Congresswoman Tenney's Weekly Newsletter Have questions? Contact Me Here Restoring Confidence in Our Elections Voting is one of the most sacred rights we have as Americans, and I feel very strongly that we must treat it as such. Free and fair elections are a key part of a vibrant and healthy Constitutional Republic. However, confidence in our elections is at an all-time low. A recent poll from CNN found that just 16% of Americans were confident in our elections. This is unacceptable! This is why, as co-chair of the Election Integrity Caucus, this week I joined with Congressman Rodney Davis (IL-13) and House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy to introduce the American Confidence in Elections (ACE) Act. This bill makes meaningful reforms to our elections system, while still respecting the primary role of states in administering elections, as outlined by the Constitution. The ACE Act puts a stop to President Joe Biden’s attempts to turn federal agencies into get-out-the-vote operations for Democrats. It also gives states the tools to boost voter confidence, bans Zuckerbucks, restricts partisan vote harvesting, and prohibits noncitizens from voting. As co-chair of the Election Integrity Caucus, I am committed to driving the conversation behind commonsense reforms to restore faith in our elections. I introduced H.R. 4290, the End Zuckerbucks Act to prohibit partisan non-profits from funneling funds to election agencies with zero accountability or transparency. I also introduced H.R. 8461, the Promoting Free and Fair Elections Act, with Congressman Ted Budd to prevent funding for President Biden’s overreaching and unconstitutional Executive Order ordering federal agencies to participate in partisan get-out-the-vote operations. These reforms are necessary to preserve our self-governing Constitutional Republic. The full text of the ACE Act can be found here. Introduced New Legislation to Protect Pro-Life Pregnancy Centers and Houses of Worship In the wake of the Dobbs v. Jackson decision pregnancy centers and places of worship across the country have been the target of violent attacks. At least 50 pro-life pregnancy centers and another 150 Christian churches were victims of pro-abortion activists. Right here in upstate New York, CompassCare Pregnancy Services in Amherst, NY, was recently firebombed and threatened. This is why I introduced the Pregnancy Resource Center Defense Act to strengthen penalties for attacking pregnancy resource centers and places of worship. The bill, which is explained in more detail here, was introduced in the Senate by Senator Josh Hawley (MO). There has been strong support for this legislation from community leaders, elected officials, and medical professionals. The services these institutions provide offer a lifeline to families and mothers, including support and encouragement, as well as vital medical care, resources, and information. I strongly condemn these heinous attacks, and the provisions of this bill ensure that attackers are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law by: Increasing criminal penalties from a misdemeanor to a felony for first-time offenses, and increasing the criminal fine from $10,000 to $25,000; Guaranteeing that pregnancy resource centers and religious facilities that successfully sue will receive no less than $20,000, a $10,000 increase from current levels; Imposing a 7-year mandatory minimum when attacks involve arson, an increase from the current 5-year mandatory minimum. Those who protect life should never be under threat in America. Introduced Resolution Expressing Strong Support for Border Patrol Agents The crisis at our border is unprecedented and the Biden Administration's policies are leaving us even more vulnerable. This is why I joined Congressman Michael Guest (MS-03) to introduce a resolution expressing support for the brave Customs and Border Patrol (CPB) agents. The resolution also condemns the Biden Administration for politicizing the agency, which it did most recently when it falsely accused border agents on horseback of attacking migrants. These brave law enforcement officers have apprehended over 3.1 million migrants at the Southern Border since Biden took office as well as 8,400 pounds of fentanyl in 2022, more than double the previous year. Clearly, they deserve our support and respect, rather than baseless accusations of misconduct. However, these statistics are indicative of a much deeper problem facing our nation, which has increased exponentially during this administration. 207,416 migrants were encountered at the Southern Border in June 2022—an increase of 527% from the last June of President Trump’s administration. Over 3.1 million migrants have been apprehended at the Southern Border since Biden took office, and more than 500,000 known "got-aways" have taken place since October 2021. This is unacceptable, and I will continue to work with my colleagues to secure our borders and support those who protect us. I encourage you to read the full resolution here. My Vote on the CHIPS and Science Act This week, I voted "No" on the CHIPS and Science Act, which passed the House by a vote of 243-187. American industry has been hollowed out by decades of flawed policymaking and government inaction. Upstate New York has lost thousands of well-paying jobs to other states and competitors across the globe like China. That’s why I support policies to restore our industrial strength and am leading the Made in America movement in Congress. I introduced the American Innovation and Manufacturing Act to provide capital to small manufacturing businesses as well as the Make It in America to Sell It in America Act to support the integrity of our supply chains for critical goods. Unfortunately, the CHIPS and Science Act lacks critical guardrails and includes loopholes that in the long run could benefit China. We should have done more to ensure tens of billions of dollars bolster American industry and not Chinese industry. Senators Rubio, Cotton, and Portman all submitted amendments to fix potentially disastrous issues, but they were voted down. In the House, there was no opportunity for amendments at all. Implementing safeguards would have prevented recipients of federal funding from continuing to expand operations abroad, including in places like China. They also would have protected America’s research and intellectual property. Much of the supported research under this bill will be executed in partnership with universities, which we know are notoriously vulnerable to Chinese theft and espionage. On top of these critical shortcomings, Senate Democrats also announced, only hours after the bill passed the Senate, that they had struck an agreement on a partisan reconciliation bill. While they call it the ‘Inflation Reduction Act,’ the opposite is true. The bill is poised to send our country into a crushing recession even faster, and it is inextricably linked to passage of the CHIPS and Science Act. This partisan stunt by Democrats once again underscores their fundamental inability to understand basic economics and address our country's problems. Participated in a Great Panel Discussion with National Leaders on Election Integrity This week, I had the privilege of joining the America First Agenda Summit for a panel discussion on election integrity. I was joined by Attorney General Jeff Landry of Louisiana, Secretary of State Mac Warner of West Virginia, and Ken Blackwell, former Secretary of State for Ohio and current America First Policy Institute (AFPI) Chairman of the Center for Election Integrity. We spoke about the need for commonsense reforms, like voter ID laws, banning Zuckerbucks, and stopping Biden's unconstitutional overreach. We also discussed efforts at the state level to tackle many of these issues. It was a privilege to join this discussion as co-chair of the Election Integrity Caucus! To watch clips of our discussion, click the links above! President Joe Biden's Economic Illiteracy has Driven our Nation Into a Recession President Biden's economic illiteracy has destroyed our economy and made it nearly impossible for working families and seniors to make ends meet. Inflation has reached a 41-year-high of 9.1%. In New York, inflation is up to 11.4% and will cost the average household nearly $8,300 for the year! Even school supplies are up--supplies for the average student will cost more than $600 this year. Any gains that Americans made under the Trump Administration have now been wiped out by Biden's out-of-control spending and failure to address the ongoing supply chain crisis. That's why a Fox News poll found 75% of Americans were experiencing hardship because of inflation. It was great this week to join Newsmax to talk about this crisis and how we can get our nation back on track. You can watch the clip by clicking on the video link above. Instead of proposing new taxes on businesses and more than $700 billion in new spending, as Democrats in Congress are now proposing, it is past time to put our Nation back on a path to fiscal sanity. We also must increase domestic energy production to secure American energy and national security for generations to come and to lower prices for American consumers! Honored to Be Named a Hero of Main Street! It was a privilege this week to be named a "Hero of Main Street" by the National Retail Federation for my work in Congress to support small retail businesses across New York. This Congress, I've introduced critical legislation to support small businesses, such as the American Innovation and Manufacturing Act.  As a longtime small business owner and member of the House Small Business Committee, I’ll always support commonsense policies that bolster our small businesses, which employ 94% of all workers in New York's 22nd District! 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 this week, please click here. I voted “No” on the Senate Amendment to the House Amendment to the Senate Amendment to H.R. 4346, the CHIPS and Science Act. American industry has been hollowed out by decades of flawed policymaking and government inaction. Upstate New York has lost thousands of well-paying jobs to other states and competitors across the globe like China. That’s why I support policies to restore our industrial strength. I introduced the American Innovation and Manufacturing Act to provide capital to small manufacturing businesses, and I sponsored the Make It in America to Sell It in America Act to support the integrity of our supply chains for critical goods. Unfortunately, the CHIPS and Science Act lacks critical guardrails and includes loopholes that in the long run could benefit China. We should have done more to ensure tens of billions of dollars bolster American industry and not Chinese industry. Senators Rubio, Cotton, and Portman all submitted amendments to fix potentially disastrous issues, but they were voted down. In the House, there was no opportunity for amendments at all. Implementing safeguards would have prevented recipients of federal funding from continuing to expand operations abroad, including in places like China. They also would have protected America’s research and intellectual property. Much of the supported research under this bill will be executed in partnership with universities, which we know are notoriously vulnerable to Chinese espionage. On top of these shortcomings, Senate Democrats also announced, only hours after the bill passed the Senate, that they had struck an agreement on a partisan reconciliation bill. While they call it the ‘Inflation Reduction Act,’ the opposite is true. The bill is poised to send our country into a crushing recession even faster, and it is inextricably linked to passage of the CHIPS and Science Act. This partisan stunt by Democrats once again underscores their fundamental inability to understand basic economics. This bill passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 243-187, with one member voting present. I voted “No” on H.R. 3771, the South Asian Heart Health Awareness and Research Act of 2022.This bill establishes a new Centers for Disease Control (CDC) grant program for state awareness and educational initiatives regarding the prevalence of heart disease for at-risk populations, specifically the South Asian population. These grant programs, however, are entirely duplicative of existing CDC programs under the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. These programs already received over $1 billion in FY22, including programs specifically designed for outreach to higher-risk communities, such as the South Asian community. Further, all 50 states and local health departments have CDC-supported heart health initiatives to promote awareness of heart disease. Additionally, heart disease is the leading cause of death in America, making it a far-reaching problem. There is no reason why additional funds should be targeted to specific communities exclusively, rather than to the benefit of all Americans. This bill passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 237-192. I voted “Yes” on H.R. 4040, the Advancing Telehealth Beyond COVID-19 Act of 2021. This bill will codify critical telehealth policies implemented during the pandemic while also making it easier for seniors – especially those in rural areas – to access emerging health care technologies. Telehealth has allowed patients to maintain access to their physicians, and early evidence has shown reasonable utilization and costs. This bipartisan legislation will build on the coverage gains made during COVID-19 by removing outdated statutory obstacles to care, especially for seniors and those in rural areas. This bill passed the House by a vote of 416-12. I voted “Yes” on H.R. 6929, the Susan Muffley Act of 2022. This legislation corrects an egregious wrong the Obama Administration performed in 2009 against the employees of the Delphi Corporation, a defunct former subsidiary of General Motors. After the company surrendered its pension obligations to the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation as part of its 2009 bankruptcy agreement, the Obama Administration worked behind closed doors with union leaders to unfairly slash the pension benefits promised to Delphi’s 20,000 non-unionized salaried staff. This discriminatory and unfair agreement required these non-unionized employees to pay the entire cost of the pension’s minor funding shortfall, leaving many of them with a fraction of the benefits they were promised and paid into. Restoring the employees’ full benefits will directly help the 2,300 affected Delphi employees across Western and Central New York, returning resources back to our communities. This bill passed the House by a vote of 254-175. I voted “Yes” on H.R. 7981, H.R. 7733, H.R. 623, H.R. 3962, H.R. 4551, H.R. 5313, H.R. 7624, H.R. 7132, H.R. 7361, H.R. 3952, H.R. 6933, and H.R. 7569. This bloc of bills would reauthorize the Kids First Pediatric Research Program, create safety standards for the packaging of products that contain button cell batteries to protect children from accidentally ingesting them, and upgrade the National Weather Service personnel communication system, which shares critical weather warnings to the media, government offices, and emergency responders, among others. This package was passed by a vote of 336-90. I voted “No” on H.R. 8454, the Medical Marijuana and Cannabidiol Research Expansion Act. This bill would expand medical marijuana and cannabidiol research, while simultaneously reworking the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval process for marijuana and cannabidiol derived drugs. Before we start changing the process for FDA approval of any drugs, it is critical that we conduct further medical research first so we can make informed reforms based on science. This legislation very much puts the cart before the horse. We should continue conducting research prior to overhauling the approval process. This bill passed the House by a vote of 325-95. I voted “No” on H.R. 3588, the Mathematical and Statistical Modeling Education Act. It is important for us to research, develop, and implement innovative approaches for teaching high-quality mathematics and statistics in public schools. While I support strengthening STEM education in our schools, this bill restricts private schools from accessing these important grants. This bill misses the mark and does not benefit all of our students. This bill passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 323-92. I voted “No” on H.R. 7180, the Brycen Gray and Ben Price COVID-19 Cognitive Research Act. Congress has allocated more than $4 trillion on COVID-related aid, a portion of which remains unspent. Before spending additional funds for research and other purposes, Congress should have a firm understanding of what funding remains unspent and could be reprogrammed for other purposes, including important health and medical research projects. As inflation soars and hurts American families, Congress has a duty and obligation to make sure we use tax dollars responsibly. This bill passed the House by a vote of 350-69. I voted “Yes” on H.R. 6552, the Frederick Douglass Trafficking Victims Prevention and Protection Reauthorization Act of 2022. This legislation reauthorizes and expands programs passed under the Trafficking Victims Prevention Act to combat human trafficking and modern slavery, domestically and abroad. It is tragic that fellow human beings are being bought and sold around the world. Congress must ensure that we are delivering the necessary resources to end human trafficking and assist trafficking victims. As a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, I was pleased to support this legislation when it passed through committee, and I am pleased to support it again on the House floor. This bill passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 401-20. I voted “Yes” on H.R. 7289, the Federal PFAS Research Evaluation Act. Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a large class of man-made chemicals that can often last for decades. Some of these substances can accumulate in the body over time and cause adverse health effects, such as thyroid disorders and cancer. Before being phased out, these chemicals were formerly used in firefighting foam and some water-repellents and are often found contaminating the areas around airports, industrial sites, and military bases like the former Griffiss Air Force Base in Rome. This bill would require the National Academies of Science to study PFAS exposure and toxicity and develop a plan to address PFAS exposure. Bipartisan pieces of legislation to address PFAS, such as this bill, are critical to addressing existing PFAS exposure and learning more about the devastating effects of PFAS exposure. This bill passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 359-62. I voted “Yes” on H.R. 7734, the Timely Delivery of Bank Secrecy Act Reports Act. Over the years, we have seen many high-profile leaks demonstrating how criminals have been using our banking sector to facilitate their illegal activities. Currently, banks are required to submit reports to the federal government when they see suspicious activities. However, the Treasury Department has unfathomably limited congressional access to these reports. There is a concern that the Department of the Treasury may be doing this as a preemptive move to limit Republicans from launching investigations into the dealings of Hunter Biden. If true, that would be unacceptable and underscores the need for this access to be codified. This bill passed the House by a vote of 349-70. I voted “Yes” on H.R. 263, the Big Cat Public Safety Act. Over the years, there have been tragic stories of captive big cats, such as lions and tigers, being abused or attacking and killing untrained owners and unwitting bystanders. Big cats should be owned and cared for by institutions and individuals that are adequately equipped to care for them. This bill makes sure that’s the case by expanding commonsense rules and regulations covering big cats. Importantly, the bill maintains exceptions for private entities, including organizations that seek and obtain a Class C Exhibitors License. Exceptions also exist for colleges and universities, veterinarians, and wildlife sanctuaries, among other specified entities. This bill passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 278-134. I voted “No” on H.R. 5118, the Wildfire Response and Drought Resiliency Act. This partisan bill funnels $4 billion in taxpayer funds to be used for unnecessary research and environmental studies, while failing to actually provide communities with water and other resources they desperately need. It undermines relief and preparedness efforts by including costly mandates that will lead to firefighters being laid off. The true intentions of the bill are revealed by the new regulations it includes related to “environmental justice communities,” which allows activists to block major energy and infrastructure projects. Instead of considering Republican proposals to develop and include important initiatives needed to create areas that are actually resilient, Democrats have used this bill to advance a radical climate agenda and needlessly expand bureaucratic red tape. This bill lacks a plan of action that has any capacity to combat the forest mismanagement and water storage issues immediately threatening our communities. Democrats are once again taking advantage of a crisis to advance partisan objectives. This bill passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 218-199. I voted “No” on H.R. 1808, the Assault Weapons Ban of 2022. This bill is yet another partisan attack on the Constitutional rights of Americans by those on the left who simply despise the Second Amendment. The bill will ban any additional sales of new “assault weapons” to civilians and requires a full background check for almost all ownership transfers of an “assault weapon,” even if it is to a spouse or other family member. Over 25 million Americans own rifles, which would be classified as “assault weapons” under this expansive, overreaching, and unconstitutional legislation. Even with their common usage, rifles are still the least likely firearm to be used in criminal activity, accounting for less than 3% of all homicides. This bill also goes far beyond a so called “assault weapons ban” and would make illegal numerous shotguns used by hunters and sportsmen. This legislation is not based on the Constitution, public safety, or the facts. For example, the DOJ found that the previous assault weapons ban had no impact on crime rates and that criminals did not need gun features like pistol grips or barrel shrouds to commit crimes. It is time we focus on real policies that will help make our communities safe and reduce crime, instead of recycling disproven talking points from the left. This bill passed by a vote of 217-213. I voted “Yes” on H.R. 7283, the STREAM Act. This bill would make the Abandoned Mine Land Reclamation Program funds authorized under the IIJA consistent with the existing federal program by allowing 30 percent of funds to be set aside for long-term costs for acid mine drainage treatment. Acid mine drainage can seriously threaten public health and ensuring that states have sufficient funds to address acid mine drainage is critical. This bill would not allocate any additional funds, but would reroute existing funds. This bill passed the House by a vote of 391-9. I voted “Yes” on S. 3451, a bill to include certain computer-related projects in the Federal permitting program under title XLI of the FAST Act, and for other purposes. This bill would allow infrastructure projects involving semiconductors and other key technologies to be eligible for the FAST-41 expedited federal permitting program. This bill will help keep these important industries in the United States and encourage greater investments domestically. Additionally, this legislation will help counter China’s growing influence in the semiconductor and technology sphere by increasing U.S. leadership in the industry. This bill passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 303-89. Don't Miss Upcoming Mobile Office Hour Sessions This week, I announced mobile and virtual office hours that my office will be hosting throughout August. If you need assistance with a federal agency, then I encourage you to call to schedule your appointment as soon as possible! Last week, my team hosted mobile office hours in Herkimer County at the Herkimer Town Offices. Thank you very much to those who attended to seek assistance with a federal agency. Don't miss my team next week in Canastota! Not sure if we can help with your issue? Call my Utica District Office at 315-732-0713 or my Binghamton District Office at 607-242-0200 for more information! It's Still Not Too Late: Schedule Your Summer Tour of our Nation's Capitol 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]