Congressman Paul Tonko (D-NY) today asked Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) to cancel recess, citing an extensive list of tasks left untouched by the House Majority. The U.S. House of Representatives now stands in recess for almost six weeks until Tuesday, September 8. Tonko released the following statement in support of his request.

“For every other hard-working American, if your job performance reflects the lack of progress the House of Representatives has made this year, you don’t leave the office for six weeks,” said Tonko. “My colleagues and I do important work both in Washington and in the districts we represent, but there are more tasks at hand than ever before that the House must tackle if we are to strengthen the middle-class and boost those struggling to enter it.

“For years, the Republican-led House Majority has ignored the voices of their constituents related to the Voting Rights Act, comprehensive immigration reform, a long-term highway bill, or any of the countless other challenges the American people continue to ask to be addressed in poll after poll after poll.

“With the House now in recess for forty consecutive days until September 8, I continue to urge the Speaker to bring us back, re-open the House, and get to work for the American people.”

Tonko listed a sample of the issues he believes the House needs to tackle before having left town:

·        Long Term Reauthorization of the Highway Trust Fund: While uncertainty dominates many infrastructure projects and jobs in the Capital Region and across the nation, the House recently passed legislation to keep the Highway Trust Fund afloat – but only for three months. Tonko has called for a robust, multi-year reauthorization that allows states and cities to plan for aggressive infrastructure improvements that boost public safety, put people to work, and promote business development.

·        Renew Export-Import Bank: House Republicans allowed the Export-Import Bank’s authorization to run out without any signal the body would work with Democrats or the Republican-led United States Senate to renew the agency. The Export-Import Bank supported 164,000 jobs and reduced the deficit by $675 million in fiscal year 2014, and supports major employers in the Capital Region. Rep. Tonko has called for the long-term renewal of the Export-Import Bank and has cosponsored legislation that would authorize the agency through 2022.

·        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 left the legislation untouched for more than a year and prospects of immigration reform remain 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.

·        When Women Succeed, America Succeeds: In an effort to strengthen families in Upstate New York and across the nation, this agenda calls for standard paid family leave, equal pay for equal work, and hiking the minimum wage.

·        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.

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