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<h2>Together We Can!  Please consider volunteering.  </h2><h4>There are many ways to join the movement. Below are some common ways to volunteer.  Please fill out the form above if you are interested and a member of our team will reach out to chat.</h4><p><strong>Host a Living Room Chat</strong><br>Connecting directly with neighbors across our district is incredibly valuable. If you’re willing to host a small gathering—at your home or another location—we would welcome the opportunity to join you, share our vision, and have a meaningful conversation about the issues facing our community.</p><p><strong>Organize a Public Event</strong><br>Reaching every corner of our district is essential. We’re looking for volunteers to help organize informal public events in accessible spaces—such as parks—where community members can gather for 20–30 minutes to connect, learn about our platform, and engage in discussion.</p><p><strong>Organize a Fundraising Event</strong><br>Running a grassroots campaign requires resources, especially as we work to push back against corporate and PAC influence in politics. Volunteers can play a key role by organizing fundraising events—such as happy hours, dinners, or meet-and-greets—by securing venues, coordinating with the campaign team, and helping promote the event.</p><p><strong>Deliver &amp; Install Signs</strong><br>Visibility is critical to our success. Given the size of our district, we rely on local volunteers to deliver and install campaign signs for supporters in their communities.</p><p><strong>Canvassing</strong><br>Canvassing is one of the most impactful ways to support the campaign. We need volunteers to go door-to-door—using our mobile tools—to connect with registered Democrats, share information, and discuss our positions with voters.</p><p><strong>Social Media Engagement</strong><br>A strong online presence is increasingly important. Supporters can help by sharing campaign content on their own platforms and engaging thoughtfully in discussions across social media—including community pages and political forums. All engagement should remain respectful and focused on the issues we are advocating for.</p><p><strong>Write Letters to the Editor</strong><br>An informed electorate is the foundation of a healthy democracy. We encourage supporters to write letters to local publications highlighting issues important to our campaign and clearly expressing our positions.</p><p><strong>Help with Local Endorsements</strong><br>Endorsements strengthen our movement. If you have connections to local organizations, community groups, or public figures who may be interested in supporting the campaign, we would greatly appreciate your referrals.</p><p><strong>Get Out The Vote</strong><br>When early voting and election day approach, we will need all volunteers to help ensure that we mobilize all Democrats to show up and vote!</p>

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<h5><strong>It would be my pleasure to come speak and answer questions at your next event or gathering. </strong>Fill out the form to the right and a member of our campaign will be in touch to work out the details. All events are welcome: civic organizations and non profits, social clubs, book clubs, religious gatherings, etc. Call us and we will be there!</h5>

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<h4>Emmanuel's Story</h4><p>Lake Placid, NY</p>

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<p></p><span class="image image-framed image-left image-tilt-left" style="width: 40%;"><span class="image-inner-wrapper"><img src="https://run.imgix.net/8bc71b11-a8f8-4e29-804e-8260c4bb3159/5ce261fd-d190-4eaa-8946-f0931c2eb70c/5ce261fd-d190-4eaa-8946-f0931c2eb70c.jpg?ixlib=js-3.8.0&amp;bri=0&amp;con=0&amp;sat=0&amp;high=0&amp;shad=0&amp;usm=0&amp;rect=0%2C239%2C1067%2C1361&amp;w=1500" alt="" caption="" align="left" alignwidth="40" tiltdirection="left" variant="framed"></span><span class="caption" style="display: none;"></span></span><h4>Stuart Amoriell is a Northern New York resident and community advocate committed to strengthening the region he calls home. Stuart has spent his career building businesses and bringing people together to tackle the challenges facing families, small businesses and local communities.</h4><p>As a local business owner, Stuart’s commitment to Northern New York is rooted in lived experience. He understands the strain that rising housing costs place on working families, the difficulty residents face accessing reliable healthcare and the economic obstacles that have pushed too many young people to leave the region. His policy focus—an intelligent and compassionate immigration policy, expanding affordable housing, strengthening local economies, improving healthcare access, and supporting education and workforce development—reflects his belief that every resident deserves the chance to build a stable and fulfilling life in Northern New York.</p><p>Stuart brings a steady voice and a deep sense of responsibility to strengthening Northern New York. He strongly believes we need to improve civic discourse by recognizing the commonalities and beliefs that all Americans share, believing there is more that unites us than divides us. Stuart lives in Lake Placid, New York with his wife and two young children and is the owner and operator of The Pickled Pig restaurant.</p>

<p>Strong communities are built through conversation, not division. When we demonize those we disagree with, we shut down the dialogue our democracy depends on. No party or ideology has all the answers, and progress comes when we listen with humility, seek common ground, and respect every voice. There is far more that unites us as Americans than divides us.</p>

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<p><strong>Last updated:</strong> January 2026</p><p>Amoriell (“we,” “us,” or “our”) operates the website <a href="https://www.amoriell.com">https://www.amoriell.com</a> (the “Website”). This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you visit or use our Website. Please read this policy carefully. If you do not agree with the terms of this Privacy Policy, please do not access the Website.</p><p>Text message opt-in consent and data will only be used for campaign-related communications and will not be shared or sold to third parties, except as required by law.</p><h4>1. Information We Collect</h4><p>We may collect personal and non-personal information about you in various ways, including when you visit the Website, register, place an order, subscribe to communications, or otherwise interact with us.</p><h5>Personal Information</h5><p>The personal information we may collect includes, but is not limited to:</p><ul><li><p>Name</p></li><li><p>Email address</p></li><li><p>Phone number</p></li><li><p>Mailing or billing address</p></li></ul><h5>Automatically Collected Information</h5><p>When you access the Website, we may automatically collect certain information, including:</p><ul><li><p>IP address</p></li><li><p>Browser type</p></li><li><p>Device information</p></li><li><p>Pages visited and time spent on the Website</p></li><li><p>Cookies and similar tracking technologies</p></li></ul><h4>2. How We Use Your Information</h4><p>We use the information we collect for purposes including:</p><ul><li><p>Providing, operating, and maintaining our Website</p></li><li><p>Communicating with you, including responding to inquiries</p></li><li><p>Processing transactions and delivering services</p></li><li><p>Improving our Website, products, and user experience</p></li><li><p>Analyzing usage trends and Website performance</p></li><li><p>Complying with legal obligations</p></li></ul><h4>3. Cookies and Tracking Technologies</h4><p>We use cookies and similar tracking technologies to enhance your experience on our Website. Cookies help us understand user behavior and improve functionality. You can choose to disable cookies through your browser settings; however, doing so may affect the availability or functionality of the Website.</p><h4>4. Third-Party Services</h4><p>We may share your information with trusted third-party service providers to help us operate our Website and services. These include:</p><ul><li><p><strong>Google Analytics</strong> (for traffic analysis and Website performance)</p></li></ul><p>Third-party service providers are only permitted to use your information for the purposes specified by us and are required to protect your information.</p><h4>5. Data Sharing and Disclosure</h4><p>We do not sell or rent your personal information. We may disclose your information:</p><ul><li><p>To comply with legal obligations or lawful requests</p></li><li><p>To protect and defend our rights or property</p></li><li><p>In connection with a business transfer, merger, or sale of assets</p></li></ul><h4>6. Data Security</h4><p>We implement reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards to protect your personal information. However, no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.</p><h4>7. Children’s Privacy</h4><p>Amoriell is not intended for children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If we become aware that we have collected such information, we will take steps to delete it promptly.</p><h4>8. Your Privacy Rights</h4><p>Depending on your location, you may have certain rights regarding your personal information, including:</p><ul><li><p>The right to access your personal data</p></li><li><p>The right to request correction or deletion</p></li><li><p>The right to object to or restrict processing</p></li></ul><p>To exercise these rights, please contact us using the information below.</p><h4>9. Links to Other Websites</h4><p>Our Website may contain links to third-party websites. We are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of those websites. We encourage you to review their privacy policies.</p><h4>10. Changes to This Privacy Policy</h4><p>We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Any changes will be posted on this page with an updated “Last updated” date. Your continued use of the Website after changes are posted constitutes acceptance of those changes.</p><h4>11. Contact Us</h4><p>If you have any questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us:</p><p><strong>Amoriell</strong><br>2720 Main Street, Suite 5<br>Lake Placid, NY 12946<br>Email: <a href="mailto:info@amoriell.com">info@amoriell.com</a></p>

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<h1>Terms &amp; Conditions</h1><p><strong>Last Updated:</strong>&nbsp;12/5/2025</p><p>Welcome to the official website of&nbsp;<strong>The Campaign to Elect Stuart Amoriell</strong>&nbsp;(“Campaign,” “we,” “us,” or “our”). By accessing or using this website, submitting information through our forms, or opting in to receive communications, you agree to the following Terms &amp; Conditions.</p><h2>1. Website Use</h2><p>This website is intended to provide information about the Campaign and to enable supporters to engage with Campaign activities. You agree to use this website for lawful purposes only and in a manner that does not infringe upon the rights of others or restrict or inhibit anyone else’s use of the site.</p><p>We reserve the right to modify or discontinue any part of the website at any time without notice.</p><h2>2. Information You Provide</h2><p>When you submit information through our website (including through a “Contact Us” form, volunteer form, sign-up form, or donation-related form), you agree that:</p><ul><li><p>The information you provide is accurate and truthful to the best of your knowledge.</p></li><li><p>You are authorized to provide the contact information submitted.</p></li><li><p>You understand that the Campaign may use the information to contact you regarding campaign updates, events, volunteer opportunities, fundraising, and other political communications.</p></li></ul><p>Use of your information is governed by our&nbsp;<a href="/2fb930e6-8824-44c3-9932-57eef44d0110"><strong>Privacy Policy</strong></a>.</p><h2>3. SMS/Text Message Communications</h2><p>By providing your mobile phone number and opting in through this website, you expressly consent to receive&nbsp;<strong>recurring automated political text messages</strong>&nbsp;from or on behalf of&nbsp;<strong>Campaign</strong>&nbsp;at the phone number provided.</p><h4>SMS Disclosure</h4><ul><li><p><strong>Message and data rates may apply.</strong></p></li><li><p><strong>Message frequency may vary.</strong></p></li><li><p><strong>Text STOP to opt out.</strong></p></li><li><p><strong>Text HELP for help.</strong></p></li><li><p>Consent to receive text messages is&nbsp;<strong>not a condition of purchase or donation</strong>.</p></li><li><p>You may opt out at any time by replying&nbsp;<strong>STOP</strong>&nbsp;to any message.</p></li></ul><p>Carriers are not liable for delayed or undelivered messages.</p><h2>4. Email Communications</h2><p>By submitting your email address, you consent to receive campaign-related emails from the Campaign. You may unsubscribe at any time by using the link provided in our emails.</p><h2>5. Intellectual Property</h2><p>All content on this website — including text, images, graphics, logos, and design — is the property of&nbsp;<strong>the Campaign</strong>&nbsp;or used with permission and is protected by applicable intellectual property laws.</p><p>You may not reproduce, distribute, or modify website content without prior written permission, except for personal, non-commercial use.</p><h2>6. Links to Third-Party Sites</h2><p>This website may contain links to third-party websites for convenience or informational purposes. The Campaign does not control and is not responsible for the content or practices of third-party sites.</p><h2>7. Disclaimer</h2><p>This website is provided “as is” without warranties of any kind, express or implied. The Campaign does not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or timeliness of the information provided.</p><h2>8. Limitation of Liability</h2><p>To the fullest extent permitted by law,&nbsp;<strong>the Campaign </strong>shall not be liable for any damages arising from your use of this website or reliance on its content.</p><h2>9. Changes to These Terms</h2><p>We may update these Terms &amp; Conditions from time to time. Any changes will be posted on this page with an updated “Last Updated” date. Continued use of the website constitutes acceptance of the revised terms.</p>

<p><strong>Interested in volunteering? Have some comments or ideas for our campaign? Would you like to invite Stuart to participate in an event? </strong>Send us a message and we will follow back up. Together we can!</p><h4>Chat with Stu</h4><p><span style="color: var(--color-text); text-decoration-color: var(--color-text);">Schedule a quick call at your convenience to connect with Stuart.</span></p><p><a href="https://calendly.com/emmett-amoriell/30min">https://calendly.com/emmett-amoriell/30min</a></p><h4>Campaign Headquarters</h4><p>2720 Main Street, Suite 5, Lake Placid, NY 12946</p><p>(518) 267-7049 Main Line</p><p>(518) 302-7036 Fax</p><p><a href="mailto:info@amoriell.com">info@amoriell.com</a></p><p></p><h5>Media Inquiries</h5><p><a href="mailto:media@amoriell.com">media@amoriell.com</a></p><h5>Accounting Inquiries</h5><p><a href="mailto:accounting@amoriell.com">accounting@amoriell.com</a></p><p></p>

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<h4>Preston Asks, "I was wondering if you support abolishing ICE"</h4>

<h4>Gene P. asks "In reviewing your website in detail I am struck by the absence of emphasis on a Congressman's&nbsp;responsibility&nbsp;for articulating strong positions on those topics that are clearly within the responsibilities&nbsp;of Congress"</h4>

<h4>Nasrene Asks, "Can you share your position on Gaza and Israel?</h4>

<h4>Donna Asks, "I just read that in the past you were registered Republican. Can you please tell me what appealed to you to register that way, and then what made you change your registration to Democrat?"</h4>

<h4>Reflections on a weekend of sorrow, grief and protest as we remember Renee Nicole Good and those values she defended.</h4>

<h4>Statement on U.S. Military Action in Venezuela<br></h4>

<h4>Joy Asks, "Where do you stand on LGBTQ+ Issues?"</h4>

<h4>Elise Stefanik Ends Bid for Governor and Announces She Will Not Seek Reelection to Congress</h4>

<h4>The ongoing debate about military action in Venezuela</h4>

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<p></p><p>I would like to begin by making something clear: what we built together during this campaign, what we fought for together, is not diminished by tonight's result.<br><br>And while it is understandable to feel some sadness tonight, we must never allow despair to extinguish hope. Hope is rooted in a simple but powerful belief: that although we may sometimes stumble and fall short of our goal, what sustains us is our enduring commitment to the idea that tomorrow can be better than today.<br><br>I know it is not always easy to sustain hope when the work feels daunting, overwhelming, and unfinished. President Barack Obama captured this challenge best when he said, "Hope is that thing inside us that insists, despite all the evidence to the contrary, that something better awaits us if we have the courage to reach for it and to work for it and to fight for it."<br><br>And history bears that out. The great battles of this country were never won in a single day. The suffragists who marched and were arrested and were ridiculed did not see the Nineteenth Amendment in their lifetimes. The men and women who sat at lunch counters and crossed bridges and filled the jails of Birmingham did not dismantle segregation overnight. But each march, each act of courage, each refusal to accept things as they were, they moved the country forward. The arc bent, even when no single hand could feel it bending. <br><br>Langston Hughes showed us this in his famous poem, Let America be America Again. He wrote of an America that had not yet lived up to its promise, a place where the dream was real, but the dreamer was still waiting. He did not write in despair. He wrote in demand. And at the end of that poem, he made a vow: that America would be. Not that it was. Not that it had been. That it “would be” claimed by the hands and voices of those willing to fight for it. That is the tradition we stand in tonight. There is no wasted fight when the fight is just.<br><br>So tonight, I am calling on every one of you who walked with me on this journey to come together and support Blake as the winner of this race. Not because politics demands it, but because the future we want demands it. The causes we believe in: affordable and accessible healthcare, a living wage, clean air and water, strong rural communities, an economy that works for working people, seniors aging in comfort and dignity and a future where democracy is not for sale to the highest bidder, those causes do not end tonight. They continue. And they are best served when we engage, when we show up, and yes, when we support those in a position to move the ball forward, even when it isn't us holding it.<br><br>The work remains. And so do we.<br><br>I will close tonight the way I began, with the words I first spoke when I launched this campaign from John Brown Farm on December 3rd.<br><br>At John Brown’s trial after the raid on Harper’s Ferry, he quoted Hebrews 13:3, “Remember them that are in bonds, as bound with them.” What John Brown told his accusers that day in Virginia, he says to all of us here today with the enduring voice of history, that the plight of the dispossessed, the fear of those forgotten by the rule of law, of those betrayed by our failure to uphold American ideals, he tells us that their shackles are our shackles and that their fight for freedom and justice must be our fight as well.<br><br>From the bottom of my heart, thank you. This campaign has been the honor of my lifetime and I thank you all for sharing this honor with me.<br><br>Thank you.</p>

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<h2>Learn more about Stuart by reviewing his position statements.</h2>

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<h4>Building and Strengthening Communities</h4>

<h4>Medicare for All: Affordable and Accessible Universal Healthcare</h4>

<h4>Affordable Housing</h4>

<h4>Growing Jobs and Strengthening Local Economies</h4>

<h4>Lowering the Cost of Living and Restoring Economic Fairness</h4>

<h4>Improving our Relationship with Canada &amp; the International Community</h4>

<h3>Roadmap to Improving the Quality of Life in the North Country</h3><p>Turn on the television or open social media today and you’ll hear politicians of all stripes talking about affordability. While it’s encouraging that the problem is finally being acknowledged, solving the affordability crisis requires more than slogans and sound bites. Rebuilding the quality of life in the North Country demands a comprehensive strategy grounded in the realities of rural life.</p><h5><a href="https://www.amoriell.com/issues/roadmap-to-improving-our-quality-of-life#block-f6930e48-0a43-40dc-9537-bbb20e6d522a">Read Our Full Policy Roadmap Here</a></h5>

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<p><strong>Take a moment to read my positions on various issues facing Northern New York and our nation.</strong> If you have feedback or perspectives that you think should help shape our policies and positions, <a href="/contact">please message us so we can talk.</a></p>

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<p><strong>Over the course of the campaign, engaged citizens and neighbors ask us questions about where we stand on specific issues and problems facing our nation and communities. In addition to sending direct answers, we also post our response here in our "Dear Neighbor" section so that others can learn where we stand on particular issues. If you have a question for us, complete the form to the right and we will get back to you!</strong></p>

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<p>Long-term economic prosperity is only possible through a commitment to ensuring that future generations have access to the best education available. We are seeing this promise broken time and time again, not only by the current administration but over decades as our nation has repeatedly failed to prioritize education and the futures of our children. Greatness demands more, and as a Representative for New York’s 21st Congressional District, I will fight to deliver it.</p><p>The starting point of any honest conversation about K–12 education is the federal commitment to the students who need the most help. I support increasing Title I funding to ensure it is finally fully funded. Title I, originally enacted as part of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, was the federal government’s foundational promise that a child’s zip code would not determine the quality of education they receive. For too many years, that commitment has been underfunded and undermined, leaving our most vulnerable students in low-income communities locked out of the American Dream. We must finally fulfill that promise, and we must do the same for students with disabilities. When Congress passed the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, the federal government committed to covering 40 percent of the additional cost of educating these students. This is another unfulfilled promise, as we have not come close to meeting that commitment, leaving local school districts to absorb the difference. I support increasing IDEA funding to finally fully fund it at the 40 percent level.</p><p>Our schools should be palaces that reflect our commitment to our children, not crumbling buildings that demonstrate to children how little we value their education. I support federal funding to modernize and improve public school buildings and facilities. Modern HVAC systems, lead-free water, broadband connectivity, leading educational technology, modern curricula and textbooks, accessible classrooms, and safe playgrounds are not luxuries—they are baseline expectations for any community that values the next generation. Alongside that physical investment, we need to invest in models of schooling that work. The Community Schools model, which integrates academic instruction with health services, mental health care, family engagement, and out-of-school enrichment, has shown measurable success in improving student outcomes and stabilizing communities here in Northern New York. I support steadily increasing federal investment in Community Schools to meet demand and expand this model, particularly in rural areas where a school is often the most important institution in town.</p><p>No federal commitment to public education in Northern New York is complete without honoring the United States’ trust and treaty responsibilities to the Mohawk people of Akwesasne. The Akwesasne Mohawk Board of Education serves students across a community that uniquely spans the U.S.–Canada border, delivering language immersion, culturally grounded curriculum from early childhood through secondary school, post-secondary assistance, and the kind of wraparound, community-rooted programming that the rest of the country is only beginning to recognize as a model. I support improving federal funding and support for AMBE and for the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe’s Education Division, including stronger appropriations through the Bureau of Indian Education, Title VI of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, the Native American Languages Act, and dedicated facilities and transportation funding that accounts for the unique cross-border realities of Akwesasne. Tribal sovereignty in education is not a courtesy; it is a federal obligation, and Indigenous-led schools deserve a partner in Washington who treats them as such.</p><p>Education does not begin at age five. We need to expand early childhood education through programs like Head Start and Early Head Start, ensuring all of our children have access to these proven programs. I support steadily increasing federal investments to help states expand high-quality public universal prekindergarten programs and ensure every child has access to full-day kindergarten. Decades of research are unambiguous: every dollar invested in high-quality early learning returns several times over in improved literacy, higher graduation rates, and stronger lifetime earnings. </p><p>At the other end of the K–12 pipeline, we must support pathways that lead directly to good jobs. I support increasing funding for high-quality career and technical education programs that help high school and post-secondary students earn the credentials, degrees, and skills needed to secure in-demand occupations. In Northern New York, where manufacturing, healthcare, the trades, and agriculture remain the backbone of our economy, robust CTE programs are not an alternative to college—they are essential infrastructure for our workforce.</p><p>A child cannot learn on an empty stomach, and we cannot ask teachers to compete with hunger. I support providing universal access to healthy meals for all students and ensuring healthy nutrition standards for school meals and snacks, such as those outlined in the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act. Universal meals remove the stigma that has long discouraged eligible families from participating, simplify school administration, and ensure that hunger is not an obstacle to learning. I will oppose any cuts or attempts to block-grant funding for school meals, other child nutrition programs, or the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Block-granting these programs is a quiet way to cut them, and freezing federal dollars while costs and need continue to rise leaves children to bear the consequences of Washington’s accounting tricks.</p><p>The country is in the middle of a youth mental health crisis, and schools are often the first place where struggles surface and the only place where many children can access help. I support increased federal funding for school-based mental health services, counselors, social workers, and trauma-informed care, particularly in our rural districts where private providers are scarce. Counselors must also be properly trained to support students navigating questions of gender identity and sexual orientation, who face disproportionate mental health challenges and deserve competent, compassionate care. That same investment must extend to the educators we ask to support our children’s wellbeing, and I support ensuring teachers and school staff have access to the mental health resources they need to do this work sustainably.</p><p>We must invest in our teachers. Their commitment to this vocation demands not just our respect but real financial support. We need to ensure better pay for teachers, compensation that genuinely reflects the service they provide and the importance of their commitment to educating our youth. I also support federal funding for National Board for Professional Teaching Standards certification, which raises the standard and gives accomplished teachers a recognized credential.</p><p>Investing in teachers also means addressing the specific challenge of attracting educators to Northern New York and keeping them here. Rural districts across NY-21 routinely face shortages in special education, mathematics, science, world languages, and career-technical fields, and small districts simply cannot compete on salary alone with suburban or downstate systems. The federal government has powerful tools to help close that gap, and I will work to expand them. I support strengthening and fully funding the Teacher Loan Forgiveness program with higher cancellation caps for educators who teach in rural and high-need schools, and protecting and streamlining Public Service Loan Forgiveness so that teachers actually receive the relief they were promised. I support expanding the TEACH Grant program and creating dedicated, rural-targeted tuition reimbursement so that students from the North Country can afford to become teachers and come home to teach. I support federal funding for “grow your own” pathways that recruit local high school graduates, paraprofessionals, and career-changers into the profession, paired with paid student-teaching residencies so that aspiring teachers are not forced to work unpaid for a semester just to enter the classroom. I support induction and mentoring grants so that new teachers receive structured support during their first three years, when most attrition occurs, and I support federal incentives for housing assistance, broadband access, and relocation stipends in remote districts, because a teacher who cannot find an affordable place to live or a reliable internet connection will not stay, no matter how much they love the work.</p><p>Every educator deserves the right to autonomy, within generally accepted standards, to design lessons that provide an accurate, honest, and high-quality education. Politicians do not belong in the classroom dictating the words a teacher may use or the texts a student may read. The same principle applies in higher education: I support preventing federal government interference or intrusion in higher education so that educators and faculty can embrace academic freedom and pursue research without political encroachment. A free society depends on free inquiry, and a country that politicizes its universities will not lead the world in science, medicine, or innovation for long.</p><p>We must also be honest about what accountability looks like. The current federal accountability regime relies too heavily on a narrow band of standardized tests that capture a narrow band of student learning. I support removing federal barriers that deter states from replacing standardized tests with innovative types of assessments for federal accountability purposes. Performance assessments, portfolios, capstone projects, and other evidence-based measures can give us a fuller, fairer picture of what students know and can do, and what schools actually need.</p><p>I do not support private school vouchers or related privatization schemes that divert public dollars to private schools without the transparency and accountability that public schools are rightly required to meet. Public dollars belong in public schools, accountable to the communities they serve. Voucher programs have repeatedly been shown to drain resources from the districts that need them most while delivering uneven results, and they undermine the constitutional principle that public education is a shared civic project and public good, not a marketplace.</p><p>We must continue to ensure our most vulnerable students are not locked out of the American Dream. And I mean all children, regardless of nationality or status. To those who Dream, we must finally remove the never-ending uncertainty and reaffirm our commitment to DACA by making it the law of the land. </p><p>Education is the truest expression of what a community believes about its future. In Congress, I will work to ensure that every child in Northern New York and every child across this country, has access to the schools, the teachers, the meals, the facilities, and the opportunities that greatness demands. Anything less is a broken promise, and I am running to keep that promise.</p>

<p>Long-term economic prosperity is only possible through a commitment to ensuring that future generations have access to the best education available. We are seeing this promise broken time and time again, not only by the current administration but over decades as our nation has repeatedly failed to prioritize education and the futures of our children. Greatness demands more, and as the next Representative for New York’s 21st Congressional District, I will fight to deliver it.</p>

<h2>Education</h2>

<p>Sorrow.  Suffering.  Anguish. Pain. Despair.  These emotions have become all too familiar in today’s America. It is difficult to look at our nation, a nation we all deeply love, and not feel frustrated and lost, saddened and disheartened by the rise of political violence, racism, injustice, and inequality that confronts us today. It is impossible to reflect on the events of January 6<sup>th</sup>&nbsp;and on the many decisions being made by the current administration without recognizing that as a people and as a nation, we have fallen short of America’s promise and commitment to greatness.</p><p>And yet, while it is understandable that so many of us feel lost in the darkness of this moment, we must resist despair and instead seek the light that hope provides. This hope is rooted in a simple but powerful belief: that although our nation may stumble, what sustains its promise is our enduring commitment to the idea that we can be better tomorrow than we are today. On January 6<sup>th</sup>, our nation stumbled—but it did not fall and those who sought to undermine our democracy and destroy our ideals will only succeed if we surrender to the complacency of despair.</p><p>But how do we sustain hope when American ideals seem under constant attack—often by our government, sometimes by our fellow neighbors and citizens? President Barack Obama captured this challenge better than I ever could when he said, “Hope is that thing inside us that insists, despite all the evidence to the contrary, that something better awaits us if we have the courage to reach for it and to work for it and to fight for it.”</p><p>I believe that something better does await our nation. But we must be honest with ourselves and with one another: even sustained by hope, the road ahead is a steep and difficult one. Still, our nation has been tested before—and time and again, it has proven both its resilience and the resilience of the American people. As we stand here at this Civil War monument, we remember that in 1863, on a battlefield in Gettysburg, President Lincoln reminded a nation confronting rebellion that this country was “conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.”</p><p>On January 6, we were shown that insurrection, hatred, bigotry, and racism have not been relegated to history or buried in those hallowed fields in Pennsylvania. We were reminded of Lincoln’s warning—that we are ‘engaged in a great civil war, testing whether this nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure’.&nbsp;&nbsp;This remains an unanswered question.&nbsp;</p><p>While the current administration and those who stormed the Capitol seek to cling to political power by turning neighbor against neighbor and brother against brother, we must reject that narrative. We must remember the lessons of history: that there is far more that unites us as Americans than divides us. We must reject violence and replace it with compassion, reject hatred and replace it with dialogue—even with those with whom we profoundly and passionately disagree.</p><p>Yes, the work before us is daunting, and it remains unfinished; and if we continue as a divided nation, our promise and commitment to greatness will forever remain unfulfilled. So from this day forward, we must come together—liberals and conservatives--Democrats, Republicans, and Independents—and proclaim with one voice that we will no longer allow those who seek to destroy America’s ideals to do so under the false banner of patriotism. We must stand here today and declare to the world that patriotism does not require division, bigotry, and hatred, that era is over.</p><p>&nbsp;And we must once again heed Lincoln’s call—to commit ourselves to ‘the great task remaining before us, to ensure that those who gave the last full measure of devotion did not do so in vain; that this nation shall have a new birth of freedom; and that government of the people, by the people, and for the people shall not perish from the earth.’</p><p>God bless ALL of us and God bless the United States of America.&nbsp;&nbsp;Thank you</p>

<p>Sorrow.  Suffering.  Anguish. Pain. Despair.  These emotions have become all too familiar in today’s America. It is difficult to look at our nation, a nation we all deeply love, and not feel frustrated and lost, saddened and disheartened by the rise of political violence, racism, injustice, and inequality that confronts us today. It is impossible to reflect on the events of January 6<sup>th</sup>&nbsp;and on the many decisions being made by the current administration without recognizing that as a people and as a nation, we have fallen short of America’s promise and commitment to greatness.</p>

<h2>Stuart Amoriell's Speech: "Remember January 6th" Rally, Organized by ADK/Saratoga Indivisible, Glens Falls, NY (1/3/26)</h2>

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<h4>Never Forget January 6 - A Rally for Democracy, Organized by ADK/Saratoga Indivisible</h4>

<p>Join Indivisible ADK/Saratoga as we commemorate the anniversary of the 2021 insurrection and demand accountability for the elected officials who continue to undermine our democracy.</p><p>This rally will feature speakers, signs, and a "honk and wave" demonstration.</p>

Never Forget January 6 - A Rally for Democracy

<p>The framers of the Constitution confronted what has come to be known as Madison's Dilemma, one of the most enduring tensions in democratic governance. Madison was deeply concerned with how we can limit government power to preserve individual rights and prevent tyranny, while also creating a government with sufficient power to accomplish its goals. The Constitution's system of checks and balances is the primary mechanism for managing that tension. Madison argued that securing liberty from concentrated power requires giving those in other branches and departments the constitutional means and personal motives to resist encroachments by others. Ambition, Madison wrote, must be made to counteract ambition.&nbsp;</p><p>But Madison's Dilemma does not resolve itself. Madison argued that sharply drawn institutional boundaries are not, in and of themselves, sufficient to protect liberty. The structure must be actively defended by those who inhabit it and have sworn responsibility to uphold these principles. When one branch declines to exercise its constitutional role, the system does not become more efficient, it becomes more dangerous.&nbsp;&nbsp;This is the current state of our government.</p><p>Congress holds the tools to meet this obligation. Chief among them is the power of the purse. Article I, Section 9 states plainly that no money shall be drawn from the Treasury except through congressional appropriation. This was the framers' primary check on unilateral executive action. The Impoundment Control Act of 1974 reinforced it, establishing that a president cannot simply refuse to spend funds Congress has lawfully authorized. That law was itself born of crisis; Nixon's attempt to impound billions in appropriated funds.&nbsp;&nbsp;During that time, Congress acted decisively to reassert its authority.&nbsp;&nbsp;With the current administration, however, we are seeing Congress again refuse to meet its constitutional obligations.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>The current administration has tested that authority in ways not seen in the modern era, moving to freeze or redirect congressionally appropriated funds through executive action rather than the legal rescission process. Federal courts have repeatedly intervened, yet the practical disruption to funded programs has often preceded any judicial remedy. Congressional oversight has faced similar strain, with executive agencies resisting subpoenas and document requests, and the confirmation process sidestepped through expansive use of acting officials.</p><p>The framers designed a system of separation of powers, bicameralism, checks and balances, and federalism, intended to channel and control the self-seeking motives of officeholders so that government might police itself. That self-policing only functions when Congress chooses to exercise it. When partisan loyalty or institutional inertia causes the legislature to defer to an assertive executive, as we see in this administration, the dilemma Madison identified reasserts itself: a legislature unwilling to check the executive has ceded the very power that makes limited government possible.&nbsp;</p><p>The Constitution does not enforce itself. It asks that those entrusted with its authority use the tools they have been given — the appropriations process, the subpoena, the confirmation vote, and if necessary, the power of impeachment. Madison placed Congress first in the Constitution for a reason. The question before this generation is whether Congress will remember why.</p>

<p>The framers of the Constitution confronted what has come to be known as Madison's Dilemma, one of the most enduring tensions in democratic governance. Madison was deeply concerned with how we can limit government power to preserve individual rights and prevent tyranny, while also creating a government with sufficient power to accomplish its goals. The Constitution's system of checks and balances is the primary mechanism for managing that tension. Madison argued that securing liberty from concentrated power requires giving those in other branches and departments the constitutional means and personal motives to resist encroachments by others. Ambition, Madison wrote, must be made to counteract ambition.&nbsp;</p>

<h2>Congress' Constitutional Role in Checks & Balances</h2>

<p>Come hear Stuart Amoriell speak and share his vision for NY and our Nation, along with other select speakers. Join&nbsp;us&nbsp;for&nbsp;an&nbsp;engaging&nbsp;evening&nbsp;of&nbsp;great&nbsp;food,&nbsp;meaningful&nbsp;conversation,&nbsp;and&nbsp;connection&nbsp;with&nbsp;Democratic&nbsp;candidates&nbsp;who&nbsp;want&nbsp;to hear&nbsp;directly&nbsp;from&nbsp;you&nbsp;about&nbsp;the&nbsp;future&nbsp;of&nbsp;our&nbsp;district.</p><p>Community&nbsp;activists,&nbsp;local&nbsp;leaders,&nbsp;and&nbsp;neighbors&nbsp;from&nbsp;across&nbsp;the&nbsp;district&nbsp;will&nbsp;be&nbsp;gathering-&nbsp;don't&nbsp;miss&nbsp;this&nbsp;chance&nbsp;to&nbsp;be&nbsp;part&nbsp;of&nbsp;the conversation&nbsp;and&nbsp;learn&nbsp;more&nbsp;about&nbsp;the&nbsp;inspiring&nbsp;leaders&nbsp;shaping&nbsp;what&nbsp;comes next.</p>

<h4>Dinner for Democracy, Organized by Show Up</h4>

<p>Come hear Stuart Amoriell speak and share his vision for NY and our Nation, along with other select speakers.  Join&nbsp;us&nbsp;for&nbsp;an&nbsp;engaging&nbsp;evening&nbsp;of&nbsp;great&nbsp;food,&nbsp;meaningful&nbsp;conversation,&nbsp;and&nbsp;connection&nbsp;with&nbsp;Democratic&nbsp;candidates&nbsp;who&nbsp;want&nbsp;to hear&nbsp;directly&nbsp;from&nbsp;you&nbsp;about&nbsp;the&nbsp;future&nbsp;of&nbsp;our&nbsp;district.</p><p>Community&nbsp;activists,&nbsp;local&nbsp;leaders,&nbsp;and&nbsp;neighbors&nbsp;from&nbsp;across&nbsp;the&nbsp;district&nbsp;will&nbsp;be&nbsp;gathering-&nbsp;don't&nbsp;miss&nbsp;this&nbsp;chance&nbsp;to&nbsp;be&nbsp;part&nbsp;of&nbsp;the conversation&nbsp;and&nbsp;learn&nbsp;more&nbsp;about&nbsp;the&nbsp;inspiring&nbsp;leaders&nbsp;shaping&nbsp;what&nbsp;comes next.</p>

Dinner for Democracy

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<h4>Lake Placid candidate for 21st Congressional District lays out road map for change</h4>

<p>I’d like to start by addressing the stalled Equality Act. If passed, this legislation would strengthen existing civil rights protections by explicitly including sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity as protected categories. It would prohibit discrimination in employment, housing, public accommodations, jury service, and education. For far too long, LGBTQ+ Americans have faced barriers to fully participating in our democracy and our communities. As a Nation, we must pass the Equality Act to ensure that all Americans are afforded the freedoms and liberties promised by our Constitution and by the ideals of our democracy.</p><p>To make this legislation meaningful, we must also reverse the long-standing erosion of funding for the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division so that hate crimes and discriminatory actions are fully investigated and prosecuted.</p><p>I have also spoken extensively about the need to improve the affordability, reliability, and accessibility of healthcare in Northern New York. Unfortunately, the weaknesses in our healthcare systems are often felt even more acutely by our LGBTQ+ neighbors. Discrimination, intolerance, and social stigma contribute to higher rates of mental health challenges, including depression and anxiety. While mental health concerns affect people from all backgrounds, we must ensure that LGBTQ+ individuals have reliable access to culturally competent care from providers who understand the unique challenges and trauma this community faces.</p><p><a href="/060c1d25-787e-4a6b-a73d-dc6c2ff5947e/c44f440e-7825-4913-bea6-42798a4c413d">For more information, please read my speech from the March for Pride at St. Lawrence University</a></p><p></p>

<p>I’d like to start by addressing the stalled Equality Act. If passed, this legislation would strengthen existing civil rights protections by explicitly including sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity as protected categories. It would prohibit discrimination in employment, housing, public accommodations, jury service, and education. For far too long, LGBTQ+ Americans have faced barriers to fully participating in our democracy and our communities. As a Nation, we must pass the Equality Act to ensure that all Americans are afforded the freedoms and liberties promised by our Constitution and by the ideals of our democracy.</p>

<h2>LGBTQ+ Issues</h2>

<p>Today, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt issued the following statement:</p><p>“President Trump has made it well known that acquiring Greenland is a national security priority of the United States, and it’s vital to deter our adversaries in the Arctic region. The president and his team are discussing a range of options to pursue this important foreign policy goal, and of course, utilizing the U.S. military is always an option at the commander in chief’s disposal.”</p><p>This is not fake news or propaganda. It is a verbatim statement from the White House Press Secretary. Coming just days after U.S. military action in Venezuela, it openly raises the possibility that the United States could use force to take control of Greenland.</p><p>I recognize and respect that people in our North Country communities hold differing views on how best to secure our nation and advance our shared goals. I firmly believe, however, that we all want what is best for our neighbors, our communities, and our country. I believe deeply in our democracy and welcome open, respectful dialogue with those who see things differently than I do.</p><p>In that spirit, I am addressing this statement not only to the Democratic voters involved in the upcoming primary election, but to all Americans—Republicans, Democrats, and Independents alike. Some issues transcend elections and matter more than political gain.</p><p>As Americans, we share far more in common than we often acknowledge in today’s political climate. We all want a safe, secure country where we can raise families, express our freedoms and build a strong future for ourselves and our loved ones. While we may disagree about how best to achieve these goals, those disagreements are healthy in a democracy—so long as we engage one another with respect, allow room for dialogue, and work together to solve real problems rather than demonizing those we disagree with.</p><p>This divide has been especially evident in the debate following the military action in Venezuela. In recent days, much of the public conversation has been marked by insults and vitriol rather than substantive discussion. I do not believe this reflects where most Americans stand, nor does it represent our best selves. America is a great nation, but we must do better when confronting serious challenges.</p><p>Few people believe Nicolas Maduro was a legitimate leader. He was a brutal dictator who enriched himself at the expense of his people and oppressed the Venezuelan nation. No reasonable person—Democrat or Republican—defends Maduro or mourns his downfall. However, many Americans have raised serious concerns about the manner and legitimacy of his removal—not out of concern for Maduro himself, but out of concern for upholding American ideals and protecting our long-term national security interests.</p><p>That concern is straightforward: violating national sovereignty through military force, rather than pursuing alternative means, can ultimately weaken our own national security. Reasonable people can and should debate this point, even if they ultimately don’t agree. Today’s statement from the White House regarding Greenland reinforces those fears.</p><p>The idea of using military force to take control of an independent territory such as Greenland poses a serious threat to U.S. national security. It undermines international treaties and alliances that help maintain global stability and protect not only the United States, but the broader international community. Such actions risk alienating our allies and creating more conflict—not less. As the prime minister of Denmark said today, a U.S. incursion into Greenland would mean the end of NATO.</p><p>Whatever national security benefit might be gained by taking Greenland by force would be vastly outweighed by the damage caused by the collapse of our international alliances. The only beneficiaries of such actions would be our adversaries. This is precisely the danger many of us warned about when raising concerns over the military action in Venezuela.</p><p>Again, while we may not all agree, I urge those who care about this country not to dismiss disagreement as anti-American. Instead, we should welcome dialogue, ask serious questions, and engage one another in good faith. In that spirit, I invite anyone who wishes to respond to do so respectfully and thoughtfully—without insults, and with a genuine interest in understanding this critical issue.</p>

<p>Today, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt issued the following statement:</p><p>“President Trump has made it well known that acquiring Greenland is a national security priority of the United States, and it’s vital to deter our adversaries in the Arctic region. The president and his team are discussing a range of options to pursue this important foreign policy goal, and of course, utilizing the U.S. military is always an option at the commander in chief’s disposal.”</p>

<h2>Perspectives on Greenland Comments in Light of Venezuelan Military Action</h2>

<p>Join Stuart Amoriell for Congress at <em>A People's Town Hall</em> — an open community conversation where your voice matters. Come hear directly from Stuart, ask questions, and share what's on your mind about the issues facing our region and our country.</p><p>This is your chance to engage directly with the candidate. All are welcome — we hope to see you there!</p>

<h4>A People's Town Hall</h4>

<p>Join Stuart for <span style="color: var(--color-text); text-decoration-color: var(--color-text);"><em>A People's Town Hall</em></span> — an open community conversation where your voice matters. Come hear directly from Stuart, ask questions, and share what's on your mind about the issues facing our region and our country.</p>

A People's Town Hall

<p><strong>NY-21 Congressional Candidate Stuart Amoriell Releases Comprehensive Policy</strong></p><p><strong>Roadmap: "Rebuilding the North Country Quality of Life"</strong></p><p><strong>LAKE PLACID, NY</strong> — Democratic congressional candidate Stuart Amoriell today released</p><p>his comprehensive policy roadmap, Rebuilding the North Country Quality of Life, outlining</p><p>a detailed vision to address the affordability crisis and restore economic opportunity</p><p>across New York's 21st Congressional District.</p><p></p><p>The plan tackles what Amoriell calls the defining challenge facing Northern New York: a</p><p>declining quality of life driven by rising housing costs, stagnant wages, shrinking and</p><p>unaffordable healthcare, higher utility and grocery prices, and a dwindling workforce that</p><p>threatens community economies.</p><p></p><p>"Turn on the television or open social media and you'll hear politicians of all stripes talking</p><p>about affordability," Amoriell said. "But solving the affordability crisis requires more than</p><p>slogans and sound bites. Rebuilding the quality of life in the North Country demands a</p><p>comprehensive strategy grounded in the realities of rural life."</p><p></p><p>Amoriell's roadmap is organized around five interconnected policy pillars:</p><ol><li><p><strong>Building and Strengthening Communities </strong>— Investing in the infrastructure,</p></li></ol><p>institutions, and civic bonds that hold North Country towns together.</p><ol start="2"><li><p><strong>Affordable and Accessible Healthcare</strong> — Expanding access to reliable and</p></li></ol><p>affordable healthcare for families, seniors, and rural communities that have been</p><p>left behind.</p><ol start="3"><li><p><strong>Affordable Housing</strong> — Addressing the housing crisis that is squeezing working</p></li></ol><p>families and pushing young people out of the region.</p><ol start="4"><li><p><strong>Growing Jobs and Strengthening Local Economies </strong>— Creating economic</p></li></ol><p>opportunity and supporting small businesses to reverse workforce decline,</p><p>including an intelligent immigration policy that harnesses the strength</p><p>that immigrants bring to our economy and communities.</p><ol start="5"><li><p><strong>Lowering the Cost of Living and Restoring Economic Fairness </strong>— Tackling rising</p></li></ol><p>energy costs, utility prices, and everyday expenses that erode family budgets.</p><p></p><p><strong>A Campaign Rooted in the North Country</strong></p><p></p><p>Amoriell, a Lake Placid resident and owner of The Pickled Pig restaurant, brings the</p><p>perspective of a small business owner who has experienced the region's economicchallenges firsthand. His candidacy, announced at John Brown Farm in December 2025,</p><p>has centered on a message of unity and pragmatic problem-solving.</p><p></p><p>"There is far more that unites us as Americans than divides us," Amoriell has said. "No</p><p>party or ideology has all the answers, and progress comes when we listen with humility,</p><p>seek common ground, and respect every voice."</p><p></p><p>Amoriell is running in the Democratic primary for NY-21, a seat expected to be vacated by</p><p>Rep. Elise Stefanik. He lives in Lake Placid with his wife and two young children.</p><p></p><p>The full policy roadmap is available at <a href="https://www.amoriell.com/five-pillars-of-quality-of-life.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">www.amoriell.com/five-pillars-of-quality-of-life.pdf</a></p><p></p><p>Media Contact:</p><p>Emmett Bevilacqua</p><p>Email: <a href="mailto:emmett@amoriell.com">emmett@amoriell.com</a></p><p>Phone: 518-637-2299</p><p>Website: <a href="http://www.amoriell.com">www.amoriell.com</a></p>

<p>Democratic congressional candidate Stuart Amoriell today released his comprehensive policy roadmap, "Rebuilding the North Country Quality of Life," outlining a detailed vision to address the affordability crisis and restore economic opportunity across New York's 21st Congressional District.</p>

<h4>Congressional Candidate Stuart Amoriell Releases Comprehensive Policy Roadmap</h4>

<p>The world stands at a crossroads today, brought there by the United States and the decisions of this administration. While Iran posed a threat to a peaceful global order, it was not an imminent threat that justified plunging us into another war in the Middle East. That threat could have been contained and neutralized through cooperation with our allies and the broader international community, rather than by alienating them. And it could have been done without costing the American people billions of dollars each day, or the lives of so many, including our service members.</p><p>While it is clear that this latest war was reckless and lacked a coherent strategy and objective, what we have just heard from President Trump is even more troubling, insidious, and dangerous. By declaring that “a whole civilization will die tonight,” this administration has undermined the very legitimacy of our nation. If such a statement were ever carried out, it would not mean the destruction of just one civilization, but two. The America we have built over the past 250 years, the America for which so many have sacrificed, would be lost. This city upon a hill would fade, and the beacon of hope and light it has represented to the world would be extinguished.</p><p>We cannot allow this to happen.</p><p>Every member of Congress must return immediately and pass legislation to halt hostilities and ensure that this administration cannot commit war crimes or acts of genocide in the name of this great nation. This is a cause that should transcend political ideology.</p><p>Once such legislation is enacted, if President Trump defies the law and continues down a path of aggression, he must be removed from office without delay.</p><p>Congress must act now. Failure to do so would make its members complicit in this war, and the consequences would forever stain the institution. But the American people also have a role to play. We must call our representatives and demand immediate action, before it is too late.&nbsp; Today must be a time of both prayer and action.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The world stands at a crossroads today, brought there by the United States and the decisions of this administration. While Iran posed a threat to a peaceful global order, it was not an imminent threat that justified plunging us into another war in the Middle East. That threat could have been contained and neutralized through cooperation with our allies and the broader international community, rather than by alienating them. And it could have been done without costing the American people billions of dollars each day, or the lives of so many, including our service members.</p>

<h2>Statement on Iran (4/7/26)</h2>

<p>When Americans debate federal arts funding, the conversation often centers on prestigious institutions in major metropolitan centers, like the symphony halls, opera houses, and museums of New York City, Los Angeles, and Washington. Yet some of the most consequential returns on every federal arts dollar are not generated in the cities at all. They are generated in places like Saranac Lake, Old Forge, Schroon Lake, and Tupper Lake, small towns where a single arts organization can anchor Main Street, sustain dozens of livable-wage jobs, draw tourism into an otherwise empty shoulder season, and provide the social glue that rural communities cannot afford to lose.</p><p>Recent data from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis and the National Endowment for the Arts make clear that the arts and culture sector is not a luxury or an indulgence. It is a core driver of the American economy. Nationally, for-profit and non-profit arts and culture activity generated $1.102 trillion in value-added economic activity in 2022, representing 4.31% of the nation's GDP and supporting 5.2 million jobs. To put those numbers in context, the arts and culture sector outperformed construction ($1.09 trillion) and rivaled retail trade ($1.6 trillion) as a contributor to the national economy. Total worker compensation in the sector reached $540.9 billion.</p><p>In New York State, the arts loom even larger. The for-profit and non-profit arts and culture sectors represent 7.37% of the state's GDP, a $151 billion industry supporting 461,000 jobs and $62.3 billion in total worker compensation. New York's arts economy exceeds the state's retail sector ($99.3 billion) and substantially outweighs construction ($59.2 billion). Roughly 4.81% of New York's entire workforce earns a paycheck in arts and culture.</p><p>These are not abstract figures. Behind them are working artists, carpenters who build sets, lighting technicians, museum educators, music teachers, gallery owners, restaurant workers, innkeepers, and Main Street merchants whose livelihoods rise and fall with the cultural calendar of their towns.</p><p>Rural arts economics differ from urban arts economics in ways that often escape policy debates in Washington. In a major metro area, an additional dollar of public arts spending is one dollar in a vast economic ecosystem. In a town of 5,000 residents, that same dollar can be the difference between a venue staying open and going dark, and when a small-town venue goes dark, so do the restaurant down the block, the inn that filled rooms on performance weekends, and the gallery or art supply store that depended on its students and audiences.</p><p>Three structural features make federal arts dollars uniquely powerful in rural settings:</p><p>First, arts organizations are anchor institutions in places that have lost most others. Many small Adirondack and North Country towns have watched as paper mills closed, banks consolidated, and hospitals shrank or closed. A regional theater, music school, or arts center is often one of the few year-round employers paying livable wages, and one of the few institutions still drawing visitors from beyond the immediate area.</p><p>Second, the audience-spending multiplier is larger. When a visitor attends a performance in a major city, a substantial share of their related spending stays in chain restaurants and hotels with out-of-state corporate ownership. When a visitor drives to Schroon Lake for a Seagle Festival performance, they fill rooms in family-owned inns, eat at locally owned restaurants, buy gas, browse galleries, and frequently extend their stay, recirculating dollars within the local economy at a far higher rate. Americans for the Arts'&nbsp;<em>Arts &amp; Economic Prosperity 6</em>&nbsp;study found that the non-profit arts sector alone, excluding the much larger for-profit creative economy, generated $151.7 billion in annual economic activity nationally and supported 2.6 million jobs, producing $29.1 billion in federal, state, and local tax revenue. In just the combined Western New York Region, Westchester County, and Long Island study areas, non-profit arts and their audiences generated $893.7 million in annual economic activity, 15,366 jobs, and $236 million in total tax revenue.</p><p>Third, arts venues drive shoulder-season tourism. Adirondack and North Country tourism is famously concentrated in summer and ski-season weeks. Performing arts seasons, exhibitions, residencies, and arts education programs help flatten the income curve for hospitality businesses by drawing visitors in May, October, and November, the months that often decide whether seasonal businesses survive the year. A theater season or a museum exhibition is, in this sense, infrastructure: as essential to the rural economy as a state highway or a regional airport.</p><p>The communities of New York's North Country, Adirondack Park, and St. Lawrence Valley illustrate the rural arts case more vividly than any spreadsheet. Consider the cultural infrastructure these small towns have built and maintained, often with the leverage of modest federal seed funding:</p><ul><li><p>Blue Mountain Lake is home to the Adirondack Experience, a major regional museum that draws visitors from across the Northeast and is one of the largest year-round employers in the central Adirondacks.</p></li><li><p>Canton and Potsdam form a cultural corridor anchored by SUNY Potsdam's Crane School of Music, one of the oldest collegiate music schools in the country, alongside SUNY Canton, St. Lawrence University, and Clarkson University. Together they host performances, exhibitions, and educational programs that serve a region stretching into Vermont and Quebec.</p></li><li><p>Essex and Westport, on Lake Champlain, sustain venues like the Depot Theatre, an Equity summer theater that draws audiences from across the lake and down the Northway.</p></li><li><p>Glens Falls hosts the Hyde Collection, a small museum of national significance, alongside the Charles R. Wood Theater and the Lower Adirondack Regional Arts Council (LARAC), institutions widely credited as central to the city's downtown revitalization.</p></li><li><p>Jay and the surrounding High Peaks region host studio tours, craft fairs, and the Jay Craft Center, channeling visitors and dollars into a community far from any urban center.</p></li><li><p>Lake Placid combines its Olympic legacy with the Lake Placid Center for the Arts, sustaining year-round cultural programming in a destination otherwise driven primarily by athletics.</p></li><li><p>Old Forge anchors the Central Adirondacks with View Arts Center, a regional cultural hub offering exhibitions, performances, and arts education in a community of roughly 750 year-round residents.</p></li><li><p>Plattsburgh hosts the Strand Center for the Arts and the cultural programming of SUNY Plattsburgh, serving the entire North Country and northern Champlain Valley.</p></li><li><p>Saranac Lake punches well above its weight with BluSeed Studios, Pendragon Theatre, the Adirondack Carousel, and a thriving artist community that has become central to the village's identity and tourism brand.</p></li><li><p>Schroon Lake is home to Seagle Festival, founded in 1915, one of the oldest summer vocal training programs in the United States, drawing professional-track singers from across the country every summer.</p></li><li><p>Ticonderoga anchors a substantial share of its tourism economy on Fort Ticonderoga, a major living-history institution that hosts performances and educational programming year-round.</p></li><li><p>Tupper Lake pairs The Wild Center with Tupper Arts to draw a broader visitor base than either could alone, leveraging culture and natural science together.</p></li></ul><p>Each of these communities has a population measured in the hundreds or low thousands. Each sustains arts infrastructure that serves regional populations many times larger. And each leverages public investment, including, critically, federal investment, into local jobs, tax revenue, and small-business activity that would not otherwise exist.</p><p>Set against the scale of its impact, federal arts funding is remarkably small. Congress allocated $207 million to the National Endowment for the Arts in fiscal year 2024, approximately 62 cents per capita. That figure trails virtually every peer nation's per-capita arts investment by an order of magnitude. Americans for the Arts has long advocated indexing the NEA at $1 per capita, a still-modest target that would meaningfully expand the agency's reach into rural and underserved communities.</p><p>In New York, public arts funding combines federal, state, and local sources to make the arts economy work:</p><p>•&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;New York State Council on the Arts appropriation (FY24): $110,105,000</p><p>•&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;NEA grant to NYSCA (FY24): $1,090,220</p><p>•&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Direct NEA grants to New York organizations (FY23, 650 grants): $18,078,660</p><p>These are not handouts. NEA grants typically require matching funds at a minimum of 1:1, and in practice grantees raise three to nine private and local dollars for every federal dollar received. A single NEA grant to a small Adirondack venue can unlock municipal support, foundation grants, individual donors, and earned revenue that would not otherwise materialize. The federal share is the credentialing dollar, the seal that tells local funders, state councils, and private donors that a project has passed national peer review and is worth backing.</p><p>For rural organizations especially, NEA support is often the only nationally competitive funding stream they can realistically pursue. State arts council budgets vary year to year with state revenues; private foundation funding tends to concentrate in metropolitan areas. The NEA, with its statutory mandate to serve every congressional district, is one of the only federal funding programs structurally designed to reach communities like Old Forge, Tupper Lake, or Schroon Lake.</p><p>The economic case for federal arts funding is overwhelming on its own, but it understates the value of arts organizations in rural America. The&nbsp;<em>Arts &amp; Economic Prosperity 6</em>&nbsp;study found that 89.9% of audience members in the Western New York, Westchester, and Long Island study areas agreed that the venue they attended inspires “a sense of pride in this neighborhood or community,” and 88.4% reported that their attendance is their way of ensuring the venue is preserved for future generations. Those numbers slightly exceed the national figures (88.5% and 87% respectively).</p><p>Behind those percentages is something policy debates rarely capture: the small-town gallery opening where the volunteer fire chief, the high school art teacher, and the seasonal innkeeper are all in the same room. The community theater whose productions are one of the few places in town where teenagers, retirees, second-home owners, and year-round workers genuinely mix. The summer concert series that gives a struggling village a reason to put up banners on Main Street again.</p><p>In communities increasingly fragmented by economic stress, demographic change, and political polarization, arts venues function as some of the last neutral civic spaces, places where social capital is built across the lines that otherwise divide rural America. That is not soft value. It is hard infrastructure for democratic life.</p><p>Federal arts funding also supports a category of work that rural economies desperately need: skilled, year-round, livable-wage employment that does not require relocation to a city. A regional museum's curatorial staff, a theater's technical director, a music school's faculty, an arts center's education coordinator: these are professional positions with benefits, often filled by people who chose the Adirondacks or the North Country deliberately and who anchor their communities in ways purely seasonal employment cannot.</p><p>Nationally, arts and culture jobs paid $540.9 billion in total worker compensation in 2022. In New York alone, total arts compensation reached $62.3 billion, a figure that reflects strong wages in well-paying creative and technical positions, not minimum-wage seasonal labor. Federal funding helps ensure that these positions can exist outside of urban economies, where the cost of living often consumes whatever cultural-sector salary an organization can offer.</p><p>Just as importantly, a strong arts ecosystem is one of the most reliable tools rural communities have for attracting and retaining the younger workers and families their economies depend on. The North Country, like much of rural America, faces a demographic challenge that is no longer hypothetical: aging populations, declining school enrollments, and the steady loss of working-age residents to metropolitan areas. Talent-attraction research consistently identifies cultural amenities, theaters, music venues, galleries, public art, and arts education, among the top factors young professionals and families weigh when choosing where to live. The expansion of remote work has widened that universe considerably; a software engineer, nurse practitioner, or graphic designer who can work from anywhere is far more likely to choose Saranac Lake, Glens Falls, or Potsdam if those towns offer a Friday-night concert, a community theater their children can audition for, or a gallery district worth walking through on a Saturday morning. Strong arts programming is, in this sense, a recruiting tool for the entire local economy: for the hospital trying to staff its medical center, the school district trying to fill teaching positions, and the small businesses looking for the next generation of owners. Communities that invest in the arts grow younger; communities that let their cultural infrastructure decay grow older, smaller, and poorer.</p><p>When proposals surface to cut or eliminate federal arts funding, the rhetoric typically frames the cuts as savings for taxpayers. The math does not support that framing. Non-profit arts activity alone returns $29.1 billion annually in federal, state, and local tax revenue, a return more than 100 times the entire NEA appropriation. Cutting federal arts funding does not save money. It dismantles a leverage mechanism that produces jobs, tax revenue, and tourism activity, especially in the parts of the country least able to replace it.</p><p>For the rural communities that have built their identities and a meaningful share of their economies around arts and culture, the Blue Mountain Lakes and Saranac Lakes and Schroon Lakes and Old Forges, federal disinvestment would not be felt as a budget line item. It would be felt in shuttered venues, lost jobs, empty inns in October, and Main Streets that lose another reason to stay alive.</p><p>The case for federal arts funding is, in its simplest form, a case for one of the most efficient and equitable economic development tools the federal government still operates. At 62 cents per capita, the National Endowment for the Arts produces returns any private investor would call extraordinary. In New York alone, public arts investment underpins a $151 billion industry, 461,000 jobs, and a tax base that funds the very governments doing the investing.</p><p>In the small towns of New York's North Country and Adirondacks, Blue Mountain Lake, Canton, Essex, Glens Falls, Jay, Lake Placid, Old Forge, Plattsburgh, Potsdam, Saranac Lake, Schroon Lake, Ticonderoga, Tupper Lake, and Westport, the arts are not amenities. They are economic engines, year-round employers, tourism drivers, shoulder-season stabilizers, and civic anchors. Federal investment in the arts is investment in their futures.</p><p>Congress should, at minimum, fund the NEA at $1 per capita, as Americans for the Arts has long advocated. It should preserve and strengthen the formula that channels federal dollars to state arts councils, which in turn reach the smallest grantees in the most rural places. And it should reject the false framing that pits urban culture against rural priorities, when in fact the rural arts economy may be where federal arts dollars work hardest of all.</p>

<p>When Americans debate federal arts funding, the conversation often centers on prestigious institutions in major metropolitan centers, like the symphony halls, opera houses, and museums of New York City, Los Angeles, and Washington. Yet some of the most consequential returns on every federal arts dollar are not generated in the cities at all. They are generated in places like Saranac Lake, Old Forge, Schroon Lake, and Tupper Lake, small towns where a single arts organization can anchor Main Street, sustain dozens of livable-wage jobs, draw tourism into an otherwise empty shoulder season, and provide the social glue that rural communities cannot afford to lose.</p>

<h2>The Arts as Economic Engines for Rural America</h2>

<p><strong>FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE</strong></p><p>April 22, 2026</p><p><strong>PARTY BOSS CAUGHT THREATENING DEMOCRAT VOTERS IN WRITING</strong></p><p><em>Jason Clark has a problem. We have the texts.</em></p><p><strong>(SARANAC LAKE, NY)</strong> — The Amoriell campaign has obtained text messages in which Jason Clark, Vice Chair of the Essex County Democratic Committee and Assistant Secretary of the New York State Democratic Committee, personally threatened three Democratic activists — Jesse Murnane, Colleen Mannix, and Laura Garrant — who support this campaign. Clark told them they were banned from the May 7 event at RiverTrail Beerworks in Saranac Lake and warned that police would remove them if they showed up.</p><span class="image image-base image-left image-tilt-left" style="width: 40%;"><span class="image-inner-wrapper"><img src="https://run.imgix.net/8bc71b11-a8f8-4e29-804e-8260c4bb3159/0db8f086-1cc6-4dc7-8b21-241d32471002/0db8f086-1cc6-4dc7-8b21-241d32471002.jpg?ixlib=js-3.8.0&amp;bri=0&amp;con=0&amp;sat=0&amp;high=0&amp;shad=0&amp;usm=0&amp;rect=0%2C0%2C947%2C1361&amp;w=1500" alt="" caption="" align="left" alignwidth="40" tiltdirection="left" variant="base"></span><span class="caption" style="display: none;"></span></span><p>Clark made it up. The Saranac Lake Police Department was never contacted. This was a deliberate lie, designed to intimidate Democratic voters into staying home.</p><span class="image image-base image-left image-tilt-left" style="width: 37.5%;"><span class="image-inner-wrapper"><img src="https://run.imgix.net/8bc71b11-a8f8-4e29-804e-8260c4bb3159/ad53a0e9-410e-4dd9-8e33-cf3eba762008/ad53a0e9-410e-4dd9-8e33-cf3eba762008.jpg?ixlib=js-3.8.0&amp;bri=0&amp;con=0&amp;sat=0&amp;high=0&amp;shad=0&amp;usm=0&amp;rect=0%2C158%2C947%2C1219&amp;w=1500" alt="" caption="" align="left" alignwidth="37.5" tiltdirection="left" variant="base"></span><span class="caption" style="display: none;"></span></span><p>This is not an isolated incident. Clark has a documented history of intimidation against Democratic activists who challenge the party establishment and he believes his job is to control the process and deliver the anointed candidate — not to serve the voters.</p><p>Democratic voters are angry — and they should be.&nbsp; RiverTrail Beerworks is a public space. It is not a closed private event. Democratic voters have every right to be there. The party establishment has chosen its candidate, and anyone who gets in the way gets threatened by their own party boss. That is not democracy. That is voter intimidation. And it is illegal.</p><p>Jason Clark and the Democrats running this operation are breaking the law. The Democratic Party belongs to the voters. Not to Jason Clark.</p><p>These communications have been referred to Franklin County District Attorney Elizabeth Crawford.</p><p style="text-align: center;">###</p><p><strong>Contact: Jennifer Brown, Miller Media Consulting</strong></p><p><a href="mailto:jlbrown35@gmail.com">Jennifer Brown</a>&nbsp;| 917.837.7226</p><p></p><p><strong>Hank Sheinkopf, Sheinkopf Communications</strong></p><p><a href="mailto:hank@sheinkopf.com">hank@sheinkopf.com</a>&nbsp;| 646-294-6571</p>

<h4>Party Boss Caught Threatening Democrat Voters in Writing</h4>

<p>As a lifelong Catholic, my personal actions and principles are grounded in the tenants of my faith. Of the many values Christians of all denominations hold dear, compassion is core. “Blessed are those that show compassion, for they shall receive mercy.” (Matthew 5:7) As an American, my beliefs are also shaped by our ideals—those principles that have defined this nation’s greatness for generations. Among these are the concepts of personal freedom and religious liberty. I believe each person must make decisions based on their own beliefs, religious convictions, and experiences. In a society that embraces diversity and freedom, the government cannot replace this deeply individual decision.&nbsp;</p><p>Moreover, I believe compassion is more effective than legislation, guilt and coercion. If we want to reduce unwanted pregnancies, we must focus on improved mental and physical health care, childcare, education, and economic opportunity—not in criminalizing women or their doctors. Restrictive laws make America less free and more dangerous.&nbsp;&nbsp;American greatness demands more.</p><p>I recognize that people of goodwill, including many fellow Catholics and Christians, have deep convictions when it comes to abortion and reproductive freedom. But in a pluralistic democracy, the role of government is not to impose the beliefs of some on all.&nbsp;&nbsp;My commitment is to uphold personal liberty and ensure that every individual can make private medical decisions without government interference or fear of punishment.</p>

<p>As a lifelong Catholic, my personal actions and principles are grounded in the tenants of my faith. Of the many values Christians of all denominations hold dear, compassion is core. “Blessed are those that show compassion, for they shall receive mercy.” (Matthew 5:7) As an American, my beliefs are also shaped by our ideals—those principles that have defined this nation’s greatness for generations. Among these are the concepts of personal freedom and religious liberty. I believe each person must make decisions based on their own beliefs, religious convictions, and experiences. In a society that embraces diversity and freedom, the government cannot replace this deeply individual decision.&nbsp;</p>

<h2>Reproductive Freedom</h2>

<p>Join Stuart Amoriell for a Tailgate Talk—a chance to hear directly from Stuart, ask questions, and connect with neighbors about the issues that matter most.</p><p>This isn’t a speech-and-leave kind of event. Stuart will share remarks, then stick around for conversation and a meet-and-greet.</p><p>Bring a friend, bring your questions, and come be part of it.</p>

<h4>Glens Falls Tailgate Talks</h4>

Glens Falls Tailgate Talks

<p>American agriculture is at a crossroads. Across rural regions like Northern New York, where dairy farms dot the hillsides of St. Lawrence, Jefferson, and Franklin counties, and where generations of families have worked the same land, small and mid-sized farm operations are under enormous pressure. Input costs have surged, commodity prices remain volatile, and the stranglehold of large agribusiness corporations over supply chains, processing facilities, and retail markets has made it increasingly difficult for independent farmers to survive. Federal policy has a critical role to play in reversing these trends, and Democratic proposals at the federal level offer a serious, coherent vision for doing so: one that prioritizes the family farmer, rebuilds rural communities, and reins in the unchecked power of corporate agriculture.</p><p>The consolidation of American agriculture over the past four decades has been nothing short of staggering. Today, just four companies control more than 80 percent of beef packing, and similarly concentrated oligopolies dominate hog slaughter, poultry processing, and grain trading. In dairy, an industry foundational to Northern New York's economy, multinational corporations have suppressed farmgate prices while charging consumers more at the grocery store, pocketing the margin themselves. For dairy farmers in communities like Canton and Malone, this translates into operating at or below the cost of production for months at a time, drawing down savings, deferring maintenance, and ultimately making the heartbreaking decision to sell off the herd. This is not a natural market outcome; it is the predictable result of decades of regulatory neglect and the systematic rollback of antitrust enforcement in agricultural markets. Democrats have consistently argued that restoring competition requires robust use of the Sherman Antitrust Act, the Packers and Stockyards Act, and the Agricultural Fair Practices Act, laws that already exist but have been left largely unenforced. Empowering the Department of Justice and the Department of Agriculture to pursue aggressive antitrust action against agribusiness monopolies is not anti-market ideology; it is the restoration of the competitive conditions that markets require to function fairly.</p><p>Large corporate farm operations, often referred to as factory farms or concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs), present a further set of problems that extend well beyond market distortion. These industrial facilities, frequently owned by or contracted to large multinational corporations, externalize their costs onto surrounding communities and the environment in ways that small farms do not. In Northern New York, where the Adirondack watershed and the St. Lawrence River are ecological and economic lifelines, the runoff from massive CAFOs poses a direct threat to water quality, public health, and the region's tourism and recreation industries. Manure lagoons at industrial scale produce methane and nitrous oxide at rates that contribute meaningfully to climate change, while the widespread prophylactic use of antibiotics in these facilities accelerates the development of drug-resistant bacteria, a public health emergency that has nothing to do with the individual farmer trying to make ends meet and everything to do with the profit calculus of corporations that treat animals as industrial inputs. Democrats have supported legislation that would require industrial agricultural operations to meet the same environmental standards applied to other industries, close the loopholes that allow CAFOs to avoid Clean Water Act compliance, and fund the technical assistance small farmers need to implement more sustainable practices without bearing the full cost alone.</p><p>Support for small and mid-sized farmers in regions like Northern New York must be proactive, not merely protective. Democratic farm policy proposals have consistently included robust investment in rural infrastructure, credit access, and market diversification. The USDA's Farm Service Agency loan programs, when adequately funded and staffed, provide beginning and socially disadvantaged farmers with the capital they need to get started or weather a difficult season; capital that commercial lenders, increasingly risk-averse about agricultural lending, often will not provide. Expanding these programs, raising loan limits to reflect current land and equipment costs, and reducing bureaucratic barriers for small operations are priorities that Democrats have championed in successive Farm Bill debates. Similarly, investment in regional food systems, local processing facilities, food hubs, farmers markets, and farm-to-school programs, creates alternative market channels that allow small farmers to capture more of the consumer dollar rather than surrendering it to vertically integrated corporate intermediaries. For Northern New York, where proximity to major population centers in the Northeast creates genuine market opportunity, these investments could be transformative.</p><p>Crop insurance and commodity support programs, as currently structured, disproportionately benefit the largest operations. Federal farm subsidies have long been tilted toward large commodity producers, with payment limits that are high enough to deliver millions of dollars annually to the largest corporate farming entities while providing only marginal support to the small dairy or vegetable farm trying to stay viable. Democrats have proposed tightening payment limits, means-testing subsidy programs, and redirecting savings toward conservation programs like the Conservation Stewardship Program and the Environmental Quality Incentives Program, programs that pay farmers to implement practices that benefit the broader public while also reducing input costs and improving long-term soil and water health. These are not giveaways; they are investments in the ecological services that agriculture provides when managed responsibly, and they preferentially reward the kind of careful stewardship that characterizes family farming at its best.</p><p>Rural health care, broadband access, and workforce housing are not agricultural policies in the narrow sense, but they are inseparable from the viability of rural farming communities. A farmer who cannot recruit skilled workers because there is no affordable housing in the county, whose children cannot access telehealth because there is no reliable internet service, and whose neighbors leave because there are no jobs for non-farmers is farming in a community that is hollowing out. Democrats have been the consistent advocates for rural investment through programs like the USDA's Rural Development office, the Federal Communications Commission's rural broadband initiatives, and community health center funding, all of which have faced cuts or stagnation during periods of Republican governance. Keeping these programs funded and functional is as much a farm policy as anything that happens in the commodity title of the Farm Bill.</p><p>The case for strong federal support of small and mid-sized farmers in regions like Northern New York is ultimately a case about what kind of rural America we want to have, and what kind of food system we want to sustain. Corporate consolidation, industrial agriculture, and the erosion of antitrust enforcement have produced cheaper food in the short term at the cost of farmer livelihoods, community resilience, environmental health, and food system security. Democratic federal policies, aggressive antitrust enforcement, reformed subsidy structures, investment in regional food systems, environmental accountability for industrial operations, and broad rural investment, offer a credible path toward a different future, one in which the family farmer is not a nostalgic relic but a viable, supported, and respected cornerstone of American life.</p>

<p>American agriculture is at a crossroads. Across rural regions like Northern New York, where dairy farms dot the hillsides of St. Lawrence, Jefferson, and Franklin counties, and where generations of families have worked the same land, small and mid-sized farm operations are under enormous pressure. Input costs have surged, commodity prices remain volatile, and the stranglehold of large agribusiness corporations over supply chains, processing facilities, and retail markets has made it increasingly difficult for independent farmers to survive. Federal policy has a critical role to play in reversing these trends, and Democratic proposals at the federal level offer a serious, coherent vision for doing so: one that prioritizes the family farmer, rebuilds rural communities, and reins in the unchecked power of corporate agriculture.</p>

<h2>Investing in the Future of Rural Agriculture</h2>

<p>Improving the healthcare system isn’t limited to just physical care alone, as our communities also face a significant shortage of mental health providers, leaving residents without the essential care they need.&nbsp;&nbsp;Many of our neighbors struggle with the burden of depression, and too many of our brightest lights have been extinguished due to suicide. Too many in our communities struggle with addiction, and too many of our neighbors have been lost to the bottle or pill.&nbsp;&nbsp;As a nation and a community, we must do better at recognizing those who battle these issues and ensure they have a path out of the darkness.</p>

<p>Improving the healthcare system isn’t limited to just physical care alone, as our communities also face a significant shortage of mental health providers, leaving residents without the essential care they need.</p>

<h2>Mental Health</h2>

<p>The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is an incredibly tragic and complex issue.&nbsp;&nbsp;I certainly don't have more wisdom on this issue than all those who came before and tried to develop solutions.&nbsp;&nbsp;That said, I believe it is imperative that all candidates and politicians make their position on this issue clear.&nbsp;&nbsp;Mine is a position that rejects the false choice between unconditional support and wholesale condemnation. It is a position rooted in moral consistency: one can support the existence and security of Israel, recognize terrorism for what it is, mourn the death of every innocent civilian, and still demand accountability from those in power; including governments that act in the name of nations we support.</p><p></p><p><strong>Support for Israel, With Clear Limits</strong></p><p>Israel's right to exist as a sovereign nation is not in dispute. The State of Israel was established in the wake of one of history's most horrific genocides, and the Jewish people's connection to the land is deep, historical, and legitimate. The international community's recognition of Israeli sovereignty is appropriate, and I completely reject efforts to delegitimize Israel as a state.</p><p>Support for Israel, however, is not the same as support for any particular Israeli government. The current government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a coalition that includes far-right ministers who have openly called for the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians and the annexation of Gaza, does not represent the values of liberal democracy that Israel has historically aspired to embody. Many Israelis themselves have protested vigorously against this government's policies, its undermining of judicial independence, political graft and corruption, and its conduct in Gaza.&nbsp;&nbsp;I, too, reject the Netanyahu Coalition as one that works counter to those values our nation stands for.</p><p>To support Israel is to support its people, its democratic institutions, and its security. It is not to grant a blank check to a government whose actions have drawn condemnation from international courts, former allies, and Israel's own civil society. Genuine friendship sometimes requires speaking hard truths.</p><p></p><p><strong>Hamas and Hezbollah Are Terrorist Organizations</strong></p><p>Hamas and Hezbollah are terrorist organizations—period. This is not a contested characterization; it is a legal and moral designation supported by the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom, and numerous others.&nbsp;&nbsp;Both organizations have deliberately targeted civilians, used human shields, fired rockets indiscriminately into populated areas, and explicitly called for the annihilation of Israel and the Jewish people.</p><p>The attacks carried out by Hamas on October 7, 2023, in which approximately 1,200 Israelis were killed and over 250 taken hostage, were acts of terrorism by any definition. They were barbaric, deliberate, and unjustifiable. There is no political grievance, however legitimate, that justifies the massacre of civilians, the rape of women, or the abduction of children.</p><p>I believe that&nbsp;acknowledging Palestinian suffering does not require softening this condemnation. In fact, I believe that Hamas's continued governance of Gaza and its exploitation of civilian populations for military cover have deepened Palestinian suffering. The Palestinian people deserve leadership that prioritizes their welfare and dignity, not armed factions that use them as pawns in an endless war.&nbsp;&nbsp;Hamas and Hezbollah should be shown no quarter and have no continued place in this world.</p><p></p><p><strong>The Right to Self-Defense, And Its Limits</strong></p><p>Every nation possesses the inherent right to self-defense under international law, including Article 51 of the United Nations Charter. Israel was attacked, and Israel has the right, and the obligation, to protect its citizens and to pursue those responsible. No reasonable government, official, or legislator disputes that a military response to the October 7 attacks was both legally justified and strategically necessary.</p><p>However, the right to self-defense is not unlimited. International humanitarian law, including the Geneva Conventions, the principle of proportionality, and the prohibition on collective punishment, binds all parties. The right to defend oneself does not include the right to starve a population, to destroy civilian infrastructure without military necessity, or to conduct operations that kill tens of thousands of non-combatants.</p><p>The question is not whether Israel had the right to respond to terrorism. It did. The question is whether the manner of that response has respected the laws of armed conflict and the fundamental dignity of human life.&nbsp;&nbsp;It did not.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p></p><p><strong>The Death of Civilians in Gaza Constitutes War Crimes</strong></p><p>The scale of civilian death in Gaza is not an abstraction. As of early 2026, credible estimates place the Palestinian death toll at more than 70,000,&nbsp;&nbsp;a figure that heartbreakingly includes thousands of children. Entire neighborhoods have been reduced to rubble. Hospitals, schools, refugee camps, and clearly marked aid convoys have been struck. Humanitarian access has been systematically obstructed and denied. Famine conditions were deliberately allowed to develop, leaving citizens in the most deplorable and desperate state.</p><p>These are not incidental tragedies of war. Under international humanitarian law, the deliberate or reckless targeting of civilians, the use of disproportionate force, the destruction of facilities and infrastructure indispensable to civilian survival, and the use of starvation as a weapon of war are war crimes. The International Court of Justice has found plausible evidence of genocide. The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for senior Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Netanyahu.&nbsp;&nbsp;I believe both international bodies are justified in these actions and that accountability of the Netanyahu regime is mandatory.</p><p>To acknowledge these facts is not antisemitism. It is not a denial of Israel's right to exist or a minimization of Hamas's crimes. I am applying the same legal and moral standard to all parties, the standard we demand of every nation that calls itself a democracy committed to the rule of law. The deaths of Palestinian civilians demand accountability, not rationalization.</p><p>Atrocities do not cancel each other out. Hamas's terrorism does not justify Israeli war crimes, just as Israeli military operations do not justify Hamas's terrorism. Both can be condemned simultaneously and with equal moral conviction.</p><p></p><p><strong>The Imperative of a Two-State Solution</strong></p><p>History has shown us there is no military solution to this conflict. History has demonstrated this with devastating clarity. Decades of occupation, war, blockade, and reprisal have produced only more suffering on both sides.&nbsp;&nbsp;I have long believed the only path to lasting peace, for Israelis and Palestinians alike, is a negotiated two-state solution that provides both peoples with safety, sovereignty, and dignity.</p><p>A viable Palestinian state must have genuine sovereignty, contiguous territory, and the institutional capacity to govern. It cannot be a collection of disconnected enclaves under Israeli military oversight. At the same time, Israel's security concerns must be taken seriously and addressed through concrete guarantees and international monitoring mechanisms and involvement.</p><p>The international community, including the United States, the European Union, Arab nations, and regional powers, bears collective responsibility for making this happen. Decades of half-measures, failed negotiations, and diplomatic cover for the status quo have contributed to the catastrophe now unfolding. That must change.&nbsp;</p><p></p><p><strong>The Duty to Rebuild Gaza</strong></p><p>The international community now faces a moral obligation of historic proportions: the reconstruction of Gaza. What has been destroyed, homes, hospitals, universities, water systems, roads, and entire communities, must be rebuilt. This is not charity. It is a legal and moral duty owed to a civilian population that has suffered catastrophically.</p><p>Reconstruction must be substantial, sustained, and unconditional on Palestinian political compliance. It must be funded by the international community, including those nations whose military and diplomatic support enabled the destruction—the United States and Israel, among them. It must be designed in partnership with Palestinian civil society, not imposed from outside. And it must be accompanied by a genuine political horizon: a peace process with real stakes and real consequences, not a managed occupation dressed up in the language of diplomacy.</p><p>A rebuilt Gaza that remains under blockade or occupation will not produce stability. Reconstruction without political resolution is a foundation on sand. The two must proceed together, with international oversight, accountability mechanisms, and a genuine commitment to Palestinian self-determination.</p><p></p><p><strong>Conclusion</strong></p><p>This is not a comfortable position for me, or any politician. It will satisfy neither those who demand unconditional support for Israeli government policy nor those who refuse to acknowledge Israel's legitimate security needs or Hamas's terrorism. But moral clarity sometimes means standing in uncomfortable places.</p><p>The position outlined here rests on a simple foundation: human life has equal value, regardless of nationality or religion. Palestinian children and Israeli children both deserve to grow up in safety. Both peoples have suffered too much, for too long. And the international community, too long complicit in a status quo that served no one, must finally summon the will to act.</p>

<p>The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is an incredibly tragic and complex issue.&nbsp;&nbsp;I certainly don't have more wisdom on this issue than all those who came before and tried to develop solutions.&nbsp;&nbsp;That said, I believe it is imperative that all candidates and politicians make their position on this issue clear.&nbsp;&nbsp;Mine is a position that rejects the false choice between unconditional support and wholesale condemnation. It is a position rooted in moral consistency: one can support the existence and security of Israel, recognize terrorism for what it is, mourn the death of every innocent civilian, and still demand accountability from those in power; including governments that act in the name of nations we support.</p>

<h2>Gaza & The Israeli-Patestinian Conflict</h2>

<p>The American healthcare system has a stranglehold on the American worker. It restricts job mobility, limits career advancement, and suppresses wage growth as costs continue to spiral out of control. The immense financial burden placed on individuals and families generates constant stress, uncertainty, and hardship. There is no meaningful path to improving the lives of American workers without finally confronting our broken healthcare system.</p><p>For decades, the United States has recognized this failure. Since the Truman administration in the 1940s, leaders across both parties have acknowledged that our healthcare system is inadequate. There have been important steps forward—most notably the creation of Medicare and Medicaid in 1965 under President Johnson, and the passage of the Affordable Care Act in 2010 under President Obama. Yet despite these efforts, the system remains fundamentally flawed. That must change.</p><p>The evidence is overwhelming. The United States spends more per capita on healthcare than any other developed nation, yet consistently fails to achieve comparable outcomes. Medical bills remain the leading cause of personal bankruptcy. Nearly one in ten Americans is uninsured—including close to four million children. Forty percent of Americans skip prescribed medications because they cannot afford them, and more than thirty percent forgo routine care for the same reason. Meanwhile, the United States holds the grim distinction of having the highest maternal and infant mortality rates in the developed world. That bears repeating: the highest maternal and infant mortality rates in the developed world. And still, healthcare and insurance costs continue to climb at an unsustainable rate of ten to twenty percent annually. This is unacceptable. We must do better.</p><p>A single-payer system—such as Medicare for All—offers the strongest path forward. By reducing administrative overhead from nearly twenty percent of total healthcare spending to an estimated two to three percent, and by leveraging far greater bargaining power with providers, a single-payer system could substantially lower costs across the board. For these reasons, I believe a single-payer model offers the greatest likelihood of delivering lasting cost control alongside guaranteed coverage for every American.</p><p>Accordingly, I will vote for and co-sponsor Medicare for All as a member of the House of Representatives. As part of that legislative effort and process, I will also work to close the existing coverage gaps and high out-of-pocket costs that are often found within the current Medicare system, ensuring that what we build is a truly comprehensive program that meets the needs of all Americans in terms of cost, accessibility, and quality of care.</p><p>That said, those who have heard me speak know that I have raised real concerns about whether Medicare for All can be enacted in the near term. Political reality demands honesty: passage will likely require reclaiming control of Congress in this cycle and the executive branch two years later—it is highly unlikely that the Trump administration would sign Medicare for All legislation, nor that we will gain a veto-proof majority in the midterm elections. I will continue to advocate for Medicare for All and a single-payer system in every way possible from day one, but we cannot allow the perfect to become the enemy of the good. As we work toward single-payer comprehensive reform, we cannot leave Americans to struggle without coverage or care in the meantime.</p><p>My goal is straightforward: ensure that one hundred percent of Americans have access to affordable, reliable healthcare. With that in mind, alongside my support for Medicare for All, I will introduce interim legislation designed to bridge the gap between our current system and a single-payer future. I call this proposal&nbsp;<strong>Medicare Open to All</strong>.</p><p><strong>Medicare Open to All Act</strong></p><p>At its core, this legislation would make Medicare immediately available to every American as we work toward a single-payer model. It would also address current gaps in Medicare coverage and high out-of-pocket costs, and provide comprehensive prescription and dental coverage.</p><p>Enrollment would be guaranteed to anyone who seeks it. To ensure true affordability, subsidies would be available to individuals and families earning up to 400% of the federal poverty level.</p><p>Americans who prefer private insurance would retain that option. But by opening Medicare to all, we would create an immediate, practical solution—one that guarantees accessible and affordable coverage, enhances job mobility by decoupling healthcare from employment, and relieves employers of the escalating burden of providing coverage. That relief translates directly into higher wages and greater capacity for businesses to invest in growth.</p><p>Healthcare is not merely a policy debate. It is a moral and economic imperative—a matter of life and death. No American should be forced to choose between their health and their livelihood, between filling a prescription and paying rent, or between staying in a job they have outgrown and gambling with their family's security. We have the evidence, the tools, and the responsibility to act.</p><p>By fighting for Medicare for All—and by opening Medicare to everyone while that fight continues—we can deliver immediate relief, restore dignity to working families, and build a healthcare system that serves people, not profits. The time for incremental hesitation has passed. The time to act is now.</p>

<p>The American healthcare system has a stranglehold on the American worker. It restricts job mobility, limits career advancement, and suppresses wage growth as costs continue to spiral out of control. The immense financial burden placed on individuals and families generates constant stress, uncertainty, and hardship. There is no meaningful path to improving the lives of American workers without finally confronting our broken healthcare system.</p>

<h2>Health Insurance Affordability & Reform</h2>

<p>Join local residents for a <strong>State of the Union Watch Party</strong> with congressional candidate <strong>Stuart Amoriell</strong> at The Pickled Pig in Lake Placid. The Committee to Elect Stuart Amoriell will provide beer, and wine. <strong>Tickets Required</strong>.</p>

<h4>State of the Union Watch Party</h4>

Inauguration Watch Party

<h4>Plattsburgh Tailgate Talks</h4>

Plattsburgh Tailgage Talk

<p>WRGB Studios-Schenectady, NY — Stuart Amoriell, a Democratic candidate running in New York's 21st Congressional District, joined Power &amp; Politics this week, discussing his background, his campaign and some of the major issues facing New Yorkers, and Americans right now.</p>

<h4>Stuart Amoriell talks being an "independent Democrat", immigration, Iran, NY-21 campaign</h4>

<p>Across the workforce, women and minority groups continue to face systemic barriers that limit their opportunities, recognition, and advancement in the workforce. These challenges often show up in unequal pay for equal work, underrepresentation in leadership roles, biased hiring and promotion practices, and workplace cultures that can exclude or undervalue diverse perspectives.</p><p>Addressing these inequities requires more than lip-service commitments to diversity; they require systemic changes and efforts, many of which have been dismantled and undermined by this administration. Organizations need to adopt transparent pay structures, implement fair and standardized hiring and evaluation processes, and actively invest in mentorship and sponsorship programs for underrepresented groups. Corporate leadership must also be held accountable for measurable progress, ensuring that inclusion is not just a stated value on a website or PowerPoint, but a practiced one in everyday business. Additionally, fostering open dialogue, providing bias training, and creating safe channels for reporting discrimination can help shift workplace culture toward a genuinely equitable one.</p><p>Supporting Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives is a key part of this effort because they provide structured, intentional ways to identify and correct systemic imbalances. DEI is not just about representation; it’s about ensuring fair access to opportunities, creating environments where people feel respected and valued, and removing barriers that prevent individuals from contributing fully. When done thoughtfully, DEI efforts can improve employee satisfaction, reduce turnover, and enhance innovation by bringing a wider range of perspectives to problem-solving. It is hard to understand how any of these goals would be objectionable to anyone. Nevertheless, DEI efforts have been under constant attack from this administration.</p><p>Ultimately, building a fair workforce benefits not only those who have been marginalized but also organizations as a whole. Companies that prioritize equity and inclusion tend to be more adaptable, competitive, and reflective of the diverse communities they serve, making fairness both a moral imperative and a practical advantage. In other words, diversity is our strength.</p>

<p>Across the workforce, women and minority groups continue to face systemic barriers that limit their opportunities, recognition, and advancement in the workforce. These challenges often show up in unequal pay for equal work, underrepresentation in leadership roles, biased hiring and promotion practices, and workplace cultures that can exclude or undervalue diverse perspectives.</p>

<h2>DEI & Supporting Minorities in the Workplace</h2>

<p>Join Stuart Amoriell this Sunday at 2 PM in Riverside Park for the very first Tailgate Talk—a chance to hear directly from Stuart, ask questions, and connect with neighbors about the issues that matter most.</p><p>This isn’t a speech-and-leave kind of event. Stuart will share a short update, then stick around for conversation and a meet-and-greet.</p><p>Bring a friend, bring your questions, and come be part of it.</p>

<h4>Saranac Lake Tailgate Talk</h4>

<p>Join Stuart Amoriell this Sunday at 2 PM in Riverside Park for the very first Tailgate Talk—a chance to hear directly from Stuart, ask questions, and connect with neighbors about the issues that matter most.</p>

Saranac Lake Tailgate Talk

<p>The North Country is defined by resilience, independence, community pride and unmatched natural beauty. Yet for too long, families across Northern New York have faced rising housing costs, stagnant wages, shrinking access to healthcare, higher utility prices, a declining workforce, and a growing sense that opportunity is slipping away.&nbsp;<strong><em>In short, our quality of life is declining.</em></strong></p>

<h2>Policy Roadmap to Improving the Quality of Life for Nothern New York</h2>

<p><strong>AN OPEN LETTER TO BLAKE GENDEBIEN</strong></p><p>May 21, 2026</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Blake Gendebien</p><p>Candidate, U.S. House of Representatives, NY-21</p><p>Blake for The North Country</p><p>PO Box 39</p><p>Lisbon, NY 13658</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Blake,</p><p>Last week, I wrote you an open letter asking you to reconsider your decision to decline our debates. I did so because I believed then, as I believe now, that a debate is not merely a courtesy between candidates but an obligation we owe the people of this district and the Democratic Party. Your decision to accept honors that obligation, and I am grateful that you have chosen to meet it.</p><p>A debate is a cornerstone of the democratic process. It places us side by side, under the same pressure, answering the same questions in real time. By agreeing to stand on that stage, you are giving voters something no mailer, ad, or social post can: a fuller and more honest basis on which to make their decision on Election Day. That is important to the voters, and it speaks well of you that you have chosen to accept the invitation.</p><p>A debate strengthens the Democratic Party because it engages voters directly. Democratic voters in NY-21 want to feel heard, respected, and included. They want to see their candidates tested openly. By agreeing to debate, you are telling them that their voices and their questions matter enough to warrant a real public exchange of ideas. That kind of respect for the voter is exactly what builds the energy, the volunteer base, and the turnout our party needs in November.</p><p>In my first letter, I wrote that when a primary ends, the candidate who loses has a responsibility to the candidate who wins—that unity is not a slogan, but the real work of standing shoulder to shoulder with the nominee and asking your supporters to do the same. I also wrote that any candidate who expects party unity has a corresponding responsibility to meet the most basic requirements of the democratic process. By accepting this debate, you have met that responsibility, and in doing so you have made it possible for both of us to ask our supporters, in good conscience, to come together once the votes are counted.</p><p>So let me say it now, plainly and without reservation: when this primary is decided, I will stand with the winner. If the voters choose you, I will be proud to ask my supporters to rally behind your campaign, and I will work alongside you to defeat our Republican opponent and deliver for the people of the North Country. If the voters choose me, I will hope for the same from you, and I will be honored to have your voice and your supporters in the coalition we will need to build in November.</p><p>Thank you again, Blake, for accepting. I look forward to seeing you on the debate stage, to a primary our district can be proud of, and to standing together when the votes are counted.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Sincerely,</p><p>Stuart Amoriell</p><p>Candidate, U.S. House of Representatives</p><p>New York’s 21st District</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>The Committee to Elect Stuart Amoriell</p><p>2720 Main Street, Suite 5</p><p>Lake Placid, NY 12946</p><p>(518) 267-7049</p><p><a href="mailto:info@amoriell.com">info@amoriell.com</a></p><p><a href="http://amoriell.com">amoriell.com</a></p>

Last week, I wrote you an open letter asking you to reconsider your decision to decline our debates. I did so because I believed then, as I believe now, that a debate is not merely a courtesy between candidates but an obligation we owe the people of this district and the Democratic Party. Your decision to accept honors that obligation, and I am grateful that you have chosen to meet it.

<h4>Open Letter to Blake Gendebien</h4>

<p>For far too long, we’ve been told that the answers to our problems must come from Washington. I don’t believe that’s true. Washington cannot—and should not—be expected to solve the challenges facing our communities.</p><p>Real solutions start at the local level. The strength of Northern New York lies in its civic organizations, community groups, nonprofits, houses of worship, businesses, and neighborhood networks—people who are working every day to support their neighbors and tackle real issues head-on. Here and across the country, local groups are leading the way in solving local challenges, such as expanding affordability and access to healthcare, housing, childcare, and eldercare, to name just a few.</p><p>Washington does have an important role to play—but not as the primary problem-solver. Its responsibility should be to support local efforts, provide resources, and empower communities to develop solutions that reflect their unique needs.</p><p>I’m running for Congress to restore that balance—and to make sure Washington starts working for us.</p>

<h2>Our Strength Comes From Our Communities, Not Washington</h2>

<h4>NY For All-March for the Disappeared</h4>

<p>Join the New York for All Coalition in a march and community vigil to honor&nbsp;every New Yorker torn from their loved ones &amp; to demand that our leaders pass the New York for All Act to ensure our state resources are never used to DISAPPEAR our neighbors!&nbsp;</p>

NY For All-March for the Disappeared

<h4>NY-21 primary debates: Constantino, Gendebien decline invitaitons</h4>

<p>America is a nation of immigrants and a nation of laws, and these two facts are not in conflict. We must secure our borders and enforce our immigration laws. That is not a question. The question is whether the agency currently doing so is fit for that purpose, and whether the way it operates reflects who we are as Americans. The answer to both questions is no.</p><p>The case for replacing ICE is not abstract. It is personal and local. In Northern New York, one of my employees from Venezuela, here legally, was pulled over for speeding. ICE, listening to police scanners, showed up and took over the scene from state police.&nbsp;&nbsp;ICE arrested him, transferred him to the Batavia detention center, denied him access to legal counsel, and gave him a choice: self-deport or be sent to a prison in El Salvador. He had done nothing to deserve this treatment.&nbsp;&nbsp;He was here legally. This is not an isolated incident; it reflects a pattern of an agency that has lost the trust of the communities it serves. When people with legal authorization to live and work in this country can be taken off the street and threatened with imprisonment in a foreign country, we are not enforcing the law; we are betraying it.</p><p>Few areas of government more clearly illustrate the failure of both political parties than our broken approach to immigration policy. One side ignores the need for enforcement; the other defends abuses that no serious nation committed to its own values should tolerate. What we need is an intelligent and compassionate immigration policy, one that protects Americans and treats immigrants with the dignity every person deserves. That means abolishing ICE and replacing it with a new agency built from the ground up on the right principles. The new agency should enforce immigration law with clear priorities: focusing resources on genuine public safety threats, not on tearing apart families or deporting veterans and long-term residents who contribute to their communities. It should operate under constitutional standards, guarantee access to legal counsel, end the use of for-profit detention facilities whose financial incentives reward cruelty over justice, and prohibit enforcement actions at schools, churches, and hospitals. It should train its personnel in trauma-informed practices, de-escalation, cultural competency, and the civil rights of every person they encounter. And it should be subject to independent oversight with real accountability.</p><p>America's values are not a weakness in immigration enforcement; they should be providing the guiding strength. As a lifelong Catholic, I believe compassion is a moral obligation: "Blessed are those who show compassion, for they shall receive mercy." As an American, I believe that the principles defining this nation's greatness — personal freedom, equal justice, human dignity — apply to how we treat everyone within our borders, not just citizens. An immigration system that operates by intimidation, denies due process, and puts people in danger does not make us safer. It makes us less American. We can enforce our laws firmly, fairly, and humanely. We have always had the capacity to do both. We simply need the will to demand it.</p>

<p>America is a nation of immigrants and a nation of laws, and these two facts are not in conflict. We must secure our borders and enforce our immigration laws. That is not a question. The question is whether the agency currently doing so is fit for that purpose, and whether the way it operates reflects who we are as Americans. The answer to both questions is no.</p>

<h2>Abolish & Replace ICE</h2>

<p>&nbsp;</p><p><strong>A Compassionate Approach to Immigration Policy</strong></p><p>Few areas of government better illustrate the repeated failure of our major political parties to reach a compromise than our broken and flawed approach to immigration policy. &nbsp;This ongoing failure stems from a mix of opposing ideologies, political strategy, and entrenched stubbornness.&nbsp;&nbsp;The result is not only a missed opportunity to harness the economic strength immigrants bring to our nation but also a moral crisis—evident in the dehumanizing, inconsistent and arbitrary treatment of those brave migrants who crossed deserts, navigated raging waters and battled jungles with nothing but the clothes on their backs in search of a better tomorrow. &nbsp;</p><p>While it would be naïve to ignore how racism and prejudice have worsened the current immigration crisis, it is equally unfair to assume that every American who supports enforcement of immigration laws does so from such motives. It is therefore incumbent upon us to appeal to our fellow citizens with compassion and reason—to make the case that immigration is not only a moral imperative, but also critical to the economic and social vitality of our nation.</p><p><strong>The Economic Case for Immigration</strong></p><ul><li><p>Immigrants help fill labor shortages, stabilizing prices and maintaining production levels—both crucial to controlling inflation and growing our economy.</p></li><li><p>Immigrants enable the United States to stay globally competitive by attracting top talent in fields such as technology and science.</p></li><li><p>Immigrants increase the demand for goods and services in the United States.</p></li><li><p>Entrepreneurship and small business ownership is higher among immigrant populations, driving economic growth, fostering innovation and improving living standards within our communities.</p></li><li><p>Contrary to some opinions, immigrants contribute billions annually in tax revenue through income tax, sales tax, property tax and payroll tax.</p></li><li><p>In rural areas such as those in our Northern New York communities, immigrant populations help revitalize areas by reversing population decline, reducing labor shortages, supporting school enrollment and through entrepreneurship and local business ownership.</p></li></ul><p><strong>Enforcement with Compassion</strong></p><p>While we continue the fight for a just, intelligent, and compassionate immigration policy, we must also acknowledge present realities. Our system is deeply flawed, but our government still has a duty to enforce the law. That said, recent enforcement practices have too often crossed moral and constitutional lines, violating the very liberties our democracy claims to protect.</p><p>Worse still, enforcement is sometimes executed in a manner that seems designed to humiliate and harm, rather than uphold justice. This should trouble us all. If we agree on nothing else, can we at least recognize the strength and courage it takes to pursue the American dream?&nbsp;&nbsp;Rather than recognizing migrants' resilience, we&nbsp;have distorted what American "strength" truly means. Strength is not found in cruelty or exclusion. It is the mother who sends her children to school and walks to work each morning, not knowing if she will make it home again to see them in the evening. It is the father who fled oppression, risking his life in the hope of a better future for his family. It is the millions who applied for legal status in good faith, believing in the promise of American fairness, only to be met with delay, denial or indifference.&nbsp;&nbsp;Yes, laws must be enforced—but they must be enforced with compassion and fairness. When we are compelled to remove law-abiding, hard-working individuals, it should be done with sorrow, not celebration.</p><p><strong>Upholding Rights and Due Process</strong></p><p>Even as enforcement continues, we must commit to doing it both compassionately and legally:</p><ul><li><p>Due process must be respected, and all migrants must be treated fairly under the law.</p></li><li><p>The government must never again use the threat of family separation to coerce compliance.</p></li><li><p>No migrant should face deportation threats to third-party prisons.</p></li><li><p>Migrants must not be intimidated into signing legal documents they cannot read or understand.</p></li><li><p>No one should be deported before their right to a fair hearing is upheld.</p></li><li><p>Local and state law enforcement should honor existing laws and prioritize community trust and safety over unjust immigration crackdowns.</p></li></ul><p><strong>A Path Forward: Policy That Reflects Our Values</strong></p><p>We must do more than just seek the compassionate and legal enforcement of our current immigration laws; we must fight for a more just, moral and mutually beneficial immigration policy that can be achieved by:</p><ul><li><p>Intelligent border security that prevents unauthorized entry, but also provides a mechanism for those who reach our borders seeking asylum to be given fair consideration</p></li><li><p>Expanding employment-based visas that reflect our Nation’s needs.</p></li><li><p>Protecting our commitments and obligations to Dreamers, TPS holders and long-term community members through a pathway to legalization.</p></li><li><p>Improved language and workforce integration services that work collaboratively with immigrants to assist them in becoming stable and contributing members of society</p></li><li><p>A commitment to ensure that immigration policies and pathways to legalization work to keep families together.</p></li><li><p>Working to ensure that all Americans see the shared prosperity in compassionate immigration policies to reduce the discrimination and intolerance many immigrants face.</p></li></ul><p><strong>Reclaiming Our National Identity</strong></p><p>This debate is not only about how immigrants can contribute to our country—it is about who we are as a people. Will we uphold the values that made America the “shining city on a hill,” or abandon them in favor of fear and exclusion?</p><p>America owes its strength to its immigrant roots. Now, we must rise to the challenge and once again be a beacon of light to the world. As Emma Lazarus wrote in those inspirational lines welcoming immigrants to our land,&nbsp;<em>“Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.”</em></p><p>Our nation must do better.&nbsp;<strong><em>Together we can.</em></strong></p><p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>Few areas of government better illustrate the repeated failure of our major political parties to reach a compromise than our broken and flawed approach to immigration policy. &nbsp;This ongoing failure stems from a mix of opposing ideologies, political strategy, and entrenched stubbornness.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

<h2>Intelligent Immigration Policy</h2>

<p>The outsized role of money in American politics is not a campaign “talking point” or side issue—it is the central structural problem distorting our democracy and creating an existential crisis for this nation. When campaigns depend on large donors, when lobbyists fund the politicians they seek to influence, and when elected leaders can personally benefit from the policies they shape, the system stops working for the people and only works for those who can afford access.&nbsp;&nbsp;This is today’s unfortunate reality. Restoring democratic accountability requires confronting this reality directly and reforming the system at every level where money exerts influence.</p><p>The most effective starting point is reducing candidates’ dependence on wealthy donors. Public financing of elections offers a reasonable and achievable path forward. Programs that match small-dollar contributions—such as “Freedom from Influence Funds” that multiply small donations—shift power away from concentrated wealth and toward ordinary voters. When a $25 contribution is matched several times over, it matters. It changes who candidates listen to, how they campaign, and ultimately who they represent. Public financing does not eliminate private money entirely, but it fundamentally changes the incentives that drive political behavior and decision-making.</p><p>Transparency is equally critical, but it must be real and immediate. Voters should not have to guess who is funding campaigns or political advocacy. Every donation—to candidates, parties, or outside groups—should be reported quickly and made easily accessible to the public and media. That includes meaningful information about donors, such as where they work and where they live, as well as non-monetary contributions that often escape scrutiny. Transparency does not solve everything, but secrecy guarantees abuse. Sunlight raises the political cost of influence in ways that quiet, hidden systems never will.</p><p>At the same time, it is impossible to talk about money in politics without addressing lobbying and the revolving door. The current system allows lobbyists to donate to the very officials they are paid to influence, and it allows those officials to leave office and quickly cash in on their government experience. That is not a gray area—it is a built-in conflict of interest. Lobbyists should be barred from donating, bundling, or fundraising for candidates whose decisions they seek to shape. Cooling-off periods for former officials should be at least five years, and in some cases longer. If public service is treated as a stepping stone to a lobbying career, policy decisions will inevitably be shaped by what comes next rather than what is right.</p><p>Reform also has to close the loopholes that make existing rules ineffective. “Shadow lobbying” allows individuals to advise and influence policy without ever registering as lobbyists, avoiding disclosure and accountability requirements. Expanding the legal definition of lobbying to include these activities is not a technical fix—it is a necessary correction to ensure that influence is not simply rebranded to evade the law. Similarly, corporations should not be allowed to immediately hire former officials who oversaw matters directly affecting their business. Without stronger guardrails, the line between public service and private gain remains too thin to matter.&nbsp;&nbsp;This will continue to erode public trust and lead to decisions made out of self-interest by politicians rather than the public good.</p><p>Another area where conflicts of interest are too often tolerated is the personal finances of lawmakers themselves. Members of Congress should not be trading individual stocks while in office, nor should their spouses or dependent children. The appearance of insider advantage alone is enough to erode public trust, and the reality of it is even more damaging. Proposals like the TRUST in Congress Act and the NO STOCK Resolution recognize a basic principle: public office should not be an opportunity for personal financial gain. Requiring lawmakers to place their assets in qualified blind trusts would reinforce that principle by ensuring they cannot act on privileged information. In the same vein, members should not be accepting campaign contributions from companies that fall directly under the jurisdiction of the committees they serve on. Oversight loses credibility when it is intertwined with fundraising.</p><p>Many of these reforms run into the same obstacle: a legal framework that treats unlimited political spending as a protected right and extends that protection to corporations and other entities. If meaningful reform is going to last, it will most likely require a constitutional amendment that clarifies the government’s authority to regulate campaign spending and distinguishes between natural persons and artificial entities in the political process.&nbsp;&nbsp;Let me be clear what I mean:&nbsp;CORPORATIONS ARE NOT PEOPLE AND SHOULD NOT BE AFFORDED THE CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS OF PEOPLE!&nbsp;&nbsp;Corporations should not be afforded the constitutional right of free speech that enables them to spend inordinate amounts of money to buy political influence.&nbsp;&nbsp;This is a high bar, but it reflects the scale of the problem. Without addressing the legal foundation, reform efforts will continue to be chipped away in the courts.&nbsp;&nbsp;This is also why, after the recent ruling on the Voting Rights Act, I am now in support of raising the number of SCOTUS justices from nine to thirteen once we regain control over the legislative and executive branches.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;While this solution comes with risks and concerns, the number of available solutions is rapidly dwindling.</p><p>Even within the current framework, there is more that can be done to close the channels through which large-scale money flows. PACs and Super PACs have become vehicles for massive spending that operates parallel to campaigns while maintaining the fiction of independence. Strengthening anti-coordination rules and limiting the scope of these committees would reduce the ability of wealthy donors to dominate elections indirectly. If the rules allow for workarounds, those workarounds will be used.</p><p>Ending “dark money” is one of the most straightforward reforms and one of the most necessary. Voters deserve to know who is trying to influence their votes. Legislation like the DISCLOSE Act would require organizations engaged in political spending to reveal their donors, bringing transparency to a system that currently allows large sums to be spent with no public accountability. There is no defensible reason for political spending to remain secret in a functioning democracy.&nbsp;&nbsp;This will also bring to light foreign influence in the political and electoral system.</p><p>None of these reforms, on their own, will solve the problem. But taken together, they change the system’s incentives in a meaningful way. Public financing reduces reliance on large donors. Transparency exposes influence. Lobbying reforms limit conflicts of interest. Ethical rules address personal gain. Stronger regulations close loopholes. And disclosure requirements eliminate secrecy. The goal is not to remove money from politics entirely—that is neither realistic nor necessary—but to ensure that money does not override representation.</p><p>The current system reflects choices that have been made over time. Different choices can produce a different outcome. A political system that is responsive to voters rather than donors is not an abstract ideal—it is a practical objective. Achieving it requires sustained effort and structural reform, but the path forward is clear, though not easy.</p><p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>The outsized role of money in American politics is not a campaign “talking point” or side issue—it is the central structural problem distorting our democracy and creating an existential crisis for this nation. When campaigns depend on large donors, when lobbyists fund the politicians they seek to influence, and when elected leaders can personally benefit from the policies they shape, the system stops working for the people and only works for those who can afford access.&nbsp;&nbsp;This is today’s unfortunate reality. Restoring democratic accountability requires confronting this reality directly and reforming the system at every level where money exerts influence.</p>

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