New York’s Senator: Maternal Mental Health Crisis, Effectiveness of Gun Safety Laws, Servicemember Reproductive Care, Other Updates

Gun Safety, Disastrous Iran Deal, Maternal Mental Health Crisis, Supporting Sex Abuse Survivors, HUD Sec Hearing, Questioning Pentagon On School Bombings, Banning Civilian Body Armor, MTA Grant, Reproductive Care For Servicemembers: Senator Gillibrand

 

Editor’s note: See Senator Gillibrand, as well as other New York politician’s, responses to the SCOTUS decision allowing arbitrary suspension of Temporary Protected Status under the legal asylum seeking and immigration laws passed by Congress by the president’s administration and executive order.  Haitian and Syrian immigrants, some of whom have lived and worked here for decades, can now be summarily deported with no recourse simply because of their ethnicities and where they are from (and how much perceived wealth they may or may not have). 

ON FOURTH ANNIVERSARY OF BIPARTISAN GUN SAFETY LAW’S PASSAGE, GILLIBRAND ANNOUNCES 1,000+ DEFENDANTS CHARGED AND 6,000+ GUNS TAKEN OFF THE STREETS THANKS TO HER ANTI-GUN TRAFFICKING MEASURE

Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand announced major new developments in her fight to get gun traffickers and illegally trafficked firearms off the streets. As of March 31, 2026, the anti-gun trafficking statute Gillibrand passed in 2022 has been used to charge 1,065 suspected gun traffickers nationwide, and more than 320 of those defendants have already been convicted. Additionally, over 6,000 guns have been seized by law enforcement as a result of these prosecutions.

The seized weapons include:

• 529 AR-15s and AR-style weapons;
• 681 machine gun conversion devices, which can convert semi-automatic pistols and rifles into fully automatic weapons in under a minute;
• 240 ghost guns, which are completely untraceable homemade firearms.

“After months of fighting the Trump administration for data on gun trafficking prosecutions, I am proud to be able to say that my statute is getting results,” said Senator Gillibrand. “Our streets are safer now that hundreds of gun traffickers are behind bars and thousands of deadly weapons are off the streets. However, our work to end the scourge of firearms trafficking and gun violence as a whole is not over. I will continue working to make sure this statute is being enforced and to pass additional commonsense gun safety legislation through Congress.”

Four years ago today, President Joe Biden signed the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (BSCA) – the first major gun safety legislation to be passed in nearly three decades. BSCA included a measure to make interstate gun trafficking a federal crime that was based on Gillibrand’s own anti-gun trafficking legislation, the Hadiya Pendleton and Nyasia Pryear-Yard Gun Trafficking and Crime Prevention Act. She first introduced that bill in 2009 in honor of Nyasia Pryear-Yard, a 17-year-old from Brooklyn who lost her life to gun violence. Gillibrand attended the signing of BSCA in 2022 with Nyasia’s mother Jennifer Pryear.

During the Biden administration, the Department of Justice (DOJ) would give Gillibrand regular updates on the number of alleged firearms traffickers that had been charged under her statute. However, once President Trump took office, DOJ stopped providing these figures. Gillibrand took action, writing then-Attorney General Pam Bondi a letter in June 2025 and another letter in February 2026 requesting that she continue to provide this data. After DOJ continued to stonewall, Gillibrand demanded last month that acting Attorney General Todd Blanche resume these updates. Finally, last week, DOJ replied to Gillibrand with gun trafficking prosecution and conviction data as of March 2026.

 

On the Iran Deal and the Costly War:

Today, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) held a virtual press conference to highlight the devastating economic fallout of the president’s newly announced “deal” with Iranian leadership that amounts to a handout that empowers Iran and further wastes taxpayer dollars.

The Trump administration’s agreement with Iran includes the immediate lifting of economic sanctions and the creation of a $300 billion reconstruction fund to rebuild the regime’s economy. The framework leaves out any immediate enforcement mechanisms to halt Iran’s nuclear program or its ballistic missile development, leaving American service members and regional allies at risk.

In addition, the senator criticized President Trump for refusing to sign landmark bipartisan housing legislation today that would help lower costs and build more housing.

Please find a full recording of Senator Gillibrand’s full remarks here,

AT 0:06 – ON PRESIDENT TRUMP’S COSTLY AND DISASTROUS GIVEAWAY TO IRAN:

GILLIBRAND SAID: “President Trump’s war in Iran will be remembered as a costly, self-inflicted wound — one that made America less safe and drained billions from the American taxpayers in the process. Now, Trump claims he has a ‘deal’ to end hostilities. But as we get more details, it’s clear that Trump got steamrolled because he lacked a strategy for this war. Trump’s deal with Iran is no deal at all. It is a handout to a hostile regime.”

AT 2:54 – ON PRESIDENT TRUMP MAKING AMERICANS PAY FOR HIS FAILED IRAN WAR:  

GILLIBRAND SAID: “We were promised that this conflict would make America more secure. Instead, Trump burned through billions of taxpayer dollars, drove up prices, and squeezed family budgets and small businesses across the entire nation. Our military is degraded, our enemies are emboldened, and our national security is weakened. Donald Trump has stuck American taxpayers with the bill for a failure of his own making.”

AT 3:36 – ON THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION’S FAILURE TO DELIVER ON ANY CAMPAIGN PROMISES MADE TO AMERICANS:

GILLIBRAND SAID: “He promised no new wars. He launched the most reckless one in a generation. He promised to cut energy costs in half. Instead, electricity costs will hit record highs this summer. Gas prices rose 50% because of the war, and prices won’t return to pre-war levels anytime soon. He promised to end inflation. Instead, it is surging at its highest rate in years. He claims affordability is a hoax, while New Yorkers have paid $4,000 more for essentials because of his failed policies. More on housing. More on groceries. More on healthcare. Enough is enough. This November, voters will send a clear message: it is time for a new direction.”

AT 5:53 – ON PRESIDENT TRUMP’S DECISION TO CANCEL SIGNING OF MAJOR BIPARTISAN HOUSING BILL:

GILLIBRAND SAID: “It’s outrageous. This is a bipartisan bill that both members of House and Senate, Democrats and Republicans were ready to celebrate. Housing, as you know, is one of the number one issues in New York State. No matter where you live in New York, the cost of housing has gone up, from rentals to unaffordable mortgages to unaffordable real estate. There’s literally nobody who can afford housing in New York anymore. And we needed this bipartisan bill. It streamlined a lot of procedures, it put a lot of resources on the table. It was a win-win for everyone in America. So he’s cynical, and he’s just not listening to the American people. And he’s demanding a bill that is going to undermine people’s right to vote. So he is really harming Americans in many ways, and this is just one of them today.”

 

GILLIBRAND BLASTS PRESIDENT TRUMP’S COSTLY WAR AND FAILED DEAL WITH IRAN 

Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, held a virtual press conference to condemn the failure of the Trump administration’s military strategy in Iran and the devastating economic fallout of the president’s newly announced concessionary agreement.

“The president launched this war with no strategy and no exit plan,” said Senator Gillibrand. “Months later, he claims to have secured a ‘deal,’ but it is painfully clear he has failed to achieve a single stated national security goal. There is no regime change, no dismantling of the Iranian military, and no end to their nuclear ambitions. Instead, billions of American taxpayer dollars have been wasted in a foreign conflict while families at home face a severe affordability crisis.”

The Trump administration’s agreement with Iran includes the immediate lifting of economic sanctions and the creation of a $300 billion reconstruction fund to rebuild the regime’s economy. The deal leaves out any immediate enforcement mechanisms to halt Iran’s nuclear program or its ballistic missile development, leaving American service members and regional allies at risk.

Senator Gillibrand has consistently opposed this conflict since its inception, repeatedly voting in favor of War Powers Resolutions to demand congressional oversight and hold the executive branch accountable. As a member of the Armed Services Committee, she continues to demand the prioritization of domestic economic relief and measures to fight inflation over open-ended, costly foreign interventions.

 

 

 

 

SENS. GILLIBRAND AND BLUNT ROCHESTER, REPS. CLARKE AND FITZPATRICK INTRODUCE LEGISLATION TO COMBAT THE MATERNAL MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS

Mental health conditions—including substance use disorders—are the leading cause of preventable maternal death in the United States

In New York, the maternal mortality rate for Black women is over four times that for white women

Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE) and Representatives Yvette Clarke (D-NY-09) and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA-01) introduced the bipartisan, bicameral Moms Matter Act, commonsense legislation to increase investments in maternal mental health programs and expand this vital workforce to better support moms and pregnant women.

The Moms Matter Act would establish two grant programs to support moms with maternal mental health conditions or substance use disorders by investing in community-based programs that provide mental and behavioral health resources. The bill would also provide funding for programs to grow and diversify the maternal healthcare workforce in an effort to ensure quality, culturally competent care for demographic groups with elevated rates of maternal mortality.

“More women in the United States die from pregnancy-related complications than in any of our peer countries. That is downright shameful,” said Senator Gillibrand. “We must do more to support women at every step of their maternal health journey. This legislation would expand access to high-quality maternal mental healthcare and substance use disorder services to support moms and pregnant women — no matter their race, socioeconomic status, or zip code. It’s a commonsense bill, and I’m determined to get it passed.” 

“The United States of America is the richest country in the world, yet American mothers are dying at an alarming, and unacceptable, rate,” said Senator Blunt Rochester. “We know mental health conditions and substance use disorders are the leading cause of preventable maternal death during pregnancy and the postpartum period. By investing in programs that provide moms with the additional care they need, this bill offers a straightforward solution to this ongoing health crisis while also tackling disparities in health outcomes, and most importantly, saving the lives of new mothers.”

“We are facing a maternal health crisis, with Black and brown women disproportionately impacted by barriers to equitable maternal healthcare and competency. I am proud to join my colleagues in the Senate in introducing this bicameral legislation, the Moms Matter Act, to invest in community-based programs supporting pre- and postpartum women facing mental health conditions and substance use disorders,” said Congresswoman Clarke. “As we come off the heels of Mother’s Day and observe this Mental Health Awareness Month, meeting this pivotal moment demands action that goes beyond more than words of affirmation. Our bill would strengthen and diversify the maternal mental and behavioral health workforce and increase access to high-quality care, because every mother deserves the support she needs to thrive before, during, and after pregnancy.”

“Maternal mental health is not separate from family health, child health, or community health—it sits at the center of all three. As Co-Chair of the Bipartisan Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Task Force, I have worked to make sure families can access care early, close to home, and before crisis takes hold,” said Congressman Fitzpatrick. “The Moms Matter Act advances that mission by investing in community-based support for mothers facing mental health and substance use challenges, while strengthening the workforce needed to meet them with the care they deserve during pregnancy and postpartum. No mother should suffer in silence, and no family should be left to face a crisis alone.”

Mental health conditions—including substance use disorders—are the leading cause of preventable maternal death during pregnancy or in the first year postpartum. However, despite the high need for care, over 80% of pregnant and recently postpartum women live in maternal mental health resource shortage areas.

Additionally, maternal health challenges are most acute for low-income and Black families. In New York, the maternal mortality rate for Black women is over four times that for white women. The Moms Matter Act will help combat this crisis by increasing investments in local maternal healthcare programs and by expanding access to these programs in underserved areas.

Specifically, the legislation will:

• Establish a Maternal Mental Health Equity Grant Program to invest in local initiatives supporting people with mental health conditions or substance use disorders during or after pregnancy; and
• Provide funding for programs to grow and diversify the maternal mental and behavioral healthcare workforce to expand access to high-quality maternal mental healthcare and substance use disorder services.

The legislation is endorsed by over 200 maternal health organizations, including Moms Rising, March of Dimes, Reproductive Freedom for All, and the National Partnership for Women and Families.

“The Maternal Mental Health Leadership Alliance (MMHLA) strongly supports the Moms Matter Act,” said Jamie Zahlaway Belsito, Founder and Director of Policy and Partnerships at Maternal Mental Health Leadership Alliance. “The latest CDC data confirm that mental health conditions are now the leading underlying cause of pregnancy-related deaths, accounting for nearly 28% in 2022.  The numbers are increasing. This crisis is preventable. The Moms Matter Act will make critical investments in community-based, culturally responsive care and strengthen the maternal mental health workforce. Congress must commit to ensuring every new mother and family has access to the mental health care they need to survive and thrive.”

The text of the legislation can be found here.

 

 

 

GILLIBRAND, CRUZ APPLAUD COMMITTEE PASSAGE OF THEIR BILLS TO SUPPORT FIRST RESPONDERS AND SURVIVORS OF CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE

Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and Ted Cruz (R-TX) lauded the Senate Judiciary Committee’s passage of two of their bipartisan bills: the Officer John Barnes and Chief Michael Ansbro Public Safety Officers’ Benefits Program Expansion Act and the Terminating Restrictive Enforcement of Youth Settlements (TREY’S) Law.

“I am thrilled that these two crucial pieces of legislation have passed out of committee,” said Senator Gillibrand. “We owe our public safety officers and their families timely access to death and disability benefits, and survivors of child sexual abuse deserve the right to tell their stories and seek public accountability for the horrors they endured. I will not stop fighting until both of these bills are passed by the full Congress and signed into law.”

“Law enforcement officers put themselves in harm’s way to protect our communities, and we have a duty to ensure they receive timely, fair support when they need it most. We also have a responsibility to stand with children who have endured sexual abuse and protect their right to share their stories. I am grateful these two bipartisan bills passed through committee unanimously, and I look forward to working with my colleagues to advance them,” said Senator Ted Cruz.

The Officer John Barnes and Chief Michael Ansbro Public Safety Officers’ Benefits Program Expansion Act would amend the Bureau of Justice Assistance’s (BJA) Public Safety Officers’ Benefits (PSOB) Program to improve processing times and reduce delays in benefit determinations. The PSOB Program provides death benefits to survivors of first responders who have died in the line of duty, as well as disability benefits to officers catastrophically injured in the line of duty. Specifically, the senators’ bill – which is endorsed by over 30 public safety officer organizations and unions – would:

• Require the BJA to complete a death or disability eligibility determination within 270 days of receiving a complete claim
• Require the BJA to use its subpoena authority if a public agency fails to provide requested documentation in relation to a claimant’s case
• Expedite processing for officers already certified for benefits through the World Trade Center Health Program (WTCHP) or the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund (VCF)
• Direct BJA to implement GAO recommendations to establish updated program processes and administrative procedures

The Terminating Restrictive Enforcement of Youth Settlements (TREY’S) Law would void nondisclosure agreements (NDAs) in cases of child sexual abuse or assault. NDAs can be used to silence survivors of child sexual abuse and shield perpetrators from accountability. This bill would make any NDA provision unenforceable if it prohibits or restricts someone from disclosing the sexual abuse of a minor or facts related to that abuse, regardless of whether the NDA was signed before a dispute arose or as part of a civil settlement agreement.

 

GILLIBRAND GRILLS HUD SEC. TURNER: “STOP WITH THE EXCUSES, JUST EXPLAIN YOUR RECORD” 

**Watch the exchange here**

 

 

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), ranking member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development (THUD), grilled Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Scott Turner over his failure to show measurable progress on housing affordability and homelessness after a year in office – and demanded accountability after the secretary repeatedly blamed the Biden administration for his own failures.

The exchange laid bare the truth: The administration does not care about lowering the cost of living for working Americans and has no evidence to prove otherwise.

Watch key moments of the exchange here and find a transcript below:

ON TAKING OWNERSHIP OVER THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION’S AFFORDABLE HOUSING RECORD AND LAWLESSNESS, INSTEAD OF BLAMING THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION:

GILLIBRAND: I just don’t want to hear about what you don’t like about the Biden administration. You’re in charge. You have a vision. Let’s see it. Let’s see the results.

SEC. TURNER: Good, and you know, I do. I thank God that I’m in charge so we can do something different. Because the plays that were ran before I got here, they failed. I’ve been here. Let me speak, if you will. I got here. You said I have been here a little bit over a year, but you all had during the Biden administration four years.

GILLIBRAND: Stop talking about Biden. Talk about your record. This is so inaccurate, unhelpful, and doesn’t let this committee do our job.

[…]

SEC. TURNER: The point in time report would be out right now if we did not have a government shutdown. Irregardless of all of that, during the Biden administration, record funding—

GILLIBRAND: Oh, my God, if you talk about—it’s like two children saying “I didn’t do it, my brother did it.” Stop with the excuses. Just explain your record.

ON FAILURE TO HELP NEW YORKERS FACING HOMELESSNESS:

SEC. TURNER: Record homelessness. We have to do something different. If after I’m gone, if it’s still record funding and record homelessness—

GILLIBRAND: You know what? After you’re gone is too late for the families that are suffering in New York today.

SEC. TURNER: It’s gonna get better.

GILLIBRAND: Do you know what it’s like to be a homeless little girl who has to have a Girl Scout troop just for other homeless little girls, because that’s all they have? That’s the only consistency they have in their life.

SEC. TURNER: I do understand, It’s happened in my family. Yes, ma’am, I do understand.

GILLIBRAND: I need to know if your stuff is working.

SEC. TURNER: I’m not talking about what I heard. I’m talking to you about what I know. And what I do know, the housing first model failed. Record funding, record homelessness. I don’t care what administration it is, you would not run your own household budget this way.

GILLIBRAND: I get it. You’ve been in charge for over a year, I just want to see results.

SECURING A COMMITMENT TO CONTINUE SUPPORT FOR FAMILIES AS EMERGENCY HOUSING VOUCHERS WIND DOWN 

GILLIBRAND: We agree that one of the programs that we think does work is being able to provide vouchers, tenant protection vouchers. Tell me, will HUD issue guidance for these tenant protection vouchers?

SEC. TURNER: Senator Gillibrand, I have talked to my team, and they have assured me that we will take care of those tenants that are in need for their voucher situation.

GILLIBRAND: But will you issue the guidance for the vouchers?

SEC. TURNER: We will take care of those that are in need. My team has assured me. And we’re happy to work with you if you want more information.

GILLIBRAND: I do want more information. I want much more information.

SEC. TURNER: I’m telling you, we have been assured that we will take care of those tenants that are in need.

GILLIBRAND: Okay, so here you go. You’ve made a promise. You’re going to take care of them.

SEC. TURNER: And we will keep it.

GILLIBRAND: You want to take a different tack. You don’t want to use the vouchers is what I hear you’re saying.

SEC. TURNER: I did not say that.

GILLIBRAND: Well, let me know, because we would like the vouchers to be used, number one. And if you’re not going to use them, and you’re going to take care of them, I would like to know within the next few months that you have done so.

SEC. TURNER: Done.

 

 

 

WATCH: SENATOR GILLIBRAND PRESSES THE PENTAGON ON COST OF IRAN WAR AND U.S. BOMBING OF CIVILIAN SCHOOLS AND HOSPITALS

Watch the exchange HERE

At U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee hearing, CENTCOM’s Admiral Cooper acknowledged Pentagon has not investigated reports that U.S. and Israeli strikes hit 22 schools and several hospitals in Iran

Washington D.C. – U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, a member of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee, pressed Admiral Brad Cooper, Commander of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), over reports that U.S.-Israeli strikes in Iran damaged 22 schools and multiple hospitals, potentially causing civilian casualties.

 

 

During the exchange, Admiral Cooper acknowledged that the Pentagon has not conducted an investigation into public reports of U.S. strikes hitting several schools, hospitals, and civilian facilities in Iran. The exchange comes amid growing scrutiny of the Trump administration’s handling of civilian casualties in the war in Iran.

Last year, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth cut 90% of staff at the Pentagon’s civilian harm mitigation and response offices–including teams tasked with assessing strikes on civilian infrastructure and investigating civilian deaths.

Read the transcript of the exchange below: 

GILLIBRAND: “The second concern I have, Admiral Cooper, is how we’ve prosecuted this war to date. We have data and information publicly available in publications like the New York Times that 22 schools have been hit, hospitals, dozens of hospitals have been hit. We have regulations, we have the law of war, we have human rights obligations, we have our own targeting requirements to avoid civilian harm and death. Have you been implementing all the laws that are required under current law to minimize civilian death?”

ADMIRAL COOPER: “Senator, we have executed every operation consistent with the law of armed conflict. The subject of civilian casualties is a particular passion of mine. We pay attention to it. We follow all the procedures and have gone above and beyond to – in my case – personally warn the Iranian people of several instances during conflict where they were being potentially used as human targets.”

GILLIBRAND: “If they have been warned, how did we then bomb 22 schools?”

ADMIRAL COOPER: “There is no indication that we have that that has been corroborated. Zero–”

GILLIBRAND: How many schools have we bombed?

ADMIRAL COOPER: There is one active civilian casualty investigation from the 13,629 munitions.

GILLIBRAND: So, how do you explain the publicly available information that 22 schools have been hit and multiple hospitals?

ADMIRAL COOPER: There’s no way that we can corroborate that. No indication of that whatsoever, Senator.

GILLIBRAND: There’s no way you can corroborate or no indication of it. Which one?

ADMIRAL COOPER: No indication.

GILLIBRAND: Well, the indication is what’s publicly available. There is an indication. Have you investigated those claims?

ADMIRAL COOPER: We have not.

GILLIBRAND: Why have you not? If this is a passion of yours, if you believe that civilian casualties are not consistent with the law of war and not consistent with human rights obligations that our military regularly follows with great pride and great diligence, why have you not investigated those allegations when they’re publicly being made on the cover of the New York Times?

ADMIRAL COOPER: I’ll be happy to take a look at each instance. Our team will be able to do that.

GILLIBRAND: I would like a report from you, from your team, about whether there have been attacks that have resulted in the destruction of schools and hospitals, and if so, why? And how then, last, have you managed the 90% cut to the personnel who are supposed to avoid civilian targets?

ADMIRAL COOPER: I’m happy to provide any report, and I would invite you and every staff member here to come to Tampa to look at the process to see exactly how it works.

GILLIBRAND: Thank you. Thank you, Admiral.

 

 

SEN. GILLIBRAND, REPS. KENNEDY AND MENG INTRODUCE NEW LEGISLATION TO BAN ENHANCED BODY ARMOR USE BY CIVILIANS

Legislation would ban armor like that worn by the assailant in the 2022 Tops supermarket shooting in Buffalo, NY, which killed 10 people

Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) introduced legislation to prohibit the sale, transfer, or possession of enhanced body armor by civilians. Reps. Tim Kennedy (D-NY-26) and Grace Meng (D-NY-06) introduced companion legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives.

The Aaron Salter, Jr., Responsible Body Armor Possession Act is named for Aaron Salter, Jr., a retired Buffalo police officer who was the security guard on duty during the deadly shooting at Tops. Mr.  Salter took immediate action to combat the shooter, but his weapon was no match for the enhanced body armor that the shooter wore.

“This is commonsense legislation that could help save lives,” said Senator Gillibrand. “I am introducing this legislation in honor of the lives that were lost four years ago at Tops in Buffalo. We must get it passed to combat the scourge of gun violence that is terrorizing communities across our country.”

“Lt. Aaron Salter, Jr. died a hero, buying patrons and workers precious seconds to hide or escape as a result of his unwavering courage and his willingness to protect those in harm’s way,” said Congressman Kennedy. “No civilian should have access to the military-grade body armor the assailant used on 5/14 – equipment that is designed for war, not our streets. Through this critical legislation, we can ensure that enhanced body armor never falls in the wrong hands again.”

“Four years ago, a white supremacist, armed with a weapon of war and enhanced body armor, targeted a predominantly Black neighborhood in the City of Buffalo. He took the lives of ten innocent people and wounded three others. Aaron Salter Jr., a 30–year veteran of the Buffalo Police Department, was the security guard on duty that day. He did everything he could to protect his community, but his weapon was no match for the enhanced body armor the shooter wore,” said Congresswoman Meng. “It should never be possible for anyone with internet access to purchase equipment designed to withstand military-grade ammunition. This is commonsense legislation, which I am proud to lead with Rep. Kennedy and Senator Gillibrand for the Buffalo community and the far too many others throughout the United States that have experienced the terror and tragedy of gun violence. It not only honors Officer Salter, who was a hero on May 14, 2022, but it also takes concrete action to protect law.”

This week marked the four-year anniversary of the Tops Friendly Markets grocery store shooting in Buffalo, New York, during which a racist gunman opened fire at the Tops supermarket in East Buffalo. The shooter killed 10 people and injured three more.

This legislation aims to reduce the amount of enhanced body armor—which is designed to withstand rifle ammunition—available for purchase. Enhanced body armor is defined as body armor that meets or exceeds Level III ballistic resistance level, which is tested to stop 7.62 mm rifle ammunition, as determined by the National Institute of Justice at the U.S. Department of Justice. Currently, this kind of body armor is legal for civilians in most states to purchase online without federal restrictions. This legislation seeks to change this by prohibiting its sale, transfer, or possession by civilians, while exempting law enforcement and military personnel.

This legislation is endorsed by the Fraternal Order of Police, Brady, GIFFORDS, Everytown, and Newtown Action Alliance.

The text of the bill can be found here.

 

 

 

GILLIBRAND, SCHUMER ANNOUNCE $156.5 MILLION ASAP GRANT FOR METROPOLITAN TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY 

New York, NY – Today, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, ranking member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Democratic Leader Charles Schumer (D-NY) announced that the $156.5 million All Stations Accessibility Program (ASAP) grant previously awarded to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) can move forward after over a year of unnecessary delays and reviews by the Trump administration. The ASAP grant program makes competitive funding available to assist in the financing of capital projects to repair, improve, modify, retrofit, or relocate infrastructure of stations or facilities to make all public areas of the station accessible to people with disabilities.

 

“The Americans with Disabilities Act requires that public transportation be accessible to people with disabilities,” said Senator Gillibrand. “However, infrastructure built before the passage of the ADA in 1990, like much of the New York City subway system, must be retrofitted to be fully accessible to people with disabilities. This critical ASAP funding was held up for far too long, and I am proud that we finally got the funds released from DOT to the MTA so all New Yorkers and visitors alike can take advantage of our transit system. I will continue to call on the Trump administration to release all of the remaining DOT grants being held hostage.”

 

“The Trump administration has heeded our call to release federal funding for much-needed accessibility upgrades at subway stations across the city,” said Senator Schumer. “These improvements are essential to modernizing the system and ensuring public transit is accessible to all riders. For too long, New Yorkers with disabilities, including many seniors, have faced barriers accessing our region’s mass transit. I will continue fighting for the federal support needed to advance the MTA’s accessibility projects and deliver these critical improvements.”

 

This news comes just hours before U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Secretary Sean Duffy is set to testify before the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development. Earlier this month, Senators Gillibrand and Schumer, along with Congressmembers Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), Adriano Espaillat (D-NY), and Ritchie Torres (D-NY), called on Secretary Duffy to swiftly complete the agency’s review of the ASAP grant that the MTA was selected for to improve accessibility at two Bronx subway stations so individuals can continue to safely use New York’s world-class public transportation system. The MTA was selected for the grant nearly two years ago and remained the only grant awardee that had yet to receive the funds.

 

 

 

GILLIBRAND, COLLEAGUES INTRODUCE BILL TO EXPAND SERVICE MEMBERS’ ACCESS TO REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH CARE

Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), along with Senators John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Cory Booker (D-NJ), and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), reintroduced legislation to guarantee service members access to reproductive health care wherever they are stationed. The Military Access to Reproductive Care and Health (MARCH) for Military Servicemembers Act would allow military medical treatment facilities to provide abortion services and for the Department of Defense to cover associated costs, ensuring that service members can access the care they need safely and legally. Rep. Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA-6) leads companion legislation in the House of Representatives.

“Our service members protect our freedoms every single day, and we have a duty to protect theirs in return,” said Senator Gillibrand. “Since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, our troops’ ability to receive reproductive health services now depends on where the military sends them instead of their own health care needs. That is an affront to their civil liberties and a barrier to military readiness. The MARCH for Military Servicemembers Act would correct this injustice, allowing women in our armed forces to access the full range of reproductive care at military facilities. I am proud to reintroduce this bill and will always fight to protect women’s bodily autonomy.” 

“No one should be denied access to safe reproductive health care, including those who bravely volunteer to serve our country,” said Senator Booker. “This legislation would ensure that service members and their families have the fundamental freedom to make their own health care decisions and receive the comprehensive care they deserve.”

“Service members put everything on the line to defend our liberties—it’s unacceptable that women in the military don’t have the freedom to make health care decisions about their own bodies,” said Senator Shaheen. “In the years since Roe v. Wade was reversed by the Supreme Court, access to abortion care continues to face relentless attacks. It’s critical that Congress take this important step to safeguard the full range of reproductive health care for service members.”

“I hear my Republican colleagues talk about how much they trust our service members with making decisions that protect the lives of their fellow service members and ultimately the lives of all Americans, yet many of those same colleagues believe that we cannot trust service members and their families to decide if, how, and when to have children. That is hypocrisy in its highest form,” said Rep. Chrissy Houlahan. “Access to all forms of health care, including abortion, in the military is about freedom – our military families sacrifice so much for us, yet too many of my colleagues have decided that members of our armed forces should not have something as fundamental as bodily autonomy and reproductive freedom.”

“It is past time for Congress to pass legislation to ensure access to comprehensive reproductive health care, including abortion care, for all servicemembers and their families. We’re proud to endorse the MARCH Act and thank Senator Gillibrand and Congresswoman Houlahan for their leadership on this vital legislation,” said Daria Neal, Senior Director of U.S. Policy & Advocacy at the Center for Reproductive Rights.

“Service members and veterans were promised comprehensive health care in exchange for their brave service. Instead of honoring that commitment, Donald Trump and his allies have taken away vital reproductive health care from military families, which endangers their health and safety,” said Jackii Wang, senior legislative analyst at NWLC Action Fund. “Congress has a responsibility to ensure that military members receive the best medical care, including abortion care. We want to thank Senator Gillibrand and Representative Houlahan for introducing the MARCH Act, which would remove the cruel ban on abortion care for service members and their loved ones.”

“As an organization dedicated to reproductive well-being, we applaud Senator Gillibrand and Congressional champions for reintroducing the Military Access to Reproductive Care and Health (MARCH) for Military Servicemembers Act. Our service members put their lives on the line for our country and deserve access to the full range of reproductive care, including abortion care. This legislation is a step towards ensuring that the freedom to make our own decisions about our bodies, lives, and futures includes our military service members,” said Rachel Fey, Interim Co-CEO & Vice President for Policy & Strategic Partnerships at Power to Decide.

“We thank Senator Gillibrand for reintroducing the MARCH Act and for her continued commitment to doing right by the people who serve this country. Service members put their lives on the line to defend our freedoms—yet they are denied those freedoms, including access to abortion care through military insurance and facilities. The Senate must pass the MARCH Act and make clear that no one who serves this country should have to fight for the basic health care they deserve,” said Reproductive Freedom for All President and CEO Mini Timmaraju.

The MARCH for Military Servicemembers Act is endorsed by a number of reproductive rights, women’s rights, and military service member organizations. These include the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Center for Reproductive Rights, National Women’s Law Center, American College of Obstetricians & Gynecologists, Physicians for Reproductive Health, Power to Decide, Reproductive Freedom for All, American Society of Reproductive Medicine (ASRM), VoteVets, Minority Veterans of America, and the National Council of Jewish Women.

Full text of the bill can be found here.

 

Banner Image: Senator Gillibrand.  Image Credit – Sen. Gillibrand