US Congressman Riley and Mannion Speak To Full House At Legislative Breakfast

It was standing room only at the Cortland Elks Lodge during last Thursday’s legislative breakfast hosted by the Cortland Area Chamber of Commerce.

Congressman Josh Riley, who represents the 19th District, and Congressman John Mannion, who represents the 22nd District, spoke to area business leaders on their personal backgrounds and why they got into politics.

Riley, an Endicott, New York native, spoke on how his family spent generations working in the local factories, making shoes and boots at the Endicott-Johnson Shoe Corporation and circuit boards at IBM. He says he’s dedicated his career to fighting for working-class neighborhoods like the one that raised him.

He has recently announced two new bipartisan initiatives that he will lead in upcoming negotiations on the Farm Bill. Riley’s proposals will have direct funding to rural communities.

Riley also spoke on all the issues facing communities like Cortland in New York.

“The cost of living is too high, wages have stagnated, provide some relief, lower the cost, bring some good paying jobs back home. What is the agenda their having us do in Washington right now, rip the rug out beneath 50% of the babies in my district, throw 70% of the seniors in my district onto the street for what? To give tax cuts to billionaires who don’t need it.”

He also answered questions about the Trump administration’s tariffs, saying now is the time to get it right and to level the playing field. Riley says he also plans to have more mobile office hours in Cortland County in the future.

Congressman John Mannion also spoke on his upbringing and why he got into politics. A lifelong resident of Central New York, he spent nearly three decades teaching high school science, including Advanced Placement Biology and Chemistry, he told the packed room.

He also touted his time as a New York State Senator, serving as the founding Chairman of the Senate Committee on Disabilities and securing four consecutive cost of living increases for Direct Support Professionals and expanded the preferred source program to boost employment opportunities for individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities.

Mannion also spoke on why he got into politics, saying he felt that “our kids and our communities” were being “left behind.” He also spoke on his worry for Medicaid.

“Medicaid is our healthcare safety net for our most vulnerable, including veterans, and some of the messaging around it is really difficult to hear because the number of people that are working while on Medicaid is a very high percentage” says the congressman.

Mannion voted against the Republican Budget Resolution that calls for hundreds of billions of dollars in cuts to Medicaid and other programs.

Mannion says he too will have more mobile office hours in Cortland County in the future.

Cortland County is split into two districts. The 19th District covers a portion of Cortland County including Marathon, Virgil, Solon, Cincinnatus, Willet, Taylor, and Hartford. And in the 22nd congressional district municipalities of Cortland County including the City of Cortland, both Town & Village of Homer, McGraw, Cortlandville, Preble, and Scott.