Rep. Tom Suozzi says he's determined to be bipartisan champion in Washington
WASHINGTON -- Congressman Tom Suozzi has big plans for his return to Washington. He wants to end the dysfunction and partisan divide.
He sat down with CBS New York's Marcia Kramer to outline his agenda.
Suozzi does not want his return to Congress to be déjà vu all over again, which is why, when given the opportunity to speak after his swearing in, he took the bull by the horns and addressed the elephant in the room: Washington gridlock.
"The people are sick and tired of the finger pointing and the petty, partisan bickering," Suozzi said. "They want us to work together."
"It was widely received by your Democratic colleagues, but Republicans, not so much. Is that an indication that there's more work to do?" Kramer asked?
"There's an enormous amount of work that has to be done. This doesn't happen from a turn of a switch. We have to work to build these relationships, build the trust, and it's really a person-by-person action," Suozzi said.
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The numbers may be in Suozzi's favor. By flipping his district from red to blue, replacing George Santos, he gives Republicans only a razor-thin margin of control.
They can only afford to lose two votes on any issue.
"As I raised my hand, and I was taking the oath, I looked above the speaker, at the words above his head, 'In God we trust.' I feel like I'm here for a reason," Suozzi said.
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After a hard-fought battle against Mazi Pilip, in which he pushed for more strident changes to border control, it's no surprise that his wish list for change includes immigration reform, but he also wants to change SALT, the deduction of state and local taxes, and deliver for his district in terms of infrastructure improvements and climate change.
Kramer then asked him a question on many minds.
"So when you walked into your office on your second tour of duty here, what were your thoughts?" Kramer said.
"I can't believe this is George Santos, his office," Suozzi said with a laugh.
It's clear Suozzi wants to lead a rebellion in Congress and if New York Democrats can flip a few more seats from red to blue, he'll be that much more successful.