Faso Wants To Relieve Medicaid Burden On NY Taxpayers

KINDERHOOK, NY — Rep. John Faso, a Republican from Kinderhook, in Columbia County, is seeking a second two-year term representing the 19th Congressional District. He is a graduate of SUNY Brockport and received a law degree at Georgetown University.

Faso is the a former state Assemblyman and ran unsuccessfully for governor in 2006.

As a member of Congress, he has been appointed to the House budget, transportation, infrastructure and agriculture committees.

He and his wife, Mary Frances, have two adult children and live in Kinderhook.

Faso's campaign website can be visited by going here.

Patch reached out to candidates running in the Nov. 6 General Election and asked them to answer the same list of questions.

What are the biggest issues facing the Hudson River and Hudson Valley that affect your communities?

One of the most critical issues facing the Hudson River and the communities that call it home is outdated and deficient water/wastewater infrastructure. Years of neglect and under-funding have left our area's infrastructure behind. Many of our local communities utilize systems that rely on combined sewage systems to collect sewage and runoff from rain. Unfortunately, this outdated design is a relic from the last 1800s that dumps millions of gallons of polluted water into our river every year.

To address this issue, and others that impact our local infrastructure, I have used my position as a member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee to support commonsense infrastructure improvement programs. I helped lead legislation, the SRF WIN Act that supports and grows the Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF) and Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF). Specifically, this bill would increase the funding for both SRF programs and would streamline the application process and related fees to put greater control in the hands of local stakeholders.

How would you apply the adage ‘think globally, act locally’?

The opioid crisis is something I hear about nearly everywhere I go in Upstate New York. Over the past two years, I have met with local addiction specialists, law enforcement officials along with individuals and families directly impacted by the opioid epidemic. I have also convened roundtables and forums including one that was held in Dutchess County to understand the needs of the communities better and use that information to help develop solutions.

A frequent concern raised is the devastation brought by fentanyl and other synthetic opioids. Roughly 20,000 people died in 2016 as a result of overdosing on the synthetic opioid fentanyl. Most of the fentanyl that makes its way into our communities is produced in China. This Chinese fentanyl is then shipped through the Postal Service, which has historically not been able to use advanced tracking data to identify potential hazardous packages.

Just recently, the president signed into law a historic opioid package that included a bill I was the primary sponsor of in the House called the STOP Act. This bill would require the Postal Service to utilize advanced tracking data to identify packages that may contain synthetic opioids. By identifying repeat senders, and potential hazardous packages, we can significantly crack down on the amount of deadly fentanyl reaching our communities.

Property taxes are an issue for all our communities. What’s your position on the Shared Services projects? How would you bring school districts into that discussion?

Property taxes are a leading driver in the trend of people leaving the state of New York for places with lower taxes and a better business climate. We need to find ways to ensure property taxes are reasonable and used for services that have a direct impact on the communities that are collecting the taxes. At the federal level, I am working on ending New York's Medicaid mandate. One of the reasons that taxes are so high is that New York places the cost of Medicaid onto local property taxpayers. New York's Medicaid mandate costs local taxpayers in New York outside of NYC $2.3 billion every year that is more than the local taxpayers pay in the other 49 states combined.

I introduced a bill that would shift those costs back to state government and save the average taxpayer $300 to $500 a year on their property tax bill. This would require the governor and the state legislature to be responsible for their spending to meet their responsibilities instead of shifting it to the counties and local taxpayers.

What would your first priorities be if elected?

I would continue my work with the Bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus, of which I am a member, and fix the nation’s healthcare markets. The Affordable Care Act has not lived up to its promises, and we can’t allow for the status quo to continue. Health insurance that comes with an $8,000 deductible is useless for most families. Through bipartisan cooperation, we can fix what’s broken and bring about lasting change.

We also need to build upon the improvements we have made in combating the opioid crisis and overhauling the Veterans Administration. Just recently, the president signed historic legislation to combat the opioid crisis through enforcement, prevention and treatment. Additionally, the Veterans Administration has seen substantial changes over the past two years that will improve care for our veterans. However, we can’t rest on our laurels and become complacent. I will continue to work in a bipartisan fashion to overhaul the VA and ensure that Upstate veterans can obtain quality and timely care.

It’s a divisive election season — how would you serve all your constituents?

I’ve worked hard to represent each and every one of my constituents by making a real commitment to working across the aisle. Working in a bipartisan manner is the best way to ensure that we solve our nation’s most pressing challenges, while also ensuring that these solutions are long-lasting and productive. I’ve been ranked the 18th most bipartisan member out of 435 in the House of Representatives, and I plan to continue that approach if re-elected.

Additionally, I’ve made a real commitment to meeting with as many people as I can to learn their perspectives on the important issues. I’ve held over 1,000 meetings with constituents that includes numerous forums, town halls, large group meetings, one on one meetings and eight Veterans’ Resource Fairs throughout the district. These Veterans’ Resource Fairs are something I’m particularly dedicated to since they help veterans directly access benefits and resources that they have earned.

EDITOR'S NOTE: The 19th Congressional District is comprised of all or part of 11 counties in the Capital Region, Hudson Valley, Catskills and Central New York regions of New York.

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Photo caption: John Faso. Photo credit: Submitted.