Exclusive | House Dem boasts she got $1M in fed funding for Long Island firefighters — but voted against it

She’s gonna have a hard time putting this fire out.

Democratic Rep. Laura Gillen is getting slammed as a hypocrite for taking credit for securing nearly $1 million in federal firefighting funding — even though she voted against.

Gillen patted herself on the back during a press conference in Bellerose Tuesday alongside fire officials, saying she secured $938,000 in funding to replace the village fire department’s aging firetruck fleet.

“Bellerose’s volunteer firefighters represent the best of Long Island: every day, they volunteer their time and put their lives on the line to serve their neighbors and their community,” Gillen said then.

“I am proud to deliver this critical funding that will help Bellerose FD keep our community safe.”

But Republicans slammed the first-termer because voted against the massive bill to reopen the federal government that included the funding.

Fellow Democratic Rep. Tom Suozzi, who represents a neighboring Long Island-Queens district, voted for the funding bill to end a protracted government shutdown.

“Laura Gillen is shamelessly taking credit for funding for the Bellerose Fire Department she tried to block,” said National Republican Congressional Campaign Committee spokeswoman Maureen O’Toole. “Voters deserve better than a politician who thinks she can vote no and still claim a win.”

No GOP candidate has emerged yet to take on Gillen, a former Hempstead town supervisor. The congresswoman is up for reelection in next year’s midterm elections after she unseated former Republican Rep. Anthony D’Esposito in a heated 2024 race.

The leader of the Nassau County Republican Party slammed Gillen as two-faced.

“Laura Gillen strikes again. When she was Hempstead Town Supervisor, she lied to Town of Hempstead residents by claiming she cut their taxes while actually voting against the tax cut,” Nassau County GOP chairman Joe Cairo Jr. claimed.

“Now, Gillen is taking credit for securing funds in Congress to purchase a fire engine for the Bellerose Fire Department despite the fact that she voted against it in Congress. Long Island neighbors know that Laura Gillen’s record consists of a nonstop trail of lies and tax hikes.”

A GOP source said the firefighters were likely unaware that she voted against the funding she claimed credit for and were being used as props.

Gillen’s office, in response, noted the congresswoman requested $1 million funding for the Bellerose Fire Department in the Agriculture and Rural Agencies spending package back in May, as listed on her congressional home page.

Republicans currently hold a slim 219-213 majority heading into the 2026 midterm elections.