Schumer, Gillibrand Urge FEDs to Open Social Security Satellite Office for Long Beach Seniors After Long Beach Site Closes

Long Beach, NY - After the Social Security Administration shut its Long Beach office doors earlier this month, U.S. Senators Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand today urged Social Security Administration Commissioner Michael Astrue to work with the City of Long Beach to open a part-time local satellite office for the tens of thousands of Long Beach residents seeking help securing their benefits. Lawmakers pointed out that the closure results in Long Beach seniors facing the serious burden … Continue Reading

Gillibrand-Schumer Statement on Inclusion of Nationwide Communications System for First Responders in Payroll Tax Cut Extension Package

Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Kirsten Gillibrand and Charles E. Schumer issued the following statement today as Senate and House negotiators announced a package to extend the payroll tax cut for middle class families, unemployment insurance and the "doc fix" will include a critical first responder communications bill. The legislation, which has broad support of law enforcement and public safety officials across the country, fulfills a key outstanding recommendation of the 9/11 Commission … Continue Reading

Schumer, Gillibrand Announce Over $112,000 for Holbrook District

Washington, D.C. -U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten E. Gillibrand announced $112,500 in federal funding for the Holbrook Fire District to purchase a new fire alarm system, including smoke and carbon dioxide detectors, for the fire station. The funding was allocated through the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program. "By creating a modern fire alarm system in the Holbrook Fire District, this investment will help save lives," said … Continue Reading

Schumer, Gillibrand, King Announce $54,000 for City of Long Beach Fire Department

Washington, D.C. -U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten E. Gillibrand and Representative Peter King announced $54,000 in federal funding for the City of Long Beach Fire Department to purchase new emergency care equipment for their ambulances. The funding was allocated through the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program. "This investment will be a big help to the Long Beach Fire Department," said Senator Schumer. "By allowing the department … Continue Reading

Gillibrand Announces Over $68,000 for Kenmore Fire Department

Washington D.C. - U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand announced today $68,305 in federal funding for the Kenmore Fire Department to install a new ventilation system to filter harmful emissions out of the fire station. The money was allocated through the Federal Emergency Management Administration's (FEMA) Assistance to Firefighters Grant. In October, Senator Gillibrand wrote to FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate urging his support for these resources for Kenmore Fire Department. "This is an … Continue Reading

Gillibrand Announces Over $600,000 for Huguenot Fire Company

Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand today announced $642,314 in federal funding for the Huguenot Fire Company to be used for the Orange County Battalion 8 Fire Companies to purchase new radios to improve communication among firefighters. The funding was allocated through the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program. "This is an important investment for the Orange County Battalion 8 Fire Companies," said Senator Gillibrand. "This … Continue Reading

On The Heels of Report That Found Separating Great Lakes and Mississippi River Basin Would Effectively Prevent Spread of Asian Carp, Schumer, Gillibrand Call on Army Corps To Expedite Their Study

Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand joined with Great Lakes Senators urging the Army Corps of Engineers to rapidly complete their study on using hydraulic separation to prevent the spread of Asian carp into the Great Lakes and New York's waterways. A new report released this month found that separating the Great Lakes and Mississippi River basins would be an effective way of keeping Asian Carp out of the Great Lakes and prevent the potential billions in … Continue Reading

Gillibrand Announces $285,000 for Schenevus Maryland Fire District

Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand announced $285,000 in federal funding for the Schenevus Maryland Fire District to purchase a new fire truck. The funding was allocated through the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program. "This is an important investment for the Schenevus Maryland Fire District," said Senator Gillibrand. "These firefighters put their lives on the line to keep our families safe. We need to ensure that they have … Continue Reading

Gillibrand Announces $72,000 for City of Syracuse Fire Department

Washington D.C. - U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand announced today $72,000 in federal funding for the City of Syracuse Fire Department to purchase thermal imaging cameras that will expedite search and rescue operations. The money was allocated through the Federal Emergency Management Administration's (FEMA) Assistance to Firefighters Grant. The cameras allow for greater visibility during a fire, enabling firefighters to locate victims faster. They can also be used to identify overheated … Continue Reading

Gillibrand Announces New Cybersecurity Bill Includes Measures She Authored to Combat Global Cyber Criminals

Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) today announced that the Securing America's Future: The Cybersecurity Act of 2012, a cybersecurity bill introduced in the U.S. Senate last night, includes important measures the Senator authored in an effort to combat the growing threat of international cybercriminals. Gillibrand's legislation would put the U.S. at the forefront against cyberattacks from abroad by authorizing a State Department official to coordinate U.S. diplomatic … Continue Reading

Schumer, Gillibrand, Slaughter, Higgins & Hochul To CBP: Bring New Border Patrol Station to Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station; Construction at NFARS Is Critical to Northern Border Security, Would Help Preserve Air Station’s Role in WNY

Washington D.C. - Today, U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand and Representatives Louise Slaughter, Brian Higgins and Kathy Hochul urged the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to construct a new border patrol station at the Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station (NFARS) as it seeks a replacement for the outdated Niagara Falls Border Patrol Station. In addition, the representatives are urging the agency to find funding for this … Continue Reading

Schumer, Gillibrand, Hanna, Owens Call on Air Force to Prevent Steep Funding Cuts and Leadership Void at Vital Air Force Research Lab in Rome

U.S. Representatives Richard Hanna and Bill Owens today urged the Air Force Materiel Command to support sustained funding for the Air Force Research Lab in Rome (AFRL Rome), and to expedite the hiring of a new lab director. In a letter to General Donald J. Hoffman, the bipartisan Congressional Delegation highlighted AFRL Rome's important role in current U.S. cyber defense initiatives, and requested that the lab share details on the hiring process of a new director to ensure that its cyber and … Continue Reading

Gillibrand Urges Congressional Negotiators to Include National Communications Network for First Responders in Payroll Tax Cut Extension

Washington, DC - As Senate and House negotiators continue to work towards a deal to extend the payroll tax cut for middle class families, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) released a letter today urging conferees to include a critical first responder communications bill in any final package. The Public Safety Spectrum and Wireless Innovation Act (S. 911), which Senator Gillibrand has helped champion, would create a nationwide, interoperable wireless broadband network equipping all first … Continue Reading

Schumer, Gillibrand, Bishop Intervene to Help Binational LGBT Couple Cut Through Immigration Red Tape to Stay Together in the United States

New York - A same-sex couple, an ailing New Yorker and his partner from South Africa, who faced the threat of being torn apart, since federal immigration benefits do not extend to same-sex couples, have won a reprieve due to the intervention of three local federal lawmakers. For years, binational couple Edwin Blesch from Orient, NY, who has HIV, and his husband and primary caretaker from South Africa, Tim Smulian, fought to have him stay with him in New York. U.S. Senators Charles Schumer and … Continue Reading

Gillibrand Praises White House for Ensuring All Women Have Access to Contraceptive Care While Respecting Religious Beliefs

Washington D.C. - U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) released the following statement today after the White House announced a final rule that ensures every single woman in America will have access to basic preventive health care, including contraception medication, while re-affirming that church institutions will be able to adhere to their religious teachings: "While I remain dumbfounded that in the year 2012 we still have to fight over birth control, I commend the White House for its … Continue Reading

Schumer, Gillibrand Introduce Legislation to Ensure U.S. Military Buys Steel Made in America—Rather than China—For Armor Plates

Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, joined a group of their Senate colleagues in introducing new legislation to ensure that armor plate for America's military is made in America. The bill would restore a 35-year rule, overturned by the Department of Defense in 2009, requiring that steel purchased by the U.S. military be 100 percent made in America-that is, both melted and finished in the United States. The … Continue Reading

Gillibrand, Senators Urge Continuation of Unemployment Insurance

Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand joined 13 of her Senate colleagues to urge the conference committee negotiating the Temporary Payroll Tax Cut Continuation Act to renew federal unemployment insurance provisions through the end of the year without new barriers to participation or new burdensome requirements for states. "This assistance is a lifeline for New Yorkers who have lost their jobs through no fault of their own so they can continue to make ends meet," Senator … Continue Reading

A Contraception “Religious Exemption” for Taco Bell Employees?

Washington D.C. - U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) released the following statement today after a USA Today story today revealed the extent to which opponents of women's access to the full range of preventive health services, including contraception want a "religious exemption" to go. Anthony Picarello, general counsel for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops argued any business or corporation owned by Catholics should be excluded when he cited the problem that would be created for, … Continue Reading

Gillibrand Announces More Than $90,000 for Pound Ridge Volunteer Fire Department

Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand today announced $90,440 in federal funding for the Pound Ridge Fire Department to upgrade their equipment. The funding was allocated through the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program. "This is an important investment for the Pound Ridge Volunteer Fire Department," Senator Gillibrand said. "Our first responders need the proper and up-to-date resources to protect themselves and our communities. … Continue Reading

Gillibrand Statement on House Passage of Stock Act

Washington D.C. - U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand issued the following statement today after the House of Representatives passed their version of the STOCK Act: "We are entrusted with a profound responsibility by the American people to look out for their best interests, and nothing else, certainly not our own financial interests," said Senator Gillibrand, the first member of Congress to post her official daily schedule, all earmark requests and personal financial disclosure online. "Today, we … Continue Reading