Written by Cara Chapman in the Press-Republican on May 9, 2020
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-Schuylerville) participated in a White House roundtable on reopening the United States with President Donald Trump and fellow GOP lawmakers Friday.
Seated two chairs away from the president, on the other side of House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-California), she thanked Trump for his support of New York State.
“My district in upstate New York, people are eager to get back to work safely,” Stefanik continued.
“Our tourist businesses, our hotels have been devastated. So as we talk about this transition, making sure that we allow our businesses to get back to work safely is so incredibly important.”
Trump had named Stefanik to his task force on reopening the economy last month.
DAIRY FARMERS
Stefanik also mentioned the North Country’s farmers, and thanked U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue for “stepping up” on that front.
“We have dairy farmers in our district who are going through a crisis, but we know that you (Trump) support the farmers and we’re appreciative of all of your work for New York,” she said.
“I know you’ve worked effectively with Democrats and Republicans in New York State so thank you.”
SEAT AT THE TABLE
In a statement following the roundtable, Stefanik said the North Country is working diligently to chart a path forward that both protects public health and safely reopens the economy.
“I am determined to ensure that the top priorities of the North Country have a seat at the table whether it’s issues related to the northern border, workforce development, rural health care, rural broadband or ensuring support for state and local government,” she said.
Trump understands the importance of including rural districts like NY-21 when it comes to discussing ideas and policies to restart the economy, Stefanik continued.
“We discussed a wide variety of ideas that will be beneficial to the North Country, including prioritizing the hard-hit tourism industry, recognizing the importance of strengthening rural broadband, ending our reliance on China for pharmaceutical production, promoting fair trade policies and incentivizing the direct hiring of laid-off workers,” she said.
“I will continue to work closely with President Trump and my bipartisan colleagues in Congress on ideas and policies to re-start and reinvigorate our economy as we combat and ultimately beat COVID-19.”
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