Rep. Paul Tonko

Trump fires labor statistics boss hours after the release of weak jobs report The president implied that the BLS commissioner, longtime federal employee Erika McEntarfer, manipulated the data "for political purposes."

News flash—when you fire workers, gut agencies, cut funding, and impose massive tariffs, the economy suffers.

But instead of doing anything to fix it and help working Americans, Trump is throwing a tantrum and blaming someone else for his mistakes.

Next Thursday, August 7th from 4 PM to 6 PM, my office is hosting Mobile Office Hours at the Rensselaer Public Library!

If you're in the area and have questions about federal services or need assistance with a federal agency, I welcome you to stop by and speak with my staff!

By sharing our stories and emphasizing the need to protect our nation’s parks, museums, lands, and cultural heritage, we can demonstrate a broad, visible resistance to the politicization of our shared past – and a renewed commitment to federal stewardship of our shared heritage.

As this administration cuts funding for the National Park Service, slashes the Historic Preservation Fund, and guts the Institute for Museum and Library Services (IMLS), our shared history is under threat like never before – and we must act to preserve these diverse stories.

This morning, I hosted a campfire chat at Peebles Island State Park to stand united with local preservationists, historians, advocates, and community leaders and give the Trump administration one clear message: Hands Off Our History!

Medicare and Medicaid turn 60 – and face historic cuts decades in the making Republicans enacted the largest cuts to healthcare in US history, and fulfilled decades of conservative rhetoric

For 60 years, Medicaid and Medicare have provided affordable, quality health care.

Thanks to Trump and Republicans' Big Ugly Law, 15 million Americans will lose this lifeline. But we're keeping up the fight to reverse these cuts and rebuild America's health care system.

I’m so grateful to Rep. Balint for hosting me today, and I’m committed to continuing my work with her and the ATR Caucus to deliver resources to these outstanding community organizations and individuals – including through our innovative Combating Loneliness Act.

Together, we toured the new facility at the Turning Point Center of Bennington and the BAART Bennington treatment hub, met with local stakeholders and individuals in recovery, and learned more about how we can help provide them with the support they need.

Today, I was proud to join my fellow ATR Caucus member @balint.house.gov for a day in Bennington, Vermont to meet with community leaders and tour treatment and recovery facilities on the front lines of the fight against our nation’s twin crises of addiction and mental illness.

My statement on the Trump administration's latest proposal to end climate protections by gutting the federal government's ability to regulate pollution and limit carbon emissions:

I was honored to show our visitor what makes our Capital Region so special, with stops at the New York State Capitol, GlobalFoundries, the Saratoga County Fair, and much more. Thank you for making the trip, and I hope you’ll come visit us again soon!

This weekend, I was proud to welcome Gurinder Singh Josan, Member of the British Parliament for Smethwick, to the Capital Region as part of the British American Parliamentary Group - a wonderful opportunity to discuss potential areas of cooperation between our two nations.

I’m outraged by this decision, and I remain dedicated to working alongside these local leaders in the fight for justice and for the resources our residents deserve. Together, we’ll keep pushing to reinstate this critical funding and hold this administration accountable.

This project, a joint effort of seven incredible community organizations, was designed to improve public health and climate resiliency in Albany’s underserved neighborhoods. The termination of this grant halts these lifesaving efforts in the areas that need them most.

Today, I joined representatives of the ALL(bany) Together Project for a roundtable following the Trump administration’s cancellation of the $20 million EPA Community Change Grant they had been awarded - a devastating setback to the fight for environmental justice in our region.

Supreme Court allows Trump to fire members of product safety agency A judge had reinstated three members of the Consumer Product Safety Commission, a federal agency Congress set up to be independent of political pressure.

Once again, the Supreme Court is letting Trump and his administration play petty politics by steamrolling an independent agency set up by Congress to protect consumers.

Without these experts, safety standards will fall by the wayside, causing untold harm.

First page of letter to EPA Administrator Zeldin about the EPA’s proposal to weaken MATS.

Second page of letter to EPA Administrator Zeldin about the EPA’s proposal to weaken MATS. Signatures of Rep. McClellan and Rep. Tonko are present.

Trump and his EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin put polluters first by repealing standards limiting mercury and air toxics pollution from power plants — endangering the health and safety of millions.

I led 73 members of Congress with @reppaultonko.bsky.social to urge reinstatement of these standards.

Next Wednesday, July 30th from 4 PM to 6 PM, my office is hosting Mobile Office Hours at the Glenville Branch Library!

If you're in the area and have questions about federal services or need assistance with a federal agency, I welcome you to stop by and speak with my staff!

Johnson Cuts Short House Session to Avoid Vote on Releasing Epstein Files

Speaker Johnson cancelled votes for the week and the House will not be in session again until September. Why shut down the House?

Because Republicans are too scared to vote to release the Epstein files.

The American people deserve to know the truth.

Count on yourself and your fellow Americans – don’t underestimate yourself and your fellow citizens, either. Start where you are, with what you have, and grow from there. 11/11

President Trump is not a clown or a buffoon – don’t underestimate him. Trump is one of the most effective propagandists in history and has been conditioning people to believe falsehoods for the last decade. 10/11

Wallowing in the mire is not the same as picking up a shovel. Don’t confuse reading the news and being informed with doing the work. 9/11

Anticipate the next threat, not just the current one. In other words, don’t chase the ball – go where the ball will be. 8/11

Solidarity, not charity, prevents burnout. You are not a savior. We are ALL affected by what is happening – the rights of groups we don’t belong to are inextricably connected to our own rights. 7/11

Don’t wait for the cavalry – become it. Scientists cut off from NIH funds, lawyers pushing back against draconian immigration raids, and pediatric associations boycotting sham vaccine panels all showed that peer-led resistance works. 6/11

Mass, non-violent protests do work. From the Women’s March to Black Lives Matter to the recent “No Kings” and upcoming “Good Trouble” mobilizations, numbers matter even when actions are local and loosely linked. 5/11

President Trump and his administration are not invincible. Authoritarians want us to think they are invincible because they want us to feel helpless, hopeless, and cynical – but they aren’t invincible, and we aren’t helpless. 4/11

Make democracy work part of ordinary life, not an add-on. It is not something that is separate from our values and daily practices. 3/11

Refuse to normalize what is happening to our country – because it is not normal. We must stay in touch with our outrage and refuse to accept the idea that the deluge of unconstitutional, horrible actions is our new normal. 2/11

YouTube video by RepPaulTonko “How Can YOU Defend Our Democracy?” Panel discussion

Last month, I had the chance to speak with experts Ruth Ben-Ghiat, Corey Dukes, and Lauren DesRosiers about the steps ALL of us can take to help defend our democracy.

While you can watch the full conversation below, here are some key takeaways.🧵