Legal aid attorney Elizabeth Lynch says that Congress voting to overturn overdraft fee limits is a major blow for working class people. Those fees can turn a $1 overdraft into a $36 penalty and very quickly add up.

“We see things that are more akin to like payday lending, which is not allowed in New York state," Lynch said. "But your banks and the bank accounts through these overdraft fees can basically give out a loan that has interest rates that are astronomical when you compare it to the purchase that the person is making.”

Disgraced former U.S. Rep. George Santos “remains unrepentant” as he faces years in federal prison for fraud and identity theft, federal prosecutors say, citing a tirade of his social media posts in recent days.

Prosecutors, in a legal filing Thursday, bolstered their arguments for a stiff sentence, saying the 36-year-old New York Republican has disparaged the U.S. Department of Justice as a “cabal of pedophiles” and cast himself as a victim of prosecutorial overreach in multiple posts on the social platform X.

New York Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik is considering throwing her name in the mix for a 2026 gubernatorial run, a source familiar with her thinking told NY1.

“I think there’s a lot of candidates that are in the mix. I’m honored to have my name in the mix as well,” she told NY1 in an interview on Tuesday night at the New York State Republican Party gala in Midtown Manhattan.

U.S. Rep. Paul Tonko is sounding the alarm about federal spending cuts that will impact libraries in the Capital Region.

During a round table at the Bethlehem Public Library on Wednesday, Tonko discussed a presidential executive order earlier this month — one he says slashed $200 million in annual library funding.

As Democrats look to regroup, New York U.S. Rep. Pat Ryan, a moderate who outperformed his party in last year’s election, is encouraging his colleagues to adopt an aggressive message focused on reaching out to working class Americans.

He dubs it "patriotic populism" — a direct response to President Donald Trump’s right-wing populist style, which he describes as “destructive” — and argues it could be instrumental in reversing his party’s fortunes.

As they negotiate separate spending packages, New York state and federal officials are pointing the finger at each other — clashing over their opposing budget strategies.

Gov. Kathy Hochul on Monday said the threats of drastic federal cuts and the instability of the market, spurred by President Donald Trump's ongoing trade war, is not pushing her to finish the state budget, now over two weeks late, any sooner.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is calling for an investigation into whether members of Congress engaged in insider trading on the day President Donald Trump sent stock prices soaring by pausing his "reciprocal" tariffs on imports from around the world.

And she's renewing her call for a ban on stock trading by members of Congress.

Republican U.S. Rep. Claudia Tenney reported raising just over $1 million in the first quarter of 2025, the congresswoman announced Thursday.

Tenney said her campaign raised money from every county in her district, receiving over 5,700 donations from more than 2,400 donors.

U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik has returned to House GOP leadership in the new role of chairwoman of House Republican Leadership and was reappointed to her committees after President Donald Trump recently withdrew her nomination as ambassador to the United Nations.

According to a press release Wednesday, the leadership chair role is a senior leadership appointed position focused on strategy and communications. It has been used by multiple previous Republican leadership teams and comes with budget, staff, and an expansive strategy, legislative, and communications portfolio.

All 19 New York Democrats in the U.S. House united Wednesday in demanding a meeting with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr., warning a recent attempt to cut $11 billion in public health grants is endangering their constituents.

In a letter to Kennedy, shared first with Spectrum News NY1, the lawmakers said New York could lose roughly $400 million in health funding if the Trump administration’s effort to rescind funding succeeds.

Standing in his Midtown office, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer vowed he’ll continue urging President Donald Trump to rethink upcoming tariffs on some of America’s biggest trade partners.

Schumer said Americans, especially New Yorkers, will pay the price.

Rep. Claudia Tenney and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand have reintroduced legislation in the House and Senate that would designate the Finger Lakes Region as a National Heritage Area.

If it does pass, the bipartisan Finger Lakes National Heritage Area Act would provide funding to preserve the area's natural and historic resources in hopes of boosting recreation and economic development.

The World Trade Center Health Program could be devastated by this week’s mass layoffs at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 9/11 community advocates say.

They warn the deep job cuts likely include workers supporting the health program, which provides medical care for those sickened by toxic smoke and debris from the Twin Towers' collapse.

House Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters Tuesday that Republicans are looking for what kind of future Rep. Elise Stefanik can bring to the House leadership now that she won’t be serving as President Donald Trump’s ambassador to the United Nations.

“We’re trying to figure out some creative role for Elise to play,” Johnson said.

The Senate’s top Democrat is no stranger to political maneuvering. But his latest act — a tightly choreographed blitz through Republican-held districts — signals a sharpened strategy: take the fight over federal spending directly into Trump country, and force Republicans to own the response.

On Monday, Sen. Chuck Schumer visited two nursing homes, one on Staten Island, the other in suburban Long Island, to spotlight what Democrats warn would be catastrophic consequences if Republican-led efforts to slash Medicaid succeed. The choice of backdrop was deliberate, as both facilities sit in congressional districts held by GOP members who have largely aligned with President Donald Trump’s agenda.

Former U.S. Rep. Anthony D’Esposito has been nominated by President Donald Trump’s administration to serve as the next inspector general for the U.S. Department of Labor, months after he narrowly lost his reelection bid in November, the White House said Monday evening.

The role conducts audits to review the effectiveness, efficiency, economy, and integrity of all Department of Labor programs and operations, including those performed by its contractors and grantees, according to the department's website. It also conducts criminal, civil, and administrative investigations into alleged violations of federal laws relating to DOL programs, operations, and personnel.

On Thursday, President Donald Trump announced that he was withdrawing the nomination of North Country U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik to be America’s ambassador to the United Nations, citing the Republican’s' narrow majority in the House of Representatives.

The withdrawn nomination puts an end to speculation on when a special election might be called in a race where Democrats had already picked their candidate, St. Lawrence County farmer Blake Gendebien.

“A new Republican Star is born. Great going @EliseStefanik!”

That’s what President Donald Trump tweeted on Nov. 17, 2019, about the northern New York congresswoman. Facing his first impeachment at the time, Rep. Elise Stefanik quickly became one of the president’s most vocal and effective defenders during those hearings. At 35 at the time, she quickly earned praise and respect from elders of the GOP in a very public way.

With Republicans having a razor-thin majority in the U.S. House of Representatives, President Donald Trump announced Thursday that he is withdrawing the nomination of North Country Republican U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik to be the country’s ambassador to the United Nations.

In his post on Truth Social, the president praised Stefanik and said he “looks forward to the day when Elise is able to join my administration.”

WASHINGTON — As the Trump administration makes sweeping changes to the federal government, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., said Thursday that the Democrats are winning in their fight against President Donald Trump’s policies.

Citing Republican initiatives to cut Social Security, Medicaid, Medicare and public education, Jeffries said the Democratic Party is “all hands on deck, and it will continue to be all hands on deck” to protect the programs that make life better for all Americans.

President Donald Trump is pulling Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik’s nomination as ambassador to the United Nations, he announced on Truth Social on Thursday.

Stefanik, who represents New York's 21st Congressional District, was one of the first cabinet-level nominees put forward by Trump just days after his election in November. Her confirmation hearings were held the day after Trump’s inauguration in January but two months later was yet to be confirmed.

U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer joined House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries in calling for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to be fired following the texting of sensitive plans for a military strike against Yemen's Houthis earlier this month to a group chat that included The Atlantic editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg.

“He should be fired. I agree, he should be fired,” the Democratic New York senator told reporters Wednesday afternoon while leaving a press conference event on Social Security.

It has been arguably the biggest crisis of Sen. Chuck Schumer’s long political career.

Fellow Democrats from all corners of the party have sharply criticized his decision to advance a Republican spending bill to avoid a government shutdown.

WASHINGTON — Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, D-Ca., told reporters Tuesday that Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer should “of course” remain in his role after she criticized her Senate colleagues last week for conceding the fight on the Republican spending bill.

Pelosi also said her successor, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, is the leader the party needs headed into next year’s midterm elections. She encouraged him to take a page out of the playbooks of fellow New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, who have been rallying across the country as part of Sanders’ “Fighting Oligarchy” tour, pitching their progressive politics and ginning up opposition to Trump and Republicans.

Bronx Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez addressed huge crowds over the weekend, joining Sen. Bernie Sanders in a series of rallies denouncing President Donald Trump and his agenda.

Her campaign-style swing, where the progressive star told rally attendees that Democrats need a party that “fights harder for us,” grabbed the spotlight at a time the party is hungry for a winning message and new leadership.

The New York state Conservative Party will be meeting three candidates this week in the eventual special election to replace Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik in New York's 21st Congressional District, but at this time, still prefers state Sen. Dan Stec, the party told Spectrum News 1 Monday.

Stec, R-Queensbury, represents New York's 45th state Senate District, which is made up of the eastern part of the state’s North Country, including Plattsburgh, Potsdam, Lake Placid and Lake George. He served in the state Assembly prior to being elected to the Senate in 2020.

WASHINGTON — Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer says he won't resign his post, despite pressure from some in his party after he voted to move forward with a Republican spending bill that avoided a government shutdown.

“Look, I’m not stepping down,” Schumer said in an interview with NBC's “Meet the Press” that aired Sunday. The New York senator said he knew voting for the bill backed by Republican President Donald Trump would spark “a lot of controversy."

President Donald Trump on Thursday signed an executive order to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education which oversees federal student loans, funding for low-income students and civil rights enforcement.

While only Congress can completely abolish a federal agency, the administration can begin to reduce the agency’s resources.

Upstate New York is working toward becoming home to a bustling technology hub thanks to the planned Micron semiconductor manufacturing facility coming to Onondaga County. But President Donald Trump’s criticism of the CHIPS and Science Act have left some questioning if the projects will come to fruition.

Members of New York’s congressional delegation reassured stakeholders the future of tech in the state is bright.

Democratic U.S. Rep. Josh Riley introduced bipartisan legislation that aims to lower egg prices by adjusting certain regulations for egg farmers, the congressman announced Wednesday.

The Lowering Egg Prices Act would address federal regulations that require farmers to refrigerate eggs immediately after they are laid, but current regulations do not distinguish between table eggs — raw products that need to be refrigerated — and breaker eggs — which are pasteurized for use in products like salad dressing, cake mix and pasta.

NEWBURGH, N.Y. – Rep. Pat Ryan is raising awareness about the concerns families across the Hudson Valley have regarding affordability. The congressman on Tuesday visited Alexis Diner in Newburgh for "kitchen table" conversations with housing experts, dairy farmers and child care experts.

The attendees held candid discussions about inflation prices, tariffs and the affordable housing crisis impacting New Yorkers.

U.S. Rep. Paul Tonko hosted a town hall at Schenectady High School on Monday, fielding a wide range of questions from the live audience with most involving Elon Musk’s role in the Trump administration and cuts being made to the federal workforce.

“I will continue to fight this plan with every fiber of my being as it works its way through Congress,” Tonko said of President Donald Trump’s policies.

Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer is postponing several planned events this week to promote his new book, “Antisemitism in America: A Warning,” after some liberal groups had planned to stage protests.

The cancellations of events in Baltimore, Washington, D.C. and other cities came amid widespread criticism from the party’s liberal base over Schumer’s vote to move forward with Republican spending legislation last week. Risa Heller, a representative for Schumer’s book, said that the tour would be rescheduled “due to security concerns.”

NEW YORK (AP) — Former U.S. Rep. Nita Lowey, a long serving New York Democrat who was the first woman to chair the powerful House Appropriations Committee, has died. She was 87.

Lowey's family, in a statement shared by the Westchester County Democratic Committee, said she died Saturday after battling metastatic breast cancer with the “same tenacity and strength that she fought throughout her 32-year career in Congress for women, children and families."

Sen. Chuck Schumer is facing a massive backlash from fellow Democrats after he refused to block Republican legislation to keep the government funded and avert a shutdown.

In the 24 hours after he announced he would vote to advance the legislation, progressive and centrist Democrats alike are voicing frustration, even anger, with the New Yorker. Some went so far as to accuse him of betrayal and rolling over for President Donald Trump.

New York U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer had been quite boisterous all week regarding congressional Republicans’ plan to keep the government funded through September, which had squeezed through the House of Representatives almost exclusively on party lines. But that changed rather quickly.

In Schumer’s chamber, 10 Senate Democrats joined Republicans to reach the 60-vote threshold needed to pass the budget with a deadline of midnight on Saturday. On Wednesday, Schumer said the GOP didn’t have enough Democratic votes to advance the funding stopgap bill past a filibuster.

WASHINGTON — The Democratic Party was fracturing Friday as a torrent of frustration and anger was unleashed at Senate Democrats, led by Sen. Chuck Schumer, who faced what they saw as an awful choice: shut the government down or consent to a Republican funding bill that allows President Donald Trump to continue slashing the federal government.

After Schumer announced Thursday that he would reluctantly support the bill, he bore the brunt of that anger, including a protest at his office, calls from progressives that he be primaried in 2028 and suggestions that the Democratic Party would soon be looking for new leaders.

Out of power in Washington, and with their brand in the dumps, House Democrats say they see a silver lining after the first weeks of the second Trump administration.

“I think a number of people who voted for the current administration are having second thoughts,” Albany-area Congressman Paul Tonko said.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said Wednesday that Republicans do not have enough Democratic votes to advance the GOP funding stopgap bill approved Tuesday.

Schumer’s declaration raises the prospects of a government shutdown this weekend.

From the day New York state Democrats passed the SAFE ACT — the law banning certain assault weapons and limiting magazine capacity — many Republicans have been vocal about their displeasure.

More than a decade later, it’s a battle that continues.

Democratic leadership on Capitol Hill could be doing more to push back against President Donald Trump, warns a historian who studies the rise of autocracy.

Ruth Ben-Ghiat, a professor at New York University and author of the book “Strongmen,” warns the United States is in a “democratic emergency” that is “getting worse every day.”

Buffalo Congressman Tim Kennedy is calling on President Donald Trump to permanently rescind tariffs on Canada.

Rep. Kennedy said that Canada is our greatest ally and trading partner. He said that Trump's pausing of the tariffs is a positive step as Trump needs to avoid an all out trade-war.

Republicans in New York’s congressional delegation backed a resolution Thursday supporting the ongoing strike by correction officers at prisons across the state that is now in its 18th day.

Rep. Claudia Tenney, of New York's 24th Congressional District, introduced the resolution in the House of Representatives and was cosponsored by Reps. Nick LaLota, Mike Lawler, Nick Langworthy, Andrew Garbarino and Nicole Malliotakis.

One day after the Congressional Budget Office said the proposed House GOP budget was impossible without cutting Medicare and Medicaid, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., said the CBO assessment is proof of what Democrats have been saying since Republicans approved the budget blueprint last week.

“House Republicans and Donald Trump have proposed the largest cut to Medicaid in American history, and they’ve also put the target on the back of Social Security and Medicare,” Jeffries said during a news conference Thursday.

The New York State Business Council and more than a dozen chambers of commerce sent a letter Thursday pressing the state's congressional delegation to push back against President Donald Trump's proposed cuts to National Institutes of Health grants — arguing it would be detrimental to New York communities.

Business leaders urged the state's 26 representatives to fight cutting the NIH grants, which provides over $3.5 billion to more than 250 entities across the state for some of the nation's leading biomedical, cancer and other health care research.

Bronx U.S. Rep. Ritchie Torres is re-introducing legislation aimed at improving the federal government’s response to public health emergencies, Spectrum News NY1 has learned.

The bill was initially inspired by concerns over the government’s handling of COVID-19 and mpox, formerly known as monkeypox. Torres is reintroducing it in this session of Congress as the U.S. grapples with outbreaks of the bird flu and measles.

Democrats in the House Oversight Committee on Capitol Hill flipped the script Wednesday, sharply questioning one of their own: New York City Mayor Eric Adams.

During the hearing, they pressed him repeatedly on the Trump Justice Department’s controversial push to drop the federal corruption case against him. More than a half dozen veteran prosecutors resigned, some alleging an improper quid pro quo between the White House and the mayor over immigration enforcement.

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- During his congressional address Tuesday, President Donald Trump boasted the country has seen $1.7 trillion in new investment over the past several weeks — a result, he said, of confidence in his election and new economic policies.

That included a $100 billion commitment from Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company to expand its Arizona operations.

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Public service is in Western New Yorker Alissa Ellman's DNA.

She joined the U.S. Army in 2001, still a junior in high school. Then early in her senior year, Sept. 11, 2001 happened.

A bill that would amend New York’s special election schedule remains stalled, state Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins told reporters Tuesday in Albany.

Democrats in the state Legislature introduced a measure earlier this year that would allow the governor to delay congressional special elections until Election Day. Republicans labeled the measure as a pure political one, as it would directly impact the race to replace Rep. Elise Stefanik in the 21st Congressional District once she resigned to become U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.

U.S. Rep. Claudia Tenney has invited Oswego County Sheriff Don Hilton to be her guest at President Donald Trump’s address to a joint session of Congress next week.

"Sheriff Don Hilton is a highly regarded law enforcement officer from our district, and I am honored to have him join me in attending the Joint Address this year. Since 1987, Sheriff Hilton has dedicated his life to public service, serving in a variety of law enforcement roles across our region," Tenney said in a statement Friday. "He started his career in Oswego County as a corrections officer and has since returned to serve as the Oswego County Sheriff."

U.S. Rep. Adriano Espaillat will deliver the Democratic Party’s Spanish-language response to President Donald Trump’s upcoming joint address to Congress, U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer announced Thursday.

Espaillat represents New York's 13th Congressional District, which includes upper Manhattan and parts of the Bronx. He was first elected to the House of Representatives in 2016. He is currently the chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.

WASHINGTON — Two days after House Republicans narrowly approved the “big, beautiful” budget blueprint President Donald Trump has been asking for, House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., derided it as a reckless scheme.

“The Republican budget will set in motion the largest cut to Medicaid in American history,” he said. “Children will be hurt. Families will be hurt. Seniors will be hurt. Everyday Americans with disabilities will be hurt. Hospitals will be hurt. And nursing homes will be hurt all across America.”

Congressional lawmakers are launching yet another bipartisan push for permanent funding for the health program that helps people sickened by toxic smoke and debris from the World Trade Center's collapse.

“We've made a promise that we will never forget and we will keep fighting for this,” Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand said, introducing the legislation at a Wednesday press conference on Capitol Hill.

Democrats are warning of the possibility of devastating cuts to Medicaid, as House Republicans in Washington move ahead with legislation to enact President Donald Trump’s agenda.

On a nearly party-line vote Tuesday, House Republicans advanced a budget blueprint, setting the framework for the eventual spending package. As part of the final bill, Trump is seeking massive tax and spending cuts alongside new funding for immigration enforcement.

New York Congressman Mike Lawler, a rising star in the state GOP, is facing backlash after questioning the citizenship status of a Westchester County legislator at a public meeting.

The comment came during a larger discussion Tuesday about immigration enforcement under the Trump administration.

Bipartisan legislation has been introduced in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives that would require manufacturers to report their dairy processing costs every two years.

“New York dairy farmers deserve to be paid a fair price for their milk, and they need a milk pricing system that they can count on,” said U.S. Sen. Kristen Gillibrand Thursday in a press release. “Requiring manufacturers to report dairy processing costs on a biennial basis will give dairy producers, processors, and cooperatives the data they need to ensure that their prices accurate reflect the costs of production.”

As he continues to mull his 2026 options, Hudson Valley Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Lawler was in Western New York on Wednesday to stand with state Senate Minority Leader Rob Ortt at a press conference on the prison strikes happening across New York state.

The congressman, who has been mentioned as a top Republican gubernatorial candidate in 2026, joined Capital Tonight on Wednesday to discuss the strikes, President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw federal support of New York City’s congestion pricing plan and the calls for New York City Mayor Eric Adams to resign or be removed from office.

On the heels of the Trump administration announcing Wednesday that it is moving to end congestion pricing in New York City, Staten Island Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, a fierce critic of the toll, joined NY1 to air her thoughts on the decision.

Tap the video player above to watch the full interview.

Pharmacists are calling on Congress to pass reforms for pharmacy benefit managers, also known as PBMs, who act as middlemen between pharmaceutical companies and pharmacies, and are supposed to negotiate the cost of drugs to save patients money.

But pharmacists like Pine Plains’ Nasir Mahmood say they haven’t been doing that, and instead, they’ve driven up costs and made it harder for locally owned pharmacists.

U.S. Rep. Nick Langworthy’s district office in Clarence was evacuated on Thursday after a suspicious package was found at the location, the Republican congressman said.

Local law enforcement and the Capitol Police were notified and are investigating the matter.

First-term Rep. Josh Riley is introducing his first bill in Congress, Spectrum News 1 has learned. The focus: lowering energy bills for low-income households.

The legislation, which Riley, a Democrat representing New York's 19th Congressional District, is rolling out with a bipartisan group of co-sponsors, would modify the Department of Energy’s Weatherization Assistance Program, a nearly five-decade-old program that helps individuals retrofit their homes to make them more energy efficient. Upgrades can include improving insulation and moisture control.

President Donald Trump has Mayor Eric Adams on a "short leash."

That's just one of several reactions from New York Democrats on Capitol Hill after the U.S. Department of Justice ordered the Manhattan U.S. Attorney's office to halt its criminal prosecution of the mayor — while still holding out the possibility of reviving charges later.

U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer called for continued funding to community health centers.

He spoke Monday at Syracuse Community Health, saying federal funding is set to run out in a month for these type of health care facilities.

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- U.S. Rep. Claudia Tenney's district offices are closed after reporting of three separate incidents Wednesday of threats of violence and intimidation against staff.

Tenney's office said Capitol Police and local law enforcement responded to the threats. The statement does not identify which offices were targeted.

As the United States Senate moves forward with the nomination of U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik as United Nations ambassador, North Country Democrats are preparing for the special election to fill the seat whenever a special election is called by selecting St. Lawrence County dairy farmer Blake Gendebien as their candidate.

In a special election for New York's 21st Congressional District, there is no primary for voters to pick their party’s nominee – the nominee is selected by the chairs of the county parties in the district. Gendebien is a third-generation dairy farmer from Lisbon, and operates Twin Mill Farms. He is married and has three children. He has degree in agriculture from Penn State University.

The top two Democrats on Capitol Hill announced legislation Tuesday to rein in billionaire Elon Musk, who has launched a campaign to remake the federal government.

“It’s an all hands on deck effort,” House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said, standing beside Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.

A Western New York air base is being floated as a potential place to help support the recent expansion of ICE operations.

Rep. Nick Langworthy (R - NY23) and Rep. Claudia Tenney (R - NY21) sent a letter to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to potentially use the Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station.

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand is vowing to push back against President Donald Trump’s proposed tariffs on Canada and Mexico, saying the plan is only going to drive up costs for everyday Americans.

“I think what President Trump is doing is harmful. It's creating chaos. It doesn't make sense. It's not going to have the impact that he's hoping it has. It's just going to raise costs for everyday Americans,” Gillibrand said Monday on “Mornings On 1.”

It was a moment that vaulted New York Congresswoman Elise Stefanik to prominence on the national stage and won her the admiration of MAGA Republicans.

As House Democrats pursued impeachment against President Donald Trump during his first term in the White House, Stefanik aggressively mounted a defense of the president, with pointed questioning at impeachment hearings.

Former Republican U.S. Rep. Lee Zeldin was confirmed by the U.S. Senate Wednesday as the new Environmental Protection Agency administrator.

The chamber voted 56-42 in favor of the former New York congressman.

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- U.S. Rep. Nick Langworthy, R-NY-23, spent about 45 minutes with Buffalo Immigration Customs Enforcement officials Tuesday to discuss how operations have changed under President Donald Trump's new executive orders.

Across the country, ICE has reported detaining individuals including three this past week in Western New York.

CHEEKTOWAGA, N.Y. -- Alton's Restaurant has been serving customers in Cheektowaga for more than 40 years.

General Manager Audrea Arricale said the casual dining establishment is known for serving breakfast all day.

U.S. Rep. Joe Morelle has been chosen to serve as vice ranking member on the House Appropriations Committee, the New York congressman announced Friday.

The committee has significant influence over federal spending.

Former U.S. Rep. Brandon Williams will serve as the next under secretary for nuclear security and also the administrator of the National Nuclear Security Administration at the federal Department of Energy, President-elect Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social Thursday morning.

“Brandon is a successful businessman and Veteran of the U.S. Navy, where he served as a Nuclear Submarine Officer, and Strategic Missile Officer,” Trump wrote. “He is a graduate of Pepperdine University, and the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Congratulations Brandon!”

The confirmation hearing for U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik to become the next ambassador to the United Nations will take place next Tuesday, Jan. 21 with the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Confirmation hearing for @EliseStefanik to become UN Ambassador is scheduled for Tuesday, Jan. 21 at 10a before the Senate Foreign Relations Cmte >> https://t.co/9RLthBNAqg

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — For 887 days, Livingston County native Ryan Corbett has been wrongfully detained by the Taliban. He’s been living in a nine-by-nine basement cell with little access to food, water and sunlight. Since his detention, he says he’s had constant ringing in his ears, dental issues, fainting spells and seizures, among many other illnesses.

His family heard from him Sunday around 5:30 a.m. and learned he has finally been able to put on a little weight and he’d been given a bit more access to sunlight.

With the 119th Congress underway, New York’s newest members of the House of Representatives received their committee assignments on Tuesday.

Democratic Rep. John Mannion, of the 22nd District in Central New York, was appointed to the House Education and Workforce Committee, as well as the House Agriculture Committee.

A former candidate for New York's 24th Congressional District has died.

The family of David Wagenhauser confirms he died over the weekend after a brief illness.

U.S. Rep. Mike Lawler stood beside New York legislative Republicans Tuesday morning to criticize Gov. Kathy Hochul and Democratic policies ahead of her State of the State address as the Hudson Valley congressman mulls a run for governor next year.

Lawler slammed the Democratic governor on state spending, criminal justice reforms, the migrant influx, congestion pricing and other issues.

Rep. Nicole Malliotakis said Monday that President-elect Donald Trump supports efforts to raise the state and local tax deduction cap and oppose New York’s congestion pricing plan,

Malliotakis, who attended a weekend meeting at Mar-a-Lago in Florida with Republican members of the New York delegation, said Trump’s stance on the SALT cap—created during his administration in 2017—has shifted because of rising taxes in New York.

U.S. Rep. Mike Lawler will serve as chairman of the House Middle East and North Africa Subcommittee, the House Foreign Affairs Committee announced Thursday.

The panel has jurisdiction over the Middle East and North Africa regions and has oversight responsibilities over activities in the State Department.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul released a statement Wednesday saying the state’s Republican congressional delegation should demand a full repeal of the cap on the federal deduction for state and local taxes, or SALT, as negotiations on its future continue with Donald Trump about to return to the White House.

“The New York Republican delegation owes middle class New Yorkers a full repeal of the SALT cap. This cap has cost New Yorkers as much as $12 billion every year since it took effect in 2018, robbing middle-class families of their hard-earned money,” Hochul said in the statement. “Republicans have drained billions directly from the pockets of their own constituents, and now it’s time for them to deliver. No excuses. No half measures. It's all or nothing – New Yorkers deserve a full repeal.”

Disgraced former congressman George Santos has asked a New York judge to delay his sentencing on federal fraud charges until the summer so he can pay off more than half a million dollars in fines by making more episodes of his recently launched podcast “Pants on Fire."

But prosecutors, in their response Tuesday, dismissed the New York Republican's promises of a financial boon as “extremely speculative” and derided the program's title as a “tone-deaf and unrepentant reference to the crimes he committed."

Rep. Pat Ryan is urging President-elect Donald Trump to include Democrats in discussions about the future of the cap on the federal deduction for state and local taxes, or SALT.

“If President-elect Trump is serious about removing the SALT cap and ending double taxation, he’s going to need bipartisan support,” the Hudson Valley Democrat said in a statement shared first with Spectrum News NY1. “I’ll go to Mar-A-Lago myself if that’s what it takes.”

U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., has been selected to lead the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, the campaign arm for the caucus, for the 2026 election cycle, Senate Democrats announced Monday.

“We are excited to announce Senator Kirsten Gillibrand will serve as the next DSCC Chair for the 2026 cycle working to build strong campaign infrastructure, hold Republicans accountable, and mobilize voters to win the majority for Senate Democrats!” Senate Democrats posted on X.

Members of the new 119th Congress descended on the nation’s Capitol Friday with Republican majorities in both chambers of Congress and the second term of Donald Trump on the horizon.

While the GOP has the majority in the U.S. House of Representatives, it is one of the smallest in congressional history. So what can New Yorkers expect from the new Congress?

U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand announced Thursday she will be joining the Senate Committee on Appropriations in the next Congress, which is set to convene on Friday.

The panel in Washington’s upper chamber oversees federal spending and allocates funding to programs and government agencies.

From the lake-effect machines that batter Buffalo's Southtowns, the Finger Lakes region, the Southern Tier and the remnants that crash the Capital Region down to the Hudson Valley, we know Mother Nature is nothing to discount.

Rep. Tim Kennedy (NY-26) and others in offices across New York state do too, and come the next legislative session, there could be some meaningful change for preparation and recovery.

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- There is good news and bad news for New York with regards to new population estimates.

The U.S. Census Bureau estimates the state gained about 130,000 people between 2023 and 2024.

Plates, forks and knives are everyday essentials for all of us, however, most of these items are made abroad. Now, state leaders are pushing for the items to be American made with the FORKS Made in America Act.

It would require the Department of Defense to buy stainless steel flatware and dinnerware from manufacturers in the United States, potentially good news for Sherrill Manufacturing in upstate New York.

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- The Kids Online Safety Act is not on the agenda before Congress wraps up the year.

Fairplay Executive Director Josh Golin said the leading nonprofit advocating for the legislation is not pleased with the decision.

Republican U.S. Rep. Marc Molinaro thanked his constituents and colleagues in his farewell remarks to Congress Wednesday as he exits his role as representative for New York's 19th Congressional District, while also promising to have a future in public service.

“To the people of NY-19: thank you. Thank you for your trust, your support, and your unwavering belief in me. Representing you was never just a job; it was a deeply personal mission,” Molinaro said on the House floor. “Your faith in me inspired every decision I made, every vote I cast and every moment I spent advocating for our shared future. Together, we focused on what truly matters: delivering results for the people and places that make our district extraordinary.”

New York U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has lost her bid to be the top Democrat on the House Oversight and Accountability Committee in the next Congress following a caucus vote that picked Virginia Rep. Jerry Connolly as ranking member instead.

Currently second in line to the ranking member, Ocasio-Cortez made a play for the position since Maryland Rep. Jamie Raskin, the current ranking member, is seeking to be the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee after New York Rep. Jerry Nadler said earlier this month he would not seek another term in that spot.

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — EBT card skimming has become an issue for families relying on food assistance programs like SNAP. Tens of thousands of users have fallen victim to this crime, with their benefits wiped out without warning. To address this, Congress authorized a temporary provision in late 2022, allowing the replacement of up to two months’ worth of stolen SNAP benefits.

In New York alone, more than 64,000 households have had their stolen benefits restored, providing much-needed relief to families in crisis.