senator Kirsten E. Gillibrand

About Kirsten

A Heart for Service

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand grew up in Upstate New York in a family committed to public service. Her grandmother worked in the New York State Legislature at a time few women did and was a trailblazing grassroots organizer. As a child, Kirsten would join her grandmother to go door-to-door urging their neighbors to vote. Her father was a public defender and her mother was a lawyer who taught Kirsten about the importance of representing those without a powerful voice of their own. They inspired Kirsten’s passion for public service.

A Commitment to Open, Accountable and Transparent Government

After being first elected to the House of Representatives, Kirsten became the first member of Congress ever to post a daily report listing her official meetings, earmark requests, and personal financial disclosures online for public consumption. Additionally, she authored the STOCK Act to ban members of Congress and their families from insider trading and has led reform efforts to ban members of Congress from owning and trading stocks at all.

A Relentless Fighter

In just her first term in the Senate, Kirsten led the effort to repeal the discriminatory “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy that banned gay people from serving openly in the military and passed the historic 9/11 health bill, which ensured that first responders and 9/11 survivors got the health care they deserved. More recently, she passed major legislation to give benefits to veterans exposed to toxic burn pits overseas, passed the first-ever federal law making domestic gun trafficking a crime, and reformed the military justice system on behalf of service members.

A Champion for New Yorkers

In the Senate, Senator Gillibrand is a senior member of the Armed Services Committee. In addition, she is ranking member of the Senate Aging Committee, where she is working to bring down prescription drug costs, protect Social Security and Medicare, guard against financial scams, and make sure that every American can age with dignity. Senator Gillibrand also serves on the Senate Intelligence Committee with a focus on cybersecurity and on the Senate Committee on Appropriations, where she is ranking member of the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Subcommittee.

Family Life

Senator Gillibrand’s home is in Albany, New York, where she grew up. She and her husband Jonathan have two boys, Theo and Henry, and a labradoodle, Maple.

My Priorities

Health Care

Senator Gillibrand believes every person should have access to high-quality, affordable health care because health care is a human right, not a privilege. That’s why she has worked to lower prescription drug prices, protect access to reproductive health care, and strengthen and expand our health care workforce. She also passed the historic 9/11 health bill, which created the federal World Trade Center Health Program to ensure first responders and 9/11 survivors receive the health care they deserve. And she passed major legislation to make sure veterans exposed to burn pits and other toxins get the health care they earned and deserve.

Jobs

From investments in advanced manufacturing Upstate to creating more essential health care jobs in New York City, Senator Gillibrand is working to create good-paying jobs and drive economic development across New York. She’s leading the fight to reinvigorate American manufacturing, incentivize companies to bring jobs back to the United States, and keep good jobs here in New York. She passed the Main Street Employee Ownership Act, which made it easier for small businesses that want to stay in their communities to become employee-owned co-ops. And when the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law was passed, she fought to make sure those new infrastructure projects would prioritize hiring workers from local communities. Senator Gillibrand is also pushing to establish a national paid leave program, because no one should ever have to choose between keeping their job and having a child, caring for a loved one, or looking after their own health.

Environment

Senator Gillibrand believes we can fight the climate crisis, protect access to clean air and clean water, and create a brighter future for New Yorkers. That’s why she helped pass the biggest climate bill in American history, with historic investments in clean energy and green jobs. She’s also leading the fight to protect drinking water in New York from toxic PFAS pollution and to hold polluters accountable.

Veterans and Service Members

As a member of the Armed Services Committee, Senator Gillibrand is a champion for our nation’s veterans and service members. She strongly believes that our service members are the greatest asset to our national security and that supporting those who serve is central to ensuring military readiness. She supports annual pay raises for service members, and each year she assists hundreds of New York veterans with disability claims pending within the Department of Veterans Affairs—helping to clear delays and often resulting in veterans receiving over $1,000 in average monthly payments from the VA. She also passed major legislation to ensure veterans exposed to burn pits and other toxins get the health care and benefits they earned. And after a nearly decade-long fight, she successfully reformed the military justice system to make it more professional and fair.

National Security

In addition to her work on the Armed Services Committee, Senator Gillibrand is a member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. New York remains a top terror target in the United States, and Senator Gillibrand believes we must continue to be vigilant and is fighting to invest federal resources to keep us safe and thwart future attacks. She’s working to bolster the Department of Defense’s cybersecurity capabilities through her Cyber Academy scholarship program and is working to ensure that the nation has the resources it needs to protect critical infrastructure. Rural New York Senator Gillibrand has fought for dairy pricing reform on behalf of New York farmers and increased nutrition assistance for children, seniors and veterans. She is committed to passing policies that will revitalize our rural communities and promote economic prosperity throughout New York State, and she has fought to secure major federal investments to expand broadband access that will spur economic development and lessen the digital divide. Through legislation to help America’s farmers and improve access to affordable and nutritious food, she is combating food insecurity and providing farmers and growers with the resources they need to thrive.

Older Americans

Older Americans have worked hard all their lives — and Senator Gillibrand is fighting to ensure they can age with dignity and respect. She has consistently fought against attempts to cut Social Security and Medicare and is pushing to expand Social Security benefits to better keep up with inflation. She also helped Medicare beneficiaries save money on their health care costs by passing legislation to cap the cost of their insulin at $35 a month, cap their out-of-pocket costs for prescription drugs at $2,000 a year, and cap their premium increases for drug coverage. Senator Gillibrand is also championing legislation to address the nationwide shortage of long-term care workers to ensure older Americans get the care they need. And as the population of older Americans grows, she’s working to ensure that states are prepared to address their needs. She introduced the Strategic Plan for Aging Act, a landmark bill that would provide states with resources to help older Americans navigate everything from housing to food insecurity. She has also worked hard to protect older Americans in the workplace, including by introducing a bipartisan bill that would ban forced arbitration clauses in cases of age discrimination, which would allow victims to have their day in court.

Gun Safety

New Yorkers shouldn’t be afraid to go to school, to their place of worship, to the store, or even just to take a walk to the park. As a longtime advocate for gun safety, Senator Gillibrand has fought to get illegal guns off our streets. After a more than decade-long fight, she passed the first-ever law to make gun trafficking a federal crime. And she will continue to fight for commonsense reforms to eliminate loopholes, strengthen background checks, and ban assault rifles.

Education

As a mother of two boys, Senator Gillibrand knows the importance of education in preparing our students for a lifetime of learning and achievement. That’s why she has fought to deliver investments in school nutrition, school-based mental health services, vocational training, and student loan literacy programs. Senator Gillibrand supports universal pre-K and early childhood education to ensure that every family has access to early education, and she is fighting to make college more affordable through federal investments in community colleges and improvements to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program.

Workers’ Rights Senator Gillibrand believes that when unions succeed, all working families succeed, and she’s fighting to strengthen workers’ rights. That is why she is a firm supporter of passing the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act to empower workers and ensure the right of every worker to join a union if they choose to. She also believes every American deserves to work in an environment that is equitable and safe. That’s why she passed landmark legislation to prohibit businesses from enforcing predispute non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) and implementing forced arbitration processes for cases of workplace sexual harassment or assault.

Immigration

Senator Gillibrand is a strong advocate for comprehensive immigration reform and is focused on improving our current immigration system. She is working to make our immigration courts more independent and efficient and has fought to ensure access to counsel for those involved in court proceedings. She believes that immigrants are an important thread in the great fabric of America and is fighting for an immigration system that treats immigrants fairly, with an earned pathway to citizenship.

Committee Assignments

• Armed Services Committee (Senior Member)
• Senate Select Committee on Intelligence
• Committee on Appropriations
• Special Committee on Aging (Ranking Member)