United States Schumer Tender

U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand launched their push to secure 82.4 million in federal funding for the University of Rochester Laboratory for Laser Energetics LLE. Schumer and Gillibrand urged federal appropriators to include this funding in the Fiscal Year 2020 budget. This boosted funding would be used to provide the necessary resources to support the Labs research program and operations and experiments on OMEGA which is the second most powerful ultraviolet fusion laser in the world.Schumer and Gillibrand have long fought to ensure the Rochester laser lab has the funding it needs to maintain hundreds of good-paying local jobs and continue its cutting edge research. Last year in the FY 2019 appropriations process the senators secured 80 million for the Laser Lab rejecting the administrations February 2018 budget proposal to defund the Laser Lab within three years and eliminate hundreds of high-tech jobs in Rochester. In response Schumer visited the Laser Lab in March 2018 to announce his multi-prong push to reverse this proposed closure plan and instead increase funding for the Lab in FY18 and FY19 to keep the Labs 350 skilled Rochester workers on the job. In addition Gillibrand led the fight in the Senate to ensure necessary funding for the Laser Lab. Following their push Schumer and Gillibrand succeeded in securing 75 million for the Lab in FY 2018 and then secured 80 million in FY19. Absent this 80 million level of funding the Lab could have been forced to lay off scientists and engineers and reduce their capacity and partnerships with national laboratories.The U of R Laser Lab a trailblazer in research and discovery thats been home to Noble Prize-winning discoveries plays a fundamental role in U.S. national security by helping to safeguard the nations nuclear weapons stockpile and provides 350 good-paying jobs to the Rochester-Finger Lakes economy. Boosting funding for this innovative and ground-breaking facility is a no-brainer and is a true win-win for the Rochester-Finger Lakes and the United States said Senator Schumer. The U.S. is currently the global leader in high-energy laser technologies this increased funding would not only ensure Rochester can continue as a job-creating center of scientific talent but allow U of R to keep the nation at the forefront of this research and on the cutting edge of laser innovation.The University of Rochesters Laser Lab conducts ground-breaking globally-recognized research and is an asset to our national security said Senator Gillibrand. The Laser Lab attracts scientists from across the country to Rochester creates hundreds of good-paying jobs and helps drive economic growth and innovation in Upstate New York. I am proud to lead the fight in the Senate every year to make sure that the Laser Lab has the resources it needs to keep doing its important work for our country and I urge my colleagues to provide necessary funding for the lab in this years appropriations bill.Established in 1970 the Laboratory for Laser Energetics LLE of the University of Rochester is a unique national resource for research and education in science and technology and a major asset of the University not found at any other university in the country. Both the Rochester area and the University have a history of innovation that provides a singular environment for LLE within a technologically sophisticated scientific community.LLE is the largest U.S. Department of Energy DOE university-based research program in the entire nation and is home to the OMEGA lasers Omega and Omega EP the largest and most capable at any academic institution in the world. LLE conducts implosion and basic physics experiments in support of the national Inertial Confinement Fusion ICF program validates advanced concepts for ICF to be used on the National Ignition Facility NIF in order to demonstrate ignition and energy gain serves as the principal laser research facility for three national laboratories and is the only ICF facility with education as a primary mission. It is a vital component of the nations scientific capital and leadership and key to strategic work on an independent energy future.University of Rochester President Richard Feldman said For nearly 50 years the LLE which houses the largest and most powerful laser systems found at any academic institution in the world has been a major contributor to our national and economic security. It was also the site of groundbreaking research that was recognized with the 2018 Nobel Prize in Physics. The LLE is the largest university-based U.S. Department of Energy program in the U.S. and the work of the 350 scientists engineers and staff at the lab would not be possible without the tremendous federal support we continue to receive due to the leadership of our champions in Congress especially Senator Schumer and Senator Gillibrand.As one of the premier institutions training the next generation of leaders in the fields of physics optics and material science LLE is an economic development magnet that provides high-tech jobs and attracts scientific talent to the Rochester community. Many Rochester companies including Sydor Technologies QED Technologies and Lucid were created as a result of the Lab and now employ hundreds of people. LLEs work has also generated almost 16 million in business with more than 50 local companies across New York State since 2015.Since its inception the LLE has attracted more than 2.3 billion to New York State to support cutting-edge research. Through the LLEs mission the University also attracts as many as 400 additional visiting scientists each year to Rochester from national laboratories universities and companies and currently hosts over 145 students graduate undergraduate and high school.