U.S. Rep. Marc Molinaro (R-NY-19) visited Tioga County on April 21 for a Town Hall that was open to the public. A group of about 60 attended the event, held at the Town of Owego Shared Services Building.
Attending were members of the community, government officials, and others. Molinaro fielded about ten questions during the one-hour session.
Prior to the Town Hall start, about 16 activists from the Tioga County Democratic Committee, along with Citizen Action of N.Y. and Indivisible Binghamton gathered on the sidewalk near the entrance to the building and held up signs that read, “Do Not Raise Retirement Age,” “Tax the Rich,” “Ban Assault Weapons,” and “Hands Off Our Social Security,” to list a few.
Molinaro represents the new 19th District, which encompasses 11 counties extending from the Massachusetts state line west to Tioga County.
Molinaro assumed his new role in January. He has held several positions throughout his nearly 30-year political career to date, including as a county executive and in the state assembly. His first taste of politics came at age 19 when he won the Mayoral race in his hometown of Tivoli, N.Y. in 1995.
U.S. Rep. Marc Molinaro (NY-19) visited Tioga County on April 21 for a Town Hall session that was open to the public. A group of about 60 attended the event held at the Town of Owego Shared Services Building. (JoAnn R. Walter Photo)
Molinaro shared that he is currently a member of three committees including agriculture, transportation and infrastructure, as well as small business.
Molinaro discussed the Farm Bill, which is up for reauthorization this year. The Farm Bill is passed every five years and sets agricultural, food and nutrition policy in the U.S.
One of the questions posed by a guest at the Town Hall event evolved around recent news that the GOP is focused on SNAP as a potential way to cut spending. The guest questioned, “Why support a vote to change SNAP (when the Farm Bill is up for reauthorization)?”
Molinaro replied that he supports preserving the program with access and flexibility, and reiterated that the Farm Bill will establish what America’s SNAP policy is.
Regarding his work on the transportation and infrastructure committee, Molinaro noted that he would work in a bipartisan manner to ensure dollars get spent equitably. Also, Molinaro is backing the E-BRIDGE Act, which is a bill to access grants for broadband projects, and pledged that he will support bridging the gaps in internet connectivity in rural communities, such as in Tioga County.
U.S. Rep. Marc Molinaro fields a question during a Town Hall session on April 21, and held at the Town of Owego Shared Services Facility. (JoAnn R. Walter Photo)
Questions on the topic of social security solvency were brought up by guests at the Town Hall. Molinaro remarked that we are not in crisis mode, and believes a bipartisan commission should be able to develop a plan prior to 2035.
Molinaro added that he does not support increasing the retirement age, nor does he support diminishing Medicare or Social Security benefits.
A guest from the MAGA Tioga County group, who stated that they would become eligible in 2058 to collect Social Security, followed up with a question, “I want to know what the Republican Party will do to keep this program solvent for me?”
Molinaro replied, “We’ve been to this bridge several times before,” and stressed that a bipartisan conversation and process needs to start immediately.
Questions regarding school safety were on the minds of guests at the event. One guest asked, “What do you support doing to protect our schools?”
Molinaro responded by stating that he believes every school building should have an SRO, and that the SROs should have law enforcement experience, mental health and crisis intervention training, among other requirements.
Another guest asked Molinaro, “Do you think it is okay for anyone to own an AR-15?”
Molinaro posed a question back, “Do you think it is okay for anyone to own a pistol?” He then cited the constitution, which he said provides access to own and bear arms in protecting oneself. The guest replied, “That answers my question.”
A subsequent set of questions came from a guest who asked, “Have any of your children been in a lock-down situation? Why wouldn’t you ban assault rifles? Why can’t we do it now before something else happens?”
These questions received applause from several guests.
Molinaro said yes, that one of his children was on lockdown due to an issue in the vicinity of their school. Part of his response targeted prosecutors, who, he said, do not prosecute 62% of crimes in New York State as gun crimes, and then followed up by stating that there are steps we can take right now, however Republicans and Democrats haven’t yet come to the table.
Additional questions at the Town Hall included subjects of authoritarianism, political contributions, the debt ceiling, and gerrymandering. Molinaro said that he opposes partisan gerrymandering, and that the most balanced congressional map that you can ever get to at this point exists today.
Molinaro defeated Democrat Josh Riley last year in a close race, earning 51 percent of the votes. In April, Riley announced that he is challenging Molinaro again for the congressional seat.
To learn more, visit https://molinaro.house.gov. Molinaro’s District office is located at 49 Court St., Suite 210, in Binghamton.
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