A Proven Track Record of Hard Work and Results

The fight against coronavirus is unlike any our country has faced before. However, working with all levels of government in a non-partisan way, we will emerge from this battle stronger than ever.

In addition to securing over 1.2 million pieces of PPE for Suffolk County in one month alone at the height of the pandemic, I worked to deliver over $280 million in federal funding for Suffolk County, while also working to provide Long Island taxpayers with additional critical fiscal relief, by successfully getting the Municipal Liquidity Facility’s federal financing assistance expanded to include Suffolk County. Working together, the federal government has helped save over 177,000 jobs in our Congressional District alone, and we’re fighting hard to put this pandemic in the rear view mirror. 

While combating the outbreak of coronavirus has been a hallmark of this year, there’s been great local victories to celebrate. 

Earlier this year, it was an honor to announce that after much work behind the scenes with Department of Energy leadership, including Secretary of Energy Dan Brouillette, Brookhaven National Lab was selected as the site of the Department of Energy's $2 billion Electronic-Ion Collider. This cutting edge project will inject billions of dollars and an extensive number of jobs into New York’s First Congressional District, all while churning out scores of scientific discoveries that help us understand the world around us, harness the untapped potential of the natural world and, from human health to our national security and beyond, benefit nearly every aspect of our lives. Furthermore, this never-before-seen technology will make BNL and NY-1 a destination for the next generation of researchers, attracting some of our world’s best and brightest.

At the end of July, the House passed this year’s Water Resources Development Act (WRDA), which authorized construction of the long-awaited FIMP project, including essential dredging and shoreline projects spanning 83 miles of coastline, 80% of which is in the First Congressional District. The massive FIMP project includes a variety of 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 and provides various coastal management initiatives for the bay side of the barrier beaches. 

This legislation also included authorization for construction of the Hashamomuck Cove Coastal Storm Risk Management Project in Southold and authorizes feasibility studies at Reel Point Preserve in Shelter Island, which will focus on navigation and shoreline stabilization, Goldsmith Inlet in Southold, which will focus on improving navigation, and Wading River Creek in Riverhead, which will focus on hurricane and storm damage risk reduction, flood risk management, navigation, and ecosystem restoration.

This year also marked permanent authorization and funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), which has provided funding for over 65 parks, supporting public access, fishing, hunting, recreation and our environment. Some of these projects include the South Jamesport Boat Launching Site, Hampton Bays Softball Field, Wildwood State Park Beach Building in Wading River, Montauk State Park Showers and Comfort Station, acquisition of Havens Beach in Sag Harbor, shoreline protection in Orient Beach State Park, Wertheim National Wildlife Refuge in Shirley and many more. 

This bipartisan, bicameral victory in Washington is, most importantly, a victory for Long Island and builds on continued environmental victories, like tripling funding for Long Island Sound cleanup through the Long Island Sound Program and securing full funding for the National Estuary Program and SeaGrant. 

These are just a few of the many important victories for our great island. It is a great honor to represent New York’s First Congressional District. It is a privilege to fight for my constituents, friends and neighbors, while serving in our nation’s capital. We will always have a lot of critical work still ahead and successes to pursue and achieve for the amazing place we all call home.

Congressman Zeldin represents New York’s First Congressional District in the House of Representatives.