The Oneida Daily Dispatch (Oneida, NY)
CONGRESSIONAL CHAT
U.S. Reps. Tenney, Stefanik participate in virtual forum
UTICA, N.Y. » The Chamber Alliance of the Mohawk Valley recently hosted a Congressional Forum with Republican House Representatives Claudia Tenney, of NY’S 22nd District, and Elise Stefanik of NY’S 21st District, to talk about pressing issues relating to the Mohawk Valley region, among other concerns.
Also in attendance was Rome Mayor Jacqueline Izzo, NYS Assemblyman Robert Smullen of District 118, which includes parts of Oneida County, among other officials.
Stefanik touched briefly on the importance of safely reopening the Canadianu.s. border as quickly as possible; this is an issue close to home for Stefanik as her district covers much of Northern New York, which touches the border to Canada. “A lot of our economy is dependent upon that tourism,” she said. “[Reopening the border] is a major priority for the business industry as well as tourism.”
Commenting on the current status at the southern border, Tenney stated the need for bipartisan support and following the committee process to find solutions. “..we’re not doing solutions now. What we’re doing is a knee-jerk reaction that is very partisan that is just really serving a different agenda than the protection and the security of American citizens, and that’s part of the problem.”
Izzo shared her thanks and excitement for the City of Rome receiving funds through the American Rescue Plan, a Covid-recovery/stimulus bill that was signed into law by President Joe Biden a few weeks ago. It’s still unclear when and how that money can be spent according to the Department of Treasury, Izzo said. Stefanik said she didn’t have a timeline to announce for guidance, but officials are aware “sooner rather than later is important for all of our municipalities.”
Smullen stated, “We really appreciate the federal effort to get the money down to the municipalities as much as possible to bypass the state.”
Both Stefanik and Tenney were in agreement that small businesses right now are one of their prime focuses, particularly for Tenney who is a small business owner herself.
According to Tenney,
“We really appreciate the federal effort to get the money down to the municipalities as much as possible to bypass the state.” — NYS Assemblyman Robert Smullen
94% of the New York workforce in district 22, Tenney’s district, work for small businesses. “They’re going to be driving our economy,” she said of the industry, and so protecting/supporting small businesses is essential. In fact, fighting for the needs of the small business community is the reason she ran for office, Tenney said.
Tenney said she supported much of what was included in the American Rescue Plan, but not all. She’s concerned that only 9% of the plan was devoted to COVID relief, and not enough was meant to support small business owners.
She also worries about New York tax hikes that could affect the lower class, and the potential for inflation down the road given all of the recent federal government economy-spending.
“It does concern me that we have a $208 billion budget now being advanced in New York with an $8 billion tax increase. And yet, they claim that it’s all for the wealthiest and the biggest, but that never really happens in New York, it all ends up falling on the backs of the middle class and our small business owners... We’re going to fight to make sure that we have those tax cuts, and tax cuts to small business and some of the benefits from the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, and hope that they stay there,” she said.
Tenney said she was proud to co-sponsor a bill to extend the federal Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), a loan designed to provide a direct incentive for small businesses to keep their workers on payroll. Borrowers may be eligible for PPP loan forgiveness. According to congress.gov, the bill passed the house on March 16 and is awaiting a vote in the U.S. Senate. The current PPP program is set to expire on March 31. Tenney encouraged businesses to make sure they meet the deadline to have their loans forgiven if necessary.
Getting people to fill jobs in New York to provide domestic products and services has been a recent struggle Tenney hopes to help fix. Another issue is finding ways to get workers willing to move into rural communities for different job industries; how can these communities be made more desirable in the job market?
“There’s so much that our region has to offer, we just have to sell it,” Tenney said of CNY.
Addressing the unemployment rate, Tenney mentioned that restaurant owners are saying they’re struggling to find new hires because unemployment benefits are too enticing. “I want to see people who need the relief, who can’t work, to get that targeted benefit,” she said, but the payout is leaving many job listings unfilled.
Tenney encourages anyone in her district, which includes Chenango, Madison, Cortland, and Oneida counties as well as parts of Broome, Herkimer, Tioga, and Oswego counties, to get in touch with her office with any concerns they may have. Office contacts:
• Binghamton - (607) 242-0200
• Utica - (315) 732-0713
• Washington DC - (202) 225-3665
An email can be sent to Tenney’s office via her website.