news

"... it is a good first step in making the improvements desperately needed in the way our nation looks at mental health...," said Tonko. Read more »

Bearing witness to the success stories of those who battle substance use drives me to push for policies that will expand the opportunity to recover to everyone Read more »

These obstacles are simply untenable for my constituents and New York State as a whole. I intend to oppose the bill. Read more »

Addiction is something that touches all of our lives at some point, whether personally or through family and friends, and it's time to rethink our approach to providing assistance to those struggling through some of the most challenging times imaginable. Read more »

“This is yet another example of the benefits Upstate New York has seen from the Affordable Care Act, more than six years after health care reform was signed into law,” added Tonko. Read more »

Congressman Paul Tonko (NY-20) today reacted to President Barack Obama’s final budget request of his administration with praise for support of several priorities rarely in the national discussion – but also with disappointment and urgency for Obama to press Congress for higher, more ambitious and realistic funding levels for our nation’s failing water infrastructure. “Many of our pipes… Read more »

This month, Congressman Paul Tonko (NY-20) coauthored a letter with seven of his colleagues from Upstate New York, urging the Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) Michael Botticelli to host a community forum in Upstate New York with the aim of advancing the state’s efforts to fight overdoses, particularly those resulting from heroin and prescription drug use. Read more »

In recent years, we have witnessed the increasing pain and suffering inflicted by heroin and opioid addiction in communities in our districts and across the country. We, like many of our constituents, have seen firsthand how this tragic epidemic has affected our own friends and loved ones, and by sharing their stories we hope to put a face to the addiction crisis. The statistics… Read more »

We too often forget that those struggling with mental illness are constantly forced to fight a battle on two fronts. Not only do they have to grapple with themselves  --  with their own thoughts and mind  --  but they also have to contend with the negative assumptions made about those with mental illness, which are pervasive in our society. Those stereotypes, though, are hardly a… Read more »