Press Releases
Gillibrand, Schumer Announce Final Senate Passage Of Major Legislation Providing Health Care To Heroic 9/11 First Responders—Bill Should Reach President’s Desk Later Today
Washington, DC - U.S. Senators Kirsten E. Gillibrand (D-NY) and Charles E. Schumer (D-NY) announced Wednesday that the Senate has unanimously passed major legislation to finally provide health care for 9/11first responders who fell ill in the years after performing rescue work at Ground Zero. The breakthrough came after marathon negotiations between the New York senators and Senators Mike Enzi (R-WY) and Tom Coburn (R-OK) produced a compromise measure that reduced the bill's cost without … Continue Reading
December 22, 2010
Gillibrand, Schumer Announce Bipartisan Deal On 9/11 Health
Washington, DC - U.S. Senators Kirsten Gillibrand and Charles E. Schumer today announced they have reached a bipartisan agreement to pass the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act today in the U.S. Senate. Senators Gillibrand and Schumer issued the following statement: "The Christmas Miracle we've been looking for has arrived. Over the last 24 hours, our Republican colleagues have negotiated in good-faith to forge a workable final package that will protect the health of the men and … Continue Reading
December 21, 2010
Schumer, Gillibrand, Collins, Owens Announce Passage Of Their Northern Border Counternarcotics Strategy Legislation
Today, U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer, Kirsten Gillibrand, Susan M. Collins and Congressman Bill Owens announced that the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives has now passed the Northern Border Counternarcotics Strategy Act of 2010 which will help law enforcement officials along the northern border stem the flow of illegal drugs coming into their communities. The bill requires federal law enforcement to develop a comprehensive and coordinated plan to blunt the illegal drug trade. A … Continue Reading
December 21, 2010
Gillibrand Helps Cut Red Tape For Schenectady Senior, Fixes Medicare Problem
Schenectady, NY - After Medicare failed to update Schenectady senior's health care plan for approximately ten months, leaving the elderly with thousands of dollars in delinquent medical bills, Senator Gillibrand worked to breakdown the bureaucratic obstacles and ensured that all of his doctor payments were processed and paid for. Paul Harris, 69 year-old Schenectady senior, said, "We are so grateful for Senator Gillibrand's help to finally clear up this Medicare problem. Our efforts to set … Continue Reading
December 21, 2010
Gillibrand Helps Reunite Colombian Senior With Long Island Family To Assist With Care Of Ailing Infant
Farmingville, NY - After a Long Island family struggled to balance work, child care and the care of their 4-month-old boy stricken by heart disease, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and the law firm of Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP helped secure a visitor visa for 57-year-old grandmother, Gloria Sanchez De Osorno. The senior's arrival to Farmingville means that the father can continue to financially provide for his family while the mother cares for their sick baby who awaits a … Continue Reading
December 19, 2010
Gillibrand, Schumer: New Momentum For 9/11 Health Bill
WASHINGTON, DC-Today, U.S. Senators Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and Charles E. Schumer (D-NY) announced they have made alterations to an important health bill for 9/11 first responders-including trimming the bill's price tag by $1.2 billion-in a move that is expected to clear the way for final passage of the measure before the end of this year. The senators said that they have received a commitment from Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to hold a vote on the bill this week once debate on the … Continue Reading
December 18, 2010
Gillibrand: Repealing “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” Will Increase America's Strength Both Militarily And Morally
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand today announced that the U.S. Senate voted to repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," ending 17 years of injustice in America's armed services. Senator Gillibrand, who helped lead the fight in the Senate to end the corrosive policy, issued the following statement: "The "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy is wrong for our national security and wrong for the moral foundation upon which our country was founded. For nearly two decades this corrosive policy … Continue Reading
December 18, 2010
Gillibrand Statement On Senate Republicans Blocking Dream Act
Washington, D.C. - After Senate Republicans today voted to block the DREAM Act, legislation to give 50,000 to 65,000 young people who were brought to America by their parents access to an affordable college education, U.S. citizenship, and eligibility to serve in America's armed forces, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, an original co-sponsor of the legislation, issued the following statement: "Across this country, tens of thousands of innocent young people today had a chance at better … Continue Reading
December 17, 2010
Gillibrand Leads Bipartisan Effort Urging U.S. To Pull Out Of U.N. Durban III Summit Gillibrand Leads Bipartisan Effort Urging U.S. To Pull Out Of U.N. Durban III Summit
Washington, DC - A bipartisan coalition of 18 U.S. Senators, led by U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, today urged United States Permanent Representative to the United Nations Susan Rice to refrain from participating in the United Nation's Durban III World Conference Against Racism, citing concerns that the conference will once again serve as a forum for anti-Semitic and anti-American demonstrations. The Senators also expressed disappointment with the United Nation's decision to hold the … Continue Reading
December 17, 2010
As Momentum For 9/11 Health Bill Grows, Gillibrand Aiming For A Christmas Miracle
Washington, DC -Momentum for the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act continues to grow, as Majority Leader Reid announced his intentions to bring the bill to another vote and Republican leaders, Mayor Rudy Giuliani and Governor Mike Huckabee, announced their support for the bill. U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand issued the following statement: "I'm aiming for a Christmas miracle that would fulfill our moral obligation to these heroes before the end of the year. "Due to the tireless … Continue Reading
December 15, 2010
After More Than 30 Infant Deaths Since 2001, CPSC, Gillibrand, Crowley, Schakowsky Announce Approval Of New Federal Rules To End Dangerous Drop-Side Cribs
Washington, DC - U.S. Product Safety Commission (CPSC) Chairman Inez Tenenbaum, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Representatives Joseph Crowley (D-NY) and Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), and a parent whose child died from a faulty crib announced today that the CPSC has approved new federal rules to end dangerous, traditional drop-side cribs. The new federal crib standards, set to take effect in June, would stop the sale, re-sale, manufacture, and distribution of drop-side cribs and would also … Continue Reading
December 13, 2010
Gillibrand On Extending Bush Tax Cuts To Wealthy: Wrong For Economy, Wrong For Future Generations
Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand issued the following statement today after voting against cloture on legislation to extend the Bush tax cuts for millionaires and billionaires: "I'm opposing this deal in its current form because right now we need to focus on the middle class, who are always left behind, not the people at the very top, who are doing just fine in this economy. "Although this deal includes important measures I have fiercely advocated for, extending Bush tax … Continue Reading
December 13, 2010
Gillibrand Praises Signing Of Child Nutrition Bill
Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand today praised the signing of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act - the reauthorization of the Child Nutrition Act - calling the legislation, "a step in the right direction." The overhaul of the child nutrition programs includes a number of measures that Senator Gillibrand pushed for, including an increase in the reimbursement rate for schools, new regulation to eliminate junk food, major expansion of access to include all foster children, and new … Continue Reading
December 13, 2010
Reps. Lee and Higgins and Senators Schumer and Gillibrand Join With Flight 3407 Families to Call On Department of Transportation to Fully Enforce Aviation Safety Reforms
BUFFALO - Western New York Congressmen Chris Lee (NY-26) and Brian Higgins (NY-27), and Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand joined with the Flight 3407 family members today to publicly call upon the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) to implement ticketing requirements included in the comprehensive aviation safety reforms signed into law earlier this year. The reforms passed in August as a result of the February 12, 2009 crash of Flight 3407 in Clarence Center included a … Continue Reading
December 12, 2010
As Cyberattacks Over Wikileaks Grows, Gillibrand, Clarke Call On U.S. To Launch Global Effort To Crack Down On Cyber Criminals
New York, NY - After a week in which WikiLeaks supporters launched cyber attacks targeting American companies MasterCard, Visa, and PayPal, Senator Gillibrand, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Representative Yvette D. Clarke, Chairwoman of the House Subcommittee on Emerging Threats, Cybersecurity, and Science and Technology, called on President Obama to launch a global effort to crackdown on cyber criminals. Standing at Symantec's New York City office, lawmakers urged … Continue Reading
December 09, 2010
Gillibrand Statement On Senate Dream Act Vote Today
Washington, DC -U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand today issued the following statement on the Senate Dream Act vote today: "Cada estudiante en Nueva York y en todo el país merece la oportunidad de realizar todo su potencial," indicó la Senadora Gillibrand. "La ley actual castiga injustamente a miles de jóvenes que se han recibido toda su educación en los Estados Unidos y conocen a los Estados Unidos como su único hogar. Esta legislación … Continue Reading
December 09, 2010
Gillibrand Statement On Senate Republicans Filibustering 9/11 Health
Washington, DC - After Senate Republicans today voted against moving the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act to formal debate until the Bush tax breaks are extended for millionaires and billionaires, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand issued the following statement: "The idea that tax cuts for millionaires would derail this legislation is simply outrageous and offensive. The men and women who rushed to the burning towers and worked for hundreds of hours on the pile did not delay and … Continue Reading
December 07, 2010
With Approximately 800,000 Unemployed New Yorkers, Gillibrand Fights To Extend Emergency Unemployment Assistance For Struggling Families
Washington, DC - With approximately 800,000 New Yorkers out of work and approximately 200,000 about to lose the emergency unemployment insurance assistance they depend on, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand is fighting to extend long-term unemployment insurance assistance through the end of 2011. Without an extension, the 200,000 total New Yorkers who will lose their benefits by the end of this year will nearly double to approximately 400,000 by May of 2011. More than 40,000 New York jobs will … Continue Reading
December 06, 2010
As International Talks Of Iran’s Nuclear Program Begin, Gillibrand, Bipartisan Group Of Senators Urge U.S. To Ratchet Up Pressure On Iran Until It Halts Nuclear Ambitions
Washington, DC - Ahead of today's talks on Iran's nuclear program that are now underway between six world powers - the United States, Russia, China, France, Britain and Germany - and Iran, Senator Gillibrand, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, along with a group of bi-partisan Senate colleagues urged President Obama to continue to ratchet up the pressure on Iran through comprehensive enforcement of existing sanctions and new measures until Iran halts its nuclear ambitions and … Continue Reading
December 06, 2010
Gillibrand, Bi-Partisan Coalition Of Congressional Leaders Call For Special Inspections Of Syrian Suspected Nuke Sites After Report Finds Continued Efforts To Block Un Inspectors
Washington, DC - After a new report shows that Syria continues to block a UN nuclear watchdog agency from accessing suspected nuclear sites, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and a bi-partisan coalition of Congressional leaders are urging President Obama to request the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to pursue "special inspections" in Syria. The Senate and House leaders said Syria's transparency is "alarmingly inadequate" and … Continue Reading
