Claudia Tenney
U.S. Representative for New York
Claudia L. Tenney was born in February 1961 in New Hartford, New York. She earned an undergraduate degree from Colgate University and received a Juris Doctor from the University of Cincinnati. She was employed by the Consulate General of Yugoslavia to be the intermediary between ABC Sports and the Yugoslavian government leading up to the 1984 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo. She co-owned a commercial printing company, then entered the private practice of law. She was also a radio commentator and talk show co-host.
Tenney was elected to the New York State Assembly where she served six years. She became a member of the U.S. House of Representatives in January 2017 but lost her first bid for reelection in 2018. She was seated again in February 2021.
She is divorced from Wayne Cleary, Jr., and has one son. She is a Presbyterian.
In the News…
In a recent television interview, New York Representative Claudia Tenney discussed police reform bills, such as the measure in New York that eliminates cash bails. She calls it and other legislation “problematic.”
“[It has] wreaked havoc on our local governments and on our local police departments,” she said. Crime is rampant, and the primary objective of the government is to protect its citizens, and there has been this “vilification of police, which is unfortunate,” she said.
“They don’t talk about the 264 officers last year who were killed in the line of duty,” she continued. “I think over 50 at this point have now been killed this year alone.”
“We need to work with our communities better to understand them and have more recruitment for police departments out of the communities,” she said.
The George Floyd policing bill is “well-intentioned,” but it still eliminates qualified immunity that gives officers protection and that’s a problem, she said.
“We will probably have no police officers willing to serve because they would be exposed to personal liability and the trial lawyers would be feasting on them,” she added. “The solutions that have been offered are not the answer. We need to actually give more money to our police departments for better training so that they know how to handle these tough situations. It’s a difficult job. It’s very stressful, and I think that our police officers first deserve respect.”
Contact this Leader…
Did you pray for Representative Tenney today? You can let her know at:
The Honorable Claudia Tenney
Representative for New York
1410 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
