I wanted to take this opportunity to speak directly to you, the constituents of New York's 29th Congressional District. There is a video of me speaking which has been cut, spliced and played out of context both locally and nationally. It's time to set the record straight.
In the last week there have been countless accusations levied against me, my position on healthcare reform and my support for this district. I want you to know that I have always voted for the best possible outcome for this region and I believe that my actions over the past 8 months speak louder than any out of context half-sentence ever can.
For example, when Congress was debating the Cap and Trade bill, I was called in to meet with President Obama the night before the vote. He wanted my vote, but I refused because I had concerns with the bill and because constituent response was overwhelmingly against it. Contrary to what some have said, this was not a “give away” vote, but rather one of the closest and hardest fought votes in Congress thus far.
When this health care debate began, I again stood up and argued that members of Congress should have the opportunity to return to their districts to hold open and public town hall meetings to hear from their constituents. The Leadership wanted a vote in July, but I and others demanded a chance for all of us to hear from our constituents first.
The news has reported that I am the only area member of Congress who is holding these meetings. In fact, by the time August is over, I will have held 52 of these meetings - some of which have gone on for 4 1/2 hours so that every question can be answered.
Finally, I want to clarify what I was discussing in this recent video. If you read the entire transcript, which your Congressional office would be happy to provide for you, you will see that I voiced my opposition to H.R. 3200, the House version of the current healthcare bill. I also reinforced my support for H.R. 676, a bill which I have been on the record supporting for over five years, but is not on the table for a vote.
Few realize that almost half of the constituents of this Congressional District live in the Rochester area where support for HR 3200 is overwhelming. If my friends and neighbors in the Southern Tier always want me to vote for the perceived popular sentiment then the more rural areas of this District will always be frustrated. Thus, careful time-consuming consideration should always trump pandering. This is why I have read the bill four times and base my opinions on the facts in it.
Don't let the pundits or spinmeisters fool you by using half of one sentence as a basis of attack. I am your representative in Congress and I take all opinions and views seriously. I welcome your input and hope to hear from you at one of our upcoming town hall meetings, on the internet at massa.house.gov, or in person at one of your district Congressional Offices.
I am nobody's Congressman but yours, and I work for you - all of you. The only way I know how to do this is by listening to as many people as possible and then acting as thoughtfully as I can.
- Congressman Eric Massa
