February 28, 2026
Dear Friends,
Since its inception, the State of the Union has served as an opportunity for the President to fulfill his annual duty to address Congress and the nation on the most pressing issues of the moment and to outline a list of legislative and policy recommendations that respond to those issues.
The long, rambling speech we heard from President Trump on Tuesday was a far cry from that most basic protocol. Instead, what we heard was more than 100 minutes of lies, deflection, and delusion — with little to no solutions to address the major challenges facing our country, including on the economy, national security, immigration, and more.
Knowing we would hear nothing but lies and more fearmongering about our immigrant communities, I invited Lauren DesRosiers, head of Albany Law School's Immigration Law Clinic, as my guest for the State of the Union to help shed light on the realities of ICE’s brutal immigration crackdown. Lauren shared with me how the actions of the Trump administration in our Capital Region and beyond are instilling terror and hardship on people, including those who are here legally and are simply trying to live their lives and contribute to our communities.
Lauren powerfully emphasized how the lack of due process and respect for the rule of law has made all of us — not just our immigrant population — less safe, saying that this administration has shown us that “We are only as safe as the most vulnerable people among us.” I’m so grateful for her work to inform people of their rights in the face of this unlawful and chaotic crackdown by ICE. I’ll continue to call for action that protects our communities while responsibly enforcing our nation’s immigration laws. That action must start with abolishing ICE, which has lost all credibility, and taking measures that center safety and sanity.
Trump’s ignorance of the realities facing our nation was also made crystal clear in his assessment of our economy.
If you’re a working American struggling with rising prices who was hoping to hear a plan from the president about how to tackle rising costs and address the affordability crisis, instead you listened to almost two hours of President Trump patting himself on the back about a self-proclaimed “Golden Age” in America and how “we are winning too much.” He centered his disastrous tariffs as a principal reason for these supposed economic gains. The truth is that Trump’s tariffs are nothing more than a sales tax on Americans that forced families to shoulder an average of $1,745 in additional costs last year.
Days ago, the Supreme Court ruled that Trump’s tariffs are illegal. But instead of abiding by that justified ruling and outlining how he is going to refund people the money taken by his disastrous policies, Trump doubled down. He announced further sweeping 15 percent global tariffs, bringing further hardship and uncertainty for countless families and businesses.
During his speech, Trump pushed yet another false claim about the economy — this time on energy costs. Despite promising to cut energy bills in half during his first year in office, household electric bills have spiked by 13 percent across the nation. I led a letter with more than 50 of my colleagues in the House demanding the president take immediate steps to lower costs for consumers. Some of the action items I called for include:
- Re-enacting energy cost savings tax credits;
- Ending tariffs or providing exemptions from tariffs on equipment, materials, and components needed for energy projects;
- Reversing terminations of previously awarded energy grants; and
- Driving additional funds to the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) and the Weatherization Assistance Program.
All of these proposals would provide meaningful relief to Americans while improving the long-term outlook on energy prices. You can bet I’ll continue pushing for this administration to take this action and do right by our communities — because the American people deserve better than more blatant lies and broken promises.
My mission in Congress continues to be making life better for people here in our Capital Region and beyond. I’ll keep fighting to bring about a real “Golden Age” for America that delivers for working people — not a gilded lie that only benefits the wealthiest and most powerful.
As always, thank you for reading.
Your friend,
DID YOU KNOW?
My office and I are working to make sure you remain informed with the latest updates and recommendations from governments and agencies. With that in mind, here is some information that may be of interest to you:
- I’ll be holding a ‘Grants 101’ webinar next week alongside representatives from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA).
- WHEN: Wednesday, March 4th, at 1:00PM.
- Established by Congress in 1965, the National Endowment for the Arts is an independent federal agency that is the largest funder of the arts and arts education in communities nationwide and a catalyst of public and private support for the arts. By advancing opportunities for arts participation and practice, the NEA fosters and sustains an environment in which the arts benefit everyone in the United States.
- Register for the workshop HERE.
- Please include any questions or comments you have for our agency representatives when registering. After completing the registration form, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
- You are welcome to share this invitation with anyone that may be interested in attending. We look forward to seeing you on the 4th!
