I want to wish everyone a safe, happy, and healthy Independence Day! Let freedom ring from the Mohawk Valley to the Southern Tier as we come together as a community to celebrate the founding of the greatest Nation on Earth. This day is also a day to honor the incredible sacrifices made by those before us who have fought for, secured, and defended our freedoms for generations.
After a tremendously challenging year, I hope every American is able to celebrate with family, friends, and loved ones this Independence Day. And as you do, remember the principles upon which our nation was founded, recognize all that we have accomplished since July 4, 1776, and all that we will achieve together over the next 245 years. May God continue to Bless America!
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Fighting for Essential Caregivers and our Seniors
Several months ago, Karla Abraham-Conley of Utica brought to my attention the dire situation she and so many other Essential Caregivers like her faced during the pandemic. During the COVID-19 pandemic, long-term care facilities like nursing and group homes were forced to enter lockdowns, cutting off access between residents and their Essential Caregivers. This caused many residents, seniors, children, and individuals living with disabilities to be isolated from loved ones for several months at a time. This isolation took a significant toll on their physical and mental health, even costing some their lives.
That's why I introduced the Essential Caregivers Act (H.R. 3733), a bipartisan bill that would ensure residents living in these facilities have continued safe access to their Essential Caregivers in any future public health emergency. Specifically, the legislation amends the Social Security Act to create an Essential Caregiver Program that grants residents in long-term care facilities the right to designate two Essential Caregivers to be permitted access to the resident.
I was honored to welcome caregivers from across the country to Washington this week as we called on Congress to take action on this important bill. On Tuesday, I shared some of the harrowing and heartbreaking stories my office received from hundreds of Essential Caregivers on the House Floor. The following morning, on Wednesday, I took to the steps of the Capitol for a rally with Essential Caregivers and families to call for passage of this bipartisan bill.
I won't stop fighting for this cause until we pass this bipartisan legislation into law. It is critical that Congress put its differences aside and come together to stand up for the rights of seniors and those with intellectual disabilities. Click the links below to listen to their stories and to learn more about this bill.
Click here to watch more:
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A realistic and bipartisan Clean Energy Future
America must continue to lead the way in developing innovative clean energy solutions. That's why I’ve introduce the bipartisan Clean Energy Future through Innovation Act of 2021 with several of my colleague in Congress.
This legislation would make significant investments in energy innovation and infrastructure, including carbon capture, advanced nuclear, renewables, efficiency, and storage. After a decade of innovation, it establishes a technology-neutral clean energy standard that would reduce CO2 emissions 80% by 2050. The legislation has broad bipartisan support from utilities to environmental groups to labor organizations. That's because it provides a stable and predictable policy framework for investors and electric utilities in the decades ahead. Executive orders and administrative actions that prolong the political and legal battles won’t solve this problem — but bipartisan legislation like this will.
The Clean Energy Future through Innovation Act is reasonable and realistic and it brings together a diverse group of stakeholders to ensure the United States continues to prioritize responsible clean energy innovation.
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Introduced the End Zuckerbucks Act
This week, I introduced the End Zuckerbucks Act, which would amend the Internal Revenue Code to prohibit 501(c)(3) tax exempt organizations from channeling direct funds to government election agencies.
During the 2020 Election, Mark Zuckerberg poured $350 million into the Center for Tech and Civic Life (CTCL), a left-leaning non-profit run by former Obama staffers. CTCL then funneled this money directly to Boards of Elections, completely bypassing any accountability or oversight from state legislatures or local governments. CTCL said at the time that this money was for PPE, but it was actually used for just about everything but PPE. As election officials have since admitted, this includes Get Out the Vote campaigns, mailers to registered voters, online voter registration drives, among other uses.
My legislation would ensure that the administration of our elections is not something that can be sold to the highest bidder or wealthiest Silicon Valley donor. Influence operations by a third-party in America’s elections undermine public confidence in the democratic process. I thank Representatives Elise Stefanik, Jim Banks, Dan Bishop, Andy Harris, Steve Womack, Barry Moore, Jeff Fortenberry, Lauren Boebert, Chip Roy, Mo Brooks, Mike Kelly, and John Rutherford for joining me in this effort as original cosponsors of the bill.
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Holding the IRS Accountable
Constituents across New York's 22nd Congressional District have called my office to complain about the IRS’s significant backlog. This has severely impacted its ability to process stimulus payments, 2020 tax returns, and tax refunds. I am deeply frustrated by the agency's lack of responsiveness, which is why I penned a letter to the IRS Service Commissioner Charles P. Rettig urging him to make better use of its resources. Our seniors, families, and taxpaying citizens have waited far too long for money they have earned. I look forward to his prompt resolution of these outstanding cases, and to hearing any updates he may have for us as this situation continues to evolve. Read the letter here.
I want to remind all residents of New York's 22nd District: if you are having issues with the IRS, my office is here to help. Please give us a call in Binghamton at (607) 242-0200 or Utica at (315) 732-0713.
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My Votes This Week
I'm committed to restoring transparency to government, which is why I explain every vote I take on the House floor. While we may not always agree, you will always know where I stand on the issues and how I vote in Congress. To read more about my votes, please click here.
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I voted “Yes” on H.R. 2225, the National Science Foundation for the Future Act. This bipartisan legislation will increase funding for the National Science Foundation to ensure that industries of the future like quantum information sciences, artificial intelligence, supercomputing, cybersecurity, and advanced manufacturing can continue driving our economic growth and competitiveness. This bill passed the House by a vote of 345-67.
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I voted “Yes” on H.R. 3593, the Department of Energy Science for the Future Act. This bipartisan bill provides comprehensive policy guidance and funding authorization for the major research programs overseen by the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Science. This legislation passed the House by a vote of 351-68.
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I voted “Yes” on H.R. 391, the Global Health Security Act of 2021. This legislation reaffirms the United States’ commitment to promoting global health security. This bill directs the President to establish the Global Health Security Agenda Interagency Review Council to review and implement the Global Health Security Agenda, an initiative launched by nearly 30 nations to address global infectious disease threats. This bipartisan legislation passed the House by a vote of 307-112
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I voted “Yes” on H.R. 567, the Trans-Sahara Counterterrorism Partnership Program Act of 2021. This bipartisan bill authorizes an interagency program to strengthen counterterrorism operations and better coordinate U.S. assistance to address rising extremism in West and North Africa. This legislation passed the House by a vote of 395-15.
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I voted “No” on H.R. 2662, the Inspector General Independence and Efficiency Act. Despite its name, this bill actually fails to ensure proper protections for former federal employees or maintain the President’s authority, regardless of their party, to expeditiously remove and replace inspectors general (IG) who are failing to do their jobs. This legislation passed the House by a vote of 221-182.
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I voted “No” on H.R. 3005, Removing Certain Statues from the Capitol. Currently, states select two statues to be displayed in the halls of Congress. This tradition goes back to 1864, and represents the idea that our Constitutional Republic is based on the core principle of federalism. A better approach to this issue would have been to reform the Joint Committee that oversees statues so that it operates less arbitrarily and more effectively, while continuing to give states the ability to make these decisions through the democratic process, as they have for more than a century. Instead, this bill gives the Joint Committee even more power, despite its shortcomings. For example, the State of North Carolina voted six years ago to replace a Confederate statue in the Capitol, yet the Committee has not taken any action to make this happen. Under this bill, the Joint Committee is not subjected to a single meaningful reform. This legislation passed the House by a vote of 285-120.
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I voted "No" on H.Res. 503, to Establish the Select Committee on January 6th. As I have said repeatedly, I condemn the unlawful acts at the U.S. Capitol on January 6. Those who threaten, destroy, and steal property betray our fundamental Constitutional rights of free speech and peaceful assembly. Congress and its committees of jurisdiction like the Homeland Security Committee are fully equipped to investigate the events of January 6. This bill passed the House by a vote of 222-190.
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I voted “No” on H.R. 3684, the Invest in America Act. Investing in our nation’s infrastructure and rural communities is a top priority. However, House Democrats have once again abandoned a bipartisan process in favor of a highly partisan one that prioritizes Green New Deal policies over commonsense solutions to rebuild our infrastructure and reinvest in rural America. This bill would bankrupt the Highway Trust fund in two years. It steers funds away from rural areas like New York’s 22nd District toward major cities and imposes one ideological mandate after another on local governments. The bill also fails to provide communities the flexibilities they need to make targeted investments. H.R. 3684 bewilderingly takes resources away from water and wastewater infrastructure, which we desperately need in New York, and diverts them toward climate projects. H.R. 3684 passed the House by a vote of 221-201.
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Weekly Cosponsor Update
I am pleased to share several bills that I cosponsored in Congress this week. I am focused on representing you in Washington and will continue to support commonsense legislation that delivers results for New York families, small businesses, and seniors. This is what I cosponsored this week:
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H.R. 4153:To advance clean power technology development and use through innovation and clean energy standards, and for other purposes.
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H.R. 4213: To establish the Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative, and for other purposes.
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H.R. 4216: To direct the Joint Committee on the Library to replace the bust of Roger Brooke Taney in the Old Supreme Court Chamber of the United States Capitol with a bust of Clarence Thomas to be obtained by the Joint Committee on the Library.
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H.R. 4276: To provide for temporary protected status for residents of Hong Kong, and for other purposes.
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Join My Tele-Town Hall on Wednesday
I'll be hosting a Tele-Town Hall this coming Wednesday at 6:00pm after I had to postpone it from last Wednesday night due to the voting schedule in Congress. I invite you to join this discussion, where you'll be able to ask questions, provide your feedback, and share your views on issues important to you.
REGISTER HERE: If you would like to register to join the call, please click the image above or the link here.
*Start time subject to change based on the House's voting schedule
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Congressional App Challenge
I have officially launched the 2021 Congressional App Challenge for middle and high school students to work as part of a team to develop a software application. New York’s 22nd Congressional is home to state-of-the-art cyber security installations and leads the way in cutting edge research at our top tier colleges and universities and our award-winning schools. I encourage all middle and high school students in NY-22 to take this opportunity to learn more about coding and working with a team to develop an app.
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Oneida County Sheriff's Law Enforcement Foundation
I enjoyed meeting with Oneida County Sheriff Maciol, Assemblywoman Buttenschon, Dave Corr, and Kelly Corr Cooper this week to discuss the Fallen Heroes Memorial. I have introduced legislation in Congress to honor the memory of those who have served local communities. Whether it be through law enforcement, military service, or as a firefighter, this is a meaningful way to remember our heroes.
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Celebrating Our Local Businesses
Congratulations to Sunnking Inc. on the expansion of their new “demanufcturing” plant in Whitesboro! The expansion is expected to create new jobs and will continue providing innovate e-waste recycling solutions. This expansion comes as the company celebrates its 21st year in business! Congrats and best wishes as you continue growing your business and our local economy.
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July Mobile Office Hours
I am pleased to announce that my office will be holding office hours in Herkimer County this week. If you or someone you know are interested in attending a session, please contact my Binghamton District Office at 607-242-0200 or my Utica District Office at 315-732-0713 to schedule an appointment today.
Herkimer County
Wednesday, July 7, 2021
11 AM - 1 PM
City Hall
659 E. Main Street
Little Falls, NY 13365
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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 22nd 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 #NY22 as we can each week.
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