Get The Facts on James Skoufis:

If ever there was a time when real leadership was needed in New York State government, that time is right now.   

But instead of standing up for our region and confronting the problems we face head-on, State Senator James Skoufis has established a clear and consistent record of making things even worse for us.

The Skoufis Record:

• James Skoufis has consistently voted with the radical “progressive” politicians from New York City. In fact, official voting records show he has voted with these New York City politicians a staggering 96.2% of the time. (*LRS voting record, 2019-2022)
• James Skoufis also voted “NO” 100% of the time when common sense amendments were proposed to help repeal or reform disastrous policies that hurt hardworking, law-abiding New Yorkers.  (*Senate minority floor amendments, 2019-2022 Legislative Sessions.)

• For example, he voted against amendments to fully suspend gasoline taxes, to reduce home heating costs, and to investigate the COVID-19 nursing home scandal. (*Senate minority floor amendments, 2021-2022 Legislative Sessions.)
• James Skoufis is most widely known as the cowardly Senator who hid in a bathroom at the State Capitol building in order to avoid taking his first tough vote on the floor of the State Senate. (Multiple news reports, NY Post, City and State, LoHud)
• His reputation as a weak, ineffective public official was further cemented by his abject failure to hold the Cuomo administration accountable for the thousands of COVID-19 deaths that occurred in New York’s nursing homes. In his role as Chair of the Senate Investigations Committee, he repeatedly ignored the calls of grieving family members to issue subpoenas that could have shed light on the tragic decision to send COVID-infected patients into nursing homes across the state. 
• James Skoufis now appears to be dodging his responsibility as Investigations Committee Chairman once again, as he refuses to investigate a growing scandal that has hit the Administration of Governor Kathy Hochul. This pay-to-play scandal involves the awarding of a lucrative State contract to a company called Digital Gadgets in exchange for massive contributions to Hochul’s campaign. (Albany Times Union on 9/8/22, 9/16/22)
• James Skoufis sided with dangerous criminals over law-abiding citizens and law enforcement professionals by voting YES to enact the notorious 2019 “Cashless Bail” law**.  This disastrous law has helped send crime rates skyrocketing, put thousands of criminals right back on our streets, and undermined public safety throughout Long Island and across the state.  (*LRS voting record, S. 1509-c.)

• Even after the Cashless Bail law became a spectacular failure, James Skoufis doubled down on it — voting against 12 separate amendments to repeal the law. (*Senate minority floor amendments, 2019-2022 Legislative Sessions.)

• James Skoufis voted in support of the so-called “Clean Slate” bill, another soft-on-crime measure that puts the interests of criminals above those of law-abiding citizens by clearing the conviction records of convicted criminals. (*LRS voting record, S. 1553-D) 
• James Skoufis also voted to support a bill that decriminalizes loitering for the purpose of prostitution — the first step toward legalizing prostitution in our communities. (LRS: 2019, S.1351) 
• First as a Town of Woodbury board member, then as a State Assemblyman, and now as State Senator, James Skoufis has supported new and higher taxes time and time again. At the local level he pushed for higher hotel and motel taxes, and at the state level he has approved new, extended and higher taxes on everything from internet purchases, to businesses and corporations, to billions of dollars in personal income taxes. (3/4/10 Res. Requesting Enactment of A.1793 Authorizing A Hotel and Motel Tax/ LRS: 2019, Part G S1509-C)
• James Skoufis voted YES on the largest state budgets in state history — complete with a massive tax increase, and reckless, unsustainable spending increases. These irresponsible budgets have made New York less affordable, hurt our economy at the worst possible time, and placed us on a path toward fiscal disaster in the coming years. These budgets have added $27.5 billion in new spending over the last two years alone. (*2021-2022 State Budgets.)  
• James Skoufis voted to hand-out $2.1 billion in taxpayer money to non-US citizens. His vote helped enact a pre-paid VISA debit cash-card program that doled out cash disbursements of up to $15,600 to more than 300,000 illegal immigrants. She also voted against an amendment that would have instead given this money back to hardworking New York taxpayers — through a Child Tax Credit, Property Tax Relief Checks and  the elimination of income taxes for low-income New Yorkers. (*2021 State Budget vote / NYS Department of Labor.)
• James Skoufis voted to fund taxpayer-funded political campaigns throughout New York State. At a time when millions of hardworking New York taxpayers are struggling to make ends meet, Mayer voted to support this “welfare for politicians” scheme that uses your tax dollars to fund political mailers, robocalls, and TV attack ads for politicians you might not even support. (*2021, 2022 State Budget votes.)
• James Skoufis voted for State Budgets that include free, taxpayer-funded college tuition for non-US citizens, at a time when millions of  hardworking, middle class New Yorkers are struggling to make ends meet. (*2021, 2022 State Budget votes.)
• James Skoufis also voted to provide millions in healthcare funding for non-US citizens (LRS: S.8003-D)
• James Skoufis voted to provide college tuition assistance for convicted criminals who are currently incarcerated. (LRS: S.8003-D)
• James Skoufis voted to create a new commuter tax scheme (aka. Congestion Pricing”) that will hammer thousands of hardworking residents and small businesses that commute into New York City with higher costs. (*2020 Budget vote.)
• James Skoufis repeatedly refused to lead during the COVID pandemic.  In fact, he repeatedly voted to block amendments that would have rescinded the Governor’s dramatically expanded “emergency powers” and reasserted the Legislature’s role as a separate, co-equal branch of government. (*Senate minority floor amendments, 2019-2022 Legislative Sessions. City and State 1/11/22.) 
• James Skoufis supported giving extraordinary powers to the Governor to unilaterally withhold or reduce payments to our local schools and local governments.  (2019 State Budget / Chalkbeat, 5/4/20 / Democrat and Chronicle, 4/3/20)

Help Us Defeat James Skoufis

** Voted against Senate Republican bill amendments that repeals bail and discovery changes
1/11/2022
2/1/2022
2/16/22
3/7/22
3/22/22
3/28/22
4/4/22
4/10/22
4/26/22
5/10/22
5/17/22
6/1/22

Bail eligible and mandatory mental healh eval-on gun bills
6/2/22