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President Biden's CBP Commissioner is Literally Sleeping on the Job. He Should Resign!

On October 17, 2022, reporting from Politico alleged that Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Chief Chris Magnus was unengaged in his job, even skipping White House meetings on the Border Crisis, badmouthing other agencies, and failing to build relationships needed to secure the border. In the meantime, the crisis at the Southern Border has continued to grow exponentially. In fiscal year 2022 (FY22), there were more than 2.37 million illegal border crossings, a record for a single fiscal year. In September alone, there were 227,547 illegal crossings — 12% more than the previous month, and a 200% increase from the last September of the Trump administration. During FY22, 98 individuals on terror watch lists were apprehended at the border, and who knows how many others were able to get away and enter our country. In less than two years, the Biden administration has already surpassed the total number of encounters in the entirety of the Obama administration. Furthermore, over 14,000 pounds of fentanyl were seized at the border by CBP agents. This is unacceptable. This crisis requires leaders who are engaged with the task at hand and ready to put the safety of the American people first. That's why I joined with my colleagues in a letter to President Biden calling for CBP Chief Magnus' resignation. The Biden administration must begin taking this crisis seriously. In our letter, we wrote, “This behavior is highly problematic considering the United States is experiencing the worst border-crossing crisis in this country’s history, with a record 2,378,944 encounters at the southern border for Fiscal Year 2022. It is critical to secure our borders and that requires an engaged Commissioner leading CBP toward success in its three core missions of counterterrorism, border security, and trade enforcement." In September, I introduced the DIRECT Funds for Border Security Act to redirect funds from Biden’s increased IRS audits of middle-income Americans to CBP for the purpose of hiring and training new officers. You can read the full letter here. READ MORE: HOUSE REPUBLICANS DEMAND CBP COMMISSIONER RESIGN

Standing Up To Governor Kathy Hochul's Out-of-Touch Ban on Gas-Powered Vehicles

I joined with fellow New York Congresswoman and House Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik (NY-21) on an important letter opposing Governor Kathy Hochul’s proposal to ban gas-powered vehicles by 2035. In the letter, we pointed out that Hochul’s mandate would impose significant cost burdens on New Yorkers in addition to overburdening the state’s electric grid, and limiting consumer choice. The letter was also signed by fellow New York Representatives Lee Zeldin (NY-01), Andrew Garbarino (NY-02), Chris Jacobs (NY-27), John Katko (NY-24), and Joe Sempolinski (NY-23). In our letter, we wrote that Hochul's "plan to require an all-Electric Vehicle (EV) fleet will raise prices on vehicles that New Yorkers already cannot afford, inhibit rural communities’ ability to thrive, and wreak further havoc on the already struggling power grid in New York. Forcing New Yorkers to purchase EVs in 2035 will cause significant financial hardship to the average consumer. Over the last year, electric vehicle prices have skyrocketed approximately 56.7 percent, while hybrid and plug-in hybrid cars rose 30.5 percent. New Yorkers are already battling steep costs due to inflation, rising energy costs, and the ongoing supply chain crisis. Energy prices, including prices for home heating oil in the North Country, have nearly doubled over the last year. Forcing New Yorkers to purchase electric vehicles will only serve to add undue burdens that they cannot bear." We have already watched the nightmare scenarios play out before us in California, where rolling blackouts forced government officials to ask individuals not to charge their electric vehicles--or even use air conditioning! New York must heed the warning signs and ensure New Yorkers have access to reliable energy for generations to come! The full letter is available here for you to read. SHARE YOUR FEEDBACK!

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Cutting the Ribbon for Rome Lab's New Perimeter Fence

On Tuesday, I had the great privilege of attending the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new Visitor Control Center at the Air Force Research Laboratory Information Directorate in Rome, also known as Rome Lab. This center includes a state-of-the-art perimeter fence to enhance Rome Lab’s security posture and better protect its workforce. I had the honor of leading the charge to advocate in Congress for federal funding to construct the perimeter fence and successfully secured an authorization of $14.2 million as part of the fiscal year 2019 National Defense Authorization Act. During the 115th Congress, I testified before the Appropriations Subcommittee on Military, Construction, Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies in support of the fence and later submitted written testimony to the House Armed Services Committee highlighting the need for enhanced perimeter security. Rome Lab drives our local economy as well as our nation’s cutting-edge research and development in so many different fields. After aggressive advocacy to secure the funding for the perimeter fence, it was great to join with members of our community and the Rome Lab workforce to cut the ribbon on this project. This day was almost a decade in the making, but through our efforts and the hard work of so many at the state and local levels, we were able to finally get the job done. I joined Rome Mayor Jackie Izzo, Senator Joe Griffo, and Assemblywoman Marianne Buttenschon. We were also joined by Rome Lab’s senior leadership, including AFRL Director Colonel Fred Garcia, former AFRL Director Dr. Don Hanson, and U.S. Army Corps Engineer Mr. Kyle Davis. The new fence and control center comply with Department of Defense (DOD) antiterrorism protection requirements. The site security fence around the perimeter of Rome Lab is equipped with associated lighting, video surveillance, card-controlled personnel entry access gates, and visitor control entry point to mitigate physical security threats to the installation.

Calling on President Biden to Drop the Cross-Border Vaccination Requirement

Did you know that even after President Biden declared that "the pandemic is over," he is still requiring truckers to be vaccinated in order to cross the U.S.-Canadian border? Even Canada’s vaccination and testing requirements expired earlier this month. This policy doesn't make any sense, and is contributing to an already serious supply chain crisis. That's why I joined a letter led by Congressman Rick Crawford (AR-01) asking President Biden to end vaccination requirements between the U.S. and Canada. Several essential commodities are imported into the U.S. from Canada, including fertilizer, oats, propane, and chemicals. President Biden’s vaccine requirement puts more strain on our supply chain by hindering the trucking industry’s ability to move these essential goods quickly. The letter also notes that the threat of COVID-19 continues to diminish while our commitment to a strong partnership with Canada remains. In part, we wrote, "Open trade and cross-border supply chain mobility between the highly integrated American and Canadian agricultural sector is critical to our bilateral relationship. At this point in time, there is hardly any legitimate reason for cross-border vaccination requirements to persist for our nation’s truckers. We are two and a half years removed from the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic and one and a half years removed from civilian access to COVID-19 vaccines, not to mention over a year removed from available booster shots. COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths have steadily declined for months. It is far past time we join Canada and the rest of the world in fully reopening our economy." President Biden, end the vaccine mandate, now!

Another Casework Success Story

My team of expert caseworkers recently assisted a constituent who needed to travel overseas to attend his mother's funeral. When the constituent's mother passed away, he realized his passport had expired and needed to be renewed as soon as possible. However, there were no appointments available, and the wait would have caused him to miss the funeral. After contacting my office, my team of caseworkers was able to secure him an an appointment and help the constituent receive an expedited passport to attend his mother's funeral. If you or someone you know ever needs assistance with a federal agency, please contact my Binghamton District Office at 607-242-0200 or my Utica District Office at 315-732-0713. We are here to serve you!

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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