Michael on the Economy

With the deepening financial crisis threatening thousands of district jobs, unemployment and foreclosure rates surging in the area, and countless individuals watching their retirement savings disappear in this volatile stock market, Michael McMahon will fight for a comprehensive economic platform to spur economic growth, and provide direct relief to district residents to get them back on their feet.

Michael on Veterans Issues

I will pursue local initiatives that provide transitional help to veterans as they return, create networking opportunities for veterans and provide greater information for employers of veterans' .

Michael’s Position on the War in Iraq

I am proud to be running for Congress in New York’s 13th Congressional District, home to hundreds of patriotic Americans currently serving their country in the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force and Coast Guard, and to over 30,000 military veterans.

Michael on Worker Rights and Fair Trade

As a lifelong Staten Islander I have spent the better part of my life surrounded by the hard working men and woman who make our great City of New York run, many of whom are members of our city’s labor unions.  There are 92,000 union households in the 13th district, the most of any congressional district in the country.  

Michael on Infrastructure

America must once again begin large scale investments in our infrastructure.  Our roads, rails, ports, energy and telecommunications networks, and water and waste systems are all crucial to both our economic competitiveness, and our health and quality of life.

Michael on the Environment

Protecting the environment has long been a passion of mine. In the City Council, I proudly chair the Committee on Solid Waste and Sanitation, where I led the fight to keep the Fresh Kills landfill closed, and to turn it into a lush 2,200 acre public park.

Michael on Transportation

For people living in New York’s 13th Congressional District, transportation questions are paramount. With an average commuting time of over 40 minutes, and often as long as two hours, we literally have the longest commutes in the nation. Despite living in New York City, one of the mass-transit capitals of the world, our district is particularly neglected when it comes to public transportation.

Michael on Social Security

We have an obligation to protect Social Security. I will fight to ensure that not only is it there to protect us, our parents and our grandparents, but that decades from now, it will still be there to protect our children and grandchildren.

Michael on Education

Education is the cornerstone upon which our future is built. There is no better investment we can make in our communities, our city, and our country, than investing in the education of our children today. When 15% of people in this district didn’t graduate high school, and only 35% have graduated college, we know that there is more work that must be done.

Michael on Healthcare

The lack of access to quality, affordable healthcare is among the most pressing problems our country, and Staten Island and Brooklyn in particular, face today. Our current system is broken, costing far too much money while leaving too many hard working families without adequate care. Nearly 50 million Americans, almost one out of five, are currently going without health insurance. This crisis is growing to catastrophic levels among the middle class: 70% of uninsured Americans come from families with one or more full-time workers, and 40% come from households making over $50,000 per year. Quite simply, this is a matter of life and death, and hardworking citizens deserve better.

Michael on College Education

A college education today is as vital as a high school education was fifty years ago, yet countless Americans are finding it harder to afford. Washington’s mismanagement of the economy has tightened the squeeze on America’s middle class, just as college tuition is skyrocketing. In the last five years alone, the cost of college has risen 40%. This year, the average cost of sending a child to a public college will be over $6,000, while the cost of private colleges is expected to reach $24,000, both up 6% from just last year. This is asking far too much when the average household makes less than $50,000 per year.