Tim Kennedy
DWhen Goodyear's Niagara Falls plant closes at the end of October, about 70 workers will lose their jobs. These are jobs that have supported local families for generations, and now families are left wondering what comes next. Niagara Falls has lost hundreds of manufacturing jobs over the last decade, and every closure leaves a hole in our community. That's why I'm fighting for every affected worker to get fair severance, support during the transition, and a clear path to their next job. Our region was built by working people, and I'll keep pushing for the job training and investment it takes to bring manufacturing jobs back to our communities. https://t.co/NYQ9CURG7o
October 5th-11th is Mental Health Awareness week, when we recognize the importance of breaking the stigma surrounding mental health and making sure everyone has access to the support they need. No one should feel like they have to struggle alone. By checking in on one another, having open conversations, and supporting mental health resources in our communities, we can help build a future where everyone feels supported. #MentalHealthAwarenessWeek #EndTheStigma
Today, on World Teachers’ Day, we celebrate the educators here at home and across the globe who dedicate their lives to teaching, inspiring, and empowering the next generation. No matter where they teach, educators play an essential role in opening doors to opportunity, strengthening communities, and helping young people build brighter futures. Their impact reaches far beyond the classroom and helps shape a more informed and connected world. I’m especially grateful for the incredible teachers across Western New York, including my mother and my sister, and I join communities around the world in recognizing their dedication and the difference they make every day. Happy World Teachers’ Day to educators everywhere!
Women-owned businesses are building the future of Western New York. Our community is stronger when women have the resources, mentorship, and opportunities they need to turn an idea into a business and a business into a lasting success. The Women’s Business Center is creating a space that brings together women entrepreneurs, community leaders, and the partners who champion their success. Supporting women in business means investing in the people who are creating jobs, strengthening our neighborhoods, and driving our local economy forward.
As we mark Banned Books Week, it is a vital time to look back at how we got here. Launched in 1982 by legendary library activist Judith Krug, this week was founded during a massive surge in book challenges across schools and libraries in the United States. It serves as a reminder that the suppression of ideas isn't new, but neither is our collective duty to stand against it. Here in Western New York, our libraries are some of our most important community spaces. They’re where kids fall in love with reading, where families find resources, and where everyone can learn something new, for free. Stop by your local library this week and pick up a book. Drop your favorite in the comments below 👇
Organized labor is the backbone of Western New York. Working people deserve more than a promise that they will be safe on the job. They deserve strong workplace protections, effective enforcement, and a workers’ compensation system that supports them and their families when they are injured. I am so grateful for all my friends in labor, with a special shout out to @WNYALF President Denise Abbott and Niagara/Orleans Central Labor Council President Jim Briggs, who fight tirelessly for workers and their families. Protecting working people means standing with those who show up every day to fight for safer workplaces, stronger protections, and the dignity every worker deserves.
This is what being the City of Good Neighbors/Neighbours is all about. Thank you @NiagaraFalls for your friendship. Go Bills! https://t.co/Ipm0mD7EGL
61 years ago today, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Immigration and Nationality Act, ending a quota system that favored immigrants from Western Europe and shut the door on much of the world. That legacy is now under attack. Time and again, the Trump administration has tried to return to a system that judges people by where they were born rather than who they are. I will continue to stand up to Trump's attempts to discriminate against those seeking a better life in America, because the promise of this country was never meant for only a select few.
The culture of cruelty continues under Donald Trump and Markwayne Mullin’s DHS. They are spending $17 million in taxpayer dollars to expand the Buffalo Service Processing Center in Batavia as Western New Yorkers are struggling to afford groceries, utilities, gas, and healthcare. This administration lied to the American people when they said they were deporting “the worst of the worst.” At Batavia, over 70% of those detained have no criminal record. This isn’t about keeping our communities safe. It’s about expanding an inhumane detention system at the expense of our community. Western New Yorkers deserve answers about where their tax dollars are going, and DHS needs to be held accountable. ICE out of our communities NOW. https://t.co/ipJHQ21vgp
#Every1KnowsSome1 that has been impacted by domestic violence. This Domestic Violence Awareness Month, let’s do more than raise awareness, let’s take action. Speak up. Check in. Believe survivors. Share resources. Support organizations doing the work. And help create a community where no one has to face abuse alone.
At Kennedy’s Demand, DHS Finally Discloses Details of Batavia ICE Facility Expansion - New $17 Million Structure Will House Women Detainees In a Response to Kennedy’s Letter Written in His Oversight Capacity, DHS's Own Numbers Show More Than 70% of Batavia Detainees Have No Criminal Record, Contradicting Administration's "Worst of the Worst" Claims BUFFALO, N.Y. – Congressman Tim Kennedy (NY-26), a member of the House Committee on Homeland Security, today condemned the Trump administration's plan to build a new detention facility at the Buffalo Service Processing Center in Batavia at a cost to taxpayers of nearly $17 million funded by Trump and Congressional Republicans' Big Ugly Bill. He also exposed the administration's own admission that the vast majority of the people it is detaining in Western New York have no criminal record. In a response to Kennedy's July 8 oversight letter, which arrived on September 29, 76 days past his July 15 deadline, the Department of Homeland Security disclosed that 72 percent of detainees at Batavia have no criminal record. Rather than defend the expansion as a public safety measure, DHS wrote that known criminal history "is not a prerequisite for immigration enforcement action." Secretary Markwayne Mullin instead pointed to the 2024 election, writing that the department intends to deliver "mass deportations." "This administration told the American people it was going after the worst of the worst. Now they've admitted in writing that it isn't true. More than 70 percent of the people held in Batavia have no criminal record, and DHS says that doesn't matter," said Congressman Kennedy. "It took them more than two months to answer, and they still can't keep their story straight about what they're building. Meanwhile, the calls coming into my office tell the real story. Every single day we’re getting calls about people who are picked up by ICE while dropping their kids off at school or going to work. People that are here lawfully are feeling threatened and afraid. This administration must be held accountable.” "Western New Yorkers are working hard to put food on the table, keep up with their utility bills, fill their gas tanks, and afford their medical bills. Our government should be focused on making life more affordable," Kennedy continued. "Instead, the Trump administration is spending nearly $17 million to enact its cruel and inhumane agenda.” DHS's response contradicts itself. ICE's contract approval describes a "soft sided temporary detention facility," while DHS's answers refer to a "hard-sided" structure.” The department also revealed that ICE plans to hold women at the new facility and that men could be held there as well "if the needs of the service dictate." Kennedy's letter requested all records related to the decision to build the facility, including cost estimates and communications with contractors. DHS provided a single approval memo, with pricing details and the planned number of beds redacted. It said staffing levels for the facility are "still being discussed." In July, Kennedy warned that the Trump administration has a pattern of rapidly building soft-sided tents and makeshift detention facilities without ensuring detainee health and safety, and demanded that DHS halt construction at Batavia. He will continue to press DHS for answers and to oppose the expansion of ICE detention in Western New York. Read Congressman Kennedy’s oversight letter here. Read Secretary Markwayne Mullin’s full response here. ###
Last year, Donald Trump and Congressional Republicans rammed through their Big Ugly Bill which decimated healthcare and nutrition assistance for American families to pay for tax breaks for billionaires. Starting today, New York State and local governments will be forced to pay $220 million a year to make up for these cuts to SNAP, the nutritional assistance program. That means less money for education, public safety, infrastructure, and environmental protection. The real cost falls on the millions of Americans who rely on SNAP to put food on the table. Since the bill passed, 5 million people nationwide have already lost access, including 1 million children. Most of those who still depend on it are seniors, children, and people with disabilities. When I say a budget is a reflection of our values, this is exactly what I mean - and Donald Trump is showing our communities that he does not care about the real needs of the American people. https://t.co/iLwSfBpwm0
Congratulations to my good friend and colleague, @RepLaMonica on the birth of her baby girl! She is already so lucky to have such a strong, compassionate, and trailblazing woman as her mom and role model. Welcome to the world Baby McIver!!! 🌎🇺🇸
As we close out Suicide Prevention Month, our commitment to preventing suicide cannot end with September. We must continue breaking down the stigma around mental health, expanding access to care, and making sure every person knows that help is available. We all have a role to play in creating a culture where people feel safe asking for help and where support is accessible when they need it most. That means speaking up, demanding accountability, and supporting policies that expand access to mental health care – not policies that make it harder for people to get the care they need.
Healthcare is about getting the care you need, when you need it - not whether you can afford it. For 50 years, the Hyde Amendment has restricted federal Medicaid funding for abortion, creating a financial barrier to care for people who rely on Medicaid. This amendment has been one of the most damaging barriers to reproductive healthcare, forcing patients to navigate additional financial and logistical hurdles to access the care they need. No one should be denied healthcare because of their income or insurance coverage - healthcare is a right, not a privilege.
In 1977, Congress passed the Food Stamp Act, a bipartisan law that eliminated the requirement that families pay for their food stamps, tearing down one of the biggest barriers to getting help. In the first month that change took effect, 1.5 million more Americans were able to put food on the table. Today, Congressional Republicans and Donald Trump are undoing that progress with the largest cuts to nutrition assistance in our nation's history, and since Republicans' Big Ugly Law took effect, over 180,000 New Yorkers have lost their SNAP benefits. I will not stand by while families in our community go hungry. I'm fighting to reverse these cuts, and I won't stop until every family in New York has food on the table. https://t.co/HB7l94tzYC
Lackawanna’s new City Hall is more than a new building, it’s a reflection of a community looking toward its future. Congratulations to Mayor Iafallo, the City Council, and everyone who helped bring this project to life. As Lackawanna looks ahead to its 120th birthday, this new City Hall makes one thing clear: this is a community proud of its history and ready to write its next chapter.
Donald Trump is spending your tax dollars on campaign ads. Families sitting down to watch the Bills game are being hit with his political propaganda, and it's a blatant abuse of taxpayer money. This is the most corrupt administration in American history. While Trump and his family rake in billions, the American people are left footing the bill. If Congressional Republicans refuse to hold him accountable, Democrats will when we retake the gavel. https://t.co/sWhQxuOK9d
In 1899, veterans of the Spanish-American War and the Philippine Insurrection founded what would become the Veterans of Foreign Wars. For 127 years, the VFW has stood alongside veterans and their families, fighting for the benefits they earned, from the creation of the VA to the GI Bill. We honor the VFW's enduring commitment to our veterans and join them in ensuring their service and sacrifice are never forgotten.
Occupational therapists meet people where they are, help them overcome the challenges standing in their way, and give them the tools to get back to the people, work, and everyday moments that make life meaningful. My perspective as an occupational therapist has guided me in my work as a public servant, reminding me that at the heart of every policy are people who deserve the opportunity to live with independence, dignity, and purpose. I am so proud to work alongside @AOTAInc to advocate for the profession and the patients we serve.
I join my Congressional Colleagues and Irish America in urging the British Secretary of State to cancel the Orange Order parade on Garvaghy Road, and ensure a peaceful resolution to the escalating situation. Allowing this parade to proceed has resulted in wounds being ripped open that are yet to be fully healed. The community’s response has been expectedly visceral and emotional. For 28 years the Good Friday Agreement has been a model of peace and prosperity for the world to celebrate. We cannot and must not go back. The decision to allow the parade to move forward must be rejected and reversed. https://t.co/4o291tU2OM
Home care workers are the backbone of New York's care economy, helping our seniors and neighbors with disabilities live safely and with dignity in their own homes. This week, CDPAP caregivers across New York took the next step in the largest union election in the country in more than 80 years as they organize with @1199SEIU and @SEIU. The National Labor Relations Act protects their right to organize, and I stand with them as they fight for fair wages and a voice on the job. Protecting Medicaid home care means protecting the workers who make it possible, and I'll keep fighting for both.
Owning your own home is a core part of the American Dream, but it's getting harder and harder to realize. We have tariffs raising the cost of construction materials, a decade-long housing shortage, and now mortgage rates that are the highest they've been in years. None of this happened in a vacuum, and nobody thinks there is a silver bullet. But we can start somewhere. End this illegal war of choice in Iran that is driving up the cost of energy. End President Trump's inane trade war with Canada that is raising the cost of construction materials. https://t.co/Mty37yd0Rd
Trump vanity projects will cost over $1.8 billion. What could $1.8 billion do for American families? A new tool from the Joint Economic Committee shows what that money could do instead: provide more than 600 million school lunches, cover one month of electricity bills for about 12 million people, finance a year of medical expenses for more than 88,000 veterans, hire more than 27,000 teachers or firefighters, or fill 35 million tanks of gas for a typical car. Take a look and see how taxpayer dollars could actually be put to work delivering for the American people – instead of ballrooms and arches. https://t.co/H5kkQ6aScu
America’s working families can’t afford more of Trump’s petty trade war with Canada. His tariffs are raising costs, putting manufacturing jobs at risk, and making it harder for businesses to grow. When the cost of steel and aluminum goes up, American manufacturers pay more, workers face fewer opportunities, and families feel the squeeze. Western New York’s manufacturers need stability to keep building, hiring, and growing, not a trade war that puts their jobs at risk. Congressional Republicans need to grow a spine and stop Trump’s Tariff Tax.