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With online tax filing fast becoming the easiest way for people to pay their taxes online Senator Schumer today blasted the IRS for charging a fee that eases the financial burden on them instead of the taxpayer. In New York City 3.3 million people will file taxes this year and 1.2 million will file online costing them 16 million dollars all while saving the IRS money. Schumer today called for the IRS to make efiling free by next year. "The bottom line is that the IRS is imposing an... Read More

In the wake of Fire Island suffering severe beach erosion caused by last week's nor'easter, today, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer announced that the Army Corp of Engineers Fiscal Year 2007 work plan includes $2.5 million in funding for the Fire Island to Montauk Reformulation Project. The money, included in the Fiscal Year 2007 Army Corp of Engineers Work Plan, is crucial to funding beach erosion control and hurricane protection for the south shore of Long Island between Fire Island... Read More

Armed with a new study revealing that Long Island residents are among the nation's hardest hit by the Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT) and that the number of residents affected will soar in 2007 unless action is taken, today, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer unveiled a sweeping new package of middle class tax cuts. The extensive study, which was conducted at Schumer's request by Martin Cantor, Director of the Long Island Economic and Policy Institute at Dowling College, estimates that this... Read More

Today, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer called on the Army to conduct a new comprehensive study to evaluate the effectiveness of a new system, developed by the Magna Power Train Corporation located in East Syracuse, which would prevent uparmored HUMVEES from flipping over. According to the Department of Defense, roughly 250 U.S. troops have been severely injured in rollovers since Operation Iraqi Freedom began in March 2003, with 90 of them dying from their injuries. "This new technology is... Read More

U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer today announced that the West Seneca Fire District #6 in Erie County will receive a federal grant totaling $20,156 from the 2006 Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) Program administered by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The grant will be used for public safety education and fire hazard mitigation and is part of the first round of DHS FY06 AFG Fire Prevention and Safety program awards to several fire departments throughout the... Read More

As the subprime mortgage market goes from boom to bust, Senator Schumer revealed today that foreclosures will soar in New York in the next two years, with nearly 100,000 families throughout New York at risk of losing their homes by the end of 2008. Schumer, standing with a homeowner with a subprime loan whose rates could triple in the next three years, today unveiled his plan to ensure that the subprime lending market, which has been able to operate with little oversight from federal regulators... Read More

In an effort to greatly enhance the quality and efficiency of North Country healthcare, today, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer backed a new effort led by Fort Drum and area hospitals to connect nearly two dozen area health facilities to a highspeed fiber optic network. Schumer today wrote the head of the Federal Communications Commission urging it to approve a nearly $1 million grant for the vital project. "There is no question that putting Medical records online is the wave of the... Read More

U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer today announced that eight fire departments in the Finger Lakes will receive federal grants totaling $657,712 from the 2006 Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) Program administered by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The Sparta Center Vol. Fire Co. Inc. in Livingston County will receive a $41,215 grant; Gates Fire District in Monroe County will receive a $51,892 grant; West Webster Fire District in Monroe County will receive a $82,722... Read More

U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer today announced that five fire departments in the Hudson Valley will receive federal grants totaling $338,704 from the 2006 Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) Program administered by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Pine Plains Fire District in Dutchess County will receive a $30,541 grant; Fairview Fire District in Dutchess County will receive a $48,640 grant; Mechanicstown Fire District in Orange County will receive a $101,633 grant; Highland... Read More

U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer today announced that four fire departments in the Capitol Region will receive federal grants totaling $162, 973 from the 2006 Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) Program administered by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). City of Amsterdam Fire Department in Montgomery County will receive a $52,473 grant, Schodack Valley Fire Company in Rensselaer County will receive a $42,570 grant, West Charlton Fire District in Saratoga County will receive a... Read More

U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer today announced that two fire departments in the Madison Region will receive federal grants totaling $299,794 from the 2006 Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) Program administered by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Morrisville Volunteer Fire Department will receive a $148,443 grant to improve operations and safety, and the Canastota Fire Department will receive a $176,294 grant for vehicle acquisition. The grants are part of the nineteenth... Read More

U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer today announced that one two departments in Central New York will receive federal grants totaling $202,805 from the 2006 Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) Program administered by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). South Onondaga Fire Department, Inc. in Onondaga County will receive a $41,305 grant and the Mexico Volunteer Fire Department, Inc. in Oswego County will receive a $161,500 grant. The two grants will be used to improve operations and... Read More

U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer today announced that Schoharie Fire Department has received a federal grant totaling $90,725 from the FY06 Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) Program administered by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). This grant will be used to improve operations and safety. This grant is part of the eighteenth round of DHS FY06 AFG program awards to several fire departments throughout the country. "This funding will go a long way in supporting the first... Read More

Senator Charles E. Schumer today praised passage in the Senate Appropriations Committee of a bill that will block hospital spending cuts sought by the Administration. The full Senate is expected to vote on the measure next week. Senator Schumer challenged the Administration on the cuts and has been working with Senate colleagues to restore the funding. The Supplemental Funding bill also prevents the elimination of the Medicaid Graduate Medical Education program, which provides funding to... Read More

U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer today announced that the Gloversville Fire Department in Fulton County will receive a federal grant totaling $23,750 from the 2006 Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) Program administered by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The grant will be used to improve operations and safety and is part of the twentysecond round of DHS FY06 AFG program awards to several fire departments throughout the country. "This funding will go a long way in... Read More

Today, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer called on the Air Force to reopen the books on the flawed bidding process that led to Boeing being awarded the Combat Search and Rescue Personnel Recovery Vehicle (CSARX) over Sikorsky and Lockheed Martin, who had said they would build the vehicle at its plant in Owego. On Monday, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) sustained a protest filed by Lockheed Martin and Sikorsky Aircraft, saying that the U.S. Air Force's evaluation of the "life... Read More

Today, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer wrote a personal letter to President George W. Bush asking him to take charge in the ongoing negotiations over Shared Border Management and immediately convene a binational summit between Canadian and U.S. officials in order to resolve security issues once and for all. Schumer said that despite recent progress, the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Justice, and Canadian officials continue to revisit logistical and security issues, throwing... Read More

WASHINGTON Today, the Senate Judiciary Committee passed U.S. Senator Herb Kohl's (DWI) bill, the "Preserve Access to Affordable Generics Act" (S.316), paving the way for its consideration by the full Senate. The bill, which explicitly prohibits brandname drug manufacturers from using payoff agreements to keep cheaper generic equivalents off the market, was passed by unanimous consent and not amended during today's meeting. "I believe today's vote shows that many of my... Read More

NEW YORK Today, Senator Charles E. Schumer (DNY) and Congresswoman Nydia M. Vel�zquez (DN.Y.) introduced legislation to help resolve the ongoing housing crisis in New York City by increasing funding for public housing. "Funding for our city's public housing has slowed to a trickle under the Bush administration," Congresswoman Vel�zquez said. "This has left NYCHA underfunded and thousands of our community's neediest residents feeling the consequences." "For... Read More

With the National Guard and reserves stretched to the limit, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer today revealed that benefits for members of the National Guard and reserves who are called in to military service lag far behind those for active military and announced his new sweeping legislation to close the benefits gap. Under the current system, a reserve solider who is attending school and participating in full time training receives only a $297/month stipend while active duty soldiers receive... Read More