Senators: Federal-budget proposal includes nearly $220 million for Rome Labs

ROME, N.Y. — The federal-budget proposal for fiscal year 2017 includes nearly $220 million for Rome Labs, the information directorate of the U.S. Air Force (USAF) Research Laboratory.

Rome Labs focuses on communications and cyber technology. The facility employs more than 1,000 workers.

The spending bill that Congress approved in December, which funds the federal government through the end of the fiscal year this October, includes $215 million in funding for Rome Labs, according to a news release that U.S. Senators Charles Schumer (D–N.Y.) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D–N.Y.) issued recently.

“[President Barack Obama’s] budget is great news for Rome Labs … and shows just how important this Central New York staple is to both our regional economy and protecting our nation’s cyber-defense network. This federal funding will allow Rome Labs to continue at the vanguard of countering cyber threats, particularly in [an] era of constant hacking, cyber-spying and cyber-terror,” Schumer said in the release. “We need to make sure Rome Labs is continually funded at the highest level possible … so I will fight tooth and nail to make sure this funding is included in the final appropriations bill for 2017.”

One of Rome Labs’ primary focuses is gathering and processing cyber intelligence.

Since 1997, it has been the USAF’s “Superlab” and is considered the nation’s “premier” research organization for command, control, communications, cyber and intelligence (C4I) technologies, according to Schumer’s news release.

The lab develops information technology for air, space, and ground systems, and also partners with other federal agencies, universities, and other state and local governments.

The Air Force estimates that Rome Labs generates more than $290 million in total economic growth in Central New York.

That includes more than 2,400 direct and indirect jobs supported with a payroll of about $191 million.

The Air Force also says the lab generates more than $100 million in expenditures in the Central New York area and spawned more than $6.6 million in economic impact among visitors between 2010 and 2014 alone, according to Schumer’s office.

Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com