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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

Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand announced a $981,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) for Hastings in Oswego County. This federal funding will be used to improve the town's sewage system, which includes many onsite disposal systems that could potentially harm nearby groundwater. The USDA grant will help Hastings avoid wastewater failure and protect the local environment.   "Access to an effective wastewater system is critical to... Read More

U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand today announced an $855,000 grant and $1,100,000 loan from the U.S. Department of Agriculture for Throop in Cayuga Country. This federal funding will be used to create a water system that provides access to clean drinking water for Throop residents who currently extract their water from wells with poor water quality and/or purchase bottled water for consumption. No water lines currently exist in Throop's Water District #1, hampering... Read More

U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer today announced that, during a personal phone call with federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Margaret Hamburg, he received a commitment from the commissioner that the FDA would reverse course on a proposed rule regulating "spent grain" - a rule that would be harmful to Upstate New York's burgeoning craft brew industry and its farmers. The FDA was attempting to regulate "spent grain" - a natural byproduct of the brewing process - in a way that... Read More

Today, in Niagara Falls, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer launched his campaign to prevent the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) from reforming the Community Development Block Grant Program (CDBG) in a way that would remove Niagara Falls from eligibility and deprive the City of over $2 million per year in funds it relies on. Currently, cities must have a population of at least 50,000 to be eligible for a yearly allocation of CDBG funds, and cities like Niagara Falls - which... Read More

Today at Saranac Brewery in Utica, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer called on the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to reverse course on a proposed rule that would be unnecessarily harmful to Upstate New York's burgeoning craft brew industry and its farmers, which are the lifeblood of the region. Specifically, the FDA is attempting to regulate "spent grain" - a natural byproduct of the brewing process - in a way that would prevent brewers from selling or donating it directly to farmers who use... Read More

U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer today launched his effort to ensure that the federal government does not leave out North Shore Long Island communities, like North Hempstead, in funding Sandy rebuilding and resiliency efforts. The Town of North Hempstead has a number of critical recovery projects in the works, including rebuilding the town dock in Port Washington, repairing a number of critical bulkheads and seawalls, and completing sand removal, that have yet to be funded over 18 months after... Read More

In separate inperson conversations, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer pressed Acting FERC Chairman Cheryl LaFleur and both the Chairman of the Board of the New York Independent System Operator (NYISO), Robert Hiney, and NYISO Executive Director SteveWhitley to reverse course on the proposed new capacity zone in the Hudson Valley that would jackup rates on consumers by as much as 12%. FERC is currently rehearing an order, first proposed by NYISO, that would establish a new capacity zone in the... Read More

U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer, along with local veteran leaders, launched his campaign to have the first welcome home parade for America's post 9/11 troops in New York City. Specifically, he urged the Department of Defense (DoD) to work with the city of New York to begin planning such a critical event for our returning troops from Iraq and Afghanistan. Throughout history, the United States has held a parade in New York City for troops returning home from war, but one has yet to be planned for... Read More

Today at Fairport High School, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer revealed that federal funding for antiviolence efforts in schools has been dramatically cut over the past few years, leaving Rochesterarea schools without critical funding to implement safety programs that can help prevent horrific incidents like Sandy Hook or the recent stabbing attack at a Pittsburgharea high school. Schumer explained that these federal programs help schools purchase safety technology, provide safety training and... Read More

Today, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer attended the grand opening of the new New York Independent System Operator (NYISO) Utility Control Center, which received a $74 million investment thanks in part to Senator Schumer's efforts to secure a $37 million Department of Energy (DOE) grant for Smart Technology Initiatives. Schumer said that this Utility Control Center - and the federal investment in smart grid technology - will lower energy costs for families and small businesses across New York,... Read More

Today, at Cheektowaga Central High School, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer revealed that federal funding for antiviolence efforts in schools has been dramatically cut over the past few years, leaving Western New York schools without critical funding to implement safety programs that can help prevent horrific incidents like Sandy Hook or the recent stabbing attack at a Pittsburgharea high school. Schumer explained that these federal programs help schools purchase safety technology, provide safety... Read More