Representative Claudia Tenney (R-NY).

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Representative Claudia Tenney (R-NY) today released the following statement after the passage of the omnibus government funding bill for the Fiscal Year 2023 (FY23).

Tenney opposed the bill for many reasons, including several of the bill’s wasteful spending provisions and anti-Second Amendment measures. The funding package also failed to address inflation, fix the crisis at our border, or expand American energy exploration. The legislation passed the House by a vote of 225-201, with 1 member voting present, and was signed into law by the president on December 29.

The legislation did include 15 Community Project Funding grants for entities within New York’s 22nd Congressional District, which Congresswoman Tenney requested after subjecting all applications received by her office to a rigorous review process.

“After the reckless allocation of trillions in supplementary spending this term by House and Senate Democrats, they capped off their fiscal recklessness with this $1.7 trillion monstrosity of a funding bill,” said Congresswoman Tenney.

“I am deeply disappointed that Senate Republicans, led by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, caved to Democrats’ far-left demands and agreed to this disastrous full-year omnibus. This bill fails to address America’s energy crisis or expand funding to proactively secure the border. Further, it does not include backpay for our military men and women who were unjustly placed on leave or dismissed due to the COVID-19 vaccine mandate. I could not, in good faith, support this legislation, which at more than 4,000 pages, completely fails to provide the relief that the American people are demanding.

“I appreciate that this legislation included several requests I advocated for through the Community Project Funding initiative, each of which I subjected to a rigorous review process to ensure it was fiscally responsible and necessary. Importantly, these projects are spending-neutral and simply ensure federal spending reflects the priorities of our communities.”

Some of the worst provisions of H.R. 2617:

Democrats have already spent $3 trillion outside the normal appropriations process, and this bill spends nearly $2 trillion more, which will fuel inflation that is continuing to hurt all Americans.

This legislation neglects a solution to the dire crisis at the southern border and even prohibits certain funding from being used to secure the border. The funding bill only hires 300 new Border Patrol agents and reduces the capacity of ICE detention centers, and spends $2.4 billion to house illegal immigrants but not a dime in funding to complete the border wall.

It raises the ATF Budget by 14.1 percent to fund the liberal’s agenda to erode the Second Amendment rights of Americans, and overreaches on states’ rights to enact and fund “red flag” laws, which work to minimize Americans’ Second Amendment rights without due process.

Community Project Funding for NY22:

Community Project Funding (CPF) is an initiative in Congress that allows democratically elected and accountable members of Congress to allocate already appropriated programmatic funding to projects that address unmet needs in the communities they represent. The projects Congresswoman Tenney supported were subjected to a rigorous review process to ensure they were fiscally responsible and that there was a demonstrated need. Over the years, Congress has ceded its Article One spending powers to the Executive Branch, leading to overly empowered bureaucrats deciding when and how to spend taxpayer dollars. The CPF initiative represents an important step toward asserting Congress’ constitutional authority and wresting power away from these bureaucrats, who often fail to understand the funding priorities of Upstate communities and who have historically prioritized major metropolitan areas for funding. All projects funded will continue to be subjected to vigorous oversight.

The projects Congresswoman Tenney successfully submitted and advocated for in New York’s 22nd Congressional District include:

$717,000 for a Utica, New York, Utica University Crime Lab project; $3 million for a Rome, New York, Smart-X Internet of Things (IOT) Living Lab project; $864,000 for a Binghamton Community Policing and Crime Prevention project.

$1.58 million to the Tioga County Soil and Water Conservation District for the Upper Susquehanna River Watershed project; $4.15 million to the Village of Oneida for the Castle Sanitary Sewer Collection System project; $2.85 million to the City of Norwich for the Water Main Replacement project.

$1 million to the Town of Schuyler for the Graham, Newport, and Brown Road Water District project; $2.35 million to the Town of Orwell for the Water System Improvements project; $1.51 million to the Village of Canastota for the South Canal, Commerce, and State Sewer Separation project; $3.48 million to the Village of Marathon for the Wastewater Treatment Plant and Pump Station Rehabilitation project.

$2 million for Valley Health Services Skilled Nursing and Neurobehavioral Care Facility in the Department of Health and Human Services; $1 million for Building for a Stronger Tomorrow in Rural Central New York: Capital for Behavioral Health Renovations in the Department of Health and Human Services.

$2,995,000 for Cortland Rural Mental Health Facility Capital Project for Building Renovation in the Department of Health and Human Services; $227,000 to the Town of Whitestown for Buy-out of Repetitive Flood Loss Properties; $3 million to the City of Rome for Park Drive Revitalization Project.

-Information provided by the office of Claudia Tenney