Honoring Our Fallen Officer
Yesterday, a vehicle crashed into a barricade outside of the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C., injuring two United States Capitol Police Officers, who were immediately rushed to a local hospital. It is with a heavy heart that we learned that officer William "Billy" Evans succumbed to his injuries following the attack.
My heartfelt condolences and prayers are with the officer’s family and the entire United States Capitol Police force. Law enforcement officers put their lives on the line every day. Their jobs are never easy, and moments like this remind each of us just how much first responders sacrifice for our safety.
Please continue praying for all those impacted by this tragedy, including the second Capitol Police officer who was injured in this senseless tragedy.
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Around Upstate New York
This week, I visited with small business owners across the congressional district as part of my small business outreach tour. As part of this outreach tour, I saw firsthand some of the great innovation happening right here in Upstate New York and how that work will support our economic reopening efforts.
On Monday, I met with leaders from AeroMed Technologies, which was recently acquired by Metal Solutions in Utica, New York. I received a briefing on Ultraviolet Germicidal Irradiation (UVGI) technology the company has created. AeroMed shared more about how their UVGI technologies currently deployed throughout several hospitals, healthcare facilities, colleges, schools, and many other public facilities in the United States and overseas. The technology has been in practice as an infection control solution for several decades and has proven especially effective in the face of the pandemic.
The presentation from AeroMed Technologies demonstrated how the technology they developed is an effective solution to the immediate and future challenges we face from airborne diseases, especially COVID-19. It is great to see such innovation right here in our community. Reducing the transmission of airborne diseases like COVID-19 is going to help us reopen our economy safely. It’s time to get children back in the classroom and Americans back to work, and I appreciate any solutions that will help us solve this problem.
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The Unprecedented Power Grab in Iowa, H.R. 1 Looms Over Senate
I hope you've had the chance to follow my work to defend the integrity of our elections and the sacredness of our democratic process against Speaker Pelosi’s unprecedented power grab. For several weeks, Democrats on the House Committee on House Administration have worked hand-in-hand with Marc Elias, the same Democratic political operative who sought unsuccessfully to overturn the election results in New York's 22nd District, to remove Congresswoman Mariantte Miller-Meeks of Iowa from Congress. Rep. Miller-Meeks won her election by 6 votes. In addition to prevailing by 6 votes, she also never trailed once in any official recount and her election was certified by the state of Iowa. She was even congratulated and sworn in by Speaker Pelosi on January 3. Despite all this, House Democrats were attempting to unseat Congresswoman Miller-Meeks and install her opponent, Rita Hart, into office. Thankfully, this effort was thwarted after Rita Hart officially withdrew her partisan objection to the election and joined the rest of Iowa in accepting the results. A majority of Americans rightly opposed Speaker Pelosi’s effort to unseat a duly-elected Member of Congress for purely partisan political reasons.
This case shows exactly what is at stake if H.R. 1(S. 1) becomes law. This legislation will soon be debated in the Senate when Congress reconvenes after the Easter Holiday. If H.R. 1(S. 1) becomes law, Democratic operatives are going to use this bill to deprive states of their constitutionally protected right to administer free and fair elections. If H.R. 1 is the law of the land, politicians in Washington will start to challenge the outcome of any election they're not happy with – it will set a dangerous and unprecedented new standard. At a time when Congress needs to be restoring faith in the fairness of our elections, House Democrats are playing politics with one of our most sacred rights as Americans.
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Cosponsor Update
I am pleased to share several bills that I cosponsored in Congress this week. I am focused on representing you in Washington and will continue to support commonsense legislation that delivers results for New York families, small business and seniors.
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H.R. 2290 - To require the Administrator of the Small Business Administration to submit a report on the impact of COVID-19 restrictions on small business concerns, and for other purposes.
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H.Res. 268 - Recognizing the patriotism and contributions of veterans service organizations.
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H.R. 1690 - To amend title 18, United States Code, to make the murder of a Federal, State, or local law enforcement officer a crime punishable by life in prison or death.
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Quick IRS Update on Economic Impact Payments
The IRS announced this week that Social Security recipients will begin receiving stimulus payments through direct deposit or Direct Express cards beginning Wednesday, April 7th.
My office has received several calls regarding the payment delays. This delay is unacceptable and I want to make sure you understand why it occurred. The IRS claims it did not receive data from the Social Security Administration until March 25, 2021, which has caused significant delays in the distribution of payments. Again, payments will begin being distributed to Social Security recipients starting April 7, 2021. In addition to this update, the IRS is updating its "Get My Payment" tool this weekend, so you should be able to get more accurate updates on your economic impact payment by Monday.
If you continue to face issues, please give my Binghamton or Utica office a call. We are glad to assist you with this and any other issues you face when dealing with a federal agency.
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Celebrating New York Women-Owned Small Businesses
As we closed out Women's History Month, I was thankful to engage with women small business owners in New York's 22nd Congressional District during a virtual roundtable.
During the event, we were joined by special guest Congressman Blaine Luetkemeyer, who is the Ranking Member of the House Small Business Committee. We discussed the challenges facing business owners throughout New York’s 22nd District as well as important initiatives in Congress to support small businesses in their economic recovery.
Thank you to Eastern Shore Associates, Curcio Printing, A&P, Crazy Otto’s, Kessler Promotions, Mohawk Valley Signs, Home Builders, the Utica Chamber of Commerce, Home Builders and Remodelers of Mohawk Valley, Metal Solutions Inc, AeroMed Technologies, Bev & Co, Shorty’s Deli, Scharman Propane, and Pizza Plus for participating in this important conversation.
I want to especially thank Ranking Member Luetkemeyer for taking time to speak with these amazing women-owned small businesses. Now more than ever, it is critical that we understand the challenges small business owners are facing so we can deliver the right resources to help them recover from this pandemic and come back stronger. It was such an honor that the Republican leader of the House Small Business Committee attended this event to hear directly from our local business owners. Bipartisan legislation I recently supported to extend the Paycheck Protection Program was signed into law by the president, which will continue this vital relief program for our small businesses. As a member of the Small Business Committee, I will continue to work across the aisle to deliver these kind of commonsense solutions for our local employers.
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Update on the Small Business Outreach Tour
I am continuing to meet with small business owners throughout Upstate New York as part of my small business outreach tour. This week, I spoke with members of the Herkimer County Chamber of Commerce about a range of issues impacting their business, including their concerns with the continuation of unemployment benefits, challenges posed by the eviction moratorium, and a drop in tourism since the pandemic. These are valuable conversations that provide critical input from those who know best the real issues facing small businesses. I appreciate everyone with the Herkimer County Chamber of Commerce sharing their concerns and joining me in this important discussion.
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Congressional Art Competition
Don't forget the 2021 Congressional Art Competition happening now through April 23! This competition is open to 11th and 12th graders who reside in the 22nd Congressional District. It is a great opportunity for students to showcase their talent and express their creativity. I encourage all students to participate in this competition and really look forward to seeing the inspiring submissions from our district.
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Working for You
One of the most important responsibilities I have as your representative in Congress is to ensure you get the help you need when dealing with a federal agency. If you are experiencing any difficulties or have questions regarding eligibility for COVID-related benefits, I encourage you to contact any one of my three offices, which are open for business and ready to serve you.
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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 Congressional 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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