Congresswoman Tenney's Weekly Newsletter Have questions? Contact Me Here Ensuring our Veterans are Never Treated as Second Class Citizens A recent report suggested that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) was considering diverting medical personnel from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to the Southern Border to help process a flood of illegal immigrants expected after the official termination of Title 42. A U.S. border official also stated that border agents are anticipating a surge of as many as 18,000 illegal immigrant encounters at the border every single day following the end of Title 42. Let me be clear: any plan that takes resources away from our veterans is absolutely unacceptable and I will fight tooth and nail against it in Congress. This week, I joined 53 of my colleagues in a letter to DHS Secretary Mayorkas demanding answers about any plans that would take medical personnel away from the VA. Read more about the letter here. Sadly, the Biden Administration has refused to take the crisis at our Southern Border seriously. Since President Biden's swearing in, over two million illegal border crossings have taken place. Last year, deportations fell 68% to just 59,011, down from 185,884 in 2020. And more than 11,200 pounds of fentanyl were seized by border agents in Fiscal Year 2021, which is enough to kill every American nearly seven times over. While an unprecedented amount of drugs and people are being stopped at the border, an unprecedented amount are also slipping through. This crisis is having a direct impact on our communities, with more than 100,000 Americans dying of drug overdoses in a recent 12-month period - the most ever! It's time for Secretary Mayorkas and President Biden to finally take this border crisis seriously, or else they should resign. READ MORE: Republicans slam Biden admin for 'deeply troubling' possibility VA docs could go to border for expected surge Election Integrity Update: No More Zuckerbucks in Virginia and Alabama! This week was a big one for election integrity! In Virginia, Governor Glenn Youngkin approved a bill banning Zuckerbucks, which will prohibit private donors from bankrolling elections in that state. In Alabama, Governor Kay Ivey did the same, an important step to protect the safety and security of our elections. On Tuesday, the Center for Tech and Civic Life announced that it would not be distributing Zuckerbucks again in 2022. As you may recall, this is the non-profit organization that Meta (then-Facebook) CEO Mark Zuckerberg used to funnel $350 million to local boards of election in overwhelmingly Democrat regions without any oversight or accountability. Last year, I introduced the End Zuckerbucks Act to stop people like Mark Zuckerberg from funding elections through these shady operations. Faith in our elections is at an all-time low, and it's crucial that we take meaningful steps to restore confidence by enacting commonsense reforms and protecting the role of states in administering elections. Do you support banning partisan billionaires like Mark Zuckerberg from funding our elections? Yes Select No Select New Op-Ed: What is Biden's Iran Envoy Hiding? On Tuesday, I published an op-ed about the ongoing negotiations for a revived nuclear deal with Iran, the world's leading state sponsor of terror. Robert Malley, President Biden's Special Envoy for Iran and the chief negotiator of the 2015 failed Iran Deal, has refused to testify publicly before the House Foreign Affairs Committee. I led a letter to Secretary of State Blinken recently demanding that Mr. Malley testify just like his predecessor did under the Trump Administration. Bombshell developments over the last several weeks shed light on why Mr. Malley may be refusing to testify publicly. Recent reports have revealed that as Russia wages an unprovoked and murderous war in Ukraine, President Biden is bizarrely fixated on securing Russian cooperation to finalize a nuclear deal with Iran. The reports out of Vienna signal that a new deal could be imminent, and that it is even worse than the original deal Mr. Malley negotiated. Special Envoy Malley has an obligation to answer the tough questions, and I will continue fighting to make sure he does. Clink the link below to read the op-ed! READ MORE: What is Biden's Iran Envoy Hiding? Recognizing the Camden Track and Field Team for Their Compassionate Service In a speech on the Floor of the House of Representatives, I recently recognized the Camden High School Track and Field team for their help with disaster recovery efforts following the December 10, 2021, tornado in Kentucky. Camden Track and Field coach Phil Lucason brought six students, Lizzy Lucason, Will Carver, Ryan Beaulic, Joe Doran, Nate Hurd, Ivy Murphy, and Dillon Melchoire, with him on a trip in February to help rebuild homes and clean up debris left by the tornado. On the way back from the trip, Dillon Melchoire stopped at the University of the Cumberlands in Kentucky, where he signed a letter of intent to run track for their team next year. These young people went above and beyond to help others they did not even know. NY-22 is truly a community of service! The full clip of my remarks is available here or at the link above. Updates on the Town of Vernon Water Project On Friday, I visited the Town of Vernon to meet with Supervisor Randy Watson and other local elected officials to discuss a new water project the town is launching that will bring cleaner drinking water to Vernon for generations to come! I was honored to submit this project as part of the Community Project Funding (CPF) process that launched last year. It was a privilege to have the opportunity to discuss the project in more detail, receive an update on its projected start date, and speak with community members who will be positively impacted. Thank you to all who joined us! REMINDER: Webinar on Rural Broadband Expansion Don't forget: I recently announced that my office will host a webinar with expert guests from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of Rural Development (USDA-RD). The webinar is open to all constituents and local government leaders and will provide an overview of federal grant and loan programs available for rural broadband development. Individuals and local agencies interested in federal programs to expand quality broadband are encouraged to attend. You will have an opportunity to hear from experts and ask questions. Those interested in attending this webinar should RSVP by emailing [email protected]. You are encouraged to share any questions you may have with our office in advance by calling 315-732-0713 to give us an opportunity to tailor the presentation to your specific areas of interest. Participants who register in advance will receive a link to the Zoom meeting on the morning of the event. When: Wednesday, April 20, 2022, at 10:00AM Where: Webinar will be held via Zoom >>>RSVP<<< Congratulations to the Participants of the Air Force Research Lab's STEM Challenge This week, I joined with Congresswoman Elise Stefanik and others from our community to attend the Air Force Research Laboratory's Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) Challenge Competition award ceremony in Rome. The STEM Challenge is a great example of how Rome Lab gives back to our community. Congratulations to the following students, all of whom participated in this year's challenge! Seth Brownrigg, Central Valley Academy; Eamon Miller, Central Valley Academy; Dylan Snow, Madison Oneida BOCES; Kaleb Lanz, Oneida High School; Jonathan Litwak, Oneida High School; Kenneth Davis, Rome Free Academy; Colyn Seeley, Rome Free Academy; Jonathan Howard, Proctor High School; Has Moo Paw, Proctor High School; Sean Hyde, Westmoreland High School; Joshua Suber, Westmoreland High School. Win for Upstate: Repeal of the State's Broadband Tax Last week, I joined with House Republican Conference Chairwoman Elise Stefanik and other members of the New York congressional delegation in a letter urging Governor Hochul to work with the state legislature to repeal the broadband fee, which is charged to private providers for installing, operating or maintaining fiber optic cable lines needed for quality broadband connections. This fee amounted to a tax on rural broadband that stifled growth and expansion. This week, I was very happy to announce that New York repealed the fiber fee as part of the 2022-2023 state budget. It is already costly enough to run a business and raise a family here in New York, and this additional fee was just harmful and unnecessary. While so much of our state’s budget failed to cut back on onerous mandates and remove many of the most egregious taxes on small businesses and Upstate families, I’m pleased that at least the fiber fee was eliminated. This will make it easier to expand broadband in our state, especially in the rural communities across New York’s 22nd District that need it most. Interested in Interning in My Office? Apply Today! Are you or a young person you know interested in interning in either my Utica or Binghamton District offices for the summer? If so, visit my website to apply today! My team is looking to hire motivated high school and college-aged individuals to join us for the summer months. Congressional internships offer an opportunity to serve your community while also developing skills necessary for employment in today's economy. In most cases, my office is also able to provide stipends to interns. I hope you will consider spending your summer with Team Tenney! >>>APPLY HERE<<< 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]