Claudia Tenney: “My constituents are discouraged. They are fed up with political elites who have failed to represent them, and with…”

“My constituents are discouraged. They are fed up with political elites who have failed to represent them, and with special interest groups who, too often, put impractical dogma before practical policy. In the Rust Belt region I represent in upstate New York, the impact of this has been devastating: devastating job losses, economic stagnation, and the massive out-migration of people and jobs, the largest in the Nation. In my district, Mr. Chairman, decline has bred despair, which has spurred a host of other problems. In light of all this, I was elected to Congress with a strong mission to reverse the tide and to revitalize our upstate communities to the greatness and innovation they once experienced. I am the voice for my constituents who have been left behind, and I am fighting to bring my district back on path toward individual prosperity and economic revival. Mr. Chairman, my amendment uniquely achieves both. There is nothing new or groundbreaking about my amendment. Simply put, it reinstates a domestic sourcing provision for stainless steel flatware that was in law for 30 years without issue. My amendment adds stainless steel flatware back into the Berry amendment. For 30 years, American-made flatware was covered under Berry. However, the provision was removed in 2006 after Oneida Limited, the only Berry-compliant manufacturer, ceased domestic operations.…”