Hi Folks!
After a productive week in Washington, I'm excited to be back in our district for the weekend. Yesterday, I was in Utica to present the family of Jerry Attili with long-due medals for his service in World War II. He earned a Purple Heart, a Combat Action Ribbon, a Presidential Unit Citation, and more for his service in the Marine Corps.
Our office was able to retrieve these medals and present them to his family today.
Since I was elected, I've made serving our veterans a top priority, and a big part of that consists of working with local veterans and their families on cases like these. Every moment like yesterday's presentation is immensely rewarding, and it's an honor to be able to help our community in this way.
This past week, the House held a few consequential appropriations votes to fund the government for Fiscal Year 2025. Within these bills are tens of millions of dollars in allocations that will directly benefit NY-22.
Here are the items we'll cover in today's newsletter: - Medal Presentation for a Utica Veteran's Family
- Standing up for NY-22 and American Security
- Standing up for NY-22 and Affordable Energy
- Standing up for NY-22 and the Environment
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A Message from Rep. Brandon Williams:
Our 22nd Congressional District encompasses all of Oneida, Madison, and Onondaga counties, and a sliver of Oswego County. As always, I am working to support families in CNY and the Mohawk Valley, improve our local infrastructure, grow manufacturing, and rein-in energy costs through common sense engineering and business practices. As a Navy Veteran, I stand with and for our veterans. I am protecting Social Security and Medicare for our elderly, and I always speak up for our law enforcement, firefighters, and first responders.
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Born in Utica in 1922, Jerry Attili served our nation honorably as a United States Marine during World War II. As Field Music First Class, he fought in the Battle of Saipan and the Battle of Tinian, where the 4th Marine Division earned the Presidential Unit Citation for outstanding performance in combat.
In February of 1945, he was wounded in action during the historic Battle of Iwo Jima, a landmark battle of the war's Pacific Theater, as American forces engaged with the mountainous island's defenders.
Throughout his service, Mr. Attili earned a Purple Heart, a Combat Action Ribbon, a Presidential Unit Citation (with one Bronze Star), the American Campaign Medal, the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (with four Bronze Campaign Stars), the WWII Victory Medal, and a Rifle Marksman Badge.
Mr. Attili passed away in 2006, but his family worked with my office to retrieve the medals he earned. After a long process, we were finally able to present those medals to his family yesterday at my office in Utica.
Every day, the staff in my Syracuse and Utica offices work with local veterans and their families on cases just like this. They also stand ready to help resolve issues with the VA and other federal agencies. If you or a veteran in your family believe there's a way we can be of assistance, reach out to our District Office at (315)-233-4333.
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On Friday, the Defense Appropriations Act passed through the House of Representatives with the support of 217 members representing both parties. The bill includes a 4.5% pay raise for all military personnel, funding for Taiwan's international security cooperation programs, and support for the Pacific Deterrence Initiative, along with common sense reductions to bloated bureaucracy that inefficiently uses taxpayer dollars.
In addition, the bill includes allocations for several priorities right here in our own district. Among them are: - $5 million increase for UH-60 thermoplastic tail rotor drive systems (RTX)
- $15 million for an Air Force trapped ion quantum information science computer (IONQ)
- $7.5 million for Air Force neutral-atom quantum networking and computing (Atom Computing)
- $5 million for the Air Force REVELATIONS AI/ML Project (Assured Information Security)
- $25 million for Air Force future flag exercises (AFRL)
- $3 million in funding for integrating Advanced Air Mobility and Uncrewed Aircraft Systems, including C-UAS efforts, with broader air traffic management, in partnership with AFWERX, to enhance military operations (NuAIR)
- $4.5 million in funding for Electronic Warfare Development for tactical data analysis capabilities in support of cognitive electronic warfare (SRC)
- $3 million increase for Defense-Wide semiconductor supply chain cybersecurity research (Micron)
- $10 million increase for Army Future of Counter UAS (FoCUS) (Hidden Level)
- $4 million increase for Air Force adaptive blue force (Syracuse University)
- $10.9 million for the Navy for silicon carbide flexible bus nodes (Wolfspeed)
- Supports the Budget Request for Army Sentinel A4 Radar - to be manufactured in Syracuse (Lockheed Martin)
The passage of the Defense Appropriations Act is a win for our district, and it's a win for American security. I'm proud that we've taken over $90 million in vital funding for NY-22 one step closer to the finish line by passing this bill in the House.
My office worked with partners in government and across our district to get to this point, and we'll keep working until this punishment reaches the President's desk.
Read more here.
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On Wednesday, I spoke with the Deputy Secretary of the Department of Energy, David Turk, at a hearing of the House Science Committee. This hearing comes on the heels of historic rate increases proposed by National Grid which threaten to raise costs for NY-22 families by roughly $440 per year.
My conversation with Deputy Secretary Turk revolved around the causes of this increase and impact of this Administration's energy investment strategy on the prices the average American sees on their utility bills.
Unfortunately, what I and other Representatives received in response to our questions were, largely, vague answers and cold comfort. The Administration's ongoing, indefinite LNG export pause and insistence on overcommitment to renewables are not isolated issues. Average Americans feel the impact of policy decisions like these, and National Grid's proposals are proof.
Read more here.
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On Wednesday, I joined the rest of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee in sending the Water Resources Development Act of 2024 through a markup. This is a major step towards the bill's final passage, and it ensures that the bill will include a $100 million allocation to take care of the Mohawk Valley and its tributaries.
The funding will go towards the construction and maintenance of water and wastewater infrastructure, like surface water resource protection, stormwater management, and environmental restoration efforts.
I'm thankful to Congresswoman Stefanik and Congressman Tonko for joining me to advance this shared priority. We are working across the aisle and across New York to fight for our great state's environment, and for everyone who calls New York home.
We owe it to the next generation to steward our resources well, and this funding will help local leaders to do just that.
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If you are experiencing difficulty with a federal agency, my office can help.
Trained caseworkers can assist with agencies such as the Internal Revenue Service, Social Security, and the Department of Veterans Affairs. While we cannot guarantee a favorable outcome, we will do our best to help you receive a fair and timely response to your problem.
NY-22 residents can contact our Syracuse (315-233-4333) or Utica (315-732-0713) offices for assistance. You can also submit a request on my website, here.
Thank you for reading this week's wrap-up! |
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Brandon Williams
Member of Congress |
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