news

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 »

Today, Congressman Paul Tonko (NY-20) announced that the Research Foundation for SUNY Albany is slated to receive $513,389 in funding to expand its research of education outcomes for children. These funds, provided by the Institute of Education Sciences under the U.S. Department of Education, were awarded to institutions recognized for their national leadership in improving the understanding of when children with disability are ready to begin school, as well as general education outcomes for students at every level. Read more »

Congressman Paul Tonko (NY-20) announced today that the Village of Green Island Fire Department has received an Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) in the amount of $47,044. The assistance was made possible by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in cooperation with the U.S. Fire Administration. The primary goal of FEMA's Assistance to Firefighters Grant program is to meet the firefighting and emergency response needs of fire departments and nonaffiliated emergency medical service organizations. Read more »

Representatives Ron Barber (AZ-2), Diana DeGette (CO-1), Doris Matsui (CA-6), Grace Napolitano (CA-32), and Paul Tonko (NY-20) rolled out legislation Tuesday that would take a comprehensive approach to long-ignored mental health issues. The Strengthening Mental Health in Our Communities Act of 2014 renews a commitment to improving the lives of individuals and families impacted by mental illness by maximizing access to and increasing the impact of community-based services, making new investments in prevention and early intervention of mental illness, and advancing research into mental health. Read more »

Congressman Paul Tonko announced today that Niskayuna High School Senior Yahor Pryshchepis the winner of the 2014 Congressional Art Competition for the 20th Congressional District of New York. His piece, entitled "Manufacturer's Palace," was judged to be the best out of 46 unique entries from 18 different schools in the Capital Region. The artwork was displayed during a reception Friday evening at the Arts Center of the Capital Region in Troy where it will be on display through May 8th. Next week, the piece will be shipped to Washington, D.C. to be displayed in the U.S. Capitol for the next year. Read more »

Today, Ranking Members Henry A. Waxman and Paul D. Tonko sent a letter to Chairman John Shimkus expressing significant concerns about the sweeping preemption language in the latest discussion draft of the Chemicals in Commerce Act. As drafted, the language could jeopardize state or local laws and regulations relating to hydraulic fracturing and the chemicals used in the hydraulic fracturing process. Read more »