Office sought: US House of Representatives

Party affiliation: Democrat

Education: graduate of Boston College, Fordham Law School

Occupation: Member of Congress

Family: Wife Helene, three kids, Caroline, Joseph and Michael

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?: No

Age: 62

Previous public office, appointive or elective: Mayor of Glen Cove, Nassau County Executive, Member, US House of Representatives

Why are you seeking this office?
As a common-sense Democrat, I share the values of most people on Long Island and in Queens and stand with them by working across party lines for common-sense solutions – from strengthening our border to reinstating the SALT deduction, to protecting our air and water. I’ll always reject extremism and work to find solutions that make a difference for Nassau families.

Newsday endorsed me saying: “It’s that willingness to take the initiative and lead, combined with his ability to reach across the aisle, that makes Suozzi an important voice, particularly in a tightly divided Congress.” The Nassau and Glen Cove PBA’s took the unusual stance of endorsing me, a Democrat because they know I’m tough on crime and always support our law enforcement.

What are the major differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?
A major difference between me and my opponent is that I have a long record of rejecting extremism and working across party lines for common sense solutions. From strengthening our border to reinstating the SALT deduction to protecting our air and water, I prioritize finding solutions that will work for my constituents and their families.

What other issues do you intend to address during your campaign?
I have four priorities that I am focused on in Congress and that I will continue to address in my campaign: 1) I want to secure the border. 2) I want to restore the local State and Local Tax deduction. 3) I will continue to bring money back to the district for local environmental, educational, and cultural projects. 4) I want to heal the partisan divide in this country.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?
It has always been my dream to serve the people and make the world a better place. That is why I have been in public service, on and off, for more than 30 years. I have served for eight years as the mayor of my hometown, Glen Cove, eight years as Nassau County Executive, and seven years as a member of the United States House of Representatives. Since serving in Congress, I have increased funding for the Long Island by 1000% from 4 million to 40 million dollars, increased funding for the Hellen Keller Institute by around $10 million, and brought well over $45 million back to the district for various local environmental, educational, and cultural projects.

What problems facing your district would you look to solve if you are elected/re-elected?
The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, passed by the Republican Majority and signed into law by President Trump, capped the State and Local Tax deduction at $10,000 and was a body blow to my constituents, who are already subject to some of the highest taxes in the country. This cap will expire at the end of 2025 alongside the expiration of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. I have passed legislation to repeal the $10,000 SALT cap through the House three times and, if re-elected, I promise to form a bipartisan coalition to ensure that the harmful SALT cap is not extended past its expiration.

Cancer is a prominent health issue for Long Islanders and is a leading cause of death for children. What measures would you take to help lower cancer rates and bolster research in the field?
I have always been in strong support of efforts to advance cancer research and treatment, and I promise to continue to fight for the care that my constituents, and all Americans, deserve. I have cosponsored the Give Kids a Chance Act, which authorizes clinical trials for pediatric cancer treatments, the Cancer Drug Parity Act, which prohibits group health plans from providing less favorable cost sharing for patient-administered anticancer medications, the Metastatic Breast Cancer Access to Care Act, which expedites Social Security payments and Medicare coverage for those with breast cancer, the Find it Early Act, which provides coverage for screenings for high-risk individuals, and the Firefighter Cancer Registry Reauthorization Act of 2023, which reauthorizes the National Firefighter Registry for Cancer in order to better understand and reduce cancer among firefighters. I also support the Screening for Communities to Receive Early and Equitable Needed Services for Cancer Act (SCREENS for Cancer), which would reauthorize the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program through 2028.

I will continue to support these and other measures, and I will remain in lockstep with the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, our country’s leading cancer advocacy organization, in their goal of increased funding for cancer research.

What would you do to help small businesses struggling with inflation and the cost of goods needed to manufacture their products?
Luckily, economic indicators show that inflation is slowing, and the Federal Reserve has started to lower interest rates accordingly. However, that doesn’t mean small businesses and middle-class families are not still feeling the impacts of high prices. I am proud to have supported the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act). Amongst other provisions, this bill provided the Paycheck Protection Program, which helped businesses keep their workforce employed, and the COVID Economic Injury Disaster Loans, which supported small business recovery from the economic impacts of COVID. I will continue to fight for legislation that supports small businesses.

Water quality is critical to the region. What plans do you have to help improve water quality and keep it safe for generations?
A lifelong environmentalist, I have devoted a significant part of my three decades of public service to efforts designed to protect and preserve our clean water. I have increased funding for the Long Island Sound by 1000%, and in this Congress alone, I have secured more than $11 million in federal funding commitments for projects to address PFAS and improve water treatment and sewer systems in the Bethpage, Farmingdale, Great Neck, Hicksville, Manorhaven, New Cassel/Westbury, Port Washington, Sands Point, Sea Cliff, and Williston Park water districts. I plan to continue to bring back more and more money to the district to fund these water projects, and I will continue to vote for legislation that advances our clean water priorities.

How can the immigration crisis be addressed at the federal and local level? Can federal and local officials work together?
We must address our immigration crisis and bring ‘order to the border.’ I believe that we can secure the border and treat people like human beings. We can close illegal immigration routes, but open paths for those who follow the rules. At the federal level, we must immediately: 1) Strengthen security at the border. 2) Fix the outdated 1980’s asylum law that is currently being manipulated and exploited by cartels and criminal organizations. 3) Modernize the legal immigration system, which is hopelessly outdated.

Since returning to Congress, I have been named to the Committee on Homeland Security and as the Chair of a critical task force on border security. I have successfully called on President Biden to use his executive authority to extend legal work permits to the 1.1 million immigrant spouses married to U.S. citizens, and to bar migrants who cross our border unlawfully from receiving asylum. Most recently, I have forged a bipartisan coalition of ‘business, badges, and the bible’ to push Congress for real solutions.

It is critical that we all work together to address this crisis — Democrat and Republican, local and federal. All stakeholders–in Washington, D.C., at our Southern Border, and all over the country– must work together, because we cannot solve complicated problems in environments of fear and anger.

What can be done about inflation, which some say can be attributed to price gouging?
We must protect the middle class from high prices, and we must ensure companies engaging in price gouging are held accountable. My constituents on Long Island have some of the highest taxes in the country, combined with extremely high costs of living. We cannot add insult to injury by allowing companies to take advantage of consumers. To address inflation, I am proud to have supported the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), which lowered inflation by making a historic investment in American workers. In addition to creating hundreds of thousands of jobs, the IRA lowered costs by creating tax credits for energy efficiency, capping insulin at $35, and allowing Medicare to negotiate with Big Pharma to lower drug costs for the first time. This alone saved Medicare beneficiaries more than $1.5 billion in the first year. I will continue to support legislation that combats inflation and high prices.

The median cost of renting on Long Island falls between $2,000 and $3,100. How can more affordable housing options be created?
For the past 20 years, I have advocated for Long Island to diversify our housing stock, and to increase density and include more affordable units in suburban downtowns. These ‘cool downtowns’ should also involve building more restaurants, entertainment facilities, and office buildings.

In Congress, I have cosponsored the Housing is Infrastructure Act, which would provide support related to public housing, affordable housing, and mortgage access. I also recently cosponsored the Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act, which improves and expands the existing low-income Housing Tax Credit, which provides tax credits for investments in affordable housing development. Since [its] inception, the credit has benefitted 1,167 homes in NY03.

What is your stance on SALT (State and Local Tax Relief) What needs to be done to keep Long Island streets safe from crime?
I stand vehemently opposed to the cap on the State and Local Tax deduction instituted by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, passed by a Republican majority and signed into law by President Trump. I created the bipartisan SALT Caucus in the House, and I have passed three separate bills during my time in the House to restore the SALT deduction, though they were blocked by Republicans in the Senate. In November of 2021, “Crains New York Business” said that I “earned the nickname “Mr. Salt” for his single-minded devotion to the issue.”

On the issue of crime, I am proud that Nassau County has the lowest crime rate in any community over 500,000 people in the United States. That’s something I helped to accomplish when I was Nassau County Executive. I plan to keep those crime levels low by continuing my strong support for police and law enforcement. I am grateful to the Nassau County PBA, the Glen Cove PBA, and the other law enforcement officials for their endorsements, despite me being a Democrat. I have always, and will always, support our law enforcement.

The DWI/DWAI rate is escalating island-wide. What measures can you fight for, to address the escalating addiction crisis?
Addiction is a national emergency, and we must take steps to stop it. I am proud to have cosponsored the Family Support Services for Addiction Act and the Fentanyl Eradication and Narcotics Deterrence Off Fentanyl Act, and to have supported the National Suicide Hotline Designation Act. I also support the Biden administration’s ‘Challenge to Save Lives from Overdose,’ which would increase training on and access to life-saving opioid overdose reversal medications. In addition to continuing to support legislation that addresses the addiction crisis in this country, I believe we must invest in grants and funding for programming to address addiction before it becomes a crisis, not after people are already in the darkest place. For example, we need to train teachers and school staff to recognize a child with a substance abuse issue, and to provide guidance before that problem becomes a crisis.

What is the best advice anyone ever gave you?
My grandfather used to give a speech at family weddings–he would say that life is like a long journey with lots of ups and downs, but that that’s okay, because “non c’e rosa senza spine,” or, “There are no roses without thorns.” Hard times in life are just to be expected. He would tell us to stick with our values and work hard, and that everything will work out in the end. If it hasn’t worked out, then it’s not the end.

Is there anything else you would like voters to know about yourself and your positions?
I love being in public service and helping people. I am not interested in partisan games or using critical issues to further a political agenda. I am in the solutions business and I know from my years in elected office that we can only solve big problems when we work together, compromise and put forth common sense solutions.