Email from Rep. Tenney Congresswoman Tenney's Weekly Newsletter   Have questions? Contact Me Here   Appointed to the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence I am honored to have been named to serve on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence for the 119th Congress, and I thank Speaker Johnson for this prestigious appointment. At this pivotal moment in our nation's history, I am committed to ensuring that our intelligence community has the resources and support necessary to strengthen our national security capabilities. Facilities such as Fort Drum, Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station, and Rome Lab in upstate New York are critical to our national security. I am dedicated to advocating on behalf of these premiere defense sites as a part of our critical national security asset base. I look forward to working with President Trump, Speaker Johnson, HPSCI Chairman Crawford, and my colleagues to strengthen our defense capabilities and uphold essential oversight of our nation's intelligence operations. Reintroducing the DIRECT Act to Defund the IRS and Support our CBP Agents The Biden-Harris administration has overseen the entry of over 10 million illegal immigrants into our country. Yet, instead of prioritizing border security and supporting CBP agents, they prioritized exorbitant spending for the IRS and put middle-class families and small business owners in the crosshairs. I introduced the DIRECT Act to stop Biden's IRS army from launching audits of middle-class families and reinvest those funds to hire additional Customs and Border Protection agents to secure the Southern Border. As we transition to the new administration, it is vital to provide CBP agents with the additional resources needed to secure our borders and deport illegal immigrants, ensuring they can effectively support President Trump's and Border Czar Homan's agenda. READ MORE: House Republican introduces bill to redirect funds employing IRS auditors to instead hire more border agents Introducing the SAGA Act to Protect Gun Rights in New York and Nationwide The Constitution clearly established our Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms. New York's SAFE Act, signed into law under disgraced former Governor Andrew Cuomo, prohibits law-abiding New Yorkers from purchasing, transferring, and owning certain firearms. This week, I introduced the Second Amendment Guarantee Act or SAGA Act to nullify New York's unconstitutional SAFE Act and prevent other states from enacting laws that violate the Second Amendment. If signed into law, this SAGA Act would nullify the SAFE Act and prevent New York and other states from passing unconstitutional gun bans. This legislation upholds our country's founding principle of protecting the rights of law-abiding Americans, even from liberal states with anti-gun policies. Update on Ryan Corbett It has been over 880 days since the Taliban unlawfully detained Ryan Corbett in Afghanistan, and it wasn't until this past weekend, when Anna stood at President Trump's doorstep, that President Biden finally made the time to speak with the Corbett family. The Corbett family and I met with incoming Trump National Security Advisor Mike Waltz for over an hour last weekend to discuss the urgent need to bring Ryan home to his family. The Trump administration has not yet taken office but are already working diligently to secure Ryan's release. READ MORE: Wife of detained American in Afghanistan meets with Trump's national security adviser As your representative in Congress, my top priority is championing legislative initiatives that benefit you and your families. Each week, I review numerous bills and letters, engaging in thorough discussions with members of our community to determine which actions to support and address your needs. Below are a few bills I recently cosponsored. H.R. 425 – To Repeal the Corporate Transparency Act – this bill repeals the Corporate Transparency Act of 2021 (CTA). Repealing this overreaching, draconian rule will provide much needed regulatory relief to small business owners, many of whom are most likely unaware that they are potentially liable for punishments from this act. The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FINCEN) has violated Americans' right to privacy through this act, and I hope that Congress swiftly passes this bill to overturn it. H.R. 361 – the Make Greenland Great Again Act – The Make Greenland Great Again will authorize President Trump to negotiate with Denmark to purchase Greenland. In addition to Greenland’s strategic importance, and vast natural resources, the New York Air National Guard's 109th Airlift Wing does extensive training in Greenland for its unique polar mission. Procuring Greenland would protect the New York Air National Guard's access to this vital training space. H.R. 276 – the Gulf of America Act – The Gulf of America Act will officially rename the “Gulf of Mexico” to the “Gulf of America.” Under President Trump, American leadership will be restored to the international stage, and we will no longer allow Mexico to traffic weapons, drugs, and people across our borders. By renaming the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America, we will send a clear message to Mexico that we will no longer tolerate this behavior. 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. Monday, January 13 I voted “Yes” on H.R. 192, the Amtrak Executive Bonus Disclosure Act. This bill would require Amtrak to include information on the base pay and bonus compensation of its executives in its annual report to congress. One of the most inefficient spenders of federal tax dollars, Amtrak has never once turned a profit since its inception. Despite its significant financial loses, Amtrak continues to award its executives with millions in compensation. Taxpayers deserve transparency and accountability when it comes to every dollar of government spending. This bill passed the House unanimously by a vote of 407-0. I voted “Yes” on H.R. 152, the Federal Disaster Assistance Coordination Act. This bill extends the deadline under federal law for the FEMA Administrator to develop plans to streamline and consolidate data collection from disaster assistance applicants and grantees, and to regularly report information on federal disaster assistance that is awarded. FEMA must then organize a working group to examine ways to classify duplication and fragmentation in preliminary damage assessments, determine the feasibility of having one agency complete preliminary damage assessments, and identify the potential use of emerging technologies such as unmanned aircraft systems for preliminary damage assessments. The bill would require the Administrator to report all findings to Congress and passed the House by a vote of 405-5. Tuesday, January 14 I voted “Yes” on H.R. 28, Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act of 2023. This bill would protect our Nation’s women and girls by banning biological men from competing in women’s sports and depriving women of athletic opportunities guaranteed by Title IX. Biological men have distinct advantages over women in many athletic events and are fundamentally different from biological women. Allowing biological men to compete against women strips women of scholarship opportunities and the Title IX protections that generations of women fought for. I was original cosponsor of this important bill and have been a strong advocate for getting men out of women’s sports. This bill passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 218-206. I voted “Yes” on H.R. 153, the Post-Disaster Assistance Online Accountability Act. This bill would require the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to post information regarding federal disaster spending at www.usaspending.gov. Specifically, they must publish online information regarding the total amount of disaster assistance provided, amount of disaster assistance that was expended or obligated, and a list of projects and activities funded by disaster assistance. This bill passed the House unanimously by a vote of 426-0. Wednesday, January 15 I voted “Yes” on H.R. 33, To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to provide special rules for the taxation of certain residents of Taiwan with income from sources within the United States. Taiwan is our nation’s eighth largest trading partner, and unlike many of our other top trading partners, have never received relief from double-taxation in trade and commerce with the United States. As the CCP continues to threaten Taiwan’s sovereignty and territorial waters, the United States must do more to strengthen our relationship with Taiwan. This bill passed by a vote of 423-1. I voted “Yes” on H.R. 144, the Tennessee Valley Authority Salary Transparency Act. This bill requires the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) to submit an annual report to Congress and the President on the names, salaries, and duties of high-level TVA employees. This bill, which passed the House unanimously last Congress, would provide much needed transparency into the use of taxpayer dollars by the TVA. This is of particular interest to the taxpayer after multiple reports of high-ranking TVA officials earning well over $123,041, the maximum basic pay rate of a General Schedule Grade 15 federal employee. This bill passed the House unanimously by a vote of 423-0. I voted “Yes” on H.R. 164, the Promoting Opportunities to Widen Electrical Resilience (POWER) Act. This bill would allow public electric utilities that receive FEMA disaster assistance for emergency power restoration to include mitigation activities as part of that restoration. It would also clarify that receiving FEMA assistance for power restoration does not disqualify these utilities from obtaining additional hazard mitigation assistance through FEMA’s Public Assistance Program. This bill passed the House by a vote of 419-2. Thursday, January 16 I voted “Yes” on H.R. 30, the Violence Against Women by Illegal Aliens Act. This bill would require that illegal aliens that commit sex offenses or domestic violence are deported and are inadmissible for entry into the United States. Under the Biden administration, millions of illegal aliens have poured across our borders each year, threatening American citizens in every community. This bill ensures that illegal aliens that commit heinous crimes are immediately deported and can no longer threaten our communities. I am disappointed that so many of my Democratic colleagues refused to support this commonsense bill and are willing to let these dangerous individuals, that have already broken the law by entering our country illegally and commit heinous crimes, remain in our country. This bill passed by a vote of 274-145. ICYMI: Introducing the Protect Local Farms New York's overtime threshold for farm workers jeopardizes the livelihoods of thousands of farm laborers and threatens the survival of small, family-owned farms across the state. Last week, I introduced the Protect Local Farms Act, which would establish a federal mandate that the overtime threshold cannot be set below 60 hours per week. This critical legislation would rescind Albany's oppressive threshold and set a federal standard to ensure the overtime threshold for agricultural workers is not lowered below 60 hours per week. As the representative of the largest agriculture district in the Northeast, I will continue to fight for farmers and ensure they are not overburdened by out-of-touch, bureaucratic regulations. Announcing the 2025 Congressional Art Contest Since 1982, the Congressional Art Competition has been held each spring to celebrate the talents of young artists across the country. This week, our office announced that we are accepting submissions for the 2025 Congressional Art Competition. All high students from the 24th Congressional District our invited to take part in this tradition. Submissions will be evaluated by a panel of experts from NY-24, and the winning artwork will be displayed in the United States Capitol for one year. Acceptable mediums include: Paintings: oil, acrylics, watercolor, etc. Drawings: colored pencil, pencil, ink, marker, pastels, charcoal Collages (must be two dimensional) Prints: lithographs, silkscreen, block prints Mixed Media: use of more than two mediums such as pencil, ink, watercolor Computer-generated art Photographs All submissions must be delivered to one of my district offices beginning April 14th and ending April 18th, 2025. All necessary paperwork must be attached to the students’ artwork. Honoring a True American Hero: Casimer 'Casey' Bukowski Our team recently attended an incredible event at the Kenan Center in Lockport, where World War II Veteran Casimer "Casey" Bukowski shared his remarkable story with students from DeSales Catholic School.  Bukowski, a bomber crew member during the war, was shot down on his 16th mission. Despite being seriously wounded, he endured 14 months as a prisoner of war before being liberated by General Patton's Third Army. His resilience and bravery embody the very best of America. We are deeply grateful for his willingness to share his story of courage, sacrifice, and perseverance with the next generation, ensuring that the lessons of history and patriotism live on. To recognize his extraordinary service to our country, our office presented Casey Bukowski with a Congressional Commendation. Congratulations Mike Muscolino On Your Retirement Congratulations to Mike Muscolino on his upcoming retirement. His commitment to serving students and young athletes in Wayne County illustrates the best in the people of our District. Thank you for your dedication and service to our community for over 45 years! 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 Canandaigua 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 | 2230 Rayburn House Office Building | Washington, DC 20515 US Unsubscribe | Update Profile | Constant Contact Data Notice