PHOTOS AND VIDEO: Empire State Voices Joins Long Island Advocacy Groups for Rally Outside Rep. D’Esposito’s Office
Rep. D’Esposito is Expected to Support an Upcoming GOP Tax Package, Prioritizing Large Corporations and the Ultra-Wealthy Over His Constituents
LONG ISLAND, NEW YORK — Today, Empire State Voices joined Make the Road New York, New York Communities for Change, Long Island Progressive Coalition, New York Working Families Party, MoveOn, Planned Parenthood of Greater New York, and Bend the Arc Jewish Action for a mock carnival and press conference calling out Rep. Anthony D’Esposito’s support of the extreme MAGA circus in Congress. After the event, Empire State Voices launched a digital billboard highlighting the issue to drive around the district.
ESV Mobile Billboard | Credit: DYLAN WHEELER / ESV
In the first seven months since taking office, Rep. D’Esposito has voted to protect wealthy and corporate tax cheats, give corporations $6 billion in tax breaks, and make it harder for seniors to access the Social Security and Medicare benefits they earned. He is expected to vote in favor of an upcoming GOP tax package that gives tax breaks to the richest Americans—another addition to the growing list of votes he’s taken that prioritize large corporations and the ultra-wealthy over his constituents.
“New Yorkers deserve to know that their representative in Congress is fighting for their best interests and working to make life more affordable here in the district,” said Jay Brandon, Organizing Director at Empire State Voices. “Rep. D’Esposito has proven to be far more interested in joining the MAGA circus in Washington. Time and time again, he’s put the interests of the ultra-wealthy and big corporations over those of his constituents. Enough is enough. We’re here today demanding that Rep. D’Esposito start putting the people of NY-04 first and vote NO on the upcoming GOP Tax Scam.”
“After less than a year in office, Congressman D’Esposito has shown time and time again that his loyalties lie with the MAGA circus in Washington, not with his constituents here on Long Island,” said Yehovani Villalobos, a member of Make the Road New York. “This spring, D’Esposito voted to cut healthcare and education so he could hand down huge tax cuts to billionaires and corporations. He voted to cut Medicaid, cut more than 100 thousand teaching jobs, and slash nutrition programs that feed people struggling to make ends meet. By voting for these bills, D’Esposito broke his campaign promise to never support cuts to Medicaid, betraying the trust of Long Islanders who voted for him.”
“Representative D’Esposito is making a mockery of the Long Islanders he claims to represent,” said Peggy Perkins, Leader of New York Communities for Change. “We’re dressed up as clowns today because D’Esposito’s approach to governing is a joke, voting for the same terrible policies as MAGA extremists like Marjorie Taylor Greene, Lauren Boebert, and more. We want to thank you all for showing up here today to expose D’Esposito’s political circus for what it is: ridiculous, laughable, and full of MAGA clowns. By gathering today, we are sending a clear message that Long Islanders deserve and demand better from their politicians. D’Esposito thinks he’s getting away with ignoring his constituents and their needs. We’re here to show him he is not getting away with it!”
“Congressman D’Esposito’s priorities are absolutely backward,” said Katie Hawkland, Organizing Director of Long Island Progressive Coalition. “Time and time again, he has voted to cut services vital to our Long Island communities while supporting huge tax giveaways to his billionaire friends. Long Island Progressive Coalition calls upon D’Esposito to remember who he represents: his constituents here in CD-04, who he was elected to advocate for as a public servant.”
“Leadership matters. Who represents Long Island in Washington, DC, matters,” said Paul Bua representative of MoveOn. “Instead of working for [constituents] to grow the middle class and solve the affordability crisis, D’Esposito’s MAGA complicity with the rich and wealthy only exacerbates the affordability crisis and demonstrates MAGA Republicans do not govern for the [constituents], but for their ‘fat-cat’ upside down circus. We deserve better.”
“D’Esposito recently voted in favor of provisions as part of the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2024. One of those was to remove access to abortion rights and healthcare for those in the military, and the other was to remove access to gender-affirming care,” said Bailey Elis, a volunteer with Planned Parenthood of Greater New York. “D’Esposito is fighting to strip that care from those who have fought for our country.”
“As a CD-03 resident, I want the people of CD-04 to know that thanks to D’Esposito’s cowardice and lies, we are stuck with [Representative George] Santos,” said Paula Frome, representative of Bend the Arc Jewish Action. “He bleats about how Santos should not be in Congress, but the very moment that there was the opportunity to actually get rid of him, he does the will of his MAGA overlord and buries the issue in the ethics committee. We think that our fellow Long Islanders in CD-04 need to know that D’Esposito does not keep his promises and will sell us out to the MAGA crowd at the first opportunity. He will vote against our economic interests and in favor of things that hurt ordinary Long Islanders.”
Advocates outside Rep. D’Esposito’s district office | Credit: JAY BRANDON / ESV
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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.
