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Thank You for Joining my Town Hall

Thank you to the nearly 5,000 constituents from across New York's 22nd Congressional District who joined the tele-Town Hall this week. During the conversation, we covered a wide range of important topics. I provided you updates from Washington and took your questions on issues like vaccine mandates, border security, election integrity, and the trillion dollar spending proposal being considered in Congress. Hearing your views and addressing your concerns is a critical part of my work representing you in Congress! During the call, I also asked for your thoughts on key issues being considered in Congress. The questions and your responses are listed below. If you missed out on this week's tele-Town Hall, be sure to sign up for one in the future. I'll continue to hold them regularly. I encourage you to sign up by visiting tenney.house.gov/rsvp to be included in the next call.

Introduced Bill to Audit COVID-19 Spending

Congress has passed several COVID-19 relief bills since the outbreak of the pandemic in 2020, authorizing an unprecedented $5.3 trillion in taxpayer funding. Much of this funding was desperately needed by our community but some of it has also been lost to fraud, waste, and abuse. That's why this week I introduced legislation to ensure a comprehensive audit of all COVID funds. We’ve learned about many alarming cases of fraud, waste, and abuse, including a NASA senior executive who used grants to pay down his credit card bills, a former NFL player who filed fraudulent loan applications and used funding from the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) to purchase luxury goods, and a Texas man who received $1.6 million from PPP applications to purchase a Lamborghini and other high-end goods. An October 7 report by the Office of the Inspector General also found that the Small Business Administration provided $4.5 billion more in Emergency Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) grants to sole proprietors and independent contractors than they were entitled to receive based on the adopted policies of the COVID-19 bills. To address these and other reports, I introduced H.R. 5672, the Transparency in COVID-19 Expenditures Act. This bill would direct the Comptroller General of the United States to audit all funding provided by the five COVID-19 relief bills. It is imperative that we audit these funds to ensure that relief provided to the American people made it into the right hands. This bill already has 11 original cosponsors and I'll continue pressing for support in Congress.

Introduced Bipartisan Veterans Legislation

Veterans who served their country should never have to contend with homelessness. This week, I joined Congresswoman Nikema Williams of Georgia to introduce H.R. 5606, the bipartisan Return Home to Housing Act. Our bipartisan bill works to combat the homelessness epidemic facing America’s veterans. Through greater awareness, support, and targeted investments, we can end this scourge. The bill will tackle this issue by ensuring organizations dedicated to this fight have the necessary resources to help homeless veterans. I will always support our heroes who have served and sacrificed so much on our behalf. You can learn more about our bill here.

BURMA Act Passes Foreign Affairs Committee

New York's 22nd District is home to generations of Burmese refugees, many continue to express grave concern for the lives of family and friends in Burma following a military coup there earlier this year. For nearly a decade, the Burmese people have been working diligently to establish credible elections, democratic civilian governance, and a peaceful transition of power. However, this progress came to an abrupt halt after the military’s actions on February 1 led to the overthrow of the democratically elected Burmese government.  The United States must be steadfast in our support of the Burmese people in their struggle for freedom. The House Foreign Affairs Committee passed H.R. 5497, the BURMA Act this week. This bill ends financial backing for the Burmese military through increased sanctions and diplomatic pressure. I am honored to cosponsor this bill and stand with the people of Burma, including those in our community. I will continue to advocate for its passage into law.

House Election Integrity Caucus Update

LISTEN: Tenney Joins Sebastian Gorka to Discuss End Zuckerbucks Act As Co-Chair of the House Election Integrity Caucus, I was honored to host journalist, author, and columnist Mollie Hemingway for a roundtable discussion in Washington this week. Hemingway authored a book that extensively details how the 2020 was unlike any other in American history. Her well-researched and thoroughly sourced book exposes how the censorship of conservative outlets, financial influence of billionaire Mark Zuckerberg, and unprecedented role of Big Tech media giants influenced the 2020 election. I appreciate Mollie coming to our Caucus event and sharing her great insights. I recently introduced H.R. 4290, the End Zuckerbucks Act. This bill prevents Big Tech billionaires from channeling private funds to election agencies without any accountability or transparency. I look forward to continuing to work with Caucus members to drive concrete proposals to secure our elections.

Honoring Chief Kenneth Baker's Life In honor of the late Lee Center Fire Chief, Kenneth Baker, I took a few moments on the House Floor to recognize his life and service. Chief Baker passed away from a brain tumor after serving for nearly half a century in the Lee Center Volunteer Fire Department. Chief Baker was a generous and courageous public servant. A hometown hero, he leaves behind a legacy of integrity and selflessness—a shinning example to us all. You can listen to my full remarks by clicking the video above.

Protecting Our Children's Digital Privacy

This week, I joined Congresswoman Mary Miller of Illinois to introduce H.R. 5630, the Safeguarding Children’s Privacy in Schools Act of 2021. Under current law, Big Tech giants like Google and Amazon do not need to receive a parent's consent in order to collect, use, and sell their child's private data.  This legislation requires direct parental consent for data collection on educational devices, technology, and education platforms. Additionally, it prohibits schools from allowing Big Tech companies to collect student data to sell to advertisers. School boards have repeatedly blocked parents from being involved in their children’s education and curriculum. This much-needed reform gives parents a seat at the table, and I’m honored to join this effort.

Herkimer County WWII Veteran Turns 100

It was my honor to celebrate a local hero, Thomas Strayer Nelson, a 100-year-old World War II veteran and Pearl Harbor Survivor from Ilion. Mr. Nelson joined the Navy straight out of high school and was just 19 years old when his ship, the USS Wasmuth, was bombed by the Japanese on December 7, 1941.  Mr. Nelson was lying in his bunk when the alarm sounded. He quickly made it topside where he faced Japanese fighters strafing the decks. Manning his battle station, Mr. Nelson helped successfully defend the Wasmuth, one of the few naval vessels not destroyed in the attack. After returning from the war, Mr. Nelson worked as an electrical inspector in his hometown of Ilion. I am grateful for his service and appreciated the opportunity to celebrate his birthday! Read my full remarks on the House floor by clicking here.

My Votes Explained

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.  I voted “Yes” on H.R. 1029, the Free Veterans from Fees Act. This bill waives the application fee for veterans trying to obtain a special-use permit for events held at war memorials in Washington, D.C. This bill passed the House by a vote of 421-3. I voted “Yes” on H.R. 4089, the Darren Drake Act. This legislation directs the Secretary of Homeland Security to devise protocols to help vehicle rental companies and car dealers report suspicious behavior to law enforcement. This bill passed the House by a vote of 379-51. I voted “Yes” on H.R. 4369, the National Centers of Excellence in Advanced and Continuous Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Act of 2021. This legislation will authorize grants to further develop the emerging, faster continuous drug manufacturing technique and ensure the United States remains a hub of pharmaceutical innovation. This bill passed the House by a vote of 368-56. I voted “Yes” on H.R. 4611, the DHS Software Supply Chain Risk Management Act. This legislation will direct the Department of Homeland Security to modernize its computer systems and adopt best practices to ensure all software components are safe and secure. This bill passed the House by a vote of 412-2.  I voted “Yes” on H.R. 2379, the State Opioid Response Grant Authorization. This commonsense and bipartisan legislation will authorize $9 billion over six years in flexible funding for State Opioid Response (SOR) Grants and Tribal Opioid Response (TOR) Grants to fight this epidemic of addiction and abuse. This bill passed the House by a vote of 380-46. I voted “Yes” on H.R. 654, the Drug Free Communities Pandemic Relief Act. This bipartisan legislation will grant the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) the authority to waive the program’s local matching requirements. This bill passed the House by a vote of 395-30. I voted “Yes” on H.R. 3635, the Strengthening America’s Strategic National Stockpile Act. This bill will change the management of the Strategic National Stockpile and will help reduce dependence on foreign countries for critical supplies, boost domestic manufacturing, and improve transparency. This bill passed the House by a vote of 397-22. I voted “Yes” on H.R. 3919, the Secure Equipment Act. This bill will prohibit the Federal Communications Commission from providing licenses for telecommunications equipment from companies that pose a national security threat. It will further protect U.S. security by keeping companies like Chinese state directed Huawei out of the U.S. telecommunications network. This bill passed the House by a vote of 420-4. I voted “Yes” on H.R. 4032, the Open RAN Outreach Act. This bill will promote a competitive market for open and interoperable network equipment, which will enable small and rural networks to use affordable, trusted vendors to provide 5G equipment. This will ensure small and rural providers are not subject to the influence of the Chinese and high-risk companies like Huawei. This bill passed the House by a vote of 410-17. I voted “Yes” on H.R. 4067, the Communications Security, Reliability, and Interoperability Act. This bill would direct the Federal Communications Commission to create a council to make recommendations on increasing the security, reliability and interoperability of communications networks. It would require biannual reports and recommendations for strengthening our communications networks. This bill passed the House by a vote of 397-29. I voted “Yes” on H.R. 4028, the Information and Communication Technology Strategy Act. This Act requires the Secretary of Commerce to submit to Congress within one year a report regarding the information and communication technology supply chain that identifies technology critical to U.S. competitiveness as well as the industrial capacity of ITC vendors and of trusted ITC vendors that produce items critical to U.S. competitiveness. This bill passed the House by a vote of 413-14. I voted “No” on H.Res. 730, a Resolution recommending that the House of Representatives find Stephen K. Bannon in contempt of Congress for refusal to comply with a subpoena issued by the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol. Instead of pursuing a valid legislative purpose, this subpoena serves a partisan goal and targets a private citizen, threatening his First Amendment rights. This Select Committee takes power out of the hands of the House of Representative’s standing committees of jurisdiction, which are entirely capable of conducting a thorough investigation. We should return power to these standing congressional committees and not a body like this Select Committee, which is highly partisan and in fact “bipartisan” in name only. This resolution passed the House by a vote of 229-202. I voted “No” on H.R. 3110, the Providing Urgent Maternal Protections for Nursing Mothers Act. This legislation would amend the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to add new rigid requirements for employers to provide a non-bathroom location and time for women to pump breastmilk for up to two years after the birth of a child. This bill also dramatically expands penalties for employers who are unable to accommodate these new requirements. As written, this top-down rule unfortunately does not account for the specific limitations of certain workplaces such as the agriculture industry. Its expansive mandate and lack of clarity would also open employers to additional frivolous lawsuits. While this legislation is well intentioned, we need a more well-thought out, targeted solution that gives workplaces the flexibility to succeed and empower their employers. This bill passed the House by a vote of 276-149.

Complete the Community Opportunity Survey!

A strong economy is vital to our region's prosperity. I want to hear your perspectives on the opportunities available in our area. If you’ve not already done so, please complete the Community Opportunity Survey on my website. It will only take a couple of minutes, and will give me a better understanding of the employment and training challenges you face as I fight to improve our economy.  Please click here or on the image above to complete the survey.

Crime Prevention Grants for Utica and Binghamton

I was honored to announce that the cities of Utica and Binghamton received Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance grants that will ensure our streets are safer and our local communities have what they need to prevent crime. These grants play an important role in improving our communities and equipping local governments with greater resources to meet needs, invest in prevention, and strengthen education. Learn more about this funding by clicking here.

Register Now: Flooding Seminar for Local Officials

On Wednesday, October 27, I’ll be hosting a virtual seminar with FEMA as well as the New York Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services for local elected officials that will highlight how these state and federal agencies can assist municipalities mitigate and respond to flooding disasters.  Attendees will have the opportunity to speak directly with FEMA and NYDHSES representatives and ask questions about issues they face in their communities. If you’d like to attend, I encourage you to submit questions early so we can tailor the presentation to your specific areas of interest. Individuals should call 202-225-3665 with any questions.   When: Wednesday, October 27 at 9:30 AM  Where: Webinar will be held via Zoom  RSVP to [email protected]

New Locations for Mobile Office Hours

I am pleased to announce that my office will be holding office hours in Chenango County this coming week. If you or someone you know are interested in attending, please contact my Binghamton District Office at 607-242-0200 or my Utica District Office at 315-732-0713 to schedule an appointment today. Chenango County  Wednesday, October 27, 2021 11AM - 1PM  Town of Guilford Offices  223 Marble Road  Guilford, NY 13052

Border Crisis Reaches New York

The situation at our southern border is appalling. Unfortunately, this is no longer an isolated issue. Thousands of illegal immigrants—including many unaccompanied children—have been secretly flown into New York State. Just this week, buses were seen leaving the Westchester County Airport in the middle of the night carrying almost 100 children.   The Biden Administration has no plan to care for these children and no idea how to solve this issue. Instead, they think they can simply sweep it under the rug by dispersing the thousands of illegal immigrants throughout our country. This has to stop. The American people deserve a secure border. We must complete the wall, invest in modern border technology, and provide Customs and Border Patrol with the resources they need. Until these commonsense steps are taken by the Administration, the problem will continue to get worse.

SUNY Morrisville Cuts Ribbon on New Center

Congratulations to SUNY Morrisville on the ribbon cutting of their new Agriculture and Clean Energy Technology Center. This innovative new center is combining agriculture, technology, and energy to drive future jobs right here at home and around the country.

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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