Empire State Voices, New York Advocate Groups Demand Representation—Not More Lies & Stunts
Maria Martinez, Executive Director of Empire State Voices: “[New Yorkers] know how hard it is to make ends meet, and we expect our representatives to fight for us and stand with us in Congress. Congressmember George Santos does the exact opposite.”
LONG ISLAND, NEW YORK — Today, Empire State Voices was joined by local activists and grassroots organizations outside the Nassau County Courthouse to launch an advocacy and accountability campaign in New York’s 3rd Congressional District, represented by George Santos—who was recently indicted on criminal charges ranging from wire fraud and money laundering to theft of public funds.
Among those in attendance were 1199 SEIU, the Long Island Progressive Coalition, the New York Working Families Party, MoveOn, Concerned Citizens of NY-03, Students Against Santos, Common Defense, Reach Out America, Long Island Activists, and Bend the Arc. While the grievances against Santos were many, the sentiment was clear: NY-03 deserves a Representative looking out for their constituents' best interests. NY-03 deserves better than George Santos.
“We’re here today because Empire State Voices is joining this coalition of incredible activists to hold Congressman George Santos accountable,” said Maria Martinez, Executive Director of Empire State Voices. “New Yorkers are strong, resilient, and hardworking people. We know how hard it is to make ends meet, and we expect our representatives to fight for us and stand with us in Congress. Congressmember George Santos does the exact opposite. Over the last several months, Congressman George Santos has been revealed to be a liar and a fraud. … He is choosing to give more tax breaks to big corporations and make cuts to healthcare, education, and the food assistance programs millions of New Yorkers rely on.”
“Every day that Santos is a member of Congress is a day that the people of our district go without representation—which endangers our well-being while eroding our democracy,” said Kim Keiserman, Steering Committee Member of Concerned Citizens of NY-03. “We deserve to be represented by a serious policymaker who is dedicated to learning about the challenges facing our district and coming up with legislative solutions. Someone who has the respect of their colleagues and can work with members from both sides of the aisle on important issues.”
“The budget cuts proposed by the GOP and George Santos would have kicked 380,000 children out of care programs and would have taken food away from 1.7 million women and young children,” said Dr. Eve Meltzer-Krief, a local pediatrician. “It would have jeopardized the 7 million children who rely on the Children’s Health Insurance Program and the 35 million children enrolled in Medicaid. The effects of cuts to these programs would have been devastating for everyday families in every town on Long Island.”
“I'm here today as a healthcare worker. George Santos is a threat to our economy and our security,” said Claire Leon, a healthcare worker at Northwell Health and member of 1199 SEIU. “As a mother who has a daughter with mental illness, I need my healthcare, I need my insurance, I need every help that I can get so I can get my family where they need to be.”
“It’s easy to summarize Congressman Santos’ tenure in a couple of numbers—or rather, just one number: the number zero,” said Greg Leung, an NY-03 constituent. “Since his time in office, Mr. Santos has held a grand total of zero in-person town halls in this district. He's proposed a grand total of zero bills with any co-sponsors on them. … During his campaign, Congressman Santos promised that he would keep prices low, that he would lower taxes, that he would make it easier for us New Yorkers to make ends meet. And he has kept zero of those promises.”
“We expect our politicians to stand with us and to stand up for us in Congress. So, when the ‘Default on America Act’ was passed by the House GOP with the help of George Santos, which would have caused the cancellation of 30 million VA outpatient visits and the elimination of 81,000 VA jobs, I had to ask myself, “Who does that serve? Not the average New Yorker, not you or me,” said Lene Mees de Tricht, an Organizer with Common Defense. “Veterans across the nation, across New York, across Long Island, and right here in New York’s 3rd Congressional District are tired of being lied to. We’re tired of being scammed and screwed over, and we’re tired of the extremist agenda that hurts working-class New Yorkers!”
“We cannot have a representative who lies about every aspect of his life and then asks us to trust him when he is voting on the most consequential bills that affect New York working families,” said Peter Vladimir, Cohort 3 Leader with MoveOn. “While we struggle to pay high costs on healthcare, prescription drugs, housing, and utility costs, he is choosing to side with big corporations and the wealthy. Millions of New Yorkers rely on Social Security benefits and food assistance programs to help them feed their families. These are the programs that George Santos has voted against.”
“The people of New York's Third Congressional District deserve to be represented by someone who fights for them in Congress and has their best interests at heart,” said Alice Johnson, Co-Founder of Student Against Santos. “Not by someone who is uninspiring, a fraud, and a national joke.”
Empire State Voices was joined by local advocate groups and activists outside the Nassau County Courthouse | Credit: TODD CROSS
To learn more about the campaign, please reach out at press@empirestatevoices.org
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About Empire State Voices
Empire State Voices (ESV) is a multi-year campaign dedicated to amplifying the voices of everyday working New Yorkers. ESV is fighting for economic policies that make life more affordable for constituents and holding members of Congress across the state accountable when they fail to do the same.
