August 23, 2025

Dear Friends,

Amidst the seemingly endless deluge of breaking news and major events across our nation and the world, it remains my mission to center the needs of our Capital Region and all who call it home. While far from an exhaustive list, here are some updates on my latest week working on behalf of our district.

Denouncing ICE’s illegal activity

Over these last few months, we’ve seen increased ICE activity in our district and across the nation. I’ve heard from constituents — some individuals who witnessed these arrests, or whose friends and neighbors were taken — who are deeply concerned by the apparent denial of due process and who are desperate for answers.

I traveled to the Buffalo Federal Detention Facility in Batavia this week to try to get those answers. This visit was even more urgent given the results of a report from ICE’s Office of the Inspector General from an unannounced facility inspection earlier this summer. The report found the facility and ICE staff were not in compliance with federal law and used excessive, inappropriate force, including striking detainees and spraying them with pepper spray.

Despite the pressing need for oversight and in violation of federal law that grants me and all Members of Congress access to these facilities, I was denied at the gate. The facility guards blocking my entry went so far as to confirm that they knew they were in violation of the law. If they are fine ignoring the legal rights of a Member of Congress, what does that mean for our own communities and individuals who are detained?

This fight is far from over.  My office will return to this facility in the future to try to make contact with detainees from our district. I will continue to call out ICE’s and this administration’s unlawful policies that limit access and undermine transparency. And I won’t stop standing up for our immigrant communities and for due process.

Protecting our public broadcasting

Whether it’s the magic of Sesame Street sparking curiosity and joy in a child, PBS NewsHour bringing clarity to the headlines, or Morning Edition on WAMC connecting us with the world and our community, public, independent media is an essential part of our daily lives.

But today, public media is facing a crisis. Last month, the Trump administration and Republicans in Congress pushed through legislation that slashed $1.1 billion from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the backbone that keeps PBS, NPR, and local stations like WMHT and WAMC on the air. 70 percent of CPB funding goes directly to local public media stations — making it a lifeline for rural and underserved areas, where public broadcasting is sometimes the only reliable source of news, educational programming, and emergency alerts.

This week, I stood with WMHT and WAMC to reiterate my commitment to restoring this funding and keeping our local stations strong — because an informed public is not optional. It is the foundation of a free nation. I’ll keep up that fight to ensure our public media can continue to inform, educate, delight, and serve our communities.

Standing up for health care and reproductive health

Planned Parenthood has long been a punching bag in Republicans’ war against reproductive health care. One of the many painful cuts in Trump’s budget law, the so-called “One Big Beautiful Bill” is a provision to end Medicaid payments to Planned Parenthood for one year.

This will have massive ramifications for communities, far beyond just women’s reproductive health. Planned Parenthood delivers critical health care to communities, including birth control, cancer screenings, and even wellness exams and blood pressure screenings. If these centers are forced to close their doors, more than 1.1 million patients could lose access to care. Further, a recent independent, non-partisan report estimates that defunding Planned Parenthood would cost American taxpayers $52 million over the next decade.

I’ll do everything in my power to prevent these cuts. This week, I visited Upper Hudson Planned Parenthood Health Center with my colleague from Massachusetts, Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley, to speak with facility staff and leadership about the impact of these proposed cuts and about how we can support their vital work on behalf of our region. I’ll keep standing up and speaking up for affordable, accessible health care for all, no matter their gender or zip code.

I know, with so much going on in our communities, state, nation, and world, it’s beyond challenging to stay on top of it all. That’s why I’m so thankful for all of you for continuing to remain invested and engaged.

Thank you, as always, for reading. I’ll do my best, now and always, to ensure you remain informed and to never slow down in my work on behalf of our Capital Region community.

Your friend,

DID YOU KNOW?

My office and I are working to make sure you remain informed with the latest updates, announcements, and recommendations from governments and agencies. With that in mind, here is some information that may be of interest to you:

• There are only a few days left to nominate someone for the for the Tobacco Products Scientific Advisory Committee (TPSAC).
• The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is seeking to fill five vacancies in the TPSAC with physicians, dentists, scientists, or health care professionals practicing in oncology, pulmonology, cardiology, toxicology, pharmacology, addiction, engineering, or any other relevant specialty.
  • Included in the five vacancies is one vacancy for a representative of the general public, and one vacancy for an employee of federal, state, or local government.
• Selected members will be invited to serve for terms of up to four years, which will begin on Feb. 1, 2026, after the current members’ terms expire.
• All nominations for membership should be sent electronically to the FDA Advisory Nomination Portal or by mail to Advisory Committee Oversight and Management Staff.
• The deadline for voting in nominations is August 25^th, 2025.
• See the Federal Register notice for further details on the nomination and selection procedures. Nominations received after Aug. 25, 2025, will be considered for nomination to the committee as later vacancies occur.