Congresswoman Grace Meng (Photo: Thos Robinson/Getty Images for Women's Campaign Fund)

It's not just conservatives who are critiquing Sen. Chuck Schumer and the rest of the so-called "Gang of Eight" for their immigration bill.

Freshman Congresswoman Grace Meng, a steady liberal hand, is also urging to re-assess the latest version of the proposed federal immigration overhaul. But her warnings come with a unique twist: potential damage to Asian-American immigrant families.

In her first such letter to lawmakers on a major piece of legislation, Ms. Meng, New York’s first Asian-American Congresswoman, told Mr. Schumer, New York's most politically powerful voice in Washington, that she has concerns about certain provisions of the sweeping reform bill, which is set to be taken up by the Senate Judiciary Committee this week.

Specifically, she pointed to provisions she said would limit family reunifications by effectively eliminating the ability of U.S. citizens to sponsor their adult siblings and married adult children for permanent residency.

“In its current form, the Senate plan contains a number of provisions that are particularly disadvantageous to the Asian American community and detrimental to our immigration system and the American economy at large,” wrote Ms. Meng, who has been building ties with fellow female lawmakers. “The Asian American community faces unique challenges that are not addressed in the current proposal and deserve further consideration.”

She noted that 60 percent of the current foreign-born population from Asian, and argued that helping families re-unite would cut down on money sent out of the country to family members who can't immigrate.

“The need for family reunification is foremost in the hearts of the Asian American community, and the underlying assumption that these particular relationships are attenuated is simply false,” she said.

The letter was endorsed by a host of immigration advocacy groups, including the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund and the Greater Chinatown Community Association.

Mr. Schumer’s office did not immediately respond to a call for comment on Ms. Meng's concerns.

Rand Paul. (Photo: Getty)

Earlier this week, Kentucky Senator Rand Paul reportedly endorsed a pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants. And although Mr. Paul disputes that exact phrasing to describe his speech, it was a notable announcement from the Tea Party conservative as the U.S. Congress debates the issue. Indeed, New York's own Senator Chuck Schumer, part of a bipartisan octet negotiating a comprehensive immigration bill, praised the move last night.

"I think the bottom line is having Rand Paul come out for something not that far away from our group of eight is really helpful," Mr. Schumer said on Inside City Hall. "After all, he's the hard right. He's the Tea Party. And if he can be for it, so can most Republicans. And that gives me a lot of hope we can pass a bill in both the Senate and the House. And the House will be even tougher than the Senate."

In the same interview, Mr. Schumer also said he was "heartened" by the Republican National Committee's recent call for an immigration policy overhaul. He did cast doubt, however, on whether the party's congressional leadership will follow the organization's suggestions.

"I was heartened to see that in the Republican report, they called for immigration reform," he explained. "The bottom line is this, that no party can win if it appeals to only one segment of America. We are a big, broad, diverse nation and the parties that try to help a broad cross-section of people have a built-in advantage. Any party that writes off 25, 30, 35 percent of the American people is not going to be a winner. So I thought the Republican National Committee was right to issue the report, but the $64,000 question is will the Republican leadership follow through or will they sort of stay in their foxholes and ignore the lessons of 2012?"

“This successful sting operation is sure to be a buzz kill for would-be honey smugglers," Mr. Schumer said. "For too long, foreign smuggling of this product has created a sticky situation for domestic honey producers. We need a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to honey laundering."

Mr. Schumer previously called for officials to do more to combat Chinese honey smuggling in 2010. This bust clearly felt like a sweet victory that left the senator with a pleasant buzz.

(Photo: C-Span.org)

Earlier this morning, Democratic lawmakers gathered in Washington D.C. to unveil the Assault Weapons Ban of 2013, which is legislation that would ban "military-style" assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition clips. The press conference announcing the bill featured New York Congresswoman Carolyn McCarthy, the legislation's House sponsor, as its first speaker. Needless to say, Ms. McCarthy--whose husband was killed in a 1993 shooting spree on the Long Island Rail Road--made it clear it wasn't going to be a speech that stuck to the script.

"This battle has been a very lonely battle for many, many years," Ms. McCarthy began. "You know, a lot of words can be said. I've got a great speech here and my staff worked on it a long time and I'm probably going to do what they always tell me not to do. That means just talk from my heart."

Ms. McCarthy expressed particular frustration that gun control legislation has stalled in Congress but argued that the recent massacre at a Newtown, Connecticut elementary school would be the catalyst for change.

"For the last several years, the massacres have been going on more and more. Going through it, I kept saying, 'What's the matter with all of us?'" she asked. "How many people have to be killed before we do something? I thought for sure after Virginia Tech that we would get something done. Aurora [too]. But something happened in Newtown. The people of America said, 'How could this happen? How could this happen to our children?'"

Gun rights advocates typically argue that restrictions on firearms won't lower crime since criminals are inherently willing to buy weapons illegally, but Ms. McCarthy countered by arguing the individuals involved in shooting sprees are not capable of buying the weapons on the black market.

"We have these machines. We have the large magazines that can take down 20 children in seconds," she said. "Some people will say this bill won't work. Let me tell you why it will work. Because if you don't have these guns and the large magazines on the shelves, those who have done these horrific killings wouldn't be able to go into a gun store and just buy them. They don't have the background to go and look where the black market is and buy these magazines and guns. They go to the simplest place. If they aren't in the stores, they can't be bought. Think of the lives that can be saved. "

Adding that there's a need for additional legislation to deal with drugs and mental health, Ms. McCarthy said, "This is only the beginning. We're going to be working on a holistic approach."

Ms. McCarthy also addressed the death of her husband and what the meant for her emotionally, especially in the wake of the Newtown shooting.

"There's a lot of them saying that that's not going to do anything. I'm saying to you that we can save lives," she said. "Think about this, since Newtown, just about 1,000 people have died from guns. 1,000 people. Those children, their dreams--the dreams of even those who have died from other violence--never to be fulfilled. The day that that incident happened, I was actually giving an interview. And it was just a reporter following up on how do I get through the holidays. And she said to me, 'Oh my god, do you have the TV on?' And that was the beginning of my nightmare again....It has to stop. It has to stop. We can do it. We can make a difference."

Chuck Schumer speaking at the Inauguration. (Photo: Getty)

WASHINGTON D.C. -- Long Island chef Butch Yamali is telling Senator Chuck Schumer to go duck himself after the Inauguration.

Senator Schumer was able to put his own New York-centric spin on today's festivities in his capacity as chairman of the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies. However, Mr. Yamali doesn't feel Mr. Schumer went far enough to honor his home state and is holding a press conference tomorrow to "formally rebuke" the senator for not having Long Island duck at the inaugural meal at the Capitol Building.  

A statement announcing the press conference, which will take place tomorrow afternoon, noted Long Island's deep connection to duck.

"Long Island is known throughout the world for its duck–and even has a minor league baseball team called 'The Ducks,'" the statement said.

In addition to featuring the chorus from Staten Island's P.S. 22 and the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir at the swearing in ceremony, Mr. Schumer stocked the menu at the inaugural lunch with items from the Empire State including water from Saratoga Springs Water Company, two New York wines and a Hudson Valley apple pie. Mr. Schumer also wanted to serve Long Island duck, but he said the dish was not up to snuff.

"The duck was very good, but the preparation wasn’t great. We settled on South Dakota bison," Mr. Schumer told the New York Times. "When New York gets good bison, we’ll have that."

Mr. Yamali clearly doesn't think Mr. Schumer should get to duck his responsibility to Long Island so easily. The statement announcing his press conference tomorrow said he was "angered" by the "inaugural insult" and plans to "speak out" against the senator giving Long Island "the bird."

"Of all the things to be left off Chuck Schumer’s New York-inspired Inauguration menu, he should not have removed the duck," the statement said.

This isn't the first time Mr. Yamali has brought a culinary perspective to political issues. Back in August, he appeared on Fox Business to discuss President Barack Obama's infamous "you didn't build that" remark as the owner of a small catering company.

Politicker reached out to Mr. Schumer's office to see if they had any response to Mr. Yamali's duck-fueled rage. As of this writing, we have not received a response.

(Photo: Getty)

At the inaugural reception earlier this afternoon, Vice President Joe Biden proved he still has the ability to go off script.

As various speakers--including President Barack Obama--stood behind the room's podium to offer toasts, Mr. Biden offered a heap of praise on Mr. Obama before quickly announcing his toast would instead go to one of his former colleagues in the U.S. Senate, New York's Chuck Schumer.

"I'm proud to be Vice President of the United States, serving as Barack Obama's vice president," Mr. Biden said. "It's one of the great privileges of my life. As a matter of fact, if the president will forgive me, as we were walking out--and as he said, savoring the moment--looking out at the crowd and all those Americans assembled. I ... turned him and said, 'Thank you. Thanks. Thanks for the chance. Thanks for the chance to continue to serve.'"

Mr. Biden then veered off course.

"So folks, I raise my glass to a man who never, never, never operates out of fear. [He] only operates out of confidence,"  he continued. "I'm toasting you Chuck. A guy who I plan on working on working with. You can't get rid of me, man. Remember, I'm still part of the Senate! God bless you, Chuck."

Mr. Schumer, who chaired the committee on the inaugural events, next took to the podium as the crowd chuckled with laughter.

"The best parts of these events are unscripted," he quipped.

Christine Quinn at the event in Greenwich Village. (Photo: Facebook)

Council Speaker Christine Quinn appeared at a Greenwich Village library this morning to unveil a 9/11 tile memorial, but the question that was clearly on everyone's mind was a New York Times story about Mayor Michael Bloomberg trying to recruit a host of political heavyweights to enter this year's mayoral race. Ms. Quinn, who has all-but-officially announced her campaign and has enjoyed a close relationship with the mayor, deemed the reports he has tried to woo other potential successors as “just silly.”
“I’m not going to comment on silly political parlor games, it’s just silly,” Ms. Quinn said. “When the mayor’s race starts, what New Yorkers are going to be focused on in is who has the best record...trust me I’m happy to put my record up against anybody.”

Reporters tried pressing the point by asking about the specific candidates Bloomberg reportedly recruited like Senator Charles Schumer and Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell, who was reportedly approached by Mr. Bloomberg's longtime advisor Bradley Tusk. Ms. Quinn declined to comment on the story, which has been seen by many as something of a betrayal given her close ties to the mayor.

“It’s just silly season at the beginning of 2013 and political gossip and chitchat and I’m not really gonna comment on it. What I’m focused on is what we can do to make New Yorkers better,” she said.

Mr. Schumer was also asked about the report at the launch of a new wi-fi network in Chelsea this morning. The Senator was hardly talkative, but he was decidedly less dismissive of the story than Ms. Quinn.

"Just read the newspaper," said Mr. Schumer.

(Photo: Getty)

Late last night, the New York Times reported Mayor Michael Bloomberg and his advisers have reached out to at least a small slew of big-name candidates to run for Mayor of New York City, ranging from Senator Chuck Schumer to New York Daily News publisher Mort Zuckerman. The news was reported as a slight to Council Speaker Christine Quinn, widely thought to be Mr. Bloomberg's preferred candidate in the race. However, Mr. Bloomberg denied the report on MSNBC's Morning Joe earlier today.

"The article was so erroneous," Mr. Bloomberg said. "It goes after one of the people who's really made a difference in this city, Chris Quinn, our speaker in the City Council, who really has done a great job. Without her, it would have been a lot tougher, let me tell you."

Mr. Bloomberg didn't specify his objections to the article, which included two on-the-record quotes from the prospective candidates, Mr. Zuckerman and former Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell, discussing his outreach.

“The mayor believes he is special,” Mr. Rendell said in the piece. “He wanted somebody at a very high level to come in to do a job he has often said to me—and he’s not the only person who says it—is the second most difficult job in the country.”

Mr. Rendell said he decided not to run as he didn't live in New York City and had no understanding of it. The mayoral campaign idea “didn’t sit well with me,” he told the publication.

For his part, Mr. Zuckerman reportedly mused that he would accept the mayoralty if he could be appointed, but Mr. Bloomberg's overtures amounted to merely a "teasing" feel.

The article followed last month's Times report of Mr. Bloomberg reaching out to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton--who, like Mr. Rendell, also doesn't live in the city--to run for mayor. After the news went public, Mr. Bloomberg reacted similarly.

"Why do you think I encouraged Hillary Clinton to run for mayor," Mr. Bloomberg asked reporters incredulously. "I mean, did you hear me say that?"

"This administration, I think, has been phenomenally successful," he continued. "I take great pride in that. It would not have happened without Chris Quinn being the speaker of the City Council for the last eight years. And let's leave the subject at that."

Senator Chuck Schumer discussing post-Sandy federal aid at the Capitol Building yesterday with Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Kirsten Gillibrand. (Photo: Getty)

Most of the discussion surrounding the request New York is making for billions in Sandy recovery aid has focused on repairing the damage caused by the storm. However, at yesterday's press conference where he discussed the push for federal aid, Senator Chuck Schumer said the efforts of elected officials will also include securing funds for storm protection projects.

"There is money for mitigation," Mr. Schumer said in response to a question from Politicker. "I don't know New Jersey's division yet, but New York's is 32 billion for the actual damage that occurred, for recovery from that, and 9 billion for mitigation."

Along with the request for money for new projects, Mr. Schumer said he and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand are also working to ensure Army Corps of Engineers projects approved prior to the storm are completed.

"Senator Gillibrand and I have already submitted a billion dollars, and we've given that to the administration, of seven Army Corps projects that were actually approved and have been authorized to protect our beaches and our low-lying water areas," he explained. "One example, the City of Long Beach in 2005 asked for--the Army Corps was ready to build high dunes. A small group of homeowners in Long Beach at that time objected and the city said, 'Don't do it.' Now, of course, the city manager has called me and said, 'I want it right away.'"

Though Mr. Schumer forecast the push for post-Sandy federal aid will be a "hard fight," he said the Army Corps projects that have previously been approved should be easier to find funding for. He also said he expects the Army Corps of Engineers to undertake other, new storm protection projects.

"The good news is, on those projects we don't have to go through a whole study and authorization. We have seven of those that affect Staten Island, the Rockaways and Long Island," said Mr. Schumer. "But there'll be lots of other Army Corps projects that deal with mitigation. There will also be other types of mitigation that make our buildings stronger, make our tunnels more protected, things like that."

Mayor Bloomberg (Photo: Getty)

WASHINGTON -- Yesterday, Mayor Michael Bloomberg sounded quite skeptical the city would get the billions of dollars in federal aid he is requesting after Hurricane Sandy when he sarcastically joked that he was as "optimistic" about the prospect of getting the funds as he had been about getting the West Side stadium he unsuccessfully pushed for. At the press conference after his series of meetings with lawmakers and officials in Washington today he sounded far more confident, so Politicker asked whether he was now more genuinely optimistic his request for aid would be fulfilled

"I'm always genuinely optimistic, although I will say we're unlikely to get the stadium on the West Side," Mr. Bloomberg said with a laugh. "I walked away this morning as optimistic as you could be. Nothing is ever done until it's done. There is always a possibility of other things occurring during the process...but from both Republicans and Democrats in both houses, we got very optimistic buzz, if you will."

In spite of Mr. Bloomberg's newfound optimism, Senator Chuck Schumer, who accompanied the mayor at the press conference along with Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, outlined the various reasons he believes it will be a "hard fight" to get the federal aid New York's elected officials are pushing for.

"There's no doubt this is going to be a hard fight. We have a Congress that is decidedly less friendly to disaster aid than any in 100 years, we're in the middle of very strenuous negotiations over the fiscal cliff and we know that money is short in Washington just as it is in New York," Mr. Schumer said. "But having someone like Mayor Bloomberg down here advocating for New York is like having an ace in the hole. He has the stature and the respect on both sides of the aisle we need to bring a winning hand home."

Mr. Bloomberg said New York State is requesting $42 billion in  federal aid including money for state agencies, Long Island and the five boroughs. He said New Jersey is asking for $38 billion of aid.

Mr. Schumer said the push for the funds would not be a quick process.

"So far, we believe our colleagues have been very receptive, but there's a long road to go and there are going to be many pitfalls in the way, particularly given the climate in Washington and the shortage of money," he explained. "This fight will not last weeks, but months. Mayor Bloomberg, we'll probably need you back a few times."