Washington, DC - February 20, 2017 - Congressman Tom Suozzi spoke on the House floor as part of a bipartisan pledge by the Freshman class to encourage civility in the chamber and in political discourse generally. His full remarks can be viewed here. 

"While our nation may be divided, the good news is I have found that most of my Democratic and Republican colleagues seem genuinely inspired by their faith and have responded positively to the suggestion that we communicate more openly in terms of our different faith traditions. In order to solve our greatest problems, we must first love thy neighbor," said Suozzi.

Congressman Suozzi was elected Co-Chair of the Congressional Quiet Skies Caucus this week. The Caucus is dedicated to finding solutions to the ongoing issue of noise at and around our nation's busiest airports, including JFK and LaGuardia Airports. Congressman Suozzi takes over the Co-Chair position from Rep. Grace Meng, who like Suozzi, represents part of Queens.

"People living on Queens and Long Island have been dealing with bothersome air traffic noise at LaGuardia and JFK for too long now," said Congressman Suozzi. He added, "I said that I would work hard to try to solve this serious issue and I recently cosponsored legislation that would help local stakeholders better understand the health impacts of prolonged exposure to air traffic noise. It's time for all local stakeholders to come together and work to reduce noise pollution. I look forward to continuing the important work I'm doing with my Republican and Democratic colleagues on this critical issues such as these that are facing local residents."

As part of his duties on the House Armed Services Committee, Congressman Suozzi received a classified intelligence briefing on trends in global terrorism. He also took part in an open hearing with fellow members of the House Foreign Relations Committee on matters related to Iran.

"We live in a dangerous world right now and it's important for me to stay on top of continuing developments concerning the threat of terrorism," said Suozzi. He continued, "These briefings are critical for me to do my job so I can help to protect our nation and the people of the third congressional district," said Suozzi.

In a show of support to our veterans, Congressman Suozzi was invited to speak to members of the National Association of State Veterans Homes. The group is dedicated to ensuring veterans receive the long term health care and services that they deserve.

"We can never do enough to help our veterans who have sacrificed so much in the defense of our country. State veterans homes are critical to giving veterans high-quality care while also allowing them to live with dignity and respect," said Congressman Suozzi.

Finally, Congressman Suozzi spoke at the Energy Independence Summit, an annual gathering that is dedicated to promoting clean cars and alternative fuel as a way of making America more energy independent. 

"We must transition away from foreign energy sources," said Suozzi. He added, "Battery operated cars and alternative fuels are the key to making that happen and I'm committed to working with people on both sides of the aisle to keep our environment clean."