Ryan, Neuhaus in Highland Falls
Congressman Pat Ryan — now representing New York’s 19th District — visited Highland Falls on Monday afternoon.
The Kingston native will take over as the 18th Congressional District’s — which includes Highland Falls, Fort Montgomery, West Point, Cornwall and Cornwall-on-Hudson — congressman come January.
His first words upon hopping out of his vehicle?
“Something smells good,” he said, glancing toward the Chipotle just outside West Point’s Thayer Gate. “That wasn’t there when I was a cadet.”
The good smell aside, Ryan, USMA Class of 2004, was just outside West Point’s Thayer Gate for a very important reason. He wanted to talk about how important it is to him for Congress to pass the National Defense Authorization Act, which authorizes crucial funding for West Point.
Orange County Executive Steve Neuhaus joined him for the press conference.
“When it comes to serving our veterans and their families we have to rise above this partisan divide that we have in our country right now, and really come together as patriots to keep our country safe,” Ryan said.
“Having spent four years here as a cadet I know exactly how important the NDAA is for our cadets, their faculty and staff and for our national security.”
He went on to discuss a few highlights of the legislation that will be dealt with in the weeks ahead in Washington.
“For the last 62 years straight the NDAA has passed, on time and in a partisan way,” Ryan said. “This huge bill lays out the spending for every aspect of the Department of Defense — weapons programs, research and development and programs at our service academies. The good news is that the initial version has passed the house; the bad news it has to get through the Senate and then we have to come together and get it all approved, and sometimes that can get bogged down in the typical politics of Washington.”
He continued: “To make matters worse, some in Washington are actually calling for a break in precedent and delaying the passage of this bill. We absolutely have to pass it on time, and it has to include provisions that are important to the Hudson Valley.”
He said that for most around the country, the bill is a national matter.
“But for Orange County, this bill is as local as it can get,” he said, noting that West Point is the largest employer in Orange County.
The annual legislation — about $800 billion this year — includes money for continued construction of the new engineering center project at West Point, and barracks upgrades. On a broader scale, it would provide a 4.6% pay increase for active duty military, and increases for housing allowances.
Neuhaus said he stands in support of Ryan’s mission to get the NDAA passed, and in support of the US military, including West Point.
“It should be non-negotiable and non-political,” he said. “This has never been an issue for 62 years, why hold it hostage now?”
Ryan previously served as the Ulster County executive, which, he noted at the press conference, was how he got to know Neuhaus.
“We got through COVID together,” Neuhaus, a Navy reservist, said.
It’s fair to report that a little bit of Army-Navy back-and-forth did occur at the event.
Rivalry aside, “we stand unified as people who have worn the uniform,” Ryan said. Neuhaus agreed.
