Congressman Mike McMahon

Interview with Arkadiy Fridman and Lori R. Weintrob

April, 2010

Weintrob: Did it impact you to have a mother who was herself an immigrant to America?

McMahon: Yes. For me, the Ellis Island immigration stories were not only in history books. My mother’s family was German but had lived in Riga, Latvia. After World War I, my mother grew up in Bavaria and was there during World War II. My father met her during the Post-War military occupation of Germany. She left soon afterwards with barely more than a suitcase, and travelled via Italy to Canada where she continued to wait for papers to enter the United States. This was not easy for a German, against whom there were prejudices and fears. I’m very sensitive to the impact of discrimination on immigrants. I’m proud to be serving one of the most rapidly diversifying districts in the nation.

Weintrob: Who were your role models growing up? Why did you decide to run for elected office?

McMahon: I admired my mother’s work ethnic and my father’s deep faith. I grew up in Stapleton in a middle-class, diverse neighborhood, with 6 brothers and sisters. Everyday my father took the ferry to work in Manhattan in the insurance industry.

They have lived over 50 years in the same house.

I also admired John and Bobby Kennedy. Their assassinations affected me. In my room, I hung a poster of John F. Kennedy that read: “Ask not what your country can do for you but what you can do for your country.” I felt the call to public service and served on campaign staffs in high school and college. After law school, while working at a private firm, I served part-time with Assemblyman Eric Vitaliano, Assemblywoman Elizabeth Connelly and Councilman Jay O’Donovan. When O’Donovan’s seat opened up, I decided to run.

Arkadiy: When I look at the current economic agenda, as a former resident of the Soviet Union, I fear that we are heading towards Socialism. What do you think of the administration’s priorities?

McMahon: The current administration is doing a good job on foreign policy and national security. The partnership of the military and the government is creating progress in Iraq and Afghanistan. To those who think we are moving to socialism, I can say nothing is further from the truth. We inherited an emergency, after 10 years of bad policy. Most of the loans we offered have been paid back, AIG are 1/6^th paid back. It is not on our agenda to take over either the car, insurance or banking industry. Although I voted against health care, I am aware that 55% of the health care industry is already government-run with Veteran’s benefits, Medicare, Medicaid and Federal Employee benefits.

Both FDR and Lyndon Johnson were accused of being socialists, for creating social security and Medicaid, yet we value these programs. We need to continue and improve the partnership of public and private sectors. We can’t allow the president’s detractors and extreme rhetoric to prevent us getting things done in Washington. A new mood is emerging that is more centrist.

Arkadiy: Should there be a law that prevents the government from spending so much money?

McMahon: We have to worry about the debt and deficit. We have accumulated ten years of spending on war, Medicare part D and tax cuts. But we should not block emergency spending which we might need to respond in time of natural disasters or war. The stimulus was one time spending. It made the recession less painful than it would have been.

We have returned to “Pay-as-you-go” which the Republicans took away in 2001. We reinstated those rules. In California they can’t raise taxes without 2/3 vote approval. It doesn’t work. People want police, potholes, help with housing, fire department, and if they lose their job, some safety net. But government has to do it efficiently. When I was on the New York City Council, we made hard decisions.

Arkadiy: Government health care may be fine for those with disability or on Medicaid but what about those that choose cable TV or big cars over health insurance? From Russia what we admired about America was personal responsibility.

McMahon: I agree. And there are some basic problems: patients don’t know costs. Is it more expensive to do an MRI here or there? There’s not enough consumer choice. That would be more capitalism. One way to bring down costs is to incentivize personal decisions. People should be more involved in having choices, even if it’s limiting those steak dinners that could cause high cholesterol.

Arkadiy: I was in the army 17 years. What we need is either to go fast and strong or to get out, then follow with a new Marshall Plan.

McMahon: The problem with just getting out of Iraq is that it would create a platform for Al-Qaeda. Our NATO forces are moving strong with a surge. And in Afghanistan, we secured Marja and are chasing the poppy trade. You’re right if we had implemented a Marshall Plan after the Soviets left Afghanistan, we’d be in a different place today. Now we need a new plan there but also in Yemen and Somalia. We need to be vigilant and control fundamentalism.

We need to build on our relations with Turkey, Azerbaijan, Pakistan and Israel. We need to model for the world how we get along Christians, Jews, Muslims and Hindus. I am a firm supporter of Israel.

Arkadiy: Where do you stand on immigration? In Russia, I waited six and a half years for entry into the United States. Should we secure our borders?

McMahon: We must maintain strong and secure borders, especially to keep out terrorists. The immigration problem will only be solved through strong and compassionate immigration laws. Illegal immigration strains our health care system and raises cost. And we want to offer stability. I want to initiate discussion with an immigration task force. As a city councilman and now as a congressman, I’ve tried to build bridges—between rich and poor, black and white, those of different religions. The bridge in my district is a metaphor.

Weintrob: What are some of the ways you were able to build these bridges?

McMahon: I worked with the Liberian civic association to create a food bank. Our Liberian community is the largest outside Monrovia and as soon as I got to Washington, I worked to extend the Temporary Protection status. Also I worked with the not-for-profit Global Medical Relief Fund which helps children who lose limbs, most recently to benefit children from Haiti who, after operations in Philadelphia, will be recuperating in Staten Island. I’ve supported the rapidly growing Russian- and Chinese-American communities in Brooklyn and Staten Island. Staten Island’s Jewish communities are increasing rapidly and I’ve been involved with the Jewish Community Center.

Weintrob: How is it different serving in the House of Representatives from the City Council?

McMahon: In both cases, I was representing constituents in a legislative body and sticking to the values of my district. What’s different is that in the city council I could get into every issue but on the national level I need to make choices. For example, knowing how important transportation and infrastructure is to my district, I have brought in funding to create jobs and improvements in daily life: $100 million to add a lane to the Staten Island Expressway, $175 million on the Ferry, and $250 million in subway improvements on the Brooklyn side. I believe in the golden rule that “all politics is local.”

Weintrob: What are the top two issues that your constituents call you about?

McMahon: The number one issue now is health care, then the economy.

Weintrob: What’s your vision of Staten Island over the next five years? What would you like to see change?

McMahon: I’d like to see an improved quality of life—from investments in roads, bridges, mass transit and schools and a greater appreciation of the diversity that gives us strength. We should appreciate each other whether our roots are in Europe, Asia, South America or Africa. We can stay proud of our homelands and make our home stronger, so our children have a better life. That is my definition of the American dream: not buying a home but confidence in an improved life for our children.

Weintrob: What advice do you have for new Americans and other Staten Islanders?

McMahon: Do onto others as you would have others do onto you. Remember we’re all in it together.

Weintrob: What were the three things you did in your first year in Congress that you are most proud of?

McMahon: I’m proud of the first bill I introduced—the Veteran’s Mental Health Screening and Assessment Act, which is a bipartisan piece of legislation that seeks to reduce the growing number of veteran suicides by requiring returning service members to participate in mandatory and confidential one-to-one screenings with licensed mental health professionals.

I’m proud of all the solutions I’ve been able to provide to our local transportation issues. I worked with New York State Department of Transportation Acting Commissioner Stan Gee to alleviate the congestion on the Staten Island Expressway. I secured hundreds of millions of dollars to rehabilitate the ferry terminal, projects which will create thousands of jobs and expanding our park-and-rides so more residents can commute to work, thus saving them money and decreasing the amount of congestion on our roads and pollution in the air.

Lastly, I’m proud to have been named most centrist member in the House of Representatives. I have always tried to stay true to the concerns and traditions of the people in my district and I believe that my demonstrated commitment to our district has made me a more effective legislator, who works with Democrats and Republicans alike.

Weintrob: What’s your favorite place to spend time on Staten Island?

McMahon: I look forward to being with my family at home. I am in Washington DC 4-5 days a week, which was a difficult transition at first. My son Joseph is at the University of Notre Dame, but my daughter Julia is still at home. She is now a senior at Poly Prep in Brooklyn and will be going to Dartmouth in the fall to run track. I treasure spending as much time with my children and wife Judy as possible.

I also look forward to spending time with people from my district, which is not in any one place but a metaphysical place. And of course I enjoy the many ethnic restaurants that make this district unique.

Weintrob: Why do you think you were so popular among voters in the last election?

McMahon: I think people realized that I was an honest person trying to do the best for his hometown. Hopefully they’ll remember that again when they go to the polls this November.

McMahon Family – The Congressman, holding his dog Scout, with his wife Judy, son Joseph and daughter Julia.

Congressman McMahon with former NY Knick Charles Smith at Cablevision’s Read to Achieve event at the Gravesend library.

Congressman McMahon, one of the Grand Marshals of 2009’s German-American Steuben Day Parade, along with the other Grand Marshals.

 

 

 

Congressman McMahon hosts H.E. George Yeo, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Singapore at the Tibetan Museum on Staten Island. Pictured: Megan Ventrudo, Director of the Tibetan Museum; H.E. Vanu Gopla Menon, Permanent Representative and Ambassador of Singapore to the UN; Assemblywoman Janele Hyer-Spencer; The Honorable Judge Judy McMahon; Congressman Michael E. McMahon; H.E. George Yeo; H.E Chan Heng Chee, Ambassador of Singapore to the US; Ms. Edwina Yeo, daughter of H.E. George Yeo; Mr. Charles Destefano, Member of the Board of Directors for the Tibetan Museum.

 

 

 

Congressman McMahon, one of the Grand Marshals of 2009’s German-American Steuben Day Parade, along with the other Grand Marshals.