Democrats Who Voted Against Shutdown Deal Took Victory Lap For The Millions Of Dollars It Gave Their Districts

Democratic lawmakers claimed credit for millions of dollars allocated to their districts, although they opposed the end-of-shutdown funding package that included them.

On November 12, New York Representative Josh Riley joined 206 of his Democratic colleagues in voting against a spending package aimed at ending the record government shutdown, citing its failure to include health care provisions sought by Democrats. Less than two weeks later, Riley sent out a press release Monday, taking a victory lap in securing $2.6 million in funding from legislation to upgrade a fire department and health care facilities in upstate New York. (RELATED: House Democrats start taking credit for provisions of Trump-backed law they voted against)

In the statement, Riley did not reveal his opposition to the bipartisan package that secured federal money for his district.

“In Upstate New York, our first responders and health care workers are showing up to their neighbors every day,” Riley said in a statement. “This funding is about showing up for them. »

The new lawmaker’s press release included comments from Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and New York Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, who also appeared to take credit for securing the community project funding, commonly known as earmarks.

Schumer and Gillibrand were among 39 members of the Democratic caucus who voted against bipartisan legislation incorporating earmarks.

“I will always fight to bring back federal dollars to give New York’s Southern Tier and Catskills communities the support they deserve,” Schumer said in a statement regarding the funding he opposed in the Senate.

Gillibrand also said she “continues to work tirelessly” to bring federal dollars back to New York state, despite the “no” vote on the funding plan.

Several local New York media outlets reported on the press release and gave credit to the three Democratic lawmakers, despite their votes against the legislation that guaranteed local funds.

“Three rural communities in upstate New York are getting a major improvement thanks to more than $2.6 million in new federal funding secured by Congressman Josh Riley, Sen. Chuck Schumer and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand,” New York-based FingerLakes1.com wrote.

Spokespeople for Riley, Schumer and Gillibrand did not respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.

The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC), the campaign arm of House Republicans, criticized Riley for voting against funding the community project.

“Josh Riley’s hypocrisy and allegiance to the radical left truly knows no bounds,” NRC spokesperson Mauren O’Toole said in a statement. “His vote against critical funding for hospitals and fire departments in his own district is disgusting, and New York voters will not forget it.”

Riley defeated Marc Molinaro, then a Republican representative from New York, by fewer than 10,000 votes in the most expensive House race of the 2024 cycle. The nonpartisan Cook Political Report calls his re-election campaign a “Lean Democrat.”

WASHINGTON, DC – JULY 2: Flanked by her New York State Democratic colleagues, U.S. Representative Laura Gillen (D-NY) speaks against the One, Big, Beautiful Bill Act during a press conference at the U.S. Capitol on July 2, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Riley, Schumer and Gillibrand are not the only Democrats to claim credit for local funds in the government funding plan, although they voted against the bill.

New York Democratic Rep. Laura Gillen spoke Tuesday at an event celebrating a $938,000 allocation to buy a new fire truck in her district.

“I’m so excited to get this funding,” Gillen said in part. She did not appear to mention her vote against the legislation in her remarks, which were partly obscured by background noise from the livestream.

A spokesperson for Gillen did not immediately respond to DCNF’s request for comment.

The four New York lawmakers are the latest cohort of Democrats to take credit for legislation approved by the Republican-controlled Congress. Most Democratic lawmakers have lined up to oppose Republican-proposed legislation and even some high-profile bipartisan bills over the past year.

Rhode Island Democratic Rep. Seth Magaziner issued a press release in July celebrating the provision of tens of millions of dollars in federal funding to his district, without disclosing that he had voted against the underlying appropriations bill.

His fellow Democrat, Georgia Sen. Jon Ossoff, sparked controversy in September for claiming credit for a veterans aid law, the sponsor of which said the Georgia Democrat had no role in drafting.

Several Democratic lawmakers also celebrated some provisions of Republicans’ One Big Beautiful Bill Act, although they voted against the bill in the House.

All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent, nonpartisan news service, is available free to any legitimate news publisher capable of delivering a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and DCNF affiliation. For questions about our guidelines or our partnership, please contact licenses@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.