Fighting to Increase Production, Restore Energy Independence, and Lower Costs for Consumers!

Since President Biden’s swearing-in, his Administration has waged a war against American energy, driving up costs for consumers and making energy prices unaffordable for many. You may have seen gas recently reach a high of $4.93 per gallon, on average, in New York!

While President Biden blames the energy crisis on Vladimir Putin and American energy producers, the reality is that it is the result of a failed approach that pursues unattainable green-energy goals instead of realistic ones. If this approach continues, then costs will continue to skyrocket as America becomes even more dependent on foreign energy sources. The time to act and reverse these disastrous policies is now.

That's why I just introduced a plan to secure American energy independence and lower costs for consumers by harnessing clean, affordable domestic energy. The plan includes legislation that I support in Congress to increase energy production and focuses on four pillars: (1) Unleashing American Energy Production; (2) Investing in Clean, Affordable Energy; (3) Protecting our Natural Environment; and (4) Securing Energy Independence from Our Adversaries.

You can read the full plan here. I look forward to your feedback.

Holding the IRS Accountable to YOU

This week, I sent a letter to Commissioner Charles P. Rettig of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), pressing him for answers regarding widespread delays in the processing of 2021 tax returns, which is impacting many throughout New York's 22nd District. This includes seniors who often file by paper.

Countless Americans are struggling to make ends meet, and many are relying in part on their annual tax refund to simply get by amidst soaring costs and skyrocketing inflation. Sadly, too many of the constituents I represent have been left wondering when they will receive their refund or whether they may even owe any extra taxes. I am continuing to advocate for you in Washington and am working to make sure government works better for the American people.

In the letter, I called on the IRS to better allocate its resources to enhance the efficiency and transparency of its services. Taxpayers of all ages have waited far too long to receive refunds that are rightfully theirs, and this problem must be resolved with expedience. You can read the full letter here.

If you or a loved one needs assistance dealing with the IRS or any other federal agency, please do not hesitate to contact my office - we are here to help! You can reach my Central New York office at 315-732-0713 and my Southern Tier office at 607-242-0200.

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Continuing to Counter the China Threat and Put America's National Security First

I joined Newsmax this week to discuss discuss China's growing threat. China is playing the long game and it is continuing to test the United States and our leaders. President Biden should respond proactively with clarity. Unfortunately, his reactive policies and mixed messages will not strengthen our security.

In Congress, I introduced the bipartisan China Watcher Act to increase the ability of our diplomats and military officials abroad to monitor and report on China's growing aggression. We can counter China through proactive leadership and a strong economy here at home but we must act fast to reverse Joe Biden's policies.

Governor Hochul Must Ensure NY's COVID Investigation is Transparent and Independent

On Wednesday, I sent a letter to New York Governor Kathy Hochul urging her to ensure New York State’s independent inquiry into the COVID-19 response is open, fair, and truly transparent and that it addresses continued questions regarding the State’s response in nursing homes and long-term care facilities.

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, New York State imposed knee-jerk and draconian measures, like severe economic lockdowns, statewide mask mandates, school closures, and vaccine mandates. Notably, disgraced former Governor Andrew Cuomo required nursing homes and long-term care facilities to accept COVID-19 positive patients in the early days of the pandemic, compromising the health and safety of this most vulnerable population.

My letter calls on the independent inquiry to address the following questions, among several others:

Why was the decision made to transfer COVID-positive seniors into long-term care facilities, especially given that seniors were always assessed as a high-risk population?
How many deaths can be attributed to the decision by New York State’s Department of Health to return COVID-positive patients back into long-term care facilities?
What was the impact of isolation on seniors and other vulnerable populations who were cut off from their essential caregivers while residing in long-term care facilities?

Last year, I introduced H.R. 3733, the Essential Caregivers Act, which would establish a new federal standard guaranteeing the rights of long-term care patients to access essential caregivers, even in future public health emergencies. One of the greatest tragedies of the COVID-19 pandemic was the devastation caused by long-term isolation that occurred because of Governor Cuomo’s lockdown policies. I am leading the charge for answers now!

You can read the full letter here.

Memorial Day Celebrations

It was an honor this week to join so many across our region to recognize Memorial Day. On Monday, I attended a moving Memorial Day ceremony in Pulaski to honor our fallen heroes.

For generations brave Americans have served our nation with tremendous courage. Memorial Day is an important opportunity to honor those who gave the last full measure of their devotion to safeguard our freedoms. Thank you to the American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars for putting together Monday's events, and thank you to all of the community members who joined us!

Schedule Your DC Tour Today!

As our nation returns to normal and reopens, it is my pleasure to share that tours of the White House and Capitol Building have made their long-awaited return!

While tours have resumed at several locations, sites such as the U.S. Capitol are doing so incrementally. As such, we are still limited in how many constituent tours we can host each week. At present, tours of the Capitol Building have been restricted to one appointment per office per week. Please note, the White House requires 21 days minimum notice to accommodate any tour requests. Availability for both of these tours is extremely limited. I urge you to reach out to my office as soon as possible regarding all future tour requests. You can do so by accessing my tour request portal here .

While my office may be unable to secure a Congressional tour for all the sites you have selected given the high demand and currently limited availability, there are a number of locations that remain available for public tours. I urge you to visit house.gov for more information regarding these opportunities. Such locations include the Supreme Court and the National Archives, which you can view here and here. You may also wish to register to receive your very own reader registration card through the Library of Congress, which you can do here. I would also suggest you contact your U.S. Senators, as they too have been successful in accommodating tour requests. You can submit a tour request to Senator Schumer's office here, as well as to Senator Gillibrand here.

I believe strongly that our Nation's Capitol Building should be opened, which is why I have joined my colleagues in numerous public letters to Speaker Nancy Pelosi urging her to reopen the Capitol for tours. Although tours have started to return, there are still far too many restrictions in place. The American people deserve full access. Rest assured that my office will do all it can to accommodate as many requests as possible. We appreciate your understanding in this matter and wish all visitors a safe and pleasant trip to Washington.

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.