comprehensive plan that provides communities with the resources they need to help people.

·         Comprehensive Immigration Reform: In June of 2013, the United States Senate passed bipartisan legislation that would boost the economy, cut the deficit by almost $1 trillion over the next two decades, and address the reality of 11 million undocumented individuals living in the country. The House continues to leave immigration reform untouched and prospects of a comprehensive plan getting a vote remains as unlikely and uncertain as ever.

·         American Jobs Act: A fully paid-for legislative plan that boosts exports, pursues a national manufacturing strategy, reshores jobs, and promotes the Capital Region’s innovation economy.

·         Voting Rights Act: Voting rights for all Americans took a major step back with a June 2013 Supreme Court decision that cleared the path for states make the democratic process onerous and more difficult for those at the ballot box. However, the Supreme Court put the ball back in Congress’ court, which has yet to act to update the Voting Rights Act – a legislative action that passed the House 390-98 in 2006. Rep. Tonko is a cosponsor of the Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2015, which has yet to receive a hearing in the House of Representatives.

·         Get Big Money Out of Politics: Recent Supreme Court decisions like Citizens United have put more political power in the hands of the country’s ultra-wealthy, while taking voices away from the vast majority of Americans. Congressman Tonko has cosponsored legislation and even a Constitutional Amendment that reduces the increasing power that money has in the modern American political system.

·         Act On Climate: Congress continues to operate with no clear national energy policy. The House continues to pass dangerous legislation that boosts polluters, harms public health, and fails to promote clean energy sources that reduces the nation’s dependency on fossil fuels. Tonko is the co-chair of the House Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition and works with his colleagues to advance policies to arrest global warming, foster innovation, promote clean and efficient energies, and protect our nation’s clean air, water and natural environment. He is also a member of the conference committee tasked with reconciling difference between comprehensive energy bills passed by the House and Senate.

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