Newsroom

Today, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer revealed the findings of a major Mamaroneck and Sheldrake River Watershed flood mitigation study, conducted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), and pushed USACE to expedite its review of the study, since, according to Schumer, "The sooner Army Corps completes its review, the sooner it will be possible to turn the community's preferred floodprevention plan into reality."   Schumer secured federal funding for this study in 2007, following... Read More

U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer today, alongside Luke Nasta of Camelot of Staten Island, called for an emergency $100 million surge of federal antidrug trafficking funding in order to quickly combat the fact that New York City has become the hotbed for the East Coast heroin trade. Schumer noted that recent reports indicated a "heroin pipeline" has formed from Mexico to New York City, Staten Island and beyond to places like Boston, and Vermont where heroin use is skyrocketing. A recent New York... Read More

U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer and Congressman Tim Bishop urged the Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Administrator Michael Huerta to not only renew the North Shore overthewater helicopter route that is set to expire at the beginning of August, but to make it permanent. They are also urging that the regulations be expanded to require that helicopters follow a total water route and go past Orient Point and Shelter Island when landing at South Fork... Read More

Today, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer urged the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) to extend its current order that allows the state Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) to work with local anglers to control the invasive and ecosystemdamaging double crested cormorant bird population on Oneida Lake. If left unchecked, doublecrested cormorants wreak havoc on the lake's ecosystem and tourist infrastructure by consuming many of the fish that sport fishermen typically target. Schumer... Read More

Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand today announced $47,044 in federal funding for Green Island Fire Department. The money was allocated through the Department of Homeland Security's Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program (AFG). The funds will be used to purchase new fire hose to replace its existing stock, which is over 15 years old and beginning to show signs of decay. The funds will also be used to convert the connectors on their hydrant system to... Read More

Today, U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand announced that three North Country airports will receive nearly $1.4 million in total funding from the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) for airport facility upgrades. Specifically, Lake Placid Airport will received $427,500 for taxiway repairs, Adirondack Regional Airport in Saranac Lake will receive $684,000 to rehab an aging terminal apron and make drainage improvements, and MaloneDufort Airport will receive $270,000 to... Read More

U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer today announced that, after his push, the National Oceanic and Atmosphere Administration (NOAA) will create the firstever storm surge warning maps to better predict the height of rising tides and provide more time for evacuations from these sudden and dangerous waves of water. This move will be critical to individual residents and local emergency managers. In the past, NOAA has issued warning maps for tropical storms, hurricanes and tornadoes, but no such warning... Read More

Department of Transportation Funding Will Be Used to Rehabilitate and Extend Taxiway and Roadway at Massena InternationalRichards Field and Potsdam MunicipalDamon Field Airports Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand today announced that Massena InternationalRichards Field is set to receive $925,250 and Potsdam MunicipalDamon Field will receive $252,000 in U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) funding for airport facility upgrades. "I am pleased to add this... Read More

U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer today announced that the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has completed an Environmental Assessment clearing the three potential sites for the national veterans' cemetery in Western New York. The Environmental Assessment, which is expected to report "no significant findings," will be released on Sunday, and is the final step before the VA can close on its preferred site. The Environmental Assessment (EA) was conducted in conjunction with the State Historic... Read More

U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer today announced that, after his push, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) plans to keep the New York TRACON facility on Long Island, saving 950 wellpaying Long Island aviation jobs. The FAA was initially interested in combining the New York Air Traffic Control center in Ronkonkoma and the New York Terminal Radar Approach Control facility in Westbury into one Integrated Control Facility (ICF)  site for the New York metropolitan region. There was serious... Read More

U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer today announced that the State Department, along with the Ambassador of the Republic of Iraq to the U.S., will extend the period in which the Iraqi Jewish Archives may remain in the United States.  The United States had initially agreed to return the items in 2014.   In 2003, American soldiers found the collection of Iraqi Judaica in a flooded Baghdad Intelligence Center. The collection, which includes partial Torah parchments and ancient prayer books, had been... Read More

Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand today announced $212,420 in federal funding for Finger Lakes Fire Departments. The money was allocated through the Department of Homeland Security's Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program (AFG).  "These muchneeded federal funds will enable Finger Lakes fire departments to purchase critical firefighting equipment like oxygen tanks, highperformance masks and stateoftheart radios. First responders safeguard our... Read More

Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand today announced a $1,523,000 loan from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) for Palliative Home Care of Niagara Inc., a subsidiary of Niagara Hospice in Niagara County. This federal funding will be used to purchase and renovate the former Shipman Printing plant into a storefront that will be used to provide health care equipment and services for the chronically ill, elderly and disabled.    "We must do everything we... Read More

Bulletproof Vests Have Saved 3,000+ Police Officers’ Lives Over Last 30 Years, But Federal Funding For Equipment is Fast-Declining While Demand Continues to Rise and Weapons Get More Powerful – Feds Used To Fund 1/2 of The Cost Of Vests, But Now Only Cover 1/3 Of The Cost With Police Week Coming Up Next Week, Schumer Pushes Senate Bill That Will Provide Consistent & Increased Funding For Life-Saving Bulletproof Vest Program – Would Also Allow Local PDs to Purchase Custom... Read More

Today, Elizabeth Wolford, originally recommended for the federal bench by U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer, was swornin as a federal judge for New York's Western District. Her swearingin is a historic first - she is now the first woman ever to serve on the federal bench in this district. Schumer has supported Ms. Wolford each step of the way. He originally recommended Ms. Wolford to the President for nomination, and supported her through her confirmation by the United States Senate in July 2013,... Read More

Today, at the Erie Basin Marina in Buffalo, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer urged the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to act quickly to curb the threat that toxic algae in Lake Erie is posing to Western New York drinking water. Schumer explained that conditions are ripe for a record algae bloom in Lake Erie and that the toxins that this algae produces, cyanotoxins, have the potential to contaminate local drinking water because local water... Read More

Today, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer urged FEMA to extend the period of performance for the Richmond Fire Department's Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) so they do not lose the over $36,000 remaining from the grant award. Schumer explained that Richmond has had to wait to purchase new radios until a new radio tower was constructed to make them functional. Schumer said that Richmond should not be unfairly punished for their practical decision, and instead be given more time to spend their... Read More

U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer today announced that, after his push, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has proposed a new rule that would give critical medical residency slots back to Watertown's Samaritan Medical Center, slots lost over 3 years ago due to the hospital's residency program being misclassified. In 2011, Samaritan was misclassified as "not rural," which meant it subsequently lost medicare reimbursement for more than three of its residency slots. Since that... Read More

U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer today called on the federal Department of Transportation (DOT) to fine any airline that refuses to fly a person from America to a country that they have legal right to enter. Federal law prohibits discrimination by air carriers on the basis of national origin, however, this policy is not always enforced. Schumer pointed to a recent case of an Israeli citizen who was not permitted to book a Kuwaiti Airlines flight from New York City to London because the airline... Read More

U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand today announced $13,509 in federal funding for the Belmont Fire Department to replace aging hoses in their inventory. The money was allocated through the Department of Homeland Security's Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program (AFG). "These muchneeded federal funds will provide the assistance the Village of Belmont needs to replace their supply of hoses. First responders are our primary line of defense - they safeguard our residents... Read More