Gillibrand Secures Major Wins For New York In Recently Passed Federal Funding Package

by Contributor | January 22, 2026 9:12 am

Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, a member of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee, announced that several of her priorities were included in the just-passed Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 Energy and Water Development, Commerce-Justice-Science, and Interior and Environment funding bills. In addition to the $65 million in funding Gillibrand personally secured for New York projects as congressionally directed spending items, she secured the following big wins for federal programs and agencies that invest directly in New York via these appropriations bills.

“This funding package is a huge win for New Yorkers,” said Senator Gillibrand. “These federal dollars will help bolster economic development, aid in efforts to protect our environment, and preserve our state’s historic sites for future generations. I was proud to deliver these funds despite the Trump administration’s opposition to many of these priorities, and I will continue fighting to bring home critical federal funding for New York.”

 

Advancing Science, Technology, and Research

• $8.75 billion for the National Science Foundation, which will help counter the Trump administration’s proposed cuts, providing support for nearly 10,000 new competitive research awards and more than 250,000 scientists, technicians, teachers, and students.
• $157.85 million for the construction of a world-leading Electron Ion Collider at Brookhaven National Laboratory on Long Island.
• $111 million for the Laboratory for Laser Energetics Omega facility at the University of Rochester.
• $80 million for the National Sea Grant College Program, which will contribute to the research, outreach, and educational work of New York Sea Grant.

 

Investments in Environmental Conservation, Stewardship, and Remediation

• $528 million for geographic programs that help protect, restore, and improve New York watersheds and water bodies. Specifically, this includes:
  • $369 million for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative
  • $93 million for the Chesapeake Bay Program
  • $40.5 million for the Long Island Sound
  • $25.5 million for the Lake Champlain Basin Program.
• Nearly $90 million for the West Valley Demonstration Project to support the clean-up and remediation of nuclear waste at this site in Western New York.
• $67 million for National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) National Marine Sanctuaries, including the newly created Lake Ontario National Marine Sanctuary off the coast of Jefferson, Oswego, Cayuga, and Wayne Counties.
• $37 million for the U.S. Forest Service’s Urban and Community Forestry Program to support growing and maintaining urban forests and green spaces.
• $11.75 million for the Delaware River Basin Restoration Program to support wildlife, improve water quality, and enhance recreational access to the basin, which includes parts of New York’s Southern Tier, Hudson Valley, Mohawk Valley, and Capital Region.
• $2.55 million for the National Estuary Program to protect and restore some of New York’s most significant estuaries, including:
  • $850,000 for the Long Island Sound
  • $850,000 for the New York-New Jersey Harbor Estuary Program
  • $850,000 for the Peconic Estuary Partnership.

Promoting Economic Development and Energy Affordability

• $329 million for the Weatherization Assistance Program, of which approximately $28 million is expected to help New York households increase the energy efficiency of their homes and lower their energy bills.
• $247 million to support three Federal-State Regional Commissions that operate in New York: the Appalachian Regional Commission, the Northern Border Regional Commission, and the Great Lakes Authority. These agencies support economic development in Upstate New York via targeted funding and technical assistance for a variety of economic development activities across the state.
• $175 million in funding for Manufacturing Extension Partnerships (MEP)nationwide. New York’s ten MEP centers provide crucial technological assistance and support for manufacturing in New York, leveraging federal investment to create or save one manufacturing job for every $1,490 in federal funding. Gillibrand also secured language to barring the Trump administration from defunding New York’s MEP network throughout Fiscal Year 2026.

 

Promoting Historic Preservation and National Parks

• $36 million increase in funding for the Historic Preservation Fund, which provides grant funding and technical assistance to preserve and restore historical and cultural sites like Fort Ticonderoga and the National Women’s Hall of Fame in Seneca Falls. This increase includes a $4.9 million set-aside for grants to preserve historic sites like the many in New York that are related to the nation’s semiquincentennial anniversary in 2026. $4 million for memorial sites that honor the victims of the September 11^th terrorist attacks.
• $2.2 million for New York’s four National Heritage Areas, including:
  • $709,000 for the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor
  • $500,000 for the Champlain Valley National Heritage Partnership
  • $500,000 for the Maurice D. Hinchey Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area
  • $500,000 for the Niagara Falls National Heritage Area.

Source URL: https://oswegocountytoday.com/politics/barclay-opinion/gillibrand-secures-major-wins-for-new-york-in-recently-passed-federal-funding-package/

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