“Things can sometimes change quickly in politics, but one thing that hasn’t and will not change is Tom Reed’s commitment to fight against bigger government and reckless spending in Washington,” Paxon commented. “I am pleased to put my full support behind Tom Reed. He stood up to say enough is enough even when it meant he would be the underdog. That’s the kind of fighter we need.”

“When he was in Congress working for upstate New York, Bill Paxon was tough on those who carelessly borrowed and spent taxpayers money, and I will be the same,” Reed said. “His support is a big boost for us. After eight months of tireless campaigning, more than 1200 volunteers have joined us. That grassroots base of support will be what carries us to a win in November. We won’t stop until we win the trust of every voter across the 29th Congressional District.”

“I was saddened to hear that Congressman Massa’s health will preclude him from running for re-
election. While the Congressman and I disagreed on political issues, I respect his military and
public service and wish him the best.

Our campaign continues moving forward with a message of smaller government and resistance to
government takeovers of health care and private enterprises. We began this campaign to bring
common sense and financial responsibility to Washington and we will continue to November.

I have spoken with county Republican chairs and all have pledged continued support for our
campaign. We look forward to welcoming a Democratic candidate to the race.”

According to Federal Election Commission records, Congressman Massa accepted a total of
$67,822 ($50,822 through the Rangel Victory Fund, $11,000 from Rangel’s National Leadership
PAC and $6,000 from Rangel for Congress), from Rangel during the 2008 and 2010 election cycles.
The most recent transfer from Rangel to Massa was made just months ago in 2009 when
Congressman Rangel hosted a fund raiser for Massa at the home of a Washington DC lobbyist.

The House ethics committee report finds Rangel guilty of violating House gift rules by accepting
corporate-sponsored trips to the Caribbean in 2007 and 2008, a clear violation of House rules. There is a
much larger ethics investigation focusing on Rangel’s belated financial disclosure of hundreds of
thousands of dollars in previously unreported assets and income and other charges.

“People in the 29th Congressional District work honestly and pay their taxes,” Reed said. “In light
of House ethics committee’s report and investigations, I call upon Congressman Massa to do the
right thing and return the nearly $68,000 he has received from Congressman Rangel.”

Congressman Massa is one of just eight House members to accept money from Congressman
Rangel’s PAC in 2009.

#####

“This isn’t a re-start as much as it was a sales presentation by both sides,” Reed observed. “They
cannot just take the Senate bill, make cosmetic changes, then ram it through the House. I hope that
the Democratic leadership in the House will do the right thing and re-start the process.”

“We’re talking about people’s lives and one sixth of the U.S. economy,” Reed continued. “Whatever
new regulations Congress enacts cannot have negative budget ramifications for families or
businesses. And we all must be treated equally – no special deals for certain states.”

While Reed was disappointed by the partisan tone from both sides of the summit, he noted that
what the public saw today today was yet another good example of what is at stake in this year’s
elections. “Will the voters choose Democratic control and further expansion of government
involvement in our lives and become a European-style welfare state?” Reed asks, “Or will we
choose to embrace individual initiative and less government?”

Reed was pleased to hear insuring those with pre existing conditions, helping the non-insured and
under-insured, and tort reform as part of the conversation. “Hopefully the Democratic leadership in
the House will allow debate on new concepts, particularly competition,” Reed said. “Instead of
being forced into a particular plan by their employer, people should be able to choose. Allowing
patients to choose health plans in an open market will force health insurance companies, health
care providers and pharmaceutical companies to compete by offering plans, services and products
based on market needs and demands.”

#####

Congressional candidate Tom Reed is urging members of both parties to “Stop the insanity” in the Federal budget. “We must immediately begin to live within our means,” Reed said. “Just like any family or business. We cannot bankrupt the nation. Our children and grandchildren deserve better. The borrowing must stop.”

Reed outlined several immediate and specific principles that Congress should use as a guide as it begins considering the $3.8 trillion budget submitted by the White House.

1) No new domestic discretionary spending and a re-examination of ALL current spending.

2) The more than $200 billion unallocated “stimulus” funds should NOT be borrowed and spent.

3) The $700 million TARP fund repaid by banks should be returned to the treasury and not used to fund new spending.

4) A hard cap on ALL spending indexed to rate of inflation. (The proposed spending freeze would halt increases for only a $447 billion – less than 12% of the budget.)

5) In a struggling economy, we cannot raise taxes on businesses – businesses, not the government, are the source of new jobs.

6) We must recognize the massive unfunded liabilities in Social Security and Medicare and create a plan to keep those programs solvent to meet promises made to tax payers.

7) Absolutely no so-called second stimulus package. The first was a failure in that it did not make any long term improvement in the economy despite nearly $800 billion of borrowed money.

“I call on Congressman Massa and all members of Congress to recognize the fiscal reality and vote against all 2011 any new or increased appropriations except for national defense or programs that go directly to job creation,” Reed said. “It is time to stop the insanity and stop borrowing.”

#####

“We needed to raise at least $200,000 during the first two filings and we accomplished that,” Reed said. “This early money is the critical seed money for our campaign and we are off to a good start. Our support has really taken off since we have begun the race and it will grow as Election Day gets closer.”

“Congressman Massa has had hundreds of thousands of dollars of PAC and special interest money poured into his campaign,” Reed commented, noting that Massa has another $1500 a plate fund raiser coming up in Washington in just 10 days. We don’t have the PACS and lobbyists lining our pockets like he does, but we’re going to win because our money is coming from individuals here in the district at the grassroots level.”

“And we will spend the resources we have more efficiently over the course of the campaign, the same way we will govern,” Reed said. “Congressman Massa’s campaign has spent more than $400,000 dollars in just 2009, including airplane tickets, car leases, and more than $60,000 in credit card payments.”

#####

This week Tom comments on the State of the Union address. Once again the president has missed the point. The people of the United States are hurting. Unemployment is at unacceptable levels. We need to get government out of the way of the American people so real prosperity generated through the private sector can develop. Tom has the energy and passion to get the job done this November. Come join the team at www.tomreedforcongress.com.

“I was glad to hear the President say that his priority was job creation and that he realized that small
businesses are the engines that drive our economy,” Reed said. “I hope it isn’t just rhetoric. I hope the
leaders of his own party enact some of the things he proposed.”

“However, I’m tired of talk. I didn’t hear anything that demonstrated that the President is listening to the
American people,” Reed lamented. “He has not listened to the people telling him to slow down on health
care reform, and he paid but brief lip service to controlling spending and balancing the budget. To create
long term prosperity and to encourage the kind of private investment that will put people back to work,
we have to get federal spending under control. Government is not the answer, individuals are.”

“The spending freeze is a good thought,” Reed continued, “but it only applies to a small portion of the
budget. Meanwhile, the 2010 deficit in the budget the President proposed and Congressman Massa voted
for is well over a trillion borrowed dollars. We are $12 trillion in debt and we cannot continue adding
more than a trillion dollars to the debt every year.”

“There was absolutely no renewed commitment to transparency either,” Reed observed. “Nothing I will
do in Washington will be done behind closed doors. I wish others would commit to that as well.”

“One thing is clear,” Reed said. “Nothing is changing in Washington. Our children and grandchildren
are going to pay for the lack of leadership in Washington. We need serious solutions not just more pretty
words.”

#####

Massa has called for a withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan and in December he told the Elmira
Star-Gazette that he would vote against any future appropriation funding for the war in Afghanistan.
Congressional candidate Tom Reed urged Congressional leaders to continue the effort to eradicate
terrorist elements in Afghanistan. “I again say that we cannot allow the Taliban to re-establish an
operational base from which Al Qaeda can launch another major attack on the United States,” Reed
said. “Retreating from Afghanistan puts America and our allies at greater risk and will further
destabilize not only Afghanistan, but Pakistan as well.”

Sponsoring such a resolution may score more political points for Eric Massa with his California
contributors,” Reed continued, “But it shows a lack of support for our troops and plays into the hands
of our enemies, telling them to hang on because we will quit and retreat.”

“Many brave Americans have made the ultimate sacrifice in Afghanistan,” Reed observed. “Retreating
now dishonors the sacrifices they have made to keep America safe. Politics is less important than
ensuring the security of our country and our families.”

#####

Follow the link for the first of a series of weekly messages from Tom Reed about the campaign. This week’s topic the upset win for Scott Brown in Massachusetts. Like you Tom is angry about the direction of this country. In Massachusetts we saw the results that occur when public officials ignore the interests and wishes of their constituencies. Tom has taken this as a sign that we are on the right track here at our campaign. He will fight for you to lower government spending and return sanity to government. The people of the 29th Congressional district want less government interference and common sense reforms on health care such as tort reform that will lower costs. Thanks for your time and you can look forward to another campaign update next week.