Newsroom

Today, at Poughkeepsie City Hall, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer urged the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to undo an order that would unfairly hike electric rates in Ulster and Orange Counties in the coming months, given that consumers have endured a brutal winter of high energy costs and that the new zone may be unnecessary given inprogress energy upgrades. In January, FERC reapproved a proposal by the New York Independent System Operators (NYISO) - which operates and administers... Read More

Today, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture will expand its already successful Greek yogurt pilot program to eight new states, in addition to New York and three other states that participated from September to November 2013. Schumer said that from September 2014 to June 2015, New York, Arizona, Idaho, Tennessee, California, Iowa, Connecticut, Illinois, North Carolina, Vermont, Washington and Mississippi will partake in the pilot program. The contract... Read More

Today, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer announced that Oak Orchard Harbor will receive a large maintenance dredge this year, valued at $420,000 and funded through the Sandy Supplemental Appropriations bill. Schumer met with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Buffalo District Director LTC Beaudoin who confirmed the USACE's plans and estimated the dredge is scheduled to be completed by around June 15, 2014. Schumer has long fought for Oak Orchard Harbor to be dredged, especially since... Read More

Today, on a press conference call, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer launched a twopronged plan to combat the rising epidemic of heroin abuse in New York and around the country.  First, Schumer called on the President's Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) to establish a detailed framework and implementation plan for New York counties to set up "DrugStat", a firstever informationsharing database that would track heroin and other drugrelated crimes, overdoses, deaths, hospital admissions... Read More

U.S. Senators Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand today urged U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson to provide New York with a boost in antiterror funding given that the federal budget this year for state and local homeland security funding increased by an estimated 16 percent. New York City remains the top terror target in the nation and federal funds are used to protect New York's transit systems, ports and urban nonprofits against security threats and terrorist attacks. With this... Read More

New York, NY - Following the conclusion of the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer today slammed the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for its decision to award the Winter Olympics to Russia, a country with a long list of human rights violations. Schumer called on the IOC to consider potential host countries' human rights records before awarding them with the world's premier international sporting event. Schumer cited antigay laws, abuses of workers' rights, and an... Read More

Today at the New York Susquehanna and Western Railway Headquarters, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer launched his push for the  Short Line Railroad Rehabilitation and Investment Act to restore and extend a crucial tax credit to shortline railroads, like the New York Susquehanna and Western Railway (NYSW), for infrastructure improvement projects through 2016.  Schumer explained that the NYSW is an important connector for New York businesses to ship their products to regional terminuses and beyond... Read More

Today at Honey Hill Orchards, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer called on the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to provide swift relief to farmers, apple growers and beekeepers in Central New York who suffer major losses and crop damage from the extreme cold weather this winter through two key disaster assistance programs and be ready to approve a crop disaster declaration so emergency loans can be made available to eligible Madison County farmers and growers.  Schumer explained that the Tree... Read More

Today, at the Former Aroxy Dry Cleaners at 251 Warren Street, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer launched his push to secure an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) grant for the City of Glens Falls in order to clean up six highpriority sites that are currently eyesores and hurt downtown redevelopment. Specifically, this grant funding would come through the EPA's Revolving Loan Fund (RLF) Brownfield Grand Program. Schumer said this is a matter of public health and economic development; many of... Read More

Today, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer called on the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to fully dredge six Upstate New York harbors that are eligible for Sandy supplemental appropriations funding to dredge back to prestorm conditions, but not enough to bring them to fully functional channel depths. Specifically, Barcelona Harbor in Chautauqua County, Irondequoit Harbor and Rochester Harbor in Monroe County, Oak Orchard Harbor in Orleans County, Little Sodus Harbor in Cayuga County, and Wilson... Read More

Today, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer visited 21 Brix Winery in Portland to call on the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to provide swift relief to vineyards who have suffered major crop damage from the extreme cold weather this winter through the Tree Assistance Program (TAP) and be ready to approve a crop disaster declaration so emergency loans can be made available. Following crop losses due to inclement weather and other natural disaster, growers often suffer from cash flow problems... Read More

U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer today visited Three Brothers vineyard in Geneva to call on the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to provide swift relief to vineyards who have suffered major crop damage from the extreme cold weather this winter through the Tree Assistance Program (TAP) and be ready to approve a crop disaster declaration so emergency loans can be made available. Following crop losses due to inclement weather and other natural disaster, growers often suffer from cash flow... Read More

Today, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer wrote Navy Secretary Ray Mabus to request the Navy History and Heritage Command (NHHC) work with stakeholders from the City of Beacon Historical Society and allow them to borrow and display historic artifacts from the U.S.S. Forrestal, a famous decommissioned Navy warship.  The Historical Society and City are in the process of applying to the Navy for these loans. The U.S.S. Forrestal is named after the last cabinetlevel Secretary of the Navy, and the first... Read More

Today at the Syracuse Police Public Safety Building, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer announced legislation that will make it a federal crime to tamper with the unique identification number of a cell phone by imposing a multiyear criminal penalty, in the wake of a dramatic spike in cell phone thefts in the Syracuse area. Since 2011, cell phone thefts are up 64% in the City of Syracuse, and almost all of them either involve a gun, knife, or other forms of violent threats.  As a percentage of all... Read More

Today at the Albany International Airport, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer joined airport and local officials to urge that JetBlue Airlines to establish a firstever presence in the Capital Region, which would boost competition and availability of lowcost flights from Albany to popular JetBlue destinations. Senator Schumer was an early advocate of slot divestiture in the recent U.S. AirwaysAmerican Airlines merger in order to increase competition and provide new opportunities for low cost... Read More

U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer today sent the following letter to International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach in support of the Principle 6 campaign. Principle 6 is a campaign inspired by the values of the Olympic charter. It is a way for athletes, spectators and global supporters to celebrate the Olympic principle of nondiscrimination and speak out against Russia's antigay laws before the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi.   A copy of Senator Schumer's letter is below.   Dear President... Read More

Today, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer called on the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to expedite the release of over $1 million in alreadyapproved reimbursements owed to the TLC Health Network from outstanding Project Worksheets (PW) to keep Lake Shore Health Care Center open until a buyer can be found.  The TLC Health Network is currently navigating Chapter 11 bankruptcy and struggling to keep Lake Shore up and running, as it quickly draws down on remaining available funds.  They are... Read More

U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer today revealed the details of the justreleased Farm Bill conference report, outlined how they benefit key Upstate New York industries, and urged his colleagues in the Senate and House to pass the final bill as quickly as possible. On a conference call, Schumer detailed several major areas in which the farm bill will be a major boost to fruit and vegetable farmers, dairy producers, maple tappers, farmers markets and other New York businesses, like Hickey Freeman.... Read More

Today, at the Ulster County Offices, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer called on the Social Security Administration (SSA) to abandon plans to consolidate the Kingston Office into the Poughkeepsie Office, in order to keep essential social security services nearby for Ulster County seniors. Schumer highlighted that thousands of seniors each month and roughly 95 seniors a day, often disabled, rely on the close proximity of the Kingston office in order to secure their hardearned social security... Read More

Today, at the Port of Oswego, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer met with the newlyinstalled Director of the Port of Oswego and announced that he has secured on behalf of the Port a new reach stacker - a piece of equipment like a forklift used to unload heavy cargo - a new dump truck, and two new generators.  Schumer secured this new equipment from the Federal Surplus Property Program, which offers public law enforcement agencies like the Port Authority the chance to acquire used equipment. ... Read More