Congressman Paul Tonko represents New York’s 20th Congressional District, including the communities of Albany, Schenectady, Troy, Saratoga Springs and Amsterdam. He represents all of Albany and Schenectady Counties and parts of Montgomery, Rensselaer and Saratoga Counties.
He is serving his seventh term, after first being sworn into Congress in 2009.
Paul serves on the Energy and Commerce Committee, the oldest standing committee in the House, created in December of 1795. He is the first Upstate New York Democratic member to serve on the committee since Leo O'Brien, who resigned the post in October 1966. He was elected by his peers in the 116th Congress to chair the Subcommittee on Environment and Climate Change. He was also selected to continue his service on the Science, Space and Technology Committee, as well as on the Natural Resources Committee.
As the grandson of dairy farmers, I understand the importance of agriculture to New York's economy. While our family farms are the backbone of the rural economy, they also provide food security for our kitchen tables.
In 2014, Congress passed a new Farm Bill, and we must work together to ensure our local family farms are aware of and have the tools to access programs that support our rural businesses.
I have and will continue to fight to see that the federal government acts quickly and effectively to help family farms that feel the devastating impacts of extreme weather events.