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U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer released the following statement today after JetBlue and Delta Airlines agreed to his request to drop flight change and rebooking fees for teachers and the families of students who had their winter break cancelled because of superstorm Sandy.  Because of the days missed during the storm, school districts across New York and Long Island cancelled their winter breaks, leaving those who had booked vacation during that time saddled with hundreds of dollars in fees to... Read More

Today, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer urged the federal government to jump start and provide critical funds for the next phase in development of Syracuse's Inner Harbor, a key project that will revitalize the former Barge Canal terminal and attract millions in private investment within the city's urban core. Schumer's call comes in light of Monday's Common Council vote to apply for Economic Development Administration (EDA) funding through the Public Works and Economic Adjustment Assistance... Read More

New York, NY - U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer today announced that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will hold field hearings across the New York area to determine what steps need to be taken to ensure that cell towers don't lose power for days or weeks in the wake of severe storms, terrorist attacks or other events that cause power failures.  Last week Schumer requested that the FCC develop such a plan, and said he will work closely with the commission going forward.  Schumer said... Read More

Today, at SanminaSCI in Owego, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer joined local veterans, including company employees and revealed his plan to prioritize the extension of the Returning Heroes and Wounded Warriors Tax Credits, which are proven successes in incentivizing companies to hire veterans and set to expire at the end of this year. SanminaSCI already employs about 22 veterans, and Schumer applauded their goal to hire approximately 60 veterans in the near future. Specifically, SanminaSCI is... Read More

Today, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer launched his twopronged plan to help revitalize dozens of Buffalo landmarks like the Statler Building, Richardson Complex, and the AM&A's building, by encouraging developers to renovate these underutilized historic buildings. Following a tour of the Statler Building on Delaware Avenue with local developers, Schumer announced his proposal to extend the New Markets Tax Credit, set to expire at years end, and his support of the Creating American Prosperity... Read More

Today, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, and Representative Kathy Hochul urged the Department of Defense (DoD) to closely examine the importance of the National Guard 107 th Airlift wing, based at the Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station (NFARS), to both Western New York, the state, and the entire Northeast. They emphasized in their letter to Defense Secretary Leon Panetta that the 107 th Airlift Wing, which has served as a proven resource in the Western New York... Read More

Today, U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten E. Gillibrand urged FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate to approve New York State's anticipated request and declare a federal state of emergency for Westchester and Rockland Counties in light of the severe flooding in the Hudson Valley following Sandy. In their letter, the Senators pointed out that neighboring counties in New York City and Long Island have already received a major disaster declaration, and that the devastation in Westchester and... Read More

Today, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer announced that Plug Power in Latham, NY will receive a $2,500,000 award from the U.S. Department of Energy to retrofit 15 electric tow tractors with hydrogenpowered fuel cells, which will be deployed at two of FedEx's domestic airports in Memphis, Tennessee, and Oakland, California. Both sites, which are known for their high volume of traffic, will utilize lowcost natural gas as the feedstock to produce hydrogen. The first phase will consist of developing,... Read More

Today, at Washington Park's Henry Johnson Statue in Albany, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer announced the launch of a national online petition to urge all decisionmakers to expeditiously award the Medal of Honor to the late World War I hero, Sgt. Henry Johnson. The decisionmakers include the Secretary of the Army, Secretary of Defense, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, and President of the United States. In March 2011, Schumer and his staff revealed that they had uncovered gamechanging evidence to... Read More

United States Senator Charles E. Schumer, in a personal letter to Jon Wellinghoff, Chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), pressed the agency to immediately reconsider a decision that is likely to result in an electricity rate hike of up to $500 million for New York residents. In the recent decision, FERC disallowed companies with more efficient power plants from selling electricity at a lower rate to the New York market.  Schumer requested that FERC go back to the drawing... Read More

U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer and Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney today announced that the National Park Service (NPS) has approved New York City's application for a 99 year lease term extension for the Kaufman Astoria Studios under the Historic Surplus Property Program. Kaufman Astoria Studios was designated a National Historic District in 1978. Earlier in October, Schumer and Maloney asked NPS to approve this application because it would allow the studios to expand its business and provide... Read More

Today, at the Playland Parkway in Rye, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer joined local law enforcement and other officials in Westchester County to crackdown on the recent rash of scrap metal theft in the city that threatens critical infrastructure, local residents, business owners and taxpayers. Due to the high price of iron, copper, and other metal on the market, theft in Westchester County has jumped significantly in recent years, and includes recent thefts at a Yonkers storage yard; theft of... Read More

Schumer: As More & More Vets Return from Battlefield, They Must Have Place to Work Today, at Crouse Hospital in Syracuse, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer joined local veterans, including employees at the hospital, and revealed his plan to prioritize the extension of the Returning Heroes and Wounded Warriors Tax Credits, which are proven successes in incentivizing companies and organizations like hospitals to hire veterans and set to expire at the end of this year. Crouse Hospital already... Read More

U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer today called on the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to immediately address the recent reports of their agents stealing property from luggage and security checkpoints at airports all over the country.  Some of these stolen items include iPads, cameras, laptops and video game consoles. Schumer today wrote to TSA Administrator John Pistole, and asked him to implement random and frequent audits at checkpoints to immediately address this problem.  Schumer... Read More

Today, at Paladin Center in Carmel, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer toured the Paladin Center and revealed his plan to prioritize the extension of the Returning Heroes and Wounded Warriors Tax Credits, which are proven successes in incentivizing companies to hire veterans and set to expire at the end of this year. Paladin already employs numerous veterans, and Schumer applauded their goal to hire more veterans in the future as they expand. He also urged other Hudson Valley businesses to... Read More

Today, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer urged the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to fasttrack the approval of a final wetlands mitigation permit for the Ontario County Industrial Development Agency (OCIDA) to expand the runway at the Canandaigua Airport. Last month, Schumer announced over $7 million in Federal Aviation Agency (FAA) funding for the project, which would allow the Rochesterbased DiFiore Construction to increase the width of runway 1331, as well as extend the runway's... Read More

Today, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer announced that he has helped secure a crucial waiver from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) that will finally allow the Town of Union to utilize funding that was awarded to the community after severe flooding damage from Tropical Storm Lee. Without this waiver, critical disaster relief awarded through HUD's Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) disaster relief funding could not have been obligated to make vital repairs to the... Read More

U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer today revealed that unless the Farm Bill, which expires today, is renewed shortly, milk prices in stores across New York could double, according to agriculture economists.  This is because starting tomorrow, October 1st, the nation will begin to revert to 1940's era agriculture policy until a new Farm Bill is passed.  If carried out, the 1940's era policy requires the government to purchase nonfat dry milk, cheese and butter at prices significantly above current... Read More

WASHINGTON, DC-U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer announced Thursday that he has reached an agreement with the top four rental car companies in the U.S. to stop the renting or selling of vehicles that have been recalled by their manufacturer.   Under the agreement, rental car companies Enterprise/National/Alamo, Hertz/Advantage, Avis/Budget, and Dollar/Thrifty, as well as the American Car Rental Association, have all endorsed new legislation authored by Senator Schumer and his colleagues Barbara... Read More

Today, overlooking Onondaga Creek, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer called on both the federal and NYS Department of Transportations to allow the City of Syracuse to keep a total of $1.2 million in federal infrastructure funding in Syracuse, that would otherwise be revoked at the end of this year under a recent Administration decision. Specifically, Schumer is urging that this unused federal funding be directed to the removal of three abandoned Jefferson Railroad Bridges over the Creek and other... Read More