Congressman Paul Tonko (D-NY) released the following statement today after the Obama administration announced its proposal to improve the safety of trains transporting crude oil and other hazardous materials. In the past year, Tonko has called for increased safety regulations and met with administration officials, including Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx, urging them to expedite these new standards and phase out older, less-sturdy rail tank cars. Read more »
U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand and Congressman Paul Tonko today announced that Albany International Airport will receive $3,978,545.00 in funding from the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) for airport upgrades. The federal funding will be used to rehabilitate the existing Runway, the pavement of which is nearing the end of its useful life. This federally funded grant will be issued as a multi-year grant and dispensed with $1,248,827 in fiscal year 2014 funding. The remaining $2,729,718 will be added through amendments which are subject to future appropriations through fiscal year 2015. Read more »
This week, Congressman Paul Tonko (NY-20) co-introduced the Democracy for All Amendment with United States Representatives Ted Deutch (FL-21), Donna Edwards (MD-4), and Jim McGovern (MA-2). H.J. Res 119 is the House companion to S.J. Res 19, the constitutional amendment slated for a historic vote in the United States Senate this year. The Democracy is for All Constitutional Amendment will reverse highly controversial Supreme Court decisions like Citizens United v. FEC and McCutcheon v. FEC, which have given corporations and the nations' wealthiest individuals the right to buy unlimited influence in our elections. Read more »
Congressman Paul Tonko (D-NY) released the following statement after confirming with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) that the federal government is no longer considering Kenwood Academy in Albany as a potential facility to house undocumented children. Tonko's office has also confirmed that Syracuse is the only location in the state of New York currently being considered by HHS. Read more »
Today, U.S. Representatives Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) and Paul Tonko (D-NY) led 12 of their colleagues in calling for the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) to stop using inaccurate data while making their case for future Free Trade Agreements (FTAs), including the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). Read more »
Congressman Paul Tonko (D-NY) released the following statement this week after negotiations involving the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership were made public and suggested the deal require the United States to lift its decades-long ban on crude oil exports. Read more »
U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand and Congressman Paul Tonko today announced a grant to the City of Troy Fire Department. The funding, applied for by the fire department and supported by Schumer, Gillibrand and Tonko will aidtraining and equipment needs for emergency responders in Rensselaer County. The grant, awarded in the amount of $415,359, is made available through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)'s Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) program. Read more »
Congressman Paul Tonko (D-NY) announced today that an additional 318,874 borrowers in New York will benefit from the executive action President Obama took yesterday to give up to five million additional borrowers the ability to cap their student loan payments at ten percent of their monthly income. The action opened this repayment option to millions of borrowers nationwide who were previously ineligible, including many borrowers with older loans. Read more »
WATERVLIET – Congressman Paul Tonko (D-NY) announced today that Watervliet Arsenal will be provided with $30 million in funding to support the production of artillery and gun tubes for cannons, mortars and tanks for the United States Army. The funding is part of a larger $150 million Industrial Mobilization Capacity (IMC) account that offsets financial losses and aims to make rates more competitive and better allow arsenals to compete for business. The obligated funds were included in the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2014, which passed the U.S. House of Representatives with Tonko's support in January. Read more »
Schenectady, N.Y. – After touring a house that was renovated by Schenectady YouthBuild students over the past two years, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand and Congressman Paul Tonko urged Congress to continue funding vital programs like this that provide job training and educational programming to students. The YouthBuild program's authorization expired in 2012. After YouthBuild was slated for elimination in the House-passed SKILLS Act last year, Senator Gillibrand and Congressman Tonko successfully pushed back against the elimination and now a reauthorization is included in the recently announced bipartisan, bicameral deal, the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), which is currently being debated in Congress. Read more »
