Elitist New York Democrat Rep. Tom Suozzi referred to the south as “our poor brothers and sisters” during a virtual town hall event on April 16.
During the town hall, Suozzi bizarrely opted to blame southern states for New York’s high tax burden, metaphorically dumping on southern states –where many New Yorkers are, ironically, moving.
“We in the mature, industrial states that are so strong financially, like New York, have to help our poor brothers and sisters down in the south, the southwest and southeast,” he said, asserting that blue states have to help their “poor brothers and sisters” catch up on basics, like education.
“We have to help them catch up with us about education and poverty programs and environmental programs,” he continued, effectively dismissing them as rubes.
“And, you know, help them catch up with healthcare programs, and we sent our money, and have been sending our money for 100 years to these other states,” he said.
All the while, Suozzi has made it clear that he is “all for” Americans paying more taxes nationally. And, by his own admission, the only reason he does not favor higher taxes locally is because too many people are leaving his state, seeking financial reprieve.
“I only support it at the national level. I wouldn’t support at the local level, because people are leaving our state. …I don’t want someone to say, ‘I’m moving to Florida or Texas because I can get have lower taxes there.’ Wherever you go in the country, I’m all for you paying higher taxes, anywhere in the country,” he said.
He made similar remarks during an appearance on CBS’s The Takeout, making the argument for raising taxes elsewhere.
“I’m for raising the taxes, but do it at the national level, not at the state or city level, where we’re chasing people and businesses out of our state,” he said while discussing the candidacy of Zohran Mamdani – now the mayor of New York.
He continued, “The minimum wage in America is $7.25 an hour. It’s way too low. Let’s not raise the minimum wage in New York. Let’s raise the minimum wage throughout the country, so we don’t make it less attractive to live here or to do business here.”
His voting record reflects this sentiment as well, as he voted against the Big, Beautiful Bill featuring the Trump tax cuts, ignoring the negative impact his choice would have on his own constituents.
Suozzi has also claimed that declining migration and the resulting wage gains are bad because they create “affordability” problems.
“Tax-raising maniac Tom Suozzi has a record of hiking taxes on New Yorkers, but instead of owning it, he’s trying to pass the blame,” National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) Spokeswoman Maureen O’Toole said in a statement. “New Yorkers see through his ridiculous, insulting lies.”
The Democrat also made waves in March after asserting that the mass airport issues during the shutdown were leverage for changes to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
“And the people are looking at the lines at the airport and they’re looking at what’s going on with the bad behavior of ICE, and they’re saying, can’t you guys just fix this?” he said at the time.
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