Hi Folks!
Congress will return to its legislative session this week, and the House of Representatives will begin working to responsibly fund the government by the deadline of October 1st. I spent this week in our district and will return to Washington tomorrow morning to vote on legislation.
Here are the items we'll cover in today's newsletter: - Meeting with Mayor Brazill, Announcing Funding for the Minoa Wastewater Treatment Facility
- Countering CCP Drones Act
- Protect America's Innovation and Economy from CCP Act of 2024
- Meetings Across NY-22
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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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This past Thursday, I joined Minoa Mayor Bill Brazill at a facility visit of the wastewater treatment plant on Kalin Drive. I worked with Mayor Brazill to secure congressional support for upgrades to the plant, with the House Appropriations Committee ultimately approving $565,000 in Fiscal Year 2025 Community Project Funding.
Since coming to Congress, my office has collaborated with local leaders to successfully advocate for over $45,000,000 in support for projects across our district. Among them are initiatives for water infrastructure like the one in Minoa, classroom development, equipment and technology for law enforcement, and expanded broadband access for working families.
Read more here.
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This week, the House of Representatives will move forward in considering H.R. 2864, the bipartisan Countering CCP Drones Act, introduced by Congresswoman Stefanik.
I joined a group of 15 other representatives to cosponsor this legislation, which requires the inclusion of any telecommunications and video surveillance equipment or services produced or provided by Shenzhen Da-Jiang Innovations Sciences and Technologies Company Limited (a Chinese drone maker commonly known as DJI Technologies) on a list of communications equipment or services determined by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to pose an unacceptable risk to U.S. national security.
This would prevent federal funding through certain FCC programs from being used to purchase or maintain DJI's equipment or services.
We cannot continue to rely on our strategic adversary, China, for such important technology. This bill is an important step toward a future where high-quality, secure, American-made drones are used by first-responders, businesses, and private owners across the country.
Read more here.
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Another noteworthy piece of legislation I've cosponsored is H.R. 1398, the Protect America's Innovation and Economy from CCP Act of 2024.
In 2022, the Department of Justice (DOJ) ended a program named the China Initiative. This bill reestablishes and renames it the CCP Initiative to serve the following purposes:
(1) counter nation-state threats to the United States; (2) curb spying by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) on U.S. intellectual property and academic institutions; (3) identify and prosecute individuals engaged in trade secret theft, hacking, and economic espionage; and (4) protect U.S. critical infrastructure from foreign threats.
If this bill were to pass, the DOJ would be required to annually brief relevant congressional committees on the progress of the initiative.
In May of 1989, I personally witnessed the protests at Tiananmen Square which would ultimately be followed by unthinkable, state-imposed violence. The Chinese Community Party has acted, since its inception, as a force for evil, and we must protect America from its influence.
Read more here.
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This week, I was able to spend some time in Oneida County, touring Fiber Instrument Sales in Oriskany last Tuesday. FIS employs over 300 people in our community, and they are the largest fiber optic cable assemblies manufacturer in the U.S., servicing over 99 countries with a robust selection of test equipment, interconnects, cable assemblies, connectors, adapters, tools, cables, consumables, and fusion splicers.
On Friday, I joined local veterans and their families at another Veterans Resource Fair, this time in Utica. I'm grateful to everyone who attended, and to the local organizations that stopped by to offer their services!
I also got to stop by the East Syracuse Volunteer Fire Department clambake and the Syracuse Irish Festival in Clinton Square.
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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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