Notes from the Field: Congress Delivering for the American People (Again)! June 26, 2021Dear Friends,I have several exciting updates to share with you from Washington as I continue my relentless push to bring federal resources home to our region, deliver smart capable governance for the American people and lay the foundation for the strongest, most sustainable economic recovery this nation has ever seen.First-step bipartisan infrastructure deal gets White House nodThis week, President Biden and Vice President Harris announced their support for a Bipartisan Infrastructure Framework that takes initial steps to address our nation’s infrastructure needs.While this proposal is an important start, by most accounts it will fail on its own to meet the moment or deliver on the needs of the American people. While I am eager to learn more of the details of the agreement and remain open minded about its contents, my first impression is that this package will need to be accompanied by a supplemental effort that drives much greater investments in clean energy, support for workers and families and other steps that put America on long-term sustainable economic footing—maybe for the first time in our history. We cannot waste this once-in-a-generation opportunity to take bold climate action and make meaningful improvements that strengthen our communities, create good lasting jobs, and rebuild America with a cleaner more resilient economy for all.Over the past several weeks, I’ve continued my long term push for major infrastructure repairs and upgrades that will help our Capital Region communities thrive and prosper. Here are a few highlights:I spoke on the Floor of the House of Representatives to demand that any new infrastructure proposal also include bold steps to tackle climate pollution —because you simply cannot decouple infrastructure from climate. Doing nothing would mean doing even greater harm!I made significant progress in my push for federal funding to support five Capital Region surface transportation projects, securing their place in must-pass legislation that has now advanced out of committee and to the House floor.I led a nationwide push to advance drinking water and PFAS legislation that will deliver major new investments to repair and upgrade failing local drinking water systems and protect all of us from the dangers of PFAS “forever chemicals” in our water and in our homes. More on that in the final segment below.Get ready for “kid cash” to help our kids grow & thrive!As part of our American Rescue Plan, most working families with children in our Capital Region will be getting a check in the mail of up to $300 per kid every month starting on July 15th through the end of 2021.This new & improved Child Tax Credit is expected to slash child poverty in America in half. In our own Capital Region, this benefit will: Deliver up to $300 per month, per child for the rest of this year Help more than 37,000 NY-20 householdsPotentially provide even more financial support when you file your taxes next yearHelp lift more than 5,000 Capital Region kids out of povertyIf you’ve filed tax returns in 2019 or 2020, or if you have previously signed up to receive a stimulus check from the IRS, you will receive this money automatically, likely either as a direct deposit or a check in the mail. You don’t need to sign up or take any action. However, if you have not filed recent tax returns or used the IRS Non-filers tool in the past year to sign up for the Economic Impact Payments, you may need to take action! You can use the IRS Child Tax Credit Non-filer Sign-up Tool to sign up today.My drinking water infrastructure bill is moving fast! This week I led the advance of legislation to repair and upgrade America’s failing water infrastructure and address dangerous PFAS contamination facing communities throughout the country. My bill, which I’ve named the Assistance, Quality and Affordability (AQUA) Act would:Deliver a more than $50 billion lifeline to local and state governments to repair and upgrade America’s critical drinking water systems Provide $45 billion to remove 10 million lead components from drinking water systems nationwide—including from an estimated 400,000 schools and child care centers!My AQUA Act and the PFAS Action Act that I designed were approved by the full Energy & Commerce Committee this week and now advance to the House floor for votes either as stand-alone legislation or to be included in one of the national infrastructure bills currently in development. Their continued progression shows that Congress is ready to get the job done to fix our broken local water systems, clean up dangerous PFAS contamination and restore the health, safety and resilience of our families and communities.Those are just a few highlights from my week, but there’s lots more to share! Follow along on my social media accounts (@RepPaulTonko) for more. And in the meantime I’ll continue to keep you up to date on these and other efforts in Washington that will have powerful lasting effects on our Capital Region and beyond.And, as always, thank you for reading.Your friend, DID YOU KNOW?Throughout this pandemic, my office and I have worked to make sure you remain informed with the latest updates and recommendations from federal agencies. With that in mind here is some information that may be of interest to you:If you are struggling to make your mortgage payment on your Federal Housing Administration (FHA)-insured mortgage because of COVID-19, help is available, but you must act now. Contact your mortgage servicer and request a COVID-19 forbearance. A forbearance is a reduction or pause in your mortgage payment. No documentation is required to prove your hardship beyond your own assertion.All homeowners (including those with FHA, VA and USDA loans) can use the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's “Find a Counselor” tool to find counseling agencies approved by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) in your area. Online counseling is available.You can also call the HOPE™ Hotline, open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, at (888) 995-HOPE (4673) to offer personalized advice from housing counseling agencies approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
Representative Paul D. Tonko
 

Notes from the Field: Congress Delivering for the American People (Again)!
 


June 26, 2021

Dear Friends,

I have several exciting updates to share with you from Washington as I continue my relentless push to bring federal resources home to our region, deliver smart capable governance for the American people and lay the foundation for the strongest, most sustainable economic recovery this nation has ever seen.

First-step bipartisan infrastructure deal gets White House nod

This week, President Biden and Vice President Harris announced their support for a Bipartisan Infrastructure Framework that takes initial steps to address our nation’s infrastructure needs.

While this proposal is an important start, by most accounts it will fail on its own to meet the moment or deliver on the needs of the American people. While I am eager to learn more of the details of the agreement and remain open minded about its contents, my first impression is that this package will need to be accompanied by a supplemental effort that drives much greater investments in clean energy, support for workers and families and other steps that put America on long-term sustainable economic footing—maybe for the first time in our history. We cannot waste this once-in-a-generation opportunity to take bold climate action and make meaningful improvements that strengthen our communities, create good lasting jobs, and rebuild America with a cleaner more resilient economy for all.

Over the past several weeks, I’ve continued my long term push for major infrastructure repairs and upgrades that will help our Capital Region communities thrive and prosper. Here are a few highlights:

  • I spoke on the Floor of the House of Representatives to demand that any new infrastructure proposal also include bold steps to tackle climate pollution —because you simply cannot decouple infrastructure from climate. Doing nothing would mean doing even greater harm!
  • I made significant progress in my push for federal funding to support five Capital Region surface transportation projects, securing their place in must-pass legislation that has now advanced out of committee and to the House floor.
  • I led a nationwide push to advance drinking water and PFAS legislation that will deliver major new investments to repair and upgrade failing local drinking water systems and protect all of us from the dangers of PFAS “forever chemicals” in our water and in our homes. More on that in the final segment below.

Get ready for “kid cash” to help our kids grow & thrive!

As part of our American Rescue Plan, most working families with children in our Capital Region will be getting a check in the mail of up to $300 per kid every month starting on July 15th through the end of 2021.

This new & improved Child Tax Credit is expected to slash child poverty in America in half. In our own Capital Region, this benefit will:

  • Deliver up to $300 per month, per child for the rest of this year
  • Help more than 37,000 NY-20 households
  • Potentially provide even more financial support when you file your taxes next year
  • Help lift more than 5,000 Capital Region kids out of poverty

If you’ve filed tax returns in 2019 or 2020, or if you have previously signed up to receive a stimulus check from the IRS, you will receive this money automatically, likely either as a direct deposit or a check in the mail. You don’t need to sign up or take any action.

However, if you have not filed recent tax returns or used the IRS Non-filers tool in the past year to sign up for the Economic Impact Payments, you may need to take action! You can use the IRS Child Tax Credit Non-filer Sign-up Tool to sign up today.


My drinking water infrastructure bill is moving fast!

This week I led the advance of legislation to repair and upgrade America’s failing water infrastructure and address dangerous PFAS contamination facing communities throughout the country. My bill, which I’ve named the Assistance, Quality and Affordability (AQUA) Act would:

  • Deliver a more than $50 billion lifeline to local and state governments to repair and upgrade America’s critical drinking water systems
  • Provide $45 billion to remove 10 million lead components from drinking water systems nationwide—including from an estimated 400,000 schools and child care centers!

My AQUA Act and the PFAS Action Act that I designed were approved by the full Energy & Commerce Committee this week and now advance to the House floor for votes either as stand-alone legislation or to be included in one of the national infrastructure bills currently in development. Their continued progression shows that Congress is ready to get the job done to fix our broken local water systems, clean up dangerous PFAS contamination and restore the health, safety and resilience of our families and communities.

Those are just a few highlights from my week, but there’s lots more to share! Follow along on my social media accounts (@RepPaulTonko) for more. And in the meantime I’ll continue to keep you up to date on these and other efforts in Washington that will have powerful lasting effects on our Capital Region and beyond.

And, as always, thank you for reading.


Your friend,
https://tonko.house.gov/UploadedPhotos/Thumbnails/35a628c4-c4ec-4b4d-ab6e-6e41902c78cb.jpg



DID YOU KNOW?

Throughout this pandemic, my office and I have worked to make sure you remain informed with the latest updates and recommendations from federal agencies. With that in mind here is some information that may be of interest to you:

  • If you are struggling to make your mortgage payment on your Federal Housing Administration (FHA)-insured mortgage because of COVID-19, help is available, but you must act now.
  • Contact your mortgage servicer and request a COVID-19 forbearance. A forbearance is a reduction or pause in your mortgage payment.
  • No documentation is required to prove your hardship beyond your own assertion.
  • All homeowners (including those with FHA, VA and USDA loans) can use the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's “Find a Counselor” tool to find counseling agencies approved by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) in your area. Online counseling is available.
  • You can also call the HOPE™ Hotline, open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, at (888) 995-HOPE (4673) to offer personalized advice from housing counseling agencies approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
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