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“Colin Schmitt is not only wrong for New York, he’s dangerous. His record of corruption and total embrace of insurrectionists prove he’s too radical to represent the Hudson Valley. While he pretends to be a moderate, his views and actions reveal the truth about his far-right extremism. When up against Pat Ryan, voters are going to see Colin Schmitt for the corrupt, toxic, and dangerous politician that he is,” said DCCC Chairman Sean Patrick Maloney.
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To: Interested Parties
From: Nebeyatt Betre
Date: August 23, 2022
Subject: The Case Against Colin Schmitt
As a decorated combat veteran, small businessman, county executive, and devoted father, Pat Ryan has dedicated his life to serving others, fighting for freedom, and strengthening his community. He’s been a tireless advocate for the people of the Hudson Valley, from creating a jobs training program for veterans, to spearheading efforts to provide small businesses and residents with relief amid the pandemic, to cutting taxes and implementing pro-worker policies. Pat has the experience needed to head to Congress and bring the successes of Ulster County to Washington.
With a proven and effective leader like Ryan on the ballot, voters can’t afford to take the risk of electing Colin Schmitt, who is just another corrupt MAGA Republican who used his public office to line his own pockets. A career politician, Schmitt has done nothing to improve the lives of his community – in fact, he’s only made things harder for people. Schmitt let taxpayers foot the bill while he skipped work and campaigned for political office while he was supposed to be on the clock. While living off the taxpayer, Schmitt fought to make health care coverage more expensive and repeatedly voted against providing health insurance for children. He and his values are aligned with the typical Republican agenda – hurting working people while siding with the most extreme social views. Colin counts himself among the insurrectionists, anti-choice extremists, and promoters of far-right conspiracy theories. Put simply: Schmitt is way out-of-touch with the people and priorities of New York’s 18th Congressional District.
A quick look at their records, and voters will see Pat Ryan is the person with the experience and record of delivering for Hudson Valley’s working families, veterans, and small businesses while Schmitt has only cared to deliver for himself.
MAGA REPUBLICAN INSURRECTIONIST
While he’d like to pretend to be a moderate, Schmitt is a tried and true MAGA Republican and dangerous extremist. He pushed far-right election conspiracy theories, called to have voting machines impounded, and even rallied with local insurrectionists before they went down to D.C. and took part in a deadly assault on our democracy, and was at the White House while Trump was trying to overturn the election. To this day, Schmitt refuses to recognize the legitimate results of the 2020 presidential election.
Pat took an oath to protect and defend our Constitution from all enemies, foreign and domestic – and he honors it each and every day. As America now faces a coordinated domestic attempt to undermine our Constitution thanks to Republicans like Schmitt, Ryan will be a leader in Washington who will stand against extremism.
ANTI-CHOICE RADICAL
With the overturning of Roe v. Wade, Republicans like Schmitt are eager to turn back the clock on women’s rights even further and strip them of their fundamental freedoms. Schmitt is anti-abortion conservative who has a long history of opposing a woman’s right to an abortion. Schmitt already voted against a law that protects a woman’s right to choose and prevents women from being thrown in jail for having an abortion. He’s also aligned himself with Republicans in Congress who want to override New York state law and make abortion illegal nationwide without exceptions, even if the woman is a victim of rape or incest or if her life is at risk. He even voted against making birth control cheaper and easier to get.
In Washington, Pat will work to ensure reproductive rights for women, fight against a national abortion ban and fight to re-establish the protections guaranteed by Roe v. Wade.
BAD FOR WORKERS
At a time when workers and families need a representative to fight for them most, Schmitt couldn’t be worse for the job. Schmitt has aligned himself with Washington Republicans who want to raise taxes on working-class families, while giving tax breaks to big corporations and the wealthy. Across the aisle, Democrats just passed and signed into law a historic bill to lower costs for families, make the wealthy finally pay their fair share of taxes, and reduce inflation. Not one House Republican supported it.
Schmitt has already fought to make workers and families pay more than they should. He worked to make health care coverage more expensive for more than eight million New Yorkers with pre-existing conditions like cancer and asthma, and let insurance companies discriminate against people when they get sick. He repeatedly voted against funding the Children’s Health Insurance Program through which hundreds of thousands of kids in New York get health insurance. He recently refused to support a bill that would help gig economy workers who’ve been neglected.
In Congress, Pat will fight inflation by going after price-gougers who are harming customers, guarantee middle-class voters get a tax cut, and support efforts to make sure billionaires and wealthy corporations pay their fair share. He’ll also work to support organized labor to guarantee better wages and protections for working families, pass paid family leave for all Americans, and ensure that equal work means equal pay.
CONTAMINATED THE COMMUNITY’S WATER SUPPLY
Under Schmitt’s direct supervision, a brand new water treatment plant was found to be contaminated with toxic PFAS chemicals despite repeated reassurances from Schmitt that proper testing had been done. This contamination significantly put the health of families and children at risk, and over a hundred residents filed claims against the town because they got sick and taxpayers were left to foot the bill for the claims. Schmitt’s consistent neglect of his job not only wastes taxpayer funds, but has put people at risk. Voters can’t afford to send him to Washington when he can’t even keep people safe in his own backyard.
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING
Spectrum News 1: Control of Congress could come down to the Hudson Valley | [Spectrum News 1, 8/10/22]
Times Herald-Record: Letter: Still querying Colin Schmitt on his actions morning of Jan. 6, 2021 | [Times Herald-Record, 1/10/22]
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