Suozzi Reflects On First Month In Office

By Jano Tantongco

jtantongco@longislandergroup.com

Rep. Thomas Suozzi stands by his seat for his first meeting as part of the Foreign Affairs Committee in Washington, D.C.

If there’s one thing that Rep. Thomas Suozzi (D-Huntington) has learned in more than one month representing New York’s 3rd Congressional District, he said, it’s the need to condense his vision to a few distinct points to “actually get something done.”

“One thing you have to do to be successful is to focus on just a few things because there’s so much happening all the times,” Suozzi, who first took office Jan. 3, said. “You have no choice but to focus on the committees that you’re assigned to.”

Despite tightening his sights, Suozzi said his schedule is certainly packed.

In an interview Wednesday, Suozzi said he first met with fellow members of Congress to get in a workout at 6:30 a.m. He then had an hour-long meeting with fellow Democrats, followed by a classified intelligence briefing on trends in global terrorism.

Then, he met with representatives from the New York State Bar Association regarding bills they were interested in. Later, he fielded a call from a reporter and met with a democratic faith-based group, then with the National Council for Adoption. Afterward, he met with representatives from the Quiet Skies Caucus regarding aircraft noise pollution.

In Washington, he lives with fellow freshmen representatives Jimmy Panetta (D-California) and Josh Gottheimer (D-New Jersey).

On Friday, he plans to take the train back to his home of Glen Cove. If he’s early enough, he’ll also stop by his district office in Huntington.

Suozzi was also recently appointed vice-chair of the Problem Solvers Caucus, a group of 20 democrats and 20 republicans tasked with crafting solutions that bridge the partisan gap.

They recently appealed to President Donald Trump to meet with the caucus to discuss tax reform and infrastructure.

The congressman has also been appointed to both the Armed Services and Foreign Affairs committees.

On Tuesday, Suozzi signed off on a letter address to the chairman of the latter committee to bring in Gen. Michael Flynn for questioning by the committee.

Suozzi said he gives Trump the benefit of the doubt, but still has concerns that need probing.

“I’m keeping my eye on that and trying to use my influence to get to the bottom of it,” Suozzi said. “It’s been a nagging concern about the president’s relationship with [President of the Russian Federation Vladimir] Putin.”

Suozzi added that, “Flynn’s conversations with the Russians and his resignation really raises more questions than answers.”