State of the Union response

Rep. Eliot Engel issued the following statement after President Obama’s State of the Union address. Make the jump to read U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand's statement. 

“The President’s speech tonight was essentially a strategic plan to bolster the American Dream – which is slipping out of reach for far too many Americans.  President Obama cited the fear of losing out on the American Dream for low- to middle-income families as the reason he sought public office.  As the son of an ironworker growing up in public housing, and educated in New York City Public Schools and at the City University of New York, this struck close to home for me.  I was afforded the opportunity to one day serve my country in the United States Congress.  As a parent, we always seek better opportunities for our children than we had ourselves.  That should be the case for all American families.

“Our economy has come a long way since the dark days back in 2007-08 when we were losing hundreds of thousands of jobs each month.  We cannot ignore 22 consecutive months of growth, and over three million private sector jobs added since the President’s first State of the Union address.  Recovery has been slower than anyone wants, but the fact remains our economy is getting better.

“We must return to the days where both parties worked together for the good of the country.  Compromise cannot continue to be a dirty word.  Our challenges are far too great for us to continue self-defeating partisanship.  Our goals should be for the betterment of the American people, not cold-hearted electoral politics. 

“I was pleased to hear the President sees energy as one of the main avenues for shoring up the American Dream.  Clean energy investments created tens of thousands of good paying jobs in recent years. Reducing pollution will also protect the health of all Americans by, cutting down the rates of serious diseases.  Promoting alternative fuel sources will help lead our country to a future free from dependence on foreign governments, many of which are hostile to our interests.  Oil production has never been higher, and Democrats must remember we must avoid saying no all of the time and find other ways to produce domestic energy sources. 

“Far too many families can barely keep pace with their mortgage payments and household expenses.  Our focus must remain on jobs and the economy, and rebuilding our crumbling infrastructure.  However, we are sadly mistaken if we lose sight of the crisis our public education system faces.  We must reform No Child Left Behind, or every American will be left behind.   We must fix our borders and reform our immigration system.  We cannot forget that immigration done correctly has made our country the successful melting pot it is today.  We must also finally come to grips that health care in this nation is a right and not a privilege. We have much more that needs to be accomplished to keep America great, and enable more people to take part in the American Dream. 

“I am hopeful that 2012 will be more productive than 2011, when manufactured crises dominated our national rhetoric.  Americans expect more from their government, and we should demand it of ourselves.  We must show that we can still come together to preserve and expand the American Dream.”

Gillibrand reflects for 10th anniversary of 9/11

Here is a letter we received from U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand on the 10th anniversary of 9/11. Jump below for the entire piece.

“Remembering Our Heroes Sacrifice”

By U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand

Like all Americans, I will never forget where I was the morning of the 9/11 attacks. I was traveling with my husband when I received the call from my mother that would change my life. I was living in New York City at the time, so when I heard the news, I was overwhelmed with horror, trepidation, and extreme anxiety for friends and loved ones in harm’s way.

As I reflect on that terrible day 10 years later, the overwhelming image that stays with me is the amazing acts of heroism and selflessness we saw that absolutely define us as a nation – ordinary Americans who didn’t need to be asked to commit extraordinary acts. They ran up those towers as everyone else was running down to search for survivors and save lives, spending countless hours on the pile of rubble in the days that followed recovering those we had lost.

Gillibrand pushes non-profit-based jobs bill for urban youth

Here's an article by our intern, Amanda Macaluso, who attended a roundtable discussion about the solutions to creating jobs for at-risk Bronx youth. You can also check out the Daily News' article about the event here, where they mention that some groups may be too small to be helped by Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand's bill (but never really explained why).

By Amanda Macaluso

With the Bronx’s overall average of unemployed youth more than double the nation’s average, U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand joined Bronx Assembly Members and clergy leaders at a roundtable this week to discuss job creation in the Bronx.

At the Bronx Christian Fellowship church at 1015 East Gun Hill Road on Tuesday, Aug. 16, the discussion was geared at the at–risk Bronx youth who are unemployed—20 percent—and the legislation that is trying to be passed that will shrink that population.

The Gillibrand sponsored legislation, "The Urban Jobs Act of 2011,” will give non-profit organizations the resources they need to do job training for at risk youth that will assist them in getting back on their feet and becoming an efficient member of the economy.

She anticipates the bill will pass later this year under a larger jobs bill.

“Supporting education and training for our Bronx youth is a smart investment that will help rebuild our local economy and pay dividends over the long term” the junior senator said. “Youth without jobs only hurt our economy, we’re missing out on possible entrepreneurs, doctors, etc.”

The average unemployment rate for minority youths in urban communities in July was approximately 39 percent for African-Americans and 36 percent for Hispanics. The city’s African American and Hispanic youths are twice as likely to drop out of school and make up more than 80 percent of the city’s detention centers. Additionally, the labor force participation rate for youth without a high school diploma is about 20 percentage points lower than the labor for participation rate.

“If our youth had jobs they would not be participating in illegal activities and the city’s recidivism rate would drop incredibly. However, education goes hand in hand with this without a high school diploma or a GED these kids will never get the building blocks they need for the workforce” Gillibrand said.

The Urban Jobs Act would create an Urban Jobs Program that would award competitive grants to national non-profit organizations in partnership with local affiliates, to provide a holistic approach for preparing youth ages 18 though 24 for entry into the job market. A national organization that received that grant would provide a comprehensive set of services including case management services, educational programming, such as GED preparation and skills assessment, employment readiness activities, and support services, such as housing assistance and health referrals.

“These are the types of initiatives that we support as we look to create both preventative as well as intervention solutions for Bronxites,” said Rev. Que English, a senior pastor at the Bronx Christian Fellowship Church. “We believe that implementing solutions from both perspectives will reduce the alarming school to prison pipeline statistics and offer hope where it appears to be absent.”

Gillibrand believes religious organizations are a good fit for building urban job growth; churches and similar institutions already focus on identifying troubled youth and putting them on a better path.

“The faith-based communities are at the heart of this legislation because they are the people that can identify these at–risk youth in their neighborhoods and point them in the direction of our programs to show them where they can get help and show them where they can better themselves. They will raise awareness to their followers,” Gillibrand said.