Congresswoman Tenney's Weekly Newsletter Have questions? Contact Me Here Community Opportunity: A Vision for Renewal READ MORE: Syracuse Post Standard: How I'm fighting to rebuild America's middle class For several months, I sought your feedback on the challenges and opportunities facing our region. Now that the Community Opportunity Survey has closed and the data has been analyzed, I am pleased to share the findings with you. This week I released a 17-page report entitled, Community Opportunity: A Vision for Renewal. It breaks down the results of the survey and takes a much deeper dive into the trends in our region as well as the policies I support in Congress to empower the middle class and restore our region's historic manufacturing base. The fact is, many decades ago politicians in Washington started to put corporate interests ahead of American interests. They advanced policies that shipped our American jobs overseas, made it harder to invest in and sustain domestic manufacturing, and increased taxes and burdensome regulations. These policies significantly harmed great American manufacturing hubs like ours across Central New York and the Southern Tier. But, there's significant reason for optimism. As this report outlines, the research and data show that the key to restoring our region lies in re-shoring domestic manufacturing, aligning the workforce with the needs of local businesses, and using public policy and private action to encourage broadly shared economic and social prosperity. I hope you will read the report by clicking here. I could not have done it without your engagement. Thank you so much to all those who contributed their views. Once you've had the chance to read it, I look forward to your feedback! My Statement on Hochul's Latest Mask Mandate Just yesterday, Governor Kathy Hochul announced she was going to enforce an indoor mask requirement across the state and is asking our small businesses and county health departments to enforce her draconian rule. This comes on the heels of her vaccine mandate that is causing severe staffing shortages in hospitals across the state. These decisions are already proving to be devastating to our small businesses, who are short-staffed and working to overcome rising inflation and massive supply chain disruptions. As I've said before, I support voluntary COVID-19 vaccination efforts as well as expanding access to vital therapeutic treatments. But I do not support knee-jerk reactions from politicians that break from science and impose overreaching mandates on New Yorkers, which includes Governor Hochul’s latest statewide mask mandate. This move places a tremendous burden on our local businesses and is not even based fully on the available science, which continues to indicate households have the highest transmission rates. This is exactly why the American people are losing faith in the so-called “experts.” They continue to move the goalposts. They cite science when it suits them and disregard it when it doesn’t. Studies indicate that the vaccine prevents serious illness and it is an important tool against COVID-19. Those who want a vaccine should receive it, but no New Yorker should be coerced into doing so and no American should be fired for failing to comply with the ever-changing edicts from Washington or Albany. Big Wins for Rome Lab and Troops in Defense Bill This week, the House voted to pass the bipartisan National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which included three of my amendments. The bill will now be signed into law. I was honored to fight for Rome Lab and successfully secure an additional $10 million for the facility, which it will use to establish a quantum network computing testbed program. The NDAA is vital for our nation's security as well as our military service members and their families, and I was honored to support many of the great provisions in the bill that will ensure our military is prepared to handle any mission they're given. I was pleased to see that a 2.7% pay raise was included for our warfighters and that we are focusing resources to hold the Chinese Communist Party responsible for its role in the COVID-19 outbreak. Finally, I made a commitment to you that I would fight to remove harmful provisions from this bill, and I delivered on that promise. This bill does not include an unnecessary provision requiring women to register for the draft. As a result of my continued advocacy, it also does not include an outright dangerous and unconstitutional provision infringing on our Second Amendment rights. Please click here for an in-depth dive into the bill. Election Integrity Update: Pressing the Center for Tech and Civic Life to Disclose its 2020 Election Interference This week I sent a follow-up letter to Tiana Epps-Johnson, Executive Director of the Center for Tech and Civic Life (CTCL), seeking the immediate release of financial records from the left-leaning non-profit that distributed more than $350 million in private funds mostly to Democratic-leaning election precincts during the 2020 election. I first sent a letter to CTCL in June 2021, requesting this information after news of the organization’s election interference operations was exposed. Given CTCL's tax-exempt status, it is required by law to publicly disclose this information but has yet to submit the necessary disclosures. As you may remember, earlier this year I introduced the End Zuckerbucks Act after it was exposed that during the 2020 cycle, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg funneled $350 million through CTCL to Boards of Elections without accountability or oversight from state legislatures or local governments. The vast majority of this money went to Democratic-leaning precincts to increase voter turnout. My bill, which has 19 cosponsors including Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik, would shore up the integrity of American elections by prohibiting private 501(c)(3) tax exempt organizations from providing direct funding to official public election organizations in the future. I will continue to press for answers and share any information with you as soon as I receive it. As co-chair of the House Election Integrity Caucus, I am committed to preserving the fairness and integrity of the democratic process. Celebrating Our High School State Champions High School football teams across the Southern Tier represented New York's 22nd Congressional District so well this year. It was my honor this week to recognize the Tioga Tigers, the Blue Devils of Chenango Forks, and the Maine Endwell Spartans on the floor of the House of Representatives. Each team took home the well-deserved title of New York State High School Football Champion in their respective classes. These teams gave it their all and represented their schools and our community with tremendous honor and integrity. Congratulations to the players, coaches, and parents on winning seasons! Honoring the Life and Legacy of Senator Bob Dole Senator Bob Dole was a patriot, a public servant, and a gentleman, and this nation will always be grateful for the incredible life he led. It was a somber moment when I paid my respects to him as he lied in state in the rotunda of the United States Capitol Building. This week in a speech on the House floor, I reflected on Senator Bob Dole's tremendous life. He leaves behind a legacy of service and accomplishment. Senator Dole, we salute you. May God rest your soul and may God Bless America. Click here to watch my remarks. Save Our Hospitals, End the Crushing Mandate Since the draconian vaccine mandate was put in place by Governor Kathy Hochul earlier this year, healthcare workers across our state have paid the price. Now, with labor shortages and rationed care, we are all paying the price. This mandate is forcing massive layoffs at hospitals throughout our region, which has created a new and unprecedented healthcare emergency. This week the Mohawk Valley Health System was forced to turn to the National Guard to fill vacant positions and now elective procedures are being postponed. In light of this crisis, this week I again urged Governor Hochul to reverse her mandate and allow our healthcare heroes to return to work. Read my letter at the link 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 “No” on H.R. 5314, the blatantly partisan so-called Protecting Our Democracy Act. This bill is nothing more than political grandstanding by Congressman Adam Schiff and congressional Democrats, who wrote this wide-ranging legislation without any bipartisan input. While I do support protecting the powers of Congress and reinforcing our checks and balances, this bill is nothing more than a shameless targeting of former President Trump and cannot be taken as a serious attempt to legislate. This bill passed the House by a vote of 220-208. I voted “Yes” on H.R. 4996, Ocean Shipping Reform Act of 2021. This bill provides expanded authorities to the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC), which regulates ocean shipping, to protect and ensure fairness for U.S. shippers who import and export items from the United States. It increases protections for U.S. shippers from retaliation by foreign ocean carriers if shippers file a complaint with the FMC. The legislation also prohibits foreign ocean carriers from unreasonably denying the carriage of U.S. export cargo on foreign ocean carriers’ vessels if such cargo is available, can be loaded safely, and is going to a destination on the ship’s schedule. This bill passed the House by a vote of 364-60. I voted “Yes” on H.R. 2355, the Opioid Prescription Verification Act of 2021. This bill would require the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to annually update materials providing guidance about when pharmacists may decline to fill prescriptions for controlled substances and require updated guidance to include information for pharmacists on how to verify the identity of a patient. This bill passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 410-15. I voted “Yes” on H.R. 5677, to make technical amendments to update statutory references to certain provisions classified to title 2, United States Code, title 50, United States Code.Title 2 of the United States Code pertains to all laws that govern Congress and the legislative branch. Title 50 of the United States Code pertains to all laws that govern War and National Defense. Title 52 of the United States Code pertains to all laws that govern voting and elections. This bill would make only technical changes to the code and update statutory references. This routine process helps to ensure constantly evolving rules and regulations are properly organized and easy to understand for the American people. This bill passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 414-1 To learn more about the additional bills voted on by Congress this week and how I voted on them, please click the link here. Helping New Yorkers Take on Federal Agencies This week was the last mobile office hour session of 2021. Thank you to everyone who attended these sessions throughout the year, which were held in so many communities throughout New York's 22nd District. It is an honor to serve you in this way. My team and I are devoted to fighting for upstate New Yorkers, and we are always ready to help you take on federal agencies. While we hope to see you next year and will soon be announcing 2022 dates for mobile office hours, please know you can contact my office at the numbers listed above anytime to receive assistance. We will see you soon! Update on U.S. Service Academy Nominations I was honored to meet this week with my U.S. Service Academy Nomination Committee to discuss their great work in selecting students in our region for nomination to one of the many great U.S. Service Academies. As the mother of a U.S. Naval Academy graduate, I sincerely appreciate their hard work in independently reviewing these applications and ensuring the best of New York’s 22nd District are nominated and represented at our academies. Stay tuned for the exciting announcement of the students who have accepted nominations, which will be coming next week! Growing Future Leaders in Binghamton This year, Owen Riley joined my Binghamton district office staff as part of the Broome Tioga BOCES New Visions Law and Government Academy internship program. Thank you, Owen, for all your hard work on behalf of New York’s 22nd District. We were so grateful to have you on board and we wish you nothing but the best for the future. If you or someone you know is interested in interning in any one of my three offices, click here to learn more and submit an application. Griffiss Business Park Nationally Recognized by EPA The Environmental Protection Agency awarded Griffiss Business and Technology Park — formerly known as Griffiss Air Force Base — the National Federal Facility Excellence in Site Reuse Award for their inventive repurposing of the former military base. This is quite an achievement and a testament to the cutting-edge ingenuity and talents of the hardworking team at the Griffiss Business Park. Congratulations to everyone involved for their outstanding work! 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. ‌ ‌ ‌ Rep. 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