Congresswoman Claudia Tenney (NY-24) voted in favor of H.R. 8034, the Israel Security Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2024; H.R. 8036, the Indo-Pacific Security Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2024; H.R. 8038, the 21st Century Peace through Strength Act; and H.R. 3602, the End the Border Catastrophe Act. These bills will support Israel, strengthen our national security, deter our adversaries, and secure our borders.
H.R. 8034, which allocates $26.38 billion for Israel passed the House by a vote of 366-58.
H.R. 8036, which allocates $8.12 billion to counter communist China, passed the House by a vote of 385-34.
H.R. 8038, which will implement strong sanctions and policies to counter Iran, China, and Russia, and ban TikTok, passed the House by a vote of 360-58.
H.R. 3602, which would have implemented many of the policies included in H.R. 2, the Secure the Border Act, failed to pass the House via suspension by a vote of 215-199.
"President Biden has repeatedly failed to support our allies, fueling our adversaries and projecting weakness on the international stage, making it imperative that House Republicans provide strong and resolute leadership," said Congresswoman Tenney.
"This week, the House demonstrated the necessity of supporting our allies while providing single-subject spending bills that restore regular order. This is essential to providing transparency and oversight to our legislative process.”
"In order to support Israel, our greatest ally, we must continue to provide them with the resources they need to defend themselves against Iranian-backed terrorist organizations. Iran's recent drone and missile assault demonstrated the Iron Dome's state-of-the-art capabilities. If it weren't for this technology, Iran's attack would have been catastrophic. This legislation allocates $4 billion to replenish Iron Dome and David's Sling missile defense systems to continue defending Israel from attacks. The United States must also continue to counter the Chinese Communist Party’s increased aggression and ensure a robust regional deterrence. The CCP continues to enhance its intelligence capabilities, threatening our national security and Taiwan's statehood. I am pleased this legislation included $3.3 billion to develop submarine infrastructure under AUKUS, including investments in dry dock construction and advance procurement for Columbia Class and Virginia Class. We must continue to support Taiwan, whose security is critical to American interests in the region.”
“The 21st Century Peace through Strength Act also includes much-needed enhancements to the Senate’s bill. This legislation bolsters our national security, by including legislation to force the sale of TikTok to protect Americans’ data from China and crack down on their malign influence.”
“Finally, the End the Border Catastrophe Act would finally institute key policies, such as the Remain in Mexico policy and the Migrant Protection Protocols, to secure our Northern and Southern Borders. This bill demonstrates House Republicans' continued commitment to reversing the disastrous Biden policies that have allowed 9 million illegal aliens to cross our borders. While some of my Democratic colleagues crossed the aisle to support this commonsense bill, I am disappointed that the overwhelming majority of Democrats stood by the Biden Administration’s failed policies. Rest assured, the House Republican Majority will continue to do everything in our power to protect our communities and secure the border.”
Congresswoman Claudia Tenney (NY-24) today voted in favor of H.R. 7521, the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, which would ensure the safety of Americans' data and the national security of the United States from threats posed by foreign adversary-controlled applications such as TikTok.
This bill, which Tenney cosponsored, passed the House by a vote of 352-65, with one present vote.
Over the last two weeks, the Chinese Communist Party has worked aggressively to spread misinformation about this bill. This bill does not apply to U.S.-owned companies, so the risk of weaponization of this legislation against U.S. social media companies, such as X, Truth Social, or Rumble, is not applicable.
The enforcement powers are limited to applications owned by China, Iran, Russia, or North Korea. This bill also does not mention "election interference," which some pro-TikTok advocates have claimed will be weaponized against conservatives. H.R. 7521 would merely require applications controlled by China, Iran, Russia, or North Korea to either divest ownership of the foreign adversary or face a prohibition from operating in the United States.
"Congress has heard consistently from the intelligence community about the serious threats posed by TikTok to our national security," said Congresswoman Tenney. "With over 170 million users, TikTok is the Chinese Communist Party's propaganda megaphone, using the App to manipulate and exploit users' data for its own surveillance and monetary gains. Congress took a decisive and critical measure prohibiting the Chinese Communist Party from controlling the TikTok application. I remain dedicated to cracking down on the CCP's malign influence and working to ensure that our adversaries do not have access to sensitive data held by individuals and businesses who use the App."
Batavia High School senior and school board student representative Kylie Tatarka prepared board members Thursday that there were both positive and negative items in her monthly report.
The positive was that many school activities — high school football games, boy and girl swim teams, a production of Sherlock Holmes — “have been very successful,” Tatarka said.
“And now, due to the pamphlet,” she said during the board’s December meeting at BHS. “Students have expressed a lack of safety due to that situation, which was addressed by our administration.”
That “situation” was two weeks ago, when some students, who were frustrated by what they believed was inaction to bullying by the district, created written materials and began to organize a walk-out. Social media buzzed with comments as the school ended up closing for a day following the perceptions of threats of violence and after the distribution of those materials. The district closed Dec. 3 after reports of threats of violence at buildings in the district began circulating on social media.
On the plus side, high school counselors visited classrooms to understand how students have been feeling, Tatarka said, and how the district could potentially make them feel safer.
“This process went well, where many kids said they finally felt heard by this administration,” she said. “Students go through a lot of stress, especially right now, and we need adults to help go through this together. Communication and trust is key.”
As a senior with little time left in school before graduation, Tatarka still looks forward to seeing a change, she said, “especially for my friends, my peers and my own sibling who goes to school with me.” She was also speaking up for those younger classmates that will remain in school behind her.
“So I urge you all to think about students first,” she said.
High School Principal Paul Kesler reiterated the student ex-officio's remarks about how counselors went into each social studies class to give all students an opportunity to express their feelings, thoughts and concerns.
“Their struggle right now is real, they’re feeling a sense of loss in many ways, our staff is feeling that also,” Kesler said. “This is a good time to get some feedback on that.”
There were positive and negative comments, and suggestions to be followed up on next year, he said. Bullying specifically wasn’t the hot topic, he said, whereas the effects of COVID-19 and the related distancing policy this past year seemed to have a bigger impact on students, he said.
“A lot of feedback came back in terms of student’s mental health. I have seen that mental health needs have increased. Students have felt the loss of activities, like not having traditional school dances,” he said, listing some of the students’ suggestions. “They talked about public affirmation of the great things that they’re doing; publicize those on announcements more. They want more classroom meetings. It’s important to hear from marginalized students.”
Another suggestion, indicative of youth’s technological savvy, was to create a check-in sheet with a bar code so that students can remain anonymous while reaching out for help and/or to share concerns about someone else. The feedback so far was a good start, Kesler said, and counselors will be revisiting with students in a similar way in late January.
“All in all, I’m really proud of our students,” he said. “They’ve been really resilient in difficult situations.”
While on the topic of student safety, Interim Superintendent Scott Bischoping referred to a TikTok message that has been circulating nationally. The Federal Bureau of Investigations and law enforcement concluded that any such threat is unfounded, he said. City police are aware of the post and will monitor the situation, he said.
The popular site TikTok has suggested that school shootings are to take place in a nationwide TikTok school threat challenge on Friday, apparently titled National Shoot Up Your School Day.
The post encourages students to make threats of violence against their school. Some districts are reportedly taking heavier precautions, such as Scotia-Glenville Central School and West Genesee in Syracuse.
Top photo: Batavia High School Principal Paul Kesler reviews the steps taken so far to connect with students, hear them out and develop a list of potential remedies for the void left by COVID-19 protocols. Photo by Howard Owens
