George Latimer

“I rise today to salute the men of The American Legion Post 128 in Rye, New York, for their patriotism and their true sense of civic duty. This post, comprised of veterans of military service, is just one part of The American Legion Department of New York, and it is led by Commander Fred de Barros and Adjutant Tim Moynihan. Their commitment to American values will be on display this Memorial Day weekend as they host the annual parade and ceremony on the Village Green in Rye.”

“Under the able leadership of Maryann Nielsen in the Port Chester Senior Community Center in Village Hall, the Port Chester Seniors serves hundreds of seniors annually with a daily nutrition program at lunchtime 6 days a week, along with activities and programs to engage seniors of all ages, including on Saturday, which is unique among many other programs. There are fitness classes from tai chi to chair yoga, mental fitness programs, a variety of board games--mah-jongg; bridge; along with the classic senior staple, bingo.”

“I rise today as students around the country celebrate well-earned graduations from high school and college and prepare to enter the workforce. I remember when I graduated from Fordham University, a long time ago, you almost were guaranteed a job--the jobs were plentiful--that would allow you to make ends meet. Now, the percentage of graduates with entry-levels jobs in their field was only 30 percent last year and represents an unsustainable decline.”

“UFOs; the Gulf of America; water pressure in your shower; shrimp farms; pardoning insurrectionist rioters and providing a way for them to be paid for their behavior; the blue water color of the reflecting pool on The Mall; and building an MMA stadium on the lawn of the White House and a big, beautiful ballroom, too, that America doesn't need--these aren't topics of bizarre nightmares. They are some of the things that the White House and the congressional majority have prioritized in the last 18 months. What should we be doing?”

“I want to salute the tremendous community contribution of The Hudson Independent, an online publication that chronicles the lives and stories of people, organizations, governments, schools, businesses, and the like, in the municipalities that border the Hudson River in Westchester County in New York: Ardsley, Dobbs Ferry, Irvington, Hastings-on-Hudson, Tarrytown, and Sleepy Hollow.”

“I rise today more than 5 months since the American people were forced into a war of choice in Iran. As the President's negotiations fail, Americans are still bearing the expense every day. This is all while Russell Vought and Pete Hegseth claim the cost of the war to be roughly $30 billion, but the President's request for extra funds puts the true cost at a staggering $100 billion, if not more.”

“Many of my colleagues have spoken about the affordability crisis, forcing families to figure out how to make ends meet, but let's make something clear: The affordability crisis isn't just a political buzzword like the President claims. This is a real crisis, and it is made worse by the President's decisions: a war of choice in Iran, indiscriminate tariffs, and tax cuts for billionaires, just to name a few, all this while 1 month of groceries in my home district in New York now averages over $1,200 a month.”

“President Volodymyr Zelenskyy established July 15 as Statehood Day for Ukraine, but we spend another year on this day wondering when the Ukrainian people will be able to celebrate without threats from Russia. The length of the war in Ukraine has recently surpassed World War I, and it is an outrage that Ukraine has been forced to incur staggering casualties and defend its territory against a relentless dictator. Families are being torn apart, and fear is a part of everyday life for Ukrainians.”