Every year, Chuck commits to traveling to all62 counties in New York to meet with constituents.
On June 30th 2017, U.S. Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer joined dozens of firefighters from Amsterdam’s fire department to launch a new push to pass critical legislation that would, for the first time ever, establish a specialized national cancer registry to be managed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Schumer said the registry would improve collection capabilities and activities related to the nationwide monitoring of cancer incidence among all firefighters, both career and volunteer. Schumer said that firefighters in Amsterdam, and across the Mohawk Valley, and the country are uniquely exposed to a range of harmful toxins. Research has indicated that there may be a connection between firefighting and an increased risk for several major cancers, such as testicular, colon, prostate, stomach, multiple myeloma, and brain cancers. For a few types of cancer, the risk to firefighters, relative to the broader population, can be more than 200 percent higher. This cancer registry would allow researchers to compare information across a broad population of firefighters and help develop tactics, protective equipment and procedures to reduce the risk of cancer.