This Week With Claudia #NY22

Governor Hochul: End the Job Crushing Mandates on Essential Workers

This week, I led a letter to New York Governor Kathy Hochul urging her to remove harmful mandates on essential workers in New York and to ensure that critical industries like healthcare and utilities do not suffer from further staffing cuts. My colleagues and I also advocated for those who were stripped of their jobs to be given back their old jobs or equal employment.

The letter was signed by Representatives Elise Stefanik, Lee Zeldin, Chris Jacobs, and Andrew Garbarino as well as 16 members of the New York State Assembly, including local Upstate members John Salka, Joe Angelino, John Lemondes, Ken Blankenbush, and Christopher Friend.

As you may know, disgraced former Governor Andrew Cuomo first instituted a COVID-19 vaccine mandate for healthcare workers last summer. Governor Hochul then continued the implementation of this draconian mandate after Cuomo resigned in disgrace. Thousands of New York healthcare workers have been fired for non-compliance, resulting in a statewide healthcare staffing crisis, especially throughout upstate New York. And in December, Governor Hochul called in National Guard troops to fill avoidable staffing shortages.

There is justified concern that if these vaccine mandates are applied to power and utility workers as well, it could cause staffing levels to fall below the minimum set by the New York State Public Service Department. This would risk leaving vast numbers of New Yorkers in the dark for an extended period during a large winter storm or other natural disaster. Governor Hochul--stop the mandates now!

Continuing to Fight for Our 2nd Amendment Rights

I am a staunch defender of our Second Amendment and have been throughout my time representing upstate New York. The right to keep and bear arms is sacred, and I am firmly committed to working with my colleagues to protect it for generations to come. Strong defense of the Second Amendment is more important than ever in the face of an unprecedented assault from those on the Left who want to legislate lawful gun owners out of New York.

That's why this week I announced my cosponsorship of the No REGISTRY Rights Act, which would stop the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) from compiling an illegal database of legal gun owners. I also recently cosponsored the Firearms Industry Nondiscrimination Act to prohibit federal contracts from going to organizations that discriminate against firearms providers solely because they are engaged in legal firearms or ammunition sales.

Now, more than ever, support for the Second Amendment is crucial. While I support targeted and commonsense efforts to keep guns out of the hands of criminals and enforce existing laws, I stand strongly against efforts by gun-grabbers to strip law-abiding Americans of their rights. To learn more about my efforts to protect our Second Amendment rights, please click here.

New Move by the FCC's to Target Chinese Companies

On Friday, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) took action to add two new companies that pose threats to U.S. national security to its Covered List, in addition to one Russian company. This important step will help protect the safety and security of American telecommunications networks.

I strongly support this action, and I look forward to the addition of companies like DJI and others that threaten American security. Last year, I cosponsored the Countering Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Drones Act to add DJI to the Covered List and ensure Americans are not being spied on by China.

Investigating Big Tech Censorship

You may have heard about Big Tech's censorship of the New York Post's October 2020 story on Hunter Biden's laptop. Now, unsurprisingly, new reporting confirms the truth behind this story, and a recent survey shows this censorship could have even had drastic impacts on the 2020 election. I think Congress should take action, and I want to hear your thoughts as well!

Should Congress investigate Big Tech's censorship of the New York Post story?

Yes

Select

Southern Tier Roundtable on Ukraine

This week, my team hosted a roundtable in Binghamton with local community leaders to discuss the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, and the United States’ role in assisting those who have been personally impacted by the violence.

I continue to be in touch with constituents from across our region who have family either in Ukraine or who escaped the violence. I am grateful for all who took the time to sit down and discuss their views and personal experiences with my team and I will continue to work with State Department officials to ensure that visa requests are processed as efficiently as possible and that those in harm's way receive the proper support and care.

Do you think the U.S. is doing enough to help the Ukrainian people?

Yes

Select

Interested in Interning in My Office? Apply Today!

Are you or a young person you know interested in interning in either my Utica or Binghamton District offices for the summer? If so, visit my website to apply today! My team is looking to hire motivated high school and college-aged individuals to join us for the summer months.

Congressional internships offer an opportunity to serve your community while also developing skills necessary for employment in today's economy. I hope you will consider spending your summer with Team Tenney!

>>>APPLY HERE<<<

Congratulations to the Newest New York State Troopers!

This week, 227 new State Troopers graduated from New York State Police Basic School and took an oath to protect and serve our state. I am grateful for these courageous men and women for their commitment to protecting our communities in the face of a wave of anti-police sentiment.

Please join me in congratulating our newest Troopers on their graduation and wishing them safe tours of duty. Thank you to all who serve!

If you are interested in reading more about my work in Congress to support law enforcement, I encourage you to check out my law enforcement plan here!

Pre-Retirement Webinar with Guests from the Social Security Administration

It was a privilege to host expert guests from the Social Security Administration (SSA) on Wednesday to discuss pre-retirement best practices for those who are preparing to enter this next phase. Thank you to all who joined in!

As part of my commitment to ensuring the federal government works for you, my office hosts a webinar with a different federal agency each month. You can view past webinars here. Unfortunately, due to federal rules, we were unable to record the Social Security webinar. However, I encourage you to join my office's next webinar in April, which will be announced in the coming weeks!

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.