Press Releases
Senator Gillibrand Announces 9/11 Bill Has Reached Filibuster-Proof Support of Bipartisan Coalition of 60 Senators
Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand today released the following statement after the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund permanent funding bill reached 60 cosponsors: "A bipartisan, filibuster-proof majority of the Senate has now cosponsored our bill to make the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund permanent. We have the votes for this bill to pass as soon as it comes to the floor. I urge Senator McConnell to not stand in the way and commit to a standalone, up-or-down vote on this legislation … Continue Reading
June 25, 2019
Schumer and Gillibrand Joint Statement on the Issuance of a Humanitarian Visa for Benjamin Barragan, Man With Young Children and Terminally Ill Wife in Brooklyn
"After working with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Embassy in Mexico to ensure that they prioritized Mr. Barragan's urgent case, we are relieved to learn that he has been issued a temporary humanitarian visa to care for his children and terminally ill wife in Brooklyn. This was the humane and right thing to do; it made no sense to separate him from his family in the first place. Now they will have an opportunity to comfort and support one another during this difficult … Continue Reading
June 24, 2019
Senator Gillibrand Statement On 9/11 First Responders’ Meeting With Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell
Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand released the following statement on tomorrow's meeting between 9/11 first responders and U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell: "While I appreciate that Senator McConnell is meeting with the 9/11 responders, I hope that it will be the last time they have to come down to Washington, period. They are sick, they are dying, and they have already had to spend too much of their precious time walking the halls of Congress and fighting to … Continue Reading
June 24, 2019
Schumer, Gillibrand Announce Over $1.5 Million in Federal Funds for Ogdensburg International Airport in St. Lawrence County
Washington, DC - U.S. Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer and U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand today announced $1,534,000 in federal funding for the Ogdensburg International Airport in St. Lawrence County. The funding was allocated through the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) and the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) Airport Improvement Program (AIP). Specifically, the funding will be used to install a new approach lighting system for the airport's runway. "Keeping our … Continue Reading
June 21, 2019
Gillibrand, Senate Colleagues Introduce Legislation to Require Alternatives to Detention for Asylum Seekers, Migrant Children, and Families Entering the Country
Washington, DC - Today, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), along with U.S. Senators Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Ed Markey (D-MA), and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), announced the Alternatives to Detention Act of 2019, legislation that would take important first steps toward reforming the nation's detention-based immigration system. With unprecedented levels of immigrants being detained around the country and alarming reports of mistreatment at immigrant detention centers, this legislation … Continue Reading
June 21, 2019
Gillibrand, Murkowski Announce Bipartisan Bill to Give More Kids Access to Healthy Meals When School Is Out For the Summer
Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) today announced a bill to expand access to healthy meals for kids when school is out for the summer. During the summer months, children who rely on school meals to eat face the risk of going hungry. Gillibrand and Murkowski's legislation, the Summer Meals Act of 2019, would improve the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Summer Food Service Program, which provides low-income children who would … Continue Reading
June 20, 2019
Gillibrand Announces Legislation to Block Proposed HUD Rule Prohibiting Families with Mixed Citizenship Status from Receiving Federal Housing Aid
Washington, DC - Today, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand announced legislation to block a Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) rule that would prohibit families from receiving federal housing aid if there is at least one member who is undocumented living in the household. This rule proposed by HUD last month would require families receiving federal housing aid, such as those that live in public housing or receive Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers, to provide evidence of citizenship … Continue Reading
June 20, 2019
As Alarming Reports Emerge That Trump Administration Is Risking Unnecessary and Unauthorized War with Iran, Gillibrand Sends Urgent Letter to President Trump, Demands That No U.S. Armed Forces Are Sent To War with Iran without an Explicit Congressional Authorization per the Constitution
Gillibrand's Letter to Trump Comes as Members of Administration and Congress - Including Advocates of the Iraq War - Are Urging the President to Send Americans to Fight in a War with Iran; Trump Administration Has Already Begun Sending More U.S. Troops and Weapon Systems to Gulf Region; Latest Escalation Follows Increased Nuclear Risks Exacerbated by President Trump's Ill-Considered Unilateral Withdrawal from Iran Nuclear Agreement; Gillibrand: Such a War is Not Authorized, Would Unnecessarily … Continue Reading
June 20, 2019
Gillibrand Announces Bipartisan Bill To Improve Adoption And Foster Care Standards Nationwide
Washington, DC - U.S. Senators Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and James Lankford (R-OK) today announced bipartisan legislation to improve the placement of children with families in the foster care and adoption system in the United States. The National Adoption and Foster Care Home Study Act would establish a national standard for home studies, which provide child welfare agencies with the information they need to determine the best placement for a child, and create a database to achieve greater … Continue Reading
June 18, 2019
With Report After Report Detailing The Mistreatment Of Migrant Children At Detention Facilities, Gillibrand Calls On Congress To Restrict Funding For Facilities That Do Not Meet Minimum Standards Of Care To Protect Unaccompanied Children
U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand today announced that she is calling on Senate Appropriators to restrict federal funding for government facilities housing unaccompanied migrant children that do not meet minimum standards of care meant to protect children. This comes as the Trump Administration requests emergency supplemental funding for the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) Unaccompanied Alien Children Program, which oversees facilities housing unaccompanied migrant children. However, with … Continue Reading
June 17, 2019
Gillibrand Calls For Sans Historic District in Suffolk County to Be Placed On the National Register of Historic Places
U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand today called on the National Park Service to place the Sag Harbor Hills, Azurest, and Ninevah Beach Subdivisions (SANS) Historic District in Suffolk County on the National Register of Historic Places. The SANS neighborhoods were among the very few beach communities on the East Coast founded by African Americans, and are one of the last African American beachfront communities remaining in the United States. Founded following World War II, the SANS communities … Continue Reading
June 14, 2019
Gillibrand and Delgado Introduce Legislation to Help Communities in New York and Across the Country Repair Their Aging Water Infrastructure
Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and U.S. Representative Antonio Delgado (D-NY-19) today announced legislation to help repair the nation's aging water infrastructure. The Promoting Infrastructure and Protecting the Economy (PIPE) Act would create a new grant program to help communities in New York and across the country invest in critical water system upgrades. The bill would authorize $5 billion over 10 years to provide discretionary grants to state and local … Continue Reading
June 13, 2019
Schumer, Gillibrand Announce Over $1.2 Million In Federal Head Start Funding For Early Childhood Learning Center Of Greene County
Washington, DC - U.S. Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer and U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand today announced $1,291,614 in federal funding for Early Childhood Learning Center of Greene County. The funding was provided by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Head Start Program and will be used to support child care and support services for low-income families in Greene County. "Study after study shows that the better we prepare our young children, through programs like Head … Continue Reading
June 13, 2019
Gillibrand Announces “Every Child Deserves a Family” Legislation to End Discrimination Against LQBTQ Adoptive Parents, Foster Parents and Children in the Federal Foster Care System and Help Give More Children a Loving Home
Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) today announced she has introduced the Every Child Deserves a Family Act to help give more children a loving home by ending current discriminatory laws that allow organizations to discriminate against prospective adoptive and foster parents based on sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, or religion. This legislation would also prohibit discrimination against children and youth in the foster care system on the basis of … Continue Reading
June 13, 2019
After Recent Department of Defense Report Highlights Its Continued Failure to Address Crisis of Military Sexual Assault, Gillibrand Leads Bipartisan Group of Senators to Reintroduce Military Justice Improvement Act and Calls On Congress to Act
Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), the ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Personnel Subcommittee, today led a bipartisan group of Senators to reintroduce the Military Justice Improvement Act, which would professionalize how the military prosecutes serious crimes by moving the decision over whether to prosecute them to independent, trained, professional military prosecutors. According to the Department of Defense's own data in this year's Sexual Assault Prevention … Continue Reading
June 13, 2019
After Years-Long Bipartisan Push, Gillibrand and Daines Announce Senate Passage of Legislation They Have Championed To Ensure Blue Water Navy Vets Get the Benefits They Have Earned
Washington, DC - U.S. Senators Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and Steve Daines (R-MT) today announced the Senate has unanimously passed legislation they have championed, the Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act, which would ensure Blue Water Navy Veterans have access to the benefits and care they have earned and deserve. "I have been proud to lead the Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act for years and am thrilled that the Senate has finally passed this bipartisan bill to ensure Blue Water Navy … Continue Reading
June 12, 2019
Schumer, Gillibrand Announce $800K in Federal Railroad Administration Funding for the Ogdensburg Bridge and Port Authority in St. Lawrence County
U.S. Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer and U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand today announced $800,000 in federal funding for the Ogdensburg Bridge and Port Authority. The funding was allocated through the U.S. Department of Transportation and Federal Railway Administration's (FRA) Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements Grant Program, and will be used to acquire equipment such as a railcar unloading conveyor, a stockpiling conveyor, two front-end loaders and a vessel … Continue Reading
June 12, 2019
Senator Gillibrand Praises Unanimous Passage of 9/11 VCF Bill out of House Judiciary Committee, Urges Congress to Move Quickly
Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand today released the following statement after the House Judiciary Committee unanimously passed legislation to make the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund program permanent: "The House Judiciary Committee took an important step in passing the 9/11 VCF bill and I expect that it will pass the full House. Yesterday should be the last time our first responders have to come to Washington. As they so eloquently testified - they are sick, they are dying, and … Continue Reading
June 08, 2019
Schumer, Gillibrand Call on Army Corps of Engineers to Approve Two Critical Projects for Town of Greece and Youngstown to Protect Against Lake Ontario Flood Damage
Washington, DC - Today, U.S. Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer and U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand announced their call for the Army Corps of Engineers to approve two critical projects that would help New York communities devastated by Lake Ontario flooding. Their call comes as the International Joint Commission announced this week that water levels on Lake Ontario have exceeded record levels. Specifically, the senators are calling for the Army Corps to initiate a new project for the … Continue Reading
June 07, 2019
Gillibrand, Merkley, Baldwin Introduce Bill to “Level the Playing Field” for American Workers in Global Trade Agreements
Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand today announced legislation she introduced with U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) that would "level the playing field" for American workers in global trade agreements. The Level the Playing Field in Global Trade Act of 2019 would require any future trade agreements that is eligible for fast track consideration by Congress to include enforceable wage, workplace, and environmental standards. This would help ensure that … Continue Reading
