Weekly Update: Celebrating our Farmers, Standing up for Second Amendment Rights, No More Vaccine Mandates

Dear Friends,

It is my greatest honor to represent you in Congress. As always, my mission is to advocate for Upstate New York and the North Country’s priorities at the highest levels of government. Here is a look at my last week working for you in Congress.

My Work This Week for Upstate New York and the North Country

Celebrating our Farmers and Producers on National Agriculture Day

On Tuesday, we celebrated National Agriculture Day! In Upstate New York and the North Country, agriculture is the backbone of our economy. This day and every day, I am proud to advocate for our NY-21 farms, maple producers, dairy farmers, apple growers, and all our producers who provide nutritious food for our communities.

Standing up for Second Amendment Rights

I wrote to the acting director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) in response to the ATF’s attempt to restrict the ability of law-abiding Americans to use silencers on firearms.

The ATF has overstepped its authority by changing the definition of what constitutes a silencer without Congressional authorization. My colleagues and I took action after learning that the ATF has been denying Form 1 applications to legally create a silencer, because law-abiding citizens had not received prior approval to own the materials, which the ATF now claims meets the legal definition of a silencer.

I will always stand up for the Second Amendment rights!

Read more on the letter here.

Fighting Against Vaccine Mandates for Essential Workers

It is unbelievable that after all our New York State healthcare workers have gone through to carry us through the pandemic, Governor Hochul would continue to punish this critical workforce with harmful vaccine mandates. These vaccine mandates continue to cripple New York’s frontline healthcare workers and their ability to care for our communities by exacerbating staff shortages. I’m proud to stand up for New York’s healthcare workers by calling on Governor Hochul to end all vaccine mandates.

Read the full letter here.

Two Years of Northern Border Travel Restrictions

For two years now, families in Upstate New York and the North Country have faced unnecessary challenges due to the closure of the Northern Border and burdensome travel restrictions. This has devastated tourism, harmed our communities and small businesses, and separated families across the border. I’m calling on both the United States and Canada to drop all remaining travel requirements on Northern Border travelers and drop the vaccine mandates that continue to impede cross-border travel and keep families apart.

It’s time to restore our communities and return to normalcy.

Learn more here

This Week in Washington

Supporting Law Enforcement Keeping Schools Safe

As the fentanyl crisis has increased drug overdoses even in children, our School Resource Officers should have every tool available to them to protect our students from these tragic consequences.

I cosponsored the School Resource Officers Save Lives Act to create a pilot program for Narcan administration, giving grants to school districts in order to purchase individual Narcan kits and to train school resource officers, security personnel, and school nurses to administer Narcan.

I am proud to work to make equipment and training available for our law enforcement officers, who protect our students, to create a safer environment for schools.

Learn more here.

Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the OAA Nutrition Program

This week marks the 50th anniversary of the Older Americans Act (OAA) Nutrition Program, which established a national nutrition program for individuals 60 years and older, including programs like Meals on Wheels.

I was proud to co-lead the 2020 reauthorization of the Older Americans Act, which included updates to be more responsive to the needs of seniors, while keeping pace with the growing generation of older Americans. I was also proud to secure key provisions in this bipartisan legislation that directly benefit seniors in Upstate New York and the North Country.

Over the past 50 years, tens of millions of seniors have benefitted from the critical services in this legislation.

Announcements and Events

Joining Fox & Friends

While Democrats double down on their Far-Left policies that have created crisis after crisis for every American family, House Republicans are unified in providing an alternative and an agenda to help save our country.

When I talk to voters in my district, families are feeling the pain of inflation. They are feeling the pain of the price of energy, which is higher than it's ever been before because of the failed policies of Joe Biden and House Democrats.

Watch my full remarks here.

Introduced Republican Task Forces to Deliver Results for American Families

Following a number of listening sessions that House Republican Leadership has been having since the beginning of the year, I introduce each of our task force leaders who will put forward their solutions for a more secure and prosperous America.

Families across America have suffered crisis after crisis in just a little over one year of Far-Left Democrat one-party rule in Washington, and Republicans are focused on solutions to deliver results for every American family.