Press Releases
Gillibrand Announces Major New Legislation To Create A Postal Bank To Wipe Out Predatory Payday Lending Industry Practices, Ensure All Americans Have Access To Basic Banking Services
Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand today announced major new legislation to create a Postal Bank, which would establish a retail bank in all of the U.S. Postal Service's 30,000 locations. The Postal Bank would effectively end predatory payday lending industry practices overnight by giving low-income Americans, particularly communities of color and rural communities, access to basic banking services that they currently don't have. The lack of access to traditional banking services … Continue Reading
April 24, 2018
Schumer, Gillibrand Demand Special DOJ IG Probe Into Scam Targeting September 11th Victims Compensation Fund Recipients; Vcf Is Overseen By Doj & Senators Say Fed Agency Must Swiftly Determine Who Is Going After 9/11 Vics And How
Washington, DC - U.S. Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer and U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand today wrote a letter to Department of Justice Inspector General Michael E. Horowitz demanding an investigation into a scam targeting ill and injured 9/11 responders. Scammers are contacting the responders, claiming to be with the September 11th Victims Compensation Fund (VCF), and requesting personal and private information. "Targeting 9/11 families to trick them into stealing their sensitive … Continue Reading
April 22, 2018
As Trump-Era Drug Policies Continue To Target Communities Of Color For Low-Level Marijuana Possession, Senator Gillibrand Demands Attorney General Jeff Sessions Meet With New Yorkers Whose Lives Have Been Upended By Failed War On Drugs, End DOJ Directive That Disproportionately Hurts Black And Latino New Yorkers
New York, NY - U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand today stood with State Senator Liz Krueger, advocates, and community leaders to demand that U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions meet with New Yorkers whose lives have been upended by the failed war on drugs. Gillibrand called on Sessions to reverse the Department of Justice (DOJ) directive currently in place that empowers the prosecution of low-level, non-violent marijuana possession offenses, which disproportionately hurt communities of color in … Continue Reading
April 20, 2018
Schumer, Gillibrand Announce $150,000 In Federal Funding For SUNY Broome In Binghamton
Washington, DC - Today, U.S. Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer and U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand announced $150,000 in federal funding for SUNY Broome in Binghamton. The funding was allocated through the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) and will be used to develop a curriculum and secure Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approval to teach an Associate of Occupational Science degree program in Aircraft Maintenance. The degree program will certify community college students to … Continue Reading
April 19, 2018
As Republicans In Congress Move To Take Away SNAP Food Assistance For Low-Income Families Across The Country, Gillibrand Introduces New Legislation With Sanders, Warren, Booker, And Harris To Expand Food Assistance For Our Most Vulnerable Children
Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, today introduced the SNAP for KIDS Act with Senators Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Cory Booker (D-NJ), and Kamala Harris (D-CA). This new legislation would expand the current Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) food assistance program for the most vulnerable children across the country. Gillibrand's legislation comes on the heels of the recent announcement by … Continue Reading
April 18, 2018
Schumer, Gillibrand, Higgins Emphatically Back Roswell Park’s Application For Renewal As National Cancer Institute-Designated Comprehensive Cancer Center
Washington, DC - U.S. Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, and Congressman Brian Higgins (NY-26) are supporting Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center's application to renew the facility's esteemed standing as a National Cancer Institute (NCI) designated comprehensive cancer center, which also guarantees a federal commitment of millions of dollars. Roswell Park was in the first group of three cancer centers to earn the coveted designation when the NCI … Continue Reading
April 18, 2018
To Protect Against Future Flooding Along New York’s Great Lakes Coastline, Senator Gillibrand Pushes For Lakes Coastal Resiliency Study To Be Authorized In Upcoming Water Resources Development Act
Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, a member of the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee, today announced that she is urging her colleagues to authorize the Great Lakes Coastal Resiliency Study in the upcoming Water Resources Development Act. The study would be the first of its kind to coordinate a strategy and recommend actions to manage and protect the Great Lakes coastline and protect nearby communities and the local economy. Multiple federal agencies and the … Continue Reading
April 18, 2018
Senator Gillibrand Announces $86 Million Increase In Impact Aid To Provide Critical Funding For School Districts On Federal Land
Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand today announced that this year's omnibus spending bill increases funding for the Impact Aid Program by $86 million, bringing total funding for the program to $1.4 billion. The Impact Aid Program is a federal program designed to supplement school budgets in districts that are on a large portion of federally-owned, nontaxable land, such as military bases and Native American reservations. Several districts in New York, including some schools in the … Continue Reading
April 17, 2018
Senator Gillibrand Speaks On Senate Floor To Oppose Carlos Muniz’s Nomination For General Counsel At The Department Of Education
**Watch Senator Gillibrand's remarks here ** Washington, DC - Today, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand spoke on the Senate floor and urged her colleagues to vote against the nomination of Carlos Muniz to be General Counsel at the U.S. Department of Education. In this role, Muniz would serve as the principal advisor on all legal matters affecting the Department and would play a lead role in all rulemakings on issues, including Title IX. Department of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos and the … Continue Reading
April 13, 2018
As Algal Blooms Continue To Cause Environmental And Economic Damage To Chautauqua Lake, Senator Gillibrand Urges EPW Committee To Take Steps To Improve Lake’s Water Quality In Upcoming Water Resources Development Act
Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand today announced that she is urging the Environment and Public Works Committee (EPW) to authorize a Chautauqua Lake Feasibility Study in the upcoming Water Resources Development Act to address the continued environmental and economic damage caused by algal blooms. This study authorization would allow the Army Corps of Engineers to evaluate excessive phosphorous runoff causing repeated harmful algal blooms to impair the lake's water quality. … Continue Reading
April 12, 2018
Schumer, Gillibrand Announce $1.5 Million In Federal Funding For Alfred State’s Biorefinery Development And Commercialization Center (BDCC)
Washington, DC - U.S. Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer and U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand today announced $1.5 million in federal funding to Alfred State College (ASC) in Alfred, New York. The funding was allocated through the Economic Development Administration (EDA) for the Biorefinery Development and Commercialization Center (BDCC). The senators said the center will be a major "launching pad" that will leverage natural resources, like wood, to create sustainable businesses and … Continue Reading
April 12, 2018
Schumer, Gillibrand Announce $295,000 In Federal Funding For The American Foundation For The Blind
Washington, DC - U.S. Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer and U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand today announced a $295,000 National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) grant for the American Foundation for the Blind (AFB). AFB will use the funds to complete a project to fully digitize Helen Keller's archival collection online and make the collection accessible to website visitors who are blind, deaf or hard of hearing, and deaf-blind. AFB's Helen Keller Archival Collection is the largest … Continue Reading
April 10, 2018
Schumer, Gillibrand Demand Review Of Process For New York’s Utilities As Thousands Of New Yorkers Faced Extended Power Outages In The Wake Of Wind Storms
Washington, DC - U.S. Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer and U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand today wrote a letter to the President and CEO of NYSEG and RG&E, demanding a review of the process for restoring full power after outages in the wake of last week's wind storms. The letter also requests transparency about what concrete steps the utility companies are taking when responding to major storm events. "We write to express our deep concern over the extended power outages for … Continue Reading
April 06, 2018
Gillibrand Demands Answers From VA Leadership After Alarming Reports Of Sexual Misconduct By Watertown VA Doctor
Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand today wrote to Acting Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) Robert Wilkie and Syracuse VA Medical Center Director Judy Hayman, who oversees the VA's services at the CANI Building Medical Complex in Watertown, NY, demanding answers for the timeline on events surrounding reports that Dr. Jerome Cuyler sexually abused service members undergoing examinations in Watertown. "Providing the highest standard of care for our service members and veterans is … Continue Reading
April 04, 2018
Schumer, Gillibrand Announce More Than $89 Million In Federal Funding For Youthbuild Program In Just-Passed Bipartisan Omnibus Legislation
Washington, DC - U.S. Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer and U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand today announced that the just-passed bipartisan omnibus included $89,500,000 for the U.S. Department of Labor's YouthBuild program, a $5 million increase from Fiscal Year 2017. YouthBuild is a pre-apprenticeship program that helps at-risk youth from ages 16 to 24 develop skills and knowledge to obtain industry-recognized job credentials, apprenticeships, and employment. There are 147 national … Continue Reading
April 03, 2018
Schumer, Gillibrand Announce Nearly $4 Million In Federal Funding For Westchester County To Replace Buses On The Bee-Line Bus System
Washington, DC - U.S. Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer and U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand today announced a $3,600,000 U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) grant for Westchester County. The funding will be used to purchase new articulated vehicles and modernize the Bee-Line's bus fleet. The senators said this funding will help the Bee-Line replace outdated vehicles. The Bee-Line Service provides roughly 2.5 million rides to Westchester County residents on a monthly basis and … Continue Reading
April 03, 2018
Schumer, Gillibrand Announce More Than $2 Million In Federal Funding For Broome County Department Of Public Transportation
Washington, DC - Today, U.S. Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer and U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand announced $2,040,000 in federal funding for the Broome County Department of Public Transportation (BC Transit). The funding was allocated through the U.S. Department of Transportation's (DOT) Federal Transit Administration (FTA). This funding will allow BC Transit to purchase new hybrid electric buses. These new buses will replace older diesel model buses and reduce emissions and … Continue Reading
April 03, 2018
Gillibrand Announces National Historic Registry Listing For Lyons Downtown Historic District
Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand today announced that the Lyons Downtown Historic District in Wayne County has been granted a designation on the National Register of Historic Places. This designation will encourage economic development in the Lyons community and allow for repairs and revitalization in the historic district. "The Lyons Downtown Historic District is one of New York's treasured communities along the Erie Canal and this designation on the National Register of … Continue Reading
March 28, 2018
Gillibrand, Klobuchar, Murray Lead Bipartisan Push With All 22 Women Senators Calling On Senate Leadership To Bring Forward Legislation To Reform Sexual Harassment And Discrimination Rules In Congress
WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, along with Senators Amy Klobuchar and Patty Murray, led a letter with all 22 Democratic and Republican women Senators calling on Senate leadership to bring legislation up for a vote that would update and strengthen the current reporting process for survivors of all forms of sexual harassment and discrimination in Congress. The House of Representatives passed bipartisan legislation in February that would help prevent sexual harassment and … Continue Reading
March 28, 2018
Senator Gillibrand, Congressman Nadler Urge Usda To Label Kosher And Halal Food For The National School Lunch Program
Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand and U.S. Representative Jerrold Nadler today urged the U.S. Department of Agriculture to issue food codes for kosher and halal foods to be used in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP). The National School Lunch Program is a federal meal program that provides low-cost or free lunches to school children. Schools receive funding to spend on government food for the program, however, they cannot use the entirety of their NSLP funds for kosher and … Continue Reading
