Pat Ryan Lectures Hudson Valley Parents on Kids' Sports... From Washington

KINGSTON, NY — Jackie Auringer released the following statement in response to Congressman Pat Ryan's latest Washington, D.C. press conference promoting legislation on the rising cost of youth sports:

"Hudson Valley parents do not need a lecture from Pat Ryan about the cost of kids' sports. They already know. They are the ones paying for uniforms, cleats, league fees, tournament hotels, gas, groceries, utility bills, and taxes.

"But Pat Ryan is talking about the cost of raising kids here from another Washington press conference. Before he lectures families who actually live in the Hudson Valley, he should tell the truth about where he lives.

"Pat Ryan claims to represent this district, but he has become exactly what he once claimed to oppose: another Washington politician using Hudson Valley families as a backdrop for his political ambitions.

"Every parent knows youth sports have gotten too expensive. But families are being crushed by a lot more than tournament fees. They are paying more for gas, groceries, electricity, insurance, housing, and childcare. Pat Ryan talks about affordability when the cameras are on, but he has failed to deliver relief where families feel it most.

"And it is time for the press corps covering this campaign to ask him directly: does Pat Ryan actually live in this district, or is he another D.C. politician pretending to understand the struggles of families who do?

"Hudson Valley families deserve a representative who lives here, understands their lives, and fights to lower the cost of family life, not one who turns every struggle into another Washington photo-op."