Press Releases
SCHUMER, GILLIBRAND ANNOUNCE TOWN OF KEENE TO RECEIVE MORE THAN $3.4 MILLION IN FEMA FUNDS TO UPGRADE FLOOD-PRONE BRIDGE OVER EAST BRANCH AUSABLE RIVER
Town of Keene in Essex County to Use Funds to Upgrade Bridge to Maintain Vital Transit Link During Emergencies, Enhance Resiliency & Protect Area from Future Flooding Today, U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand announced $3,472,000 in federal funding for the Town of Keene in Essex County to upgrade and scour the flood-prone bridge over the East Branch Ausable River on Route 73. These funds, which are being awarded as part of the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA… Continue Reading
02.26.15
SCHUMER ANNOUNCES FEDS HAVE AGREED TO CRITICAL FIRST STEP IN DEVELOPING ICE-CONTROL PLAN FOR WEST SENECA TO LIMIT ICE JAMS & FLOODING ALONG BUFFALO CREEK – FOLLOWING SCHUMER’S PUSH, ARMY CORPS TO LAUNCH STUDY; SENATOR URGES STUDY TO BE COMPLETED QUICKLY & WILL PUSH FOR PLAN TO BE IN PLACE ASAP
Schumer Urged U.S. Army Corps to Work with West Seneca to Develop Plan to Install Ice Control Devices in Buffalo Creek Following Numerous Ice Jams That Flooded Hundreds of Homes Army Corps Has Agreed To Execute Ice Jam Study in West Seneca & Identify Potential Solutions - This is An Important Step Toward Preventing Constant Struggle Local Homeowners Face Each Winter Schumer to Army Corps: Ice Jam Study is A Good Start; Must Lead to Action U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer today announ… Continue Reading
02.25.15
SCHUMER: VISITING NURSE ASSOCIATION OF LONG ISLAND NEEDS FEDERAL APPROVAL FOR “VITAL ACCESS PROVIDER” FUNDING; URGES CENTERS FOR MEDICARE & MEDICAID SERVICES TO EXPEDITE RELEASE OF DESPERATELY NEEDED FUNDING TO HELP KEEP LIFE-SAVING AGENCY OPERATING
Visiting Nurse Association of LI Provides Approximately 500 Patients With Valuable Health Services & Is Currently In Dire Financial Straits; Organization Applied & For Over a Year Has Been Awaiting Federal Approval for Over $1 Million in Supplemental Medicaid Funds Schumer Urges Centers of Medicare & Medicaid Services to Quickly Approve Application for Pending Funds for Visiting Nurse Association of LI; Without These Funds, Organization Will Be Hard Pressed to Stay Afloat in the Fut… Continue Reading
02.25.15
WITH COLLEGE COSTS SOARING, SCHUMER LAUNCHES PUSH TO INCREASE & EXPAND COLLEGE TUITION TAX CREDIT THAT PROVIDES MUCH-NEEDED RELIEF FOR UPSTATE NY MIDDLE CLASS FAMILIES – NEW BILL WOULD MAKE MORE FAMILIES ELIGIBLE TO RECEIVE TAX CREDIT & GROW SAVINGS TO UP TO $3K PER YEAR
Schumer-Authored Tax Credit Already Provides A Major Boost For Middle Class Families Across Upstate NY, But New Bill Would Grow Annual Savings to $3,000 Per Year & Extend Maximum Lifetime Credit to $15K - For Every $1 Spent on College Tuition, Families Could Get $1 Off On Taxes, Up To $3K A Year New Bill Would Also Make Families Earning Up to $200K Eligible; Current Credit Only Eligible For Families Making Less Than $180K - New York Families Save Over $1B Per Year With Tax Credit; New Versi… Continue Reading
02.24.15
SCHUMER, GILLIBRAND, de BLASIO ANNOUNCE $116 MILLION IN FEDERAL SANDY RELIEF FUNDING FOR NYC’S RAPID REPAIRS PROGRAM
Immediately Following Sandy, NYC's Rapid Repairs Program Paid for Contractors to Help Sandy-Impacted Homeowners Make Emergency Repairs to Their Homes Before Permanent Repairs Could Take Place Schumer, Gillibrand, de Blasio Announce Millions in FEMA Funding to Reimburse the NYC Dept. of Environmental Protection Which Funded the Rapid Repairs Program U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand and Mayor Bill de Blasio today announced over $116 million in federal funding to reimburse… Continue Reading
02.24.15
SCHUMER, GILLIBRAND, HIGGINS & COLLINS URGE AIR FORCE TO MAKE NIAGARA FALLS AIR RESERVE STATION HOST FOR NEW REFUEL TANKERS
Members of Congress Back Niagara Falls Air Force Reserve Station Candidacy to Host New KC-46A Tankers U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand and Representatives Brian Higgins and Chris Collins urged the Air Force to choose Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station (NFARS) as a host station for the third main operating base (MOB 3) for the new KC-46A Pegasus tankers. The new tankers are used to refuel aircrafts and are vital to Air Force operations. Senators Schumer and Gillibrand … Continue Reading
02.24.15
SCHUMER CALLS ON USDA TO EXPEDITE REVIEW & APPROVAL OF NEW WYOMING COUNTY BUSINESS & AGRICULTURE CENTER THAT COULD BE MAJOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT HUB FOR WARSAW AREA – USDA HAS YET TO SIGN OFF ON FINAL DESIGN PLANS & FED DELAY COULD THREATEN ENTIRE CONSTRUCTION TIMELINE; SCHUMER SAYS USDA SHOULD GET PROJECT UNDERWAY ASAP
Wyoming County Business and Agricultural Center is New Major Redevelopment Project That Can Be One-Stop-Shop For Region's Growing Dairy & Farming Industry - Project Will Renovate, Transform the 32,000 Square Foot Former Brown Knitting Company Textile Mill Site in Warsaw Into Leasable Space For Gov & Non-Profit Agencies Schumer Says Center Will Bring Agencies, Organizations Together to Share Local Resources, Promote Economic Opportunity & Development Within Dairy and Agriculture Indu… Continue Reading
02.24.15
SCHUMER, GILLIBRAND ANNOUCE NEARLY $700,000 IN FEDERAL FUNDS FOR NEW WATER INFRASTRUCTURE IN ORLEANS COUNTY
Improvements to Water Mains, Valves & Hydrants to Improve Water Quality U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand today announced $692,000 in funding for the Town of Barre in Orleans County to make new investments in local water infrastructure. The Town of Barre will receive a $384,000 loan, along with a grant of $308,000 to construct a new water main, valves and hydrants that will extend clean water access to residents on Eagle Harbor, Route 31A and Long Bridge roads who cur… Continue Reading
02.24.15
SCHUMER ANNOUNCES U.S. POSTAL SERVICE HAS HEEDED HIS CALL & AGREED TO UNDERTAKE REVIEW PROCESS THAT COULD GIVE HALFMOON ITS OWN ZIP CODE; TOWN IS CURRENTLY SPLIT AMONG FOUR DIFFERENT TOWNS’ ZIP CODES – REVIEW IS CRITICAL FIRST STEP TOWARD PREVENTING CONFUSION THAT HINDERS EMERGENCY RESPONSE & HURTS LOCAL BUSINESSES
Halfmoon Is One of the Fastest Growing Towns in Saratoga County, But Most of Its 22K Residents & Dozens of Businesses Are Divided Among 4 Zip Codes & Forced To List Their Addresses as Clifton Park, Waterford, Mechanicville or Round Lake; Only a Few Can List Halfmoon As Their Address Schumer Came to Halfmoon Last Week to Push For Town to Have its Own Zip Code, Which Would Provide Much-Needed Clarity & Put An End To Ambiguity - Many Businesses Want To Use Halfmoon As Their Address, … Continue Reading
02.23.15
WITH DEVASTATINGLY DANGEROUS HEROIN, LIKE ‘CHINA WHITE’, NOW BEING WIDELY PEDDLED IN NEW YORK & OVERDOSES RAPIDLY RISING, SCHUMER MOVES TO REVERSE PRESIDENT’S CUT IN CRITICAL DRUG TRAFFICKING PROGRAM; URGES SENATE TO REJECT PRESIDENT’S BUDGET REQUEST & RAISE HIDTA FUNDING BY $100M
NYC Has Become East Coast Hub for Heroin Trade & Branded Forms of Heroin, Like "China White," Are Being Found in NY-Metro Area; Heroin Laced With Potent Fentanyl is Already on NY Streets & Now Is Not the Time To Cut Back Federal Funding to Combat Heroin Trafficking & Abuse Schumer Opposes President Obama's Plan to Cut Funding for the Fed. High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas Program & Calls on Senate to Instead Boost HIDTA by $100M - HIDTA Provides Unique Intelligence, Surv… Continue Reading
02.23.15
SCHUMER: FORMERLY HOMELESS VETERANS AT LI’s LIBERTY VILLAGE ARE CAUGHT IN CATCH-22 THAT COULD MEAN LOSS OF LEGAL, JOB-TRAINING & OTHER CRITICAL SERVICES; URGES THE FEDERAL DEPT. OF HOUSING TO REVERSE DENIAL OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS IN RENTAL ASSISTANCE THAT LIBERTY VILLAGE NEEDS TO COVER COST OF RENT & SUPPORT SERVICES
Liberty Village's Housing Complex Provides Sixty Apartments to Previously Homeless LI Veterans & Their Families and Organization Needs Special Housing & Urban Development (HUD)Vouchers In Order to Fully Serve Veterans With Top-Rate Services & Coverage of Rent, Utility Costs Liberty Village Applied Last Year for 30 HUD Rental Assistance Vouchers & After Slow Review and Initial Denial of Liberty Village's Application, the Organization Rightly Brought Vets in Off the Street; HUD… Continue Reading
02.20.15
SCHUMER ANNOUNCES $32+ MILLION IN FEDERAL FUNDING FOR NEW YORK STATE’S EBOLA EXPENSES; SENATOR FOUGHT FOR EBOLA FUNDS TO REIMBURSE DEDICATED EBOLA TREATMENT HOSPITALS FOR BUILDING CONTAINMENT ROOMS, HAZMAT SUITS, TRAINING & OTHER EXPENSES
Once Called to Action, Hospitals Throughout NYS Meticulously Trained Health Workers, Purchased New Equipment & Created Isolation Units in Preparation for an Ebola Patient; Schumer Led Charge to Ensure that NY Ebola Treatment Centers Not Be Overlooked & Left Without Any Reimbursement for Expenses - Which Was a Real Possibility Schumer Announces Major Victory in Securing $21.7 Million for NYC's Treatment Centers, Full Reimbursement for Bellevue & $7.5 Million for Long Island & … Continue Reading
02.20.15
SCHUMER PUSHES FEDS TO PRESERVE MEDICARE ADVANTAGE PROGRAM THAT PROVIDES 16 MILLION SENIORS AND INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES WITH HIGH-QUALITY HEALTH PLAN CHOICES AND BENEFITS
Schumer Leads Group of 53 Senators in His Push to Protect Medicare Advantage Beneficiaries From Disruptive Changes in 2016; Over 1 Million Enrollees in New York Regulatory Changes That Affect the Program's Funding Year After Year Create Confusion, Disruption Among Beneficiaries who are Looking for Consistency and Predictability Schumer: We Can Protect Seniors Who Rely on Quality Medicare Advantage Plans by Maintaining Current Payment Levels & Keeping Medicare Advantage Program Strong … Continue Reading
02.20.15
SCHUMER, GILLIBRAND, MEEKS, de BLASIO ANNOUNCE OVER $1.2 MILLION IN FEDERAL SANDY-RELIEF FUNDING FOR EIGHT HARD-HIT PARKS IN ROCKAWAY & FAR ROCKAWAY
In the Aftermath of Superstorm Sandy, Parks & Playgrounds Throughout the Rockaway Peninsula Were Damaged; Playground Safety Surface, Fencing, Benches & Storm Drains Needed to be Repaired & Replaced Schumer, Gillibrand, Meeks, de Blasio Announce Over $1 Million in FEMA Funding for the NYC Dept. of Parks & Recreation to Help Rebuild Damaged Parks Federal Funding Will Go Towards Permanent Repairs at Rockaway Beach 30th Street, Rockaway Beach 59th Street, Rockaway Be… Continue Reading
02.19.15
IN LIGHT OF RECENT ELECTROCUTION OF HIKER ON FDR ESTATE, SCHUMER CALLS ON AMTRAK TO AUDIT ALL OF ITS POWER LINES IN DUTCHESS COUNTY & ENSURE THEY ARE NOT PUTTING LIVES AT RISK – AMTRAK TRAINS RUN ALONGSIDE MANY PARKS & HIKING TRAILS IN DUTCHESS COUNTY
Schumer Says Amtrak Must Do Everything It Can To Ensure A Similar Tragedy Does Not Occur Again - Proposes Amtrak Conduct Review of All of Its Power Lines & Ensure Proper Protections Are In Place; If Lines Are Hanging Too Close to The Ground, They Should Be Raised Schumer: Dutchess County Residents Should Not Have To Worry About Being Electrocuted By Power Lines In Their Own Backyard Today, at the Poughkeepsie Amtrak Station, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer urged Amtrak to conduct an … Continue Reading
02.19.15
SCHUMER ANNOUNCES HE WILL CONVENE ORANGE COUNTY TOURISM SUMMIT TO ENSURE LOCAL BUSINESSES GET THE MOST OUT OF NEW SULLIVAN CASINO – SCHUMER JOINS WITH HUDSON VALLEY TOURISM, HVEDC & VOWS TO BRING FED ENTITIES TO TABLE TO DEVELOP COMPREHENSIVE STRATEGY
Tourism in Hudson Valley, Orange County Set To Rise As A Result of New Casino in Sullivan - Important to Take Full Advantage of What Could Be Major Boon For Local Restaurants, Hotels, Shops & Other Tourist Attractions Schumer, In Conjunction With Hudson Valley Tourism & HVEDC, Will Bring Fed Tourism & Economic Development Experts to Orange County, Convene Meeting With Local Officials & Businesses To Develop Strategy - Fed Agencies Offer Expertise & Funding Opportunities To… Continue Reading
02.19.15
SCHUMER: WITH DISTURBING GROWTH OF ANTI-SEMITISM IN EUROPE; CALLS ON EUROPEAN LEADERS TO GO TO EXTRA LENGTHS TO PROTECT JEWISH POPULATION
In Light of Recent Tragedies in Copenhagen & Paris, Schumer Says There is an 'Evil Stew' Right Now in Europe Schumer: Jewish People, No Matter Where They Call Home, Should Not Live in Fear U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer today released a statement on the growing acts of anti-Semitism in Western Europe. Most recently, a Jewish man was killed while guarding a Jewish synagogue during a bat-mitzvah service in Copenhagen. In January, a kosher supermarket in France was the target of a … Continue Reading
02.19.15
SCHUMER: FAA’S PROPOSED RULES ON DRONES ARE GOOD FIRST STEP TOWARDS AIRSPACE SAFETY, BUT FINAL RULES MUST INCLUDE THREE KEY CHANGES; URGES FEDS TO FIX FLAWED ‘LINE OF SIGHT’ RULE, REQUIRE MANUFACTURERS TO USE GPS GEO-FENCING TECHNOLOGY & DEVELOP STRINGENT PRIVACY PROTECTIONS
FAA's Newly Proposed Drone Regulations Smartly Require Drones to Fly Below 500 Feet & Far Away From Airports & Other High-Risk Airspace - Key for Safety of Air Travelers In Particular While FAA's New Rules Are a Good First Step, FAA’s Proposal States That Drones Can’t Be Used Out of Sight of Operator, Neglects to Include Use of Much-Needed Geo-Fencing Technology That is a Built-In Limitation on Where Drone’s Fly; Privacy Protections Also Must be Developed ASAP Sc… Continue Reading
02.19.15
SCHUMER PUSHES COAST GUARD TO KEEP HAVERSTRAW-OSSINING FERRY RUNNING MORE FREQUENTLY IN WINTER – FERRY SERVICE LINKING 150K RIDERS PER YEAR TO METRO-NORTH’S HUDSON LINE HAS BEEN SHUT DOWN 17 DAYS THIS WINTER DUE TO ICE LEVELS
The Haverstraw-Ossining Ferry Provides A Key Connection To The Metro-North's Hudson Line for Many Rockland County Residents, But Service Is Spotty During Winter Months; Ferry Closes 18 Weekdays Per Winter on Average - When Ferry Is Closed, Riders Are Forced to Take Buses To Tarrytown Instead, Making Commute Considerably Longer Schumer Urges Coast Guard to Work With Metro-North & Develop a Plan That Will Help Ferry Continue To Run Safely Even When There is Ice on the Hudson - Coast Guard C… Continue Reading
02.19.15
SCHUMER: RAIL CARS INVOLVED IN WEST VIRGINIA CRUDE OIL EXPLOSION WOULD NOT HAVE MET PROPOSED FEDERAL SAFETY STANDARDS – SENATOR CALLS WVA DERAILMENT A SHOT ACROSS THE BOW AND CALLS FOR FEDERAL DOT & OMB TO FINALIZE TOUGHEST POSSIBLE RAIL CAR RULES ASAP
Schumer Notes That the Rail Cars that Just Exploded in West Virginia - CPC-1232s - Would Likely Not Be Strong Enough to Meet Proposed Dept. of Transportation Standards Schumer Says CPC-1232s Are Yet Another Weak Model of Rail Cars Barreling Through NYS With Volatile Crude Oil - New Regs Are Needed To Toughen Standards Schumer: West Virginia Crash Should Be Shot Across the Bow – Strongest Regulations Possible Must Be Put in Place As Soon As Possible Today, U.S. Senator Char… Continue Reading
