We did it! UPDATE: Video!

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Saturday December 18, 2010 · 9:02 AM PST

2010/12/18 · 09:02

I'm so thrilled that the Senate has overcome a Republican filibuster of our standalone "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" repeal bill. What a historic day! Soon, the Senate will officially pass the DADT repeal compromise and lift the immoral and corrosive ban on LGBT men and women serving openly and honestly in the military.

For me, this journey began a year and a half ago when I met with Lt. Dan Choi in my office. It was a short meeting but a lifechanging one. Dan told me his story -- how he was asked to lie every day about who he is and who he loves. And I knew I needed to fight to repeal this policy.

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand

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Thursday December 16, 2010 · 9:23 AM PST

2010/12/16 · 09:23

We are at the doorstep of history and we can’t let this moment pass.

The House has now passed the standalone “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” repeal bill -- legislation I was proud to introduce in the Senate -- and momentum continues to build toward repeal. Now the Senate must get it done and we must stay in session until we do.

As Senator Reid suggested earlier this week, if we don’t get to it before Christmas, we must return the week after and and take it up before the new Congress begins on January 5th.

Please stand with me and let my colleagues know that you want us to stay in session until “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” is repealed.

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand

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Friday October 08, 2010 · 9:41 AM PDT

2010/10/08 · 09:41

We’ve asked a tremendous amount of the brave men and women serving our country in Iraq and Afghanistan. Many of them have been deployed on tour after tour, away from their homes and families for years at a time and their service has taken a toll. Now, as our brave young men and women come home from war, we owe them as much support and guidance as we can provide to make their transition back into civilian life is as smooth as possible. While we can’t begin to repay the debt we owe our veterans for their brave service, we can certainly take steps to ease the physical, psychological and financial hardships they may be experiencing.

As I say in the new ad my campaign has released this week, one of the reasons I first ran for Congress was to be a voice for our veterans and I’ve continued to fight for the brave men and women who’ve served our country as US Senator. You can watch the ad below:

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand

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Tuesday September 14, 2010 · 7:55 AM PDT

2010/09/14 · 07:55

Over the past 20 months, it has been my absolute privilege to serve the state of New York in the US Senate. In that time, I have traveled to all 62 counties in the state, I've listened to New Yorkers from Brooklyn to Buffalo and I've fought every day to make the lives of all New Yorkers better. It's about fairness, it's about equality and it's about opportunity and I pledge to continue to fight for these values every day as US Senator.

This year's election is going to be one of the toughest of our lifetime. The forces aligned against Democrats this year are well-funded and motivated to defeat the progressive movement like never before. We need to turn out today and we need to turn out in November and prove the pundits wrong. This is in our hands. We must make the case to our friends and family that this is not an election any of us can afford to sit out.

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand

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Thursday September 02, 2010 · 12:17 PM PDT

2010/09/02 · 12:17

As I travel across the state and listen to New Yorkers, there is no question how worried people are about the economy -- if the job they have today will be here tomorrow, if the job they lost is ever coming back, and how they are going to make ends meet and provide for their families. I share these concerns and I’m working each and every day to put New Yorkers back to work, support small businesses and grow our economy for the long term.

But what I also hear from people time and again is that they have very little faith that Congress is working to solve their problems. Frankly, when they look to Washington they see a lot of people who are more concerned about scoring cheap political points than improving their lives and solving their problems.

The fact is, New Yorkers feel they’re not being heard, that too much business is happening behind closed doors and too often the system only benefits the special interests that have way too much power. That’s why I am traveling the state during August recess to promote my transparency agenda and let New Yorkers know that making Washington work for you is one of my top priorities.

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand

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Tuesday July 20, 2010 · 10:12 AM PDT

2010/07/20 · 10:12

I have not been in Washington long but I've been there long enough to know that it's broken and we need to fix it.

As I travel throughout New York and listen to my constituents, it's clear that people have very little faith that Congress is working to solve their problems. Frankly, when they look to Washington they see a lot of people who are more concerned with scoring political points than improving lives and solving problems.

When I was first elected to the House in 2006, it was important to me to send a clear message to the people of NY-20: I wanted to be a representative for the people and shed some light on their government, so I became the first member of Congress to post my schedule, my financial disclosures and my earmark requests all online. Two years later, Speaker Pelosi made it a requirement for members of the House to post their earmark requests online.

I find that when you open the door toward openness and transparency, a lot of people will follow you through.

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand

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Monday May 31, 2010 · 8:45 AM PDT

2010/05/31 · 08:45

Today, as we honor those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our country, we must recommit ourselves to providing economic opportunity for our brave veterans once they return home.

Each day in Washington, I work to make sure that our troops and veterans receive all the benefits they have earned – from first-rate health care at the VA, to an affordable college education, low interest loans to buy a home and good opportunities for a new job when they’ve returned home to their families. It's the least we can do to repay the debt we owe them.

But these days, when our troops return from Iraq and Afghanistan, so often they are coming home to a country far different than the one they left. Many of the businesses they once knew and worked at are gone. Jobs have disappeared by the millions and are only very slowly starting to return.

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand

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Thursday May 27, 2010 · 1:06 PM PDT

2010/05/27 · 13:06

Yesterday, I was so proud to accept the Democratic nomination for Senate from New York at the NYS Democratic convention. It's truly been an honor to represent NY in the US Senate these past 16 months and I'm looking forward to my first statewide election in November. I hope I can count on your support.

As I said on the stage in Rye, NY yesterday, for me, being in public service is about who you fight for.

As a working mother, raising a young family of my own, I understand the way working parents are struggling to keep it all together.

As a lawmaker, I’ve fought tooth and nail against the special interests. I've worked hand in hand with President Obama, Senator Schumer, and many of you to pull our economy from the brink, begin to undo the damage caused by eight long years of the Bush Administration, and rebuild America again by putting everyday New Yorkers first.

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand

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Tuesday March 30, 2010 · 8:38 AM PDT

2010/03/30 · 08:38

What a historic week it's been.

While the health care reform fight hasn't been easy and while the final bill may not be perfect, I can't tell you how proud I've been to be in the Senate during this historic time and to have been able to help deliver access to affordable care for millions of Americans who don't currently have it. This is what the American people put Democrats in charge to do and we've achieved something extraordinary.

And I know we couldn't have done it without you.

Update [2010-3-30 15:9:39 by Senator Kirsten Gillibrand]:Hi, this is Todd Beeton with the Senator's campaign. Thanks for all the questions, particularly about the antitrust exemption for private health insurers. Senator Gillibrand does support repeal of the antitrust exemption and in fact was an original signatory to a letter to Senator Reid earlier this month calling for a vote on it.

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand

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Tuesday February 02, 2010 · 5:42 PM PST

2010/02/02 · 17:42

Last Spring I had the honor of meeting with Lt. Dan Choi in my office. While it was a relatively short meeting, 20 minutes or so, it was extremely meaningful for me. I'll never forget Dan telling me how every day that he served, he was asked to lie...lie about who he was, who he loved and how he spent his time back home. Dan's story brought home for me just how damaging the "Don't Ask Don't Tell" policy really is and I thought, if only everyone could hear the stories of the heroic men and women who serve our nation honorably but have been discriminated against by this unjust policy. I truly believe telling the stories of those who've been impacted by DADT is a strategy to help us move the debate forward and achieve full and immediate repeal.

So that's exactly what I've done. Last night on The Rachel Maddow Show, I announced the launch of a new website: www.dadtstoryproject.com.

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand

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Monday December 07, 2009 · 7:15 AM PST

2009/12/07 · 07:15

As you know, last week the U.S. Senate began debate on our version of the health insurance reform legislation. As I wrote a few weeks ago, the fact that we have gotten this far is monumental but the fight is not over. The debate has already been fierce and I'm extremely disappointed that one of my fellow Democratic colleagues is introducing a measure similar to the House's Stupak-Pitts amendment. I was proud that the bill brought to the Senate did not have this provision in it, but the opponents of choice are fighting hard to get it put back in and I am prepared to fight this effort.

And I'm going to need your help. Please join me in signing Emily's LIST's Stop Stupak petition here.

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand

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Wednesday October 28, 2009 · 7:59 AM PDT

2009/10/28 · 07:59

As you know, on Monday, Majority Leader Reid sent a merged Senate health care bill to the CBO that contained a public option with an opt out provision for states. This represents a major victory for proponents of real health care reform. Just weeks ago, any public option at all was thought dead and many thought the best we could do would be a triggered public option, but on Monday the bill Senator Reid sent to the CBO had no trigger mechanism in it at all. So, what happened?

Well, for one thing, you did.

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We did it! UPDATE: Video!

Tell The US Senate Not To Go Home Until DADT Is Repealed

Being A Voice For Our Veterans

NY Democrats, I'm Asking For Your Vote Today

Making Congress More Transparent

Reforming The Way Washington Works

They've Done The Job Abroad But Can't Find A Job At Home

This Is About Who We Fight For

This Is Only The Beginning [UPDATED]

Telling The Stories Of Those Impacted By "Don't Ask Don't Tell"

Stopping Stupak In The Senate

Thank You For Getting Us This Far