Title 42 Ends

President Trump implemented Title 42 to add additional strength in securing our borders during the COVID pandemic. The President’s secure the border policies, including building the border wall, were successful in stemming illegal immigration.

Of course, you need a President who understands that a federal priority, since our nation was Founded, is secure borders.

Title 42, as an emergency border measure during COVID, was going to expire at some point despite efforts to keep it in place. What comes next is what matters and once again Biden is letting the American people and, in particular, residents of Southern Border states down.

The 1,500 Federal troops he has sent to Texas are not there to work with Border Patrol to control the borders. They are there to assist in maintaining some degree of order once they cross with their often-spurious claim of asylum.

His announced implementation of a requirement that individuals first apply for asylum in a country they are traveling through on their way to the United States, has no effect on residents of Mexico attempting to enter America.  Additionally, it will be very difficult to document as gigantic loopholes are expected.

Regardless, the Biden Administration continues to use a band aid approach to an illegal immigration problem that is fueled by the cartels, terrorist organizations, and other criminal efforts to circumvent our laws.

I can think of a hundred reasons why Biden needs to be defeated. I would consider his failed border and immigration policies in the top five.

Assembly GOP Gets Important Win

Assembly Bill A2192 would end the ability of a landlord or property owner to check payment or credit history before signing a lease or going into a month-by-month tenancy.  Another dopey idea from the progressive Democrats who truly see property ownership as something the Bolsheviks eliminated a century ago. 

They have even more radical ideas awaiting.  Legislative review, such as the “good cause eviction” proposal that would, for all practical purposes, take away control of rental property decisions from the owner is just one more example.

Assembly Bill A2192 simply went too far. The Republicans, led by Republican Leader Will Barclay, intensely debated the bill. In a rare moment of common-sense in Albany over twenty Democrats agreed.

The end result was the Speaker pulled the bill from a vote before it was defeated. In essence the bill was killed in a very unusual way. Good work Leader Barclay, your members, and common-sense Democrats.

Memorial Day

It’s still a few weeks away but never too early to begin thinking of doing something to honor those who made the greatest possible sacrifice for our nation.

I plan to speak at a ceremony organized by the American Legion at Cypress Hills National Cemetery on Sunday, May 28th. On Monday I will participate in the Brooklyn Conservative Party’s 41st annual POW/MIA ceremony followed by marching with the Party in one of the nation’s oldest Memorial Day Parades which is held in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. My Wife and I will then gather with friends at a barbeque as we continue to celebrate Memorial Day.

As I believe all supporters of the Conservative Party know, Memorial Day is about those who died in service to our nation. Make a plan to celebrate Memorial Day that rings true to your belief in the greatness of America. As part of that plan bring along your children and/or grandchildren.  We often complain, correctly, that the school system does not teach them enough about our nation and its history.  This is a chance for you to share your love of our nation and those who have protected our way of life with them.

Unstable Budget

Give the Democratic progressives some credit when it comes to consistency in Government on both a state and city level.  Democratic-elected officials have put forward budgets that contain billions in new spending to be filled with new debt, new taxes and likely shortfalls due to non-existent federal money that the state government has factored into its $229 billion budget. It is worth noting NYC intends to withhold hundreds of millions in Medicaid reimbursements to help with the state budget but at the same time, significantly impacting local governments. 

New York City Mayor Eric Adams, a few days ago, submitted an almost $107 billion budget to the city council. In it he has a number of cuts but still claims to be $3 billion short due to migrant asylum seekers. The mayor is quick to blame the federal government for its poor border policies and New York State for not stepping up to the plate. What he fails to mention is the expressed intent of the city council to restore cuts further bloating the city’s fiscal plan.

On both the city and state level progressive Democrats are aligned with fiscally irresponsible mechanisms to drive up spending without a true balance that is not matched with the manageable debt, taxes, and fees.

The Conservative Party asked our over seventy elected officials in the Assembly and Senate to vote no on the key budget bills including the “big ugly.” Almost all of them did. The few others who didn’t will show up in our legislative ratings.

Say It Ain’t So

Talk about having your cake and eating it too. The New York State budget contains $25 million to keep the public financing program for statewide candidates, State Senate and Assembly races alive. However, it is hundreds of millions of dollars short of having the funds to actually do just that—fund the many campaigns.

If you are confused, I suspect my cynical answer will help clear the smoke screen of New York State government. The Democrats did not actually want to have primary opponents who were funded with taxpayer dollars. It simply takes away the incumbents advantage. Being good left-wing cronies, they did, however, want to continue to show support for taxpayer funded elections. There were dozens of political hires who were pulling down big dollars in setting up the guidelines and regulations for the big giveaway.

Even though they have very little to do currently, they will continue to get paid. The $25 million goes to pay for the patronage without Democrats risking funded primaries.

Make no mistake about it, the Conservative Party has, does, and will in the future continue to oppose taxpayer funded elections.

Save the Date

The New York State Conservative Party will be presenting Shaun Marie Levine, who served with distinction during her 28-year career as the Executive Director, with a new award named in honor of our great Chairman, Mike Long, at a reception Thursday, June 15th from 6:00 to 8:00 pm at the New York Athletic Club located in Manhattan.

Invitations will be coming soon.

NY GOP/CONSERVATIVE Congressional Delegation Supports “Limit, Save, Grow Act”

Our delegation has taken a responsible position on reducing federal spending while keeping the government from defaulting by voting for the “Limit, Save, Grow Act,” a proposal spanning more than 300 pages that would lift the debt ceiling by $1.5 trillion. The bill also cuts federal spending by $4.5 trillion.

With the United States having hit its borrowing authority, the country is staring down the barrel of defaulting on its bills without this action from Congress driven by the Republican caucus. 

Biden who has refused to come to the table to work out an agreement with a united GOP is running out of time. He needs to act like a leader and lead or find the country in an ominous position where it can’t pay its bills, further leading us down a dangerous path as the world watches.

Assemblyman Matt Slater Announces Bill to Protect New Yorkers from Foreign Enemies at Home

The New York State Conservative Party is calling for immediate passage of legislation sponsored by Assemblyman Matt Slater (R-C, Putnam/Westchester) that would prohibit China, Russia, and other nations of concern from purchasing real property throughout the Empire State.

The bill, A. 5301, follows the alarming arrests of Chinese Communist Party (CCP) intelligence officers who have been operating spy centers in New York City and across the nation. (These are CCP spy centers, not Chinese “police stations,” as they’ve been carelessly described.)

“Whether its spy balloons, cyber-attacks or the recent arrest of Chinese Communist Party agents in New York City, America is constantly under attack by foreign enemies,” Assemblyman Slater said. “This legislation will prohibit China, Russia, and any other nation of concern from owning property in the Empire State. New York must take action to protect its citizens and safeguard our property and natural resources from foreign influence.”                    Read my statement here.

Bad Idea: Automatic COLA Increases Attached to Minimum Wage

Many business owners have been clear that raising the minimum wage will result in them hiring fewer workers, giving out fewer raises, or a combination of both. Some are threatening to leave the state, something New Yorkers cannot afford as they have already seen far too many jobs leave to friendlier business climates.

Now the state is planning to attach cost of living increases to the minimum wage through the state budget. That eliminates a true minimum wage and creates a low wage that will become a permanent cap for many workers. The governor and legislature agreed to raise the state’s minimum wage incrementally over three years to $16 per hour upstate by 2026. After that, annual wage increases will be indexed to inflation, which at this rate under this administration, is crippling.

It usually is better to look before you leap.

Communist Chinese Outpost Discovered in NYC

Several arrests this week were made by the FBI in NYC resulting in an outpost of the Communist Chinese security police being discovered and ultimately closed. Among those being harassed by the Chinese agents was Yan Xiong a onetime candidate for Congress.

I have met and enjoyed conversing with Mr. Xiong. He was a student protestor in 1989 at Tiananmen Square. In fact, he is the young man in the famous photo standing in front of the tank in hopes of keeping it from moving forward. He eventually escaped China coming to the United States where he joined the Army and became a citizen. He rose to the rank of Major and along the way became a minister.

It appears the communists could not tolerate the possibility of Mr. Xiong going to Congress. As more and more details become public, there are many Americans and/or Chinese refugees who have experienced the wrath of Beijing while living in the United States.

This is intolerable. I have been in touch with members of our Congressional delegation concerning this disturbing story. To a person they are all speaking up demanding answers and pushing for definitive actions.

Inside City Hall

Political journalist Errol Lewis asked me to join him on NYC Spectrum’s nightly political show “Inside City Hall” to discuss the Party’s declaration that George Santos will not be considered for re-election and our often repeated desire that he resign. The story is being revisited because Santos this past week announced that he would be seeking reelection.

Lewis also inquired about the Party’s view of standout problems in the State Budget from our perspective. You will find our release on Santos here, our release on Cashless Bail here and a link to the interview here.

Honoring Shaun Marie Levine

Save the date on Thursday June 15th from 6pm to 8pm as the State Conservative Party will be honoring our recently retired longtime Executive Director Shaun Marie at a reception being held at the New York Athletic Club.

Shaun will be receiving a new award named in honor of Mike Long. I can hardly think of any award more appropriate for Shaun Marie. You will certainly be hearing more about what I believe will be a festive as well as an emotional evening. 

More details to follow in the coming weeks.