Kalamazoo College—Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Music; New York Law School—Juris Doctor (J.D.); Hunter College—Master of Science in Education (M.S.Ed.)
Data last updated 10/27/2026
Michael DeCillis is a fourth-generation Staten Islander, third-generation union member, and candidate for U.S. House in New York's 11th Congressional District. His professional background includes 35 years in public service, including work as a 9/11 first responder, paramedic, retired NYPD officer, civil litigation attorney, public school special education teacher, former Chief of Staff in the New York State Assembly, and Assistant Counsel on the NYC Districting Commission.
Committee Assignments: No committee assignments available.
Michael DeCillis frames healthcare as a human right and supports universal, single-payer healthcare intended to eliminate co-pays and deductibles while expanding access. He also emphasizes affordability concerns and, according to a candidate-profile issue summary, supports abortion access.
Specific Actions & Proposals
DeCillis says he will advocate for a single-payer healthcare system that provides access to all while eliminating co-pays and deductibles and lowering overall care costs.
SourceA candidate issue profile summarizes DeCillis as wanting universal healthcare.
SourceIn announcing his campaign, DeCillis said families are finding it nearly impossible to afford healthcare, placing healthcare affordability among the economic pressures motivating his run.
SourceMichael DeCillis frames his Economy & Jobs agenda around affordability for working families, small-business growth, and workforce development. He supports reducing taxes on the working class, requiring billionaires and large corporations to pay more, expanding SBA support and federal contracting opportunities for local businesses, and promoting vocational programs to fill skilled-trade jobs.
Specific Actions & Proposals
DeCillis says wages have stagnated while costs have risen and supports reducing the tax burden on the working class while making billionaires pay their fair share.
SourceDeCillis supports fully funding SBA programs so local small businesses can access startup capital, loans, venture capital, and technical assistance.
SourceDeCillis supports expanding access to federal contracts for local small businesses, including women-, minority-, and veteran-owned businesses that he says are often boxed out of growth opportunities.
SourceDeCillis supports streamlining federal regulations for small businesses and reforming the tax code to provide targeted tax relief for small businesses.
SourceDeCillis supports promoting vocational programs to address a shortage of skilled trade workers and create more pathways into the job market.
SourceMichael DeCillis supports comprehensive immigration reform that treats immigrant workers and families as important to the economy, community, and culture. He also supports abolishing ICE, arguing that immigration enforcement should target people who have committed crimes but that ICE cannot be trusted to operate constitutionally or respect human rights.
Specific Actions & Proposals
DeCillis says he would champion immigration reform that recognizes immigrant workers and families as essential to the economy, community, and culture.
SourceDeCillis says ICE violates civil and human rights and "needs to be abolished, period."
SourceMichael DeCillis presents a pro-climate-action platform: he says climate change is real, calls it a national security and public-health threat, and supports stronger pollution enforcement plus climate-resilient infrastructure for Staten Island and South Brooklyn.
Specific Actions & Proposals
DeCillis says the federal government should accept that climate change is real and act on hard science, describing climate change as a threat to national security, the economy, health, and safety.
SourceDeCillis supports investing in infrastructure, including upgraded sewer and drainage systems, to reduce flooding from future natural disasters.
SourceDeCillis participated in an environmental and climate policy forum focused on regional climate and environmental issues affecting New York's 11th Congressional District.
SourceMichael DeCillis presents himself as strongly pro-public education, opposing efforts to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education and calling for increased investment in public schools. He also emphasizes equal access to quality public education regardless of ZIP code, disability, or family income, drawing on his experience as a former special education teacher.
Specific Actions & Proposals
DeCillis says he will stop the dismantling of the Department of Education as part of his education platform.
SourceDeCillis states that more investments need to be made in public education because rigorous, well-rounded public education helps more children succeed.
SourceDeCillis says access to a quality public education should not depend on a student’s ZIP code, disability, or family income.
SourceDeCillis lists strengthening public education among the reasons he is running for Congress and ties it to serving everyday people rather than the wealthy and well-connected.
SourceMichael DeCillis frames public safety around gun-violence prevention, police-community trust, and rights-respecting policing. He supports universal background checks, gun licensing, an assault weapons ban, and changes to how public safety is delivered while emphasizing community trust and crime reduction.
Specific Actions & Proposals
DeCillis supports universal background checks, gun licensing, and an assault weapons ban as part of his gun-violence platform.
SourceDeCillis says restoring trust in the NYPD is essential for police to work with communities to reduce crime.
SourceDeCillis advocates evaluating police response, training, and services as part of his public safety platform.
SourceDeCillis says public safety should be delivered in ways that meet community needs while respecting people’s rights.
SourceDeCillis states that public safety is built not only on enforcing the law but also on earning the trust of the communities officers serve.
SourceVOTE411 Voter Guide
https://onyourballot.vote411.org/m/candidate-detail.do?id=73188938Fetched: biography, education
FEC API
https://api.open.fec.gov/v1/candidate/H6NY11265/totals/Fetched: totalRaised, totalSpent, cashOnHand
Blue Voter Guide - Michael DeCillis
https://bluevoterguide.org/NY/candidate_Michael_DeCillis/289097Fetched: endorsements
Blue Voter Guide - New York District 11
https://bluevoterguide.org/district/NY/New_York_District_11/51774/830Fetched: endorsements
Blue Voter Guide - Gun Sense Voter New York Endorsements
https://bluevoterguide.org/endorser-org/Gun_Sense_Voter/NY/4895Fetched: endorsements
Blue Voter Guide - EMSPAC New York Endorsements
https://bluevoterguide.org/endorser-org/Emergency_Medical_Service_Public_Advocacy_Council_%28EMSPAC%29/NY/9226Fetched: endorsements
New York State United Teachers Endorsements
https://www.nysut.org/resources/special-resources-sites/voter-guide/endorsementsFetched: endorsements
Wikipedia - 2026 United States House of Representatives elections in New York
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_United_States_House_of_Representatives_elections_in_New_YorkFetched: endorsements
Branch candidate profile
https://www.branch.vote/races/2026-new-york-general-election-ny-state-us-representative-ny-congressional-11/candidates/mike-decillisFetched: issuePositions
Brooklyn Paper
https://www.brooklynpaper.com/michael-decillis-democratic-primary-ny-11/Fetched: issuePositions
Branch candidate guide
https://www.branch.vote/races/2026-new-york-general-election-ny-state-us-representative-ny-congressional-11/candidates/mike-decillisFetched: issuePositions
Mike DeCillis for Congress - Priorities
https://www.decillisforcongress.com/issuesFetched: issuePositions
CBS News New York
https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/staten-island-congress-nicole-malliotakis-mike-decillis/Fetched: issuePositions
Staten Island Inter-Agency Alliance environmental forum page
https://www.siialliance.org/events/ppow-environmental-climate-policy-forumFetched: issuePositions
Branch.vote
https://www.branch.vote/races/2026-new-york-general-election-ny-state-us-representative-ny-congressional-11/candidates/mike-decillisFetched: issuePositions