Nassau County Legislator Mazi Melesa Pilip (R-Great Neck), the Republican candidate vying for the 3rd Congressional District, released her 10-point plan that calls for delivering tax relief, repealing New York’s cashless bail laws and supporting Israel among her priorities 

Pilip is squaring off against former Democratic U.S. Rep. Tom Suozzi for the seat he held before resigning to run for governor that was won by George Santos, who was expelled from Congress last year. Pilip said her “thoughtful and strategic” plan will protect the American Dream and “fix the damage done by Joe Biden and Tom Suozzi.”

“By focusing on key issues such as securing our southern border, providing tax relief, stimulating our economy, and combating crime in our neighborhoods, I will bring a fresh perspective to Congress that is sorely needed,” Pilip said in a statement. “I am a proven leader and a fighter, and I will never stop working to create a better future for our community.”

The special election to fill the seat vacated by Santos is scheduled for Feb. 13. Suzzoi held the seat from 2017 to 2023.

Pilip’s plan comes weeks after Suozzi released a 10-point plan of his own to “Help Restore Sanity to Washington and Get Things Done.”

Included in Pilip’s priorities are delivering tax relief and restoring the state and local tax deduction in Congress–a priority of Suozzi during his six years in Congress. The cap has been passed in the House multiple times but failed to get past the Senate. 

Pilip said she will work to restrict spending, cut waste and create new jobs. The legislator said if elected she will work with ICE–the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement–to curb illegal immigration, the drug trade that comes with it and to simplify the legal immigration process. 

Pilip was critical of the state’s cashless bail laws and Clean Slate Act, which Gov. Kathy Hochul signed last year.  It seals certain criminal records and allows individuals who have been convicted of crimes to seek employment, housing and educational opportunities. She also said she would continue to support local control when it comes to housing instead of state mandates–a priority of Suozzi’s during his gubernatorial run in 2022. 

Republicans in 2021 used the cashless bail and affordable housing issues to flip multiple elected offices from Democrats. 

On abortion, Pilip, a registered Democrat, said that abortion is “a very personal choice” and she will not support a national abortion ban or funding cuts for reproductive rights and care. 

Pilip said she will look to invest in safety patrols in houses of worship, increase punishment for hate crimes and expand educational efforts amidst a disturbing rise in antisemitism. 

She immigrated to Israel from Ethiopia in 1991 when she was 11 years old, along with her family, as part of Operation Solomon. She served in the Israel Defense Forces as a gunsmith in a paratroopers unit and called Israel “our greatest ally in the Middle East” who she will always stand with. 

Suozzi’s campaign said Pilip’s plan may appear like Suozzi’s at first but lacks substance and “is a whole lot of nothing.

“When she claims to have something to say, it is heavy on national Republican talk points and low on actual ideas or solutions,” Suozzi said in a statement.