A lifelong Long Islander, Andrew has dedicated his life to family and community.
The proud son of a lawyer and small business owner, Andrew went to Sayville High School where he participated in student government and worked at the local hardware store. As a man of faith, Andrew received his communion and confirmation at St. Lawrence Catholic Church, where he still attends Mass every Sunday. After high school graduation, Andrew went on to receive his BA in history and classical humanities from The George Washington University. Andrew then returned to Long Island where he received his Juris Doctorate from Hofstra University.
One of the promises I made to the people of Long Island when I came to Congress was to work to keep our communities safe and protect our heroes in law enforcement. Now more than ever, it is important that we support our brave men and women in law enforcement by ensuring they have the resources needed to keep our communities safe. As such, I vehemently oppose all efforts to defund the police.
I believe there is a direct correlation between major cities defunding the police and spikes in violent crime across the country. As violence runs rampant in American communities, homeland security is being degraded because defunded police departments do not have sufficient resources for counterterrorism operations. New York City has 500 fewer detectives this year because of budget constraints. This results in higher crime and slower response times. Budget cuts and bail reform are wreaking havoc in New York. Because of bail reform, 50% of criminals who were arrested for shooting someone are put back on the streets and 9 of 10 people who are arrested with firearms are released the next day, according to officials. In August, I held a roundtable with members of the Nassau, Suffolk, and NYC law enforcement community to hear directly from officers on the front lines.
Here’s how I’m fighting to keep our communities safe: