January 24, 2026
Dear Friends,
One year into Donald Trump’s second term, the American people have already had enough of his administration’s lies, lawlessness, and broken promises. A recent nationwide poll found that just 32% of Americans believe the country is better off than it was a year ago — and it’s easy to see why.
After pledging on the campaign trail to “immediately bring prices down starting on Day One,” Trump instead imposed massive tariffs and slashed critical benefits, driving up costs for millions of Americans. After promising “no new wars,” he launched an illegal invasion of Venezuela and threatened to use military force to seize Greenland. And after vowing in his inaugural address to be a “peacemaker and unifier,” Trump has done exactly the opposite — unleashing masked secret police to terrorize our communities and turn neighbors against one another. That’s why, this week and every week, I’m fighting for affordability, accountability, and the rule of law.
This week, President Trump escalated his absurd fixation with conquering Greenland— rattling long-standing alliances and embarrassing our nation on the world stage. Despite polls showing that only 4% of Americans support using military force to seize Greenland, and just 17% favor any U.S. acquisition of the territory, Trump pressed ahead with plans to forcibly annex it, even threatening severe new tariffs on our European allies if they refused to comply. Those plans reportedly included offering payments of up to $100,000 to every person in Greenland — nearly $6 billion in taxpayer dollars — to buy their consent. And in a speech at the World Economic Forum, Trump repeatedly confused Greenland with Iceland. Instead of using your tax dollars to lower health care costs or grocery prices, President Trump wants to spend them trying to take over another country he can’t even name.
Meanwhile, Trump’s gangs of masked ICE agents continued menacing communities in Minnesota and across the nation. The stories of their outrageous conduct are almost too many to count — from violently dragging a high school student from her car and detaining her for days, to abducting a five-year-old child and his father on their way home from school. And according to a secret memo revealed this week, ICE agents nationwide have been authorized to forcibly enter the homes of suspected undocumented people without so much as a judicial warrant. The President’s secret police are operating completely outside the law, and it’s up to Congress to put an end to their reign of terror.
Trump’s Republican allies, however, have shown no interest in stopping ICE’s abuses. Instead, they advanced a new Department of Homeland Security budget that allocates billions to bankroll ICE’s growing lawlessness. I voted against that bill, and I’ll continue doing everything in my power to ensure that not one more taxpayer dollar supports this rogue agency and its illegal actions.
Over and over again, Donald Trump and his administration have used the power of the federal government to indulge the President’s imperial fantasies while inflicting harm on the most vulnerable in our communities. Every dollar spent expanding ICE or threatening Greenland and Venezuela is a dollar not spent lowering costs for working families — and Americans are paying the price for this administration’s backward priorities. According to a new report, the average New York family faced more than $2,000 in additional costs last year due to Trump’s inflation, including $433 more for housing and $178 more for transportation. Yet even as working people struggle under the weight of these failures, Republicans refuse to change course.
Trump’s lawlessness, both at home and abroad, is inseparable from the affordability crisis facing American families. Whether it’s the illegal crackdown on immigrants in our own communities or dangerous provocations overseas, every action from this administration reflects a simple truth: Donald Trump is more focused on menacing other countries and silencing dissent at home than on making life easier for the people he was elected to serve. That’s why, while this administration wastes your tax dollars promoting chaos and cruelty, I’ll keep fighting every day to defend your rights, stop Trump’s abuses of power, and deliver the safe, affordable future American families deserve.
As always, thank you for reading.
Your friend,
DID YOU KNOW?
My office and I are working to make sure you remain informed with the latest updates, announcements, and recommendations from governments and agencies. With that in mind, here is some information that may be of interest to you:
- As the 2026 tax filing season gets underway on Monday, January 26th, I’m committed to ensuring you have the resources and guidance you need to file your returns.
- That’s why this week, I hosted a 2026 Tax Season Webinar to give you tips and updates for this tax season!
- You can view a full recording of the webinar on my YouTube page HERE.
- During the webinar, my staff and I were joined by a representative from the United Way’s Volunteer Tax Income Assistance (VITA) program, who delivered a presentation about what you need to know to file your taxes this year.
- The Capital Region VITA program offers FREE federal and New York State tax preparation for income-eligible individuals and families across our Capital Region.
- You can learn more about the program and book an appointment today by clicking HERE.
