Majority Leader Schumer To Bring Five New Yorkers And Wounded Ukrainian Soldier To The State Of The Union; His Guests Will Highlight Work On Women’s Reproductive Healthcare, CHIPS And Science, Unions, Infrastructure, And Ukraine

Washington, D.C. – Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) today announced five New Yorkers and a Ukrainian soldier, wounded in battle but treated in a New York hospital, as his guests for the State of the Union. His guests range from local leaders to recipients of pension relief for union workers to a mother who was able to conceive due to IVF.  

“I am so proud to announce my guests for the State of the Union today. Thanks to transformational legislation championed by Senate Democrats and signed into law by President Biden – the American people have seen more job opportunities, lower costs, and more investments in their communities over the past three years. They have also seen an Administration and Senate which is willing to stand up for basic human rights – like that of a women to have autonomy over her body and the very principle of democracy,” said Leader Schumer. “These six individuals represent the range of Americans who have been helped by the policies of the Biden Administration and a Democratic Senate. As Majority Leader, my North Star has been to improve the lives of families across this country and my guests are examples of the helpful impact of our revolutionary agenda. I look forward to welcoming them to the Capitol.”

Leader Schumer’s State of the Union Guests:

Andrii Chevozorov – Wounded Ukrainian Soldier

• A 25 year old soldier with a below-knee amputation.
• He was born in Kryvvyi Rih and worked at a mining transport workshop before the war. He served as a site mechanic from 2016 until the outbreak of conflict.
• In September 2023, he was injured by a mine while clearing territory near Staromaerskoye in the Donetsk region. Chevozorov was hospitalized in the Dnepropetrovsk region following the incident.
• Arrived to NYC on January 21st for prosthetics and rehabilitation treatment at Staten Island University Hospital.
• Schumer has fought to secure billions to support Ukrainians in their fight against Russia, to help people like Andrii defend their homeland and protect their democracy against authoritarian attacks.

Kate Farley – Mom Expecting Her 2^nd Child Via IVF

• Kate is a Hudson Valley resident who is 37 weeks pregnant with her second child via in vitro fertilization.
• Due to a genetic abnormality, IVF was the only option for Kate to get pregnant and avoid experiencing multiple miscarriages, but with fertility treatment, she and her husband are getting ready to welcome their second child.
• Following the recent radical right-wing Alabama Supreme Court decision which threatens IVF access, Schumer is standing with Kate and women across the country to vow to protect every American’s right to IVF and fight back against Republicans’ attacks on reproductive health, contraception, and the right to choose.

Kevin McCaffrey – Presiding Officer of the Suffolk County Legislature and President of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 707

• Kevin was the President of Teamsters Local 707 when $812 Million was delivered to Long Island-based Local 707’s pension plan, one of the first plans in the nation to receive this sorely-needed funding.
• Over 4,000 retired Long Island and NYC truck operators and delivery drivers – many of whom saw their hard-earned monthly pension bills cut by 2/3 –  had their payments fully restored and received full back pay, ensuring economic stability in their golden years.
• Schumer successfully delivered pension relief in the American Rescue Plan that will assist over one-million union workers and families across America, including over 600,000 in New York.

Van Robinson – Longtime Syracuse Leader and Former Common Council President

• Van is a longtime elected official and the first Black President of the Common Council, who has dedicated his life to fighting for Syracuse’s most vulnerable communities.
• Schumer and Van have worked together for decades helping deliver funding for underserved communities, securing policy victories on affordable housing, access to education, reducing lead poisoning, and fighting gun violence.
• Van was one of the earliest leaders for reconnecting communities and advocating for the  teardown of I-81 highway that divided communities in Syracuse, which now thanks to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act has officially begun.

Deborah Hartman – Retired UFCW Union Tops Supermarket Worker

• Retired Tops Supermarket worker and United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) member had her full pension restored thanks to the American Rescue Plan Schumer championed as his first major act as Majority Leader.
• UFCW, with 19,000+ members and their families across Upstate NY, received a $764 million pension-fix from the American Rescue Plan, giving members the hard-earned benefits that they paid into their whole lives, but lost through no fault of their own.
• Beyond her work at Tops, Deborah is also passionate about workers’ rights, with her union involvement with UFCW beginning in 1998, spanning 24 years until her retirement.

Kim Spica –Equipment Engineering Technician at GlobalFoundries

• Kim began working at GlobalFoundries after receiving training through the registered apprenticeship programs at Hudson Valley Community College to get the skills she needed to become a part of the future of our country’s semiconductor workforce.
• GlobalFoundries just last month reached a $1.5 billion preliminary funding agreement, the first agreement for a New York company and the largest potential award yet, from the CHIPS Incentives Program funded by  CHIPS & Science Law– legislation heralded by Leader Schumer.
• This investment is expected to help create 1,500 new good paying manufacturing jobs and thousands of union construction jobs to build a second chip fab in NY’s Capital Region.
• Kim represents the future that is being created thanks to the CHIPS & Science Law bringing manufacturing back to America.

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