Congresswoman Tenney's Weekly Newsletter Have questions? Contact Me Here A Monumental Week at the Supreme Court This week was one of the most significant at the Supreme Court in decades. On Thursday and Friday, the Court ruled on two of the most important issues facing our country: upholding our Second Amendment rights and protecting life. On Thursday, the Supreme Court ruled on New York State Rifle and Pistol Association v. Bruen, in which the Court struck down New York's onerous, arbitrary, and discriminatory concealed carry law as unconstitutional.The decision reaffirms and strengthens our Second Amendment rights by ensuring New York cannot arbitrarily deny individuals the right to bear arms. Last July, I had the privilege of leading 175 of my House colleagues, including House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy, House Republican Whip Steve Scalise, and House Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik, in an amicus brief to the Supreme Court, defending the right to conceal carry under the Second Amendment to the Constitution in the case New York State Rifle and Pistol Association v. Bruen. You can read my full statement on the decision here. You can also watch my appearance on Fox and Friends, where I discussed the historic NYSRPA v. Bruen decision! The full video is available here or below. Then on Friday, the Court ruled in the Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization. In this decision, the Court affirmed what has been true all along: that Roe and Casey were wrongly decided. The right to abortion is not one that has ever been guaranteed or protected by the Constitution of the United States. This nonexistent right should never have been codified by an activist Supreme Court under Roe or reaffirmed by Casey. It remains a fundamentally moral question that should be determined by voters and the public officials they elect. This decision now returns this process to the voters and their elected representatives. As a mother and pro-life advocate, I will continue to support compassionate pro-life policies that ensure women and families, especially those facing unexpected pregnancies, have the tools, resources, and support they need to make decisions that embrace life. I will always stand for the unborn and oppose the dangerous abortion-on-demand policies that are being pushed by far-left politicians in New York and other states. My full statement on the decision can be found here. Standing up for our Second Amendment Rights I voted "No" this week on the Senate gun control bill. This overreaching legislation will not stop the violent shootings taking place across our country or address the unprecedented spike in violent crime our communities are facing. However, it will restrict and undermine the freedoms of law-abiding Americans, while handing more power to the federal government and unelected bureaucrats. To effectively address gun violence, we should invest in mental health, restore law and order, fully fund law enforcement and prosecute those who violate existing laws. The compromise struck by the Senate pushes overreaching, unconstitutional, and failed gun control measures that will do little to make our communities safer at great expense to the Second Amendment rights of Americans. This legislation expands support for red flag laws at the federal level, potentially allowing the government to confiscate the guns of Americans without sufficient due process protections. It also requires young Americans to wait significantly longer to legally purchase a firearm, effectively creating a second class of citizens who can vote and join the military but face new restrictions when legally purchasing a firearm. I will continue to defend our Second Amendment rights, while strongly opposing far-left policies that undermine our fundamental rights and make American communities less safe. The SBA Should be Working with Small Businesses, Not Big Tech Giants This week, I sent a letter to Isabella Guzman, Administrator of the Small Business Administration (SBA), urging her to reverse the recent decision to partner the SBA with several Big Tech companies, including Amazon, Google, Meta (formerly Facebook), and others, as part of the SBA’s new Small Business Digital Alliance (SBDA). In my letter, I highlighted the predatory business practices of these companies, which have harmed small businesses. This new partnership directly opposes the SBA’s mission to “aid, counsel, assist and protect the interests of small business concerns, preserve free and competitive enterprise and to maintain and strengthen the overall economy of our nation.” I was disappointed that instead of choosing to work with the many small businesses at the cutting edge of the technology industry, the SBA has enlisted the help of companies such as Amazon, which compiles data on the sales, costs, and suppliers of small business sellers that use the platform. Amazon has then reportedly undercut those small businesses by selling its own copy-cat products at lower prices, while pushing small business products down the website’s search results. The full text of the letter is available here. My Mental Health Bill PASSES in the House This week, the House passed the bipartisan REACHING Improved Mental Health Outcomes for Patients Act, which is a bill I co-led that was included as part of a larger mental health package passed by the House. The broader package, entitled the Restoring Hope for Mental Health and Well-Being Act, was passed by a vote of 402-20. The Restoring Hope for Mental Health and Well-Being Act contains many commonsense reforms and reauthorizations of grants to address mental health problems, substance abuse disorders, and suicide prevention, especially amongst children and young adults. It also reforms these programs to ensure they meet the needs of law enforcement and reduce recidivism amongst those suffering with mental illness. On April 5, 2022, I introduced H.R. 7237, the REACHING Improved Mental Health Outcomes for Patients Act with Representatives Morgan Griffith (VA-09), Sharice Davids (KS-03), and Angie Craig (MN-02). In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and rising crime in our communities, it is clear that our friends and families need access to quality mental health care now more than ever. It was a privilege to join my colleagues to introduce H.R. 7237, and this week, it was an honor to see it pass as part of a comprehensive package of mental health bills. The successful implementation of these programs and reforms will improve mental health access and quality of life for many, ultimately saving lives. Standing for Fiscal Responsibility This week, I joined the Republican Study Committee (RSC) for a special order on the Floor of the House of Representatives, where I gave a speech highlighting the RSC’s fiscal year 2023 (FY23) budget and reiterated the need for fiscal responsibility and government transparency. The RSC recently released its budget proposal for FY23. The proposed budget would balance the budget within seven years and put the Nation back on a path to fiscal sanity, a stark contrast with President Biden’s budget proposal, which would add an additional $73 trillion in new spending over the next 10 years. Biden’s out-of-control spending has already led to 40-year-high inflation, with the Congressional Budget Office estimating that the American Rescue Plan Act alone added about 3% to inflation. In my speech, I admonished President Biden for his disastrous spending policies and his proposals to increase spending further. I then talked about the importance of reining in wasteful spending, balancing the budget, and helping those in need, while living within our means. Lastly, I highlighted the inclusion of my Transparency in COVID-19 Expenditures Act in the budget. This bill would require a full audit of and report on federal spending related to the pandemic. Recognizing 50 Years of Title IX On Thursday, to mark the 50th anniversary of Title IX, I joined House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy, several of my colleagues, and female athletes and activists to discuss the many opportunities Title IX has opened for women and girls across America. We also discussed the need to protect girl's sports! ICYMI, I recently cosponsored the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act to ensure that the woke agenda does not diminish opportunities for women and girls. SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS! Should biological males be allowed to participate in women's sports? Yes Select No Select Energy Roundtable with the Canadian American Business Council It was an honor to participate in an energy roundtable with Jason Kenney, Premier of Alberta, Canada, and the Canadian American Business Council. In our meeting, we discussed the importance of unleashing North America’s clean, reliable, and affordable energy resources to address the current crisis. President Biden's anti-energy policies, such as banning new oil and gas lease sales on federal lands and canceling existing permits, have hamstrung American energy independence, leading to higher costs for consumers. With gas prices at record-highs and more than double what they were when Biden took office, I will continue advocating for an all-of-the-above energy strategy to drive prices down! 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 “No” on S. 2938, the Senate Gun Control Bill. The compromise struck by the Senate pushes overreaching, unconstitutional, and failed gun control measures that will do little to make our communities safer at great expense to the Second Amendment rights of Americans. This legislation expands support for red flag laws at the federal level, potentially allowing the government to confiscate the guns of Americans without sufficient due process protections. It also requires young Americans to wait significantly longer to legally purchase a firearm, effectively creating a second class of citizens who can vote and join the military but face new restrictions when legally purchasing a firearm. This overreaching gun control legislation will not stop the violent shootings taking place across our country or address the unprecedented spike in violent crime our communities are facing. However, it will restrict and undermine the freedoms of law-abiding Americans, while handing more power to the federal government and unelected bureaucrats. This bill passed the House by a vote of 234-193. I voted “Yes” on the House Amendment to S. 2089, the Keep Kids Fed Act. This bill provides funding and flexibility for communities to provide children with healthy meals throughout this summer and provides support to schools and daycares to respond to supply chain challenges and high food costs caused by soaring inflation. This legislation also directs the Secretary of Agriculture to help schools and families return to paid meal programs, and allows no-cost, nationwide waivers to help schools maintain paid meal program operations. Importantly, this bill does not incur any new costs since all of the spending is offset by rescinding funding from prior COVID-19 related legislation. This bill passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 376-42. I voted “Yes” on H.R. 5407, the Enhancing Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Through Campus Planning Act. This bill requires the Department of Education to work alongside the Department of Health and Human Services to encourage colleges and universities to address the nationwide mental health crisis among students by creating proactive plans for preventing suicide and promoting mental health resources. These comprehensive plans must comply with strategies recommended by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s Suicide Prevention Resource Center, specifically its nine-part Comprehensive Approach to Suicide Prevention. Suicide is the second leading cause of death among youth between the ages of 15 and 24. Given that the COVID-19 pandemic and related lockdowns have exacerbated the mental health crisis facing our Nation, especially among children, it is more important than ever to ensure students have proper support systems and services in place. This bill passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 405-16. I voted “Yes” on H.R. 6493, the Campus Prevention and Recovery Services for Students Act. This bill requires higher education institutions that receive federal funding to adopt and implement an evidence-based program to prevent alcohol and substance misuse by students and employees. The Department of Education and the Department of Health and Human Services then will identify and promote programs successful to achieving this goal as well as issue a report to Congress on efforts and best practices from institutions. The bill also reauthorizes an existing federal grant to support evidence-based alcohol and substance misuse prevention programs and authorizes funding at $15 million per year for the next five years. College students routinely make up a significant portion of the population that abuse drugs and alcohol on a regular basis, necessitating targeted and evidence-based programming to provide resources, support, and assistance. This bill passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 371-49. I voted “No” on H.R. 4176, the LGBTQI+ Data Inclusion Act. At a time of record high inflation and supply line dysfunction, we need to be pushing polices that improve our prosperity and opportunity, not divide Americans further based on their identity. This legislation pushes the left’s woke agenda rather than delivering solutions for the American people. It requires federal agencies to include sexual orientation and gender identity related questions on the more than 130 currently administered federal surveys, including the census. This data collection bill is another attempt to force Americans to provide personal information to the federal government as a means to classify and categorize the American people. House Republicans offered commonsense amendments, such as including a question of citizenship on the census, all of which were rejected by House Democrats. Currently the federal government already collects data similar to this, but only when it is applicable to the policy at hand. Aside from the woke nature of this bill and the mandated inclusion of extraneous information on all future federally administered surveys, considering the federal government’s history of large data leaks, the additional collection of this personal information could also further undermine the privacy of Americans. This misguided bill is another attempt by House Democrats to push their social agenda while ignoring immediate crises like inflation, gas prices, the open border, the baby formula shortage, the botched withdrawal from Afghanistan, or oversight of funds provided to Ukraine. This bill passed by a vote of 220-201. I voted “Yes” on H.R. 7666, the Restoring Hope for Mental Health and Well-Being Act.This legislation contains many bipartisan bills and reauthorizations of grants that seek to address mental health problems, substance abuse disorders, and suicide prevention, especially amongst children and young adults. It also reauthorizes critical public health programs to address the nation’s mental health needs, prevent suicide, and support substance use disorder prevention, treatment, and recovery support services. In addition, the bill prohibits the Biden Administration from using funds from the bill to purchase or distribute crack pipes. This legislation also includes a bipartisan bill I introduced and contains many conservative wins as well. It is the first major effort to date to address the mental health crisis caused by government driven lockdowns and school closures during the pandemic. It also supports mothers at every stage of life by providing care for maternal health and substance use disorders, which are among the leading causes of death for pregnant and postpartum women. The provisions of this bill are targeted, fiscally responsible, and ensure accountability across federal agencies. This bill passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 402-20. I voted “Yes” on H.R. 5585, the Advanced Research Project Agency - Health Act. This legislation authorizes funding to ARPA-H while placing guardrails on the agency to require transparency and ensure that it stays focused on biomedical research and breakthrough technologies in health and medicine. This legislation authorizes the establishment of the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Health (ARPA-H), a new agency within HHS to accelerate innovation in health and medicine by investing in high-risk, high-reward research projects. It also places several additional constraints on the agency, including the prohibition of awarding any grants to malign foreign countries. By authorizing ARPA-H, this bill reigns in wasteful spending, requires agency accountability and transparency, and prohibits federal funding to China and other adversarial nations. House Republicans fought for provisions in this bill to keep the Biden Administration from using excess appropriations for superfluous initiatives. In doing so, we can make sure that funding is directed to biomedical projects and not the Democrats’ political agenda. This bill passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 336-85. I voted “No” on H.R. 6538, the Active Shooter Alert Act of 2022. This bill is an unnecessary and redundant piece of legislation that adds another layer of bureaucracy to the highly politicized Biden Department of Justice (DOJ). This bill establishes a National Coordinator at DOJ to issue best practices and guidelines for states and local governments’ active shooter emergency alert systems. This bill uses federal coordination, coupled with broad definitions of “active shooter” and “populated area,” to encourage state and local governments to issue emergency alerts in a manner designed to stoke public fear of firearms. Furthermore, states already use a federal system to issue emergency alert notifications, including for active shooter emergencies.The Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS) is a federal system that allows public safety agencies to send wireless emergency alerts to mobile devices and emergency alerts to media platforms and internet service providers. Instead of providing real solutions to this spike in crime, House Democrats have brought multiple anti-gun bills forward, which will do nothing to make our communities safer. This bill is no exception. DOJ can already issue best practices and guidance related to public safety alerts, and there is no suggestion that states and localities currently have difficulty in managing emergency alerts or would benefit from a federal coordinator. This legislation required two-thirds to pass the House and failed by a vote margin of 259-162. I voted “Yes” on H.R. 7777, the Industrial Control Systems Cybersecurity Training Act. This legislation amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to establish an Industrial Control Systems Cybersecurity Training Initiative within the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA). This initiative aims to provide cost-free cybersecurity workforce training concerning the security of industrial control systems. These systems are responsible for critical industrial processes, ranging from manufacturing to production and distribution. As advanced technologies continue to develop and become an integral part of the industrial process, it is essential that our cybersecurity professionals are well-equipped to respond to emerging threats to our nation. This bill passed the House by a vote of 368-47. JOIN WEDNESDAY: Monthly Seminar Series on Protecting Your Children with DHS Experts As part of my monthly webinar series and my ongoing effort to make the services of the federal government more accessible to our communities, my office will be hosting a webinar next Wednesday with expert guests from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Office of Homeland Security Investigations. Among other topics, the HSI will cover their efforts to protect children’s online activity. The HSI often works with schools directly to help support online privacy for children. You will have an opportunity to hear from these experts and ask questions regarding this and other topics. When: Wednesday, June 29th at 6:00PM RSVP: Email [email protected] Please submit any questions in advance with your RSVP email, or by calling my Utica District Office at 315-732-0713. Thank you, and I hope you can attend! Celebrating the Life of Gold Star Mother Mary Wheeler On Wednesday, I honored and celebrated the life and legacy of Gold Star mother, Mary Wheeler, of Yorkville, who recently passed away at the age of 95, Mary worked at General Electric in Utica, where she was their first female supervisor. After losing her son Joseph, May was a member of the American Gold Star Mothers and was even National President of the American Gold Star Mothers. Mary also was a member of Whitestown American Legion Post #1113, the VFW, Military Order of the Purple Heart, and was an honorary member of the Vietnam Veteran's Chapter #944. Mary was a great friend to me, and she will continue to be an inspiration to all of us for years to come.You can watch my full speech here or at the link above. Congratulations to Congressional Art Competition Winner Nadja Wall! It was an honor to welcome Nadja Wall and her family to Washington this week! Nadja is a senior at Vestal High School and the winner of this year’s Congressional Art Competition for New York's 22nd District! Nadja's work, titled “The Aquarium, is now hanging in the halls of Congress and will remain there for the next year. Honoring Our Local Businesses and Entrepreneurs This week was an important one for our local entrepreneurs! First, it was a pleasure to give Joe and Brian Mazzaferro certificates celebrating their grand opening of the Mini-Mazz shop in Rome. The two owners opened this satellite store while constructing their new building after a devastating fire. Then, Team Tenney had the privilege of joining a celebration of Chip Hummel's 50th anniversary at Hummel's Office Plus, a great Herkimer County business! Chip's friends and family all came out to honor him for his many dedicated years of service and philanthropy in the community. Thank you, Chip. Sending off our Courageous Heroes My best wishes to Company Commander CAPT Tyler Nutting and the men and women of Charlie Company, 2nd Battalion, 108th Infantry of the New York Army National Guard in Utica on their recent deployment. Your service to your country, community and New York State is to be commended. We appreciate not only your dedication and sacrifice, but that of your families as well, and wish you a safe return. Thank you to all who serve! 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. ‌ ‌ ‌ Rep. Tenney | 1410 Longworth House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515 Unsubscribe [email protected] Update Profile | Constant Contact Data Notice Sent by [email protected]