Eric James Joseph Massa (born September 16, 1959) is a former American politician who served as a U.S. Representative for New York's 29th congressional district.

He lost his job due to downsizing and moved to Washington to work as a Republican staffer for the House Armed Services Committee in 2003.

[10] Some press reports attributed Massa's victory to the plurality he attained among voters in Cattaraugus County, which voted for Kuhl in 2004 and 2006.

[11] Massa voted in favor of, and generally supported, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, but has said he finds faults with the legislation.

[13] In April 2009, Massa was noted for his suggestion to close the U.S.–Mexico border as a response to the 2009 swine flu pandemic, which originated in Mexico.

[16] During the 2009 Netroots Nation convention held in Pittsburgh, Massa told a group of activists that he "will vote adamantly against the interests of my district if I actually think what I am doing is going to be helpful" in regard to a single-payer health care system.

He also controversially exclaimed that Sen. Chuck Grassley's comments describing end-of-life care as "killing Grandma" constitute "an act of treason.

"[18] On October 10, 2009, Massa announced his plans for re-election, saying, "I don't want to play games with people about speculation, I want to be very direct and candid.

The investigation was said to involve alleged sexual advances and harassment toward a younger male member of Massa's staff.

In a published statement on his website, Massa identified his declining health and the ongoing ethics investigation as the reasons for his departure.

[5] On March 10, 2010, The Washington Post reported that Massa was under investigation for allegations that he had groped multiple male staffers working in his office.

"In his interview with Beck, the married Massa acknowledged that he shared a Washington residence with several unmarried male staffers as a cost-saving measure.

[33] In 2017, the New York Daily News reported that Congress had paid nearly $100,000 to settle the harassment claims made by two male staffers against Massa.