Newsroom

As a shortage a volunteer fire fighters threatens departments in Nassau and Suffolk County who rely on a nearly all volunteer fire fighting force, US Senator Charles E. Schumer today unveiled a new proposal to support volunteer firefighters and emergency medical support (EMS) providers on Long Island. Standing with volunteer firefighters who shared their recruitment struggles, Schumer announced his legislation, the Supporting Emergency Responders Volunteer Efforts (SERVE) Act, which offers a... Read More

U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer today vowed to fight to lower prices for New Yorkers who are paying more than 30 percent more for home heating oil this winter. Schumer today unveiled a new study showing that the average New York household using home heating oil is paying approximately $329 more this year than last year and called on the Administration to pressure Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) to reverse its recent decision to abandon a price target band, a significant... Read More

Mr. President, tonight our nation is experiencing one of the most tragic and heartrending natural disasters in our history. Entire towns have been destroyed. Lives upturned, families lost, and the chaos we have all watched unfold continues even tonight. Our hearts go out to the people of Louisiana, Mississippi and all of the Gulf states affected by Hurricane Katrina. And our prayers go out most of all to those still stranded in New Orleans and those who have lost loved ones. The images on TV are... Read More

Today Senator Charles E. Schumer sent a letter to Harley G. Lappin, Director of the Federal Bureau of Prisons asking for an immediate investigation into the outrageous cases of maximum security prisoners who were convicted of bombing the World Trade Center in 1993 encouraging future terrorist attacks from their jail cells. News reports indicate that individuals convicted of committing terrorist acts against the United States have been allowed to spread their hateful propaganda and recruit future... Read More

Subway stations, bus lines and commuter rail lines are still vulnerable to terrorist attack and need federal support to bolster security efforts, Senator Charles E. Schumer warned today. Just last week after the first attack on London, the Senate inexplicably rejected a 1.16 billion dollar increase in mass transit security funding. In addition, the MTA is unable to spend its federal money where it is needed most. Though the MTA is desperately in need of more bombsniffing dogs, overtime for... Read More

Yesterdays shooting at a Hudson Valley shopping mall might have been prevented had Congress and President Bush reenacted the Assault Weapons Ban that expired last September, US Senator Charles E Schumer warned today. Schumer renewed his call to pass the law, which he wrote as a Congressman and passed on the heels of LIRR incident, and which had succeeded in slashing the rate of banned assault weapons used in crime by nearly twothirds. When the ban expired last year, gun manufacturers were once... Read More

Today U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer again called on President Bush to use the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) to bring down recordhigh gas prices. According to today's reports, barrels of oil traded for $65.85 on Wednesday and the national average per gallon of regular gasoline was $2.56 on Wednesday, and in some areas exceeded $3.00 per gallon. In the Finger Lakes Region today, the average regular gasoline price was even higher, selling for $2.61 per gallon, up 10 percent from last... Read More

U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer and Hillary Rodham Clinton today announced that the Senate Appropriations Committee approved $57,279,000 under the FY06 LaborHHS Appropriations Act for the National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID) at Rochester Institute of Technology. The bill, which was approved by the Committee last week, must now be approved by the full Senate before being sent to a House and Senate Conference Committee and eventually being signed into law. Schumer had aggressively... Read More

US Senator Charles E. Schumer today announced that $20,189 in federal funds was awarded to Southern Tier Economic Growth, Inc. for research that will lead to the creation of a business development strategy for the sevencounty region centered on Chemung County. The funds are being awarded through the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC). "This is great news for the Southern Tier," Schumer said. "It is important for the area to have a plan to ensure a flourishing economy. Both... Read More

Today President George W. Bush held a press conference to encourage the Congress to move forward to pass major legislation including an energy bill and his Social Security privatization plan. Sen. Chuck Schumer released the following statement in response to the Presidents news conference: The Presidents energy bill is of, by, and for the large energy companies, and it does far too little to encourage the number one way we can become independent of foreign oil conservation. Moreover, the House... Read More

Senator Charles E. Schumer (DN.Y.) and Rep. Sander Levin (DMI) joined by 33 other members of the Senate or House of Representatives today filed a petition under section 301(a) of the Trade Act of 1974. The petition calls on the Administration to take concrete action against China's currency manipulation. Specifically, the petition demands that USTR take action by filing a WTO case against China if it does not immediately eliminate the undervaluation of its currency. Such action would create... Read More

At the urging of US Senator Charles E. Schumer, the General Service Administration (GSA) has announced that the Binghamton Depot property will begin the disposal process within the next two weeks. Schumer secured the timeline from the GSA so the Chenango Valley School District can move forward with its plans to purchase the land and build a new athletic complex. In early March Schumer urged GSA Administrator Stephen Perry to issue a status report as soon as possible and detail the next steps for... Read More

As over 500 Montserratians face immediate deportation after being denied an extension of Temporary Protected Status, today Senator Charles E. Schumer called on the Department of Homeland Security to grant the refugees and their Americanborn children Deferred Enforced Departure (DED). DED status is given to refugee groups in the US, who have no other way to stay here legally if they would be put in danger by returning to their home countries. It allows the refugees to stay here for an additional... Read More

Today U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer and Ambassador Joseph Wilson called for the suspension of White House Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Roves security clearance until the investigation of the leak of CIA Agent Valerie Plames identity is resolved. Also, Schumer is cosponsoring an amendment to Homeland Security spending bill, offered by Sen. Carl Levin which would suspend or revoke security clearances for federal employees who have disclosed classified information. Schumer said, I was the first to call... Read More

News reports today indicate that an Alitalia Flight on its way to Boston from Milan, Italy has been diverted because a passengers name matched a name on the Terrorist Watch List. Sen. Schumer, longtime advocate for better aviation and homeland security released the following statement: Sen. Chuck Schumer said, Just last week, an Air France flight was diverted because the passenger list was not checked before the flight departed. This is becoming a regular occurrence, and it should be a wake up... Read More

U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer today announced he is supporting Alexandria Bay for the second site for implementation of a Shared Border Management plan at the U.S.Canadian border. Schumer lobbied aggressively to launch the first pilot program at the Peace Bridge in Buffalo, where the inspection facility will be on the Canadian side of the border. A 2004 agreement brokered by Schumer requires a second border site at which the customs facility is located on the U.S. side and today Schumer said... Read More

With gas prices hitting record highs around the country, as consumers pay 49 cents more now than they were paying last year at this time, and with summer just around the corner threatening to push gas prices even higher, U.S Senator Charles E. Schumer called on the FTC to block the ChevronTexacoUnocal merger and to review the ExxonMobil merger and the ChevronTexaco mergers to asses their impact on gasoline prices and retail competition. Additionally, he led a letter from 10 Senators to the FTC... Read More

U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer today testified via phone to the CARES Local Advisory Panel, outlining the importance of the community advisory board and his commitment to maintaining the critical services provided at Montrose VA hospital. Schumer, who visited the Montrose VA hospital and testified to the CARES Local Advisory Panel in 2003, successfully lobbied to maintain impatient domiciliary and rehabilitation services. Statement of Senator Charles E. Schumer for the CARES Local Advisory... Read More

US Senator Charles E. Schumer today introduced federal legislation to reverse plans for a passport requirement at the USCanada border. Schumer filed an Amendment to the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations bill, mandating that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) accept more affordable and accessible alternatives to passports. A vote on the amendment is expected this week during consideration of the overall bill on the floor. Passage of the overall bill is expected sometime this... Read More

U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer, Senate Leaders Harry Reid, Dick Durbin, and Debbie Stabenow today unveiled a new Social Security calculator that demonstrates to Americans what they could lose under the Bush Privatization Plan. The calculator is now available on the websites of most Senate Democrats. The Democratic Leadership team also announced that Senate Democrats are going to take it back to their states as a tool to be used during public events and meetings throughout the upcoming Senate... Read More