NEW PALTZ – The room was packed as US Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer administered the ceremonial oath of office to Congressman Pat Ryan (D, NY-19) on Saturday.
The former Ulster County executive was seated in Washington, DC two weeks ago.
Ryan is “community through and through,” said Schumer, noting as a young senator, Ryan was one of the first applicants to West Point who he appointed.
That four years of military school plus his two tours of duty in Iraq, gave Ryan the foundation for his political career.
“I ran for office a few years ago because I was losing faith. I was losing faith in our country that our country loved so much; I really was. And I said I cannot stand by while this happens; while friends I served with questioned the heart and essence of our country,” Ryan told the well-wishers at Sunday’s ceremony at SUNY New Paltz.
In his early days at the nation’s capital, Ryan said he has introduced legislation dealing with housing loans for veterans and a measure to protect a woman’s reproductive freedom.
