Andrea Batista Schlesinger

Next up: The Policy Behind Rep. Weiner

And for the next installment in DMI's series profiling the policy people behind the politicians, here is an interview with Joshua Fay-Hurvitz, Legislative Director for Rep. Anthony Weiner. As a think tank, DMI is keenly interested in the policy behind the politics and in the people, who often toil away anonymously but whose responsibility it is to develop the ideas that drive the legislation and policy that govern our lives.

Who would you like us to talk to next? Let us know.

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DMIBlog (4:27:19 PM): So what does it mean to be a "Policy Director" for a member of Congress?

NY09Josh (4:29:23 PM): My title is actually Legislative Director. What that basically means is that I coordinate all of Congressman Weiner's activities down here in Washington. We come up with legislative solutions to address problems facing New Yorkers such as the burden on the middle class and those struggling to make it there.

DMIBlog (4:30:12 PM): Is it challenging for you to spend time developing legislation for a member in the minority?

NY09Josh (4:32:39 PM): Hopefully I won't have to worry about that for much longer. We've taken the stance that we're going to write bills to fix problems and if the Majority doesn't take our bills up for political reasons that is out of our control. From the Congressman's positions on the Transportation and Judiciary Committees we've had a number victories, and we'll be in a great position if the election goes well to push the priorities we've set out.

DMIBlog (4:33:45 PM): When I met with Rep. Weiner a while back, he said he got a lot of ideas from just reading the paper. Is that true? And what about you - where do you get your ideas for legislation?

NY09Josh (4:37:10 PM): Rep. Weiner is chock full of ideas, which makes my job pretty easy. He takes listening to his constituents very seriously, so when we hear about community pharmacies being pushed out of New York by the big chains or about senior citizens whose Cost of Living adjustments for social security and medicare don't cover the cost of living in New York we collaborate and propose solutions.

DMIBlog (4:37:50 PM): So what prepared you to be a LD for a member of Congress?

NY09Josh (4:42:33 PM): I went to school in New York, which makes it easier to understand the problems we're trying to solve. I always wanted to come down to Washington and get involved in politics. Rep. Weiner was a great match because he's so hard working, so there's never a boring day.

DMIBlog (4:43:52 PM): What did you do before this gig?

NY09Josh (4:44:50 PM): I was working for a nonprofit organization called the Partnership for Public Service. It aims to attract talented young people into government service.

DMIBlog (4:45:08 PM): It had its effect on you - you left to work for government!

NY09Josh (4:46:19 PM): I jumped at the opportunity to work in such a high paced environment.

NY09Josh (4:46:30 PM): No day is the same

DMIBlog (4:46:34 PM): So what's the truth - does the politics drive the policy, or does the policy drive the politics?

NY09Josh (4:49:09 PM): While things in Washington couldn't be more politically divided, we're focussed on doing the best we can for Rep. Weiner's constituents. The only thing driving our agenda is a desire to come up with solutions.

DMIBlog (4:49:46 PM): Is there any legislation that Rep. Weiner introduced that was purely your idea - something you thought up and believed in strongly?

NY09Josh (4:50:50 PM): Yesterday we had a judiciary markup that I worked hard on. The committee was considering some really bad bills that would make it harder for the ATF to crack down on rogue gun dealers.

DMIBlog (4:51:10 PM): surprise surprise

NY09Josh (4:51:21 PM): And there was another bill specifically designed to kill the New York City suit against gun dealers and manufacturers

NY09Josh (4:52:02 PM): I got really fired up because the bills are clearly handouts to the NRA, not in the interest of the city, and seek to protect the 1% of gun dealers who are bad actors and whose actions lead to violent crime in New York.

NY09Josh (4:53:15 PM): While Rep. Weiner lost his amendments, we offered quite a few, including one to get rid of a totally ridiculous provision that would allow a gun dealer whose license has been revoked to have 60 days to sell off their inventory with absolutely no regulation.

DMIBlog (4:53:24 PM): wow

DMIBlog (4:53:52 PM): Josh - how did Rep. Weiner's run for Mayor impact your work in his legislative office?

NY09Josh (4:57:29 PM): While he was running for mayor he managed to avoid missing many votes in Washington. Now we're developping proposals here that miror some of his mayoral campaign proposals. For instance, we've introduced a Middle Class Tax Relief Act that would give a 10% tax cut to any family making under $150,000. It would also double the per-child tax credit and eliminate all taxes on families making under $25,000. The best part is that we achieve budget neutrality by asking people who make over a million dollars to pay a little more.

NY09Josh (4:58:02 PM): This idea of returning progressivity to the tax code is straight from the campaign, its good for New York where the middle class is unfortunately shrinking.

DMIBlog (4:58:50 PM): Here at DMI, we make a case for the importance of progressive think tanks to compete with the well-funded, well-organized shops on the right. Do think tanks impact your work?

NY09Josh (5:00:48 PM): Absolutely, as you know when we were formulating our tax plan we reached out to DMI and a variety of other think tanks.

DMIBlog (5:01:23 PM): okay couple of quick yes/no questions:

DMIBlog (5:01:31 PM): Does Rep. Weiner support a guest worker program?

NY09Josh (5:04:18 PM): The Republicans have set up a false choice. He supports both stronger border security as well as a tough path to earned legalization. Undocumented immigrants are living in the shadows of our country where they can too easily be exploited. It makes sense to bring them into the mainstream, for both homeland security reasons and because its the right thing to do.

DMIBlog (5:04:41 PM): so... does he support a guest worker program being a part of whatever piece of legislation we support?

DMIBlog (5:04:56 PM): being a part of comprehensive reform

NY09Josh (5:05:09 PM): Yes, he does.

DMIBlog (5:05:40 PM): Do you think we will see univeral health care as a priority if Rep. Weiner becomes part of majority party?

DMIBlog (5:05:54 PM): (or, rather, Rep. Weiner's party becomes the majority)

NY09Josh (5:07:23 PM): Our health care system is broken. We have almost 50 million Americans who are uninsured. If the Democrats are voted into the majority, we won't forget government has to work for everyone.

NY09Josh (5:07:26 PM): So, that's a yes

DMIBlog (5:07:55 PM): Do lobbyists influence your work

NY09Josh (5:08:55 PM): I've never steered Rep. Weiner one direction or another because of something a lobbyist told me. That said, there are a lot of organizations doing good work. More than anything I try to use them as a resource.

DMIBlog (5:09:36 PM): Has Rep. Weiner ever *not* followed your advice?

NY09Josh (5:10:50 PM): We have some pretty spirited discussion, and he always makes his own decisions. Luckily, we see eye to eye on most everything, which is what make this job so rewarding.

DMIBlog (5:11:00 PM): clever dodge!

DMIBlog (5:11:10 PM): Last question - any advice for young people interested in pursuing a career in public policy?

NY09Josh (5:15:22 PM): Congress is a pretty amazing place to work because there are so many young people diving into the most important issues of the day. Whether interning or knocking on the door of every Congressman/woman until one of them gives you a chance, I think the most important piece of advice is to build a good foundation by keeping up on the issues and then just demonstrate that you're willing to work hard for a good cause.

DMIBlog (5:16:27 PM): And, the actual last question: what's the best idea you've come up with that you know will never happen because of politics?

NY09Josh (5:18:55 PM): Everything is possible. We fight for some things that some in the other party would call impossible, but we have a better message and a better product, so it's just a matter of time.

DMIBlog (5:19:11 PM): I didn't say it was politics in the other party that was holding it up...

DMIBlog (5:19:36 PM): Alright, any last words?

NY09Josh (5:20:44 PM): Thanks so much for your time. DMI does great work.

DMIBlog (5:20:54 PM): Thanks, Josh!

Andrea Batista Schlesinger: Author Bio | Other Posts
Posted at 5:13 PM, Sep 08, 2006 in Progressive Agenda
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