A federal focus Langworthy discusses hot

Aug 31, 2023

OBSERVER Photo by Gregory BaconPictured from left are Chautauqua County Chamber of Commerce Chief Executive Officer Dan Heitzenrater and Rep. Nick Langworthy.

Since taking office in January, there are three topics U.S. Rep. Nick Langworthy hears about all the time — energy, inflation and illegal immigration. Those three topics dominated the discussion during the Chamber of Commerce’s Congressional breakfast Wednesday in Dunkirk.

Langworthy was the featured speaker at Shorewood Country Club. At the event, he noted the United States has a $32 trillion national debt, adding that it’s time to “slow down and stop the reckless spending train that we are on.”

According to Langworthy, the United States will spend $10 trillion on interest over the next decade alone. “This is how great empires collapse. They spend too much money,” said the representative who oversees Congressional District 23 in New York state.

Langworthy was critical of the Biden administration for its spending, but noted that spending was too high under presidents Donald Trump, Barack Obama and George W. Bush as well. “We have to get some level of restraint on the table,” he said.

Langworthy said he wants to see more accountability on how money is spent in the war involving Ukraine.

“Putin is a butcher and a murderer, and he needs to be held to account for his crimes, but at the same time we don’t have an endless spigot of money available to fund every conflict on the globe,” he said.

Langworthy wants the European nations and NATO to be “on equal footing.” He predicts the United States will face another government shutdown. “In divided government, there’s a standoff,” he said.

He applauded Speaker Kevin McCarthy for his role in the debt ceiling fight. He said they were able to negotiate $2 trillion in concessions over the next decade. “For the first time next year, the federal government will spend less money than it did the year before. That hasn’t happened in the history of our country,” he said.

INFLATION

Langworthy notes how high inflation is making it difficult for working families.

“I can’t believe the cost of groceries,” he said. “I don’t know how people that are in the lower income brackets are making things work right now. The cost of gas has continually stayed right around $4 a gallon. It is really putting a pinch and how home heating is back.”

Langworthy believes the push to get fast food workers $15 an hour started the increased inflation. “Anyone that can do math on a piece of paper can figure out the fact that the labor costs doubles, the goods and services that those people use are going to go up. You’re taking the purchasing power of people that you’re trying to help the most,” he said.

ENERGY

Langworthy calls the push for more renewable energy a “green religion” and says the plan lacks common sense. He cited a school in the Southern Tier that said it will cost them $10 million to charge electric buses for their district.

There’s also a concern with the buses for safety. “If they catch fire, they burn hot and they burn quick. I’ve heard from some people running the school bus garages and EMS, they’re worried could they get the kids off fast enough because the fire is so hot,” he said.

Langworthy also said he’s spoken with vehicle dealerships that are struggling selling electric vehicles. He didn’t name the dealerships, saying those businesses do not want to go public.

He did acknowledge a change in the climate on the planet, but questioned why the U.S. is making sacrifices while countries like India and China continue to use coal.

He said he trusts the market. “Cars today are more efficient than they were 10 years ago and those were more efficient than they were 10 years before that. We have clean, efficient natural gas right here in the Southern Tier. We could bring that out of the ground and transform our economy but the libs (liberal politicians) in Albany won’t let us do it,” he said.

IMMIGRATION

Langworthy blames the Biden administration for not doing enough to enforce the southern border of the United States. “This is a crisis,” he said.

He also feels that too many people are applying as asylum seekers that aren’t eligible, saying that he’s been told 8-10% of applicants are truly in that category. “We’ve all used this term ‘asylum seekers’ because the administration and groups that they have empowered are coaching people how to fill out paperwork but economic opportunity is not an asylum qualifying excuse,” he said.

Langworthy opposes lift work visas too quickly for asylum seekers because he believes they need to be vetted. “It normalizes this behavior. … We need a safe, legal workforce that’s vetted,” he said.

He also applauded County Executive PJ Wendel and other county leaders who have declared States of Emergencies to keep out asylum seekers, saying there are too many problems and costs.

“We’re at a breaking point. We need a policy change. Sanctuary cities need to be abolished,” he said.

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