Thursday, March 27, 2025
More than 700 people attended a live budget briefing with Reps. Laura Gillen and Tom Suozzi at Hofstra University that focused on the potentially harmful effects of the partisan budget reconciliation bill passed by the House of Representatives on Feb. 25.
Suozzi opened the March 1 briefing with a detailed PowerPoint, explaining that Congress has yet to pass a full budget for fiscal year 2025 and is currently relying on temporary “Continuing Resolutions,” the latest of which expires on March 14.
He emphasized that the reconciliation bill, which sets the federal government’s spending and revenue for the next decade, would create massive deficits by cutting taxes for the wealthiest Americans while slashing critical programs.
“I support cutting waste, fraud, and abuse, but this bill will slash essential funding for hospitals, nursing homes, environmental projects, clean air and water initiatives, school lunches, and more,” Suozzi said in a news release after the event. “Let’s use a scalpel, not a chainsaw—pass a bipartisan budget and do it the right way.”
All Democratic members of Congress, including Suozzi and Gillen, voted against the bill, along with one Republican, Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky.
“This briefing was a crucial opportunity for Long Islanders to learn more about the budget process and hear from local experts on how the proposed budget would impact our communities,” Gillen said in the release. “This budget would rip thousands of people from their healthcare, gut programs that my constituents rely on, and raise costs for working families. I’ll always work across the aisle when it means delivering results for Long Island, but I won’t support a bill that’s bad for Nassau County.”
The event also featured speakers like Michael Dowling, CEO of Northwell Health, the largest employer in the state, Julie Tighe, president of the New York League of Conservation Voters, Randi Shubin Dresner, CEO of Island Harvest, and Stanfort Perry, CEO of AHRC Nassau. Each highlighted the potential damage the proposed budget cuts could do to their sectors.
“I’ve been through budget battles before, and they’re tough. But budgets are not just about numbers; they’re about people’s lives,” Dowling said in the release. “Decency must be part of the process. You can make tough decisions, but when you combine bad numbers with indecency and a lack of humanity, it makes everything worse.”
Tighe noted the environmental risks posed by the budget.
“The proposed cuts threaten the progress we've made in cleaning up our air and water and advancing affordable clean energy,” she said in the release. Clean air and water should not be partisan issues. All Americans deserve access to stable, homegrown energy that isn't subject to the volatile cost of fossil fuels.”
Shubin Dresner expressed concern about the impact on food security programs.
“Island Harvest has $2 million in funding currently frozen, putting 17 critical programs at risk,” she said in the release. “You can’t solve a budget crisis by cutting support for the most vulnerable.”
Perry emphasized the dangers of proposed cuts to Medicaid services for people with disabilities.
“We cannot endure these cuts,” he said in the release. “When agencies like AHRC Nassau can’t provide the care people with disabilities need, they end up in hospitals or nursing homes. This isn’t fiscal responsibility—it’s harming those who need help the most.”
“These issues matter to our community, and people are paying attention,” Suozzi stated in the release. “Over 700 Long Islanders came today to learn how Washington’s decisions affect their lives. I’m proud of my community, and I will continue to fight for the programs and services Long Island depends on.”
