U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik speaks with the Enterprise editorial board Oct. 5, 2018, at the newspaper’s Saranac Lake office. (Enterprise photo — Aaron Cerbone)

On Monday, U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-Schuylerville, tweeted out her views about President Donald Trump’s weekend tweets.

Trump tweeted Sunday that four Democratic congresswomen of color should “go back” to the countries they came from. All of the women are American citizens, and three were born in the United States.

Stefanik, on Monday morning, wrote, “While I strongly disagree with the tactics, policies, and rhetoric of the far-left socialist ‘Squad,’ the President’s tweets were inappropriate, denigrating, and wrong. It is unacceptable to to tell legal U.S. citizens to go back to their home country.”

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Stefanik joins Conservation Caucus

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Stefanik has joined the newly formed Roosevelt Conservation Caucus, which is a group of Senate and House Republicans that are working to address environmental problems.

The group’s formation was announced last week and it will “embrace and promote constructive efforts to address environmental problems, responsibly plan for all market factors, and base policy decisions on science and quantifiable facts,” according to a news release.

“The American spirit of entrepreneurship and innovation has powered our nation’s economic development, while advancing our capabilities to ensure wise stewardship of our natural resources,” Stefanik said in a news release. “As new challenges emerge, it is incumbent on our generation to think boldly and foster the next wave of solutions to protect and improve our environment. I’m looking forward to doing this important work with my colleagues to address environmental issues through market-oriented solutions.”

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Health care lawsuit heard

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Oral arguments were heard Tuesday in the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in the case aimed at repealing the Affordable Care Act.

The lawsuit was filed by the attorneys general in 18 red states. The plaintiffs argue that after the Trump administration succeeded in zeroing out the tax penalty incurred by someone who does not purchase health insurance, the law was rendered unconstitutional. In a 2015 U.S. Supreme Court case, Chief Justice John Roberts said the ACA, also known as Obamacare, was constitutional because Congress has the power to levy a tax.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee sent out a release criticizing Republicans who have supported this lawsuit.

In June, Stefanik voted against an amendment that would have prohibited the federal government from using any funds to fight this lawsuit.

“Congresswoman Stefanik voted for a lawsuit that could explode health care costs, jack up the cost of prescription drugs and let insurance companies charge people with pre-existing conditions unlimited amounts for basic care,” said DCCC spokeswoman Christine Bennett in a news release.

Stefanik’s spokesman, Lenny Alcivar, said previously that Stefanik voted against that amendment because House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was bringing partisan bills that would not pass Congress and are not based on good governance.

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Using star power

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U.S. Sen Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., is using some star power in her presidential bid.

Gillibrand’s former roommate at Dartmouth College, actress Connie Britton, who starred in television’s “Nashville” and “Friday Night Lights,” recorded a Facebook ad recently to boost fundraising for Gillibrand. She asked for people to donate to Gillibrand so she will have over 65,000 individual donors to qualify for a presidential debate appearance. Britton has over 214,000 Facebook followers, so some of those followers may have donated to help Gillibrand get to that goal of being in the debate.

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Gillibrand scores well

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Gillibrand ranked first in a list compiled by the Future Now Fund and Data for Progress of presidential contenders who are doing the most to help state legislative candidates.

Gillibrand received a score of 72 points, which was based on a formula that assigned one point for promoting a state legislator through social media; two points for citing a legislator in emails to the national campaign list; and three points for appearing in person with a legislator at a public event, according to a July 10 New York Times story.

The candidates were tracked with their activity beginning on May 1. Gillibrand was cited for her work to speak out against anti-abortion legislation in various states, according to the article.

The other candidates in the top five were U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts with 65 points; former U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke of Texas, 63 points; U.S. Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey, 53 points; and Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, 48 points.