Newsroom

U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer today revealed that a second prison official in Iraq has a troubling history of defending prisoner abuse and called on Attorney General John Ashcroft to immediately initiate an investigation of all crimes committed by civilian contractors in the Iraqi prison system. Schumer discovered that John Armstrong, was forced from his post as the head of Connecticuts corrections department for defending abuses of prisoners but now serves in a highranking management position... Read More

US Senator Charles Schumer today announced that he brokered a bipartisan arrangement that moves the DestinyNY megamall in Syracuse deal closer to completion. A measure that Schumer requested to place taxexempt "green bonds" that would help finance the project took a major step forward Wednesday night, as the Senate passed an amendment adding them to a pending international tax bill. "This is very good news for Destiny," Schumer said. "It bodes very well for green bonds.... Read More

US Senator Charles E. Schumer today announced that the US Department of Justice has agreed to a request he made six weeks ago and has already launched an antitrust investigation into the proposed sale of milk giant Parmalat. Schumer had asked the Justice Department in late March to closely monitor the potential impact on New York farm prices of a sale of Parmalat to one of the existing large New York milk suppliers before approving any deal. Schumer was concerned that if Parmalat were sold to... Read More

US Senator Charles E. Schumer today announced that the danger of a single company controlling as much as 80 or 90 percent of the New York milk market now appears to be averted because Farmland Dairies and Parmalat USA announced that they would restructure their bankrupt American operations rather than sell the company to a competitor. Last week, the US Department of Justice revealed it had already launched an antitrust investigation Schumer had requested that was assessing the potential impact... Read More

Washington, DCU.S. Senators Tim Johnson (DSD) and Charles Schumer (DNY) today requested that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) work with Congress to negotiate lower prices for prescription drugs in the Medicare program. The Senators urged Secretary Tommy G. Thompsons assistance in repealing language in the Medicare prescription drug benefit law that expressly prohibits the Secretary from negotiating lower drug prices. Secretary Thompson recently approved a plan that will allow 5... Read More

US Senators Charles E. Schumer and Hillary Rodham Clinton today announced that they have secured $250,000 towards the implementation of the Citys East Side combined sewer overflow (CSO) Long Term Control Program. The funding was included in the Fiscal Year 2004 Omnibus Appropriations Bill conference report passed today by the Senate. "Oswego is a beautiful city dependent on its waterfront for its economic and cultural life," Schumer said. "We need to do everything we can to... Read More

US Senator Charles E. Schumer today announced a major new housing plan to vastly expand access to middle income housing in Ulster County where the median price of buying a new house has skyrocketed by 39 percent over the last two years. Schumer detailed a $300 million expansion of an alreadyoversubscribed Fannie Mae initiative that lets middle income families in the New York metropolitan area purchase homes with down payments as low as $500. "We all know that middle income housing has been... Read More

Safe and dependable air service is a critical engine of Western New York's continued economic growth, said Schumer. This funding will allow Chautauqua County Jamestown Airport to acquire new technology needed to make the necessary improvements to meet today's modern aviation demands. Chautauqua County Jamestown Airport will use the grant to improve the runway safety areas that do not comply with current FAA requirements and bring them in compliance with current standards. In June of last... Read More

US Senator Charles Schumer said a new plan announced by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) today in response to the MyDoom virus falls short and outlined a series of measures to improve federal efforts to combat viruses and cyberattacks. Schumer said DHS' emailbased warning system would likely lead to more viruses and lacks mandatory reporting requirements. "What DHS did today was essentially challenge computer hackers all over the world to put a virus into an email that mimics... Read More

Because of USDA mismanagement, dairy farmers in Capital Region lost $2.7 million since 2001; Central NY $3.5m; Hudson Valley $1m; North Country $6.4m; Rochester/Finger Lakes $2.9m; Southern Tier $4.5m; Western NY $4.1m US Senator Charles E. Schumer today announced that his effort to penalize the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) whenever it mismanages a price support program for New York's dairy farmers passed the Senate today. Last month, Schumer revealed that the USDA has shortchanged... Read More

US Senators Charles Schumer and Hillary Rodham Clinton today announced that the Senate Appropriations Committee approved $2.4 million under the FY05 National Defense Appropriations Act for the State University of Buffalos Center for Bioinformatics. The bill must now be approved by the full Senate before being sent to a House and Senate Conference Committee and eventually being signed into law. "This money will do great things for Buffalos economy while supporting major advances that will... Read More

US Senator Charles E. Schumer today announced that he has secured $500,000 for the Community Action Organization (CAO) of Erie County, as part of the CommerceJusticeState Appropriations component of the omnibus bill passed today by the Senate. The funds will be used to create programs aimed at fighting crime in Buffalo's East Side. "Make no mistake about it. Innovation and hard work are important, but to really get crime down you need to provide a community with the resources it needs... Read More

Armed with FBI information released over the last two weeks indicating terrorists may use truck bombs to attack highprofile targets like the Empire State Building and on the heels of this week's announcement of credible intelligence information pointing to terrorist attacks in the USA this summer US Senator Charles E. Schumer today renewed his push for a comprehensive antiterrorist truckbomb plan. After 14 months of Schumer's urging, the US Transportation Security Administration finally... Read More

US Senator Charles E. Schumer today unveiled a new proposal with a bipartisan coalition in Congress including Reps. Tom Reynolds and John McHugh that would send New York dairy farmers $53 million more a year than the current MILC program. Schumer said today that the new proposal would act like a regional dairy pact when milk prices fall and would serve as an alternative to the current MILC program that could boost the income of New Yorks dairy farmers by $93 million annually and save the federal... Read More

US Senator Charles E. Schumer today announced over $990,000 in federal funds awarded to local fire departments and organizations across New York State to help the department reduce the effects of fire and fire related incidents. The funds are being awarded through the Assistance to Firefighters program administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). This is a great day for local fire departments and organizations across New York, said Schumer. In the brave new post9/11 world, our... Read More

U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer today revealed evidence that a fourth civilian who served in a position of power in the Iraqi prison system had a troubling history of tolerating and defending prisoner abuse while serving as a corrections administrator in the United States. Senator Schumer also called upon the Department of Justice's Inspector General to investigate how so many US prison officials with checkered records were selected by the DOJ to oversee the sensitive and important project... Read More

US Senator Charles E. Schumer today announced over $130,000 in federal funds for the Swormville Fire Company to pay for fire operations and fire safety. The funds are being awarded through the Assistance to Firefighters program administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). This is a great day for the Swormville Fire Company, said Schumer. In the brave new post9/11 world, our first responders must be well trained and well equipped to deal with any problem that comes their way.... Read More

US Senator Charles E. Schumer introduced Independence Air CEO Kerry Skeen to the Capital Region by bringing him to Albany to unveil his new jet and meeting with local business leaders. Schumer said it was important to introduce Skeen to the Albany community and to encourage close relationships between the airline and local business leaders to maximize the benefit of the new affordable air service to the area economy. "Companies often look at the number of flights before bringing business... Read More

US Senator Charles E. Schumer announced today that his effort with Rep. Tom Reynolds to rename the US Post Office in Batavia after late Congressman Barber Conable passed the Senate unanimously late last night. Reynolds's bill to rename the post office previously passed the House in February, paving the way for the President to sign the bill into law. "Barber Conable had a legendary career in Congress," Schumer said. "It's only fitting that there be a building on West Main... Read More

Standing with workers at the troubled MT Picture Display factory in Horseheads, US Senator Charles E. Schumer today said that the U.S. must hold onto manufacturing profits and jobs by imposing an acrosstheboard tariff on Chinese imports. Schumer detailed his new bipartisan effort to get the Chinese government to stop manipulating the value of its currency, a practice that gives the Chinese an unfair edge in making and exporting products. "It's time to put some muscle into our trade... Read More