Ritchie Torres
Appearances
The Chuck ToddCast
Trump Is "POISONING The Well" In Congress + Devastating Medicaid Cuts w/Ritchie Torres
So I represent one of the few congressional districts that's wholly contained within one county. I represent about half the Bronx. So my district is home to the New York Yankees. And it's really known for its institutions. We have the New York Botanical Garden. We have the Bronx Zoo. At Fordham University, the largest employer in the Bronx is the Montefiore Health System. Mm-hmm.
The Chuck ToddCast
Trump Is "POISONING The Well" In Congress + Devastating Medicaid Cuts w/Ritchie Torres
and it's just an ethnically and racially buried district, Dominican and Latino and Puerto Rican and Mexican population in the South Bronx, an African American and Caribbean population in the Northeast Bronx, a Jewish population in Riverdale, Irish population in Woodlawn, so I have Little Italy, Little Ireland, Little Yemen.
The Chuck ToddCast
Trump Is "POISONING The Well" In Congress + Devastating Medicaid Cuts w/Ritchie Torres
It is remarkable for its diversity, and I have a special reverence for Arthur Abbey, Little Italy, There may be no community in New York City that has a greater concentration of businesses that have been owned by the same family for more than 100 years. So it's one of the most, I would argue it's the best congressional district in America. But of course, I have a bias.
The Chuck ToddCast
Trump Is "POISONING The Well" In Congress + Devastating Medicaid Cuts w/Ritchie Torres
Yeah, so I'm exclusively in the Bronx, whereas AOC represents both the Bronx and Queens. I split the South Bronx with AOC. I split the West Bronx with Adriano Espaillat, and I split the Northeast Bronx with George Latimer. And AOC primarily represents... the East Bronx, which happens, my mother happens to live in her district. Oh, well, there you go. It's just, she can't vote for you?
The Chuck ToddCast
Trump Is "POISONING The Well" In Congress + Devastating Medicaid Cuts w/Ritchie Torres
Mom can't vote for you? She cannot vote for me now.
The Chuck ToddCast
Trump Is "POISONING The Well" In Congress + Devastating Medicaid Cuts w/Ritchie Torres
Yes, so I might have had more staff as a New York City Council member than I did as a member of Congress. Unlike most local legislators who operate with volunteer staff, with part-time staffers, New York City has a full-time professional legislature. It's about 51 members, one of whom is the Speaker, and each member of the City Council represents about 160,000 to 170,000 people.
The Chuck ToddCast
Trump Is "POISONING The Well" In Congress + Devastating Medicaid Cuts w/Ritchie Torres
and have enormous power over land use development within their districts. I was in charge of investigations. I had not only my own personal staff, but the Investigations and Oversight Division of the City Council reported to my committee. So it was great preparation for my role in Congress because I feel like as a former city council member,
The Chuck ToddCast
Trump Is "POISONING The Well" In Congress + Devastating Medicaid Cuts w/Ritchie Torres
I have an on-the-ground knowledge of how federal policies and programs operate at the local level because so much of what we did locally was essentially the administration of federal programs and priorities.
The Chuck ToddCast
Trump Is "POISONING The Well" In Congress + Devastating Medicaid Cuts w/Ritchie Torres
To be honest with you, I can, I mean, the House has trouble functioning with 435 members, not to mention the representatives of territories, the thought of doubling the size of the House. I mean, there is a point at which just operationally it becomes overwhelming. So I would maintain the status quo. The greatest concern I have about the House is just running every two years.
The Chuck ToddCast
Trump Is "POISONING The Well" In Congress + Devastating Medicaid Cuts w/Ritchie Torres
At the moment, you've won your election, you're beginning a new election cycle, and I feel like there are members of Congress who just spend too much time fundraising, too much time campaigning. It has a crowding out effect on governing.
The Chuck ToddCast
Trump Is "POISONING The Well" In Congress + Devastating Medicaid Cuts w/Ritchie Torres
We have two-year terms, the president has four-year terms, senators have six-year terms, the Supreme Court has a lifetime appointment, so the House got the short end of the stick.
The Chuck ToddCast
Trump Is "POISONING The Well" In Congress + Devastating Medicaid Cuts w/Ritchie Torres
It's a good it's a fair point. I would if I have to choose between a world in which both the Senate and the House have four year terms or the status quo, I probably would prefer both to have four year terms. Interesting.
The Chuck ToddCast
Trump Is "POISONING The Well" In Congress + Devastating Medicaid Cuts w/Ritchie Torres
to your term limited. So you're confined to two terms. Got it. Actually, when I entered the New York City Council, I was in favor of term limits because I felt to create space for a new generation of leadership. But since then, I've become a skeptic because the mass exodus... of members from the city council has led to a real brain drain.
The Chuck ToddCast
Trump Is "POISONING The Well" In Congress + Devastating Medicaid Cuts w/Ritchie Torres
And, and it, you know, it has the effect of shifting power from elected officials to the unelected staff, the permanent, the so-called deep state of the city council.
The Chuck ToddCast
Trump Is "POISONING The Well" In Congress + Devastating Medicaid Cuts w/Ritchie Torres
And it's even more so at the federal level. The issues that I tackle as a member of Congress are so immensely complicated that you cannot learn them overnight. You can only learn them over time by osmosis. And so there is something to be said for institutional memory. I feel it creates a much more democratic government.
The Chuck ToddCast
Trump Is "POISONING The Well" In Congress + Devastating Medicaid Cuts w/Ritchie Torres
I feel the appearance of D.C. is much more partisan than the reality, particularly, so I want to take issue with something you said with Biden. I actually felt, you know, for all the partisanship, particularly in the wake of January 6th, that he had a bipartisan and productively bipartisan presidency. You know, veteran healthcare, gun safety, the CHIPS Act, infrastructure, all of which were passed
The Chuck ToddCast
Trump Is "POISONING The Well" In Congress + Devastating Medicaid Cuts w/Ritchie Torres
on a bipartisan basis. And those are significant pieces of legislation.
The Chuck ToddCast
Trump Is "POISONING The Well" In Congress + Devastating Medicaid Cuts w/Ritchie Torres
The Inflation Reduction Act was party line, but CHIPS Act was bipartisan. Gun safety was bipartisan. Veteran health care was bipartisan. Infrastructure was bipartisan. And those are four significant pieces of legislation. And Trump 1.0, was somewhat bipartisan, right? You had the trade bill, you had criminal justice reform, which was actually directly negotiated with Leader Jeffries.
The Chuck ToddCast
Trump Is "POISONING The Well" In Congress + Devastating Medicaid Cuts w/Ritchie Torres
Trump 2.0 is quite different. I mean, he's just much more vindictive and aggressive and emboldened than ever before. And he is poisoning the well and has made it increasingly impossible for Democrats to have anything resembling a working relationship with him. So I felt like there were prospects for bipartisanship with Trump 1.0, but he's a radically different person.
The Chuck ToddCast
Trump Is "POISONING The Well" In Congress + Devastating Medicaid Cuts w/Ritchie Torres
I've had no communication with Trump. I mean, I have relationships with congressional Republicans.
The Chuck ToddCast
Trump Is "POISONING The Well" In Congress + Devastating Medicaid Cuts w/Ritchie Torres
It just seems to me he has contempt for Congress. He expects the Republicans to fall in line, and they largely do. And he's in vindictive mode. I mean, he's just intent on dismaling, you know, the bureaucracy of the government and higher education. Like everyone, including Democrats, seem to be on his Nixonian enemies list. So I see no appetite for bipartisanship in either direction.
The Chuck ToddCast
Trump Is "POISONING The Well" In Congress + Devastating Medicaid Cuts w/Ritchie Torres
It bolts poorly for the country. And look, I think a few weeks ago, I wrote something to the effect, if a superpower were planting the seeds of its own decline, it would paralyze the global economy with the certainty of uncertainty. It would erode confidence in the reserve status of the dollar. It would discard due process. It would defund scientific and medical research.
The Chuck ToddCast
Trump Is "POISONING The Well" In Congress + Devastating Medicaid Cuts w/Ritchie Torres
It would sabotage advanced chip making, and it would grow the deficit until debt service becomes the largest expense in the federal budget. And that is America in 2025 under Donald Trump. I feel like we're in a dangerous place.
The Chuck ToddCast
Trump Is "POISONING The Well" In Congress + Devastating Medicaid Cuts w/Ritchie Torres
Well, first we have to, I mean, I have to resist, you know, so take Medicaid. There's no congressional district in America that has a greater stake in Medicaid than mine. 67% of my congressional district is enrolled in Medicaid. In my district, more than 70% of children, more than 80% of nursing home residents, more than 90% of baby deliveries are covered by Medicaid.
The Chuck ToddCast
Trump Is "POISONING The Well" In Congress + Devastating Medicaid Cuts w/Ritchie Torres
And so I have to spend much of my political capital fighting this unprecedented assault on the social safety net upon which the Bronx is heavily, heavily dependent. The largest employer in the Bronx is the Montefiore Health System, which employs tens of thousands of people and depends heavily on Medicaid.
The Chuck ToddCast
Trump Is "POISONING The Well" In Congress + Devastating Medicaid Cuts w/Ritchie Torres
And Medicaid matters not only to districts like mine, but to blue states and red states, urban communities.
The Chuck ToddCast
Trump Is "POISONING The Well" In Congress + Devastating Medicaid Cuts w/Ritchie Torres
And it's, you know, Medicaid is not only health insurance for the lowest income. It has become long term care for the elderly and the disabled.
The Chuck ToddCast
Trump Is "POISONING The Well" In Congress + Devastating Medicaid Cuts w/Ritchie Torres
I feel Medicaid is every bit as vital to senior citizens as Medicare. Like in New York State, the elderly and the disabled account for 20% of the enrollees, but make up 60% of the expenses. And so an attack on Medicaid is ultimately an attack on the elderly and the disabled. And that's the case we're making.
The Chuck ToddCast
Trump Is "POISONING The Well" In Congress + Devastating Medicaid Cuts w/Ritchie Torres
It's not clear. And the only issue is not the legislation. So, you know, under Donald Trump, you know, 13.7 million people are in danger of losing their health care. So the Republican reconciliation bill could cause 8.6 million to lose their healthcare. But then you have the expiration of the Affordable Care Act's premium tax credits, which might cause 4.2 million people to lose their healthcare.
The Chuck ToddCast
Trump Is "POISONING The Well" In Congress + Devastating Medicaid Cuts w/Ritchie Torres
And then there's a Trump regulation that could cause 1.8 million. So those numbers are staggering. That's comparable to the number of people who would have lost their healthcare during the initial attempt to repeal the Affordable Care Act. So I do feel the impact will be felt.
The Chuck ToddCast
Trump Is "POISONING The Well" In Congress + Devastating Medicaid Cuts w/Ritchie Torres
Republicans are gonna message that their targets are not the elderly and the vulnerable, it's undocumented immigrants, or it's work requirements, but it's deceptive. You're reducing money for the overall system, which will not only kill people's lives, but also livelihoods. And the work requirements are essentially paperwork requirements.
The Chuck ToddCast
Trump Is "POISONING The Well" In Congress + Devastating Medicaid Cuts w/Ritchie Torres
There's no evidence that work requirements lead to actual work. It simply causes people to lose their health insurance. Arkansas was the first state to implement a work requirements program. It did not boost employment. It simply led 18,000 people to lose their health insurance in the first five months of the program. And the majority of those people were eligible for Medicaid.
The Chuck ToddCast
Trump Is "POISONING The Well" In Congress + Devastating Medicaid Cuts w/Ritchie Torres
I mean, I don't. I don't know how you could. That's what I'm trying to figure out.
The Chuck ToddCast
Trump Is "POISONING The Well" In Congress + Devastating Medicaid Cuts w/Ritchie Torres
Look, if you are... A $715 billion... defunding of Medicaid is going to reduce funding for every safety net hospital, for every hospital in America, which means less care for everyone, not simply for the population you're targeting. You're reducing funding for the overall system. And I also feel like we should be a compassionate society.
The Chuck ToddCast
Trump Is "POISONING The Well" In Congress + Devastating Medicaid Cuts w/Ritchie Torres
If you're an undocumented immigrant and you have a heart attack, are the Republicans suggesting that you should not get emergency care? And that care should not be covered by the federal government. Is that the kind of society that we want to live in, that we want people to be left to die because of their immigration status or because of their income?
The Chuck ToddCast
Trump Is "POISONING The Well" In Congress + Devastating Medicaid Cuts w/Ritchie Torres
Like the consequences of what they're proposing are barbaric.
The Chuck ToddCast
Trump Is "POISONING The Well" In Congress + Devastating Medicaid Cuts w/Ritchie Torres
I do not buy that you can surgically target undocumented immigrants without destabilizing the overall system. I mean, even today, we are underinvesting in long-term care. There are 800,000 people on the waiting list for Medicaid-funded long-term care. And we're an aging society, so more and more people are going to be living longer and longer. Their health care needs will become more complex.
The Chuck ToddCast
Trump Is "POISONING The Well" In Congress + Devastating Medicaid Cuts w/Ritchie Torres
The need for long-term care will rise over time. And most of the hospitals in places like New York are either teetering on the brink or underwater.
The Chuck ToddCast
Trump Is "POISONING The Well" In Congress + Devastating Medicaid Cuts w/Ritchie Torres
I mean, Medicare is what we have. It's inherently expensive. I mean, nursing homes are expensive. Assisted living is expensive. I think we should be advocating for home care, allowing people to age at home and age in place. But there's no escaping the problem in America is not that we're investing too much in long-term care. The problem is that we're investing too little.
The Chuck ToddCast
Trump Is "POISONING The Well" In Congress + Devastating Medicaid Cuts w/Ritchie Torres
You know, innovations like telehealth can make a difference. So, you know, I have a constituent who is caring for her father who has Alzheimer's and she would have to wake up five hours before his appointment in order to pick him up from his bed and bathe him and feed him and clothe him and then bring him down the stairs. Like the process of bringing him to the hospital was arduous.
The Chuck ToddCast
Trump Is "POISONING The Well" In Congress + Devastating Medicaid Cuts w/Ritchie Torres
And then telehealth is a game changer, right? It allowed him to receive information Medical care from the comfort of his own home. So there are innovations that can dramatically lower the cost of health care and make it more personalized.
The Chuck ToddCast
Trump Is "POISONING The Well" In Congress + Devastating Medicaid Cuts w/Ritchie Torres
So I'm not a Jacksonian like Donald Trump, but nor am I a Wilsonian. I am skeptical about the use of American power to spread democracy throughout the world. I thought both the counterinsurgency in Afghanistan and the decision to invade Iraq was a grave miscalculation. It was a grave, colossal waste of American resources and lives.
The Chuck ToddCast
Trump Is "POISONING The Well" In Congress + Devastating Medicaid Cuts w/Ritchie Torres
I saw one study indicating that the cost of every post 9-11 war is $8 trillion when you factor in the cost of disability benefits and veteran health care. And that's $8 trillion not spent on meeting the domestic needs of the American people. So there is a sense in which his critique.
The Chuck ToddCast
Trump Is "POISONING The Well" In Congress + Devastating Medicaid Cuts w/Ritchie Torres
there's a sense in which his critique of neoconservatism resonates widely, including with me and my generation, which came of age during the Iraq War and during the Afghanistan War, is suspicious of the establishment and is suspicious of the overzealous use of American power. But I'm more of a Hamiltonian. I do feel like we have to
The Chuck ToddCast
Trump Is "POISONING The Well" In Congress + Devastating Medicaid Cuts w/Ritchie Torres
builds relationships with countries based on shared economic interests, but also values do matter. But, you know, someone once made an observation. Someone said to me, you know, China goes to the global south and gives us infrastructure, and America goes to the global south and gives us a lecture. And a hundred percent, there's something to that.
The Chuck ToddCast
Trump Is "POISONING The Well" In Congress + Devastating Medicaid Cuts w/Ritchie Torres
I think we, you know, people want to have a relationship with the United States. They want us as a security partner. They want us as a trading partner. And we should have a Hamiltonian focus on winning their goodwill rather than lecturing people about their, about their government. All right. Well, we established that.
The Chuck ToddCast
Trump Is "POISONING The Well" In Congress + Devastating Medicaid Cuts w/Ritchie Torres
I feel like there are two models in the Middle East, right? There's the Emirati and now Saudi model of pursuing modernization and moderation. You know, we wanna put a premium on prosperity. We wanna actually, frankly, be more like the West. And then there's the Iranian and Qatari model of sponsoring terrorism and destabilizing the region
The Chuck ToddCast
Trump Is "POISONING The Well" In Congress + Devastating Medicaid Cuts w/Ritchie Torres
But unlike Iran, the United States does not treat Qatar like the pariah it should. I feel like Qatar has been a destructive force in the world. It is a state sponsor of Hamas, which committed the deadliest day, you know, October 7th, the deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust.
The Chuck ToddCast
Trump Is "POISONING The Well" In Congress + Devastating Medicaid Cuts w/Ritchie Torres
So I feel like there should be a reexamination of our relationship with Qatar and the ties that the Trump administration has to Qatar or Kharos Balan.
The Chuck ToddCast
Trump Is "POISONING The Well" In Congress + Devastating Medicaid Cuts w/Ritchie Torres
If Joe Biden were promoting his personal meme coin or selling access to the White House to the 220 highest bidders or receiving $2 billion in foreign deposits in exchange for his personal stable coin, or accepting a $400 million palace in the sky, the Republicans would be pursuing his impeachment.
The Chuck ToddCast
Trump Is "POISONING The Well" In Congress + Devastating Medicaid Cuts w/Ritchie Torres
There would be grounds for doing so. Yeah. It is, you know, this is... Or even if Joe Biden were imposing a global tariff regime. Yes.
The Chuck ToddCast
Trump Is "POISONING The Well" In Congress + Devastating Medicaid Cuts w/Ritchie Torres
The organizing principle of our politics is no longer policy, it's personality. Like Donald Trump has completely reversed politics the ideological dynamics of the two parties. He has made Republicans the party of protectionism and price controls. I've heard Democrats quoting Ronald Reagan and Milton Friedman while critiquing Donald Trump's terror policy. The world has been inverted.
The Chuck ToddCast
Trump Is "POISONING The Well" In Congress + Devastating Medicaid Cuts w/Ritchie Torres
I think if Biden had done it, there would have been look, if Biden had given the speech that Trump gave in Saudi Arabia. that there would have been the same outrage against Biden that we saw against Obama when he delivered his speech in the Middle East.
The Chuck ToddCast
Trump Is "POISONING The Well" In Congress + Devastating Medicaid Cuts w/Ritchie Torres
You know, for all our imperfections, you know, the Democratic Party continues to be a normal political party. Like we are a wide, we're an ideologically varied coalition ranging from the squad to the blue dogs. The Republican Party is no longer a normal political party. It's become a cult of personality around Donald Trump. I mean, he is a singular phenomenon.
The Chuck ToddCast
Trump Is "POISONING The Well" In Congress + Devastating Medicaid Cuts w/Ritchie Torres
In American history, I'm aware of no political figure who has had as much control over a political party as Donald Trump has had over the Republican Party. I mean, it's a religion.
The Chuck ToddCast
Trump Is "POISONING The Well" In Congress + Devastating Medicaid Cuts w/Ritchie Torres
It just feels like Republican politics has become a religion and the devotion to Donald Trump has a religious quality to it.
The Chuck ToddCast
Trump Is "POISONING The Well" In Congress + Devastating Medicaid Cuts w/Ritchie Torres
I mean, I think there's no point in denying that we made a great mistake in thinking that Biden was remotely capable of running again. So that was a mistake that we made as a party and we should own up to it. I feel like we should level with people.
The Chuck ToddCast
Trump Is "POISONING The Well" In Congress + Devastating Medicaid Cuts w/Ritchie Torres
I think it's principally Joe Biden and his team. And keep in mind, you know, one thing I noticed about Donald Trump is that he's extremely accessible to even the most rank and file Republicans in the House. Joe Biden was the exact opposite. He rarely met with members of Congress, particularly in the House. Maybe his first year he had meetings, but he was insulated by his staff.
The Chuck ToddCast
Trump Is "POISONING The Well" In Congress + Devastating Medicaid Cuts w/Ritchie Torres
Did you? How many times did you have? I met with him. I was part of a small group of people who met with him early on in his first year, but then he became less and less accessible over time.
The Chuck ToddCast
Trump Is "POISONING The Well" In Congress + Devastating Medicaid Cuts w/Ritchie Torres
I feel like the party collectively should admit that we made a mistake. And we're paying a price in the form of a second Donald Trump presidency, which is far worse than even his first. And keep in mind, and look, I ultimately felt we lost because of inflation and to a lesser extent immigration, the migrant crisis. But keep in mind the shift of 250,000 votes in the industrial Midwest, right?
The Chuck ToddCast
Trump Is "POISONING The Well" In Congress + Devastating Medicaid Cuts w/Ritchie Torres
could have handed the election to Kamala Harris. So maybe if we had an open primary, maybe if we had a stronger candidate, maybe if Joe Biden has stepped down earlier, the results of the 2024 election could have been different. And for those reasons, we should acknowledge that we made a terrible mistake in not freshering Biden to seek a second term.
The Chuck ToddCast
Trump Is "POISONING The Well" In Congress + Devastating Medicaid Cuts w/Ritchie Torres
Look, I do feel we're well positioned to win in 2026, but it has more to do with Donald Trump's weakness than it does with our strength. I mean, he's self-destructing in real time. But I feel like we should, you know, if there are, I do sense, to be blunt, among rank and file Democrats, widespread dissatisfaction. And we should take that to heart. And we should do our best to improve.
The Chuck ToddCast
Trump Is "POISONING The Well" In Congress + Devastating Medicaid Cuts w/Ritchie Torres
And I sense when I'm meeting with constituents, there's a real hunger for more information. People want to know what is happening, what are we as Democrats doing to resist Donald Trump? And there's a hunger for a call to action. People want to be part of something. People want to belong to something greater than themselves.
The Chuck ToddCast
Trump Is "POISONING The Well" In Congress + Devastating Medicaid Cuts w/Ritchie Torres
And I feel like as a party, it's not enough for us to stand against Donald Trump. We have to stand for something. We have to put forward a vision that will inspire not only our base, but the country. Newt Gingrich had the contract with America in the 1990s. Maybe we should have our own contract with America. Donald Trump has Project 2025. We ought to have Project 2029.
The Chuck ToddCast
Trump Is "POISONING The Well" In Congress + Devastating Medicaid Cuts w/Ritchie Torres
So I think my constructive self-criticism of my party is that we should do more to put forward an affirmative vision for moving the country forward.
The Chuck ToddCast
Trump Is "POISONING The Well" In Congress + Devastating Medicaid Cuts w/Ritchie Torres
Well, I do feel like if you swing the pendulum too far to the left, you will alienate most Americans, as we did on immigration. And so I do feel like ideology does matter, but it's a necessary but insufficient condition. Like, we need to have compelling messengers in the party, and we need to offer a compelling vision.
The Chuck ToddCast
Trump Is "POISONING The Well" In Congress + Devastating Medicaid Cuts w/Ritchie Torres
What did Will Rogers say? I'm not a member of an organized political party. I'm a Democrat. I don't know. Let the let the cream rise. Yeah. Let there be a free marketplace of debate. And, you know, that's what we were lacking in 2024 is there was a sense that the political establishment had put its thumb on the scale in favor of one.
The Chuck ToddCast
Trump Is "POISONING The Well" In Congress + Devastating Medicaid Cuts w/Ritchie Torres
You know, in British politics, the race for prime minister plays out in a matter of weeks. Our presidential primary plays out over the course of a year or more. But I feel like it's a character building experience. I mean, if you think about, I remember Barack Obama was the first president I voted for. And I felt like at the end of the process, he was a far better candidate.
The Chuck ToddCast
Trump Is "POISONING The Well" In Congress + Devastating Medicaid Cuts w/Ritchie Torres
than he was in the beginning.
The Chuck ToddCast
Trump Is "POISONING The Well" In Congress + Devastating Medicaid Cuts w/Ritchie Torres
I see it as a character building experience. And and it could have been the case that it would have resulted in Vice President Harris as the nominee. But she would have been a better and stronger nominee because of the process that that the process matters as much as the substance. And in fact, it improves the substance.
The Chuck ToddCast
Trump Is "POISONING The Well" In Congress + Devastating Medicaid Cuts w/Ritchie Torres
How do I answer your question without diminishing the role of mayor? I have a few thoughts. First, it's probably Michael Bloomberg has described it as the best job. I've heard him describe it as the best job he ever had.
The Chuck ToddCast
Trump Is "POISONING The Well" In Congress + Devastating Medicaid Cuts w/Ritchie Torres
I feel is second. It is the second most demanding executive position in America, second only to the presidency. And the New York City press corps is notoriously aggressive and ruthless. But I feel the prestige of the position exceeds the actual power. The mayor cannot... Well, you were on the council.
The Chuck ToddCast
Trump Is "POISONING The Well" In Congress + Devastating Medicaid Cuts w/Ritchie Torres
The mayor cannot install speed cameras without the approval of the state legislature. The most important questions on matters of housing and healthcare and public safety are often decided at the state level by the state legislature and by the governor. And so I just feel the state has a much greater systemic impact in advancing the issues that I care about. And then one more point.
The Chuck ToddCast
Trump Is "POISONING The Well" In Congress + Devastating Medicaid Cuts w/Ritchie Torres
You know, historically, the mayor's office has been a graveyard where political careers go to die. So if I were looking to retire prematurely, then that would be the right place for me to go.
The Chuck ToddCast
Trump Is "POISONING The Well" In Congress + Devastating Medicaid Cuts w/Ritchie Torres
Uh, look, I, I, I'm going to vote for Andrew Kovar and, and I'm going to, you know, share, share, share what I respect about the governor. And I'm sure you've been following. There's a new movement on the left known as the Abundance Movement. And it's based on a recognition that America is no longer a nation of builders. We've become a nation of bureaucrats.
The Chuck ToddCast
Trump Is "POISONING The Well" In Congress + Devastating Medicaid Cuts w/Ritchie Torres
And to his credit, Andrew Cuomo was one of the few executives in the 21st century who was a genuinely great builder. LaGuardia Airport, Moynihan Train Hall, Mario Cuomo Bridge. You know, that that's a rarity. You know, it was once common in the early 20th century. But, you know, he's one of the few executives who have proven ability to execute on grand infrastructure projects.
The Chuck ToddCast
Trump Is "POISONING The Well" In Congress + Devastating Medicaid Cuts w/Ritchie Torres
And so that to me represents Governor Cuomo at his best. And that's why I would vote for him because I see him as the most experienced of everyone in the field. Does he need to do more on sort of acknowledging the character flaws? I feel, I think we all benefit from acknowledging our failings. I think when you level with people and say, I've made mistakes and I have failings, people appreciate it.
The Chuck ToddCast
Trump Is "POISONING The Well" In Congress + Devastating Medicaid Cuts w/Ritchie Torres
There is something to be said for humility and acknowledging your own fallibility. Mm-hmm. That's just human. People want their elected officials to be vulnerable and authentic and humble and acknowledge. And like them, it's a representative democracy. And we'll all work in progress. I've made decisions that I regret, but you live and you learn.
The Chuck ToddCast
Trump Is "POISONING The Well" In Congress + Devastating Medicaid Cuts w/Ritchie Torres
I'm exploring a run for governor. I will make a final decision in the summer after the mayor's race. Now, I'll conduct polling. But but if you ask me, what would I prefer? Would I prefer to be one of 435 or one of 535 in Congress or an executive with a unilateral domain of action? I would prefer to be an executive. because you could have a far greater impact in improving people's lives.
The Chuck ToddCast
Trump Is "POISONING The Well" In Congress + Devastating Medicaid Cuts w/Ritchie Torres
So at the core of the affordability crisis is a gap between supply and demand. Like the demand for affordable housing far exceeds the supply. There's a need for both deeper housing subsidy and greater housing supply. So we have to expand the supply of housing. so that we can meet the demand, but we also have to ensure that the housing we do create is affordable to the lowest income families.
The Chuck ToddCast
Trump Is "POISONING The Well" In Congress + Devastating Medicaid Cuts w/Ritchie Torres
One of the criticisms of affordable housing in New York is that much of the affordable housing we create is unaffordable to the poorest New Yorkers. And so I'm in favor of a concept known as housing vouchers fall, like every family either who's homeless or struggling with housing insecurity should have access to a voucher, which ensures that you pay no more than 30% of your income toward your rent
The Chuck ToddCast
Trump Is "POISONING The Well" In Congress + Devastating Medicaid Cuts w/Ritchie Torres
universalizing access to vouchers would radically reduce the amount of homelessness and housing insecurity in American society. So that's one piece. But second, we have to expand housing supply. I do feel our public review process, our environmental review process is so cumbersome that it stifles affordable housing creation in blue cities and blue states like New York.
The Chuck ToddCast
Trump Is "POISONING The Well" In Congress + Devastating Medicaid Cuts w/Ritchie Torres
And those processes have to be reformed so that we can build, we can reestablish our country as a nation of builders.
The Chuck ToddCast
Trump Is "POISONING The Well" In Congress + Devastating Medicaid Cuts w/Ritchie Torres
Well, public safety policy is ultimately set at the state level. And I would submit to you, New York has the most dysfunctional criminal justice system in the country. We have a practice of releasing repeat violent offenders, which has led to a cycle of recidivism. So since 2019, there's been a 150% rise in the number of repeat offenders for felony assaults.
The Chuck ToddCast
Trump Is "POISONING The Well" In Congress + Devastating Medicaid Cuts w/Ritchie Torres
more than 80% for robberies, more than 60% for burglaries and shoplifting, more than 100% for grand larceny auto, more than 70% for grand larceny. And I'll cite one example. There was a gentleman by the name of, a man by the name of Jamar Banks who stabbed two people on New Year's Day.
The Chuck ToddCast
Trump Is "POISONING The Well" In Congress + Devastating Medicaid Cuts w/Ritchie Torres
And he had 54 priors, including an attempted shooting, a murder, multiple stabbings, multiple acts of domestic violence. And despite his extensive criminal history, He was released back onto the streets where he proceeded to commit more violence against more innocent New Yorkers. And here's the problem.
The Chuck ToddCast
Trump Is "POISONING The Well" In Congress + Devastating Medicaid Cuts w/Ritchie Torres
New York is the only state in the country that prohibits judges from considering the public safety risks of repeat violent offenders. You can only consider flight risks. And the question of whether judges should have the authority to consider public safety risk, if I were to present that question to the people of New York in the form of a referendum, it would be an 80-20 issue.
The Chuck ToddCast
Trump Is "POISONING The Well" In Congress + Devastating Medicaid Cuts w/Ritchie Torres
80% of New Yorkers would vote for it. Black, white, Latino, Asian. Is this a legislative? Legislation, yeah. It's going to take legislation, yeah. Yes. But the trouble with City Hall, Albany, and Washington, D.C., is that common sense has become dangerously uncommon.
The Chuck ToddCast
Trump Is "POISONING The Well" In Congress + Devastating Medicaid Cuts w/Ritchie Torres
And one of the criticisms that I have of my own party is that there are times when we're more responsive to special interest groups than we are to everyday people on the ground, particularly on issues of public safety. 100%.
The Chuck ToddCast
Trump Is "POISONING The Well" In Congress + Devastating Medicaid Cuts w/Ritchie Torres
I mean, if she becomes an effective governor, then certainly that could persuade me to.
The Chuck ToddCast
Trump Is "POISONING The Well" In Congress + Devastating Medicaid Cuts w/Ritchie Torres
Yeah, the Cuomo name meant something to some people, yeah. I'm aware of no one who's like a passionate champion of Kathy Hochul. She simply benefits... from the power of incumbency. But look, the broken system is deeper than one governor and it long predates the incumbent governor. In 2015, New York had a $142 billion budget. 2024, a $254 billion budget. I am not aware of a single New York,
The Chuck ToddCast
Trump Is "POISONING The Well" In Congress + Devastating Medicaid Cuts w/Ritchie Torres
who has seen a $110 billion improvement in the delivery of state services.
The Chuck ToddCast
Trump Is "POISONING The Well" In Congress + Devastating Medicaid Cuts w/Ritchie Torres
I feel like I transcend those. I feel like I transcend those categories.
The Chuck ToddCast
Trump Is "POISONING The Well" In Congress + Devastating Medicaid Cuts w/Ritchie Torres
My guy. Some would think of my advocacy for public safety as challenging from the right.
The Chuck ToddCast
Trump Is "POISONING The Well" In Congress + Devastating Medicaid Cuts w/Ritchie Torres
But the concern about affordability, I mean, that could be argued that that's a challenge from the left. I mean, I'm someone, for example, who believes that our public utilities, particularly our gas and electric utilities, should be owned by the pension funds so that people pay a far lower rate I mean, every year, my constituents have seen double-digit increases in their utility bills.
The Chuck ToddCast
Trump Is "POISONING The Well" In Congress + Devastating Medicaid Cuts w/Ritchie Torres
I don't want to get too complicated.
The Chuck ToddCast
Trump Is "POISONING The Well" In Congress + Devastating Medicaid Cuts w/Ritchie Torres
But I find this a fascinating idea. Go. Yes. So the Public Service Commission regulates utilities like Con Edison. And the trouble with the Public Service Commission, which is ultimately accountable to the governor, is that it authorizes a rate of return that's far above the actual cost of capital. the actual cost that you would need to operate the utility.
The Chuck ToddCast
Trump Is "POISONING The Well" In Congress + Devastating Medicaid Cuts w/Ritchie Torres
And I'm convinced if those utilities were owned by pension funds, which would demand lower returns than shareholders, because they're patient capital. If you tell them, we guarantee you 6% returns for the next 50 years, they're happy with 6%, they don't need 9%, they don't need 10%. So I am convinced that public ownership of these utilities through the pension funds
The Chuck ToddCast
Trump Is "POISONING The Well" In Congress + Devastating Medicaid Cuts w/Ritchie Torres
would actually lower cost, utility cost, for everyday New Yorkers.
The Chuck ToddCast
Trump Is "POISONING The Well" In Congress + Devastating Medicaid Cuts w/Ritchie Torres
But is that left-wing or right-wing? You could argue that's an attack from the left, but I just think that's common sense. It's good policy.
The Chuck ToddCast
Trump Is "POISONING The Well" In Congress + Devastating Medicaid Cuts w/Ritchie Torres
My core criticism of the progressive book is that it's become more concerned with ideological purity than with the actual functioning of government. And what I appreciate about the abundance movement is that it sends the message, no, competence matters. The functioning of government matters.
The Chuck ToddCast
Trump Is "POISONING The Well" In Congress + Devastating Medicaid Cuts w/Ritchie Torres
It's the wrong lesson. I feel the American people have a pattern of punishing incompetence. When George W. Bush catastrophically mismanaged the response to Katrina, he never recovered. When Joe Biden sloppily withdrew from Afghanistan, he never recovered. I don't know if Trump's going to recover. Yeah, I don't think he's recovering from this.
The Chuck ToddCast
Trump Is "POISONING The Well" In Congress + Devastating Medicaid Cuts w/Ritchie Torres
I would argue, but for the mismanagement of COVID, Trump would have been reelected to a second term. But for the mismanagement of the migrant crisis, as well as inflation, a Democrat would be in the White House. So competence matters. People ask me, how should we restructure the Democratic Party? And for me, the key to restructuring the Democratic Party is restructuring democratic governance.
The Chuck ToddCast
Trump Is "POISONING The Well" In Congress + Devastating Medicaid Cuts w/Ritchie Torres
Good governance is good politics. Delivering is good politics.
The Chuck ToddCast
Trump Is "POISONING The Well" In Congress + Devastating Medicaid Cuts w/Ritchie Torres
No, it's long overdue. And I know my chief of staff is fanatical about the Knicks. So he's even more excited than I am.