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Congressman Paul Tonko (D-NY) this week cosponsored H.R. 861, a clean funding bill for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The legislation would keep DHS open through the end of the fiscal year, preventing a February 28th shutdown of the agency charged with coordinating efforts to prevent and respond to acts of terrorism on American soil. The Republican-led House of Representatives passed a funding bill last month, but the legislation included several partisan, hyper-political messaging amendments that the Republican-led Senate rejected. Read more »

Today, President Obama signed H.R. 203, the Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for American Veterans (SAV) Act into law. This bipartisan legislation – which unanimously passed both the House and Senate – addresses the epidemic of suicide among our nation's veterans. Read more »

This week, Congressman Paul Tonko (D-NY) was selected to serve on the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology in addition to his work on the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. Typically, members of Energy and Commerce do not serve on additional committees, but Tonko worked to receive a waiver that allows him to provide his expertise as an engineer and a Capital Region resident on the Science Committee's Subcommittee on Research and Technology. Read more »

Congressman Paul Tonko (D-NY) today released the following statement after Pope Francis accepted an invitation to address a Joint Meeting of Congress on September 24 during his visit to the United States. Read more »

Congressman Paul Tonko will spend his fifth consecutive Super Bowl Sunday volunteering with community organizations to serve meals to the needy. Read more »

Congressman Paul Tonko (D-NY) released the following statement in reaction to President Barack Obama's State of the Union address Tuesday night: Read more »

Today, Congressman Paul Tonko (D-NY) applauded the passage of the Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for American Veterans (SAV) Act, H.R. 203, which was unanimously approved by the U.S. House of Representatives Monday night. The SAV Act was originally introduced and passed in the House in the 113th Congress, but was blocked by Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK) in the U.S. Senate and failed to become law. Read more »

Congressman Paul Tonko (D-NY) was confirmed this week as the Ranking Member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee's Subcommittee on Environment and the Economy for the 114th Congress. The Subcommittee has jurisdiction over all matters related to soil and water contamination; the regulation of solid, hazardous and nuclear wastes; emergency environmental response; industrial plant security; the regulation of drinking water; toxic substances; and noise. Tonko served as Ranking Member of the Subcommittee in the 113th Congress, and will continue his work with Environment and the Economy Chairman John Shimkus (R-IL). Both Chairman Shimkus and Ranking Member Tonko hold engineering degrees. Read more »

Congressman Paul Tonko (D-NY) this week cosponsored H.R. 154, the Close the Floodgates Act, which would undo last-minute provisions inserted into last year's end-of-the-year government funding bill – the so-called "Cromnibus" – that would allow wealthy donors to increase their contributions to political parties ten-fold. Rep. Tonko listed the campaign finance provision as well as language that reinstated taxpayer funded bailouts for big banks as reasons for voting against the Cromnibus in December. Read more »

Congressman Paul Tonko (D-NY) highlighted today in a federal funding bill major support for the Capital Region economy, the local growth of quality jobs, and language he introduced in the House to fight Alzheimer's. Announced late last night, legislation that funds the federal government through the end of the fiscal year includes: Read more »