Zeldin Played Politics During Pandemic, Repeatedly Voted to Repeal and Weaken the Affordable Care Act
Today the DCCC launched its first TV ad in New York’s 1st Congressional District targeting Republican incumbent Lee Zeldin – now airing on cable, WLNY, and satellite across the district.
“No Place” shines a spotlight on Zeldin’s putting politics ahead of Long Islanders’ health, even during the COVID-19 pandemic.
As a member of Donald Trump’s coronavirus task force, Zeldin parroted partisan talking points and played politics with the safety of his community, pushing to re-open quickly at the height of the pandemic even as top experts warned of the consequence of doing so and COVID-19 cases surged in Suffolk county. He was even called out for rewriting the early days of the crisis, saying Trump did a phenomenal job.
REMINDER: In recent DCCC polling, 56% of respondents in NY-01 disapproved of Trump’s handling of the pandemic.
Worse, over the course of his time in Congress, Zeldin pocketed over $460,000 from the insurance and pharmaceutical industries and voted to repeal or weaken the Affordable Care Act 15 times. Doing so would rip health care away from 16,000 Long Islanders in NY-01, gut protections for the 305,400 with pre-existing conditions, and put countless more at risk during the pandemic.
DCCC Spokesperson Christine Bennett released the following statement:
“Lee Zeldin played politics, parroted ill-advised talking points, and ignored top health experts during the pandemic, but Zeldin’s recklessness is nothing new. Lee Zeldin has played politics with our health and safety for far too long. It’s time to boot him out of Congress.”
TRANSCRIPT
As top experts warned of “dire consequences”
and Suffolk County cases surged
Lee Zeldin ignored it all
On Trump’s task force, he played politics with our safety
and pushed for reopening at the height of the pandemic.
Zeldin even voted to gut protections for [Long Islanders] with preexisting conditions
a plan that could have led to even more deaths during this pandemic.
A pandemic is no place for politics. And Congress is no place for Lee Zeldin.
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