Congresswoman Tenney's Weekly Newsletter Have questions? Contact Me Here Fighting to Restore U.S. Energy Independence! As of Friday, the average price of a gallon of gas nationally reached $3.83, and in New York, the average price is up to $4.05, according to AAA. Experts expect prices to rise even higher. This is unacceptable. American families need relief immediately, which is why I am fighting to restore American energy independence and end our reliance on oil and gas from tyrannical regimes. Energy independence is a national security imperative for the United States. President Trump understood this basic principle, which is why in 2019, the United States became a net total energy exporter for the first time since the 1950s. Unfortunately, since taking office last year, the Biden Administration instead pushed a Green New Deal agenda, which is exactly what Vladimir Putin hoped would happen. This has destroyed our energy independence, eradicated well-paying American jobs, and forced American consumers to rely on regimes like those in Russia and maybe even Iran for vital supplies of oil and natural gas. Not only does American energy independence protect our national security, it creates high-quality American jobs and supports domestic industry production that is cleaner than energy produced elsewhere. Anti-energy policies from Democrats in Washington and Albany have hamstrung our communities, and we will continue to pay a dire price until they are reversed. Here in upstate New York, the Utica Shale remains inaccessible due to self-defeating progressive policies. Now, amidst the unprecedented backdrop of Vladimir Putin’s unprovoked war on a sovereign nation, we can, and should, pursue safe natural gas exploration in upstate New York. In addition, the Biden Administration must restart construction of the Keystone XL pipeline and re-open federal lands to oil and gas exploration to drive down prices at the pump. I support robust legislative efforts in Congress to restore American energy independence, including: Keystone XL Pipeline Construction and Jobs Preservation Act to restart construction of the pipeline; American Energy Independence From Russia Act to require the Biden Administration to submit an energy security plan evaluating energy imports posing a security risk, restart construction of the Keystone XL pipeline, and unleash U.S. liquified natural gas (LNG) exports to boost natural gas production; and Prohibition on Imports of Russian Oil Act to ban Russian petroleum imports to the United States. And last week, I joined a group of my colleagues in a letter to President Biden demanding he commit to rebuilding U.S. energy independence in his State of the Union address this week. We must take immediate action to solve this crisis or else we will continue to be held hostage by war criminals like Vladimir Putin! My Fight to Remove Russia as a Permanent Member of the United Nations Security Council On Monday, I introduced a bipartisan resolution directing the Biden Administration to take all steps necessary to remove the Russian Federation as a Permanent Member of the United Nations Security Council, where it currently holds an influential seat with vast veto powers. Following Russia’s unprovoked and violent invasion of Ukraine, the United Nations (UN) Security Council proposed a resolution condemning Russia’s actions. Russia, as a Permanent Member of the Security Council, used its veto power to stop the resolution from moving any further. All the while, the Russian Ambassador to the UN presided over the Security Council meetings as president of the Council for the month of February. Russia is setting a new and dangerous precedent by abusing its role on the UN Security Council to legitimize its operation, fuel propaganda, and shield itself from accountability for its blatantly illegal and unprovoked invasion of a sovereign country. We must call out the hypocrisy of Russia’s actions, and force Moscow to publicly defend its continued position on such an important body given its reckless actions and increasingly rogue status on the international stage. A country willing to take such blatant steps to provoke war, jeopardize the safety of civilians, and undermine the sovereignty of a founding UN member state should not retain its powerful position as a Permanent Member of the Security Council. I stand in strong support of the Ukrainian people and will continue to push for a robust diplomatic response to Vladimir Putin’s evil actions. Senator Marsha Blackburn introduced a companion bill in the Senate. The full text of the legislation is available here. Responding to President Biden's First State of the Union Address The state of our nation and our world is much worse than it was one year ago. Virtually every major crisis our nation faces today has been caused or exacerbated by President Biden. Americans deserved to hear real solutions. The State of the Union was an opportunity for President Biden to acknowledge the challenges we face and deliver a call to action that was unifying, bipartisan, and results oriented. It was a chance for Joe Biden to stop talking about how he’s the “unity” president and to finally start acting like it. Unfortunately for our nation, President Biden failed to deliver. I deeply appreciated the bipartisan solidarity shown for the brave Ukrainian people as well as the strong condemnation of Vladimir Putin’s premeditated and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. But beyond that, this speech was a return to Joe Biden’s same partisan rhetoric. It was a divisive attempt to shift blame and salvage a failing presidency, while ignoring our country’s most pressing issues. The list of challenges is long and growing: 40-year high inflation, an open border, a deadly fentanyl epidemic, a hollowed out domestic energy industry, war in Europe, a failed withdrawal from Afghanistan, unprecedented government spending, and massive supply chain disruptions. President Biden once again failed to acknowledge these challenges let alone present a unifying, commonsense vision for how he plans to address them. READ MORE IN THE UTICA OD: What Oneida County's federal representatives are saying about Biden's State of the Union I want to hear your thoughts on the President's speech. Answer the poll below to share your feedback! Did President Biden address your concerns about the direction of our country in his speech? Yes Select No Select Unsure Select Removing Big Tech's Corrupt Influence From Our Elections This week, findings released in Wisconsin by a state-appointed special counsel exposed Zuckerbucks for exactly what they are: a shady and corrupt influence operation designed to undermine free and fair elections. In particular, the special counsel determined that the funding provided by Mark Zuckerberg and funneled through a liberal non-profit to Democrat-leaning counties violated the state’s anti-bribery laws. States around the country that have not yet banned Zuckerbucks from future elections, such as New York, must act now to save our elections and protect the democratic process from being sold to the highest bidder. I am continuing to fight as co-chair of the House Election Integrity Caucus to ensure my End Zuckerbucks Act, which would prohibit private organizations from providing direct funding to official election organizations, is passed to prevent non-profits from engaging in this corrupt practice in the future. ICYMI: In the 2020 election, Mark Zuckerberg used a non-profit organization called the Center for Tech and Civic Life (CTCL) to shell out $350 million to local boards of elections to provide safety protocols to voting sites. Unfortunately, the majority of this money was funneled in a partisan manner to Democrat-leaning counties or election precincts. The money was provided with little-to-no oversight on spending, and reports indicate it was used to fund advertising, vehicle purchases, and other activities completely unrelated to the pandemic. My Votes Explained Transparency in government is key, and I'm pleased to keep you updated on how I voted on legislation in the House of Representatives. For a more detailed explanation of my votes on each of the bills below, click here. I voted “Yes” on S.321, the “Six Triple Eight” Congressional Gold Medal Act of 2021, to award a Congressional Gold Medal to the members of the Women’s Army Corps (WAC) who were assigned to the all-African-American, all-female comprised 6888th Postal Directory Battalion. This bill passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 422 – 0. I voted “Yes” on H.R. 55, the Emmett Till Antilynching Act. This bill designates lynching as a federal hate crime and imposes strict criminal penalties, such as prison time, a fine, or both, for violators. Lynching was an evil practice far too common throughout the United States until the 1960s, and this legislation will help close the book on that ugly chapter of our Nation’s history. This bill passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 422 – 3. I voted “No” H.R. 2116, CROWN Act of 2022. Discrimination against anyone is wrong, which is why the Civil Rights Act of 1966 rightfully bans discrimination based on race, color, or national origin for employment, public accommodations, and housing. While supporters of this bill argue there is a need to explicitly ban discrimination on hair texture or hair style, this bill simply duplicates civil rights protections already included in federal law while opening commonsense good-faith workplace standards to burdensome and potentially frivolous litigation. The courts have repeatedly found that grooming and appearance policies applied in a discriminatory manner violate existing federal laws. In turn, this language change may ban job-critical standards such as ensuring a firefighter’s hair does not infringe on the proper functioning of their respirator. Overall, this legislation is far too sweeping and top down. This bill required a 2/3 majority to pass the House and failed by a vote of 235 - 188. I voted “Yes” on H.Res. 956, Supporting the People of Ukraine. This resolution expresses support for the people of Ukraine, calling specifically for an immediate cease-fire and withdrawal of Russian forces from Ukraine, affirming our support for the nation’s citizens and the imposition of sanctions against Russia, and reaffirming our support for Article V of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Further, this resolution promises to provide additional aid and humanitarian relief to Ukrainian refugees, as well as work with Europe to strengthen its energy security and reduce dependence on Russian energy imports. Congress should act where the president has failed to deter Putin’s belligerence. The United States must hit Putin where it hurts by imposing severe sanctions and diplomatic consequences for this unprovoked aggression, as well as reaffirm our unwavering commitment to the territorial integrity of Ukraine and to the Ukrainian people. We must stand with the people of Ukraine in their struggle for freedom, democracy, and peace. This bill passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 426 - 3. I voted “No” on H.R. 3967, the Honoring our PACT Act of 2021. I strongly support efforts to deliver much-needed relief to Veterans suffering from exposure to toxins. Congress has been working for years to craft targeted legislation to provide support and assistance to veterans. Unfortunately, the bill considered today in the House politicized the issue and was a partisan effort to score points, rather than support our veterans. First, this bill could severely increase wait times at the VA for veterans, as the VA has not yet testified to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs about its ability to implement the legislation, and estimates suggest that the backlog of cases at the VA could grow to as many as 1.53 million claims by the end of Fiscal Year 2023. Rushing a bill through Congress that is not even implementable is bad enough, but doing so when we know this bill could increase wait times for veterans at a very significant cost is absolutely inexcusable. I firmly believe that every veteran exposed to toxins deserves the health care that we promised them when they signed up for service to our nation. As the mother of a Marine officer, this issue truly is a personal one for me. And there is a way to provide this expanded care for veterans effectively today – the Health Care for Burn Pit Veterans Act is a bipartisan bill that I strongly support and voted in favor of as an amendment in place of the Honoring our PACT Act. This commonsense bill has already passed the Senate unanimously and would deliver immediate relief to veterans, without increasing wait times and jeopardizing other vital services. Unfortunately, instead of considering this legislation, Speaker Pelosi instead chose to move forward with the Honoring our PACT Act. It is deeply disheartening how the Democrat majority in the House continues to play politics with our veterans. Instead of delaying access to lifesaving care any longer, Speaker Pelosi can, and should, take up the Health Care for Burn Pit Veterans Act as soon as possible and send it to President Biden for his signature. This bill passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 256 - 174. UPDATE: Tele-Town Hall to Be Held Tuesday, March 8 This week, I announced my next live Tele-Town Hall for constituents in New York’s 22nd Congressional District. It will take place this coming Tuesday, March 8, from 6:00pm to 7:00pm. Participants will be able to ask questions, provide feedback through interactive poll questions, and hear from me on issues important to you. Anyone interested in registering for the Tele-Town Hall can do so by visiting my website at tenney.house.gov/rsvp, by calling my Washington DC office at 202-225-3665, or by dialing in directly at the time of the call at 833-419-0132. I hope you will be able to join us! >>>REGISTER HERE<<< The End of New York's School Mask Mandate Finally, after years of forced masking in schools, Governor Hochul lifted the school mask mandate this week. Once again, our children can see the smiles of their friends and the faces of their teachers. As New York lifted its school mask mandate, our children and parents are rightly relieved. Governor Hochul’s unscientific policies have hindered our children’s development, and the decision to roll back the mask mandate was long overdue. It is a tragedy that some of our children have spent most of their young lives hiding behind masks, and we are only beginning to understand the full impact this has had on their development and mental health. It is even more of a tragedy that this mask mandate was in place for so long and only arbitrarily removed to accommodate the realities of the political calendar. While this is a win for our kids and families, it is not the end of the fight to restore our freedom over individual medical decisions. Governor Hochul has waged a war against those who want to exercise these rights, including by firing numerous healthcare heroes who chose, for a variety of reasons, not to comply with her draconian vaccine mandate. I will continue to work tirelessly to protect these freedoms, right these wrongs, and ensure our country and state return to a path of principled leadership that safeguards and respects our freedom. NY-22 Assists Those Suffering in Ukraine READ MORE: Ukrainian woman holding donation drive in Utica to help her homeland Challenging times often bring out the best in people. Our community has always come together to support those in need, and now is no different. Viktorya Runkevich, an NY-22 resident from Ukraine, organized a donation drive in Utica to collect supplies to the people of Ukraine. Thank you to Viktorya for her selfless work on behalf of those who are truly suffering in Ukraine! 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]