Lee Zeldin: 'We Must Fight To End The Era Of Fiscal Insanity and DC Dysfunction'

Republican Lee Zeldin is running for U.S. Representative in New York’s First Congressional District. His opponent is Democrat Tim Bishop.

Congressional District 1 includes: Central and Eastern Suffolk County, including most of Smithtown, Selden, Centereach, Lake Grove, Mastic, Shirley, Riverhead, Mattituck, Jamesport, North Fork as well as the entirety of the towns of Brookhaven, Riverhead, Southold, Southampton, East Hampton and Shelter Island. View a map of Congressional District 1 here.

Submitted by Lee Zeldin:

I’m running for Congress because I believe our Country could be headed in a much better direction. Families here on Long Island are really struggling and sadly, things aren’t getting any better. We must fight to end the era of fiscal insanity and DC dysfunction.

I proudly served our country as a paratrooper in Iraq, and I still serve today as a Major in the Army Reserves and for the past four years as a New York State Senator. During my time in Albany, I cut the middle-income tax rate to the lowest level in 60 years, eliminated the MTA Payroll Tax for 80% of employers and helped enact the nation’s strongest property tax cap. One of my proudest accomplishments in Albany was creating the PFC Joseph Dwyer Program, which is a peer-to-peer support program for Veterans suffering from PTSD and TBI.

I have a five-point plan to move our country forward.

• Growing our economy and removing barriers that discourage American job creation and retention: One of my main priorities in Congress will be to work hard to grow our economy and in turn create good paying private sector jobs by reducing burdensome tax rates and job killing regulations, lowering energy costs and health care costs, eliminating wasteful spending, lowering our nation’s deficit and controlling our nation’s debt.
• Fighting for those who have fought for us: Our nation’s veterans have raised their hands willing to lay down their lives in protection of our constitution, freedoms and liberties. For that sacrifice, they deserve a roof over their head, food on their tables, educational and occupational opportunities and a better, more accountable VA system. We also need more Veteran representation in Washington. 40 years ago, over 75% of Congress was made up of military veterans. Now, that number is less than 1 in five. I look forward to the opportunity to fight for my brothers and sisters who have served to protect and defend America.
• Securing America’s interests at our border and abroad: I believe America was built on the dreams of immigrants. We all have the immigrant story as to how our families came to America to pursue hope and opportunity. I fully support legal immigration. I also believe that our borders must be secured if we want to ever solve the challenges the US faces with illegal immigration. Unfortunately, Congress’ partisan bickering is preventing any reform. Additionally, our nation’s foreign policy must be stronger and more consistent. All across the Middle East and elsewhere, the world is burning while we wait for leadership to shine brightly from our nation’s capital. I plan on being a stronger voice for Long Islanders in the First District frustrated at the vacuum of leadership in Washington.
• Repealing and replacing Obamacare: Obamacare is resulting in higher premiums, higher deductibles, lost doctors, cancelled policies and longer wait times. As a country, we must work to repeal Obamacare and replace it with better solutions that increase access, without compromising quality of care or efficiency. There are now several alternative proposals being considered that would be far better solutions than Obamacare. I look forward to bringing a fresh perspective to this debate to improve health care for my constituents.
• Fighting for higher standards in our schools knowing that Common Core is not the answer: I believe in higher standards, but Common Core is not the answer. We’ve all seen this through the poor implementation and the lack of communication and coordination in the development of the standards, testing and curriculum. As a State Senator, I led the fight against Common Core by introducing state legislation that would stop its implementation because I believe our children deserve better than a national, one-size-fits all learning approach. This is just another example of federal government overreach, bribing cash strapped states to sign on before there was even a plan to implement correctly.

This race gives you a clear choice between a problem solver and a backbencher. After 12 years in office, my opponent has introduced four bills that were passed and signed into law. ..All to re-name post offices. During my four years in Albany, I had 48 bills passed and signed into law. These were bills that cut taxes and fees, consolidated licenses and protected our Veterans from protests at military burials. We need stronger representation in Washington, someone who will work across party lines to get things done.

We cannot change Washington unless we change who we send there to represent us on November 4th.

Candidates are encouraged to send letters to the editor, and a photo, explaining why they are running for office. Email photo and letter to priscila.korb@patch.com