Newsroom

US Senator Charles E. Schumer today warned that 6,400 upstate families spanning nearly every county could lose their housing under the Administrations proposal to cut funding for the Department of Housing and Urban Developments (HUD) Section 8 housing voucher program by $1.6 billion in FY05. To avert this from happening, Schumer said the program, which provides 53,000 families in upstate New York with vouchers to cover the cost of private rental housing, must be fully funded. "This... Read More

US Senator Charles E. Schumer today asked President George W. Bush to nominate former Richmond County District Attorney William Murphy to a new vacancy on the federal bench that will occur when Judge Denis R. Hurley retires. "D.A. Murphy is an excellent lawyer, a dedicated public servant, and a profoundly good man. I have no doubt that he will be an outstanding jurist, committed to interpreting law, not making law. He will serve the court honorably and handle cases fairly," Schumer... Read More

U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer and U.S. Congressman Brian Higgins today urged the Postmaster General of the United States to accept the recommendation from the local postmaster to build a new postal facility in Lackawanna. Constructing a new, first class retail location is a top priority for the city and officials believe the best chance of accomplishing this is if an entire new facility is constructed. After a second analysis of how the postal service can best adjust to the population shifts... Read More

US Senators Charles Schumer and Hillary Rodham Clinton today announced that Congress approved $2 million in the 2005 Defense Department spending bill for Central New York defense projects. Projects to be funded under the bill include $1 million for the Rome Air Force Research Laboratorys Joint Battlespace Infosphere project and $1 million for Cortland Cables synthetic material arresting cable development project. The bill must now be sent to the President and eventually signed into... Read More

US Senators Charles E. Schumer and Hillary Rodham Clinton announced today that Congress has approved $8.3 million in funding for the Hancock Field base, including $6 million for a Military Entrance Processing Station for the Army and $2.3 million to replace the Mobility Processing Center for the Air National Guard. The news came as the House and Senate approved the FY 2005 Department of Defense Military Construction Appropriations Bill. The bill will now go to the President for his... Read More

Standing alongside frustrated drivers at the foot of the Peace Bridge, US Senator Charles E. Schumer today urged the Bureau of Customs & Border Protection to increase staffing levels at bridge check points to meet peak traffic demands. Traffic problems on the bridge have become more than an inconvenience, and local businesses are starting to feel the pinch of less customers and more expensive deliveries. Anyone who's driven along the Peace Bridge during peak times knows that this is a... Read More

US Senators Charles Schumer and Hillary Rodham Clinton today announced that the joint House and Senate Conference Committee approved $16.8 million for Schweizer Aircraft to help support the development of the Fire Scout RQ8 Vertical Takeoff and Landing Tactical Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (VTUAV) to be used by the US Navy and Marine Corps. The bill must now be approved by the Congress before being sent to the President and eventually signed into law. Specifically, today's funding will allow... Read More

US Senator Charles E. Schumer today announced that the Senate last night voted to authorize the nations first Signal Corps style program and said that New York is likely to be selected for one of two pilot programs which would drastically improve communications between the citys first responders at a terror site. The model programs funded by Federal Homeland Security Funding would create a specialized demonstration project of police, firefighters, EMTs, and other emergency personnel whose only... Read More

US Senators Charles E. Schumer today announced that the Senate and House Conference on the Defense Authorization Act of 2005 has agreed to an amendment that will provide Western New Yorkers with the support that they need and deserve to effectively navigate the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act. A measure introduced by Senator Schumer will establish a new resource center in Western New York that would help sick nuclear workers with their compensation applications.... Read More

US Senator Charles E. Schumer today announced over $858,000 in federal funds awarded to local fire departments and organizations across New York State to help the department reduce the effects of fire and fire related incidents. The funds are being awarded through the Assistance to Firefighters program administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). This is a great day for local fire departments and organizations across New York, said Schumer. In the brave new post9/11 world, our... Read More

US Senator Charles E. Schumer today revealed that he has launched an aggressive lobbying campaign to keep Boscov's department store in Binghamton. Schumer today sent a letter to the company's CEO Al Boscov and urged him to keep the store from closing. The city owns the property and leased it to Boscov's for a 20 year term which has now expired. "I told Mr. Boscov that keeping his store in Binghamton would be a winwin situation: good for the region and good for him, too,"... Read More

US Senator Charles Schumer today announced that at his request the Senate has passed a tax bill by a 6917 margin that includes green bonds for the DestiNY resort in Syracuse. The bill includes a measure that Schumer requested to secure taxexempt "green bonds" that would help finance the project. With the House having passed the measure earlier this week, it has now passed Congress and awaits the President's signature. "Obviously, this is very good news for DestiNY,"... Read More

US Senator Charles Schumer today charged the Federal government with being woefully unprepared to deal with this weeks news of drastic flu vaccine shortages and called for the immediate importation of emergency supplies from Canada, Europe, and Japan. With just two drug makers producing the flu vaccine for use in the US and no back up system in place, Schumer faulted the federal government for leaving thousands of high risk New Yorkers in the cold this flu season. To ensure the high risk are... Read More

US Senator Charles Schumer today announced that Congress has approved an estimated $2.9 billion disaster package for farmers suffering from adverse weather conditions and flooding caused by the recent string of hurricanes that have pounded the Eastern United States. Last month, one the same day the Senate passed the initial version of the disaster package, Schumer had met with New York Farm Bureau President John Lincoln and several other farm bureau members to discuss the need for this disaster... Read More

US Senator Charles E. Schumer today announced that the federal government will help the North Country Mission of Hope in Plattsburgh transport over $1 million in medical supplies from the former Plattsburgh Air Force Base Hospital to Nicaragua. Schumer was notified today that the Department of Defense's Denton Funded Transportation Program has agreed to his request and will work with the North Country Mission of Hope so they can ship the equipment to Nicaragua shortly. "I would like to... Read More

US Senator Charles Schumer introduced legislation to provide adjustment of immigration status to nationals of Montseratt who are currently in the US under Temporary Protected Status (TPS). In 1995 volcanic activity began on the island of Montserrat forcing 8,000 of the 12,000 inhabitants to flee to various regions of the world. In 1997, 292 refugees were granted TPS in the US, renewable each year, as a result of the continuously erupting volcanoes in Montserrat. The TPS program is being... Read More

Washington, DC Senators Charles E. Schumer and Hillary Rodham Clinton today announced that New York would receive an additional $25 million in funds to reimburse the city for security costs associated with the Republican National Convention. The legislation was included in the FY 2005 Department of Defense Appropriations Bill which was passed by the U.S. Congress late last night and now heads to the President for his signature. The money will be available as soon as the bill becomes... Read More

US Senators Charles E. Schumer and Hillary Rodham Clinton announced today that the joint House and Senate Conference Committee approved $2.5 million in the 2005 Defense Department spending bill for to support the work of Rochesters National Center for Excellence in Infotonics. The bill must now be approved by the Congress before being sent to the President and eventually being signed into law. The federal funding would go toward supporting the work at the stateoftheart research and development... Read More

US Senators Charles E. Schumer and Hillary Rodham Clinton announced today that legislation to establish a new system to preserve the environmental quality of the Long Island Sound (LIS) passed the Senate. The bill must be passed in the House before its final approval by the President. Schumer and Clinton cosponsored the bill with Senator Christopher Dodd, when it was first introduced in the Senate in April, and again when it was reintroduced in July, by Senator Joe Lieberman. "Since the... Read More

US Senators Charles Schumer and Hillary Rodham Clinton today announced that Congress approved $26 million in the 2005 Defense Department spending bill for Western New York defense projects. Projects to be funded under the bill include, $10.2 million for Carwell Products Inc. in Cheektowaga, for their Army and Marine Corrosion Prevention and Control Program, $2.5 million for UMTE Modernization Program Communications Reliability Upgrade by DRS, and $9.8 million for Amherst Systems Air National... Read More