WASHINGTON—Congressman Paul D. Tonko, Chair of the Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Environment and Climate Change, led the subcommittee in a legislative hearing on facilitating the nation’s clean energy transition and promoting environmental justice to protect vulnerable communities. The 11 bills examined during the hearing included Tonko’s Climate Leadership and Environmental Action for our N... Read More »
WASHINGTON—Representatives Paul D. Tonko (D-NY) and John Garamendi (D-CA) and U.S. Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Mike Braun (R-IN) reintroduced the “Made in America Act” to strengthen “Buy America” requirements for all major federally funded infrastructure projects to support American businesses, manufacturers, and workers. The “Made in America Act” identifies federal programs that fund infras... Read More »
WASHINGTON—Congressman Paul D. Tonko made a strong case for Congress to advance two key pieces of addiction treatment legislation today during a Congressional hearing in the Energy & Commerce Subcommittee on Health confronting the nation’s opioid epidemic. Tonko’s bills include the Mainstreaming Addiction Treatment (MAT) Act, which removes pointless barriers preventing medical professionals from p... Read More »
WASHINGTON—Congressman Paul D. Tonko stood with a bipartisan group of lawmakers today to introduce a comprehensive new bill to help families across the country dealing with Alzheimer’s disease. The Comprehensive Care for Alzheimer’s Act would help the 95% of individuals with dementia that have one or more other chronic conditions, such as hypertension, heart disease and diabetes. The bipartisan bi... Read More »
WASHINGTON—Congressman Paul D. Tonko highlighted a newly released White House fact sheet today showing New York’s current critical infrastructure needs and connecting them to the recently-unveiled American Jobs Plan. The new fact sheet counts New York bridges and miles of road that are currently rated in poor condition, as well as the percentage of state households without access to broadband inte... Read More »
WASHINGTON—Congressman Paul D. Tonko announced that many Social Security recipients and others who have not yet received their Economic Impact Payments of up to $1,400 delivered through the American Rescue Plan should expect to see electronic payments hit their bank accounts or be loaded onto their Direct Express Cards. “House Democrats fought hard to advance our American Rescue Plan because we pr... Read More »
AMSTERDAM, NY—Congressman Paul D. Tonko is announcing today that $6,718,750 is being awarded to two Capital Region community health centers to support COVID-19 vaccination efforts as part of the American Rescue Plan with the goal of expanding vaccine access for residents in underserved communities. Capital Region community health centers being awarded American Rescue Plan funding include: Whitney ... Read More »
AMSTERDAM, NY—Congressman Paul D. Tonko announced today that he has introduced a resolution in the House commemorating the life and legacy of Capital Region labor pioneer Kate Mullany. Mullany established the first all-female union in the United States—the Collar Laundry Union—and rose to prominence as a leader in America’s labor movement. “Our Capital Region has long been a wellspring of pioneeri... Read More »
AMSTERDAM, NY—Congressman Paul D. Tonko praised President Biden’s unveiling of his American Jobs Plan in Pittsburgh this afternoon. Biden’s $2 trillion infrastructure package takes urgently needed action to rebuild the nation’s infrastructure including overdue repairs to U.S. roads, bridges and ports, significant upgrades to America’s electric grid and broadband systems, bold support for manufactu... Read More »
AMSTERDAM, NY—Congressman Paul D. Tonko announced a set of science grants totaling $1,364,064 being awarded to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute to fund cutting-edge research at the institution including fiber networks and studies on lead-contaminated soil and factors impacting aquatic systems. The grants will be administered through the National Science Foundation (NSF). “Capital Region researcher... Read More »
AMSTERDAM, NY—Congressman Paul D. Tonko, Chair of the Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Environment and Climate Change, announced that he will introduce new legislation today—the Manufacturing for Our Future Act—to bolster U.S. job growth and drive clean energy innovation through federal incentives for domestic manufacturing of clean energy systems such as wind and solar power or electric vehicl... Read More »
AMSTERDAM, NY—Congressman Paul D. Tonko teamed up with colleagues in the House and Senate this week to introduce the Repairing Existing Public Land by Adding Necessary Trees (REPLANT) Act, bipartisan legislation that would help the U.S. Forest Service plant 1.2 billion trees in national forests and support the creation of nearly 50,000 jobs over the next ten years. “The reforestation we can achiev... Read More »
WASHINGTON—Congressman Paul D. Tonko joined with fellow New York Congressional Delegation members Grace Meng (NY-06) and Adriano Espaillat (NY-13) to call on White House COVID-19 Response Coordinator Jeffrey Zients to include office-based clinicians, including primary care physicians, in the U.S. COVID-19 vaccine administration plan. This step would increase trust and convenience for people seekin... Read More »
AMSTERDAM, NY—Congressman Paul D. Tonko is calling on U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack to explain why disproportionate amounts of federal COVID funding went to large farms in the Midwest and elsewhere with a greater focus on row crops, reducing the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP) funding available to other types of agricultural operations including the family farms a... Read More »
AMSTERDAM, NY—Congressman Paul D. Tonko teamed up with more than 50 members in the House in a letter to President Joe Biden urging him to immediately remove and replace the six current members of the Postal Service Board of Governors. “Under the tenure of this Board of Governors, the Postal Service was blatantly misused by President Trump in an unsuccessful gambit to influence a presidential elect... Read More »
