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U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer today announced that a $3,709,000 loan was awarded to the Town of Owego in Tioga County to assist with costs associated with the improvement, repairs and replacement of water storage tanks. The funds are being awarded through the United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Rural Development program as a Water and Waste Disposal Loan. "This is great news for the Town of Owego," Schumer said. "The water systems are critical to the livelihood... Read More

U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer today announced that $175,000 has been awarded to the City of Buffalo in Erie County to prevent violent crime and reduce drug trafficking through community policing initiatives. The funds are being awarded through the U.S. Department of Justices (DOJ) Weed and Seed Program. "This is great news for the city of Buffalo, said Schumer. These funds are going toward a program that works to shut down criminals and reduce drug activity. Implementing community... Read More

U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer announced today that three sets of federal dollars will be awarded to organizations in Cayuga County by the United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Rural Development program as a Water and Waste Disposal Grant. The Town of Moravia has been awarded a $328,000 grant and $642,000 loan to be used to correct problems with the water system. The Cayuga County Water and Sewer Authority has been awarded a $328,000 grant and $172,000 loan for phase one of the... Read More

U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer today announced that the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribal Police Department will be awarded $150,000 in grants for tribal police agencies by the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS). New York State tribal communities received a total of $12.3 million in federal funds under COPS Tribal Resource Grant Program, which supports efforts to improve the law enforcement infrastructure of tribal police agencies. This is great news for... Read More

U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer today announced that a $304,000 grant and a $134,000 loan were awarded to the Town of Massena to assist in the construction of the Old River Road Water District. The funds are being awarded through the United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Rural Development program as Water and Waste Disposal Loan and Grant. "This is great news for the Town of Massena and the entire community," Schumer said. "The water system is critical to the... Read More

Washington, DC Senators Charles Schumer and Hillary Rodham Clinton welcomed approval late yesterday of an amendment to the Fiscal Year 2007 Department of Defense Appropriations Bill, which would add $10 million to the Schweizer Aircraft CompanyU.S. Army MQ8 Fire Scout Vertical Takeoff and Landing Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (VTUAV) program. The bill originally contained $40.5 million requested in the Presidents budget for the U.S. Army MQ8 Fire Scout VTUAV. This $10 million will be in addition to... Read More

U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer and Representative Louise M. Slaughter announced that they introduced legislation late last night that would designate Niagara Falls as a National Heritage Area. The National Heritage Area designation would enable the National Park Service (NPS) to assist local efforts to protect the Niagara Reservation's natural resources, and open up new funding sources while promoting development and tourism in the region. "This legislation is a giant leap to declaring... Read More

As new loopholes are being exposed in courthouse security, as most recently illustrated evinced in Atlanta, and major cuts to the federal witness protection system are revealed in an Inspector General report, Senator Charles E. Schumer today called on the Justice Department to thoroughly review staffing needs in the federal witness protection program and to study courthouse security and make immediate recommendations to ensure judges can carry out their duties without fearing for their lives.... Read More

US Senators Charles E. Schumer and Hillary Rodham Clinton announced today that Congress has given preliminary approval for $37 million for Aircraft Hanger and Site Preparation at Fort Drum. The bill is expected to be approved by the Senate when it reconvenes from recess next week. Ft. Drums 10th Mountain Division has been at the front line in our nations war on terror around the world, and the men and women stationed at Ft. Drum make a vital contribution to the community surrounding the base,... Read More

WASHINGTON, DC After more than 385 hours, Princeton University students culminated their mock filibuster of Bill Frist with speeches from Senators Jon Corzine and Chuck Schumer today. Students began their protests at Princeton University on April 26th and arrived at the Capitol at 9:00 am on Wednesday where they were joined by students from Georgetown, Howard, George Mason, and Trinity. In standing up for the filibuster, these students stand with precedent and they stand with history, Corzine... Read More

U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer today announced $500,000 in federal funds was awarded to Ithaca Tompkins Regional Airport by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT). The federal dollars come from the Small Community Air Service Development Program (SCASDP) Grants. The funds will be used to help the airport promote its services to passengers and offer inducements to new carriers. Schumer aggressively lobbied the Transportation Secretary in several letters over the past few years, urging his... Read More

With news that the Federal governments stockpile of vaccines for common childrens sicknesses is dwindling to an all time low, with drug makers unwilling to make more to fill the stockpile because of a grudge match over federal bookkeeping rule, today Senator Charles E. Schumer called on the Securities Exchange Commission and the Department of Health and Human Services to come up with an exemption for vaccine makers when it comes to counting revenue. The stockpile, which is supposed to contain... Read More

U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer today revealed that cheap Chinatown bus services and a number of other bus tour providers are sorely lacking in passenger safety. According to Federal criteria, Chinatown buses do much worse than other companies in several Safety Evaluation Areas (SEA), which rate a bus services drivers, vehicles, and overall safety management. Recent accidents on a few of these Chinatown buses have raised serious questions about the safety of passengers riding to and from New... Read More

US Senator Charles E. Schumer today announced over $930,000 in federal funds for eleven fire departments in the Southern Tier to pay for fire operations and fire safety. The funds are being awarded through the Assistance to Firefighters program administered by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). "This is a great day for Southern Tier fire departments," said Schumer. "In the brave new post9/11 world, our first responders must be well trained and well equipped to deal... Read More

Standing inside one of Amtraks busiest stations in the country, US Senator Charles E. Schumer today joined local community and business leaders to launch an allout push to stop the Bush Administration from shutting down Amtrak. The Presidents budget which was recently sent to Congress includes no money for Amtraks operating expenses and would effectively shut Amtrak down on October 1, the first day of the US Governments fiscal year. The more you learn about the new Budget, the more you feel like... Read More

As New Yorkers savings rates hit alltime lows, U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer today unveiled new legislation aimed to help families and young people save through individual investment accounts. Under the America Saving for Personal Investment, Retirement, and Education (ASPIRE) Act of 2005, just introduced by a bipartisan coalition of Senators, every newborn child would have a savings account called a KIDS Account and given a onetime $500 contribution to be eventually paid back to the... Read More

US Senator Charles E. Schumer delivered the following statement at today's Judiciary Committee vote on the nomination of the Honorable Alberto Gonzales to be Attorney General of the United States: Mr. Chairman, I have to be honest with you, this has been one of the most difficult votes on a nominee I've had to make since coming to the Senate. I like Judge Gonzales. I respect him. I think he's a gentleman and a genuinely good man. We've worked well together, especially when... Read More

US Senator Charles E. Schumer today announced that a $183,700 grant and a $115,000 loan was awarded to the Town of Gaines to assist in extending the public water supply. The funds are being awarded through the United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Rural Development program as a Water and Waste Disposal Loan and Grant. "This is great news for the Town of Gaines," Schumer said. "The water system is critical to the livelihood of the community and the health of local... Read More

US Senator Charles E. Schumer in a phone call late Wednesday personally pushed Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld to use his influence to help award Lockheed Martins Owego plant a massive multimillion dollar presidential helicopter contract. Schumer, who has been aggressively lobbying the Pentagon, said that Lockheeds US 101 is unsurpassed in exceeding all safety and security requirements. Schumer spoke with Rumsfeld, who was receptive to Schumers request that this decision be made on the... Read More

U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer, ranking Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on the Courts, spoke on the floor today calling for real consultation in the Supreme Court nomination process. He repeated his call for the President convene a summit on the nomination and also pointed to an important statement from President Bush today in which he agreed that a nominees philosophy matters. Schumer has suggested numerous times that a Supreme Court nominees philosophy is a key factor in... Read More