Focus on the Feds is Gotham Gazette's guide to the federal policies - and policymakers - that shape life in New York City.
Republican Principles, New York Priorities
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New Yorkers will continue to benefit from Republican government, believes Congressman Vito Fossella. But he also thinks that many issues facing the city transcend partisanship.
Full Story
by Vito Fossella
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The
Challengers
Voting
Arcade
Embark on a tour of New York's broken
down voting system with a nostalgic journey thorough Gotham Gazette's
versions of ancient video games.
Play
Game
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A Victory for Clean Drinking Water
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U.S. Representative Ed Towns of Brooklyn reports on congressional efforts to protect the environment of eight upstate counties - and make sure New York's tap water continues to be the champagne of drinking waters.
Full Story
by Ed Towns (District 10)
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Pollution's Toll
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Dirty air threatens the health - and even the lives - of many New York children. Congressman Jose E. Serrano describes what government can do to clean the air and improve health care. But, he says, Washington seems to lack the will to take action.
Full Story
by José E. Serrano (District 16)
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Who's Looking Out for New York's Middle Class?
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Bronx Congressman Eliot Engel argues that the Bush administration has put tax cuts for corporations and millionaires ahead of tax reform that would help thousands of middle-class New Yorkers.
Full Story
by Eliot Engel (District 17)
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For the first time in history, the Republican National Convention was held in New York Full Coverage in Focus on the Feds' NYC Convention 2004.
Find Your Inner Republican
In our latest interactive feature, see where NYC Republicans past and present have stood on ten issues ranging from abortion to education, and where you fit in.
Play Game
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More Rules, Less Money for Low-Income Housing
Where's Our $21 Billion?
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While President George Bush pledged $21.4 billion to New York City in post 9/11 aid, it is unclear how much has actually arrived. Representative Carolyn Maloney, who has been tracking federal rebuilding aid, writes about the differences between what has been said and what has been done.
Full Story
by Carolyn Maloney (District 14)
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Funding Homeland Security
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Representative Joseph Crowley comments on federal funding earmarked for Homeland Security in New York City -- how much was promised and how it was allocated, how much is needed, and how, he claims, it should be used.
Full Story
by Joseph Crowley (District 7)
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Keeping the Ferry Service Afloat
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Representative Anthony Weiner argues that water ferries —
like buses and subways — need government money to be successful. And investing in water transportation, he argues, will ease traffic congestion and overcrowded trains.
Full Story
by Anthony Weiner (District 9)
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THINKING BIG ABOUT TRANSPORTATION
U.S. Senator Charles Schumer argues that a downtown train to the airport and
the extension of the number 7 train on the west side must not get lost amid
all of the debate over memorials and stadiums.
Full Story
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The
GOP in NYC
When the Republican National Convention comes to New York this summer,
political consultant Joseph
Mercurio says that local
Republicans will have little in common with their national counterparts.
However, State Senator Frank Padavan argues that
Republican approaches to education, taxes, and crime can resonate with New
Yorkers. |
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HELPING
9/11 RESCUE WORKERS
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Many Ground Zero rescue workers and residents of lower
Manhattan continue to suffer from health problems related to 9/11. US Representative Carolyn
Maloney describes her plan to aid those in need and continue to examine what the health effects
have been. Full Story
by Carolyn Maloney (District 14)
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Help Small Business, Not the Wealthy
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New York has lost 230,000 jobs since President Bush came to office, but he persists with his
failed economic plan, charges Representative Nydia M. Velázquez , who writes that Bush should stop the tax cuts and help the small
businesses that form the backbone of the economy.
Full Story
by Nydia M. Velázquez (District 12)
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Urban Issues: Presidential Candidates in NYC
An issue-by-issue breakdown of the presidential candidates urban agendas: what
they have to say about the economy, crime, mass transit, housing, and poverty.
• Full
Story
• Message
Board
The Urban Agenda
The presidential campaigns are in full swing, but the issues facing cities are largely absent from the debate. Is there an urban agenda in national politics? What can and should the federal government do for New York? • full story • message board
President George W. Bush's Address to Mayors
(Jan 2004, whitehouse.gov) - "It's not easy being a mayor. Probably a lot harder than being a President," George W. Bush told the U.S. Conference of Mayors. "After all, I don't have to fill potholes. Or empty the trash."
2004 Federal Campaigns
Covering the federal campaigns New Yorkers vote in: U.S. President, U.S. Senate, and the thirteen U.S. Congress seats that represent the city.
The following links are to articles originally published on GothamGazette.com, and address the impact of federal policy topic-by-topic.
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