Though only in Congress for three terms, Steve Israel has already made a big impact for Long Island in the House of Representatives. He passed legislation to promote promising research to fight ovarian cancer, a bill to protect commercial airplanes from shoulder-fired missiles and a measure to provide federal funding to restore habitat and protect open space along the Long Island Sound. Israel brought home more than $150 million in federal appropriations, has developed a comprehensive energy security plan and is fighting to reduce the cost of college.

Paying for College
Congressman Israel wrote legislation to make all student loans, fully tax deductible-just like a mortgage. He is also fighting to extend the Pell Grant program and other federal aid programs that make college more affordable.

National Security
Long Island has a long history of leadership on national security, but for more than a decade, the region did not have a representative on the House Armed Services Committee. Rep. Israel worked hard to secure a spot on the important Committee and won a seat from which he has been a strong advocate for national security. He has delivered more than $100 million in appropriations for Long Island defense companies. Rep. Israel has worked hard to support American troops overseas. He has traveled to Iraq twice and is leading the fight to provide better protections for our troops abroad and expand their benefits at home.

Energy Security
Congressman Steve Israel believes America’s dependence on foreign oil is both an economic and national security issue. He’s fighting to change a failed energy strategy that relies on our adversaries for oil to fuel our economy. Newsday noted that “he’s developed an imaginative energy plan.” Israel’s comprehensive proposal provides major tax incentives for advanced renewable energy technologies—cutting your costs while reducing our dependence on foreign oil.

Health Care
Steve Israel is working hard to reduce the growing burden of health care costs. He sponsored legislation to provide for the safe importation of affordable medicines from overseas and is fighting to fix a bad prescription drug plan. Rep. Israel is also leading the fight to protect American families from the dangers of counterfeit drugs. Rep. Israel co-chairs of the House Cancer Caucus where, in addition to his work on ovarian cancer, he has worked on legislation to cover breast cancer drugs on Medicare and to look for environmental links to cancer.

Economy
Congressman Israel has fought hard to boost the Long Island economy. He’s worked across party lines to bring more than $100 million in federal appropriations to Long Island . And he’s led the fight in Congress to fix an unfair tax that targets families in high cost areas like ours, called the alternative minimum tax (or AMT).

Environment
Israel is a co-chair of the House Long Island Sound Caucus, a bi-partisan group of Members that work on protecting the Sound. In Congress , Israel passed the Long Island Sound Stewardship Act, legislation to restore habitat and preserve open space along the Long Island Sound.