How I’m fighting to rebuild America’s middle class

Congresswoman Claudia Tenney, R-New Hartford, represents New York’s 22nd Congressional District. She serves on the House Small Business Committee. She is a longtime small business owner and was most recently the co-owner and publisher of a community newspaper and a printing and packaging manufacturing firm started by her grandfather in 1946.

In his inauguration speech, President Donald J. Trump described the realities facing American families left behind by Washington politicians and corporate interests. One line resonated with me above the others: “rusted out factories scattered like tombstones across the landscape of our nation.” This vivid portrayal hit home. It depicts too many areas throughout our country and across communities in New York’s 22nd District.

As a member of Congress, I am challenging Washington’s failed policies as well as its tired old assumptions to chart a new course focused on renewing American prosperity and expanding opportunity. Over the past several months, my office has engaged in a widescale effort to survey our community, asking our neighbors about their views on economic opportunity and overall satisfaction. The data that we compiled from workers, parents, small business owners and retirees is the centerpiece of a new report I released this week, entitled, “Community Opportunity: A Vision for Renewal.” This report provides key insights, backed by data, into our shared challenges. It also offers policy solutions on a way forward.

The report identifies several serious problems. Trade, regulatory and tax policies have punished domestic manufacturing and provided a leg up to foreign producers for decades. The purchasing power of middle-class salaries has shrunk as a result, and regions like ours that depended so much on the hard work and wages of manufacturers are hurting. This is a recipe for a hollowed out middle class, especially when you add in New York’s high taxes and overregulation, which have stifled new business formation.

In my recent survey of constituents, 63% of residents and 45% of small businesses said they considered leaving our area in the past few years. Only 48% of those surveyed reported being satisfied with the quality of life in our area. Nearly 40% reported not being satisfied with the available job opportunities. These numbers are disappointing to see.

Yet there is abundant cause for optimism. The fact is, we New Yorkers love our region, and we have not given up hope. The resilience of our communities is an inspiration to me as much as it is a call to action. It is why I am I’m fighting so hard in Congress to deliver policies that expand employment, drive up the quality of life, and create new opportunities for growth and innovation.

As I state in the report, well-constructed policies that harness the power of private enterprise and re-shore American manufacturing jobs can and will reinvigorate the middle class and reverse recent trends. This past year, I spearheaded numerous policy initiatives in Congress and achieved significant wins with these goals as my north star. Together with Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Missouri), I introduced the Make it in America to Sell it in America Act, landmark legislation to boost the Buy America movement and re-shore critical supply chains that have been lost to unfair trade deals and foreign economic predation. With colleagues from both sides of the aisle, I introduced the bipartisan AIM Act to increase access to capital for upstart manufacturing businesses so they can once again be the engines of our region’s prosperity. When Upstate businesses were struggling from the impacts of Covid-19, I backed the PPP Extension Act, which was passed into law and has provided much-needed support to our small employers.

I raised my son in New Hartford, New York, across the street from my childhood home. I worked alongside my family to grow the business my grandfather started after World War II. This is home for me, and it always will be. It is my mission to ensure that my son and future generations have the same opportunities that I did in the community that is so dear to all our hearts. I hope you will read my new report and share your thoughts with me.