 Tonko became a prominent opponent of the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) in 2015, citing American trade deficits and the use of child labor by at least four countries who had already signed the pact as among his reasons for opposing the deal.In 2017, Tonko was one of three Catholic politicians who were publicly rebuked by Bishop Edward Bernard Scharfenberger of Albany for participating in a rally supporting Planned Parenthood.In January 2019, Tonko—a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee—was named chair of that committee's Subcommittee on the Environment and Climate Change.