John Mannion

Rep. John Mannion and Kailee Buller disagree on almost every significant issue as they campaign to represent Central New York and the Mohawk Valley in Congress next year.

The two have vastly different views on President Donald Trump’s policies, including his immigration crackdown, the war in Iran, tariffs and the future of American elections.

Buller broadly supports Trump’s biggest initiatives, while Mannion has become a more vocal opponent of the president.

Mannion, D-Geddes, is a former teacher and state senator completing his first term in the House. Buller, a Republican who served in both of Trump’s administrations, moved back to her native Auburn this year to campaign for the 22nd Congressional District seat.

The district spans all of Onondaga and Madison counties, and parts of Cayuga, Cortland and Oneida counties, including the cities of Syracuse, Auburn, Cortland and Utica.

Buller and Mannion share some common ground. Both want to improve the Affordable Care Act to provide better health coverage for Central New Yorkers. Neither one would cut Social Security and Medicare benefits or raise the eligibility age.

Here’s a look at where the candidates stand on the issues:

Immigration

Mannion: Strongly opposes Trump’s immigration and border security crackdown.

Mannion wants to place guardrails on ICE agents that include a prohibition on wearing masks, a mandate to wear clear identification and body-worn cameras, and strict use-of-force standards. He wants to ban ICE operations in schools or houses of worship.

After a protester was killed in January by federal agents in Minnesota, Mannion said Americans are “living in a tyrannous state” where ICE acts as “a personal paramilitary unit of the president.”

He supported legislation to prohibit ICE from detaining or arresting people while at their immigration court hearings or regularly scheduled immigration check-ins.

He has called for hiring more border patrol agents, adding immigration judges and asylum officers and expediting work permits for immigrants. Mannion also supports legislation that gives “dreamers” who entered the United States as children a pathway to citizenship.

Buller: Supports Trump’s border security and immigration crackdown. But she said the president’s mass deportation program has been too aggressive in places like Minnesota, where two U.S. citizens were fatally shot by federal agents.

“Mistakes have been made, but it reiterates how broken our system is,” she said. “What we saw in Minnesota was a mess. I feel like now the border is secure and the dangerous criminals are now mostly gone. But there’s a lot more work to be done about how we think of the workforce of the future.”

About 74% of the nearly 300 people arrested in the Syracuse area by federal agents since the start of Trump’s mass deportation program had no prior convictions or pending criminal charges.

Buller said she would vote for bipartisan immigration reforms, but she would not support previous proposals that included a path to citizenship for those who have lived in the U.S. for years.

She would require ICE and Border Patrol agents to have more extensive training and to wear body cameras while on duty. She also wants local law enforcement in New York to work with ICE and Border Patrol on immigration arrests.

Buller has called for Congress to take more oversight of ICE and the immigration crackdown to make sure only those who have committed violent crimes are targeted for deportations.

Iran war

Mannion: He strongly opposes U.S. military action against Iran. He has called Trump’s decision to attack “a shocking, willful disregard for the Constitution launched with undefined objectives and no clear case of an imminent threat to the United States.”

Mannion voted three separate times to pass a War Powers Act resolution aimed at limiting Trump’s ability to launch future military attacks against Iran without congressional approval. He also criticized Trump’s rhetoric against Iran.

“Threatening to ‘end a civilization’ is not strength – it is deranged, unhinged rhetoric that, if acted on, would invite war crimes, mass civilian casualties, and widespread suffering in Iran, the Middle East, and around the world,” he said.

Buller: She supports Trump’s war against Iran, saying it’s a key to preventing the Iranian regime from developing a nuclear bomb.

Buller declined to say how she would have voted on the War Powers Act resolution or if she would support sending American soldiers into Iran.

“I’m not interested in a long-term conflict when it comes to Iran,” she said. “But I do think the safety of America is important, and Iran not having nuclear weapons is very important.”

Tariffs

Mannion: Opposes Trump’s global tariffs and has called them an illegal tax on American consumers and businesses. Mannion said only Congress has the authority to impose tariffs.

In February, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down many larger tariffs. The federal government was forced to refund at least $166 billion in tariffs paid by 330,000 U.S. companies.

Mannion also criticized Trump’s tariffs on Canada, saying they disrupted a stable, longstanding economic partnership between Canada and Central New York.

“Our dairy farmers, specialty crop producers, manufacturers, and small businesses rely on predictable cross-border trade,” he said. “When tariffs are imposed without a clear strategy, farmers pay more for fertilizer, manufacturers face rising supply chain costs, and working families feel it at the checkout line.”

Buller: Supports Trump’s tariffs but says many of the taxes on imports from foreign countries are too broad and don’t help U.S. businesses or consumers.

Buller wants to see a more “surgical approach” to tariffs, targeting only certain nations and industries. For example, she favors tariffs on imported cars and trucks.

“I think if you strategically tariff certain things we have in America, and we don’t need to import, it makes sense,” she said.

Buller said she supported the administration’s $12 billion aid package for farmers hurt by Trump’s tariffs.

Economy and inflation

Mannion: He wants to pass the American Affordability Act, a Democratic bill aimed at lowering the cost of living for working families.

The bill would make a series of changes to tax laws, with the goal of making housing, energy, education and healthcare more affordable.

The legislation includes an expanded child tax credit, provides new tax credits for renters and first-time home buyers, expands the low-income housing tax credit, restores clean energy tax credits, permanently extends Affordable Care Act tax credits, and limits predatory practices by for-profit student loan servicers.

Mannion also supports raising the federal minimum wage from the current rate of $7.25 per hour. He supports indexing the minimum wage to inflation, allowing for automatic increases as costs go up.

Buller: She would push for Congress to make permanent the temporary tax cuts on tips, overtime and Social Security that were included in Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill Act.”

Buller would work to lower gas prices by suspending the federal gas tax and pausing diesel exports from the United States

To lower grocery prices, she would push for more competition among meatpackers, processors, and suppliers. She takes credit helping to develop Trump’s December 2025 executive order targeting price fixing in the food supply chain.

She views the growing national debt and budget deficits as two of the biggest long-term threats to the economy. “Republicans and Democrats have driven it up,” she said. “I understand that.”

Elections and Jan. 6

Mannion: He voted against the SAVE America Act (Safeguard American Voters Eligibility Act) that would change how Americans register to vote.

Trump said the bill’s goal is to crack down on fraudulent voting by non-citizens, which is already illegal. The president has offered no evidence to support his claims that Democrats tried to mobilize undocumented immigrants to commit election fraud.

The bill would require voters to prove their citizenship when they register to vote, mandate that all over present a government-issued photo ID at polling places and make severe cutbacks to voting by mail. The bill passed the House but has stalled in the Senate.

“The SAVE Act isn’t about election integrity – it’s a Republican scare tactic that erodes trust in our democracy,” Mannion said. “There is no widespread fraud in American elections and it’s already illegal for non-citizens vote.”

Mannion was among a bipartisan group of House members who submitted an amicus brief to the Supreme Court that said new and proposed mail-in ballot restrictions unconstitutionally usurp the authority that states and Congress have over federal elections.

He has repeatedly condemned Trump’s false claims that the 2020 election was rigged, the Jan. 6, 2021, mob attack on the U.S. Capitol, and the president’s subsequent pardoning of those convicted of crimes in the violent attack.

Buller: Buller said she would vote to pass the SAVE Act.

“The Constitution gives states the job of running elections and I think local election boards should keep doing that,” she said. “I support voter ID and think it’s insane Mannion doesn’t. The federal role is enforcing the law, so if someone breaks federal election law, they should be prosecuted.”

Buller wrote in a Facebook post in September that “we need federal oversight in Onondaga County to ensure our incredible election officials have the resources they need to root out any potential fraud for the midterm election and future elections to come.” Asked about her comment, Buller said she does not want the federal government to take over local elections.

Buller refused to say whether she agrees with Trump’s false claims that the 2020 presidential election was rigged.

Buller said the mob attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, should not have happened and she condemned the violence against law enforcement officers at the Capitol.

Asked if she supported Trump’s decision to issue blanket pardons for about 1,500 rioters, Buller said the president has the right to take such action.

Health care

Mannion: Opposes Trump’s push to repeal the Affordable Care Act and supports efforts to expand the law.

Mannion said he would support legislation for a “public option” that would give people a choice of government-paid health insurance or private insurance obtained through an employer.

He supports efforts by Medicare to negotiate with pharmaceutical companies to lower drug costs.

Mannion supports expanding Medicare to cover people younger than 65. He has not specified an age limit.

Buller: She won’t support Trump’s efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act unless there is a viable replacement that guarantees Americans the right to health insurance.

Trump renewed his repeal push last year, claiming the law benefited insurance companies over people.

Buller said she wants to improve Affordable Care Act and would work as a member of Congress to improve the law.

She has called for greater transparency for medical costs and wants to require hospitals, insurers, and medical providers to publish clear, upfront pricing so patients can make informed decisions.

Energy

Mannion: He supports federal incentives to expand the development of renewable energy, such as solar, wind, hydro and geothermal power.

Mannion also wants to expand the use of nuclear power, especially through small, modular nuclear reactors. He said those modular reactors could play a helpful role in the transition away from fossil fuels such as coal and oil.

In Congress, he has backed several bills proposed by Democrats that are aimed at lowering energy costs.

The legislation includes the Energy Bills Relief Act, a bill that restores clean-energy tax credits canceled by the Trump administration. The bill would also prohibit utility price gouging and provide incentives for utilities to modernize the electric grid.

Buller: Supports an energy strategy that includes expanded development of fossil fuels such as coal, oil and natural gas. She also wants to expand nuclear power and energy from biofuels.

Buller said she would introduce legislation to halt any new wind and solar power developments. She has been critical of renewable projects that take up space on prime farmland in Upstate New York.

She supports the Trump administration’s effort to expand the production of natural gas through fracking. New York placed a ban on fracking in 2014. State lawmakers expanded the ban in 2020 and 2024. Buller wants to end that moratorium.

Buller backs Trump’s proposal to temporarily suspend the federal gasoline tax as prices surge during the Iran war. The federal tax is 18.4 cents per gallon for gasoline and 24.4 cents per gallon for diesel fuel.

Social Security and Medicare

Mannion: He is opposed to cutting Social Security or Medicare benefits to make both programs more sustainable for the future. He also would vote against any proposal to raise eligibility ages for both programs.

Mannion said he would keep Social Security solvent for decades by raising the tax to include an individual’s earnings up to $400,000 per year.

Under current tax law, those who earn more than $184,500 per year are exempt from paying additional taxes on earnings above that limit.

Buller: She is opposed to cutting benefits from Social Security or Medicare. Buller said she would also vote against bills to raise the eligibility age for either program.

Buller said she would not raise the Social Security cap to tax individuals earning more than $184,500 per year.

“That’s a tax increase and I’m not running to raise taxes,” she said.

Abortion

Mannion: Supports abortion rights. He would vote for federal legislation to make abortion legal nationwide. He would restore the rights lost after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022.

Mannion is co-sponsoring a bill to expand the Supreme Court and impose 20-year term limits on its justices to prevent the conservative majority from taking away additional reproductive rights.

Buller: Opposes abortion rights. But Buller said she believes abortion laws are up to each individual state and she would probably not vote in Congress for a national abortion ban.

“New York has some of the most aggressive abortion laws in the country, and I’m not going to change that as an elected official,” Buller said.

Guns

Mannion: He would vote for a federal ban on assault-style weapons and high-capacity magazines. Mannion wants tougher red flag laws, background checks and laws cracking down on ghost guns and gun trafficking.

When he was a state senator, hunters praised Mannion for successfully pushing through a law that allows rifles to be used for bear and deer hunting in Onondaga County.

Buller: Buller declined to say whether she would vote to ban assault-style firearms like the AR-15 and high-capacity magazines. “I would not take that vote lightly,” she said.

She also declined to say whether she would vote to expand federal red-flag laws and background checks to keep guns from people who are considered a threat to themselves or others.

Buller said her vote on stricter red-flag laws would depend on how the bill is written.

Aid for Israel and Ukraine

Mannion: He has voted for bills in Congress to provide additional U.S. economic and military aid to Ukraine.

Mannion was among 103 Democrats who voted in July for an amendment that would have cut off $3.3 billion in humanitarian and military aid to Israel. The bill failed in the Republican-controlled House.

Mannion said he supports Israel but made his vote as a rebuke to the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “The best way to support the Israeli people and protect Israel’s long-term security is to reject an indefensible status quo and fundamentally reset our relationship with the far-right Netanyahu government,” he said.

Mannion wants the U.S. to broker a two-state solution to resolve the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians.

Buller: Supports providing additional military and humanitarian aid to Ukraine and Israel.

Buller said she would have voted against the House amendment to cut off $3.3 billion in aid to Israel.

“Israel is our strongest ally in the Middle East, and I oppose putting conditions on its security aid,” she said.

She also opposes placing any conditions on military aid to Ukraine. “I support helping Ukraine defend itself against Russia with strict accountability for every taxpayer dollar,” Buller said.

Data centers

Mannion: He supports the state’s one-year moratorium on the construction of hyperscale data centers.

Mannion said he wants the state to enact tough rules that require data center developers to pay their share of utility costs, protect the environment, and provide benefits to host communities. He would consider requiring data center developers to produce their own energy.

He wants local communities to have the right to approve or disapprove of any data center proposal. Mannion said that decision should be made by voters in each municipality through a ballot referendum.

Mannion also co-sponsored a House bill that would make large data centers ineligible for federal tax breaks.

Buller: She supports the state’s one-year moratorium on large data centers.

Buller said data center developers must be transparent about their water use and the potential impact on water supplies and the electric grid.

She would also push to make sure that local communities and their residents make the final decision about a data center application.

“A community should not be told by Albany or any other politician that they’re getting a data center,” she said. “That’s not negotiable.”