Schumer Vowed To Visit Every Single NY County Each Year During His First Senate Election & The Tradition Continues For A Record 27th Year, Serving As His Motivation & Inspiration To His Daily Work As Leader In Congress
Schumer: I Will Keep Traveling All 62 Counties, Listening To Voters, Fighting For New Yorkers & Delivering Resources And Policy Results
With his final stop today in Columbia County pushing legislation to both help dairy farmers across Upstate NY and boost nutrition in schools, U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer today completed an annual tour of all 62 New York State counties, for the record 27th year in a row.
"Traveling to every corner of the Empire State, meeting with New Yorkers from every walk of life, it's what energizes me. Every year, I am reminded of why I do this tour. Every person I meet, every story stays with me and inspires my daily work in Washington," said Senator Schumer. "I've always said, 'Senators who stay in Washington and never return home are simply not doing their job.' This year, more than ever before, visiting all 62 counties pushed me to fight even harder to help lower costs for families, protect healthcare, and deliver for New York. That is why you can always find me mixing and mingling in every crowd from Buffalo to Brooklyn to hear directly from people about what is important to them. There's still so much work to be done - I can't wait to get back on the road visiting all 62 counties again next year - listening to voters and delivering for New Yorkers."
During his first Senate election, Schumer pledged to visit every single New York county every year, meeting with New Yorkers from every walk of life. Schumer is the first New York public official to start a tour of every county in the state and has proudly continued this tradition throughout his tenure in the Senate.
Schumer said the people and communities he has met with on the 62 county tour are what have helped him understand the issues facing people and have served as the foundation for major pieces of legislation he has championed from the Bipartisan Infrastructure & Jobs Law where he fought to secure provisions to help close the digital divide and expand broadband for communities like Upstate NY and the CHIPS & Science Law which has brought unprecedented investment and thousands of good paying jobs to NY State.
This year on the tour, Schumer continued to fight to deliver for New Yorkers, from securing major federal funding for critical water infrastructure on Long Island to helping land major new employers, from Chobani's major expansion in the Mohawk Valley to saving the legacy bus manufacturing plant in Plattsburgh. The senator met with communities facing unprecedented struggles from small businesses facing rising costs from tariffs across Western NY & the northern border to rural hospitals and families facing direct attacks on healthcare to learn and listen from them as he continues to fight for them in Washington. Schumer said the tour and meeting with people firsthand are essential to effectively doing his job.
Schumer concluded, "Some doubted I would be able to keep the tour going when I became Leader. But God gave me a lot of energy, and there is nothing that motivates me more than fighting for the people of New York. I may have gained a new fancy title of Senate Leader, but my two favorite titles have been and will always be: New York's senator, and above all else, New Yorker. "
Schumer delivered for New Yorkers in every corner of New York State this past year, with some highlights including:
WESTERN NEW YORK
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Led The Charge To Protect The FAA's 1,500-Hour Flight Rule: Building on years of work with the families of victims of the tragic Flight 3407 plane crash in Western NY, Schumer worked relentlessly with the victims' families in the wake of new threats to roll back the 1,500-hour rule. Schumer successfully pushed Secretary Duffy to meet with the families, stood against Trump's nominees threatening to roll back basic air safety standards, and stood with families to ensure the 1,500-hour rule remains protected.
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Secured $25 Million For Olean's West State Street Project: In January, Schumer secured a whopping $25 million in federal funding for the City of Olean's Reconnecting Communities Project, one of the largest grants in the city's history. The funding will better connect the main streets with major hubs like the St. Bonaventure University campus with safer, more modern roadways for the community.
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Delivered $67 Million Pension Fix for Niagara County Laborers' Local No. 91: After years of advocacy to secure relief for ailing multiemployer pension plans for union workers, Schumer announced the Laborers' Local No. 91 Pension Plan covering construction workers in Niagara County will receive an approximately $67 million pension fix from the Schumer-led American Rescue Plan.
ROCHESTER-FINGER LAKES
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Secured $100 Million For Rochester Inner Loop Highway Removal: After Schumer personally called U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Buttigieg, advocating for federal funding, he announced a whopping $100 million for Rochester's Inner Loop North Transformation Project to reconnect disadvantaged neighborhoods to Rochester's downtown in January. The project will eliminate a major barrier in the heart of Rochester while re-investing in the Rochester communities harmed by the construction of the Inner Loop and creating more jobs.
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Ensured Ryan Corbett Returned Home Safely After Two Years of Taliban Detention: After years of working tirelessly with senior national security officials and a bipartisan Congressional coalition, Schumer's persistent advocacy helped bring Ryan home to his family and Finger Lakes community after over two years of being wrongfully detained in Afghanistan by the Taliban.
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Secured Federal Cancer Center Designation For Wilmot Cancer Institute: After more than a decade of Schumer's persistent advocacy, Wilmot was named a National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated cancer center, unlocking access to increased federal funding, cutting-edge clinical trials, and top-tier cancer research opportunities.
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Pushed CSX To Restore The Gillett Road Bridge: The CSX-owned Gillett Road Bridge was forced to close indefinitely due to structural deficiencies. After a year of inaction from CSX, Schumer visited the site in Monroe County and directly called the CSX CEO about reopening the bridge, leading to the company agreeing to repair the bridge, restoring a critical link for the local community.
CAPITAL REGION
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Successfully Helped SUNY Schenectady's Air Traffic Control Program Finally Take Off: Schumer successfully pushed the Federal Aviation Administration to designate SUNY Schenectady in the FAA's Enhanced Air Traffic Collegiate Training Initiative Program. This will help address the national shortage of air traffic controllers, while creating new, high-paying career pathways for students in the Capital Region and beyond.
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Supported Growth Of GlobalFoundries In Capital Region, Welcoming New $3 Billion Investment And Securing $75 Million In New Federal Investment: Schumer applauded GlobalFoundries' latest $3 billion investment to expand its Malta campus. Schumer also delivered an additional $75 million from his CHIPS & Science Law to support GlobalFoundries in creating a first-of-its-kind advanced semiconductor packaging and testing facility in Saratoga County. This new investment follows the $1.5 billion in CHIPS funding Schumer secured the previous year to expand GlobalFoundries' footprint in the Capital Region.
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Secured $21+ Million To Expand And Modernize Albany International Airport: Schumer secured $21.9 million in federal funding for Albany International Airport through the Bipartisan Infrastructure and Jobs Law, which he led to passage. The funding will help reconstruct 60,000 square feet of terminal space, including the main entrance, lobby, security, baggage areas, and sidewalks.
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Delivered $31+ Million To Capital District Transportation Authority To Purchase New Hybrid Buses: Schumer delivered $31,787,140 for the Capital District Transportation Authority to purchase new hybrid buses and to implement a new Enterprise Asset Management System from the Federal Transit Administration's Low or No Emission Grant Program, which he boosted in the Bipartisan Infrastructure & Jobs Law.
NORTH COUNTRY
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Helped Bring Micro Bird To Plattsburgh After Nova Bus Announced Plans To Shutter North Country Facility: Last year, Volvo announced it would shutter its Nova Bus facility in Plattsburgh, but it was their policy not to sell the facility to another bus manufacturer. Schumer made a direct plea to the CEO of Volvo to allow the site to be purchased by Micro Bird bus. As a result, Micro Bird committed to investing $38 million in acquiring and reactivating the plant, and this year officially opened a 156,000-square-foot manufacturing facility, which Schumer visited. The reopening preserved hundreds of good-paying manufacturing jobs in the North Country.
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Successfully Pushed US Army To Reverse Course On Decision To Close Clarkson Golden Knights ROTC program: Following his push, Schumer announced the Army's complete reversal on plans to shut down the popular and effective ROTC unit at Clarkson University for North Country cadets. Clarkson University hosts one of the only Army Senior ROTC (SROTC) programs for college students in the North Country.
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Helped Alcoa Secure Another Clean Energy Deal To Protect Hundreds of Good-Paying Jobs & Invest Tens of Millions In Massena Plant: After helping Alcoa broker deals in 2009, 2015, and 2019 to secure over 15 years of low-cost, clean hydropower for their Massena plant and protecting hundreds of good-paying local jobs, Schumer again worked with the New York Power Authority, State of New York, and the United Steelworkers to help Alcoa land a new power deal growing the company's Massena workforce to at least 500 for the next ten years.
MOHAWK VALLEY
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Welcomed Chobani's Over $1 Billion Investment To Build New Massive Manufacturing Facility: Following years of work to help Chobani grow in Upstate NY, Schumer welcomed Chobani's $1 billion investment, building a new Greek yogurt manufacturing plant at the Griffiss Triangle Site in Rome, creating 1,000 new, good-paying jobs, one of the largest investments in natural food manufacturing in U.S. history.
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Delivered $24 Million To Upgrade Utica's Wastewater And Stormwater Infrastructure: Schumer secured $24.1 million in State and federal grants and interest-free financing for the City of Utica to advance multiple combined sewer overflow improvement projects. This major investment will help modernize Utica's aging wastewater system, reduce pollution, protect public health, and strengthen the city's environmental resilience for years to come.
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Celebrated Breaking Ground On Mohawk Valley Community College's New Applied Technology Center: Schumer celebrated breaking ground on the new Applied Technology Center after delivering $2 million in federal funding to help build and equip the two-story, 63,760-square-foot facility with 16 specialized laboratories ranging from automation and fabrication to HVAC, welding, chemistry, and more. The Applied Technology Center will help prepare members of the Mohawk Valley and Upstate NY communities with the skillsets needed to land one of the many good-paying new jobs at employers in the region's nationally recognized technology ecosystem, including Micron, Wolfspeed, Indium Corporation, and Fabmatics.
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Landed up to $300 Million in Air Force Funding for Cutting-Edge Cybersecurity at Assured Information Security in Rome. Schumer, a longtime champion of AIS and Rome Lab in the annual federal budget, celebrated landing up to $300 million in new federal funding for AIS to research, prototype and deploy their cutting-edge cybersecurity solutions in support of US military operations. This Engineering for Virtualized Enterprise and Remote Access Technology (EVEREST) contract builds on $95 million in previously awarded funding and will help AIS protect dozens of good-paying jobs in the Mohawk Valley.
CENTRAL NY
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Secured Nearly $44 Million For Syracuse's JMA Wireless To Boost American-Made 5G Manufacturing: Schumer delivered $43.94 million from his bipartisan CHIPS & Science Law to JMA Wireless, the nation's only major American-owned 5G manufacturing facility, to pioneer production of next-generation O-RAN-compliant 5G radio units. The funding will support more than $30 million in additional private investment and create up to 30 new, good-paying jobs in Central NY.
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Landed Second Daily United Airlines Flight from Syracuse to Denver at Hancock International Airport: After personally urging United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby, Senator Schumer announced the airline will add a second daily summer flight between Syracuse Hancock International Airport and Denver International Airport. This long-sought expansion improves access to key West Coast, and markets key to CNY's growth.
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Delivered $9+ Million For CNY Regional Transportation Authority To Bring Bus Rapid Transit To Syracuse: Schumer delivered $9,280,000 for the Central New York Regional Transportation Authority to buy new buses for its future Bus Rapid Transit system in Syracuse.
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Delivered $2 Million For Cutting-Edge Cancer Diagnostic Equipment At Auburn Community Hospital: Schumer announced federal funding he previously secured enabled Auburn Community Hospital to open a PET-CT scanner and nuclear camera, essential tools for diagnosing cancer and tracking treatment progress. Previously, patients had to travel to Rochester or Syracuse and often waited weeks for these scans.
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Celebrated Major Milestones Driven By Years Of Tireless Advocacy & Hundreds Of Millions In Funding Secured For Syracuse's I-81 Viaduct Project: Funding secured by Schumer helped realize the award of more than $250 million for the final phase one construction contract, tens of millions for completion of new flyover, entrance, and exit ramps, and bridge rehabilitation. This year marks the start of removing portions of the viaduct, constructing the Community Grid, and reconnecting communities in Syracuse that have been divided by the viaduct for generations.
SOUTHERN TIER
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Worked With BAE Systems To Launch $65 Million Expansion In Endicott, Creating 130+ New Jobs: Schumer worked closely with BAE Systems to secure a $65 million expansion at its Endicott facility, a key center for cutting-edge electronic systems used in aviation and energy, leveraged by the federal designations and associated funding for energy storage, he delivered to NENY and the Southern Tier Region. The expansion will add an automated production line, advanced engineering lab, and aftermarket support center, bringing over 130 new good-paying jobs to the region.
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Helped Close The Digital Divide With New Broadband Funding For Tompkins County: Schumer delivered $11.6 million to provide fast and reliable internet access to the Town of Caroline. This funding will provide support to reach 2,711 households, build 143 miles of fiber, and helps expand access for over 6,000 residents. This expansion is a major boost for broadband in Tompkins County.
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Brought $800,000 For Broome-Tioga BOCES Workforce Training Campus Expansion: Schumer delivered $800,000 in federal funding for The Broome-Tioga Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES) to help renovate a building to serve as a BOCES satellite campus and adult education facility in Tioga County. The funding will help meet the region's increased need for local access to career and technical education programs, create workforce pipelines that support the needs of regional employers, and ensure that both students and adult learners can access specialized training without long, prohibitive commutes.
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Delivered $6.5 Million For Steuben County To Recover From Devastating Flooding: After years of advocacy to help Steuben County in its flood recovery, Schumer announced the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has awarded over $6.5 million for Jasper-Troupsburg Central School District and Steuben County to recover from devastating flooding from Tropical Storms Fred and Debby. This funding will help the County repair the road and reimburse the school district for costs from cleanup and restoration measures taken to protect the building from further damage from the flood, which is essential for helping the school district move forward.
HUDSON VALLEY
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Successfully Reversed Damaging Cuts To 9/11 Survivor Health Program: Following an announcement by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that they would be cutting research grants and staff to the World Trade Center Health Program (WTCHP) under pressure from Elon Musk and the Department of Governmental Efficiency (DOGE), Senator Schumer aggressively publicized and pushed back against this foolhardy decision that would imperil resources for 9/11 first responders and survivors dealing with the crippling health effects of 9/11-related illnesses. Following a wave of scrutiny and public pressure, the administration backed down and reversed the cuts.
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Launched The New Hudson River Water Quality Portal with Riverkeeper: Schumer worked with Riverkeeper to launch a new water quality portal, allowing users to track when and where it is safe to swim, which fish are safe to heat, and how clean their drinking water is. As Trump's Environmental Protection Agency pulls back on federal investments to monitor and protect public health, local resources like this are even more critical for Hudson Valley communities.
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Celebrated Opening Of The Center for Discovery's New Children's Specialty Hospital: After securing an unprecedented $48 million loan from USDA to jumpstart the project and an additional $620,000 federal grant to support design and construction, Schumer celebrated the opening of The Center for Discovery's (TCFD) first-of-its-kind Children's Specialty Hospital in Sullivan County. This innovative facility is dedicated to supporting children and adolescents with complex disabilities, including autism, through specialized short-term inpatient care, creating over 400 healthcare jobs and 150 construction jobs in Sullivan County while improving access to quality care and services for Upstate New York's most vulnerable.
LONG ISLAND
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Restored $300 Million In Pension Funds For Long Island Retirees: Thanks to his leadership and his fight to include the Butch Lewis Emergency Pension Relief Act in the Schumer-led American Rescue Plan, Schumer delivered approximately $300 million in federal relief for three financial insolvent union pension funds. The United Wire pension fund received $248.7 million, the Local 1922 Pension Plan received $16.2 million, and the Local 1102 Retirement Trust received $35.4 million.
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Delivered $54 Million In Federal Funding To Rebuild Long Beach's Wastewater Infrastructure After Superstorm Sandy: Schumer secured a $54 million FEMA grant to repair and strengthen the City of Long Beach's wastewater treatment plant and pump stations, which suffered major damage during Superstorm Sandy in 2012. This critical federal investment will fully restore the city's water and sewer infrastructure and help safeguard it against future storms, ensuring greater resilience and protection for residents.
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Secured $39.5 Million Grant To Modernize and Expand Suffolk County Sewer Infrastructure: Schumer delivered a whopping $39.5M FEMA Hazard Mitigation grant, originally applied for after Hurricane Ida wreaked havoc on Long Island infrastructure, this grant will help Suffolk harden and expand its sewer infrastructure and get homeowners off costly and inefficient septic systems. With this investment, Suffolk County can install installation of 35,750 feet of low-pressure sewer mains, enough to service 420 local homes, creating local union jobs and lessening groundwater pollution in the process.
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