Joseph Zambon
Langworthy’s Sunday Night Missive
Republican Nicholas Langworthy, who represents New York’s 23rd Congressional District, which covers the Southern Tier and Western New York, sends weekly email updates to his constituents nearly every Sunday night. These updates typically outline his recent activities but often serve as a platform for promoting his highly partisan agenda.
Langworthy’s taxpayer-funded messages rarely miss an opportunity to disparage Democrats—and sometimes even members of his own party. His favorite targets include President Biden, former Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and New York Governor Kathy Hochul, reflecting his commitment to fiery partisan rhetoric.
The Budget Extension Showdown
Langworthy’s December 22, 2024, newsletter zeroed in on the week’s battle over the Continuing Resolution (CR)—dubbed the “American Relief Act”—a stopgap measure to keep the federal government funded.
In an earlier email, Langworthy detailed his reasons for opposing the CR, despite its origins in lengthy negotiations between Republican and Democratic leadership. However, the deal was ultimately torpedoed by President-elect Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk, the unelected and self-styled Republican powerbroker.
Trump Threats, Musk Threats
Trump threatened any Republican who voted for the CR with eternal damnation. Musk threatened something more dire. He promised to bankroll primary challengers against any Republican who dared support the measure. His demands extended to blocking any new legislation until Trump officially assumes office on January 20—a decree that has since lost its urgency.
When a subsequent stripped-down CR that included a debt ceiling increase came to the House floor, Trump gave it his blessing. Yet, the bill failed spectacularly, 174–235, with 38 Republicans voting against it.
Trump’s endorsement wasn’t enough to overcome the hardline opposition of conservative Republicans, who despise debt ceiling increases.
Nevertheless, House Speaker Mike Johnson deflected blame for the failure, accusing Democrats of obstruction—even though Republicans control the House and have the votes to pass legislation without Democratic support.
But a revised, slimmed-down CR passed.
The American Relief Act Finally Passes
A revised version of the CR, slimmed down and absent Trump’s support, ultimately passed the House by a wide margin (366–34–1) just hours before a government shutdown. It succeeded largely due to Democratic cooperation. Still, 34 far-right Republicans—including Representative Chip Roy of Texas—voted against it.
Trump Attacks Conservative Republican Chip Roy
Chip Roy, who vocally opposed the CR on the House floor, declared, “What we’re doing right now is to continue to double down on the things that are destroying the Republic…We are going to increase the debt by $5 trillion.”
Roy’s defiance earned him the ire of Trump, who promptly called for a primary challenge against the Texas Republican. Taking to his Truth Social platform, Trump blasted Roy as “the very unpopular ‘Congressman’ from Texas” and accused him of obstructing another “Great Republican Victory.”
I bet Roy’s feelings were very hurt when he read that he was very unpopular, especially since he’d just won re-election with 62% of the vote. If Roy is very unpopular with 62% of the vote, what does that make Trump, who won another term with only 49% of the vote? Very, very unpopular?
Where Was Langworthy?
In my previous post, I wrote that according to Trump, Langworthy and others of his ilk were guilty of “political malpractice” for voting to approve the Continuing Resolution in September. That bill pushed the debt ceiling problem to after the November election. It avoided a Republican government shutdown that could have cost Trump and the Republicans the election. You’d think Trump would be grateful, but “grateful” is not in his lexicon.
Langworthy never got to vote against the CR he railed against. It never came up for a vote. He and all the NY House Republicans voted in favor of the slimmed-down Trump-approved bill, which was reduced from 1500 pages to 116 pages. That bill failed to pass.
A revised, slimmed-down, Trump-disapproved CR passed with all NY congressional delegation members voting “Yea,” except for downstate Democrat Tom Suozzi, who did not vote.
With the debt ceiling debate postponed until March, tensions are set to boil again. Trump is poised to lambast Republicans who refuse to toe the line, particularly the far-right faction that remains skeptical of his leadership. Democrats, meanwhile, stand just a few seats shy of reclaiming control of the House.
Langworthy must reconcile his public opposition to the negotiated CR with his vote to keep the government running. Expect fiery rhetoric in his Sunday emails as he navigates between partisan loyalty and pragmatic governance.
Smaller is Better, or Is It?
While it’s true that a shorter bill is easier to read, isn’t that part of the job legislators are elected—and paid—to do? Reading and understanding the content of legislation before casting votes is a fundamental responsibility of lawmakers. Yet, this week, a U.S. Senator candidly admitted during an interview that she hadn’t read the original CR, but was relieved that one of her colleagues had.
This raises an uncomfortable question: How many other elected officials skimmed or skipped entirely the bill that would shape government funding and services?
Several Critical Funding Initiatives Were Stripped Out of the Final CR: Childhood Cancer Research
Funding for childhood cancer research was among the casualties. Pediatric researchers expressed devastation at the loss, with experts warning that this cut would have dire consequences for advancements in treating childhood cancers.
The image of lawmakers pulling resources from children battling cancer is gut-wrenching. It’s difficult to fathom how the decision to cut this funding aligns with the values those legislators claim to uphold.
World Trade Center Health Program
Another victim of the cuts was funding for the World Trade Center Health Program, which provides healthcare to New York City firefighters and first responders impacted by 9/11.
The irony is sharp. Many of these first responders are staunch Trump supporters who voted for him. Yet the funding they desperately need was removed without hesitation. While Trump will likely never face the voters again, he appears to prioritize his expansionist ambitions like annexing Greenland over firefighters and other 9/11 heroes.
These cuts beg the question: How do Republican lawmakers, including Langworthy, plan to justify their votes to their constituents, particularly when those constituents include 9/11 first responders and families affected by childhood cancer?