Congresswoman Tenney's Weekly Newsletter Have questions? Contact Me Here Restoring Choice for Parents and Students: Governor Hochul Must End the Mask Mandate in Schools READ MORE: NY House GOP to Hochul: Scrap school mask mandate After firing numerous healthcare heroes and state employees for choosing not to comply with her draconian vaccine mandate, Governor Hochul has continued to overstep the bounds of her office by implementing a mask mandate for indoor places, including schools, where our children are suffering and missing valuable educational and developmental milestones. While the Governor finally let her mask-or-vaccine mandate in venues such as bars and gyms lapse, she continues to fight against parents to force children to mask in schools. This week I joined my New York colleagues in Congress to call again on the Governor to end the state-wide mask mandate in our schools. In light of her decision, I find it ironic that just a few short days ago, Governor Youngkin of Virginia and Governor DeSantis of Florida were considered “anti-science” and widely bashed by Democrats and their allies in the media for their stances against mask mandates, and yet now, Governor Hochul is the science hero. The only change we have seen is the politics. PASSED: The Postal Service Reform Act This week, the House passed H.R. 3076, the Postal Service Reform Act, a bill I was honored to cosponsor. This bipartisan bill will make several much-needed substantive reforms to the United States Postal Service (USPS). First, it eliminates the requirement that USPS pre-fund retiree health benefits 75 years into the future, which USPS estimates will save more than $20 billion over the next 10 years. Instead, future retirees will be integrated into Medicare. Second, it creates an online dashboard with weekly performance data from both the local and national levels. Finally, it expands special rates for local newspaper distribution, and it codifies 6-day-per-week service. This legislation will help ensure USPS can continue to provide critical services to our communities, like delivering prescriptions to seniors and packages for small businesses and farmers. This bill passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 342 - 92. I had the privilege of speaking on the Floor of the House in support of this bill. You can watch my full remarks here or by clicking the link above. Advocating for Transparency of Publicly Traded Firms This week, I joined Senators Marco Rubio and Marsha Blackburn to introduce the No Chinese Communist SURPRISE Parties Act. This bill will require any company publicly traded in the United States to disclose their ties to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). As economic integration between China and the rest of the world deepens, the CCP has increased its presence within and control over non-state firms operating in China, including using CCP cells within companies and CCP members on corporate boards. The No Chinese Communist SURPRISE Parties Act will shine a light on these activities and provide investors and the public with information on CCP activities inside multinational corporations. Americans have a right to know who is really running the show when they choose to invest in a company listed on an American stock exchange. Celebrating Black History Month in the House of Representatives On Wednesday, I joined my good friends Congressmen Burgess Owens of Utah and Byron Donalds of Florida for a Special Order on the House Floor to celebrate Black History Month and share the stories of upstate New York's great abolitionist heroes, like Harriet Tubman. As I've shared before, upstate New York has a proud abolitionist history, which many do not know! For example, Peterboro, Madison County is home to two sites on the New York State Underground Railroad Heritage Trail: The Gerrit Smith Estate National Historic Landmark and the National Abolition Hall of Fame and Museum. That's why the abolitionist Reverend Henry Highland once told an old friend by the name of Frederick Douglas that, “There are yet two places where slaveholders cannot come, Heaven and Peterboro.” To watch my full remarks, click here or on the video above. Speaker Pelosi Should Not Limit Members of Congress from Attending State of the Union Address On Thursday, I led 10 of my colleagues in a letter to Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi urging her not to limit attendance to this year’s State of the Union Address by President Biden, as has been previously reported. Recent media reports revealed that Speaker Pelosi planned to impose strict limits on attendance to President Biden’s first State of the Union Address, which historically has taken place in a full House Chamber in front of members of the House, the Senate, the Cabinet, and the Supreme Court, along with numerous other guests. Last year, for President Biden’s first Address to a Joint Session of Congress, Pelosi capped attendance at a total of 200 individuals, despite widespread vaccinations amongst Members of Congress and masking policies. One of our top responsibilities in Congress is oversight of the Executive. Actively participating in the President’s State of the Union Address is an important part of fulfilling this responsibility. Choosing to bar Members from attending would be a grave mistake that prevents the American people’s representatives from fulfilling their constitutional duties. I urge Speaker Pelosi to immediately reverse any decision to limit attendance amongst Members of Congress and to ensure our constitutionally obligated functions can be fulfilled. U.S. Special Envoy for Iran Finally Speaks to the Foreign Affairs Committee...Behind Closed Doors! READ MORE: Classified Iran Nuclear Deal Brief Leaves 'More Questions Than Answers,' GOP Lawmaker Says Last week, I called on the U.S. Special Envoy for Iran to testify before Congress. This week, he finally agreed to brief Congress, but behind closed doors. While the American people and our allies around the world are demanding answers about this Administration’s plans to hold the Iranian regime accountable, they continue to dodge the important questions and refuse to give answers publicly. This week's closed-door classified briefing by Special Envoy Malley is a start, but it is not enough. Special Envoy Malley works for the American people, and he should answer to them as well. Secretary of State Blinken committed to having an open and transparent relationship with Congress, and it’s vitally important that he uphold that commitment. I will continue to call for Special Envoy Malley to appear before the House Foreign Affairs Committee in a public hearing to update Congress on nuclear talks with the regime and other important topics, such as American hostages that remain held in Iran, the regime’s ongoing regional aggression, and its destabilizing missile program. 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. 3076, the Postal Service Reform Act. This bipartisan bill will make several much-needed substantive reforms to the United States Postal Service to help ensure it can continue to provide critical services to our communities, like delivering prescriptions to seniors and packages for small businesses and farmers, for generations to come. This bill passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 342 - 92. I voted “Yes” on H.R. 4445, the Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act. This bipartisan legislation would invalidate forced arbitration clauses for sexual assault and sexual harassment. Banning these restrictions will fully allow all Americans to have the choice to seek justice and public accountability for their sexual assault and sexual harassment case in a court of law. This bill passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 335 - 97. I voted “Yes” on S. 583, the Promoting Rigorous and Innovative Cost Efficiencies for Federal Procurement and Acquisitions Act (PRICE Act). Small businesses are the backbone of our upstate New York economy but many of them have difficulties contracting with the federal government. This legislation will resolve this by requiring the Office of Management and Budget to work with federal acquisition managers to share innovate best practices to modernize contracting procedures, realize cost saving for taxpayers, and ensure small businesses have a seat at the table in federal contracting. For high quality and reliable government services, it is vital to ensure our public sector has a robust marketplace of contractors to rely on. This bill passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 426 - 5. I voted “No” on H.R. 6617, Further Additional Extending Government Funding Act. This continuing resolution, the third since government funding expired on September 30, 2021, would only extend government funding through March 11, 2022. Once again, House Democrats are abdicating their responsibility to pass a long-term, bipartisan government funding package that addresses our nation’s needs. Failing to do this means key defense installations in NY-22, such as Rome Lab, have not received the additional funds they vitally need, our troops continue to miss out on a pay raise, and our military’s competitiveness dwindles in the face of competition from China and Putin’s aggression. Furthermore, the legislation includes no new provisions to deal with the many challenges facing our country. This bill passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 272 - 162. I voted “Yes” on S. 566, a bill to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 42 Main Street in Slatersville, Rhode Island, as the "Specialist Matthew R. Turcotte Post Office." Specialist Turcotte was serving with the 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat team of the 4th Infantry Division when he was killed in August of 2017, at just 20 years old, during a live-ammunition training exercise at Fort Carson, Colorado. This bill passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 432 – 0. I voted “Yes” on H.R. 2324, to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 2800 South Adams Street in Tallahassee, Florida, as the "D. Edwina Stephens Post Office." Edwina Stephens was a dedicated community activist, civil rights icon and registered nurse. She spent her life advocating for improvements in her community, especially in the historically neglected neighborhoods on Tallahassee’s Southside and in the Greater Bond community. This bill passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 428 - 1. I voted “Yes” on H.R. 735, to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 502 East Cotati Avenue in Cotati, California, as the "Arthur Luis Ibleto Post Office Building." At just 17, Art Ibleto deserted Benito Mussolini's fascist army to join the Italian resistance movement and fought behind enemy lines to help the Allies defeat Nazi Germany. In 1949, he left Italy for Petaluma, California where he met his wife and settled in Cotati. Art Ibleto was a famed member of the Sonoma County food and wine community known as the Pasta King and was an incredible leader in local charitable, educational and civic causes. This bill passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 422 - 4. I voted “No” on H.R. 3485, the Global Respect Act. While the bill purports to protect LGBT identifying individuals abroad, sufficient legal authority already exists to sanction groups or individuals who commit human rights violations against these individuals. Both the Trump and Biden Administrations have taken such actions. The bill’s duplicitous language creates a new reporting mechanism that prioritizes the rights of particular groups. Every person’s human rights are of equal value, and certain violations of those rights should not be subordinate to others. Furthermore, the bill’s broad language has the potential to sweep in non-violent conduct and even leaves the door open to imposing visa restrictions on individuals for their deeply held religious beliefs. This legislation represents the Administration’s aggressive attempts to push radical culture war issues at every possible juncture – not only domestically, but also abroad. This is a distraction that requires diplomats to devote time and resources to culture war issues abroad at the expense of attention paid to China, to Russia, to Iran, to the quagmire in Afghanistan, and the crisis at our southern border. This bill passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 227 - 206. I voted “Yes” on H.R. 3539, to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 223 West Chalan Santo Papa in Hagatna, Guam, as the "Atanasio Taitano Perez Post Office." Commonly known as Don Perez, Don was a highly successful public servant for Guam from 1899 to 1935. He held key government positions over many US Naval government administrations including appointment as the first Postmaster of Guam, appointment to the Guam Court of Appeals and the Higher Court of Equality, and Secretary to the Governor. In addition to government service, Perez was also personally involved in the movement petitioning Congress to establish a permanent civilian government and United States Citizenship for the people of Guam. This bill passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 417– 1. I voted “No” on H.R. 2842, to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 120 4th Street in Petaluma, California, as the "Lynn C. Woolsey Post Office Building." Congresswoman Woolsey represented California's sixth congressional district from 1993 to 2012, during which time she served as co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus and misused the power of her office to seek leniency for the son of one of her staffers who had pleaded guilty to the violent rape of a 17-year-old girl. Instead of naming Post Office facilities after partisan politicians who misused their offices, this honor should be reserved for those who made extraordinary contributions to their communities. This bill required a 2/3 vote to pass the House of Representatives and failed by a vote of 245 – 167. Governor Hochul, Keep the NY Semiconductor Industry in Central New York! During her recent State of the State address, Governor Hochul announced a plan to reunify the State University of New York (SUNY) Polytechnic Institute's College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering (CNSE) with the University at Albany. CNSE is a key component of the semiconductor industry in Central New York and plays a role in both education and workforce development. Semiconductors, which are present in nearly every electronic device, are in short supply right now. The industry also provides well paying, stable employment. Moving forward with this realignment would be devastating for our region, especially given CNSE's collaboration with the Air Force Research Laboratory's Information Directorate in nearby Rome, NY. I am urging the Governor to reverse this plan immediately and ensure CNSE stays in Central New York! ATTENTION: NYS Police are Recruiting! The New York State Police are recruiting now! For more information or to begin your application, visit [link removed] today. Thank you to all who serve! Take the Survey: New York Broadband Assessment The New York State Broadband Assessment Program is conducting a survey to learn more about broadband service in your neighborhood. Take the survey at [link removed] 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! Reminder: Upcoming Virtual Office Hours Don't forget: My office will be hosting virtual office hours again on Wednesday, February 11, 2022. If you need assistance dealing with a federal agency like Social Security, the VA, or the IRS, call my office today to schedule an appointment. We have resolved well over 2,000 cases since last February, and we are eager to make the federal government work for you too! Meeting with Local Law Enforcement This week, several local sheriffs were in Washington for the National Sheriff's Association's Winter Conference. It was a privilege meeting with Madison County Sheriff Todd Hood and Upstate sheriffs James Quattrone and James Allard! We had a productive conversation about rising crime, New York's disastrous bail reform law, and my Local Law Enforcement Protection Act to protect Qualified Immunity. I will always Back the Blue! 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. Tenney | 1410 Longworth House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515 Unsubscribe [email protected] Update Profile | Constant Contact Data Notice Sent by [email protected]