US Senator Kirsten Gillibrand

Today, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, a member of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, held a video press conference announcing the National Agricultural Crisis Hotline Act to provide desperately needed mental health support to New York’s 55,000+ agricultural workers and their families. Farmers face a number of unique stressors that can impact their mental health, including uncertain weather, fluctuating market conditions, and social isolation, and the suicide rate among farmers is 3.5 times the rate among the general population.  

Today, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand announced $498,435 in federal funding for three New York cultural institutions from the Museum Grants for African American History and Culture (AAHC) Program. The funding was allocated through the Institute of Museum and Library Services and will be used to build the capacity of African American museums, support the growth and development of museum professionals at African American museums and bolster community-based programming.

U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, chair of the Senate Armed Services Emerging Threats and Capabilities Subcommittee, sent a letter to Senate Armed Services Committee leadership requesting that the 5.2% pay increase for service members in President Biden’s budget be maintained in the upcoming National Defense Authorization Act, despite the fiscal restraints imposed by the just-passed Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023. The debt ceiling bill, which was necessary to avoid America’s first-ever default on its debt, imposed strict caps on the defense budget and may lead to real-dollar cuts across the department.