President Mike Johnson swore New York Democrat Tom Suozzi into Congress on Wednesday, officially reducing his narrow House majority by another seat.
“I never thought I would come back here,” the new congressman, who previously served in the House before leaving to run for another office, said on the House floor.
“People are sick and tired of finger-pointing and petty partisan disputes; they want us to work together.”
‘People are worried about the cost of living. They are worried about chaos at the border. “They are worried about Israel, Gaza and Ukraine,” he continued. ‘They look at Congress and what do they see? Extremists get all the attention.
President Mike Johnson swore New York Democrat Tom Suozzi into Congress on Wednesday, officially reducing his narrow House majority by another seat.
But Suozzi insisted: “I am an unconditional and staunch Democrat.”
The Democrat defeated Republican Mazi Melesa Pilip in a controversial race to replace serial liar George Santos.
With Suozzi on the Democrats’ side, Johnson can only afford to lose two Republican votes if he wants to pass legislation along party lines.
He had been quick to push for the ouster of the Secretary of Homeland Security. Alejandro Mayorkas for his management of the southern border before Suozzi’s arrival in Washington, since three Republicans had voted against it. It passed by a margin of one vote.
“I never thought I would come back here,” the new congressman, who previously served in the House before leaving to run for another office, said on the House floor.
‘People are worried about the cost of living. They are worried about chaos at the border. “They are worried about Israel, Gaza and Ukraine,” he continued. ‘They look at Congress and what do they see? Extremists get all the attention’
Suozzi’s eight-point victory was a strong signal for Democrats heading into the 2024 elections in November, when they will try to take back the House after a term in the Republican-led Congress marred by chaos.
As the southern border has become a priority for voters, Suozzi attempted to flip the script on Republicans, blaming them for legislative gridlock after they rejected a bipartisan Senate immigration and foreign aid package.
“It’s time to get to work on immigration, on Israel and on fighting Putin,” Suozzi said at his election night victory party. “Let’s send a message to our friends running Congress these days: stop running for Trump and start running the country.”
Suozzi, a former three-term congressman and Nassau County executive, left his former seat in Congress to run for governor, but lost in the primary to New York Governor Kathy Hochul.
The Democrat defeated Republican Mazi Melesa Pilip in a controversial race to replace serial liar George Santos, above
After bombshell reports revealed that Santos had fabricated much of his resume and personal background, the Justice Department charged him with 23 counts, including wire fraud, money laundering and falsifying federal records.
Democrats on Wednesday approved a new congressional map that would improve their chances of winning the House majority through New York in November.
In a newly drawn Central New York district, freshman Rep. Brandon Williams is in deep trouble. Voters within his new district lines voted for Biden by about 12 points.
Meanwhile, Suozzi, who will be forced to defend his seat almost as soon as he takes it, now faces better odds under the new map.
