Chuck Schumer: “I would like to offer a few brief remarks to underscore several of the points that my colleague, Senator Moynihan, made…”

“I would like to offer a few brief remarks to underscore several of the points that my colleague, Senator Moynihan, made when he introduced the ``Governors Island Preservation Act of 2000,'' a bill I gladly cosponsored. The first point is that Governors Island is truly a national treasure. It has played a significant role in nearly every American battle from the Revolution through World War II. During the War of 1812, it is credited with preventing a direct British attack on the City of New York--then the Nation's principal seaport. It served as the Union's foremost recruiting depot and as a Confederate prison during the Civil War. The second point, Mr. President, is that its historical structures have been placed in no small degree of danger by the statutorily mandated Fiscal Year 2002 sale date. If the Island should be sold then ``at fair market value,'' there simply is no guarantee the Castle Williams, Fort Jay, Building 400--a McKim, Meade & White masterpiece thought to be the largest single Army barrack ever constructed, the 1708 Governor's house, and the entire Governors Island National Historic Landmark District will be protected.”