Op-ed Written by Congressman Lee Zeldin (NY-01)
The New Year presents new opportunities to improve our community, state and nation. With a new year and a newly elected President, I am optimistic about a better way forward, securing our border, repealing and replacing Obamacare, simplifying our tax code, investing more in our nation’s infrastructure, reforming the Department of Veterans Affairs, and so much more.
With a new President, better securing our border will be a top priority. Today, there are well over 11 million people living in the United States illegally, and many more breaking the law to come here each day. The first step must be to advance efforts to better secure our border and strengthen interior enforcement, an effort that should have bipartisan support in the House and Senate. President-Elect Trump has also stated that he plans on deporting people who are here illegally with criminal records. America is a nation of immigrants and everyone should have the opportunity to pursue the American dream, but you have to come legally and follow the rules.
Repealing and replacing Obamacare is expected now as a result of this past November’s election. Obamacare has been nothing short of a disaster for countless hardworking families and our economy. The flaws in this healthcare system have resulted in higher premiums, higher deductibles, lost doctors, and cancelled policies, among many other challenges. With the collapse of Health Republic in New York, which left over 200,000 individuals and businesses in New York without insurance coverage unexpectedly, as well the collapse of dozens of other co-ops across the country, it has become increasingly clear to both Democrats and Republicans that this law is deeply flawed. In early 2015, Congress passed a bill to repeal and replace Obamacare. President Obama vetoed it. Under a new President, we can repeal and replace Obamacare with a plan that will work better and make healthcare more affordable, while continuing to cover Americans with pre-existing conditions and allowing children to stay on their parent’s policy.
Another top priority of the next Congress must be to reform our broken tax code, which has become far too complicated and uncompetitive in the global economy. We must consolidate the system to less tax brackets and simplify it so that more Americans can do their taxes on a form as simple as a postcard and more businesses will grow and remain in the United States. We also must shut shut-down job killing red tape and harmful regulations hurting our small businesses. Through also pursuing better trade negotiations, the United States will have the chance to regain its competitiveness in the global marketplace, boost “Made in America” products, and keep good paying jobs here.
Our roads, overpasses, and bridges are essential to our economy, but across our community, state and nation, too much of our infrastructure is in need of additional support. In this new Congress, we should pursue new ways to continue upgrading our infrastructure. Advancing sensible policies that encourage local control and tap into public-private partnerships, we can implement new projects that will create jobs, strengthen our overall economy, and boost transportation safety. There should also be a focus on advancing coastal and wetland restoration projects that will use the natural environment to reduce flooding, erosion, and storm damage, while also preserving the natural environment and habitat for wildlife. This is especially important on Long Island.
President-elect Trump should work closely with Congress to reform the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to better serve our nation’s heroes. I believe that 99% of VA employees genuinely care about the work they do and want to help veterans, but we need to hold accountable the other 1% of those who are not acting in the best interest of veterans. We also must ensure that each and every veteran who goes to the VA is receiving the quality of care that they deserve. Our veterans have willingly and selflessly put their lives on the line while defending our country, and they deserve nothing but the highest quality of life and care once they return home.
This year’s election cycle was dramatic and polarizing, but it is so important that we unite and find common ground wherever possible. There is much work ahead in the next few months and I’m looking forward to a strong start in 2017. We should give President-elect Trump a chance to succeed. His success will be our success as Americans if we do this right.
Congressman Lee Zeldin represents the First Congressional District of New York. In Congress, Rep. Zeldin serves on the House Veterans Affairs Committee, Foreign Affairs Committee, and Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.