December 23, 2023
Dear Friends,
This holiday season, as we take time to celebrate with loved ones, I—like so many—am counting my many blessings, one of which is having the honor to represent our great Capital Region and its residents.
I always cherish the opportunity to be out in the district speaking about the issues that matter to you, and my team and I have spent the last year continuing to engage with and serve our constituency to the best of our ability. As we approach the end of 2023, I’m sharing some of the work my team and I have accomplished this year to deliver for our communities through advocacy and direct engagement with you.
Providing help to constituents who need assistance with federal agencies is one of my top priorities as your representative. This year, my staff and I resolved more than 1,500 constituent cases, assisting with issues including immigration services, veterans affairs, and social security. Our incredible casework team has helped residents like you receive more than $4.5 million in federal funds through assistance with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Social Security Administration, and more. On that note, if you are looking for help with a federal agency, you can fill out a request form on my website HERE.
As we worked to assist you in connecting with federal agencies, we also made sure that you had the latest information and resources available. Driven by that effort, I held a number of informational district events including:
My office and I have also been working nonstop to support jobs and businesses in New York’s Capital Region by sharing grant opportunities for individuals, nonprofits, and community organizations, and advocating on behalf of these groups to secure the funding they deserve. I’m proud of our success on that front. This year, we:
- Shared grant opportunities with thousands across our district to help secure 277 grants that totaled nearly $850 million in federal funding for our region.
- Provided more than 60 letters of support advocating for many of these investments, helping to deliver critical funding to fire departments, small businesses, and other organizations.
This year also marked the culmination of more than a decade of work to bolter our region’s health care system. For years, a broken formula deprived our region’s health care system—and its doctors, nurses, and patients—of critically needed federal dollars. But thanks to my advocacy, that unjust formula has been fixed, thereby delivering upwards of $190 million annually for our region to address staff shortages, update equipment, and ensure that—whether you are battling disease, sickness, a broken limb, or any other malady—top-notch, sensitive care is only a short ride away.
Whether by introducing legislation to address local priorities, securing critical funding for local businesses, or helping constituents cut through red tape, I consider it my highest honor to advocate on behalf of our Capital Region, and my team and I are working every day with a spirit of service to meet the needs of the people I represent.
As always, thank you for reading and happy holidays to you and yours! May this be a season filled with peace and love, and I wish you all the best in the new year!
Your friend,
DID YOU KNOW?
My office and I are working to make sure you remain informed with the latest updates and recommendations from federal agencies. With that in mind, here is some information that may be of interest to you:
- With the holiday travel season underway, I’m sharing some information from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection that may help make international travel this season safer and easier.
- Consider duty exemptions. Items brought abroad for personal use or as gifts are eligible for duty exemptions.
- More information on duty exemptions can be found here.
- Be aware of traveling with medications. Many foreign-made medications are not approved for use in the US and are not permitted. When traveling abroad, bring only the medication you will need.
- Travelers enrolled in Global Entry members can use the new Global Entry Touchless Portals. The portals reduce physical touchpoints and expedite arrival processing by eliminating paper receipts and protecting passenger privacy.
- Global Entry applicants who have not yet received an interview prior to their international trip may still opt for faster processing at select airports with Enrollment on Arrival (EoA)
- Beginning this summer, non-U.S. citizens from 41 Visa Waiver Program countries can use the new ESTA Mobile App to apply for an ESTA authorization from their mobile devices.
- For more tips, visit CBP’s website HERE. And no matter where you are celebrating this holiday season, I hope it is filled with peace, family, and fun. Happy Holidays!
