Hillary Clinton Campaign Press Release - New York Is Better Off Because Hillary Clinton Was Its U.S. Senator. Here's Why

A record of results

In 2000, Hillary Clinton was the first woman elected to the U.S. Senate from New York—and over the next eight years in office, she was a tireless champion for communities across the state.

Here are six ways she improved the lives of New Yorkers as senator.

1. She fought for New York after 9/11.

The day after the attacks on the World Trade Center, Hillary went to Ground Zero—and she quickly recognized that there would be lasting health problems for responders and others working at the site. She spoke out in the Senate to help secure $20 billion in federal aid for New York's recovery—and fought to secure $335 million in funding for health screening and treatment programs for first responders and volunteers who suffered health effects at the site.

2. She helped grow small businesses and create jobs.

Hillary worked across the aisle to help New Yorkers through the economic downturn—especially those from struggling upstate communities. She was a driving force behind raising the minimum wage, co-sponsoring or introducing bills to do it eight different times. She also helped launch Farm-to-Fork, an initiative to help New York farmers and winemakers sell their products to Manhattan restaurants and colleges. And she worked to expand broadband access to rural and underserved areas in the North Country.

3. She was a leading advocate for servicemembers and veterans.

As New York's first senator to serve on the Senate Armed Services Committee, Hillary was a leading advocate for men and women in uniform, veterans, and their families. She fought to save the Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station, which preserved 800 jobs in New York. And she worked tireless to address the gaps in health care for servicemembers—by joining with Republican and Democratic colleagues to extend TRICARE health benefits to National Guard and Reserve members even when they're not deployed, securing assistance for families caring for loved ones with Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), and providing funding for mental health and readjustment programs that help returning National Guard and Reserve members and their families.

4. She expanded educational opportunities.

Hillary fought to expand Head Start programs, which benefit more than 50,000 low-income New York families. And she worked to expand access to student loans and Pell Grants, so that more students would have the opportunity to go to college—regardless of their background or circumstances. She also introduced a bill to give Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) grants that would help underrepresented students enter health professions. And she helped start the first Eagle Academy for Young Men, a college prep school dedicated to educating young men of color.?

5. She fought to protect the health of families in underserved communities.

As chair of the Senate Superfund and Environmental Health subcommittee, Hillary made it her mission to protect families from environmental health hazards that disproportionately affect low-income communities of color. She introduced a bill to keep families in public housing safe from toxic lead paint, and she worked with then-Senator Barack Obama on legislation to keep kids safe from lead poisoning at child care facilities and to ban lead toys.

6. She helped protect New York's natural resources and expand clean energy.

From her first days as senator, Hillary made it a priority to protect New York's natural resources and develop the state's potential as a leader in clean energy. She worked to safeguard wildlife and the environment around the Great Lakes region and repeatedly pushed legislation to rein in industrial pollution. She also helped pave the way for a national heritage area to be created around Niagara Falls. And she teamed up with local leaders in Rochester to develop the nation's first urban "green print," a plan for environmentally sustainable growth and alternative energy development.

" New Yorkers took a chance on me and I'll never forget it. You've always had my back, and I've always tried to have yours."Hillary, March 30, 2016