Press Releases
Gillibrand Statement Following Meeting With Secretary Of Agriculture Nominee Tom Vilsack
Following her meeting with Secretary of Agriculture nominee Tom Vilsack, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, released the following statement: "Today I had a productive meeting with Secretary of Agriculture nominee Tom Vilsack about the incoming Biden administration's plans to address hunger and food security, and the challenges facing our nation's farmers, all of which have been exacerbated by the pandemic. Having previously served in this position, … Continue Reading
December 16, 2020
As Coronavirus Surge Prompts Renewed Stay At Home Orders, Gillibrand Calls For Extension Of Emergency Paid Leave Provisions
Today. U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, Senate lead on the FAMILY Act, called on Congress to extend the bipartisan paid sick days and family leave provisions, authorized in March under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA), in the next COVID relief package. The provisions are set to expire at the end of December, in the midst of a second wave of coronavirus that has prompted communities to renew stay at home orders and roll back business and school reopenings. "The next relief … Continue Reading
December 16, 2020
Gillibrand Calls For $16 Million In Funding To Combat The Invasive Spotted Lanternfly
U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, is calling on Congress to deliver $16.066 million in funding to combat the Spotted Lanternfly, an invasive species that threatens specialty crops, including grapes, across the Finger Lakes and Hudson Valley. In a letter to appropriators, Gillibrand called for full funding of the Animal Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) Specialty Crop Pest program in the final FY21 Agriculture Appropriations bill, and … Continue Reading
December 16, 2020
Gillibrand Announces Senate Passage Of Her Bipartisan Legislation To Strengthen State Dept Role In Combating Anti-Semitism
Today, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand announced the Senate passage of the Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism Act of 2019 (S.238, H.R. 221), a bipartisan and bicameral bill that would enhance the State Department's role in combating and monitoring anti-Semitism across the globe. Gillibrand was joined by Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL) Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Bob Menendez (D-NJ), Cory Gardner (R-CO), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) as original co-sponsors of the … Continue Reading
December 14, 2020
ICYMI: Washington Post Editorial Board Calls For Gillibrand Legislation To Address Military Sexual Assault
In case you missed it, yesterday, the Washington Post published an editorial detailing the armed services' failure to address the decades-long problem of sexual assault and harassment in the military. The editorial highlights U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand's bipartisan Military Justice Improvement Act, which would reform how the military prosecutes serious crimes by moving the decision over whether to prosecute them to independent, trained, professional military prosecutors. The editorial … Continue Reading
December 12, 2020
Gillibrand Statement On FDA Authorization Of Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine
Following the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) authorization of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand released the following statement: "While we celebrate the FDA's authorization of a vaccine that puts us one step closer to eradicating COVID-19, we have to face reality - states and localities need federal support to ensure the vaccine is distributed efficiently and equitably to those who need it the most and our families and small businesses need immediate economic … Continue Reading
December 11, 2020
Gillibrand, Colleagues Push To Boost Health Care System Research Funding Amid Proposed Drastic Cuts
U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand joined her colleagues in urging Senate leadership to include at least $471 million in funding for the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) in the omnibus spending bill. The most recent funding package for FY2021, unveiled by the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies, includes a drastic 24 percent cut for the sole federal agency focused on generating research to advance health care … Continue Reading
December 11, 2020
Schumer, Gillibrand Announce Over $16 Million In Federal Head Start Funding For New York City And Long Island Organizations
U.S. Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer and U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand today announced $16,382,033 in Head Start funding for early childhood education providers in New York City and on Long Island. The funding was allocated through the Administration for Children and Families, a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and will be used to enhance early child development programs and foster productive learning for children in low-income families, with a focus on … Continue Reading
December 10, 2020
Following Push, Senator Gillibrand Announces Bipartisan Amendment To End Military-Connected Child Abuse And Neglect Included In Final National Defense Bill
U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Personnel Subcommittee, announced that, following her push, the End Military-Connected Child Abuse and Neglect Act will be included in the final FY21 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The legislation will address shortcomings in the Department of Defense's (DoD) reporting of child abuse by codifying GAO recommendations to improve how the Department of Defense tracks and responds to incidents of child abuse … Continue Reading
December 10, 2020
Gillibrand Urges Congress To Deliver Critical Relief To Hospitals And Health Care Providers As COVID Cases Surge Across New York State
As surging COVID-19 cases threaten to overwhelm New York's hospitals, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand is urging Congress to deliver increased funding for hospitals and health care providers in the next coronavirus relief package. New York's hospitals, like many across the country, have had to make significant investments - such as increasing bed capacity, purchasing personal protective equipment (PPE), and hiring staff - to prepare for and respond to the surge of coronavirus patients at … Continue Reading
December 10, 2020
Gillibrand Announces Final NDAA Will Include Safe To Report And Key Amendments To Address Military Sexual Assault
Today, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Personnel Subcommittee, announced that her Safe to Report Act will be included in the final FY 21 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The annual must-pass defense bill is expected to be voted on this week. The bipartisan Safe to Report Act would empower survivors of sexual violence to report assault without fear of collateral misconduct charges for minor offenses, such as underage drinking or breaking … Continue Reading
December 09, 2020
Gillibrand, Portman, Peters, Lankford, And Rosen Lead Bipartisan Push To Increase Funding To Help Protect Nonprofit Institutions Against Terror Attacks
U.S. Senators Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Rob Portman (R-OH), Gary Peters (D-MI), James Lankford (R-OK), and Jacky Rosen (D-NV) sent a letter to the Senate Appropriations Committee today requesting that the Nonprofit Security Grant Program be adequately funded to meet the needs of at-risk organizations this fiscal year. The funding allocated by this program will support non-profit organizations most at risk of terror attacks through the acquisition and installation of physical target hardening … Continue Reading
December 09, 2020
Gillibrand Announces Legislation To Invest $735 Million In The Fight Against Housing Discrimination
U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, alongside a group of colleagues led by Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), announced legislation to address the affordable housing crisis and fight housing discrimination. The Housing Fairness Act of 2020 would allocate $735 million to increase funding to enforce programs under the Fair Housing Act that prevent discrimination in housing, reduce segregation, and provide additional funds for the Fair Housing Initiative Program. Over the years, the Trump … Continue Reading
December 08, 2020
Gillibrand Statement On Army’s Report On Command Culture At Fort Hood
Addressing the release of the Fort Hood Independent Review Committee's (FHIRC) report, which found significant failures with how the Army handles instances of sexual assault and harassment, and the news that Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy will fire or suspend a number of officers at Fort Hood due to a command culture that has been permissive of sexual harassment and sexual assault, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand issued the following statement: "This report shows why cases of sexual assault and … Continue Reading
December 07, 2020
Gillibrand Statement And Photo Following Meeting With Treasury Secretary-Designate Janet Yellen
Following her meeting with Treasury Secretary-designate Janet Yellen-the first of Yellen's confirmation process-U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand released the following statement: "Today I had a productive meeting with Treasury Secretary-designate Janet Yellen about the incoming Biden administration's approach to the economic challenges facing our nation. Not only is Janet an accomplished, crisis-tested and eminently qualified public servant, but she is a trailblazer; she was the first woman … Continue Reading
December 04, 2020
Schumer, Gillibrand Announce $600,000 To Support Halomine Inc’s Research Efforts To Improve Food Safety And Disinfectant Process
U.S. Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer and U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand today announced $600,000 in federal funding for Halomine, Inc, a Cornell University-based company. The funding was allocated through the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) and the Small Business Innovation Research Program (SBIR), and will support groundbreaking research to modernize the way food processing plants sanitize food processing equipment. "Amidst the … Continue Reading
December 02, 2020
Schumer, Gillibrand Announce Nearly $5 Million For New York State In Housing And Urban Development Vouchers To Prevent Youth Homelessness And To Support Independent Living For The Disabled
U.S. Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer and U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand today announced $4,842,051 in federal funding allocated through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The COVID-19 health and economic crisis has put 30-40 million people at risk of eviction. This federal funding will provide direct financial assistance for at-risk tenants to prevent homelessness in New York's communities. Specifically, this funding will provide support and assistance to youth … Continue Reading
December 02, 2020
Gillibrand Urges Senate Leadership To Extend Enhanced Unemployment Benefits In Next Coronavirus Relief Package
With less than a month remaining before enhanced unemployment benefits expire, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand is urging Senate leadership to extend Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) and Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC) programs in the next coronavirus relief package. During the COVID-19 pandemic, millions of workers have lost their jobs and nearly 8 million Americans have slid into poverty. Rising COVID-19 cases in New York and across the country continue to threaten … Continue Reading
December 02, 2020
Gillibrand Statement And Photo Following Meeting With Secretary Of State-Designate Tony Blinken
Following her meeting with Secretary of State-designate Tony Blinken, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand released the following statement: "Today I had a constructive and deeply informative conversation with Secretary of State-designate Tony Blinken about the incoming Biden administration's approach to U.S. foreign policy and national security. Tony is a dedicated and uniquely qualified public servant whose extensive experience in world affairs will help restore American leadership and repair … Continue Reading
December 01, 2020
As Record Numbers Of New Yorkers Face Food Insecurity, Gillibrand Urges Congress To Invest $6 Billion To Meet Growing Nutrition Needs
Today, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand called on Congress to invest $6 billion in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) in next year's spending bill. Nationwide, 1 in 5 parents do not have enough to feed their children. Millions of Americans, especially women, continue to be affected by widespread business closures and subsequent job loss and more low-income households are relying on social safety nets to feed themselves and their families. WIC … Continue Reading
