Tonko, Paul RSS Articles

Tonko Introduces Power for the People Act to Shield Consumers from Rising Energy Costs

Thu, 09 Apr 2026 04:00:00 GMT

WASHINGTON, DC — Congressman Paul D. Tonko (NY-20) today introduced the Power for the People Act in the House, legislation that ensures data centers are held responsible for the high costs of their electricity demand. Senator Van Hollen (D- MD) has introduced companion legislation in the Senate.

The rise of artificial intelligence models has resulted in data center development exploding in recent years. With data centers critical to national security, economic development, and job growth, their need will only increase.

However, data centers are huge energy consumers, and their rapid growth and energy demand is placing increased strain on the electric grid. Recent reports have indicated that 55% of new energy demand in the US comes solely from data centers, and if load forecasts are correct, data centers will represent 15% of our national electricity consumption by 2030. Without proper backstops in place, new energy demand from data centers will continue to increase prices resulting in big profits for energy companies and big bills for electricity customers.

“Families are already paying higher prices for everything from groceries to healthcare, to gas, to utilities — they shouldn’t be forced to also shoulder the costs for companies building data centers,” Congressman Tonko said. “Our Power for the People Act balances the need for data center development without pushing those costs onto consumers. I thank my colleagues for supporting this commonsense legislation that protects consumers and grid reliability while holding big technology companies accountable.”

House Cosponsors include: Kathy Castor, Steve Cohen, Maxine Dexter, Sarah Elfreth, Valerie Foushee, John Garamendi, Dan Goldman, Eleanor Holmes-Norton, Glenn Ivey, Stephen Lynch, April McClain Delaney, Jennifer McClellan, Kweisi Mfume, Johnny Olszewski, Mike Quigley, Jan Schakowsky

Senate Cosponsors include: Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), Richard Blumenthal (D-CN), Cory Booker (D-NJ) Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Tina Smith (D-MN), Peter Welch (D-VT)

Supporting organizations include: NRDC, Union of Concerned Scientists, Sierra Club, Evergreen, Consumer Federation of America, National Consumer Law Center, Public Citizen, Maryland People’s Counsel, Illinois Citizens Utility Board, New Jersey Division of the Rate Counsel, Oregon Citizens Utility Board, and Delaware Division of the Public Advocate

The Power for the People Act will:

Direct FERC to issue a rule to ensure data centers are paying for the local transmission upgrades they require
Direct FERC to issue a rule requiring electric grid operators to create a data center load queue
Create a system to manage data center interconnection to the grid that would prioritize data centers that:
- Bring their own new power generation and battery storage systems to the grid;
- Mitigate pollution; and
- Create good paying jobs
Support efforts to improve accurate data center load forecasting

A fact-sheet of the bill is attached HERE.

Bill text is attached HERE.

A section by section is attached HERE.

Tonko Calls to Impeach Trump

Tue, 07 Apr 2026 04:00:00 GMT

AMSTERDAM, NY — Congressman Paul D. Tonko (NY-20) released a statement following the increasingly unhinged threats of violence from President Trump against the people of Iran:

“The President of the United States is publicly threatening to commit genocide.

“This is not hyperbole or wordsmithing, his exact words were “a whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again.”

“I fear for our nation. This is not who we are. For generations, the United States has striven to be that shining city on a hill — advancing values of freedom, democracy, human rights and shared prosperity around the globe. Our greatest generation fought and died in the fields of Europe and across the vast Pacific to stem the tide of fascism and the genocidal dictators it enabled. When confronted with the abysmal horrors of the Holocaust, we vowed with one clear voice “never again.”

“We cannot fall prey to indifference or apathy, believing that the President’s words are mere idle threats. He is the Commander in Chief of the most powerful military the world has ever seen. He has already launched an illegal war of choice against a country that posed no imminent military threat to the United States.

“We must take his words at face value, and when we do, there is only one clear conclusion: this is genocidal talk from an unhinged madman President.

“For love of country, for the freedoms we cherish and for the values we hold dear, the House must immediately reconvene and vote to impeach Donald Trump.”

Tonko, SEEC Clean Energy Deployment Task Force Introduce Energy Bills Relief Act

Wed, 18 Mar 2026 04:00:00 GMT

WASHINGTON, DC — Congressman Paul D. Tonko (NY-20) joined House Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition (SEEC) Clean Energy Deployment Task Force Co-Chairs U.S. Congressmen Sean Casten (IL-06) and Mike Levin (CA-49), along with more than 100 House Democrats today to introduce the Energy Bills Relief Act. This legislation takes a family- and consumer-focused approach to United States energy policy that ensures Americans have access to the most reliable and low-cost source of power available.

“President Trump promised to cut energy bills in half in his first year in office; instead, household electric bills have spiked 13 percent,” Congressman Tonko, Ranking Member of the Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Environment and SEEC co-chair said. “With necessities from utilities and gas to groceries and health care on the rise, it is imperative that Congress takes the needed steps to deliver real, immediate relief to families. Our Energy Bills Relief Act gets the job done. I urge my colleagues to join us in supporting this bill that would drive down energy prices for Americans while advancing our 21st century clean energy infrastructure and creating a brighter future for our economy, planet, and children.”

Text of the legislation can be found here.

A section-by-section can be found here.

A one-page summary can be found here. A three-page summary can be found here.

Statements of support from key issues advocacy organizations and industry leaders can be found here.

The Energy Bills Relief Act prioritizes consumers and ensures access to low-cost energy for our homes, businesses, and economy by:

Reinstating tax credits for home and system-wide energy improvements that were ended by President Trump and congressional Republicans
Incentivizing utility companies to save consumers’ money by rewarding them for making their systems more efficient, thereby lowering bills
Providing financial assistance to American families to make sure their power isn’t shut off
Cracking down on price gouging, so energy companies can’t take advantage of you to boost their profits
Ensuring that facilities like data centers are paying for their own costs because it’s not fair for their expenses to be pushed onto your household if one opens in your area
Giving a voice to the American people so they can benefit from energy projects in their community

Tonko Statement on Trump Strikes on Iran

Sat, 28 Feb 2026 05:00:00 GMT

AMSTERDAM, NY — Congressman Paul D. Tonko (NY-20) released a statement following an announcement from President Trump that the U.S. and Israel launched strikes on Iran:

"Trump is dragging our nation into another reckless, unjustified war in the Middle East. Americans don’t want another regime change war that costs trillions and sacrifices the lives of our nation’s troops.

"Congress must reconvene at once to vote on a War Powers Resolution to put a stop to this."

Tonko Reacts to Trump’s State of the Union

Tue, 24 Feb 2026 05:00:00 GMT

WASHINGTON, DC — Congressman Paul D. Tonko (NY-20) released the following statement after President Trump’s State of the Union address:

“The president’s rambling speech was less a State of the Union and more of a state of delusion.

“While millions of Americans are struggling with rising health care, utility, and grocery costs, and people are living in fear that they and their neighbors will be carted away by masked agents — Trump patted himself on the back about his so-called “One Big Beautiful Bill” that gives a $75 billion blank check to further weaponize ICE while gutting affordable health care by more than $1 trillion.

“Yet, in over 100 minutes, amidst reports that the Justice Department redacted dozens of pages in the Epstein files that contain allegations involving Trump, and with survivors present in the room, the president completely ignored the victims and acted as if the Epstein files never existed.

“The American people deserve better than this. They deserve real action to address the challenges facing our nation, not more blatant lies.”

Tonko Sends Trump Letter Outlining Steps to Lower Energy Costs

Tue, 24 Feb 2026 05:00:00 GMT

WASHINGTON, DC — Congressman Paul D. Tonko (NY-20) led a letter with more than 50 members of the House to Donald Trump ahead of his State of the Union address, calling for the president to take tangible and immediate actions that lower energy bills and provide relief to Americans while improving the long-term outlook on energy prices.

“Despite your campaign promise of lowering energy bills by 50% in your first year in office, household electric bills have gone up 13% nationally and residential natural gas prices are up nearly 60% in the past year,” the letter reads. “This trend is expected to worsen in the years ahead.”

The letter continues, “The American people are counting on us to address the rising cost of energy. Families should not have to choose between heating their homes and paying for other necessities. Businesses should not face uncompetitive energy costs that threaten jobs and economic growth. While no single action will solve the energy affordability crisis on its own, it is clear that your administration has embraced numerous policies that have worsened the situation.”

The letter was signed by 53 House Democratic Members, including Reps. Barragán, Beyer, Bonamici, Boyle, Brownley, Carbajal, Casten, Castor, Chu, Clarke, Cleaver, Cohen, Davis, Dean, DeGette, DeSaulnier, Dexter, Doggett, Fletcher, Friedman, Garamendi, Goldman (NY), Huffman, Jacobs, Keating, Kennedy (NY), Lee (NV), Levin, Lieu, Lynch, Magaziner, Matsui, McBride, McClain Delaney, McCollum, McGarvey, Min, Morrison, Mullin, Nadler, Norton, Pingree, Quigley, Salinas, Schakowsky, Sorensen, Stanton, Suozzi, Thanedar, Titus, Tlaib, Tonko, and Velázquez.

The full letter can be read HERE and below.

President Donald J. Trump
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, D.C. 20500

Dear President Trump:

We write to urge you to take immediate action to address the energy affordability crisis facing American families and businesses. Despite your campaign promise of lowering energy bills by 50% in your first year in office, household electric bills have gone up 13% nationally and residential natural gas prices are up nearly 60% in the past year. This trend is expected to worsen in the years ahead.

Energy affordability challenges are not a hoax. We are hearing directly from our constituents who are feeling the financial impacts of higher utility bills. Tens of millions of U.S. households have struggled to pay energy bills or reported other energy cost concerns.

Your administration has taken numerous actions that have directly contributed to these rising costs that Americans are facing. As you prepare for the State of the Union, we urge you to use your address as an opportunity to change course and take the following immediate actions to lower energy costs and provide utility bill relief to Americans:

End the blockade of clean energy projects at the Department of the Interior. Your administration has actively sought to block renewable energy projects, issuing stop-work orders for offshore wind and implementing burdensome, unclear, and inconsistent permitting practices for renewable energy projects across the board. Blocking or stalling these projects will lead to higher electricity costs for American families and is already threatening grid reliability. In December, the independent, non-partisan grid operator ISO-New England stated, “canceling or delaying [offshore wind] projects will increase costs and risks to reliability in our region. Beyond increasing risk to reliability, delays of new generating resources also will adversely affect New England’s economy and industrial growth.” The true costs of these decisions have largely not yet been reflected in utility bills, but households will see the consequences in the years ahead. Cancelling the five offshore wind projects already under construction could raise electricity costs for Americans an estimated $45 billion over the next decade.

Call for re-enactment of energy cost savings tax credits. Last year, you signed into law a repeal of critical energy tax credits, which is expected to increase residential energy bills by over $100 annually in the near-term and as much as $400 annually by 2035. These credits reduce energy projects’ costs, and therefore their impacts on electricity customers. Longstanding consumer-facing credits helped directly reduce energy costs for consumers, allowing households to immediately cut their utility bills. There is bipartisan support for reinstating these credits, which drive investments in solar energy, wind energy, and energy efficiency upgrades to deploy new, low-cost energy resources and reduce energy consumption. Due to the loss of these incentives and uncertainty caused by your administration, nearly $35 billion in energy investments, along with 38,000 U.S. jobs, were cancelled last year.

End or provide exemptions from tariffs on equipment, materials, and components needed for energy projects. Energy projects rely on complex, international supply chains. While we support efforts to increase domestic manufacturing of energy technologies and construction materials, your reckless tariff policy is creating investment uncertainty and directly increasing project costs that are ultimately passed on to Americans through higher electricity rates. Under one scenario, Wood Mackenzie estimated that most types of energy technologies will experience cost increases of 6% to 11%.

End Department of Energy (DOE) orders forcing expensive, unnecessary coal-fired power plants to continue operating. In the past year, DOE has issued numerous “emergency” orders to require costly coal-fired power plants to postpone previously scheduled retirements and continue operating at great expense to ratepayers. These orders force Americans to subsidize expensive, polluting, and unneeded electricity generation when lower-cost alternatives are available, artificially inflating prices. The continued operation of one power plant in Michigan has cost people in that region an additional $80 million on their energy bills during just a four-month period last year.

Release DOE funding to promote residential energy savings. Since January 2025, DOE has been withholding previously allocated and approved funding for the vast majority of states to implement energy efficiency and appliance rebate programs. These funds are intended to lower the costs of purchasing ultra-efficient appliances and retrofitting homes, which will result in considerable savings on utility bills. The home efficiency rebates can help qualifying homes save up to $8,000, while the appliance rebates can help qualifying homes save up to $14,000. Together, these programs would lower energy costs for consumers by up to $1 billion each year. DOE should immediately make this funding available to states whose programs have not yet launched and are simply awaiting DOE approval, so that our constituents can claim rebates to lower their bills through efficiency upgrades, weatherization improvements, and adoption of heat pumps.

Reverse terminations of previously awarded energy grants. In the past year, your administration has terminated more than $30 billion of competitively awarded grants from DOE and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) intended to deploy low-cost energy projects and upgrade the electric grid. These awards include EPA’s Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, which includes the National Clean Investment Fund, the Clean Communities Investment Accelerator, and the Solar For All program. These programs are estimated to result in $52 billion in energy cost savings over the next 20 years. EPA has the power to end its attack on these programs at any moment, which would allow funds to immediately start flowing to projects that lower energy costs across the country. Similarly, DOE’s Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnerships program provided several billion dollars in grants to modernize and harden grid infrastructure. Without these federal funds, the full cost of these infrastructure projects will be fully paid by utility customers, resulting in higher bills to maintain reliable service in the face of increasing numbers of extreme weather events.

Request additional funding for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) and the Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) in the upcoming Fiscal Year 2027 President’s Budget Request. These well-established programs provide a lifeline to struggling Americans. LIHEAP provides utility bill assistance to millions of Americans each year, but current LIHEAP funding levels are only sufficient to serve 1-in-5 eligible households. Through WAP, more than 35,000 households receive energy retrofits each year, resulting in an average of $372 in annual savings on their utility bills. These programs deserve more funding, and yet your past budget requests to Congress have sought to eliminate these essential, proven programs. You should reverse course and begin the Fiscal Year 2027 appropriations cycle by calling upon Congress to provide significant increases to these programs.

The American people are counting on us to address the rising cost of energy. Families should not have to choose between heating their homes and paying for other necessities. Businesses should not face uncompetitive energy costs that threaten jobs and economic growth.

While no single action will solve the energy affordability crisis on its own, it is clear that your administration has embraced numerous policies that have worsened the situation. The actions we have outlined above are within your Administration's authority and can be implemented immediately to provide meaningful relief to Americans while improving the long-term outlook on energy prices.

Thank you for your attention to this urgent matter.

Tonko Secures $14M+ in Funding for Local Community Projects in FY2026 Federal Budget

Tue, 17 Feb 2026 05:00:00 GMT

WASHINGTON, DC — Today, Congressman Paul D. Tonko (D-NY) announced that he has secured a total of $14,093,000 in federal funding for a slate of 15 community development and improvement projects across New York’s 20^th Congressional District. Tonko secured this critical funding as part of the Fiscal Year 2026 government appropriations packages, which were signed into law.

“I’m proud to have secured federal funding for this incredible slate of community projects in our Capital Region, each of which brings great promise for our communities,” Congressman Tonko said. “With key federal investments, these projects will help drive economic growth across our district and deliver support to those in our communities who need it most. For two years, my team and I have pushed hard to ensure these worthy projects were included in the federal spending package. Now, after a long and arduous process, I’m delighted to announce that that determined effort has been successful. I extend my heartfelt gratitude to the dedicated local leaders who proposed and developed these initiatives, and I am eager to see how these federal dollars will help unleash our Capital Region’s untapped potential.”

Tonko championed funding for 15 local projects that will bring direct benefits to Capital Region residents. In alphabetical order, these include:

· $250,000 for ADA-accessible sidewalks in Ballston Spa

· $1,015,000 for a Community Corner creation in Mechanicville

· $500,000 for Community Park improvements in Scotia

· $1,000,000 for the Crossroads Center for Children in Schenectady for renovations and expansion

· $1,000,000 for Glenville Hill Fire District No. 8 for essential building repairs and updates

· $850,000 for Hudson Valley Community College in Troy for an Autonomous and Electric Vehicle Lab

· $850,000 for Lincoln Park Southwest Gateway improvements in Albany

· $1,031,000 for Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy for equipment and technology to support quantum innovation

· $500,000 for the Town of Milton’s Town Hall expansion

· $1,092,000 for the Town of Stillwater’s water main replacements

· $2,000,000 for the Troy Public Library’s indoor air quality system improvements

· $1,521,000 for the University at Albany’s CNSE 200mm Wafer Cleanroom equipment upgrade

· $1,092,000 for the Village of Altamont’s wastewater treatment plant upgrades

· $1,092,000 for the Village of Menands for water system improvements

· $300,000 for Voorheesville sewage infrastructure improvements

More detailed descriptions of each project can be found HERE on Congressman Tonko’s website.

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Tonko Statement on Repeal of EPA’s Endangerment Finding

Fri, 13 Feb 2026 05:00:00 GMT

AMSTERDAM, NY — Congressman Paul D. Tonko (NY-20) released the following statement on yesterday’s repeal of the EPA’s “endangerment finding” — the long-standing, scientifically proven conclusion that greenhouse gas pollution warms the planet and harms public health — by the Trump administration:

“The repeal of EPA’s endangerment finding is a giant step backward in our fight to secure a livable planet for future generations. With this action, Donald Trump and his administration have made climate denial the official policy of the United States by once again placing polluter profits ahead of the well-being of American families. While countless Americans suffer from the negative health effects of unchecked corporate pollution and millions more face the extreme weather, wildfires, and droughts it causes, Trump and Lee Zeldin are showing nothing but contempt for their struggles. This policy will only make big polluters richer — and American families will pay the price.”

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Tonko Honors 2025 NY-20 Congressional App Challenge Winner at Guilderland High School

Fri, 30 Jan 2026 05:00:00 GMT

GUILDERLAND, NY — Congressman Paul D. Tonko visited Guilderland High School yesterday to recognize Daniel Joseph, the winning student for the 2025 Congressional App Challenge for New York’s 20^th Congressional District. During the visit, Tonko delivered congratulatory remarks and presented Daniel with a Congressional Certificate of Achievement and a letter of recognition for his outstanding work.

“Every year, I am continually impressed by the talent and pioneering spirit shown by our Capital Region students through their submissions for the Congressional App Challenge,” Congressman Tonko said, “and this year was no exception. With his innovative MedMate app, Daniel Joseph demonstrated not only his excellent coding skills, but also his admirable commitment to helping our health care workers deliver high-quality care to every patient. I’m proud to welcome Daniel into the storied ranks of Capital Region innovators, and I’m grateful to him for his hard work. Congratulations to all the students who participated in this year’s App Challenge!”

Daniel grew up surrounded by health care workers, including his mother, sister, grandmother, and aunts who all worked as nurses. After his sister mentioned that her nursing school assignments lacked the real-world experiences that would be found in an actual medical environment, Daniel set out to create an app that would give care providers and students like his sister a way to practice treating, assessing, and diagnosing patients while receiving valuable feedback.

His winning submission, MedMate, is an immersive medical training application that helps users sharpen their clinical skills by simulating real-life interactions with patients. The app provides users with a patient intake form containing the patient’s past medical history, an interactive AI Avatar that responds realistically to questions, and a diagnostic process that allows the users to ask questions, run tests, make a diagnosis, and receive feedback on their performance — effectively mirroring real-life clinical interactions to help users develop practical diagnostic skills and clinical reasoning.

You can learn more about the app by viewing Daniel’s submission video on YouTube.

This year’s NY-20 Congressional App Challenge winner was chosen by a distinguished panel of local judges including Dr. Mohammed J. Zaki, Professor and Department Head of Computer Science at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Annmarie Lanesey, CEO and Founder of CanCode Communities, and Tobi Saulnier, CEO of 1^st Playable Productions.

The Congressional App Challenge was created by Congress in 2013 to encourage innovation and engagement in coding, computer science, and STEM education. The App Challenge is open to all eligible middle and high school-aged students in New York’s 20^th Congressional District, regardless of coding experience.

To view and download photos of Congressman Tonko’s visit with Daniel, see the Congressman’s social media posts HERE, HERE, HERE, and HERE.

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Tonko: ICE has destroyed the public’s trust. It must be abolished.

Thu, 29 Jan 2026 05:00:00 GMT

Like so many of you, I was stunned and horrified this week to watch yet another video of a person being killed by ICE agents in Minneapolis.

This time, the victim was Alex Pretti, an intensive care nurse who served our veterans at the Minneapolis VA Medical Center. Earlier this month, it was Renee Nicole Good, a writer, poet and mother of three. Both were U.S. citizens; both were shot multiple times by federal agents.

The shocking brutality we’ve seen in Minnesota draws eerie parallels to the acts of violence inflicted upon my late colleague and dear friend, John Lewis, and the hundreds of unarmed, peaceful civil rights protesters he led across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, in 1965 before being beaten by police and locally deputized civilians armed with billy clubs, tear gas and whips.

No matter which side of the political aisle you stand on, the horror of these events should be self-evident. The stark and devastating reality is that two people who should be in the arms of their families today have instead been killed in the street.

How many more innocent lives must be taken before this ends?

For me the answer is clear: not one more.

This agency, as it exists and operates, cannot continue. ICE needs to be abolished.

Though necessary, it is not enough to oppose continued funding for the Department of Homeland Security. It is not enough to conduct a full federal investigation into the killings of both Alex and Renee. It is not enough to impeach DHS Secretary Kristi Noem. These actions, though necessary, are not enough.

In order to ensure public safety, trust and credibility need to be there. ICE has destroyed that trust. What we have seen in Minnesota and beyond is an agency operating completely outside the law and without oversight.

Peaceful legal observers have been tear-gassed, beaten, shoved into unmarked cars and held for days by masked agents. Children have been grabbed on their way to and from school, including 5-year-old Liam Ramos, who is now separated from his father in a Texas detention camp. Last week, whistleblowers exposed a secret memo asserting that ICE agents can forcibly enter the homes of suspected undocumented people without so much as a judicial warrant.

I still believe that we need a system to responsibly enforce our nation’s immigration laws. But ICE, under this administration, has strayed far from that mission.

Abolishing ICE is simply a recognition that the agency, as currently constituted, has lost all public trust and legitimacy. It does not mean we will abandon all attempts to enforce our nation's immigration laws, just that ICE cannot be trusted to carry out that mission.

Prior to ICE's creation in 2003, we had other agencies enforcing our immigration laws that were focused on actual criminal threats rather than fulfilling arbitrary quotas that are causing the terror and chaos we are seeing in our streets. We should return to this model, because what ICE is doing is not enforcing the law; it is imposing terror, with deadly consequences.

The horror of the brutal crackdown against peaceful protesters at Edmund Pettus Bridge, and the unwavering conviction of Brother John and countless civil right advocates, marked a turning point in the civil rights movement and spurred the passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act.

No one should be beaten and shot in the street for exercising their First Amendment rights. Not in 1965 and not in 2026. I’ll continue standing for the ideals of peace and justice that Brother John stood and bled for, and I hope you’ll do the same.

Congressman Paul D. Tonko represents New York’s 20th Congressional District, which includes the cities of Albany, Troy, Schenectady, Saratoga Springs and Amsterdam.