Long Island will no longer be receiving $111 million in federal funding for projects throughout both Nassau and Suffolk Counties because of the belt-tightening budget recently passed by the U.S. Senate.
Long Island representatives like Tom Suozzi and Laura Gillen, who both voted against the spending resolution to keep the government running through September, are furious over what Gillen is calling a “bad deal for Nassau County.”
In her district alone — ranging from Elmont, Uniondale, Valley Stream and Long Beach, to Seaford, Massapequa, Levittown and everything in between — $30 million that would have funded vital projects in these areas is now gone.
Suozzi’s lost a little over $16 million, a portion of which was going to be dedicated to improving water facilities throughout his district.
“The Republican spending bill is a bad deal for Nassau County,” Gillen said in a statement.
She pointed to several key projects now in jeopardy, but perhaps the most crucial — $1 million allocated to remove the elevated levels of 1,4 Dioxane in Hempstead’s drinking water.
Officials in Hempstead, the largest township in the U.S., revealed in 2022 they found elevated levels of the chemical in the community’s drinking water after conducting a water quality report.
Though the report acknowledged that the levels detected were above the state’s maximum contaminant level, the next sentence claimed the water is still safe for consumption and “does not pose a significant health risk.”
However, this toxic chemical is classified as a “likely human carcinogen” by The Environmental Protection Agency and is believed to increase the risk of cancer and other major issues with several organs.
The tricky part about 1,4-Dioxane is the chemical’s molecules are smaller than water molecules, which makes it impossible to filter out at home, according to Lawrence Smith, a research analyst with Health Water Consultants.
The levels detected in the community are so high they caught the attention of researchers at Yale University who have been using Hempstead residents to study the long term effects of 1,4 Dioxane on humans since 2023.
Not to mention, a study by the National Institute of Health revealed that plastic water bottles are no safer than contaminated taps as they expose drinkers to hundreds of thousands of microplastics — leaving many in America’s largest township wondering when clean water will be easily accessible.
“Hempstead has been working with Long Island’s leading engineering professionals in the water treatment industry to construct the necessary treatment systems to remove this compound from our water,” the town said in their 2022 report.
Without the expected federal funds, it’s unclear how the timeline for removing the chemical will be impacted.
“It’s unfortunate,” Suozzi said about the cuts.
“Our local police, clean water agencies and municipalities were counting on this help,” Suozzi told Newsday, adding that it feels like a “rug-pull.”
Other affected projects include upgrades to public infrastructure, such as the $2.75 million sand filter tank replacement for the City of Long Beach and the Franklin Square Public Library Roof and HVAC Replacement, as well as a $750,000 investment to upgrade Freeport’s police technology and more.
“It cuts nearly $30 million in direct support to my district, including funding for law enforcement, flood management and fixing our roads,” Gillen said, continuing that the bill also “hurts” veterans’ health programs.
“The American people expect us to negotiate and work towards bipartisan budgets. This partisan spending bill isn’t that. I’ll always put my constituents first and I’ll continue to fight for Nassau County in Congress,” Gillen continued.
Former Congressman Anthony D’Esposito, who lost his seat to Gillen in November, argues that these community investments Gillen claims were “cut” were actually supported by Republicans, including himself, and blames her and the Democrats for “refusing to be a genuine part of the negotiations.”
“The community projects Gillen claims were ‘cut’ because of the spending compromise were actually supported by congressional Republicans, including myself,” D’Esposito told The Post.
D’Esposito accuses Gillen of attempting to mislead people by mixing up Congressional-approved funding with the separate government spending deal.
“Chuck Schumer refused to advance the necessary appropriations legislation in the Senate to allocate the community project funding to the 4th District – funding requests I applied for while in Congress,” he continued.
With the federal government locked in a bitter funding battle, the fate of these projects remains uncertain. As the debate continues, local officials and residents alike now wait to see if funding solutions will be secured — or if Nassau County will be forced to go without.
Featured Image: Photo by Igor Omilaev on Unsplash
Edited by: Nancy Martin
