Congresswoman Tenney's Weekly Newsletter   Have questions? Contact Me Here   Standing for Election Integrity and Fighting to Keep Donald Trump on Colorado's Ballot Colorado Supreme Court's recent attempt to remove former President Donald Trump from the ballot is a weaponization of our government and a direct attack on our self-governing Constitutional Republic. This week, I joined House Speaker Mike Johnson, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, Senator Ted Cruz, 134 House Republicans, and 41 Senate Republicans in filing a Supreme Court Amicus Brief in the case Donald J. Trump v. Norma Anderson, et al. Not only does Colorado lack this authority to remove the frontrunner from the ballot, but also tells millions of Coloradans that their vote does not matter. This is an unprecedented attempt to undermine our elections, and I am confident the Supreme Court will overrule this unconstitutional decision. As chair of the Election Integrity Caucus, I will continue to work to ensure every legal voter in every state has access to free, fair, accurate, and transparent elections. READ MORE: The Full Amicus Brief Standing for Pro-Life Values in Congress House Republicans proved this week that we are dedicated to defending the inalienable right to life by passing multiple pieces of legislation to protect the unborn and support mothers. One of my bills, the Supporting Pregnant and Parenting Women and Families Act, passed by a vote of 214-208. This bill stops the Biden administration's efforts to divert TANF funds away from specific crisis pregnancy centers and pro-life institutions, which would jeopardize countless women's access to invaluable resources. One of our community's own, Reverend Harden from CompassCare, came to the Capitol to voice support for this legislation. I am grateful for his support and his tireless advocacy for expecting women and their babies. I also introduced the Unborn Child Support Act this week to enable expecting mothers to receive child support payments during pregnancy. Specifically, this bill allows the courts, in consultation with the mother, to grant child support payments during the prenatal period, extending retroactively to the physician-determined point of conception. I will continue working to provide mothers with the opportunity to access child support payments during pregnancy, while giving them the flexibility to deny these payments, should they choose. READ MORE: Tenney’s legislation seeks child support for expecting mothers during pregnancy Introducing the Parity for Child Exploitation Offenders Act Sexual predators who repeatedly abuse and exploit children must face heightened penalties for their heinous and unspeakable crimes. Currently, loopholes in our justice system fail to apply these enhanced penalties to all sexual crimes involving children. I introduced the bipartisan and bicameral Parity for Child Exploitation Offenders Act, which closes these loopholes to ensure repeat offenders of these horrific crimes face the same mandatory federal penalties. We must do all that we can to hold sexual predators accountable for their evil crimes and protect our children! Transparency in Congress and a well-informed electorate are vital to preserving our self-governing Constitutional Republic. My constituents deserve to know how their members of Congress vote, which is why I have explained every vote I have cast in Congress since I was first elected. To read more about my votes and see the full list with explanations of all the legislation considered this week by the House, please click here. I voted “Yes” on S. 3250, A bill to provide remote access to court proceedings for victims of the 1988 Bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland. In 1988, 190 Americans, including 35 Syracuse University students and two University of Rochester students, were tragically killed on Pan Am Flight 103. In 2020, the Department of Justice charged Abu Agila Mohammad Mas’ud Kheir Al-Marimi with this heinous crime, however, many of the relatives of the victims of this bombing are elderly or physically unable to travel to DC to attend court proceedings. S. 3250 ensures that all the victims’ relatives can have remote access to the court proceedings regardless of their location. This bill passed the House by a vote of 413-7. I voted “Yes” on Senate Amendment to H.R. 2872, the Further Additional Continuing Appropriations and Other Extensions Act, 2024. Just a few weeks ago, Speaker Johnson came to a historic funding agreement that cuts baseline spending levels by billions of dollars and works to rein in agencies such as the IRS. However, now that the topline details have been agreed to, it will take weeks to work out the finer details of this funding package. To provide the time needed, this bill would extend currently enacted government funding levels through March 1st and March 8th, and temporarily extend many expiring Medicaid, Medicare, HHS, and DHS programs. This will give House Republicans time to secure provisions to roll back the Biden administration’s unconstitutional overreaches and to enact needed reforms to manage the growing catastrophe crisis at our southern border. It is my hope that by early March, we can pass a full-year budget that will deliver for the American people and provide the course correction we most desperately need. Ideally, I would like to see all of our priorities, including the appropriations process, under regular order. However, we simply do not have the nearly unanimous votes necessary in the House to achieve those goals with now a two-seat majority. Unfortunately, the Democrats control the Executive Branch and the Senate, where the priorities and the urgent needs of the American people, especially on the catastrophe at the border, are being ignored. In terms of strategy, a “No” vote on this bill is just another signal to Senate Democrats that we remain divided in the House and the Democrats can continue to ignore the priorities of the American people. Unity among Republicans, not a dangerous partial government shutdown, is crucial to our success. This bill passed the House by a vote of 314-108. I voted “Yes” on H.R. 6918, the Supporting Pregnant and Parenting Women and Families Act. H.R. 6918 would prohibit the Biden administration, through the rulemaking process, from limiting the ability of states to spend Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) funds on pregnancy centers, clarifying that pregnancy centers do in fact meet the statutory purpose of organizations that qualify for TANF. Currently, the Biden administration proposed rule on pregnancy centers circumvents congressional authority and far exceeds the statutory limits granted to HHS. These centers provide emotional support and tangible benefits for women with unplanned pregnancies, including relationship counseling, prenatal and pregnancy education, pregnancy testing, diapers, baby clothes, and other material support. It is unconscionable that the Biden administration would try to exclude pregnancy centers from TANF. We must do everything we can to promote access to the services that pregnancy centers offer so women can utilize the resources and support they need to choose life. This bill passed the House by a vote of 214-208. I voted “Yes” on H.R. 6914, the Pregnant Students’ Rights Act. H.R. 6914 ensures that colleges and universities provide students with information regarding resources and accommodations available to pregnant students. Furthermore, this bill requires schools to inform students of the process to file a complaint if their Title IX rights for pregnant students are violated and ensures this information is included in the student handbook, taught at orientation, is available publicly on their website, and provided at student health or counseling centers. Pregnant students should never have to choose between carrying their child to term or completing their degree. I wholeheartedly support this commonsense legislation and was honored to support it on the House floor when it passed the House by a vote of 212-207. I voted “Yes” on H.R. 5862, to amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 relating to authority of U.S. Customs and Border Protection to consolidate, modify, or reorganize Customs revenue functions. The Homeland Security Act of 2002, which created CBP, provides little flexibility to update customs staffing levels or position descriptions to adapt to the current trade environment. Currently, CBP has positions which are designed to enforce U.S. trade laws, facilitate legitimate trade, and protect the American economy. However, these positions are narrowly defined and don’t grant CBP enough flexibility to counter all of today’s existing trade challenges. To address this issue this legislation will help to refocus CBP’s existing resources so that they are able to better respond to a diverse array of trade enforcement issues. This bill passed the House by a vote of 403-9. I voted “Yes” on H. Res. 957, Denouncing the Biden administration's open-borders policies, condemning the national security and public safety crisis along the southwest border, and urging President Biden to end his administration's open-borders policies. Under the Biden administration’s open-border policies, we have lost operational control of our own borders, creating a major national security and humanitarian crisis. This crisis has not only exacerbated the opioid and fentanyl epidemic facing our country, but is also directly harming our local communities where unvetted illegal immigrants are being settled, forcing the closure of important community areas and straining public services. I have repeatedly called for the impeachment of both President Biden and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Mayorkas over their clear dereliction of duty in enforcing our nation’s laws and securing the border. It is shameful that this administration continues to stick its head in the sand and ignore the ongoing crisis facing our nation. I urge the Senate to pass H.R. 2, which passed the House last year and is the strongest border security package to ever pass in Congress. We must continue fighting to secure our borders and enforce our nation’s laws. This resolution passed the House by a vote of 225-187. FREE RYAN CORBETT Ryan Corbett, a husband, father, and Western New Yorker has been held without charge by the Taliban in Afghanistan since August 10, 2022. Ryan is being held in a basement cell without regular access to a bathroom, sunlight, or medical care. Other Westerners who have been released from the prison where Ryan is being held report that he is in deteriorating health. His family has been fighting for his release in silence but decided to go public because of fears for his life.  Since meeting with the Corbett family and hearing their story, I have been fighting for Ryan’s release and well-being. This includes working to get Ryan officially designated as a wrongful detainee by the U.S. Department of State on October 10, 2023. I introduced a bipartisan resolution this week, reiterating that Congress will not stand idly by while an innocent American is wrongfully detained and suffers under harsh captivity at the hands of the Taliban. The strong bipartisan support for this resolution calling for Ryan Corbett’s release shows that Congress stands united in calling for Ryan’s release and condemning the Taliban’s wrongful detention of Americans. We will work tirelessly to bring attention to Ryan Corbett's case and advocate for his immediate release to bring him home to his family. WATCH: My interview with Anna Corbett on FOX & Friends First Meeting with Fort Drum's Commanding General, MajGen Gregory Anderson Fort Drum's 10th Mountain Division is at the forefront of protecting our nation from threats around the world. I met with Fort Drum's Commanding General, MajGen Gregory Anderson, this week to discuss Fort Drum's plans for the upcoming year. This includes efforts to enhance military housing and childcare services, aiming to improve the well-being and support of our military families. I will continue to work tirelessly with community leaders to strengthen our nation's investments in Fort Drum and to support our service members and their families. Interested in Serving our Country and Attending One of The Nation's Prestigious Military Service Academies? Our Office is now accepting applications for 2024 Military Service Academy Nominations! As a member of the House of Representatives and Mother of a Naval Academy graduate, it is my honor to nominate a select number of candidates to four of the five service academies. The honor of attending a service academy comes with an obligation and commitment to serve in the military for a minimum of five years upon graduation. If you, or a student you know, are interested in applying for a nomination to one of the service academies, please visit our website here to find the required forms and documents. For more information on this process, feel free to contact my Oswego office at (315) 236-7088! Need Help with a Federal Agency? Call us today. If you or someone you know ever needs assistance with a federal agency, we are just a phone call away and are ready to help you! Please contact my Victor Office at 585-869-2060, my Oswego Office at 315-236-7088, or my Lockport Office at 716-514-5130! I am honored to have the opportunity to represent you. Have news or updates to share? Email me!  If you have updates regarding events in the community or other news to share from across New York's 24th District, please visit the "Contact Me" page on my website to share it with me. My team will try to include as many of your updates from around #NY24 as we can each week.     tenney.house.gov Rep. Tenney | 2349 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515 Unsubscribe [email protected] Update Profile | Constant Contact Data Notice Sent by [email protected]