Congresswoman Tenney's Weekly Newsletter Have questions? Contact Me Here Combatting Russian Aggression and Standing Up for Ukraine's Territorial Sovereignty READ MORE: Russia emboldened by Biden's diplomatic 'weakness,' delayed sanctions, House Foreign Affairs Republicans say On Monday, in an act of political theater, Vladimir Putin, on the advice of oligarchs and government cronies, announced his intent to illegally recognize the Ukrainian regions of Donetsk and Luhansk as independent states. This action represents a blatant violation of international law, the Minsk Accords, and most importantly, Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity. Since then, the Russian military has launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, murdering innocent civilians and hundreds of Ukrainian troops. Ukraine's very existence is under threat, and the United States, as well as our allies and partners from across the world, must stand up to this malfeasance. On Friday, I joined a bipartisan group of my colleagues to introduce legislation to impose sanctions on members of the Russian Duma (legislature) who voted in favor of Russia’s illegal recognition of the regions of Donetsk and Luhansk in southeastern Ukraine as independent states. I'm also calling for stronger diplomatic and economic actions in response, including: Kicking Russia off the SWIFT international payments system Targeting Russia's oil sector with sanctions AND expanding our domestic oil and natural gas production Removing Russia from the United Nations Security Council Freezing assets of and imposing visa bans on corrupt oligarchs and those who enable Putin The United States must stand against authoritarians and war criminals, like Vladimir Putin. I'm also honored to be spearheading a resolution calling on the Administration to remove Russia from the UN Security Council. It's a tall order, but we should act to uphold core values and promote peace. I urge my colleagues, both Democrats and Republicans, to join me in this effort. The time to start building a diplomatic coalition to reform the UNSC and remove Russia’s Permanent Member status is NOW. READ MORE: Congress wants to oust Russia from U.N. Security Council Why Does Speaker Pelosi Want to Fence-In the Capitol Building Again? On Wednesday, I joined my House Republican colleagues in a letter to Speaker Pelosi to address plans to once again erect fencing around the U.S. Capitol building in advance of the State of the Union, without any evidence being provided of an imminent security threat. The Capitol perimeter was previously fenced-in from January 2021 through July 2021, and the Capitol building has been closed to the public since March 2020. I have been a vocal critic of the Capitol’s continued closure to the American people and recently sent a letter to the House Sergeant-at-Arms demanding the Capitol reopen to the public immediately. I also cosponsored a resolution supporting the reopening of the Capitol. This is the People's House and it should be open to you and your family. The full text of the letter is available here. Ensuring Taxpayer Dollars Do Not Fund Abortions It is vital that we protect the lives of our most vulnerable and the unborn. The Biden Administration, however, recently created a task force at the Department of Health and Human Services that would be responsible for pushing forward its extreme policy of abortion-on-demand. I strongly oppose this task force, which violates the basic understanding that No Taxpayer dollars should be used to advance abortion in America. In response I joined my colleagues to introduce legislation defunding this task force. The No Pro-Abortion Task Force Act will help ensure no taxpayer dollars are used to fund abortion or advance abortion policies! Is President Biden Doing Enough to Stop Russia? Russian President Vladimir Putin is waging an unprovoked war against the people of Ukraine, the first of its kind in Europe in generations. It's clear we must take extraordinary economic and diplomatic steps to stop him in his tracks to uphold the rule of law, support our allies, and safeguard America's energy independence. But I want to know what you think. Has the Biden Administration's response to Russian aggression been strong enough? Yes Select No Select Unsure Select New York State Should Not Reduce the Overtime Wage Threshold for Farmers On Thursday, I joined House Republican Conference Chairwoman Congresswoman Elise Stefanik and other New York colleagues in sending a letter to New York Governor Kathy Hochul, which addressed the New York Farm Labor Wage Board’s recent decision to lower the overtime threshold for farm laborers from 60 hours to 40 hours and urged the Governor to reject this proposal, which runs counter to the realities of farming in Upstate communities In January, the New York Farm Labor Wage Board recommended to Governor Hochul that the overtime threshold for farm laborers in New York State be lowered to 40 hours per week from the current 60-hour per week threshold. This recommendation was made in spite of 70% of the public testimony favoring a 60-hour threshold. In response to the change, Upstate farmers and laborers have expressed concern about how the proposal could negatively impact their operations, food production, and available working hours for laborers. The full text of the letter is available here. Utica Curling Club Celebrated the 75th Anniversary of the U.S. Women's Curling Association This week, in the company of past USWCA presidents, the Utica Curling Club (UCC) Celebrated the 75th anniversary of the United States Women's Curling Association. They also kicked off the 73rd annual Bonspiel. Good luck to UCC's teams that will be competing in the finals on Sunday! Curling holds a special place in my heart. As a high school curling champion when I was younger who got my start at the Utica Curling Club, I am so pleased to see this 75th Anniversary was celebrated right here in our community. ICYMI: Constituent Webinar with Guests from the Small Business Administration This week, my office hosted experts from the Small Business Administration for a webinar for constituent small business owners and entrepreneurs. The session covered pandemic relief programs, such as the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL), as well as general assistance available through the Small Business Administration. Watch the full video at the link above or here! Don't Forget to 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! 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]