This is the first edition of our quarterly Riley Report, where weâll give you an update on our campaign. Dear {NAME}, I know that our campaign sends a lot of emails, often asking for your help with the campaign. And there will be many more as we work hard to finish this quarter strong. But this is not one of those emails. Instead, this is the first edition of our quarterly Riley Report, where weâll give you an update on our campaign. But first, please know that thereâs an important reason why our campaign sends so many fundraising emails: itâs because our campaign does not accept any corporate PAC money, instead relying on grassroots contributions from everyday folks. Iâd rather earn $5, $10, or $25 from thousands of grassroots supporters than accept a handful of big checks from a few corporate PACs. And thereâs an important reason for that, too: itâs because Iâm going to Congress to work for you, not them. I believe the corrupting influence of corporate money is the root of all evil in our politics. Few things make me as angry as when I hear from seniors who canât afford prescription drugs (even while Big Pharma rakes in record profits and doles out money to politicians). Or when I hear from little kids who are scared to go to school (as the NRA pays politicians to vote against common sense gun safety reforms). Or when I hear from consumers who pay too much and get too little for Internet service (as cable companies pay politicians to protect their monopolies). Or when big fossil fuel companies gave my opponent a big campaign check just weeks before he voted to slash funding for clean energy projects. The list goes on. So, look, I wish we didnât have to send so many fundraising emailsâbut Iâd rather run a grassroots campaign than one bankrolled by corporate PACs. This is a campaign by everyday folks, for everyday folksânot special interestsâand thatâs how I think it should be. And, thanks to your support, Iâm proud to report that this campaign is off to a great start. Here are some highlights from the second quarter of 2023: CAMPAIGN NEWS Josh launched his campaign with strong support from Democratic leaders, organized labor, and pro-Democracy groups. You can watch Joshâs campaign video [here](. Shortly after launching his campaign on April 11, Josh announced [support]( from over twenty chairs and vice chairs of County Democratic Committees across the district. They wrote that âJosh ran an exceptionally strong campaign in 2022, turning out a higher percentage of Democratic voters than any other House campaign in the State while also winning substantial Republican and Independent support.â Josh has also been endorsed by [pro-Democracy]( groups (like the Voter Protection Project, Long Run PAC, and Democrats Serve), the [Chenango County Democratic Committee]( and the [International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers]( (which was the first labor endorsement in this race). Stay tuned as we will have more endorsements to announce soon. Joshâs campaign raised over $500,000 from over 5,000 contributors within the first 50 days of launching the campaign. Just fifty days after launching his campaign, Josh [announced]( having raised over $500,000, with the vast majority of those contributions at $25 or less. Over 5,000 people contributed to the campaign, and they came from every county in the district and every state in the country. While Marc Molinaro raised just $217,000 from individuals in the first three months of his campaign, Josh raised more than double that amount from individuals in just the first fifty days of his campaign. (Most of Molinaroâs funding came from corporate PACs, Big Oil, and GOP leadership.) IN CONGRESS Josh took a stand against House Republicansâ reckless vote to cut investments in clean-energy manufacturing across Upstate New York. When Marc Molinaro voted for Kevin McCarthyâs reckless Default on America Act, Josh made clear his opposition to the bill, which would slash funding for clean energy manufacturing initiatives across Upstate New York. You can read Joshâs op-ed on the bill [here](. Josh is running for Congress to revitalize the local economy and restore Americaâs place as a world leader in advanced manufacturing. Thatâs why he supports federal investments in some of the most exciting projects happening across the region. Why did Molinaro vote against those projects? Itâs probably not a coincidence that he is bankrolled by the same Big Oil interests who will benefit the most if America stays dependent on fossil fuels instead of transitioning to the clean-energy future weâre building in Upstate New York. (Petroleum giant Koch Industries is among his biggest donors, and Big Oil spent over $50 million for Molinaro to be in the House majority.) As Josh wrote, âInstead of selling us out to the highest bidder, our elected officials should buy into the promise and potential of Upstate New York and support federal investments in clean-energy advanced manufacturing.â Josh called out Marc Molinaro for voting to cut veteransâ benefits and then lying to voters about it. On April 26, Marc Molinaro joined George Santos, Marjorie Taylor Green, and the most extreme elements of the Republican Party in voting to cut veteransâ benefits. Then, facing an outpouring of public criticism, Molinaro lied about his vote, falsely claiming that he would not support cuts to veteransâ benefits. Josh [laid out]( the truth for voters: Molinaro voted for legislation that definitively cuts veteransâ benefits. Section 201 of Kevin McCarthyâs Default on America Act would have cut billions of dollars from the Veterans Medical and Health Care Fund. That is money that was intended to provide healthcare to homeless veterans, upgrades to housing facilities for veterans, employment and training service for veterans, and to reduce the backlog of veteransâ claims. The bill also mandates sweeping, across-the-board cuts to federal spending without excluding veterans from them. According to the Department of Veterans Affairs, Molinaroâs vote would slash 30 million outpatient visits for veterans, and it would increase the disability backlog by 134,000 claims. Thatâs why Veterans of Foreign Wars stated they were âgravely concernedâ about the legislation, and the Iraq & Afghanistan Veterans of America said the vote âsends veterans a clear message: your care and benefits are up for negotiation.â Josh issued the following statement in response to Molinaroâs vote: âVeterans deserve support from the country they served, and NY-19 deserves the truth from the Member of Congress who is supposed to serve them. But Marc Molinaro callously voted to cut veteransâ benefits and then he falsely denied having done so. It is the latest example of Molinaro saying one thing (he supports veterans) and doing another (selling them out).â Joshâs grandfather served in the U.S. Army, and Josh has a proven track record of advocating for veterans. As counsel on the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee, Josh led efforts to advance legislation that funded programs for veterans with PTSD, and he organized committee hearings to hold financial institutions accountable for ripping off servicemembers and their families. As an attorney in private legal practice, Josh represented veterans services organizations in litigation to cut through red tape to get veterans the benefits they earned. As wildfire smoke blanketed Upstate New York, Josh called for urgent action on climate change while Marc Molinaro said this wasnât the right moment to address it. As Upstate New Yorkers faced historically bad air quality in June, Marc Molinaro appeared on Fox News to say to âthis isnât the momentâ to focus on climate change. As a [headline]( in The New Republic headline read, âGOP Congressman Says Itâs Too Soon to Talk About Climate Change, Amid Raging Wildfires.â After seeing Molinaroâs statements, Josh issued the following statement: âClimate change is an existential threat to my sonâs generation and beyond, and it needs to be addressed with urgency and seriousness. We are past time to confront this challenge, and I will fight every day to protect Upstate New Yorkâs environment.â [Molinaro on Fox News speaking about the wildfires]( Josh laid out a detailed plan to improve ethics in government, including by stopping politicians from raising their own pay without votersâ approval. In his first vote in Congress (following the fifteen votes he cast for Kevin McCarthy to be speaker, that is), Marc Molinaro voted to gut the Office of Congressional Ethics, the body charged with stopping politicians from engaging in fraud, insider trading and campaign finance violations âcoincidentally (perhaps?), many of the things George Santos has been accused of doing. This may have been welcome news to ethically challenged politicians, who will have an even easier time using their offices to serve their own self-interests instead of serving the people they represent. But what we really need is more ethics in government, not less. That is why Josh [proposed]( the following actions, among others: First, Josh called on Congress to restore the Office of Congressional Ethicsâ ability to investigate wrongdoing by politicians, including insider trading and campaign finance violations. And then go further: Increase funding for the Justice Departmentâs Public Integrity Unit to root out corruption. Strengthen the Federal Elections Commission, which has been neutered by politics and budget cuts. Prohibit lawmakers from trading stocks while in office. Impose term limits. Second, Josh called for a ban on corporate political action committees, which contribute millions of dollars to candidates who vote for corporationsâ interests instead of your interests. Cable companies pay politicians who limit your choice of providers. Pharmaceutical companies pay politicians who keep prescription drug prices high. Oil companies pay politicians who deny climate change and enable price gouging. Banks pay politicians who turn a blind eye to reckless risks. All of this fills politiciansâ campaign coffers and boosts the corporationsâ profits â but it hurts working families who are sold out in the process. Josh believes we need a constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United, the disastrous Supreme Court case that opened the floodgates to dark money in politics. Third, weâve recently seen a concerning trend of politicians raising their own pay without meaningful input from the taxpayers who foot the bill. In Congress, a little-noticed rule change that was passed after Novemberâs election provides federal lawmakers with what amounts to a $34,000 pay raise. Meanwhile, in Albany, politicians called a special session just days before Christmas to give themselves a 30 percent raise, making them the highest paid state legislators in the country, with an annual salary that is more than three times the stateâs per-capita income. In the real world, pay raises come from your employer (ideally through collective bargaining), not from your fiat. And letâs remember: politicians (are supposed to) work for the people. Therefore, Josh believes the law should prohibit politician pay raises unless they are approved by voters. At a minimum, that means politiciansâ pay raises should happen in the period immediately before elections (when the public has a chance to respond at the ballot box) instead of immediately after elections. And under no circumstances should politicians get a pay raise thatâs more than the annual cost-of-living-adjustments available to seniors on Social Security. If our seniors arenât getting a raise, then politicians sure as hell shouldnât either. Josh called for George Santos to be removed from Congressâwhile Marc Molinaro voted to protect him. In mid-May, House Democrats filed a motion to expel George Santos from Congress. If just five Republicans supported the motion, then Santos would have been gone. But Marc Molinaro voted to send George Santos to the Ethics Committee instead of sending him packing from Congress. This was a delay tactic designed to protect Santos and preserve House Republicansâ slim majority. Josh issued the following statement in response: âThe only thing more embarrassing than George Santos is the lengths to which Marc Molinaro is going to protect him. This is the latest example of Molinaro voting however Kevin McCarthy tells him to vote, not how Upstate New Yorkers want him to vote. Whereas Molinaro voted to keep Santos in Congress, I would have requested a vote to expel him. The challenges facing this country are far too important for this nonsense.â Molinaroâs vote to protect Santos was the latest development in a cozy relationship between the two freshmen GOP New York politicians. On March 31, 2022, Molinaroâs campaign cashed a $1,000 check from George Santos. Then, on January 9, 2023, Molinaro voted to weaken the Ethics Office responsible for investigating fraudsters like Santos. ON THE TRAIL Josh celebrated Pride Month with a parade in Hudson. [Josh at a Pride parade in Hudson]( Josh joined friends (and ate lots of Baklava) at the Greek Festival in Vestal. [Josh at the Greek Festival in Vestal]( Josh supported our vibrant arts community at a fundraiser for the Woodstock Film Festival. [Josh at a fundraiser for the Woodstock Film Festival]( Josh met with seniors in Ithaca and Endicott to talk about retirement security. [Josh speaking to seniors]( Josh attended the Cortland County Democratic Committeeâs spring dinner. [Josh at the Cortland County Democratic Committeeâs spring dinner.]( Josh met with the Greene County Democratic Committee in Cairo, where he heard an excellent briefing from Planned Parenthoodâs Hudson Valley Chapter. [Josh with the Greene County Democratic Committee in Cairo]( Josh attended the Democratic Rural Conferenceâs annual conference, which supports Democrats in rural communities. [Josh at the Democratic Rural Conferenceâs annual conference]( Josh rallied for Starbucks workers who have been retaliated against for exercising their right to form a union. [Josh at a rally for Starbucks workers who have been retaliated against for exercising their right to form a union]( Josh supported local candidates in Chatham, Walton, and Binghamton. [Josh with Columbia County District Attorney candidate Chris Liverati-Conant at Chatham Brewery]( During down time, Josh and his family had fun at the Ithaca Farmers Market and a Rumble Ponies game. [Josh and his son at the Ithaca Farmers Market](
[Josh and his son at a Rumble Ponies game]( Josh joined volunteers for a spring canvass kick-off in Vestal. [Josh with volunteers at a spring canvass kick-off in Vestal](
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Josh Riley for Congress
PO Box 836
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Ithaca, NY 14851
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