Congressman talks New York coronavirus response and re-opening, importance of early education and local jobs
Congressman Anthony Brindisi spent today in Oneida and Cortland counties, where he met with essential health care workers, parents and childcare professionals and local hardwood producers.
“Now more than ever, it is vital that our communities have a representative who is accessible and who advocates in their best interests,” said Brindisi. “I heard from frontline workers about what they need to keep COVID-19 under control, spoke with parents and childcare professionals about expanding access to affordable childcare in our area and visited Gutchess Lumber to talk about ways we can help them recover from our trade dispute with China.
“I got a lot of good ideas from people on the ground, and I look forward to taking them back to Congress.”
Brindisi visited a pop-up coronavirus testing site in Utica to see the operation firsthand and listen to healthcare workers about the resources they need to keep Upstate New York safe. The test site was the result of a partnership between Chobani, The Center, Tabernacle Baptist Church and the state Department of Health.
Next, Brindisi attended the official opening of Academics First, the Utica Empire State Poverty Reduction Initiative childcare center powered by the United Way. Brindisi worked as a member of the Core Team at United Way to ensure Academics First was ready to serve the community and spoke about his work to expand access to early education in the Mohawk Valley.
Brindisi then visited Gutchess Lumber to tour their site in Cortland County and hear from owner Matthew Gutchess about their operation. The hardwood industry has faced prolonged economic hardship due to the United States’ trade dispute with China and the coronavirus pandemic.
Brindisi, an advocate for local businesses and producers, updated Gutchess on his work to ease the company’s economic burden.