Kirsten Gillibrand

It was a hot, humid night but Senator Gillibrand looked cool and comfortable at the Sweet Briar last evening. 

A small group of protesters gathered at the front entrance and were treated to the Senator walking up the hill to meet with them.

The Senator discussed issues facing local dairy farmers; jobs; and health care reform. 

Her message on health care was clear, concise and easy to understand.

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand believes that the high cost of health care is a serious problem for families and for employers, who struggle with the high cost of providing health insurance for their employees. The problem is getting worse - more than 45 million Americans, and 2.5 million New Yorkers, are uninsured and millions of families and businesses are struggling with skyrocketing health care costs. In Congress, she will continue to fight to expand health care access and protect the coverage for those at risk of losing it. In the Senate, she will work with President Obama to reform our health care system and make it work for all of us.

Comprehensive Health Care Reform

Senator Gillibrand plans to work with President Obama, Health and Human Services Secretary Sebelius, and Senators Kennedy and Baucus, Chairmen of the Senate Committee on Health and on Finance, respectively, to embark on comprehensive health care reform. 

Currently, Americans spend more on health care than any other country in the world. In 2007, average spending per person on health care was over $6000 in America, compared with approximately $3000 in Canada, Australia, and the United Kingdom.  Senator Gillibrand believes that we must get these spiraling costs under control, and take the important steps towards real reform.

Expanding Health Care Access

Senator Gillibrand is working with President Obama and his Administration to fix America's broken health care system, give power back to patients and families, and provide affordable, quality health care to every single American. Senator Gillibrand has been a leader in promoting health care access and affordability throughout her time in Congress.

In February, Senator Gillibrand worked with President Obama to reauthorize the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), which was then signed into law. This law will provide 11 million lower and middle income children access to basic health care coverage.  Senator Gillibrand was a fierce advocate for this law, voting in the House of Representatives seven times to expand the program. 

In fact, she was the only Member of Congress to vote for the expansion in both the House and the Senate, and she joined President Obama at the White House when he signed the bill.

Protecting Social Security and Medicare

In the Senate, she will continue to fight to expand health care access and protect the coverage for those at risk of losing it.  In the Senate, she will work with President Obama to reform our health care system and make it work for all of us.  Senator Gillibrand has been a strong advocate for Medicare, ensuring that New York's seniors have access to quality, affordable health care.  Last summer, Senator Gillibrand voted twice for the

Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act.  This new law made a number of significant improvements to Medicare including expanding coverage of Medicare preventive services, providing greater benefits for low-income seniors, and reversing a detrimental payment cut to the doctors who care for Medicare patients. Senator Gillibrand remains committed to making sure that America's seniors always have access to the health care they need.

Helping Small Businesses Provide Health Care

Senator Gillibrand has been at the forefront of new efforts to make health care more affordable for small businesses.  She cosponsored the SHOP Act to help small businesses provide health care to employees.  This legislation would create a tax credit for small businesses which provide health insurance for their workers and allow them to buy into a purchasing pool to reduce their costs.  More than 28 million uninsured individuals work for small businesses that cannot afford to offer health care.

Improving Health Care IT

To improve quality and efficiency, Senator Gillibrand has fought to increase our nation's investment in health care information technology.  In February, she voted to provide $19 billion for healthcare information technology across the country. This is important to help improve treatment, while reducing the cost of care.  Currently, one out of every five lab tests and X-rays are conducted solely because previous test results are unavailable. This waste and duplication in our system could be eliminated with improved electronic medical records and more integrated health information technology.

New York's junior senator must have noticed the purple boxes hanging from trees along the State's highways. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand is now taking up the cause of solving the Emerald Ash Borer problem, even though there are as yet no confirmed findings of the pest in the state.

Gillibrand's office issued a press release today noting that the senator urging approval of an agriculture appropriations bill with $39.7 million in ash borer spending.

“The Emerald Ash Borer has the potential to devastate New York’s more than 900 million ash trees,” said Senator Gillibrand. “We must help our communities with the funds to manage this problem and protect the environment.”

Update: Contrary to Sen. Gillibran's press release, and what we believed to be true when we posted this, the ash borer has been found in New York. (hat tip, Brian Schollard).

UPDATE II: Bethany Lesser of Sen. Gillibrand's office called to say "we know it's been found in New York."  She clarified that Sen. Gillibrand is asking that NY be added to the funding list.

Full press release after the jump:

Washington, DC – U.S. Senator Gillibrand continued her fight to ensure New York State receives federal funding to combat the Emerald Ash Borer. The disease is threatening New York’s 900 million ash trees, which are part of the billion dollar timber industry in New York supplying furniture makers, hardware stores and the wood for Louisville Slugger baseball bats, according to the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation.
 
The Agriculture Appropriations Bill has $39,705,000 for Emerald Ash Borer Monitoring, Containment, and Eradication. This funding would be used to combat and contain the emerald ash borer that is currently threatening 7.5 billion trees nationally – an economic value of over $300 billion. The current committee report lists 12 states which are affected by this invasive pest, but does not include New York State. Late yesterday, Senator Gillibrand received a commitment from the Chairman to address this during conference and allow New York State to access these funds.
 
“The Emerald Ash Borer has the potential to devastate New York’s more than 900 million ash trees,” said Senator Gillibrand. “We must help our communities with the funds to manage this problem and protect the environment.”
 
“I would like to thank my colleague for bringing this to my attention and I will certainly address this issue during conference,” said Senator Herb Kohl (D-WI).

The Emerald Ash Borer is an invasive insect that has destroyed over 50 million ash trees in the U.S. to date. If unchecked, the Emerald Ash Borer has the potential to cost billions of dollars in damage nationwide, including millions of dollars in costs to municipalities for street tree removal and replanting, and significant costs for private homeowners. According to a report by Michigan State University, it can cost $400 to remove and replace a single infected tree.

The Emerald Ash Borer is a beetle native to Asia that was first found in the U.S. in Michigan and has been steadily making its way eastward. It is a dark, metallic green beetle that burrows into tree bark and chokes trees to death by feeding on the live tissue that transports nutrients throughout the tree. Bug-infested trees typically die within five years.

With dairy prices at a 30-year low, Genesee County dairy farmers may find some relief in new USDA price supports.

The government is essentially agreeing to pay above-market prices for some dairy products as part of the Dairy Product Price Support Program. In this 60-year-old program, the government buys dry milk, butter, and cheese and stores these products until they can be sold on the open market or donated to domestic or international charitable programs.

From a Rep. Chris Lee press release:

The increase, announced this morning by Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, will raise the price paid for nonfat dry milk from $0.80 per pound to $0.92 per pound, the price paid for cheddar blocks from $1.13 per pound to $1.31 per pound, and the price of cheddar barrels from $1.10 per pound to $1.28 per pound. Temporarily raising the price of these dairy products increases the price that dairy farmers receive for their milk.

The price increase will be in effect for three months. It is expected to boost dairy revenue by $243 million.

In a press release, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand is taking some credit for the USDA action, and she says:

“While this is great for New York’s dairy farmers, this is only a temporary solution to the fundamental problems with the dairy pricing system,” Senator Gillibrand said. “When I met with Secretary Vilsack on Wednesday, I made it clear that the current system is not working for New York dairy farmers – who have been pushed farther and farther toward bankruptcy. During these tough economic times, this increase will bring some much needed relief for our farmers.” 

Here's Lee's statement in support of the increase:

“While this is certainly good news and will provide some relief, Washington still needs to be doing more to support our dairy farmers,” Congressman Lee said. “Dairy is such an important economic driver in Western New York, but when you have milk prices declining rapidly, and the cost of feed and fuel going in the other direction, it makes it impossible for even the most experienced farmers to make ends meet.”  

Meanwhile, the Obama administration is apparently critical of the price-support program, saying in a report "the program has not demonstrated results."

Gillibrand says she has a three-point plan to help dairy farmers:

... including legislation to double the amount of money farmers receive from the MILC program, legislation to index the MILC rate to keep up with inflation, as well as plans to hold Senate hearings on dairy pricing both in Washington, D.C. and New York State.  

Gillibrand is not alone is seeking changes to the MILC program, according to the New York Times:

Several caucus members called for more federal action in the short term, including higher payment rates in the Milk Income Loss Contract subsidy.

"It still comes down to a supply-demand issue. We have a lot of supply, demand has decreased, exports are down, and we have mild temperatures here so cows are happy, at least in the Midwest, producing a lot of milk," said David Zaslavsky, a Chicago analyst with Downes-O'Neill.

Apparently, there's something to the cheese and milk marketing campaign in California: "California cows are happy cows." Temperate weather makes cows happy. And we always thought it was just a funny line. (Though, PETA never thought so.)

Additional information from Lee's PR:

New York is the nation’s third largest dairy state, generating $2.4 billion annually, more than half of the state’s total agricultural receipts. Wyoming is the state’s leading county for dairy production. Unfortunately, the economic crisis has had a significant impact on the dairy industry. For the first five months of 2009, the benchmark federal order average price was $11.59 per hundredweight, down 25 percent from the average of the previous five years. In June 2008, New York dairy farmers were paid $18.81 per hundredweight. Milk prices for June 2009 were expected to drop to around $11.40, while the latest USDA estimated cost of producing milk in New York is $25.27 per hundredweight. As a result, dairy farmers in Livingston County are projected to lose more than $23 million this year. In Wyoming County, dairy farmers are projected to lose $28 million, and in Genesee County, $60 million.

Here's the first two graphs of a press release we received today from Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand's office:

Washington, D.C. – With health care reform the top priority for Congress, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand is focusing her efforts on reducing childhood obesity, announcing a new plan to ban trans fats in school and provide healthier school lunches.  As the first New York Senator in 40 years to sit on the Senate Agriculture Committee, Senator Gillibrand is providing New Yorkers with a seat at the table as congress debates how to improve the health of children and the food they eat each day.  From her seat on the Committee, Senator Gillibrand is working to secure more federal funds for New York State to combat childhood obesity and lower health care costs..

“As Congress debates how to improve health care access and lower health care costs, we must also pursue a strategy to tackle childhood obesity and improve the health of our future generations,” Senator Gillibrand said.  “We can’t afford to let our children grow up in a culture of obesity.  If our children are going to have the opportunity to reach their potential, they need a healthy start. The most effective way to address obesity is to provide healthier food and exercise opportunities for our children. We need to be taking real steps to give parents, schools and communities the resources they need to give our children access to fresh fruits and vegetables.”

So why exactly is this even REMOTELY a federal government issue?

If local school districts want to take on "trans fat" as an issue, fine, but for the federal government to dictate programs is symptomatic of why federal spending is out of control and communities feeling increasingly less empowered.

As a rural senator, shouldn't Gillibrand be fighting to protect local autonomy instead of undermining it?

NOTE: Due to excessive bickering, comments are closed on this post.

Kirsten Gillibrand, New York's junior senator, was named chair of an agriculture subcommittee today, according to a press release.

Gillibrand is the first senator from New York to sit on the Agriculture and Nutrition Committee in nearly 40 years.

Now she also chairs the Subcommittee on Domestic and Foreign Marketing, Inspection, and Plant & Animal Health.

“As a mother of two young children, I am focused on improving the health and well-being of our children,” said Senator Gillibrand.  “As a member of the Agriculture Committee, I will focus on updating our nutritional standards and addressing child obesity. It is imperative that we take aggressive action to improve the food we serve to our families."

Full press release after the jump:

Washington, DC — U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, a mother of two young children, is the first Senator from New York to sit on the Agriculture and Nutrition Committee in nearly 40 years. Today, Senator Gillibrand was selected as Chair of the Subcommittee on Domestic and Foreign Marketing, Inspection, and Plant & Animal Health. In addition, she will serve on the Nutrition, Food Security, Futures and Derivatives and General Legislation Subcommittee and the Energy, Science and Technology Subcommittee.
 
 “As a mother of two young children, I am focused on improving the health and well-being of our children,” said Senator Gillibrand.  “As a member of the Agriculture Committee, I will focus on updating our nutritional standards and addressing child obesity. It is imperative that we take aggressive action to improve the food we serve to our families.
 
 “In addition, I will continue to be a voice for our local farmers in Washington, D.C. New York’s farmers are a critical part of our economy and we must ensure their success. Initiatives to buy local is important to our food security. Strengthening our agricultural sector and promoting healthier nutritional standards are critical parts of our long-term health and economic growth,” Senator Gillibrand said.
 
As Chair of the Subcommittee on Domestic and Foreign Marketing, Inspection, and Plant & Animal Health, Senator Gillibrand plans to hold hearings on food safety modernization, marketing healthy food to children and dairy pricing.
 
The jurisdiction of the subcommittee includes agricultural trade; market development and product promotion; regulation of agricultural markets and animal welfare; inspection and certification of plants, animals and products; plant and animal diseases and health protection.
 
New York City is the largest customer of school lunches in the nation, but has not had a voice on the agriculture in nearly 40 years.  Since that time child obesity has skyrocketed – increasing by 150 percent among 2 to 5 year olds; 400 percent among children 6 to 11 years old; and more than 300 percent among young adults age 12 to 19.
 
As a member of the Subcommittee on Nutrition, Food Security, Futures and Derivatives, and General Legislation, Senator Gillibrand will work on nutrition and food assistance and hunger prevention; organic agriculture; futures, options and derivatives; pesticides; and general legislation.
 
From generating electricity in Niagara Falls over a century ago to upstate farmers who are growing non-food-based feedstocks for biofuel development today, New York State has a long, rich history of environmental conservation and development of alternative sources of energy.  Senator Gillibrand is a leading advocate for investments in renewable energy production and energy efficient technology. She believes strongly that by investing in renewable sources of energy right here at home, we can create American jobs, protect the environment, and make the U.S. safer for generations to come.

As a member of the Subcommittee on Energy, Science and Technology, Senator Gillibrand will focus on renewable energy production and energy efficiency improvement on farms and in rural communities; food and agricultural research, education, economics and extension; and innovation in the use of agricultural commodities and materials. 

Earlier this month, a group of regional Democratic leaders traveled to Buffalo to meet with newly minted U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand and Congressman Steven Israel.

Among the issues raised by GLOW Democrats was the dairy farm crisis, which we covered previously.

The Democrats discussed with Israel possible candidates to run against Congressman Chris Lee in 2010.

The full press release from Judith Hunter after the jump:

Members of the GLOW Democratic Coalition traveled to Buffalo on Saturday, April 4, to meet with New York U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand and Congressman Steven Israel (NY-2) and discuss the needs of Genesee, Livingston, Orleans, and Wyoming Counties.  “Now that our Democratic committees are working together across our region, we’re getting opportunities to speak up and be heard.  This was a great morning for our coalition,” said Lorie Longhany of LeRoy, Chair of the Genesee County Democratic  Committee.

Geneseo’s Phil Jones, Livingston County Democratic Chair, emphasized the importance of meeting with Senator Gillibrand.  “It was crucial for us to meet with our new Senator, because our federal Senators are our only legislators who are members of the majority.  Every legislator we have below that level is in the minority caucus and, of course, less powerful.”  The first issue the GLOW leaders raised with Senator Gillibrand was the crisis in dairy farming, with Harold Bush of Gainesville, Wyoming County Democratic Chair, stating that his county is projected to lose $60 million this year because dairy prices have fallen so drastically.  “I was very impressed with the Senator’s response.  She is a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee and understands this issue and its importance very well.  She explained the problem was structural and that the pricing system has to be changed so that you don’t have the current situation of the price level being set lower than the cost of the production of milk.  She had some great ideas.”

The GLOW Democratic leaders also met with Representative Steven Israel, who asked them to come and discuss possible Democratic candidates for the 2010 Congressional race in New York’s 26th District.  Congressman Israel is in charge of recruitment for the DCCC (Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee).  Suzanne Coogan of Warsaw, Wyoming County, noted that “the rural counties are crucial to our Congressional election.  It’s a great development that the people guiding our national strategy want our input.”

One of the things that came up in both meetings was the new GLOWDemocrats.com website.  Senator Gillibrand’s staff was especially complimentary of the site, which tracks and analyzes developments that affect the GLOW region.
 

A group of New York's Democratic congressional members are in a snit over the state Democratic Party sending out promotional materially supporting Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, the one-term congresswoman picked by Gov. Paterson to replace Hilary Clinton.

Ten members of Congress, including Eric Massa of Corning, sent party chair June O'Neill a letter urging the party not to openly support Gillibrand because the newly minted senator may face a primary challenge.

"Some of the co-signers of this letter may support Senator Gillibrand. Some are considering running for the seat," the letter, first reported about Monday by the New York Post, states.

"Others remain undecided. However, each of us wants a Democrat to win in a process that is fair, open and inclusive."

(via The Fighting 29th blog)

Sen. Charles Schumer, in tandem with newly appointed Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, issued nearly twenty press releases this morning on funding earmarked for upstate New York communities in the upcoming federal omnibus bill. None of that money has yet been tagged for projects in Genesee County, at least not according to the announcements out of Schumer's office. Buffalo and Niagara Falls were both listed as recipients of significant funding.

Buffalo was awarded $950,000 for its Main Street revitilization project. Niagara Falls will receivie $950,000 to ramp up its "international railway station." Tack on funding for university and medical projects, railway infrastructure and tourism, and the funding level for the greater Buffalo region tops $3 million.

From an article in the Buffalo News this morning:

The money for Buffalo and Niagara Falls will be included in an omnibus federal spending bill funding government operations through the end of the fiscal year on Sept. 30. The House is scheduled to vote on the bill today, with Senate consideration set for next week.

Rochester also looks to benefit. The George Eastman House is on the bill for $381,000 "to preserve and allow access to museum library collections through new Web applications."

From the press release:

"This is terrific news for the entire Rochester community," said Schumer.  "The George Eastman House is one of the oldest and most revered photography and film museums worldwide. In these technology-driven times, it’s important for the federal government to do everything in its power to ensure that such historic, cultural gems as this one are able to adapt in ways that allow them to both preserve their heritage and expand their resources.”

“These federal dollars will go a long way to preserve the collections at the George Eastman House while making them accessible through the internet,” said Senator Gillibrand. “These snapshots are an important part of our history. I will continue to work with Senator Schumer to ensure that New York receives its fair share of federal funding.”

A significant portion has been eyed for higher education in the state. St. John Fisher College is on tap for $475,000. Albany's College of Nanoscience and Engineering is marked for $1 million. Binghamton University is in line to receive $2 million.

Batavia City Council members Charlie Mallow and Marianne Clattenburg were in Albany recently meeting with "key officials," according to Mallow, in the hopes of securing fundig for the city. We hope to soon hear what progress they made.

From the Democratic committees in Genesee, Livingston, Orleans and Wyoming counties:

"We congratulate Senator Gillibrand on her appointment as our new Senator, and we commend Governor David Paterson on making sure that the unique interests of upstate New York are reflected at the highest levels of government.  The position of Senator is of special importance to residents of the GLOW region (Genesee, Livingston, Orleans, and Wyoming Counties).  Unfortunately, since almost all of our residents have no representation in the majority of the Assembly, State Senate, or House of Representatives, our federal Senators are our only majority representatives.  Therefore, we are especially pleased that Senator Gillibrand comes from an upstate, rural Congressional district that is similar to our own.  We are delighted to have a Senator so attuned to our issues.

"These are very difficult times for everyone, but the GLOW region faces particular challenges.  We are pleased that Senator Gillibrand has asked to serve on the Agriculture Committee (as she did in Congress) and mentioned 'the dairy farmers of western New York' as the first group she recognized in her remarks upon her appointment.  We invite her to visit us at her earliest possible convenience and are eager to introduce our region and to work with her on its issues.  Many of our leaders were privileged to meet and hear then-Congresswoman Gillibrand at last year's New York Democratic Rural Conference.  We know she will be a strong advocate for the GLOW counties.  Senator Gillibrand has also pledged to continue her policy of accessibility and transparency for which she has been renowned in Congress, so we are confident her "Congress on Our Corners" program will come to our communities soon.  We are pleased that Governor Paterson has appointed someone who will be an upstate leader for New York."

Brian Mann says the appointment of Kirsten Gillibrand to replace Hillary Clinton as New York Senator re-exposes the Urban-Rural divide in New York.

Within the Five Boroughs, the reaction to her red-state tendencies has been fierce. Before she had been officially named, Gillibrand had liberal opponents lining up to dethrone her.

I'll admit it: I was taken aback. I thought the obvious backing of New York's Democratic elite -- Schumer, Paterson, Clinton, Lowey, etc. -- would be enough to establish her progressive credentials.

Not so. The liberal blogs have issued a collective shriek of rage.

The main issue, according to Mann, is gun control.

Unfortunately, he links to no urban/progressive blogs to support his statements. I'm not sure if he's fairly characterizing the position of urban bloggers.  It wouldn't surprise if it were true, but I'd like to see some links.

Do you agree with his basic proposition, that urban progressives see Gillibrand as a rural rube, a gun-toting hick? Do you care?

(via The Rural Blog)

Rep. Kirsten Gillibrand will leave Congress to take the Senate seat vacated by Hillary Clinton, who took the position of Secretary of State in the new administration. News of Gillibrands appointment spread quickly this morning, and most of you have already at least read a little bit about this two-term Democratic Congresswoman. So, what do you think?