DCCC: Lee Zeldin: Woefully Uninformed, Willfully Ignorant, or Just a Coward?

WASHINGTON, May 14 -- The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee issued the following news release:

Over a month after his House Republicans passed Paul Ryan's reckless budget, Congressional Candidate Lee Zeldin is still too scared to admit how he would vote for the plan, even though he wants Long Islanders to send him to Congress. Even though every member of Congress had no choice but to vote yes or no weeks ago, what's taking him so long to decide? There's only one answer: Zeldin is either woefully uninformed, willfully ignorant or a coward.

While Zeldin is still hiding his position on his party's reckless budget plan, he has no shortage of excuses. First Zeldin said he didn't have time (http://www.newsday.com/long-island/politics/spin-cycle-1.812042/1st-c-d-how-zeldin-balked-at-blindly-endorsing-ryan-budget-1.7695629) to read the toxic Republican budget, then he claimed he wanted to compare (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NaMSy_055aY#t=545) the Republican budget side-by-side with the Democratic alternative if the Democrats ever offered one. However, the Democrats did offer an alternative (http://democrats.budget.house.gov/press-release/van-hollen-announces-house-democratic-budget-alternative-0), and Zeldin feigned ignorance once again. Zeldin's strategy has become clear: make cowardly excuses and hide his reckless agenda from voters.

But wait, there's more: Zeldin also refused (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NaMSy_055aY#t=897) to support extending unemployment insurance, universal background checks, and raising the minimum wage.

To help Zeldin find the courage to take a position on the Ryan Budget and other critical issues impacting Long Island, the DCCC is sending him the same Badge of Courage the Wizard of Oz gave to the Cowardly Lion.

"Lee Zeldin is either woefully uninformed, willfully ignorant, or a coward," said Marc Brumer of the Democratic Campaign Committee. "Lee Zeldin feigns ignorance on every important issue and has repeatedly refused to take a stand against his party's reckless budget which would end the Medicare guarantee - to say nothing of their inaction on long-term unemployment insurance and refusal to raise the minimum wage. Lee Zeldin is choosing cowardice over honesty because he knows that if he came clean about his priorities, voters will reject his out-of-touch agenda."

BACKGROUND:

Said he hasn't had time to read the toxic republican budget. "I'm not prepared to blindly endorse any type of a budget proposal right out of the gate before I have the opportunity to read it." [Newsday, 4/13/14 (http://www.newsday.com/long-island/politics/spin-cycle-1.812042/1st-c-d-how-zeldin-balked-at-blindly-endorsing-ryan-budget-1.7695629)]

Claimed he couldn't take a position until there was a Democratic alternative to compare. Only, the Democrats did offer an alternative. "I am waiting for our congressman to put forth his solution and then we, collectively, can have a debate on both. But I'm not playing along with these games of only debating one proposal." [Zeldin on WLNG, 5/9/14 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NaMSy_055aY#t=545)]

House Democrats released the FY2014 budget in April 2014. [TimBishop.House.gov, accessed 5/13/14; House Budget Committee Democrats, Press Release, 4/7/14 (http://democrats.budget.house.gov/press-release/van-hollen-announces-house-democratic-budget-alternative-0)]

Zeldin also failed to say whether or not he supports extending unemployment insurance and had refused to support universal background checks or raising the minimum wage. "I oppose the SAFE Act, I oppose universal background checks." [Zeldin on LI News Radio WRCN, 5/9/14 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NaMSy_055aY#t=545), 10:52]

"Well I think that we, uh, could have a proposal that I would be supportive of you know this is again just like the last caller, um we're dealing in hypotheticals, there's actually multiple different proposals being discussed and negotiations taking place right now amongst folks down in DC and so, like, the question would you vote, you know, yes or no on some hypothetical bill the question is there are multiple different bills out there and ideas and negotiations that are going on, so, you know, I believe, I believe that there is a way to extend unemployment benefits, um, you know one of the things that I would advocate for if I was hypothetically down there in Congress as part of those discussions. Is that, you know um, um, you know, we have people that we need to fight for who, um who are struggling to get by, who want to work. They have been putting their resumes out everywhere, they might have a job but they're looking for a job that might pay a little bit more., But some people unfortunately get laid off. I mean the economy is still we're still struggling certain aspects of the economy might be getting better, but people are unemployed, other people are underemployed." [Zeldin on WLNG, 5/9/14 (http://linewsradio.com/audio-li-guest-state-senator-lee-zeldin/)]

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