SCHUMER ANNOUNCES MORE THAN $4.5 MILLION IN ADDITIONAL FEDERAL FUNDING FOR ROME LABS IN JUST-UNVEILED OMNIBUS BILL

Schumer: Rome Labs is at the Epicenter of Cyber-Defense and Cutting-Edge Communications and Deserves Significant Federal Investment 

U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer today announced that the Omnibus spending bill – a must-pass bill that funds the federal government through the end of the fiscal year – includes an increase of more than $4.5 million in funding for Rome Labs. Schumer was successful in securing $169 million for the budget line in the 2015 Senate appropriations bill which funds Rome Labs, a net increase from 2014 of $4.5 million. Schumer wrote to Senate Appropriators this year for an increase in funding for Rome labs. With the additional funding, Rome Labs will develop a Cyber City Experimentation Range, which provides a real time, realistic environment to assist with the development of effective deployment of cyber technology to the battlefield.

“In an era of constant hacking, cyber-spying and cyber-terror, Rome Labs is at the vanguard of countering cyber threats. Clearly we must double down on our national investment in the work done here, which is why I was proud to fight to ensure this critical federal investment was included in the must-pass budget bill. In addition, DFAS is critical to the Mohawk Valley’s economy, and we worked hard last year to secure protections that make sure these good-paying, local jobs are secure for the long haul and we will keep our eye on the ball,” said Schumer. “I am urging my colleagues on both sides of the aisle and in both chambers of Congress to vote for this bill so we can send this to the President’s desk and these two entities can continue humming as economic engines for the Mohawk Valley.”

Schumer said that in order for Rome Labs – which employs over 1,000 workers – to continue its mission of protecting the nation’s cyber security network, federal funding for the lab must be protected and increased as federal resources will go directly to support the facility’s operations and personnel.

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