Newsroom

Today, U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten E. Gillibrand announced the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will use up to $25 million in Section 32 funds to purchase concord grape juice for use in domestic nutrition programs.  The grape industry currently has a surplus of Concord grapes thanks to a large 2014 crop.  The Senators had written the USDA to help purchase some of this surplus product to ensure that prices remain stable for the industry.  New York has 281... Read More

Today, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer announced that a Foreign Trade Subzone for Crosman Corporation in Ontario County has been approved by the U.S. Department of Commerce. This is the second of two critical approvals for a Foreign Trade Zone (FTZ) in Ontario County and four adjoining counties throughout the RochesterFinger Lakes region. This approval comes on the heels of the first approval of a larger foreign trade zone (FTZ) for Ontario County and four of its neighboring counties, Wayne,... Read More

Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand today announced $49,893 in funding for 5 Spoke Creamery in Orange County. The funding was allocated through the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) ValueAdded Producer Grant (VAPG) program and will be used to revamp their marketing strategy to raise brand awareness and increase sales.  Senator Gillibrand wrote a letter to USDA Secretary of Agriculture Thomas Vilsack, in support of the application.   "A healthy dairy... Read More

Washington, D.C. - Congressman Paul Tonko and U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand today announced that Albany International Airport will receive $898,200 in funding from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to fund the final phase of installation for the new glycol treatment system. This phase includes decommissioning of a section of the previous system, an important investment in the airport's operational infrastructure and commitment to the longterm sustainability and... Read More

Today, at the North Elba Town House in Saranac Lake, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer launched his push to secure federal funding to establish a program at North Country Community College (NCCC) that would retrain local veterans and unemployed persons in the growing field of mechatronics. Mechatronics is a multidisciplinary field that incorporates engineering, mechanics, electronics, and other technical work. According to SUNY, the field of mechatronics is a rapidly growing industry and is... Read More

U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand today announced $107,383 in federal funding for the Rapids Volunteer Fire Department in Niagara County. The funding was allocated through the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program (AFG). Rapids Fire Department in Niagara County will use the federal funds to purchase new turnout gear. Turnout gear typically includes coats, pants, boots, gloves, helmets and hood for interior firefighting. The... Read More

U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer revealed today that personal health and fitness data - so rich that an individual can be identified by their gait - is being gathered and stored by fitness bracelets like 'FitBit' and others like it, and can potentially be sold to third parties, like employers, insurance providers and other companies, without the users' knowledge or consent. Schumer said that this creates a privacy nightmare, given that these fitness trackers gather highly personal information on... Read More

Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand today announced $14,724 in federal funding for Duanesburg Volunteer Fire District. The funding was allocated through the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program (AFG). The federal funding will be used to purchase critical rope rescue equipment.   "With this funding, the Duanesburg Fire Department will be able to purchase the muchneeded rescue gear they require to effectively do... Read More

U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand today announced $1,485,000 in U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development Grant funding for two Genesee County water projects. The Town of Oakfield will use its $750,000 in federal funds to construct a new water district. The Town of Oakfield's water system serves more than 150 residents and one commercial user. All of these users currently rely on private wells, many of which are drying up and contain contaminants. This new... Read More

Washington, D.C. U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten E. Gillibrand today announced the New Haven Volunteer Fire Corporation will receive a $23,741 federal grant from the Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) Program. AFG awards are administered by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and are designed to help firefighters and other first responders obtain critically needed equipment, protective gear, emergency vehicles, training, and... Read More

Today, at the Putnam County Sherriff's Department, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer urged the President's Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) to designate both Putnam and Rockland Counties as federal High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA), which will help both counties address recent and disturbing upticks in heroin usage and drugrelated crime by improving coordination among federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, as well as providing equipment, technology and... Read More

Today, at the Ulster County Law Enforcement Center in Kingston, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer urged the President's Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) to designate Ulster County a federal High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA), which will help Ulster County address a recent and disturbing uptick in heroin usage and drugrelated crime by improving coordination among federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, as well as providing equipment, technology and additional... Read More

SCHENECTADY – U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand and Congressman Paul Tonko today announced that Schenectady County will receive $816,180 from the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) to rehabilitate the county airport’s apron. "Making sure our airports are as safe as possible is one of my top priorities,” said Senator Schumer. “With this funding, the Schenectady County Airport will be able to upgrade and renovate its runway to ensure the... Read More

Two Boats Have Crashed Into Pier This Summer & Many Other Incidents Have Occurred In the Past, Including a 2008 Incident Where 3 People Died – Charlotte Pier Just to the West Does Not Have Same Deadly Track Record, Demonstrating Need for Better Lighting and Safety Precautions At Summerville Pier Schumer: Installing Better Lighting is Cheap, Easy and Can Help Avoid Boating Disaster at Summerville Pier Today, at Summerville Pier at the Port of Rochester, U.S. Senator Charles E.... Read More

In Erie County, There Are More Than 30,000 Recipients of Supplemental Security Income Benefits and More Than 3,300 of Cases of Autism in School Age Children; Throughout New York State, There Are 25,000 Individuals with Down Syndrome Alone Schumer: WNY Families of Children with Special Needs Should Have Help Affording Care & Saving for the Future Today, at People Inc. in Williamsville, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer called for passage of bipartisan legislation that would help thousands... Read More

Schumer Said that Drone Technology Has Huge Potential, However the Boost in Use By Private Investigators to Spy on Unaware New Yorkers, Use By Dealers to Deliver Illegal Drugs & Recent Incident When Drone Interfered with an NYPD Helicopter Demonstrate the Need for Quick Rules from the FAA & Commerce Schumer: NYC Has Become Wild, Wild West for Hobby & Commercial Drones U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer today called on the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the Commerce... Read More

U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer today called on the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the Commerce Department to quickly develop and release privacy rules and guidelines for the use of small unmanned aircraft systems by the end of 2014. Schumer took particular concern with the use of drones among private investigators spying on unaware parties, use by drug dealers to deliver illegal drugs and serious public safety concerns, like the recent incident when a drone interfered with an NYPD... Read More

Washington, DC –U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand today announced $2,880,000 for two Southern Tier airports from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The Elmira Corning Regional Airport will use the $720,000 in federal funding to purchase a critical aircraft rescue and firefighting truck. The Ithaca Tompkins Regional Airport will use their total of $2,160,000 in federal funding to expand the terminal apron and... Read More

Following Schumer’s Push, Feds Have Agreed To Allocate First $575K For Final Design Phase of Project – Schumer to Continue Pushing EPA To Fund $7-9 Million More in Construction Costs; Plan Will Help Open Navigation Channels for Boaters, Create New Fish Spawning Areas for Game Fishing, Restore and Protect Local Wetlands and Wildlife Schumer: Restoring Braddock Bay a Vital Mission for Local Environment, Boating Community and Health of the Rochester-Area Great Lakes Economy Today, U.S.... Read More

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand today announced $285,000 in federal funding for the Watkins Glen Fire Department. The funding was allocated through the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program (AFG). The Watkins Glen Fire Department will use these federal funds to purchase a new fire tanker truck. These tanker trucks are necessary when firefighters face situations where there are no fire hydrants and they... Read More