My Push for Accountability Continues: Biden's Midnight Flights Must End |
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You may have seen the recent video of illegal immigrants being flown into New York under the cover of darkness. This week, I am continuing my push to hold the Biden Administration accountable and ensure these covert missions stop.
First, I joined other members of the New York congressional delegation in sending a letter to President Biden urging him to stop the flights from the Southern Border to New York immediately. I then cosponsored the Stop the Betrayal Act in Congress to ensure federal agencies and contractors are prohibited from transporting illegal immigrants throughout the country.
From day one, the Biden Administration has failed in its most basic duties, like enforcing the law and protecting our homeland. The President has shown more interest in catering to far-left special interests than he has in protecting our national security and upholding our immigration laws. As I've said before, every state is now becoming a border state. I continue to call for accountability, starting with a full congressional investigation into these recently uncovered flights.
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Legislation Passes Committee to Support Women-Owned Small Businesses |
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On Thursday, the House Small Business Committee unanimously passed the bipartisan Women's Business Centers Improvement Act, which I co-led with Congresswoman Sharice Davids of Kansas. This bill reauthorizes and strengthens the Women's Business Centers (WBC) program, which is a national network of entrepreneurship centers for low-cost counseling and training for women interested in starting, growing, and expanding small businesses.
This legislation will better the lives of women and small business owners across America and help the program expand into areas like ours. As a long-time small business owner myself, it was a privilege to support this bill to bolster the WBC program, with additional oversight and good governance measures. I look forward to this important bill now passing the full House of Representatives.
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America COMPETES Act Failed to Counter China |
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House Democrats this week took an area of bipartisan agreement and urgent national need - countering China - and used it as leverage to cynically push forth unrelated liberal priorities and poison pills. Despite being branded as legislation to compete with a rising China, the so-called America COMPETES Act failed to address the full range of threats and national security concerns posed by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). It faced bipartisan opposition in Congress.
Instead of addressing critical needs, such as security assistance, export controls, and supporting allies that are facing CCP aggression, the America COMPETES Act is full of wasteful spending and new left-wing programs that will make America less competitive on the world stage. The bill was written entirely behind closed doors without any input from Republican members of Congress.
I worked on your behalf to introduce 10 amendments that would have fixed many of this bill’s worst provisions. They would have eliminated nonessential spending, added bipartisan language to support America's small manufacturers, and secured our supply chains for critical goods. However, every single one of these commonsense amendments was rejected by House Democrats, along with many other good amendments submitted by Republicans.
Dangerous provisions of America COMPETES Act include:
- Authorizes $8 billion for the Green Climate Fund, a U.N. slush fund that has already sent $100 million to the Chinese Communist Party and fails to include guardrails to prohibit this money from being used for Chinese solar panels, batteries, and other supply chains tainted by forced labor and genocide against the Uyghurs.
- Creates “Climate Change Officers” within the Foreign Service, weakening our diplomats’ focus on core U.S. national interests.
- Calls for elevating climate issues in U.S.-China bilateral relations when our focus should be on confronting the military, economic, and diplomatic threats China poses.
- Omits core national security tools in the Foreign Affairs’ Committee jurisdiction, including security assistance and export controls, abandoning U.S. allies facing CCP aggression and failing to curtail CCP military modernization and weapons development including hypersonics.
- Includes a $45 billion slush fund prioritizing labor unions and other political allies of the Biden administration.
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Led Call for U.S. Special Envoy to Iran to Testify in Front of Congress |
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On Friday, I led several of my colleagues in a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken requesting that Robert Malley, U.S. Special Envoy for Iran, testify before the House Foreign Affairs Committee to provide long-overdue updates on nuclear negotiations with Iran and other pressing matters.
Since being appointed U.S. Special Envoy for Iran on January 28, 2021, Malley has failed to appear for a single oversight hearing before the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Recent reports about the disarray within the State Department’s Iran team have increased the urgency for his testimony, especially given the unanswered questions about nuclear talks with the Iranian regime, American hostages remaining in Iran, the regime’s ongoing regional aggression, and its destabilizing missile program.
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Introduced Bipartisan Resolution on One-Year Anniversary of Coup in Burma |
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This week, I joined a bipartisan group to introduce a resolution on the one-year anniversary of the coup in Burma. The resolution condemned the coup orchestrated and executed by the Burmese military and denounced the military junta's brutal human rights violations.
The Utica-area is home to thousands of Burmese refugees and new Burmese-American citizens; many have family in Burma who continue to suffer under the military regime. I will continue to stand with the Burmese people and support all diplomatic efforts to ensure an immediate return to democratic, civilian rule.
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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. 5577, to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 3900 Crown Road Southwest in Atlanta, Georgia, as the "John R. Lewis Post Office Building." Lewis was a lifelong civil rights activist and spent 33 years representing his community in the United States House of Representatives. Congressman Lewis was instrumental in organizing the 1963 March on Washington with Martin Luther King Jr. and was a key figure throughout the Civil Rights Movement and in the push to end racial segregation in the South. I was proud to support this bill as a cosponsor. This legislation passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 421 - 0.
- I voted “No” on H.R. 4521, the misnamed and partisan America COMPETES Act. House Democrats, following the lead of Speaker Pelosi, took an area of bipartisan agreement and urgent national need and used it as leverage to cynically push forth unrelated liberal priorities and poison pills. Despite being branded as legislation to compete with a rising China, the bill fails to address the full range of threats and national security concerns posed by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Instead of addressing critical needs, such as security assistance, export controls, and supporting our allies facing CCP aggression, the America COMPETES Act is full of wasteful spending and new left-wing programs that will only make America less competitive on the world stage. This bill passed the House by a vote of 222-210.
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REMINDER: Upcoming Mobile and Virtual Office Hours |
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This week, I announced upcoming virtual office hours as well as in-person mobile office hour sessions for constituents in New York's 22nd Congressional District. These mobile office hour sessions are an opportunity for constituents to connect with caseworkers for assistance dealing with a federal agency.
Constituents interested in attending a virtual office hour session should RSVP directly to Tenney’s Binghamton District Office at 607-242-0200. Participants will receive a Zoom link on the morning of the session.
Those interested in attending an in-person mobile office hour session are highly encouraged to schedule their appointments in advance by contacting either Tenney’s Binghamton District Office at the number above or her Utica District Office at 315-732-0713. Scheduling your appointment in advance will provide a more expedited casework experience for individuals and ensure that every constituent is able to receive the help they need.
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Vernon Fire Department Dinner |
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Thank you to the Vernon Fire Department for inviting me to join them at this year's annual banquet! While I was there, I had the privilege of presenting Berry Campbell with a certificate honoring his four decades of service to the Department. We're all so grateful for your selfless dedication to our community.
Thank you to our firefighters and all other first responders!
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Take the Survey: New York Broadband Assessment |
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The New York State Broadband Assessment Program is conducting a survey to learn more about broadband service in your neighborhood.
Take the survey at https://www.empirestatebroadband.com/ today. Accurate survey results will help ensure you get the best service possible! I continue to fight in Congress to deliver rural broadband to every Upstate community. To read more about my Broadband Expansion Plan, visit tenney.house.gov!
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Oneida County Seniors: Need Help Shoveling Snow? |
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Senior Citizens in Oneida County, if you need assistance shoveling your snow, the Oneida County Office for the Aging can help connect you with volunteers who are willing and able to help. Give them a call at 315-798-5456 for more information! Residents of other counties who are in need of assistance should also consider calling their local Office for the Aging:
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It's Time for Governor Hochul to End Her Mask Mandate |
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Despite the State Supreme Court's ruling that declared Governor Hochul's mask mandate unconstitutional, the Governor continues to push mask mandates for schoolchildren in New York. Instead of allowing parents to make these choices with their kids, the Governor continues to push this ridiculous mandate.
The science is clear on masks: let the parents choose.
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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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