News : Gillibrand’s big year

Wednesday, December 21, 2022

Gillibrand’s big year

Dec 21, 2022

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand calls this her most productive Congress ever, but it's a 2022 victory list that has been years in the making.

This year, a crackdown on gun trafficking the junior senator has been working on for a decade was included in the gun safety bill Congress passed this summer. Another issue she's been fighting for just as long — overhauling the way the military handles felonies such as sexual assault — made it into defense legislation: The cases would now be handled by professional prosecutors rather than military commanders.

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., speaks during a news conference in New York, March 14, 2021. After years of debate, Congress is poised to change how the U.S. military handles sexual assault cases, by taking some authority out of the hands of commanders and instead using independent prosecutors. | AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File

President Joe Biden approved funding to help sick veterans who were exposed to toxic smoke from burn pits, an issue she's backed for years, and he signed her measure that would limit the use of confidentiality agreements that block sexual harassment survivors from speaking out.

Gillibrand's term is up in 2024 and rumors about a primary challenger or, perhaps a chosen successor, have already been circling for some time. But Gillibrand says she is definitely running for reelection (and definitely not running for president, despite having a great time in 2019). Here's what's next, in her own words, condensed and edited for clarity:

I assume when you started out, you didn't think you'd be playing a decade-long, long game for some of these. How does it feel?

No, you really couldn't imagine. I learned that resiliency and hard work and never giving up are the hallmarks for success.

What's the next big thing?

Paid leave. I've been working on it for almost a decade. I have a working group of five Republicans. And we've been meeting regularly to come up with what they're willing to do. We have a proposal in with them right now that might create a universal paid leave program for at least the lowest-income workers. And so I'm optimistic that maybe we can reach consensus on that piece. That, along with all their tax benefits that they want included.

Does it feel like that sort of bipartisanship is still available on the Hill? Or does it feel harder these days?

I've always been bipartisan. So the challenge comes up when you have something that's not yet bipartisan. That's when it's really hard. So paid leave is not yet bipartisan, unless I get sign off from this working group. But I'm optimistic.

And you are planning on running again…?

Yes, I'm running for reelection in 2024. I'm very excited about it. I've already reached out to a lot of the county chairs, a lot of the state labor leaders, solicited their feedback about the challenges they believe lay ahead, what we did well in 2022 and where we have work to do.

What have you heard from them?

The biggest challenge is making sure we have a chance to win back those House seats. And that means those districts need to be organized more thoroughly, with more investment in grassroots building and get-out-the-vote strategies. And then making sure these are well-resourced campaigns where we can have a coordinated campaign, from mine at top of the ticket and the House members and the local candidates, as well.

What do you think that state and federal officials can do to address crime concerns from voters that showed up in the New York midterms this year?

One of the things that we got done was this gun trafficking bill, and we need to make sure that the [Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives] actually starts prosecuting cases and making sure we can get guns off the streets. I was at a church service on Sunday and the church had just done a buyback program. Over 200 guns bought back just on that one Sunday alone. So investing in gun buyback programs, and investing in the mental health and violence disruptor programs that we have a lot of money for. So I'm going to try to work with our community to apply for that money so they can do these programs.

And then making sure that we do something about affordable housing and homelessness. A lot of public safety issues arose because homeless people were pushing people on the subways, homeless people were attacking people as they're walking to work. So really addressing affordable housing and homelessness and mental health as a public safety issue.

Should Joe Biden run again for President?

Absolutely, and I support him.

Not this cycle, then, but is running for President still something that you think you'd do again?

I really loved it and I learned a lot, but that is not in my future right now.

IT'S WEDNESDAY. Got tips, suggestions or thoughts? Let us know ... By email: EDurkin@politico.com and agronewold@politico.com, or on Twitter: @erinmdurkin and @annagronewold

WHERE'S KATHY? In Albany with no public events scheduled.

WHERE'S ERIC? Holding a press event on public safety efforts, receiving Everybody's Caribbean Magazine's Person of the Year award, visiting children living in a shelter with New York Giants player Saquon Barkley, and distributing meals and clothing to New Yorkers with PCNY and the Ellen Maguire Foundation.

PROGRAMMING NOTE: New York Playbook will not publish starting Monday, Dec. 26. After the hiatus, we'll be back on our normal schedule on Tuesday, Jan. 3.

POLITICO AT CES 2023 : We are bringing a special edition of our Digital Future Daily newsletter to Las Vegas to cover CES 2023. The newsletter will take you inside the largest and most influential technology event on the planet, featuring every major and emerging industry in the technology ecosystem gathered in one place. The newsletter runs from Jan. 5-7 and will focus on the public policy related aspects of the event. Sign up today to receive exclusive coverage of CES 2023.

WHAT CITY HALL IS READING

"It's Time for New Yorkers to Mask Up Again, Mayor Adams Says," by The New York Times' Emma G. Fitzsimmons: "Mayor Eric Adams put his face mask on again on Tuesday and encouraged New Yorkers to do the same. Mr. Adams held a news conference at City Hall to urge residents to take precautions in the face of a winter surge of Covid-19 cases and other illnesses. 'With the holiday season in full swing and cases of Covid-19, flu and R.S.V. rising, we are asking New Yorkers to protect themselves and their loved ones once again,' Mr. Adams said."

" NYC schools shift COVID response: No more 'Situation Room' or family letters about positive cases," by Chalkbeat's Amy Zimmer: "New York City's education department will 'permanently close' the command center that collects reports of positive COVID cases among students and school staff, according to an email sent to principals on Tuesday."

"Legal filing: NYPD illegally used sealed arrest records in Adams bail reform 'publicity stunt,'" by WNYC's Matt Katz: "A motion filed by public defenders in Manhattan Supreme Court accuses Mayor Eric Adams and the NYPD of using sealed criminal court records in a political move meant to argue that bail reform was causing a rise in repeat crime. The case, filed by attorneys from public defender group the Bronx Defenders and a private firm, centers around an August press conference at which Adams and NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell lamented judges' inability to send repeat offenders to jail given bail reform laws, and highlighted 10 repeat criminals deemed 'the worst of the worst' repeat offenders."

"NYC has spent $60M to help new migrant students as schools scramble to meet basic needs," by WNYC's Jessica Gould: "Roughly 9,800 new students from homeless shelters have enrolled in city schools since July, said Melissa Ramos, who heads the Department of Education's effort to integrate the newly arrived children into classrooms across the five boroughs."

WHAT ALBANY'S READING

"'Wow, finally': Dems' first all-women class of state senators preps for session," by Times Union's Raga Justin: "The incoming Democratic class of New York state senators will be composed entirely of women, a first for any conference in the upper house's 245-year history, and a fitting end to a year of wins for gender representation in state politics."

— As the Legislature looks toward Thursday's special session to raise their own pay, the staffers looking to form a union say they'll just be losing more money.

"City of Buffalo files first of its kind lawsuit against gun industry," by ABC News' Bill Hutchinson: "The city of Buffalo announced Tuesday it has filed a 'first of its kind' lawsuit against the gun industry, seven months after a teenager killed 10 people and wounded three others at a Buffalo grocery store. The lawsuit was announced by Mayor Byron Brown and names as defendants some of the nation's biggest firearm manufacturers, including Beretta, Smith & Wesson, Bushmaster, Glock and Remington."

"Capital Region families face children's Tylenol shortage," by Times Union's Kristi Gustafson Barlette: "Among the Elf antics and images of the menorah in social feeds are pictures of empty store shelves and pleas from desperate parents seeking children's Tylenol bringing back memories of spring 2020 when personal care products were nearly impossible to find. The shortage, which started earlier this month and has not eased, is due to a combination of factors, local experts said."

#UpstateAmerica: The Gingerbread Village at the Turning Stone Resort Casino in Central New York has once again been named one of the top hotel displays this year by Forbes' Travel Guide.

A NEW POLITICO PODCAST: POLITICO Tech is an authoritative insider briefing on the politics and policy of technology. From crypto and the metaverse to cybersecurity and AI, we explore the who, what and how of policy shaping future industries. We're kicking off with a series exploring darknet marketplaces, the virtual platforms that enable actors from all corners of the online world to traffic illicit goods. As malware and cybercrime attacks become increasingly frequent, regulators and law enforcement agencies work different angles to shut these platforms down, but new, often more unassailable marketplaces pop up. SUBSCRIBE AND START LISTENING TODAY.

FROM THE DELEGATION

Federal spending bill to include $800M in grants for cities dealing with migrant crisis, by POLITICO's Erin Durkin: A federal spending bill will direct $800 million to cities like New York struggling to provide for thousands of migrants arriving from the southern border. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer negotiated the money as part of a $1.7 trillion omnibus spending bill expected to pass by the end of the week, according to a person close to Schumer.

— FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: Airbnb will donate $1 million to New York City's efforts to support asylum seekers. The company is giving $500,000 to United Way of New York City, which funds services including food, clothing, transportation, phone cards, diapers and formula, and another $500,000 to the Mayor's Fund to Advance New York City. "This funding will go a long way towards caring for those who seek asylum in the Empire State," Airbnb policy manager Nathan Rotman said.

"Losing candidate calls for ethics probe of L.I. Rep.-elect George Santos over fake résumé reports," by New York Daily News' Michael McAuliff and Dave Goldiner: "The Democratic candidate who lost a Long Island congressional seat to Rep.-elect George Santos says the incoming GOP lawmaker should face major investigations over shocking reports he faked big chunks of his résumé. Robert Zimmerman, who lost the blue-leaning 3rd District seat to Santos in an upset, also fended off sniping from fellow Democrats that he should have uncovered the embarrassing gaping holes in his opponent's bio."

AROUND NEW YORK

— The Legal Aid Society called for an investigation of what was lost in a fire that destroyed an NYPD evidence warehouse.

— Russian hackers targeted the taxi dispatch system at JFK airport.

— A protest in New York City against a library Drag Queen Story Hour event spilled over to the apartment building of a city council member.

— Buffalo's only mental health emergency room is overwhelmed as patients, families question conditions.

— Consumer advocates are watching a "right-to-repair" bill on Hochul's desk that could reduce electronic waste.

— GlobalFoundries is laying off roughly 220 employees at its Fab 8 campus at the Luther Forest Technology Campus.

— Albany will receive a $9.75 million grant toward the rehabilitation of the devastated Central Warehouse building.

SOCIAL DATA BY DANIEL LIPPMAN

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: former Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin … WSJ's Annie Linskey … Brian Goldsmith … Fox News' Caroline Whiteman … Kelly Wallace … CBS' Vlad Duthiers … Julia Mellon … Shadi Nasabzadeh

MEDIAWATCH — Per Talking Biz News' Chris Roush: "Keith Kelly, who wrote a column about the media industry for the New York Post for more than two decades before retiring in July 2021, is coming out of retirement. Kelly is becoming editor in chief of New York weekly newspapers Our Town, The West Side Spirit, Chelsea News and Our Town Downtown. He will start Jan. 1, according to a post on his LinkedIn profile."

Real Estate

"A Secret Society Tied to the Underground Railroad Fights to Save Its Home," by The New York Times' Dodai Stewart: "On a brisk morning in November, bright yellow leaves from a huge ginkgo tree scattered onto the front yard of 87 MacDonough Street. Under peeling paint and missing cornices, Essie Gregory stood on the steps of the huge, ramshackle mansion in the heart of the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn with a small group of visitors. As a passer-by craned his neck to see what was going on, Ms. Gregory, 74, opened the front door, giving her guests a rare glimpse inside the New York headquarters of the United Order of Tents Eastern District No. 3."

"NYCHA Promised A Pain-Wracked Man He Could Move. Then a Private Management Company Took Over His Building," by The City's Greg B. Smith: "For even the most fit, the staircase at the Baychester station on the No. 5 line in The Bronx is daunting, an exhausting trek to the elevated platform that can leave you out of breath. For Mark Liboy, who relies on a walker due to chronic pain from a bad fall a few years back, it is a necessary nightmare. Liboy, 55, must climb these stairs once a month and take the subway and then a bus from his apartment in NYCHA's Baychester Houses all the way to the southern tip of Manhattan for pain treatment from his doctors. It wasn't supposed to be this way."

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