County Executive George Latimer Sets Agenda for First Term as Congressman George Latimer

Westchester’s newly elected Congressman George Latimer will go to Washington in January. But as a junior Congressman in the minority party, what can he hope to accomplish?

That was the subject of an interview on December 15 on The Point with Marcia Kramer where Latimer outlined his expectations for his first term.

He acknowledged that his lack of seniority and the fact that the Republicans hold the majority may make it difficult for him to achieve some of his goals. However, he does plan to address the needs of his constituents in Westchester by advocating for initiatives that will impact them.

Specifically he plans to work to re-establish at least some part of the SALT deduction which allowed New Yorkers to deduct state and local taxes from their federal tax bills. He says there may be support on both sides of the aisle for restoring SALT.

He also mentioned passing legislation to ensure clean water both in the Hudson and the LI Sound and working to bring more affordable housing to Westchester and the Bronx.
And though he will be a Democrat in a Republican led Congress, he vows to fight for issues that will affect public health, saying, “If Bobby Kennedy does become head of HHS and decides he want to get out of the vaccination business, there is going to be a battle. …Polio vaccines prevented the spread of a crippling disease…. This has been settled science for 50 plus years.”
And what about congestion pricing? He noted that while some might not favor it, there is no alternative to fund the MTA that badly needs funds for infrastructure maintenance and improvements.

Watch the entire interview here: