Introduced New Legislation to Secure the Border |
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The crisis on our Southern Border has exploded under President Biden. More than 3.5 million migrants have been stopped by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents at the Southern Border under Biden, and during the month of August, 203,597 migrants were stopped by CBP, an increase of 307% compared with the last August of the Trump administration.
2.1 million migrants have been stopped by CBP in fiscal year 2022 (FY22) with one month's worth of data still yet to be released - this is a record. 78 individuals on terrorist watchlists have been apprehended after crossing the border. Furthermore, more than 12,000 pounds of fentanyl have been seized in FY2022. Biden’s push for open border policies and amnesty for illegal immigrants has created and continues to bolster the worst border crisis in modern history.
I highlighted the ongoing crisis and called for action in a speech on the House Floor. You can watch the full speech here or at the link above.
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To address the crisis, this week I introduced the Diverting IRS Resources to the Exigent Crisis Through (DIRECT) Funds for Border Security Act to stop Biden's new IRS army from launching audits of middle-class families and instead invest those funds in additional Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents.
As part of the partisan Inflation Reduction Act, the IRS received $45.6 billion for additional enforcement activities. These additional audits will primarily target lower- and middle-income Americans, contrary to President Biden’s claims. The bill also failed to invest enough in the Taxpayer Advocate Service, which is what could improve the responsiveness and delivery of services to American taxpayers. As Biden is focused on targeting law-abiding American families to pay for his costly new legislation, he has ignored the crisis on our Southern Border.
Joe Biden’s priorities could not be more twisted. Instead of giving tens of billions of dollars to the IRS so they can launch new audits of an additional 700,000 working-class Americans, we should be investing in our border. The DIRECT Funds for Border Security Act will make sure that we are by redirecting funds from Biden's audit army to the brave men and women of the CBP.
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My Statement on Adoption of Harmful Lower Overtime Wage Threshold for Farm Workers |
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Yesterday, New York State Labor Commissioner Roberta Reardon made her decision to adopt a proposal from the New York State Farm Laborer’s Wage Board to lower the state’s farm laborer overtime threshold from 60 to 40 hours per week. This decision is a huge blow to farmers and farm workers.
To say this decision is misguided is an understatement. Commissioner Reardon is undermining the men and women across our great state whom she is supposed to serve. Her decision to adopt this disastrous proposal to lower the overtime wage threshold for farm workers is going to lead to lost wages for workers, increased costs for farmers, and higher prices for consumers.
I want to remind Commissioner Reardon that without our farms, we will have no food. And the facts are clear: the adoption of this proposal is going to drive an overwhelming amount of our farmers out of the state, and many out of business altogether. I would strongly urge her to reverse this decision, which has been opposed by farmers and farm workers alike.
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Why I voted "No" on Passage of the Short-Term Government Funding Bill |
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I hear from constituents every day who are struggling in this economy, unsure of whether they will be able to put food on their tables or gas in their tanks. I hear from concerned parents who are concerned about their child’s curriculum. I hear from small business owners and family farmers who are struggling to keep their doors open. I hear from those who no longer feel safe on their own streets and are demanding a secure border. I hear from heartbroken mothers, who will never see their children again because of an opioid-related overdose.
These are the struggles New Yorkers are facing and this Continuing Resolution failed to meaningfully address any of them, which is why I opposed it. The bill does nothing to rein in spending or tackle runaway inflation. It fails to take any action to secure the Southern Border or protect middle-income Americans from Biden’s IRS audits. The Continuing Resolution ignores the root causes of our energy crisis and fails to unleash American energy production to lower prices for consumers. And it fails to crush the flow of deadly opioids that are a scourge on our communities.
An economy that is strong. A nation that is safe. A future that is built on freedom. A government that is accountable to the people. This is what the American people want, and this is what I’m committed to delivering. This Continuing Resolution failed to deliver on any of these commitments, which is why I strongly opposed it.
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Demanding Answers for Governor Hochul's Apparent Pay-to-Play Scheme in NY |
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This week, I joined my New York congressional colleagues in a letter to U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland urging him to conduct a thorough investigation into New York's $637 million deal to purchase 52 million COVID-19 tests between the Hochul administration and Digital Gadgets LLC, a company whose owners have donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to Governor Hochul's campaign. New York paid 45% more than California did for identical tests, which were purchased directly from the manufacturer. Estimates show that New York would have saved nearly $300 million had it paid the same price as California.
Kathy Hochul promised New Yorkers a new approach, but New York's culture of pay-to-play politics is continuing under her failed leadership. The Department of Justice must investigate this issue to ensure our elected leaders are held to the high standards. You can read the full letter here.
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Introduced Resolution Expressing Support for the Brave Iranian People Protesting for Freedom |
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On Thursday, I introduced a bipartisan, bicameral resolution commending the bravery, courage, and resolve of the women and men of Iran who are demonstrating in more than 130 cities against the Iranian regime's human rights abuses. Protests have been raging across the country in the wake of the death of a 22-year-old girl, Mahsa Amini, who was arrested for violating the country’s strict dress codes. She later died while in custody.
I was joined in the House by Representative Michael McCaul (TX-10), Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and Representative Tom Malinowski (NJ-07), and in the Senate by Senators Bob Menendez (NJ), Marsha Blackburn (TN), Bill Cassidy (LA), Ted Cruz (TX), Jacky Rosen (NV), Kevin Cramer (ND), and Bob Casey (PA).
The resolution commends the Iranian people protesting against gross human rights abuses and in support of freedom and urges the Biden administration to continue to impose human rights sanctions, prioritize efforts to expand internet access in Iran and work to develop a strategy to prevent the Iranian regime from obtaining and exploiting facial recognition data and software for the use of mass surveillance and enforcement of mandatory hijab. The full text of the bicameral resolution is available here.
Last week, you may remember that I led a bipartisan letter with Congressman Tom Malinowski (NJ-07) urging the Treasury Department to approve any license requests it receives to ensure entities can rapidly deploy communications services and Internet access to the Iranian people amid ongoing protests and the regime’s widespread and deliberate Internet blackouts. Shortly after my letter was sent, the Treasury Department issued an updated General License making it easier for American companies like SpaceX to provide Internet services to Iran.
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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 “Yes” on H.R. 8987, the Fairness for 9/11 Families Act. This bill would authorize catch-up payments for 9/11 victims, spouses, and dependents who became newly eligible to receive payments from the U.S. Victims of State Sponsored Terrorism Fund (USVSST) in 2019. Previously, only non-dependent siblings and parents received payments. The bill would rescind $2.982 billion in unspent COVID relief funds to offset the cost of the payments. Importantly, this legislation helps bring justice to the victims, spouses, and dependents who were left out originally and will allow them to receive payments that match those received by other family members. This bill passed the House by a vote of 400-31.
- I voted “No” on the Senate Amendment to H.R. 6833, the Continuing Appropriations and Ukraine Supplemental Appropriations Act, also known as the Continuing Resolution. This Continuing Resolution failed to meaningfully address any of the crises that are hammering New Yorkers, which is why I strongly opposed it. The bill does nothing to rein in reckless spending or tackle runaway inflation. It fails to take any action to secure the Southern Border or protect middle-income Americans from Biden’s IRS audits. The Continuing Resolution ignores the root causes of our energy crisis and fails to unleash American energy production to lower prices for consumers. And it fails to crush the flow of deadly opioids that are a scourge on our communities. I remain committed to delivering what the American people are demanding: an economy that is strong, a nation that is safe, a future that is built on freedom, and a government that is accountable to the people. This bill passed by a vote of 230-201.
- I voted “No” on H.R. 7780, the Mental Health Matters Act. This bill would provide grant funding to state and local education agencies to implement mental health interventions, facilitate partnerships between school districts and higher education institutions, recruit and retain mental health service providers, and connect school districts with local trauma-informed support and mental health systems. Unfortunately, while well-intentioned, this bill contains harmful provisions that could ultimately drive the cost of mental health coverage through the roof, causing employers to drop mental health coverage in order to avoid costly litigation. It also neglects to prioritize the importance of families and the broader community when dealing with mental health challenges and could further isolate children from their parents and other community support structures. Further, the legislation authorizes more spending, despite the fact that schools received approximately $190 billion in COVID-19 relief funding already, portions of which remain unspent. In addition, we still do not truly understand the extent to which COVID-related lockdown hurt our students and exacerbated mental health issues, something which we should firmly understand first so we can target any new federal spending. Our communities desperately need access to mental health care, which is why I co-led the REACHING Improved Mental Health Outcomes for Patients Act earlier this year to reauthorize and strengthen important mental health programs. This bill passed by a vote of 220-205.
- I voted “Yes” on S. 4900, the SBIR and STTR Extension Act of 2022. The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs play an important role in ensuring federal research and commercialization efforts go to our nation’s small businesses and startups. This bill will reauthorize these programs through 2025 and make critical updates. First, it will bolster research security to ensure awardees are not under the influence of China or other foreign actors. Second, it will improve reporting requirements to strengthen Congressional oversight, increase public transparency, and safeguard taxpayer dollars. Last, it will add enhanced performance benchmarks for small businesses that have won multiple SBIR & STTR awards. This will ensure these awardees are focused on commercializing projects and fully leveraging their federal grant money. With these improvements we will ensure the American people receive the full benefits from these programs. This bill passed the House by a vote of 415-9.
- I voted “Yes” on H.R.8466, the Chai Suthammanont Healthy Federal Workplaces Act of 2022. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the haphazard federal response undermined the well-being of federal employees and the efficient functioning of federal services. This bill will require all agencies to submit a plan for future public health emergencies and incorporate lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic. It is vital we do not repeat the same mistakes again. This bill passed by a vote of 351-73.
- I voted “Yes” on S.3470, the End Human Trafficking in Government Contracts Act of 2022, which will update the procedures by which the federal government responds to human trafficking reports. Currently, if agencies receive an inspector general report substantiating a claim of human trafficking from a contractor or grantee, the agency has the discretion to initiate contract suspension. This legislation will require them to refer the matter to an agency official with contact suspension or debarment authority. This bill passed the House by a vote of 423-0.
- I voted “Yes” on S.2551, the AI Training Act, which will develop and implement an Artificial Intelligence (AI) training program for certain non-defense federal employees. This will allow these federal workers responsible for program management, research and testing, contracting, and logistics to learn more about the potential benefits and pitfalls of AI technology. This bill passed the House by a vote of 393-29.
- I voted “No” on H.R. 6955, the Visit America Act, as amended. This bill establishes a new Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Travel and Tourism position to promote U.S. travel and tourism. However, unfortunately, this bill also includes many policies related to the far-left’s woke agenda under the guise of tourism, needlessly turning this into a highly partisan position. This bill passed by a vote of 325-93.
- I voted “No” on H.R. 7321, the Global Aircraft Maintenance Safety Improvement Act. This bill would add new regulations and oversight requirements to foreign aircraft repair stations. However, these new regulations will force domestic air carriers to raise prices even further at a time when costs are already soaring. While I support ensuring the safety of aircraft, these new regulations are unnecessary and overly burdensome on domestic air carriers. This issue could have been and should have been addressed in a more targeted and thoughtful manner. This bill passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 374-52.
- I voted “Yes” on S. 3662, the Preventing PFAS Runoff at Airports Act. This bill would temporarily allow the federal government to cover 100 percent of the cost for airports to purchase and deploy aqueous film forming foam (AFFF) input-based testing equipment. This important legislation will increase access to testing devices that limit PFAS exposure, reducing the spread of toxic per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) at commercial airports. This bill passed by a vote of 381-42.
- I voted “Yes” on H.R. 8888, the Food Security for All Veterans Act. This bill would establish the Office of Food Security within the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), which would be responsible for informing veterans of federal food assistance programs, collaborating with the VA Homeless Programs Office to implement policies to identify and treat food insecure veterans, collaborating with the Department of Agriculture to develop materials related to Transition Assistance Program curriculum, developing training for social workers, chaplains, and dietitians on how to enroll veterans in federal food assistance programs, and issuing guidance on collaboration with state and local food assistance programs. This bill passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 376-49.
- I voted “Yes” on S. 2794, the Supporting Families of the Fallen Act. This bill would increase from $400,000 to $500,000 the automatic maximum coverage amounts for life insurance programs for active service members and veterans. These coverage amounts have not been updated since 2005. Amid record inflation, this legislation will ensure veterans can better provide for their families with stability and peace of mind. This bill passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 425-0.
- I voted “Yes” on H.R. 8446, the Global Food Security Reauthorization Act of 2022, as amended. This bill would reauthorize funding for the Global Food Security Strategy and for international disaster relief programs, including the emergency Food Security Program. This bill would promote critical food security, nutrition programs, and resilience in developing nations consistent with U.S. national security interests. This legislation comes at a pivotal time of global food insecurity, especially as Russia’s war in Ukraine exacerbates the food crisis. This bill passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 331-95.
- I voted “Yes” on H.R. 8463, the Millennium Challenge Corporation Eligibility Expansion Act. This bill would expand the number of eligible countries for assistance from the Millennium Challenge Corporation. As China’s global malign influence continues to rise through the Belt and Road Initiative, the United States must do more to provide an alternative. This bill allows more countries to receive targeted U.S. investment over Chinese aid, and would prevent more countries from accepting predatory Chinese loans. This bill passed by a vote of 334-87.
- I voted “No” on Suspensions En Bloc (H.R. 8956, H.R. 6967, H.R. 8163, H.R. 4081, H.R. 6889, H.R. 1638, Senate Amendment to H.R. 5641, H.R. 3304, H.R. 8875, S.1198, H.R. 8510, H.R. 8681, and H.R. 4821). This en bloc contained various problematic bills, including legislation that was never subject to a hearing in advance of markup, where legislation could have been debated and more information could have been gleaned with respect to its effects. This package of legislation passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 296-127.
- I voted “Yes” on H.R. 3482, the National Center for the Advancement of Aviation Act. This bill would establish the National Center for the Advancement of Aviation, which would be a federally-chartered private entity. The purpose of the center would be to develop the U.S. aviation and aerospace workforce, support collaboration between government and private actors in the field and serve as a source of research in the field of aviation. This center will allow these sectors to coordinate, promote, and support the future of aviation, and it will ensure the U.S. remains a leader in aviation. This bill passed by a vote of 369-56.
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Monthly Seminar Series Updates for October |
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This week, I announced that my office will host the next two editions of my Monthly Seminar Series in October. The first will be with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) regarding the Assistance for Firefighters Grant (AFG) program. The second will be with the Northern Border Regional Commission regarding upcoming funding opportunities.
The AFG program provides much-needed assistance to firefighters and first responders, helping them fund training operations or obtain equipment and vehicles. The program is administered by FEMA. As of September 2022, FEMA has made 2,009 awards worth more than $718 million. Attendees will have the opportunity to speak directly with FEMA representatives about the program and ask questions about the application process.
What: FEMA Webinar on AFG program
When: October 13, 2022, at 2:00 PM
Where: Webinar will be held via Zoom
The second webinar with the Northern Border Regional Commission will cover upcoming funding opportunities available to Herkimer, Oneida, Madison, and Oswego counties. The program will discuss the types of projects eligible for funding, changes in the newest program, and important dates for applications.
What: NBRC Webinar on Upcoming Funding Opportunities
When: October 19, 2022, at 10:00 AM
Where: Webinar will be held via Zoom
Interested participants are encouraged to submit questions in advance to ensure the presentation can be tailored to specific areas of interest. Questions can be submitted by email with your RSVP, or by calling Congresswoman Tenney’s Utica District Office at 315-732-0713.
This seminar is being hosted as part of Tenney’s monthly seminar series, in which the Congresswoman connects residents of New York’s 22nd Congressional District to resources and support at the federal level. A complete archive of Tenney’s monthly seminars can be found here.
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Just Announced: October Mobile and Virtual Office Hours |
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This week, I announced that my team will be hosting mobile and virtual office hours throughout the month of October. These sessions are a chance for you to connect with caseworkers for assistance dealing with a federal agency.
If you are interested in attending an in-person mobile office hour session, you are highly encouraged to schedule your appointment in advance by contacting either my Binghamton District Office at 607-242-0200 or the Utica District Office at 315-732-0713. If you would like to schedule an appointment for virtual office hours, please call my Binghamton Office at the number above. Scheduling your appointment in advance will provide a more expedited casework experience and ensure every constituent is able to receive the help they need.
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Concerns Regarding Proposed NYSEG Rate Hikes |
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Recently, I have heard from many constituents who are concerned by the proposed rate hikes for New York State Energy and Gas (NYSEG) customers. I share these concerns, especially considering the harmful impacts that already-rising inflation and energy prices are having on our communities.
That's why I wanted to share that public hearings are ongoing if you would like to share your concerns. The next hearing will be held on October 18 at 1:00 PM and 5:00 PM hearings on each day. If you would like to share a comment, then you must pre-register by 4:30 PM the day before by calling 1-800-342-3330.
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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.
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