Press Releases
On the Eve of Memorial Day Weekend, Gillbrand Announces Key Senate Committee Approval of Amendment to Establish Yellow Ribbon Day to Honor Members of the Armed Forces Serving Overseas
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, today announced that a key Senate Committee included her amendment to establish "Yellow Ribbon Day" to honor U.S. Armed Forces currently in combat and crisis situations abroad, and to serve as a reminder to the American people of the sacrifice made by U.S. troops both present and past in the 2013 National Defense Authorization Act. "Our men and women in uniform put their lives on the line … Continue Reading
May 25, 2012
Key Senate Committee Passes Legislation Requiring a Report on Defense Department Plans to Open Combat Roles to Women
Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, a Senate Armed Services Committee member, announced today that a key Senate panel passed legislation which encourages the Department of Defense to repeal the Ground Combat Exclusion policy for female members of the Armed Forces - an outdated policy that does not acknowledge the combat role our service women in Afghanistan and around the world are already filling successfully. Women currently comprise approximately 15 percent of the Armed … Continue Reading
May 25, 2012
Vermont and New York Senators Push for Improved Passenger Train Service to Montreal
WASHINGTON (THURSDAY, May 24) -- U.S. Senators Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Charles Schumer, (D-N.Y.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) are urging federal negotiators to move quickly to reach an agreement with their Canadian counterparts on allowing essential security inspections for Amtrak trains to take place in Montreal. An agreement would lay the groundwork for a dramatic improvement of service on Amtrak's Adirondack line in New York and would mark the first crucial step … Continue Reading
May 24, 2012
Gillibrand Announces Senate Passage of Legislation to Provide Relief for Sick Patients & Children, Ensure Access to 14 Life-Saving Medicines Currently in Short Supply
Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) today announced that the U.S. Senate passed legislation that will combat drug shortages, expedite approval process for life-saving medicines, enhance safety monitoring of devices after clearance and ensure the safety of drugs from foreign manufacturers. The Food and Drug Administration Safety and Innovation Act (FDASIA) passed the full Senate and now heads to the House for a vote. The legislation comes after 100 drug shortages have been … Continue Reading
May 24, 2012
Gillibrand Announces $320,000 for City of Ogdensburg in Brownfields Assessment Grants
Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand today announced the City of Ogdensburg has been awarded two Brownfields Assessment Grants from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) totaling $320,000 for a community-wide environmental site assessment of hazardous substances as part of the redevelopment of the City's waterfront properties and other polluted sites. Funds will be used to conduct up to 20 Phase I and six Phase II environmental site assessments focused on the City's efforts to … Continue Reading
May 24, 2012
With One of Two New York Terrorism Emergency Task Forces At-Risk of Being Cut from Defense Budget, Gillibrand And Schumer Announce Key Senate Committee Passes Provision to Preserve New York’s National Guard WMD Civil Support Teams
Washington, D.C. - With a New York City terrorism emergency task force at-risk of being eliminated in the Pentagon's upcoming budget, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and Senator Charles Schumer, a long-time supporter of operations at Fort Hamilton, announced today that a key Senate panel passed her provision that would permanently authorize New York's two National Guard teams. Currently, New York has one unit that helps authorities fight terror … Continue Reading
May 24, 2012
Schumer, Gillibrand Announce $24 Million Investment for Stormville Army National Guard Base Construction Project Clears Key Committees Vote – Military Construction Project Will Build State Of The Art Maintenance Shop on Base
Washington, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand announced that a $24 million construction project in Stormville, NY, for the New York Army National Guard has passed two critical committees as part of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013 that will now head to the Senate floor for a vote. Specifically, the $24 million federal investment would allow the construction of a new maintenance shop to provide field and sustainment maintenance for … Continue Reading
May 24, 2012
Schumer, Gillibrand Announce $6.1 Million Investment for Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station Construction Project Clears Key Senate & House Committees – Military Construction Project Will Build Facility for State-Of The-Art Flight Simulator on Base
Washington, DC - Today, U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, announced that a $6.1 million construction project for the Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station (NFARS) has passed two critical committees as part of the 2013 Military Construction and Veterans Affairs bill that will now head to the Senate floor for a vote. Specifically, the federal investment would allow the construction of a facility at the Niagara Falls Air Reserve … Continue Reading
May 24, 2012
Gillibrand Secures Approval for $50 Million for Nanotechnology R&D
Washington D.C. - U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, member of the Armed Services Committee, secured approval for an increased focus on nanotechnology being done in conjunction with the University at Albany's College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering. Senator Gillibrand fought to continue nanotechnology research she helped initiate in the Fiscal Year 2012 Defense bill with an additional $50 million of federal funds in Fiscal Year 2103. Albany's NanoCollege would need to compete with other … Continue Reading
May 24, 2012
With One of Two New York Terrorism Emergency Task Forces At-Risk of Being Cut from Defense Budget, Gillibrand Announces Key Senate Committee Passage of Provision to Preserve New York’s National Guard WMD Civil Support Teams
Washington, DC - With one of two New York terrorism emergency task forces at-risk of being eliminated in the Pentagon's upcoming budget, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, announced today that a key Senate panel passed her provision that would permanently authorize New York's two National Guard teams. Currently, New York has one unit near Schenectady that helps authorities fight terror and another unit located in New York City. The "National Guard … Continue Reading
May 24, 2012
Key Senate Committee Passes New Gillibrand Legislation Pushing Defense Department to Combat Hazing, Promote Diversity Among Senior Military Ranks
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, a Senate Armed Services Committee member, announced today that a key Senate panel passed her legislation calling on the Armed Services to report on their policies to improve anti-hazing training, track and respond to hazing incidents in the military. Currently hazing incidents are not adequately monitored and tracked, making it difficult to determine how widespread the problem of hazing poses in our military. The Senate panel also approved … Continue Reading
May 24, 2012
Gillibrand Secures Key Committee Approval for New Air Force Cyber Security Strategy for R&D at Rome Labs
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, today announced that the Senate Armed Services Committee has passed her amendment that requires the U.S. Air Force to establish a strategy to strengthen America's cyber security with new research and development, initiated at research institutions such as the Air Force Research Laboratory in Rome. Senator Gillibrand's amendment passed as part of the National Defense Authorization Act for … Continue Reading
May 24, 2012
Gillibrand, Schumer Secure Key Committee Approval of More Than $190 Million to Build New Barracks at West Point
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Kirsten Gillibrand, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and Charles E. Schumer today announced that the Senate Armed Services Committee has authorized $192 million for the construction of new barracks at West Point as part of the 2013 National Defense Authorization Act. Senator Gillibrand wrote and filed an amendment that included the funding for West Point as part of the broader legislation. Schumer and Gillibrand both aggressively lobbied key … Continue Reading
May 24, 2012
Schumer, Gillibrand Secure Key Committee Approval of Nearly $140 Million for Construction at Fort Drum
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand today announced that the Senate Armed Services Committee has authorized $138.2 million for the construction of several facilities at Fort Drum, including a new specialty care clinic, a new aircraft maintenance hangar, and a complex for missile tracking technology. The funding for construction is included as part of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013 that passed the Senate Armed Services … Continue Reading
May 24, 2012
Schumer, Gillibrand Introduce Senate Resolution to Commemorate Bicentennial of Hamilton College in Clinton, NY
Today, U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand introduced a resolution to commemorate the 200th Anniversary of Hamilton College in Clinton, NY. Hamilton, ranked among the top liberal arts schools in the country, received its charter from the Regents of the University of the State of New York on May 26, 1812. Schumer and Gillibrand proposed a measure in the Senate to celebrate the college's sustained commitment to its charter two centuries ago. The New York senators recognized … Continue Reading
May 24, 2012
After Irene & Lee Destroyed Homes Across NYS, Gillibrand Announces New Effort to Build Affordable Housing for Struggling Families Still in Need of a New Home
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand today introduced legislation to expand access to affordable housing for New York families who lost their homes to Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee by expanding the low-income housing tax credit, legislation that provides tax incentives for developers to build new rental housing units in communities impacted by natural disasters. Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee caused widespread flooding across New York, particularly in areas … Continue Reading
May 23, 2012
Gillibrand Secures Over $15,000 in Disability Benefits for Melville Vet Suffering from PTSD
Melville, NY - After a Department of Veterans Affairs backlog left a Melville veteran's benefits claim unsettled for a year, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand successfully expedited the soldier's application, helping to secure nearly $15,000 in retroactive benefits and a monthly payment of $1,380 for 65 year-old Bob Carnesi. Mr Carnesi, who suffers from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) due to his combat in Vietnam, is set to receive the benefits starting next month. "We must fulfill our duty … Continue Reading
May 23, 2012
Gillibrand Introduces Cody Miller Initiative for Safer Prescriptions
Washington, D.C. - U. S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand this week introduced the Cody Miller Initiative for Safer Prescriptions Act (CMISP), new legislation that would finally require the FDA to approve and standardize information distributed to patients when they pick up their prescriptions. Current information is not subject to any review or standard. The new requirements would ensure patients are kept up to date about potential adverse side effects and dangerous drug interactions. On August 4, … Continue Reading
May 22, 2012
Gillibrand: Women are Primary Bread-Winners for Almost Half of New York Families, Yet Receive 15 Percent Lower Pay for the Same Work as Men; Senator Announces New Effort to End Unacceptable Disparity
Washington, D.C. - With a new report showing that working mothers across New York state earn 14.6 percent less than men, even while an increasing amount of families rely on a mothers' earnings as their main source of income to make ends meet, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand is leading the effort to finally pass the Paycheck Fairness Act, legislation expected for a vote on the Senate floor in the coming weeks. The Paycheck Fairness Act would close loopholes employers can use to shortchange … Continue Reading
May 22, 2012
Schumer, Gillibrand Announce Senate Passage of Bipartisan Iran Sanctions Bill which Toughens Penalties Against Iran, Enforce Sanctions Against Syria
Washington, DC - Today, U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand announced that the U.S. Senate passed a comprehensive bipartisan Iran sanctions bill which includes measures authored by Senators Gillibrand and Mark Kirk (R-IL) to strengthen economic sanctions against Iran, as well as a proposal introduced by Senators Gillibrand, Schumer (D-NY), and Sherrod Brown (D-OH) that would enforce sanctions against the Syrian government of Bashar al-Assad. The Iran Sanctions, … Continue Reading
