Program transcript:
Grant Reeher: Welcome to the Campbell Conversations, I'm Grant Reeher. My guest today is New York Congressman Marc Molinaro. The Republican was elected in November 2022 to represent the 19th District, a large geographic area that spans from Ithaca in the West to the Massachusetts border in the East and includes the city of Binghamton in the Southwest. Congressman Molinaro previously served as Dutchess County Executive and prior to that served in the New York State Assembly. And before all that, he was elected as mayor of the town of Tivoli at the age of 19. Along the way, he's been a Republican candidate for the governor of New York State. And he's appeared previously on this program. Congressman Molinaro, welcome back to the program. It's good to see you again.
Marc Molinaro: Glad to be with you again, Grant. And you've covered the obligatory one time calling me Congressman rule. Now it's Marc, just Marc.
GR: (laughter) Well, I don't know, I'll try.
MM: Please do.
GR: (laughter) Okay. Well, we have a lot to discuss and we'll kind of cover the waterfront today. But the last time that you and I spoke, you talked about, you know, you were kind of just getting going, and you talked about your interest in issues surrounding mental health and substance abuse treatment. So I wanted to start by asking you to share with our listeners what kinds of things you've been doing on that, what's been going on those fronts?
MM: I'm glad you asked. You know, I probably said something like and still believe, if our health care system in this country is in crisis, our mental health system is on life support. And I think that's fair. And we've seen certainly an increase in the acknowledgment and recognition of mental wellness as a concern and certainly a rise in the challenges people with mental wellness face. And so, you know, this is a, the 19th district of New York, the eleven counties of upstate New York is a really good test case, an example for the challenges we face. Too many people don't have access, ready access to services. And so expanding access to community based mental health services in communities like ours. So you have you know, you have a progressive community like Ithaca and you have a rural county like Chenango. You have student centers like the ones in Cortland and hills and mountains of Delaware County. And I say that in that, no matter where you live in communities like ours, getting the access and support you need if you're living with mental wellness issues is truly a challenge. So first, it's creating the connection. You know, the federal government rolled out 988, it was once referred to as the suicide hotline. I'm grateful that we've remarketed, rebranded. It is a mental health hotline. It's available, 988 available, you'll be connected no matter what challenge you might be faced with a mental health professional. But here's the problem. Unlike 911, when you dial 911, the FCC has a relationship and cell phone providers particularly have agreed to route those 911 calls to your geographic location. So they triangulate based on those cell towers, now we're getting wonky, and you get to your local 911 dispatcher. 988 is different. Even though the FCC had the resources and the dollars to move this forward a year ago, we're still in the stages where the technology reroutes you based on your area code. And so if you're calling and you're a student in Ithaca or Cortland, or you're by the way, somebody has moved from maybe my end of the district to your end of the district, you're routed to the service center that your area code is associated with it. So there may not be a local connection. Good professional people, but not able to say the campus student services center is available to you, the Binghamton Mental Wellness, you know, et cetera, is available to you. And so we're pushing the FCC, I'm leading the charge to push the FCC to move more aggressively to get that to happen. We fought and we're working pretty hard with our friends in Broome County and in Sullivan County. I think I talked about this, in my previous experience as a county executive, 12 years responsible for overseeing a whole host of things, including community based mental health. My home county launched what is now the most comprehensive, community based mental health infrastructure of any county in the country. And it is the model that New York State is trying to get counties like Broome and Cortland and others, Tompkins, to invest in. And so we're trying to direct some federal resources to Broome County to open a veterans mental health service center, service center for veterans. And we're working with Sullivan County to try to launch a stabilization center, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, in order to provide direct access. And that leaves nine more counties that we're working with one after another to try to expand access to those resources. I truly believe that by investing in mental wellness and mental health, you're not only helping the individual, but societally, more, even broadly, you're confronting a lot of other of our challenges from substance use disorder to those who are criminally involved to just general public health. And in many cases, mental health leads to better physical health. And all of those things can be benefited by expanding access.
GR: And you've also got, I believe, an initiative to try to change the way people think about those with mental health issues called, “Think Differently”. And say a little bit about that.
MM: Well, I'll be careful not to correct you, but to correct you, right?
GR: Go ahead.
MM: So the Think Differently initiative is focused on those with intellectual, physical and developmental disabilities.
GR: Okay.
MM: It’s okay. But there are there are many links. And in fact, I'd offer to you those, and you'll appreciate this, those in particular who are neurodivergent do end up with significant mental wellness concerns that are often undiagnosed. And so creating the stabilization centers like the one we created in my home county, my former home county, Dutchess. I’m living in green, beautiful Catskill, New York. And so in that situation, we trained our professionals to be aware and alert for those living with disabilities and the connection to mental health. But Think Differently is now a nationally recognized initiative meant to change the way in which we think and support those with intellectual developmental disabilities, breaking down barriers and creating opportunities. And let me just mention, you know, where this is a priority for me. If you ask most people to list the top ten things they're concerned about, perhaps services and support for those with disabilities isn't on your list unless you have a family member with a disability and then it's number one, because it is all consuming. Ask a politician what's on the top ten, they may not have it on their list. Some may get to it sooner or later. For me, it's well within our top ten. It's likely a little bit higher than that because this is a population, these are friends and neighbors who need a voice and need a champion. And so we had two successful Think Differently field days. These were an opportunity in the district to connect individuals with disabilities with service providers. I've introduced a number of Think Differently bills, a whole package of bills, everything from ensuring that emergency responders are aware of and have tools to respond to individuals with disabilities in the case of an emergency, to improving ADA compliance by the nation's largest rail provider, Amtrak. And so and everything in between and several of those bills are moving forward. I expect, in fact, one of them to come to the floor as soon as next week and we continue to expand. (The) Down Syndrome Diagnosis Act to be sure that those with young children who are diagnosed with Down syndrome have access to the supports their health insurance might provide, so on and so on. And what I'll tell you is, because you'll appreciate this as much as I do, when you're talking about mental wellness or issues related to those with disabilities, this isn't partisan. Nobody is fighting left or right. It's just is this your priority or not? And I've been blessed to work with tremendous community leaders and service providers around the district and wonderful Republican and Democrat leadership in both Washington and Albany to move these policies forward.
GR: Well, I appreciate your correction at the outset. Because of some of my family experiences and experiences that you and I share, I tend to lump all those things into one pot when I'm thinking about them, but it is important to separate them out. You're listening to the Campbell Conversations on WRVO Public Media. I'm Grant Reeher and I'm speaking with first term Congressman Marc Molinaro, who represents New York's 19th congressional district. Well, obviously since we last talked, there's been a lot that's gone on in the House of Representatives, perhaps the biggest thing has to do with the speaker.
MM: Yeah.
GR: You've got a new speaker, Mike Johnson. What are your early impressions of him as a leader of the House?
MM: Yeah, so I worked very hard to express to my colleagues that we have to deliver and we're not going to deliver for the people we serve, I'm not going to get the priorities that upstate New York has to the floor and federal government response if we were going to spend weeks in hallways trying to pick who the next speaker is. And I'll let you know, like most voters, my frustrations got the better of me. And I sort of spoke and said the things that many of my constituents are saying every day, which is, you’ve got to get the job done, you’ve got to get back to work. And we care deeply, we voters, we neighbors of upstate New York, care deeply about public safety and immigration and mental health and substance use, natural resource protection, so get back on the floor and get to work. And so I tell people, you know, we should be judged in part for those three weeks. I think it was a mistake certainly to oust the speaker. You had eight Republicans and every Democrat of the House vote to oust the speaker of the House. I just think it's a mistake that should not have occurred and it's something that should never be repeated. Mike Johnson, when I met with him and I'll tell you, I met with him and had a real deep heart to heart conversation before his name finally came to the floor in our conference meetings about making sure members like me and districts like ours are going to be listened to. And that's for me what matters. You know, the person who holds the gavel has some weight. But if that person is going to listen to us upstate New Yorkers who know too often what it's like to be ignored by federal and state government officials, if we're going to have a seat at the table, that's important to me. And sort of symbolically, he asked me to serve on the Escort Committee to help him, introduce him to the House, his very first days as a speaker. And even now, tomorrow we're going be sitting down, I'll be representing members like me and voters like the ones and neighbors like the ones I represent in a very important conversation about a future appropriations to support Israel, the consideration of concerns in Ukraine, border security. And so having a seat at the table is what's important because again, our voters deserve to have their voices heard and he's guaranteeing us an opportunity.
GR: Well, that's interesting to hear. And I do want to come back to both Israel and Ukraine a little bit later. But let me ask you another question about Johnson as speaker. You've already kind of alluded to this in different ways, but there have been some concerns expressed about him looking at his background and his career in the House up to the moment where he became speaker. And I think it's fair to say, and you said when you were talking about members like you, you know, you were distinguishing, I think, someone who's more to the middle than where he's been in his past. And just a couple examples here. As an attorney, for example, he argued for the criminalization of homosexuality, and as a House member, he contested the 2020 election results. You know, you're obviously a bit on the more moderate side. Do those kind of things worry you? I mean, it sounds like you feel at this point anyway, pretty reassured that that he's going to be inclusive and how he handles things.
MM: Well, he should be judged by his previous actions and how they will or will not apply now as a speaker. So, what you may have done as an individual member and voted as an individual member has to be tempered by the concept that as speaker, which is what he assured us, is that you got to build the coalitions, the consensus necessary move legislation. But of course, he should be judged for those things, as I should be judged for my opposition to some of those things. And so what I tell people is, just as, by the way, what I could have accomplished as a county executive, I have to now be judged on what I can accomplish as a member of Congress, they’re different roles and I think he understands that and I'm assured that he understands that. And so that's important, but I want to reassert, you know, I believe that the people I serve, you know, your neighbors and my neighbors, we truly know what it's like to be ignored by big business and employers leaving. We know what it's like to be overlooked by state officials because they're more concerned about the votes downstate. I want to be sure, regardless of who the speaker of the House is, that your voice is heard. And I have received that assurance both verbally and in action. And by the way, again, in a close majority like ours, our votes matter. And so here's an example, the Agriculture Appropriation bill, the budget for agriculture policy in this country had a provision that would have prohibited over the counter mailing of over the counter birth control pills. What does that have to do with agriculture policy? Nothing. And so I objected. And it is not moving forward and it will not move forward without readdressing those issues. And so, you know, I think, again, it's not a reflection on him. It's just this House is run by the people. And the people are you and your voices need to be heard. And he's assured me both by action and word that those voices, my voice is going to be at the table.
GR: You're listening to the Campbell Conversations on WRVO Public Media. I'm Grant Reeher, and I'm talking with Republican Congressman Marc Molinaro. He was elected in November of 2022 to represent New York's 19th congressional district. One of the things that the new speaker we were talking about, the new speaker before the break, one of the things that he will have to negotiate successfully which is going to be difficult, is the budget. And we're operating currently, the government is operating under another continuing resolution. The provisions of those resolutions are set to expire in January and in February. What do you think the prospects are for a successful negotiation of the budget that's going to be more permanent, that's going to get us out of that cycle of continuing resolutions?
MM: Well, let's be clear that we have a marriage of three, the House, the Senate and the president. And I wanted to offer you is everyone sees things just a little bit differently. And so the burden of this is not entirely on one House nor one branch, but all of us to find consensus. And so I will say that I worked aggressively to have a process that would move forward individual appropriations bills, up or down. Agriculture bill, I couldn't support, hasn't moved. Labor bill, which would have too much impact on the most vulnerable in our communities, I couldn't support, isn’t moving forward. National defense is, homeland security is. And so what I'd offer to you is that the House has adopted about 90% of the federal budget. Our bills are adopted waiting for the Senate. The Senate I think is about halfway there, 45%, and we are now in the midst of negotiations. What I spoke of earlier in fact tomorrow whenever your listeners hear this, it may have been yesterday by then but nevertheless, I'll be part of negotiation, speaking up for pragmatic members like us and upstate New Yorkers like we are. And so that process is ongoing, we can negotiate forward, but it is important that we respect taxpayers. We cannot continue to borrow way our kids’ future, the federal government continue to spend money it doesn't have. But at the same time, we need to balance that against the need to be responsible to taxpayers and constituents, the American people rely on services we provide. And finding that sweet spot, that balance is really what I'm focused on. And I'll tell you, it's how we got the debt ceiling agreement, the Fiscal Responsibility Act, which does, by the way, save $2 trillion in taxpayer money while at the same time being respectful of the fact that you can't just arbitrarily gut the budget without actually focusing on how you deliver services. And so these are the kinds of challenges that we face. But I'm confident we're making some good progress. I think that the continuing resolution, which got bipartisan support in both houses, speaks to the capacity to reach those agreements and the American people demand it. We have a bipartisan government by design or default, we need bipartisan solutions and that's what I'm focused on.
GR: And aid for Ukraine and aid for Israel and also thinking about the war in Israel more broadly. But those are both going to be part of the budget agenda. What are your views on aiding Israel and aiding Ukraine and also on the idea of treating and voting on those two things separately versus doing them together?
MM: Well, let me offer, generally my perspective is that America needs to continue to assert its leadership in the world and that leadership isn't based merely on strategic interests, but also on the advancement of individual liberty. The concept that everyone should enjoy the same God given rights that we protect or seek to protect here in this country. And that's needs to be balanced against the concern, which I share, that we cannot continue to enter into every conflict without an exit strategy, because there's just no capacity to do that and we don't want to further and put at risk America's servicemen and women when that is unnecessary to do so and so those are the bookends. I think in the case of, so in both cases, we're going to evaluate a Ukraine and an Israel supplemental. That actually is what will likely happen in the next 30 days. And I think that there needs to be oversight, accountability and some degree of certainty as to the mission in Ukraine so that we don't end up in a in a ceaseless battle. But in the same respect America needs to assert itself as a way of showing that to China and other aggressors like Putin and others that we're just not merely going to allow folks to take illegal and warlike actions in this world. So oversight accountability is important. Exit and sort of mission accomplished strategy is important and that's what really I'm going to ask to try to address. As it relates to Israel, we have a fundamental obligation to stand with Israel. And I understand, to a degree, the concerns that everyone has. But no, no one in the world is a more important ally to us than Israel. It's as simple as that, not just in the Middle East, but in the world. And because of that relationship we established in the 1940’s, we believe then as we do now, Israel is the embodiment of not only democratic principles, but human principles in the Middle East. And what we saw was a vile terrorist strike against innocent people. And in response to that, Israel has the right and in some case the responsibility to defend itself. And in that defense, sadly, there are going to be lives lost, that shouldn't be should be discounted in any way, we care deeply about this, but this is a moment of war. And Hamas, as terrorists themselves are embedded in every aspect of the Palestinian Authority and I use that lowercase p lowercase a. But within Gaza, Hamas has been emboldened and Israel has a right and responsibility to confront it, just as we would had we been attacked in such a way. And of course, just as we did when we were attacked, in 911.
GR: If you've just joined us, you're listening to The Campbell Conversations on WRVO Public Media and my guest is first term Congressman Marc Molinaro. I wanted to stick with the issue of Israel here, and this may be what we'll talk about for the final part of the program. You've alluded to this, but I wanted to dig a little deeper on it. Do you have any concerns though, in Israel's response that they're being overly aggressive or too general in some of their bombing strikes? Because those criticisms have been aired in this country and certainly around the world.
MM: I am concerned about the loss of any life. I say that fundamentally, I am concerned about the loss of any life. At the same time, I recognize that Israel was attacked and in response to that attack, because no one of authority has stood up to Hamas in in Gaza. Hamas has used individuals as human shields, they've embedded themselves strategically in communities and in neighborhood where innocent individuals live. And they they've used every tool, every vile tool that they can to act out to extinguish Israel. And as many leaders, Republicans and Democrats of good, solid background will say, if Israel doesn't press for the total elimination of Hamas, Hamas will only be emboldened and likely this will continue. And so I want us to be as sensitive to that as possible. It’s why, by the way, we worked very hard to get Israeli or American citizens in Israel out. Our offices worked to get dozens of people out of Israel. And it's why, by the way, if Israel believes that this hostage exchange is in their best interest, then they should continue to press, obviously, for this exchange. But I would offer to you that every hostage that Hamas has taken needs to be returned, they all need to come home. And so the fact that Hamas is harboring women and children as hostages should in its very self, speak to the need for Israel to be strong in its response. And frankly, I think America needs to support that.
GR: And as things can change rapidly in this area, I want to remind our listeners, you and I are talking on November 29th and so things may be different by the time they hear this. I wanted to ask you now about this issue, but from the standpoint of here at home, thinking about the United States. Have you been surprised? I mean, it's still the case that a majority of the nation supports Israel. But have you been surprised by the large numbers who have expressed deep concerns and in some cases very strong criticisms over Israel's behavior? Has that surprised you?
MM: I'm surprised by the level of by which those, that opposition is fueled by what is blatant anti-Semitism. In moments of war, there are those who support and those who oppose. But in this case, there are those who oppose simply on the grounds that they are engaging in, embracing of or party to anti-Semitism. And they could suggest they're not, but they are. Israel is a democracy that protects its minorities unlike any other nation in the Middle East. It elects its leaders and its leaders represent the people that live there. There is no other Middle Eastern country that protects its minorities as Israel does. That said, the level of anti-Semitism is truly frightening. I mean, it just truly is frightening. But I also will tell you that whether it's through K-12 or college education, we're missing opportunities to remind people of the horrible experience Jews around the world lived through, not only through the Holocaust, but coming into and up to the Holocaust. And there's just far too many of America's children who think, young people who think the Holocaust is was overstated and that somehow Israel is the aggressor. We have to get back to educating people to be critical thinkers, but also to understand that the indiscriminate loss of millions of Jewish lives during the Holocaust led to this country standing shoulder to shoulder with our partners and friends in Israel. And there are just too many American Jews that are frightened. I mean, I talk to them on college campuses, I've met with them in neighborhoods. They're just frightened because of the level of hate and anger and that needs to be confronted.
GR: I've got friends who are who are very frightened. And, you know, to your point about education, I've just seen some polling that was interesting. And that's that when you break it down by age, the support for Israel almost flip flops as you get younger and I think it speaks to what you're saying there. We only got about a minute and a half or so left, but I wanted to ask you one other question about this issue. And I'm going to say, I'm going to own the observation here, but then see what you think about it. It does seem to me that there is a segment on the left of this country that very quickly, I mean, in some cases even before Israel made a response, started leveling criticisms of Israel's not only its treatment of Palestinians, but even some of them seemed to suggest that the terrorist attack was somehow deserved or, you know, the country had it coming. And I'll have to say, you know, you hear a lot of these voices at colleges and universities. There was certainly a strong one at Cornell that went way over the line in your district. So, you know, in only about a minute. Does that concern you, and one of the things I'm trying to puzzle out, and you already spoke to it is, is anti-Semitism a cause or is it sort of an effect? Do people start by having this view of Israel and then it kind of bleeds over? I mean, you know, it's really complicated. I'm only giving you a minute, I'm sorry.
MM: The shortest answer to all three of those questions is yes, it concerns me. It is both in the cause and the outcome. I mean, and the fact that some will comfortably fall or find their way to anti-Semitic feelings or thoughts should be troubling enough to all of us. In other words, anti-Semitism is not an excuse for accepting something that you think is rightful. And I don't know if I describe that particularly correctly. But to suggest, there are those that either start from anti-Semitic views or end there and neither of them, none of that is acceptable. But again, this is what I think, we have to do better to educate kids and young people about history and critical thought. And I stand shoulder to shoulder with Israel's right to defend itself.
GR: Well, we'll have to leave it there. I'm sure we could talk about this for hours, but that was Marc Molinaro. Congressman Molinaro, thanks so much for taking the time to talk with me again, I really appreciate it.
MM: Anytime. Happy holidays, Merry Christmas.
GR: You too, you too. You've been listening to the Campbell Conversations on WRVO Public Media, conversations in the public interest.
