Democratic Rep. Josh Riley canceled an informal discussion with local Democrats last-minute after taking credit for federal funding for his district that he voted against.

The New York congressman is one of about a dozen House Democrats who have touted funding flowing to their districts as part of a spending package they voted against, but that ended the longest government shutdown in the history of the United States. After a flurry of critical news coverage, Riley last week canceled a meeting with the Green County Democrats the day before it was set to take place.

“We are writing to let you know that tomorrow’s scheduled gathering with Congressman Josh Riley will need to be postponed to a date and time to be determined,” said a Friday email from the local Democratic group obtained by The Daily Wire.

“Unfortunately Congressman Riley’s team has decided to cancel their meeting with us tomorrow over concerns regarding safety and other groups disrupting the event,” it continued. “We will be in touch as soon as a new date – hopefully in January – is confirmed. Thank you, as always, for your continued engagement and commitment to Greene County Democrats.”

Riley’s office did not respond to a request for comment from The Daily Wire.

Riley last month touted three different projects in his district that will receive federal funding because of the bill.

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“It means Guilford’s volunteer firefighters will finally have a safe station to work from, families in Margaretville will have better access to care close to home, and South Fallsburg will get the permanent clinic it’s needed for years,” said Riley in a statement.

“I’ll keep pushing to make sure rural communities in Upstate New York get the resources they deserve,” he added, taking credit for the funds that he voted against.

Like the other Democrats who are touting funding for their particular districts, Riley had a hand in attaching his pet projects to the final spending bill. But after his requests were acceded to, he voted against the final version of the legislation.

Republicans have taken the opportunity to clobber Riley.

“Out of touch Democrat Josh Riley voted against funding that improves health care access for his constituents and facilities for first responders in his own district. Now that he’s been exposed, he’s refusing to face the very people he tried to hurt with his vote. Riley is a fraud and a coward,” said Maureen O’Toole, spokeswoman for the National Republican Congressional Committee.

Riley is facing a challenging 2026 reelection campaign. His district, New York’s 19th, is a competitive swing district that was last won by a Republican in 2022, a race that Riley lost. Riley unseated former Rep. Marc Molinaro in 2024, winning that race by just two points. The Cook Political Report ranks NY19 as a “Lean D” race in 2026, but only by one point.

Ben Shapiro called out Tucker Carlson as a threat to conservatism in a Wednesday afternoon speech at the Heritage Foundation, insisting the movement must enforce “ideological borders” to protect its principles.

At the event promoting Shapiro’s new book, Lions & Scavengers: The True Story of America, the Daily Wire Editor Emeritus argued that conservatism without clear boundaries risks being co-opted by voices who are opposed to core conservative principles.

“The conservative movement requires a border,” Shapiro said. “A conservative movement without a border is no conservative movement. We are a welcoming movement, but those who seek to undermine the character of conservatism must never be granted legitimacy as voices of our movement.”

Shapiro’s comments came weeks after the Heritage Foundation defended Carlson’s interview with self-proclaimed Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin admirer, Nick Fuentes. At the time, the think-tank’s president Kevin Roberts slammed the “venomous coalition” that was trying to cancel Carlson for having the conversation. 

.@benshapiro joins Heritage President @KevinRobertsTX live for remarks and in-depth discussion of his New York Times bestseller, Lions and Scavengers.

Together, they examine the cultural, political, and moral challenges shaping the nation.

Watch now ⬇️ https://t.co/sVBFKn3Stm

— Daily Wire (@realDailyWire) December 17, 2025

Roberts later said he made a “mistake” with his initial speech defending Carlson, and that the term “venomous coalition” was a “terrible choice of words.” 

Shapiro said that Heritage must play the role of “ideological border control” to keep the movement aligned with its mission statement: “Heritage’s mission is to formulate and promote conservative public policies based on the principles of free enterprise, limited government, individual freedom, traditional American values, and a strong national defense.”

Shapiro went on to describe why he believes Carlson is an “opponent of conservatism,” an “outsider masquerading as an insider” who is “destroying the character of the conservative movement in the process.” He examined how Carlson’s positions measure up against the Heritage Foundation’s mission statement.

According to Shapiro, Carlson opposes the free market, citing his stance against self-driving trucks, high-interest credit cards, and mergers that result in layoffs, and has labeled venture capitalists “vulture capitalists.”

“It is why he has praised left-wing figures ranging from Elizabeth Warren to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to Zohran Mamdani,” Shapiro said. 

Shapiro criticized Carlson for rejecting limited government, accusing Carlson of telling his audience the United States is controlled by a conspiratorial elite and praising feudalism over the Constitution. Shapiro argued that true conservatism defends the Founders’ system of checks and balances and federalism.

“To Tucker Carlson, the Constitution is a mere ruse, a sham. Instead, Carlson promotes a conspiracy theory by which the American people have lost total control of their lives and have no ability to shape policy,” Shapiro said.

On the principle of national defense, Shapiro argued that Carlson abandoned the “peace through strength” approach in favor of one that excuses or rationalizes hostile regimes such as Russia, China, Iran, and Venezuela, citing his soft or sympathetic interviews, his downplaying of adversaries’ aggression, and his repeated criticism of the United States and its allies.

Shapiro said that Tucker treats Qatar as “America’s foremost ally in the Middle East, dismissing its financial support for terrorist groups like Hamas, ties with Iran, and anti-American propaganda networks like Al-Jazeera.”

“Carlson just announced he is buying a house in Qatar, as a show of American-ness. Which is strange, since Qatar does not allow public displays of Christianity by churches, and currently holds tens of thousands of people from foreign nations in slave labor conditions,” Shapiro added.

Shapiro went on to make the case that Carlson opposes traditional American values, arguing that while he may agree on issues like same-sex marriage and transgenderism, he consistently prioritizes speculation, conspiracy theories, and uncritical promotion of figures like Alex Jones, Andrew Tate, and Nick Fuentes over truth and moral integrity.

“Truth is simply not Carlson’s priority. He likes speculation; he likes conspiratorial question-asking. But evidence and truth are not of value to Tucker Carlson,” Shapiro said. “And so Tucker has trafficked in nearly every conspiracy theory under the sun.”

Shapiro slammed Tucker for accusing the Trump administration of “covering up a Mossad-run child sex trafficking ring run by Jeffrey Epstein,” adding that Carlson is a “coward” for not mentioning Trump directly while making such allegations.

Shapiro has a long relationship with the Heritage Foundation, beginning when he was just a teenager, when Town Hall — which was at the time associated with Heritage — published his column.