Kirsten Gillibrand

Cancellation of Study Will Save Nearly 400 Jobs, Taxpayer Money; Move Comes After Persistent Lobbying From Schumer, Gillibrand, Hinchey and Hall

November 17, 2009 -- Today, U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand along with Congressmen Maurice Hinchey and John Hall announced that the official decision to cancel the West Point study that was proven to be flawed and ineffective was issued today, preventing the loss of hundreds of federal jobs at the United States Military Academy at West Point, and saving taxpayer money.

The study, referred to as an A-76 study, is currently used to compare the use of private versus public employees to ensure that the government does not waste taxpayers' money.    » read more »

“Without Proper Coverage, These Women Will Be Forced to Return to Dangerous Back Alley Providers”

November 16, 2009 -- New York, NY - With the U.S. Senate set to begin debate on health care reform this week, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand was joined today by dozens of women leaders to protest Michigan Democratic Representative Bart Stupak's amendment which passed the House of Representatives this month and would deny millions of women access to reproductive care.    » read more »

“We Are Not Creating Jobs Fast Enough and Must Take Additional, Immediate Steps to Help Save and Create Jobs”

November 6, 2009 -- Washington, D.C. - Today, as the U.S. Department of Labor announced October unemployment reached 10.2 percent, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand issued the following statement:

"Today's unemployment number is a dire indication of how deep the current crisis has pushed our economy.    » read more »

Hundreds of Thousands Illegally Taking Advantage of Credit, Costing Taxpayers Over $100 Million

October 29, 2009 -- Washington, DC - With new reports that hundreds of thousands are illegally taking advantage of a tax credit to help get first-time homebuyers into the housing market without actually purchasing a home, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand today co-sponsored legislation that would crack down on fraud and improve oversight of the first-time homebuyer tax credit.

The U.S. Treasury Department Inspector General released a report this month revealing167 schemes and over 100,000 individual cases of fraud related to the first-time homebuyer tax credit - costing taxpayers over $100 million.    » read more »

Federal Dollars Would Lower Costs in Lower Hudson Valley; Con Edison Applied For Federal Recovery Dollars To Modernize Grid, Install Smart Meters

October 27, 2009 -- Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand today announced more than $136 million that will help lower energy costs for residents in Westchester, Rockland, and Orange Counties and New York City. The federal funding will be used for an initiative by Con Edison to modernize the electric grid.

The federal dollars would be allocated by the U.S. Department of Energy through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, which Senator Gillibrand helped pass earlier this year. The federal investment would help Con Edison's 3.3 million customers conserve energy and save on their electric bills.    » read more »

Gillibrand Says Over 900 Food Products Have Been Recalled for Various Violations from New York City Shelves Since 2005

October 18, 2009 -- New York, NY - In response to a new report out this month from United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) showing nearly 1 out of every 300 samples of ground beef contains E. coli, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, the first New York senator to sit on the Senate Agriculture Committee in nearly 40 years, joined today with consumers who have contracted E. coli from contaminated food, plus medical and food safety experts to announce the E. coli Eradication Act.    » read more »

Project Expected To Create Up To 300 New Jobs In Central New York

October 15, 2009 -- Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand today pushed for federal economic recovery dollars for the Auburn Biodiesel Corporation to develop and expand the ports at Oswego and Montezuma, New York, to add new biodiesel capabilities at both locations.

The federal dollars would be allocated by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, which Senator Gillibrand helped pass earlier this year. The project is expected create up to 300 long-term jobs and provide an economic boost for local farmers, according to the Port of Oswego.    » read more »

October 16, 2009 -- Washington, DC - In response to a statement from the American Meat Institute that said that the E. coli Eradication Act authored by U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand would only "duplicate" testing currently being done by the industry, Senator Gillibrand said that in the absence of corporate responsibility, Congress must act.

"The meat industry makes some valuable points about the need to handle and cook ground beef carefully, but they are choosing to ignore their own best practices. Leading processors in the industry, like Costco, have already determined that they cannot rely on suppliers alone to test the meat. Costco says that testing the meat they receive from slaughterhouses is ‘incumbent upon' them, and I agree.    » read more »

Contaminated Food Kills 5,700 Americans Each Year – Nation’s Food Safety Laws Have Not Been Overhauled In A Century

October 14, 2009 -- Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, the first New York senator to sit on the Senate Agriculture Committee in nearly 40 years, today announced a comprehensive plan to overhaul the nation's food safety laws by improving inspection, recall response, and public education. A cornerstone of Senator Gillibrand's plan is new legislation to mandate E. coli inspections of ground beef.    » read more »

Overturning Bush Administration Precedent

In January 2008, Despite Widespread Support from NYS and Local Officials and Community Leaders, Then-Secretary of Interior Dirk Kempthorne Denied Applications for All Pending Off-Reservation Casinos, Including Those in Catskills

October 13, 2009 -- Today U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand wrote to Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar, asking him to consider the pending applications for off reservation gambling in the Catskills on a case by case basis, and overturn the blanket ban established by his predecessor Dirk Kempthorne.    » read more »

Funding Will Benefit the Northeast Solar Workforce Training Project in Troy; Schumer, Gillibrand: Funding Will Add Green Jobs to Capital Region

October 9, 2009 -- Today, United States Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand announced that the Hudson Valley Community College in Troy will receive $3,497,595 from the Department of Energy. The grant, funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), will be used to provide training to the Northeast Solar Workforce Training Project. It is intended to address the critical need in New York for qualified energy system installers.    » read more »

According To New Data, An Estimated 48,000 New York Children Are Diagnosed With Autism

October 5, 2009 -- Washington, D.C. - New numbers released today by the American Academy of Pediatrics showed that 1 in 91 children suffer from Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). According to the new data, an estimated 48,000 children across New York suffer from Autism - more than pediatric cancer, diabetes and AIDS combined.

U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand renewed her call today for quality, affordable autism treatment for families. She is pushing legislation that would mandate autism coverage and urging greater federal investment in Autism research.    » read more »

Federal Dollars Would Fight Invasive Species, Pollution And Contamination

October 2, 2009 -- Washington, DC – U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, a member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, joined with their Great Lakes colleagues this week to call for $475 million for the Great Lakes in the combined Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations bill.

The Senate version of the legislation only included $400 million, whereas the house version has $475 million. Schumer and Gillibrand are urging the conference committee tasked with combining the bills to approve the higher number. New York shares roughly 700 miles of coastline with the Great Lakes.    » read more »

October 2, 2009 -- U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand today announced $1.5 million for the Northern Border Regional Commission (NBRC) in the final Energy and Water Appropriations Bill. The Senate-passed bill did not allocate any funding to the Commission and the senators pushed for money to be allocated in the final package.

The funding would help address the community and economic development needs of the most severely distressed areas of New York, Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont and would help these states capitalize on their respective region’s assets to build a stronger economic future.    » read more »

Schumer, Gillibrand: It is Critical That We Invest in Environmentally Friendly Transportation to Reduce Both Pollution and our Reliance on Foreign Fossil Fuel

September 30, 2009 -- U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand today announced that a $10,315,033 U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) grant has been allocated to the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority. The grant will be used to purchase hybrid buses in Buffalo to improve the city's public transit and reduce its environmental impact.    » read more »