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Lee Zeldin on Government Reform

 

 


Voted to overturn 2020 presidential election results

In his campaign announcement video, Mr. Zeldin made no mention of Mr. Trump, instead seeking to keep his message focused on quality-of-life concerns and economic matters and lacing into Mr. Cuomo. But there is no doubt about how deeply he has embraced Mr. Trump and his politics, including by voting to overturn the results of the November election.
Source: New York Times on 2022 New York Gubernatorial race , Apr 8, 2021

Opposed For the People Act expanding voting rights

I can't believe that Republicans are trying to position the For the People Act of 2021 as partisan. The purpose is to make voting easier for all eligible Americans. It sets up automatic voter registration, ensures early voting, and allows for "no excuse" mail-in voting. The bill passed the House without any Republican support--with both Long Island congressional Republicans, Andrew Garbarino and Lee Zeldin, voting "no" to making it easier for all eligible Americans to vote.
Source: Long Island Newsday on 2022 New York Gubernatorial race , Mar 31, 2021

Signed onto Texas suit challenging 2020 election

Zeldin is one of two Republican members of Congress from New York who have joined in supporting a lawsuit brought by Texas officials seeking to overturn President-elect Joe Biden's victory in the presidential election. He was on Trump's legal defense team during his impeachment hearings earlier this year. The Long Island congressman was joined in signing onto the amicus brief by New York Congresswoman Elise Stefanik.
Source: WSHU Public Radio on 2022 New York Gubernatorial race , Aug 24, 2020

Allow municipalities to regulate puppy mills

S3753L To allow municipalities to regulate pet dealers as long as the law, rule, regulation, or ordinance is not less stringent than state law.

Summary by Animal Law Coalition:ÿ The New York state legislature has passed a measure, A. 740-A/S. 3753-A that will allow municipalities to regulate puppy mills. Under current law only the Department of Agriculture and Markets can regulate "pet dealers" which are basically dog and cat breeders.

Legislative Outcome:ÿ Passed Assembly 120-21-6 on Jun/16/13; Passed Senate 53-10-0 on Jun/21/13; State Sen. Lee Zeldin voted YES; Signed by Governor Andrew Cuomo on Jan/10/14.

Source: Animal Law Coalition on New York voting record S3753 , Jun 21, 2013

Increase campaign donation limit, but ban PACs

Source: New York Congressional 2008 Political Courage Test , Nov 1, 2008

Elected to House with pledge of 6-year term limit.

Zeldin signed pledging 6-year term limit

Organizational Self-Description: U.S. Term Limits, the nation's oldest and largest term limits advocacy group, announced that 14 new signers of its congressional term limits amendment pledge have been elected to the 114th Congress. The group includes five new senators, eight new House members and one House incumbent who signed the pledge for the first time this cycle. The pledge calls for members to co-sponsor and vote for a constitutional amendment limiting House members to three terms (six years) and Senators to two terms (12 years). The USTL President said, "The American people are fed up with career politicians in Washington and strongly embracing term limits as a remedy. Gallup polling shows that 75% of Americans support term limits."

Opposing legal argument: [ACLU, Nov. 7, 2014]: In U.S. Term Limits v. Thornton (May 22, 1995), the Court ended the movement to enact term limits for Congress on a state-by-state basis. The Court held that the qualifications for Congress established in the Constitution itself could not be amended by the states without a constitutional amendment, and that the notion of congressional term limits violates the "fundamental principle of our representative democracy 'that the people should chose whom they please to govern them.'"

Opposing political argument: [Cato Institute Briefing Paper No. 14, Feb. 18, 1992]: Several considerations may explain political scientists' open hostility to term limitation:

Source: Press release from U.S. Term Limits 16-USTL on Nov 8, 2014

Constitutional amendment for Congressional term limits.

Zeldin signed supporting Congressional term limits

Excerpts from press release on Term Limits Caucus: Two U.S. Term Limits pledge signers, Republican Rep. Rod Blum (IA-1) and Democrat Rep. Beto O`Rourke (TX-16), have announced the formation of a Term Limits Caucus, which will work to build bipartisan support behind a constitutional amendment imposing term limits on Congress. "The root of this problem is that politicians are incentivized by the system to care more about retaining their position than doing what is best for the country," Blum said. "Our founding fathers never intended for public service to be a career, rather, serving in Congress was designed to be a temporary sacrifice made for the public good."

The new working group will marshal pro-term limits members together to pursue common ground. One of its most important duties will be building consensus around the U.S. Term Limits Amendment of three House terms and two Senate terms, to which both Blum and O`Rourke have pledged their exclusive support.

Supporting argument: (Cato Institute): We should limit members to three terms in the House and two terms in the Senate. Let more people serve. Let more people make the laws. And let's get some people who don't want to make Congress a lifelong career. Some say that term limits would deprive us of the skills of experienced lawmakers. Really? It's the experienced legislators who gave us a $17 trillion national debt, and the endless war in Iraq, and the Wall Street bailout.

Supporting argument: (Heritage Foundation): The only serious opponents of term limits are incumbent politicians and the special interests--particularly labor unions--that support them. Special interests oppose term limits because they do not want to lose their valuable investments in incumbent legislators. Many are organized to extract programs, subsidies, and regulations from the federal government--to use the law as a lever to benefit their own constituencies or harm their rivals.

Source: U.S. Term Limits 17MEM-USTL on Jan 26, 2017

No holiday on election day; no same-day registration.

Zeldin voted NAY For the People Act of 2019