Press Releases
As New Yorkers Prepare to Honor All Veterans, Gillibrand Announces Plan to Strengthen Job Protections, Open Access to Financial Counseling, Mental Health for National Guard and Reserve Members
Washington, D.C. - With approximately 25,000 full and part-time National Guard and Reserve Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines in New York State, including approximately 1,300 serving in combat zones in Iraq and Afghanistan this year, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, is announcing a new plan to give National Guard and Reserve members access to the services and opportunities they deserve in return for their service and sacrifice. Senator … Continue Reading
November 07, 2011
Schumer, Gillibrand Announce New York Set to Receive $2 Million in Emergency Funding for Highway Flood Damage from Hurricanes Irene and Lee
Today, U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand announced that the Department of Transportation's Federal Highway Administration is releasing $2 million in emergency relief money for New York State after Hurricanes Irene and Lee. Specifically, this funding will help fund repairs to washed out roads and bridges, debris deposits on roadways, damaged roadway surfaces and more. Schumer applauds the DOT for its allocation of funding to New York, as it will provide critical aid to the … Continue Reading
November 04, 2011
Schumer & Gillibrand Fight to Prevent Cuts to Disaster Relief Funding
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand urged the members of the House-Senate Conference Committee to include the $3.176 billion for disaster relief in the Agriculture, Commerce, Justice, and Science, and Transportation and Housing and Urban Development Appropriations Bill that passed the full Senate earlier this week. New York State is still recovering from the devastation caused by Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee this summer. The Senate version of the … Continue Reading
November 03, 2011
Schumer, Gillibrand, Maloney, Crowley, King, Rangel, Israel Successfully Change Medicare Rule to Provide $28 Million per Year to Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
Today, U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand and U.S. Representatives Carolyn Maloney, Joe Crowley, Peter King, Charles Rangel, and Steve Israel announced that they have successfully secured a Medicare payment improvement resulting in Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) receiving $28 million more each year from the federal government to provide state-of-the-art cancer care to New Yorkers. MSKCC is the world's oldest and largest private cancer center, and one of the … Continue Reading
November 03, 2011
Gillibrand Statement as Key Senate Committee Begins Debate to Repeal “Defense of Marriage Act”
Washington, D.C. - After the Senate Judiciary Committee began debate this morning on the Respect for Marriage Act, legislation to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand issued the following statement: "I applaud Chairman Leahy for beginning this historic debate to end the discrimination that is currently enshrined into U.S. law. "Marriage is the true foundation for strong families. Every loving, committed couple deserves the basic human right to get … Continue Reading
November 03, 2011
Key Senate Panel Approves Gillibrand Recommended Ronnie Abrams for U.S. District Court Judge, Southern District of New York
Washington, D.C. - The Senate Judiciary Committee today unanimously voted for U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand's nominee Ms. Ronnie Abrams to serve as a U.S. District Court Judge for the Southern District of New York. Senator Gillibrand recommended her for the position in April as her first judicial recommendation. Her appointment would add another exceptional female jurist to the federal bench. Ms. Abrams nomination now heads to the full Senate. A distinguished prosecutor, Ms. Abrams rose … Continue Reading
November 02, 2011
Schumer, Gillibrand, Higgins Successfully Change Medicare Rule To Provide $3.2 Million Per Year To Roswell Park Cancer Institute
Today, U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer, Kirsten Gillibrand, and Congressman Brian Higgins (NY-27) announced that they have successfully secured a Medicare payment improvement resulting in Roswell Park Cancer Institute receiving $3.2 million more each year from the federal government to provide state-of-the-art cancer care to New Yorkers. Roswell Park, Upstate New York's only NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, is a leader nationwide in alleviating suffering due to cancer. Due to … Continue Reading
November 02, 2011
Gillibrand Helps Decorated NY Soldier on his Mission to Replace 14 Stolen Medals for his Service Overseas
Holtsville, NY - Following Master Sergeant Jeffrey DeRosa's twenty-year long military service, the decorated Long Island soldier returned home to discover all of his medals and awards were missing from his shipped belongings. After MSG DeRosa contacted the U.S. Army seeking replacement medals without success, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, stepped in to urge the U.S. Army to re-issue the 14 medals, as well as the lost posthumous Purple … Continue Reading
November 02, 2011
Gillibrand, Wyden, Kirk Push for $2 Million in Funding for U.S.-Israel Energy Cooperative Agreement
Washington, DC - U.S. Senators Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Mark Kirk (R-IL) today urged the Senate Appropriations Committee Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development to allocate $2 million in funding for the U.S.-Israel Energy Cooperative Agreement for FY2012, which is included in the House Appropriations bill. The debate in the Senate over funding starts this week. Senator Gillibrand has led the fight over the years ensuring that this critical grant program between the … Continue Reading
October 29, 2011
Hochul, Higgins, Slaughter, Reed, Schumer & Gillibrand Call On Attorney General to Investigate Colgan
WESTERN NEW YORK - Today, Representatives Kathy Hochul (NY-26), Brian Higgins (NY-27), Louise Slaughter (NY-28), and Tom Reed (NY-29), along with Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, called on U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder to investigate whether Colgan Airlines intentionally withheld emails from a federal agency during the investigation of the crash of the Continental Connection Flight 3407 in February 2009. "The people in my district experienced an unimaginable tragedy … Continue Reading
October 28, 2011
Gillibrand, Blumenthal Call On CFPB To Study Credit Rules That Discriminate Against Stay At Home Spouses
Washington, DC - U.S. Senators Kirsten Gillibrand and Richard Blumenthal today released their letter to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) requesting the agency study the effects of the Federal Reserve's "Ability to Pay" provisions that could have unintended, negative consequences for stay-at-home spouses who rely on their partner for a household income. In the letter, the Senators write, "The study should examine the effects of the uniform standard for the first year after the … Continue Reading
October 28, 2011
Gillibrand Introduces Every Child Deserves A Family Act
Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand today announced that she will introduce the Every Child Deserves a Family Act, legislation that would open more homes to foster children by working with states to end discrimination against adoptive and foster parents based on sexual orientation, gender identity, and marital status. Nationwide, there are an estimated 400,000 children in the U.S. foster care system, and there are more than 107,000 children currently waiting to be adopted, … Continue Reading
October 27, 2011
Schumer, Gillibrand Announce Oneida County to Receive Critical FEMA Assistance
Today, U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand announced that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has awarded Oneida County public assistance for infrastructure repairs in the wake of Tropical Storm Lee. Senators Schumer and Gillibrand said this is an important step in making sure that Oneida County gets the help it needs to recover from Lee. "Based on what I saw in Whitesboro, it was absolutely clear that Oneida County deserved this assistance," said Schumer. "In … Continue Reading
October 21, 2011
Schumer, Gillibrand Announce Herkimer County to Receive Critical FEMA Assistance
Today, U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand announced that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has awarded Herkimer County public assistance for infrastructure repairs and individual assistance to help rebuild and repair homes and businesses damaged by Tropical Storm Lee. Schumer personally called Administrator Fugate, urging FEMA to extend this type of assistance as quickly as possible. Schumer and Gillibrand said that this was an important step in making sure … Continue Reading
October 21, 2011
Schumer, Gillibrand Announce Schoharie and Schenectady Counties to Receive Critical FEMA Assistance
Today, U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand announced that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has awarded Schoharie County individual assistance to help rebuild and repair homes and businesses damaged by Tropical Storm Lee and Schenectady County has been awarded public assistance to help with debris removal, emergency protective actions, and the repair or replacement of disaster-damaged facilities. Schoharie County is already eligible for public assistance and … Continue Reading
October 21, 2011
Gillibrand Statement on American Troops Coming Home from Iraq
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, issued the following statement today after President Obama announced the end of the War in Iraq by the end of this December: "I commend President Obama for responsibly ending the war in Iraq and bringing our troops home. But we must also re-focus on our national security interests in Afghanistan and bring our combat troops from there as well after a full decade at war. "Drawing down the war … Continue Reading
October 21, 2011
Gillibrand – Schumer Amendment Passes to Provide Emergency Resources to Help NY Farmers Recover from Irene & Lee
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Kirsten Gillibrand and Charles E. Schumer announced passage of their farm aid amendment that would provide the resources that farmers across New York State need to help recover from the devastation caused by Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee. The provision would invest an additional $110 million for a total of $437.2 million to support the Emergency Conservation Program (ECP) and the Emergency Watershed Program (EWP) that provide emergency services and … Continue Reading
October 20, 2011
Schumer, Gillibrand Introduce Legislation to Protect New York’s Maple Syrup Producers and Consumers
Washington, DC - U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand today introduced legislation that would make intentionally mislabeling food products as "maple syrup" a federal crime. Currently this form of food fraud is only a misdemeanor. The legislation would make these crimes a felony, increasing sentences that prosecutors can seek for people who defraud consumers and farmers by intentionally mislabeling maple syrup. "Maple farmers across New York state produce some of the … Continue Reading
October 20, 2011
Gillibrand Statement on Death of Muammar Qaddafi
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, issued the following statement today on the death of Muammar Qaddafi: "Qaddafi was a brutal dictator who killed 189 Americans and his own people. His death will allow the people of Libya to unify and write the next chapter of Libya's history. As the new Libyan government moves forward on the path toward democracy, they must hold all those responsible for terrorist acts under Qaddafi's brutal … Continue Reading
October 19, 2011
During Teen Driver Safety Week, Gillibrand Calls for Support of Legislation to Save Lives – Passage of Critical Safety Law
Washington, D.C. - In honor of National Teen Driver Safety Week, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand today called on her fellow Senators to join her in support of the Safe Teen and Novice Driver Uniform Protection (STAND UP) Act, legislation she wrote to set minimum standards for states to enact Graduated Drivers License (GDL) programs that will prepare teens to be responsible drivers. Senator Gillibrand's STAND-UP Act was included in the Senate Commerce Committee's Highway Safety package in July, … Continue Reading
