Newsroom

U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer today urged the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) and the Department of Justice (DOJ) to make a Serbian extradition case a top priority following a bar room beating in Binghamton that left a college student near death. Miladin Kovacevic fled the United States to Germany, and perhaps to Serbia, with an emergency Serbian passport three days after he was bailed out of jail on $100,000 cash bail apparently paid for by the Serbian consulate. Kovacevic was charged... Read More

With the aging taxiway at the Greater Binghamton Regional Airport (BGM) in need of critical upgrades and  hampering the ability to attract new carriers, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer today urged the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to fully fund the airport's request for federal dollars to support crucial rehabilitation and repairs. The airport applied for FAA funds in May of last year to help begin the project, pledging to contribute a generous and unprecedented $460,526 local match... Read More

U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer today announced that the full Senate Appropriations Committee has approved the Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies FY09 Appropriations Bill which includes $500,000 for the University of Binghamton's Center for Autonomous Solar Power.   The funding would be used to research and develop large, flexible solar cells that may decrease the cost of solar energy and increase energy efficiency. The bill will now proceed to the Senate Floor as the next step... Read More

With the Veteran's Administration unresponsive to the Town of Cortlandt's request to acquire the access road at the FDR VA Hospital in Montrose, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer today urged the VA to immediately turn over the road's title to the town, allowing Cortlandt to assume control and upkeep of the road. The Town has secured $316,000 in federal transportation funding to support upgrades to the road, but these muchneeded funds will be lost unless the VA gives Cortlandt ownership of the... Read More

Standing with Buffaloarea pharmacy owners as they told their tales of woe on how delayed Medicare Part D payments threaten their businesses, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer today blasted the inefficient Medicare payment system for pharmacies. Currently, independent pharmacies across Western New York report having to wait up to 8 weeks to receive payments from Medicare Part D plans. This delay makes it hard to keep up with their biweekly billing cycles. Forced to foot the bill while they await... Read More

U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer announced today that the Coeymans Fire District of Albany County will receive $9,975 from the 2008 Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) Program administered by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS).  The grant is part of the ninth round of DHS FY 08 AFG program awards to several fire departments throughout the country and will be used to improve fire prevention and safety.  "This funding will go a long way in supporting the first responders in... Read More

Today,  U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer revealed the dangerously deteriorating condition of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library in Hyde Park that threatens the museum by putting it at risk of flooding, sewage damage and hindering its ability to modernize its exhibits. The firstever presidential library and museum sorely need support and funding to modernize and update the building structure and exhibits, protect and archive historic documents, and revitalize the museum for... Read More

Today, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer blasted a new federal regulation set to go into effect that will financially punish Ulster, Sullivan, Orange and surrounding counties' 24,592 recreational boaters by forcing them to obtain the same permits as massive oil tankers and freight ships or face fines of up to $32,000 per day. A 2006 decision by the U.S. District Court for Northern California ruled that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) should be accountable for regulating the discharge of... Read More

Today, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer blasted a new federal regulation set to go into effect that will financially punish Rockland, Putnam, Orange, and Westchester counties' 39,914 recreational boaters by forcing them to obtain the same permits as massive oil tankers and freight ships or face fines of up to $32,000 per day. A 2006 decision by the U.S. District Court for Northern California ruled that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) should be accountable for regulating the discharge of... Read More

Today, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer hailed the announcement that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has agreed to permit New York State to issue an Enhanced Driver License (EDL), and argued that the new development makes it unnecessary for New York State residents to purchase costly passports to travel between Canada and the United States, as would otherwise be required under the new Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) rules. Schumer spent over two years pressuring DHS to... Read More

With the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) set to make their final decision regarding the Oneida Indian Nation's application to have land taken into a federal taxexempt trust in Madison and Oneida Counties, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer today called on the federal agency to defer taking land into trust and instead allow time for the Tribe and local community to negotiate an agreement regarding the proposed trust land.  Schumer also told DOI that if it will not defer making its decision,... Read More

Only one week after announcing $2.7 million dollars to fund an Alternatives Analysis, a crucial first step in creating a oneseat ride from Orange County to NYC, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer today announced an additional $2 million to fund the project's Environmental Impact Study. After intense pressure from the Senator to have more federal funding steered towards Stewart Airport, the Department of Transportation will send $2 million to the airport for the oneseat ride raillink's Environmental... Read More

U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer (DNY) announced on Friday that he will introduce legislation banning a potentially hazardous chemical, known as BisphenolA, in all children's products  and "food contact" consumer products, like water bottles. Additionally, the legislation will mandate a public health campaign to educate expecting mothers on the risks of using "food contact" consumer products before a ban goes into effect. This week, a U.S. government study revealed that BisphenolA could pose... Read More

With the City of Niagara Falls having waited over 20 years for a new train station to adequately connect tourists and travelers with the Falls, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer and U.S. Representative Louise Slaughter (DNY) today announced that the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has agreed to expedite final approval for the project, freeing up millions in federal funding and allowing the City to break ground on the new station this year. Senator Schumer secured $2.5 million in the 2004... Read More

Today, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer and Congressman Mike McNulty met with Secretary of the Army Pete Geren regarding the future of the Watervliet Arsenal and successfully secured an agreement for the Secretary to visit the Arsenal and see firsthand plans to transform it into a hitech hub for the Capital Region. During the meeting this morning, Schumer and McNulty pressed Secretary Geren for the Army to approve a plan to transform the Arsenal into a hightech campus run by a local Capital... Read More

Today, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer called on  New York State and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PA) to reserve a seat on commission's board for a resident of the Hudson Valley. In November 2007, PA assumed a 99year lease of Stewart Airport, which in recent years has seen its ridership explode fueled by a major increase in lowcost, reliable air service. While a provision in the PA compact requires four of six New York State seats to be filled by residents of New York City, no... Read More

With thousands of Upstate New York residents fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan set to return home, today U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer warned that the current GI Bill, intended to help returning veterans afford and attend college, is woefully outdated and has not kept up with the skyrocketing costs of education. The GI Bill benefits offered to today's service members haven't undergone an expansive overhaul since they were originally developed in World War II. Since then, there have been only... Read More

U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer today announced $102,430,205 in funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under Part A of the Ryan White CARE Act for New York City . With the total number of those living with HIV/AIDS at a record high in New York, the city will be able to use the muchneeded funds for outpatient health care, home health and hospice care, nutrition services, case management, and transportation services for persons with AIDS. "As increasing numbers of... Read More

With the City of Olean shouldering the financial burden of providing essential transit service for its residents, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer today urged the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) to provide the Olean Area Transportation System (OATS) with vital federal dollars to support important bus service in Cattaraugus County . The City is currently drawing $5,500 a month from a contingency fund usually reserved for emergency expenses to support the system's continued operation, which... Read More

Washington , D.C. - U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer today called on Congress to support the housing  recovery package announced today by Senate Democrats, urging a bipartisan effort to bolster the faltering housing markets in the same way Congress swiftly tackled the economic stimulus package earlier this month. The housing stimulus package is designed to prop up the floundering housing market that has caused the current downturn in the economy and is expected to save one million families from... Read More