PLATTSBURGH — During NY-21 Congresswoman Elise Stefanik’s visit to Plattsburgh Thursday, she addressed local and national level topics with the media, including reports that former President Donald Trump is considering her as his running mate this November.
POTENTIAL VICE PRESIDENCY
“I’m honored to have my name in the mix for consideration for vice president,” Stefanik (R-Schuylerville) told reporters after a grand opening ceremony and tour of Medisca’s new pharmaceutical repackaging and distribution facility in the Town of Plattsburgh.
“I’m proud to be President Trump’s strongest ally in the United States Congress. I was the first member of Congress to endorse his election in 2024 and I have proven results here. I’m focused, as always, on doing my job as the representative for NY-21 and the House Republican conference chair, and really bringing the concerns of my district to the highest level.”
“President Trump understands that,” she continued. “He knows I’m a fighter and that I stand up very strong for my district and for the America First movement every single day. I’d be honored to serve in a future Trump administration in any capacity — I’ve said that for over a year — but I’m glad to be right here in the Town of Plattsburgh.”
Stefanik then doubled down on her support for President Trump after being asked how her earlier criticisms of him may affect her ability to be chosen as vice president.
“I was attacked as the only elected Republican woman in the Northeast who voted for and supported President Trump. Democrats spent hundreds of thousands of dollars smearing me, and I won by over 30 points in this district,” she said.
“I’m proud to have voted for him and supported him in 2016 on the ballot. I’m proud to be his strongest ally in Congress, and I’m proud to continue to work no matter how it shakes out, no matter how the vice presidential situation shakes out, I will continue to be a fighter for this district and supporting President Trump, who has a proven record of delivering results.”
AMTRAK
In talking to reporters, Stefanik was also critical of Amtrak’s handling of its Adirondack Line between Saratoga and Montreal.
The service was previously shut down for three years due to the COVID-19 pandemic before reopening in April of 2023, only for it to be paused again a few months later for heat related rail issues.
Most recently, it was announced that service between Saratoga and Montreal was slated to be suspended again for six weeks until late June, but that timeline was later extended until early September.
“This is absolutely unacceptable. We have said that to Amtrak over and over again … My office has been the leader holding Amtrak accountable … We will continue to advocate to not only lift the suspension, but make sure that it’s permanently serviced,” Stefanik said.
“You would probably not be amazed, but maybe folks who are not from around here would be amazed how many people have reached out to our office who rely on that seasonally every year. They look forward to those trips. It is an important part of not just their summers, but throughout the year. That needs to be fully restored now. My office, we are in a high-level conversation with Amtrak tomorrow (Friday) holding them accountable for this, but we’ve delivered on this before, we’re going to continue holding their feet to the fire to make sure that line is back open.”
“It’s unacceptable … the way they (Amtrak) have conducted themselves throughout this process, when they have promised the federal offices, my office, as well as our U.S. senators, that the line would be fully reopened,” she continued.
“We have oversight in terms of the federal dollars, particularly, they go to support Amtrak. That’s why we will continue to hold them accountable for this. There is no office that has been more active on this issue than our office, but I would say Amtrak is trying to give us the runaround. We deliver results. I’m known for delivering results and holding people accountable; this would be one where we fought for the lifting of the suspension in the past, and we’re going to do so again.”
NORTHERN BORDER
Stefanik called the situation at both the southern and northern border a “catastrophic border crisis.”
“This is directly resulting from Joe Biden’s failed border policies and the executive actions that he has taken to allow open borders,” she said.
“The numbers in the Swanton sector, if you look at the number of individuals on the terrorist watch list, some of those have come across the Swanton sector. There’s more illegal crossings in the Swanton sector, which of course, is in my district, than all the other portions of the northern border combined … We had a committee hearing two weeks ago in D.C. holding them accountable, getting those specific numbers, but the American people know at this point the way to return to a secure border is to elect President Trump.”
“We passed the Secure the Border Act, which is important legislation to secure the border, to provide support for Border Patrol, to make sure that we have the resources, not just on the southern border, but at the northern border as well and we’re going to continue to make sure that that’s signed into law. It only will be if President Trump is elected. The border is a key issue this election cycle, and there is a reason why President Trump is polling over 35 points ahead, probably over 40 points at this point, when it comes to the handling of border issues, than Joe Biden,” Stefanik continued.
“We’re focused on enforcement. The laws aren’t being enforced right now. The executive actions taken by Joe Biden have led to this wide-open border. It is a catastrophe … It’s a crisis across this country right now and New Yorkers know it. That’s why, if you look at the recent polling that just came out in Siena, President Trump is polling within single digits in New York state. and for those of you who have covered politics in New York for a long time, that has not happened in my lifetime, and it just shows the surge of support because of just the absolute, abject failure of Joe Biden.”
BUMP STOCKS
In her visit, Stefanik did not directly address if she still supported a ban on bump stocks, which increase the firing rate of weapons and had been in place until the Supreme Court struck it down in a recent ruling.
Instead, Stefanik said “I believe that I will always stand up for Second Amendment rights.”
“I have an A-plus rating when it comes to the NRA. I have concerns with the drafting of that legislation in the past, and we’re going to take a closer look, but we need to make sure that we’re always respecting constitutional rights.”