Press Releases
SCHUMER ANNOUNCES SENATE APPROPRIATIONS BILL INCLUDES $174M IN FEDERAL FUNDS FOR BROOKHAVEN’S ION COLLIDER & $125M FOR NATIONAL SYNCHROTRON LIGHT SOURCE II; BNL’S COLLIDER IS ONLY REMAINING ATOM SMASHER IN THE COUNTRY
Schumer Has Long Fought to Secure Increased Federal Funds for BNL- Funding Helps The U.S. Remain On The Forefront of Nuclear Research Last Year, Senate Bill Included $165M for Ion Collider & $115M for NSLS-II; This Year's Senate Bill Provides Millions More in Federal Funds U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer today announced that the Senate version of the Energy and Water Appropriations bill for FY2016 will include an increase in federal funding for Brookhaven National Lab's (BNL) Relativistic… Continue Reading
05.22.15
SCHUMER: IT’S TIME TO RETIRE FEMA’S ‘WYO’ MODEL FROM THE 80’S; SENATOR URGES FEMA TO DO AWAY WITH ‘WRITE YOUR OWN’ INSURANCE COMPANIES; AS MANY AS 80 PRIVATE INSURANCE COMPANIES ARE SHORT-CHANGING NEW YORK SANDY VICTIMS, CHURNING PROFIT & UNFAIRLY REDUCING PAYMENTS TO HOMEOWNERS
For First Time Ever, Schumer Urges FEMA to Eliminate NFIP "Write Your Own" Insurance Model Entirely-Responsible For Confusion & Disappointing Results in NY; Schumer Proposal Will Allow Homeowners to Bring Claims Directly to Feds in Push for Justified Flood Insurance Payouts Schumer Says That Dozens Upon Dozens Of Private Companies Are Writing, Selling & Servicing Flood Insurance With Poor Track Record & Lackluster FEMA Oversight; After a Long Battle, New York Homeowners Victimized … Continue Reading
05.21.15
SCHUMER URGES FEDS TO ENSURE CRITICAL SAFETY SYSTEM IS INSTALLED & IMMEDIATELY IMPLEMENTED ALONG RAIL ROUTES THROUGHOUT UPSTATE NEW YORK, BEFORE IT’S TOO LATE; LESSONS FROM PHILADELPHIA DERAILMENT NEED TO BE APPLIED IN NEW YORK
Automatic Train Control, A Safety System That Could Have Lessened The Impact of The Recent Amtrak Derailment, Wasn't Turned On Along Dangerous Philadelphia Curve - Schumer Urges FRA To Ensure System Is Installed And Implemented On Other Rail Lines In Upstate NY Schumer Says FRA Must Work with Railroads to Ensure Automatic Train Control is Operational on Dangerous Curves Throughout New York and Remains In Place Until More Robust Positive Train Control is Installed Schumer: FRA Needs To Take Le… Continue Reading
05.21.15
SCHUMER CALLS ON USDA TO MEET WITH LOCALS REGARDING EXPENSIVE FLOOD REPAIR AND MITIGATION PROJECTS; VILLAGE OF AVON WAS PUMMELED BY RECENT FLOODS & NOW THE VILLIAGE COULD BE STUCK PAYING FOR EXPENSIVE PROJECTS TO UPDATE LOCAL WATER SYSTEM INFRASTRUCTURE
Village of Avon Residents & Businesses in Livingston County Suffered Severe Damage Following July 2014 and May 2015 Storm-Induced Flooding - Rains Tore Up Several Roads, Flooded Homes, Businesses & Overwhelmed Storm Water Infrastructure While Avon Was Able to Conduct a Study in Aftermath to Find Possible Areas For Flood Prevention to Guard Against Future Storms, The Critical Repairs to Storm Water Infrastructure That Engineers Say Are Needed Would Place Unmanageable Burden on Taxpayers… Continue Reading
05.21.15
SCHUMER: NEW YORK STATE’S $52 MILLION GRAPE CROP AT UNDUE RISK DUE TO OUTDATED FACILITY THAT PROVIDES CRITICAL RESEARCH TO LOCAL GRAPE GROWERS; SENATOR LAUNCHES PUSH TO REPLACE USDA’S OUTDATED GRAPE RESEARCH LAB IN GENEVA WITH NEW STATE-OF-THE-ART FACILITY
The Federal Grape Genetic Research Lab in Geneva Provides Research For Grape Farmers On How To Enhance Their Products - Lab Is Outdated And In Need Of Significant Maintenance And Upgrades To Continue Providing Essential Research Without Upgrades to Facilities, Grape Growers Will Be Without The State-of-the-Art Resource Needed To Succeed In A Competitive Industry; Schumer Calls On USDA To Prioritize Lab Replacement In FY2016 Capital Investment Plan Schumer: Failure To Modernize And Replace La… Continue Reading
05.21.15
SCHUMER ANNOUNCES FAA WILL INSTALL CRITICALLY-NEEDED RUNWAY LIGHTING SYSTEMS AT NEW YORK’S 3 MAJOR AIRPORTS BY END OF YEAR; AFTER PLANE SKIDDED OFF RUNWAY SENATOR DEMANDED FAA GET SYSTEM IN PLACE; WILL HELP PREVENT CRASHES & DANGEROUS COLLISIONS AT NY’S THREE AIRPORTS
Schumer Announces Timeline: LaGuardia's Lighting System to Be Operational In Summer, Newark's By Fall & JFK By End Of Year Technology Prevents Accidents By Warning Pilots; Senator Urged FAA to Expedite Construction & Installation of Embedded Lighting Systems After NY Collisions Schumer: New Red Light Safety Technology Has Finally Cleared The Runway At LGA, Newark & JFK; Will Make Flying Safer U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer today announced that, after his push, the Feder… Continue Reading
05.20.15
SCHUMER URGES FEDERAL DEPT. OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT TO IMMEDIATELY CONDUCT FULL, TOP-TO-BOTTOM INSPECTION OF LIVING CONDITIONS & MANAGEMENT OF THE TOWNE GARDEN APARTMENTS IN BUFFALO
Schumer Says Yesterday's Limited Inspection of Federally-Subsidized Complex - Where HUD Looked at Approximately 5 of the 300+ Apartments to Assess What Residents Call 'Deplorable' Living Conditions - Was Step in Right Direction; However, Schumer Says HUD Must Do More to Address Situation With Comprehensive Inspection Tenants Report Broken Toilets, Leaking Roofs, Mold, Not Enough Heat, Un-shoveled Snow, Inoperable Parking Lot Lights – Worst of All, A Sewer Back-Up This Past Fall Destroyed… Continue Reading
05.20.15
SCHUMER, GILLIBRAND ANNOUNCE OVER $180,000 IN FEDERAL FUNDING FOR THE CLEVELAND FIRE DEPARTMENT AND SCIPIO VOLUNTEER FIRE COMPANY IN CENTRAL NY
Federal Funding For Scipio And Cleveland Will Be Used To Purchase New Equipment U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand today announced $143,810 in federal funding for the Cleveland Fire Department and $44,388 in federal funding for the Scipio Volunteer Fire Company to purchase new equipment. The money was allocated through the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) Program. "It is critical that we provide our local fire companies wi… Continue Reading
05.19.15
FOLLOWING RECENT EVENT IN KINGSTON, SCHUMER ANNOUNCES FEMA HAS HEEDED HIS CALL & UPDATED ITS SINKHOLE POLICY, WHICH WILL FINALLY PAVE WAY FOR KINGSTON TO APPLY FOR FED FUNDING TO FIX PREVIOUSLY DENIED DOWNTOWN SINKHOLE – SCHUMER VOWS TO PUSH FOR APPROVAL, OR CITY COULD BE ON THE HOOK FOR MORE THAN $7 MILLION IN REPAIRS
City of Kingston Sinkhole Has Kept Section of Washington Ave. Closed For Over 3 Years, Inconveniencing Drivers & Residents, And Hurting Downtown Development - City's Repair Costs Could Be $7 Million or More & Place Hefty Financial Burden on Taxpayers Kingston To Advocate for City of Kingston, Schumer Pushed FEMA to Update Policies in Order to Cover Sinkhole Damages, Which Are Often Too Expensive For Many Local Governments To Pay - Because Major Weather Events Like Irene Exacerbate Sink… Continue Reading
05.18.15
SCHUMER: GATEWAY NATIONAL RECREATION AREA’S ICONIC JACOB RIIS BATHHOUSE SHOULD BE REFURBISHED INTO A MULTI-FUNCTIONAL MODERN VISITOR FACILITY FOR BEACH GOERS; URGES FEDS TO PROVIDE FEDERAL FUNDING TO TRANSFORM HISTORIC, ART DECO BATHHOUSE & MAKE MAJOR ECOLOGICAL IMPROVEMENTS TO JAMAICA BAY’S WEST POND
Gateway Is In Need of Two Major Upgrades: Historic, One-Of-A-Kind Jacob Riis Bathhouse Has Potential to Be Center of Attraction Along Rockaway Beach, Yet It Has Been In Disrepair & Underused for Decades; Jamaica Bay's West Pond Was Seriously Breached During Sandy, Destroying Unique Freshwater Habitat Schumer Urges Dept. of Interior to Provide Federal Funds to Improve Gateway National Recreation Area By Renovating Jacob Riis Bathhouse Into a Full-Functioning, Resilient Facility for Food, Bi… Continue Reading
05.18.15
WITH DANGEROUS FENTANYL-LACED HEROIN SPIKING IN BUFFALO & OVERDOSES DRAMATICALLY RISING, SCHUMER PUSHES TO REVERSE PRESIDENT’S PROPOSED CUT TO DRUG TRAFFICKING PROGRAM THAT BUFFALO LAW ENFORCEMENT SAYS IS CRITICAL TO BREAKING UP LOCAL DRUG RINGS – LAUNCHES PUSH TO PREVENT CUT & RAISE FUNDING FOR PROGRAM BY $100M
Deadly Fentanyl-Laced Heroin Is Now Entering The Buffalo Area & A Rising Number of Heroin Deaths In Western New York Are Linked To This New, More Dangerous Form Of The Drug; Heroin Overdose Deaths In Buffalo Are Up Over 30% Since 2013, with More Than 35 Deaths Already this Year; Local Leaders Worried Numbers Could Reach 200 in 2015 Schumer Opposes Administration's Plan To Cut Funding For The Fed. High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas Program, Which Buffalo Law Enforcement Credits With Help… Continue Reading
05.18.15
SCHUMER: DISTILLERIES LIKE BLACK BUTTON DISTILLERY IN ROCHESTER ARE FORCED TO WAIT OVER 200 DAYS TO GET BASIC APPROVALS TO EXPAND THEIR BUSINESS; WHILE DISTILLERIES & CRAFT INDUSTRY ARE GROWING NATIONALLY BY OVER 50%, FEDERAL DISTILLERY INSPECTORS—WHO APPROVE REQUESTS—HAVE BEEN CUT BY 10%; SENATOR CALLS FOR MORE INSPECTORS TO REDUCE BACKLOG THAT IS COSTING DISTILLERIES, INDUSTRY MILLIONS
Schumer Says Cuts in Federal Alcohol Inspectors Put Rochester & Other NY Distilleries Directly At Risk; Delays Cause Losses to Producers Trying to Get Off The Ground or Expand; Inspector Is Responsible For Auditing And Reviewing All Requests Like Bond Approvals, New Product Labels, Recipes and Operating Licenses; It Is Very Common For Some Approvals To Be Delayed up to Hundreds of Days Schumer Says Increasing The Amount Of Federal Alcohol Inspectors Should Be… Continue Reading
05.15.15
SCHUMER URGES FEDS TO APPROVE UNIVERSITY OF BUFFALO’S APPLICATION FOR MAJOR FED FUNDING THAT COULD BE A GAME-CHANGER FOR CANCER RESEARCH IN WNY– FUNDS WOULD ENABLE UB AND ITS PARTNERS TO IMMEDIATELY BEGIN NEW CANCER RESEARCH PROJECTS
The Buffalo Translational Consortium (BTC) Brings Together Medical Professionals From Academia, Clinical and Research Institutions & Other Community Partners, such as Roswell Park, to Translate Lab Research Into Real-Life Treatments for Patients & Develop Pharmaceutical Treatments for Cancer BTC is a Leading Medical Research Institution for All of Buffalo & WNY Region - Consortium, Through UB, is Applying for $25 Million NIH Clinical and Translational Science Award to Expand its I… Continue Reading
05.15.15
SCHUMER, BLUMENTHAL LAUNCH MAJOR CAMPAIGN TO GET CONGRESS TO PASS FOUR POINT RAIL SAFETY PLAN IN 2015; DRAMATIC UPTICK IN RAIL DEATHS THIS YEAR & THIS WEEK’S TRAGIC DERAILMENT GIVES OPTIMISM THAT CONGRESS CAN FINALLY ACT; RAILROADS MUST CREATE CULTURE OF SAFETY
Senators Have Long Supported & Pushed For Positive Train Control Implementation, Rail Grade Crossing Reforms & Other Upgrades To Existing Rail -Congress Should Now Focus & Pass All These Efforts Schumer, Blumenthal-Cosponsors Of Bill—Will Keep Pressure on to Implement PTC ASAP; Push Congress to Act & Avoid Further Delays in Implementation With Amtrak Facing a $21 Billion State-of-Good-Repair Backlog, Senators Say We Can't Continue to Go Down the Same Road of Disrepair&m… Continue Reading
05.14.15
SCHUMER ANNOUNCES: AT LONG LAST, SGT. HENRY JOHNSON WILL RECEIVE MEDAL OF HONOR HE RIGHTFULLY DESERVES – PRESIDENT APPROVES LONG-AWAITED REQUEST; WILL PRESENT TO JOHNSON’S INFANTRY REGIMENT THE 369th “HARLEM HELLFIGHTERS” DIVISION, WITH MEDAL AT WHITE HOUSE ON JUNE 2, 2015
Schumer Has Campaigned Relentlessly To Secure Medal of Honor for African American WWI Hero, Harlem Hellfighter & Albany Resident Sgt. Henry Johnson, Who Was Denied Our Nation's Highest Military Honor Due To Racism and Segregation Schumer: An American Hero Will Finally Get the Medal He Deserves U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer today announced that the White House will posthumously award the Medal of Honor to African-American World War I hero and Albany resident, Sergeant Henry Johnson, on J… Continue Reading
05.14.15
SCHUMER ANNOUNCES TSA PRE-CHECK ENROLLMENT CENTER IS COMING TO SYRACUSE HANCOCK INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT; CURRENTLY, LOCAL RESIDENTS WHO WANT TO ENROLL MUST TRAVEL TO OSWEGO – NEW ENROLLMENT CENTER WILL MEAN SHORTER, MORE CONVENIENT SECURITY LINES FOR TRAVELERS
TSA Pre-Check Has Been Successfully Installed at Syracuse Hancock International Airport, But In Order To Register For The Program Residents Must Travel All The Way to Oswego - Pre-Check Program Enables Travelers Deemed Safe To Enter Terminal With Expedited Screening Schumer Previously Urged TSA To Bring A Pre-Check Enrollment Center To Syracuse Hancock International Airport to Make Air Travel Easier For Syracuse Residents - Soon, Syracuse Will Have Enrollment Center Like Rochester and Albany U… Continue Reading
05.14.15
SCHUMER URGES HARRIS CEO, IN ANTICIPATION OF HARRIS-EXCELIS MERGER, TO GROW IN ROCHESTER AND CREATE JOBS THERE AFTER THE FINAL DEAL HAS BEEN SIGNED – SCHUMER HAS LONG FOUGHT TO KEEP HARRIS CORPORATION JOBS IN ROCHESTER & TO FULLY FUND FED PROGRAMS THEY COMPETE FOR
As Closing Date for Harris Corporation to Acquire Excelis Nears, Schumer Pushes Harris to Keep Jobs & Grow New Excelis-and-Harris Joint Workforce in Rochester - Schumer Push Follows From Initial Conversation with Harris CEO in February When The Merger Was Announced; Schumer Reiterates Push to Grow Innovative, Job-Creating Business Units in Rochester Schumer Has Long Fought to Fund Programs To Benefit Harris, Excelis and Their Rochester Employees; Previously Urged Fed Appropriators To Fully… Continue Reading
05.14.15
IN THE MOLD OF LORETTA LYNCH, SCHUMER RECOMMENDS LONGTIME EDNY PROSECUTOR ROBERT L. CAPERS TO BE THE NEXT U.S. ATTORNEY FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK— IF CONFIRMED, CAPERS, FROM AN NYPD FAMILY, WOULD HOLD NOW-U.S. ATTORNEY LORETTA LYNCH’S FORMER POST
Capers Hails From A Law Enforcement Family, Both His Father & Brother Were NYPD Cops; Capers Has Lifetime Of Dedication to Public Service, Successfully Prosecuting Murders, Other Violent Crimes & Narcotics; Will Also Focus On Civil Rights, Public Integrity And Terror Cases Capers, Formerly Chief, Narcotics Section/International Narcotics Strike Force, Is Currently Senior Litigation Counsel at the U.S. Attorney's Office in EDNY; Seat Was Previously Held by Attorney General Loretta Lynch… Continue Reading
05.13.15
SCHUMER, BLUMENTHAL: SAFETY MUST COME FIRST; WE HAVE TO EXAMINE RAIL SAFETY ACROSS THE COUNTRY
U.S. Senators Charles Schumer and Richard Blumenthal, who have held several joint rail safety events in the past, released the following joint statement in response to last night's Amtrak derailment along the Northeast Rail Corridor: "Our hearts and prayers go out to those we lost and those who were injured in the tragic derailment last night. Our praise also goes out to the brave first responders, who worked in dark, dire, chaotic conditions, guiding passengers to safety. They are still at wor… Continue Reading
05.13.15
SCHUMER: CHILDREN ARE VULNERABLE TO IDENTITY THIEVES; KIDS UNDER 18 ARE EASY TARGETS BECAUSE THEIR CREDIT REPORTS ARE OFTEN CLEAN AND UNMONITORED; SENATOR TO INTRODUCE LEGISLATION THAT WILL AUTOMATICALLY FREEZE CREDIT FOR KIDS – UNTIL PARENTS UNFREEZE IT —WILL PROTECT KIDS FROM SEVERAL TYPES OF ID THEFT
Over 1.8 Million Children In New York Could Be Victims Of Social Security Identity Theft - Many Only Discover the ID-Theft When Checking their Credit Report for the First Time and Learn That Their Credit Was Ruined by ID Thieves Schumer Plans To Introduce Bill That Would Automatically Freeze Credit For Kids Until Their Parents Decide To Un-Freeze It; Will Prevent Credit Companies From Allowing Someone to Open an Account For A Child Unless They Prove They Are The Parent or Guardian - Thwarting W… Continue Reading
