{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "is_view": false, "human_description_en": "where chamber = \"Senate\", state = \"VT\" and year = 2025 sorted by date descending", "rows": [["https://www.welch.senate.gov/welch-van-hollen-reiterate-call-to-noem-urging-release-of-full-fema-review-council-report/", "Welch, Van Hollen Reiterate Call to Noem Urging Release of Full FEMA Review Council Report", "2025-12-19", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "VT", "Peter Welch", "W000800", "www.welch.senate.gov", "welch", "https://www.welch.senate.gov/category/press-release/page/", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2014 U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) and U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) today called on Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem to release the FEMA Review Council\u2019s full, unaltered report. According to reports, Secretary Noem edited the report and recommendations down dramatically, eliminating roughly 140 pages of the Council\u2019s work.\n\nSenator Welch urged Secretary Noem to release the full report ahead of the Council\u2019s final meeting last week. But, hours before the meeting was scheduled to begin, it was abruptly canceled.\n\n\u201cOn December 11, 2025, two hours before it was set to begin, the White House cancelled the meeting of the Council to Assess the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which was set to vote on releasing its findings,\u201d wrote the Senators. \u201cOn December 10, 2025, Senator Welch wrote you a letter urging you to release the Council\u2019s complete findings, following reporting that you and your top advisor, Corey Lewandowski, had cut approximately 140 pages of the Council\u2019s 160-page draft report assessing potential FEMA reforms. The Council\u2019s draft report reflected nearly 13,000 public comments and a dozen meetings with communities across the country.\u201d\n\nThe Senators concluded: \u201cWe again request that you release the Council\u2019s complete report, including all conclusions and recommendations, by December 23, 2025, in order to inform productive bipartisan discussions about potential improvements to FEMA.\u201d\n\nSenator Welch introduced the Disaster Assistance Improvement and Decentralization (AID) Act on the anniversaries of Vermont\u2019s catastrophic floods of July 2023 and 2024. Senator Welch\u2019s bill will cut red tape and empower state and local governments to access recovery assistance when it is needed. The bill will support hazard mitigation efforts, make the delivery of disaster aid more efficient and effective, provide technical assistance to small towns and communities impacted by natural disasters, and block the White House from withholding funding for disaster response. In July, Senator Welch called for the resignation of Secretary Noem citing, in part, her mismanagement of FEMA.\n\nRead and download the Senators\u2019 full letter to DHS Secretary Kristi Noem.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"], ["https://www.welch.senate.gov/welch-blackburn-lead-bipartisan-legislation-to-empower-visual-artists-to-protect-their-work/", "Welch, Blackburn Lead Bipartisan Legislation to Empower Visual Artists to Protect Their Work", "2025-12-18", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "VT", "Peter Welch", "W000800", "www.welch.senate.gov", "welch", "https://www.welch.senate.gov/category/press-release/page/", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senators Peter Welch (D-Vt.) and Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), members of the Senate Judiciary Committee, this week introduced the Visual Artists Copyright Reform Act (VACRA), bipartisan legislation to modernize copyright registration for visual artists to make it easier and less costly for high-volume visual artists to register and protect their works.\n\n\u201cVermont\u2019s visual creators make significant contributions to our country, and their work should be protected. But visual artists often struggle to protect the authenticity of their work because of the unique challenges facing high-volume artists,\u201d said Senator Welch. \u201cWe\u2019re working to modernize copyright processes and safeguard the creativity of visual artists.\u201d\n\n\u201cVisual artists produce incredible work that deserves to be protected, but current copyright law has fallen short,\u201d said Senator Blackburn. \u201cThe Visual Artists Copyright Reform Act would modernize copyright registration so creators like photographers, illustrators, and graphic artists can protect their work and enforce their rights. This bill would fix a broken system by cutting unnecessary costs and bureaucracy, helping America\u2019s creative community thrive.\u201d\n\nThe Copyright Act of 1976 offers the promise that copyrightable works are automatically protected the instant they are created. However, those rights cannot be enforced unless each work is registered with the Copyright Office. The registration process is so complicated that the time and expense of compliance is too high for high-volume creators like photographers, illustrators, and graphic artists. We are committed to working with the Copyright Office to address these shortcomings.\n\nThe Visual Artists Copyright Reform Act would:\n\nDirect the Register of Copyrights to establish a process for an individual to submit a single application for copyright registration of a group of up to 3,000 photographs;\n\nAdopt a deferred copyright registration option. Under current law, the Copyright Office calculates registration fees based on their administrative costs, regardless of ability to pay or the punitive impact of high fees on photographers and all creators. These high fees ultimately result in many high-volume visual artists not registering their works because they cannot afford to do so. This bill would create a less costly \u201cdeferred examination\u201d option for those who need it;\n\nDirect the Register of Copyrights to establish regulations that allow for all-you-can-eat annual registration subscriptions for pictorial, graphic, and sculptural works; and\n\nDirect the Register of Copyrights to create a modern, secure, searchable registry of electronic copies of copyrighted photos and the copyright holders\u2019 information. Until the Copyright Office can achieve this, photographers would be allowed to submit copies of their photos to Copyright Office-certified private sector registries. Depositing a photo in such a registry would satisfy all necessary copyright deposit requirements. Allowing creators to submit their deposits to third party registries rather than the Copyright Office would streamline the process while also providing the public with useful information about the deposited work. This provision would sunset when the Copyright Office is able to provide its own modern, efficient online system.\n\nThe Visual Artists Copyright Reform Act is endorsed by the American Society of Media Photographers (ASMP) and the Professional Photographers of America.\n\nSenator Welch has led efforts to protect creator content in the Senate. This summer, Sens. Welch and Blackburn reintroduced their bipartisan Transparency and Responsibility for Artificial Intelligence Networks (TRAIN) Act, legislation to help musicians, artists, writers, and others access the courts to protect their copyrighted works if and when they are used to train generative AI models. Learn more about the TRAIN Act here.\n\nLearn more about the Visual Artists Copyright Reform Act.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"], ["https://www.welch.senate.gov/welch-joins-bicameral-bill-to-protect-medicare-benefits-from-trump-admins-dangerous-ai-experiment/", "Welch Joins Bicameral Bill to Protect Medicare Benefits from Trump Admin\u2019s Dangerous AI Experiment", "2025-12-18", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "VT", "Peter Welch", "W000800", "www.welch.senate.gov", "welch", "https://www.welch.senate.gov/category/press-release/page/", "scraper", "As Republicans double down on health care sabotage, Democrats lead effort to halt the Trump Admin\u2019s looming Medicare AI prior authorization takeover\n\nWASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.), a member of the Senate Finance Committee, this week joinedU.S. Senators Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Ranking Member of the Senate Finance Committee, Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Ranking Member of the Senate Aging Committee, and 14 Democratic Senators in introducing the Seniors Deserve SMARTER (Streamlined Medical Approvals for Timely, Efficient Recovery) Care Act, bicameral legislation to prohibit the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) from implementing the Wasteful and Inappropriate Service Reduction (WISeR) model that is set to begin January 1, 2026, and last for six years.\n\nThe Trump Administration\u2019s WISeR model will introduce prior authorization requirements into Traditional Medicare for the first time ever\u2014allowing private companies to use artificial intelligence to decide whether to approve or deny certain medical procedures for patients on Traditional Medicare. The model will impose new burdensome requirements on health care providers, especially those working in small or low-resource settings, and create new roadblocks for patients. Under this model, AI will get to decide what care patients receive, even after their doctors have recommended a particular procedure or medication.\n\n\u201cFrom Day One, the Trump Administration has been on a rampage to wreck Medicare and make health care unaffordable. Their newest plan to let AI take over important Medicare prior authorization decisions will be a disaster for providers and make it harder for seniors to get the care they need,\u201d said Senator Welch. \u201cWe\u2019re fighting to ensure health care decisions stay in the hands of seniors and their doctors.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe Trump Administration is gearing up to use AI to delay and deny Medicare benefits for seniors\u2014this is outrageous and should be a national scandal. Seniors already face painful delays when it comes to getting health care, and Republicans have plunged our nation\u2019s health care system further into crisis by passing the largest-ever cuts to Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act\u2014leaving many hospitals hanging on by a thread. The very last thing this Administration should be doing is strangling already overworked providers in new red tape and letting AI decide who gets health care and who doesn\u2019t,\u201d said Senator Murray. \u201cWe already know that prior authorization creates major burdens and delays for patients and providers, and expanding it to Traditional Medicare will just force seniors to wait longer and navigate mountains of paperwork to get the care their doctor says they need. Make no mistake: this is a backdoor effort to privatize Medicare and cut benefits. My message to seniors in Washington state: I will fight with everything I\u2019ve got to stop this morally bankrupt AI takeover of Medicare and make sure you can get the health care you need.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe Trump Administration is pushing automated care denials on seniors in Traditional Medicare, which is the last thing Americans want for their health care,\u201d said Senator Wyden. \u201cInstead of improving Traditional Medicare to give seniors the health care they\u2019ve earned, Donald Trump and his cronies are empowering insurance companies and AI special interests. It\u2019s time to stop this experiment on seniors.\u201d\n\n\u201cArtificial intelligence should not delay or deny seniors\u2019 health care. The Trump Administration\u2019s new program would force seniors to jump through unnecessary hoops just to get the care they need and impose new, unnecessary burdens on health care providers,\u201d said Senator Gillibrand. \u201cAs the top Democrat on the Senate Aging Committee, protecting and expanding access to Medicare is one of my top priorities, and I will keep fighting to ensure that health care decisions are made by patients and their doctors, not untested, profit-driven AI programs.\u201d\n\nThe Trump Administration plans for the WISeR model to run as a pilot program for six years beginning January 1, 2026, in six selected states: Washington, New Jersey, Ohio, Oklahoma, Texas, and Arizona. Concerningly, the third-party AI companies involved in the program will be compensated based on a share of \u201caverted expenditures\u201d\u2014rewarding companies based on the volume or cost of care they deny to seniors on Medicare. According to CMS, human clinicians will review any denials made by AI\u2014but the Trump Administration has failed to provide clear guidance to providers and the public about what this will look like, despite implementation being mere weeks away. The Trump Administration has provided little detail on how patients will be notified, supported, or protected if prior authorization requests are denied.\n\nIn addition to Senators Welch, Murray, Wyden, and Gillibrand, the Seniors Deserve SMARTER Care Act is cosponsored by Sens. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), Andy Kim (D-N.J.), Ben Ray Luj\u00e1n (D-N.M.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.).\n\nU.S. Representative Suzan DelBene (D-WA-01) introduced companion legislation alongside Reps. Kim Schrier (D-WA-08), Rick Larsen (D-WA-02), Greg Landsman (D-OH-01), Ami Bera (D-CA-06), and Mark Pocan (D-WI-02) in the House of Representatives.\n\nThe Seniors Deserve SMARTER Care Act is endorsed by the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation; American Podiatric Medical Association; American Osteopathic Association; Center for Health and Democracy; Just Care USA; Health Care for All \u2013 Washington; Healthcare is a Human Right Coalition; Mental Health Liaison Group; National Nurses United; Physicians for a National Health Program; Public Citizen; Puget Sound Advocates for Retirement Action (PSARA); Social Security Works; Social Security Works Washington; Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions; Washington Community Action Network; Washington State Hospital Association (WSHA); and the Washington State Medical Association (WSMA).\n\nThis Congress, Senator Welch has led the introduction of several bills to make health care more accessible and affordable for Vermonters, including the 340B Pharmaceutical Access To Invest in Essential, Needed Treatments & Support (PATIENTS) Act, Eliminating Thickets to Improve Competition (ETHIC) Act, Maximizing Opioid Recovery Emergency (MORE) Savings Act, Share the Savings with Seniors Act, Comprehensive Alternative Response to Emergencies (CARE) Act, Strengthening Medicare and Reducing Taxpayer (SMART) Prices Act, Social Security Emergency Expansion Act, Fair Prescription Drug Prices for Americans Act, End Price Gouging for Medications Act, Creating Opportunities Now for Necessary and Effective Care Technologies (CONNECT) for Health Act, Protecting Pharmacies in Medicaid Act, Fair Funding for Rural Hospitals Act, Repealing the Trump Sick Tax Act, and the Rural Hospital Support Act.\n\nRead and download the full text of the bill.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"], ["https://www.welch.senate.gov/welch-speaks-on-trumps-march-to-war-in-caribbean/", "Welch Speaks on Trump\u2019s March to War in Caribbean", "2025-12-18", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "VT", "Peter Welch", "W000800", "www.welch.senate.gov", "welch", "https://www.welch.senate.gov/category/press-release/page/", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 In remarks from the Senate floor, U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) raised alarm about President Trump\u2019s mobilization of National Guard troops, warships, and fighter jets to the Caribbean and urged Congress to enforce the War Powers Act before the United States embarks on another unauthorized war. The Senator emphasized that the Trump Administration has not provided Congress with adequate information about its recent military strikes in the region and demanded transparency and accountability for attacks that have killed nearly 100 people.\n\n\u201cThe question is: why are our warships, a carrier group, and support assets in the Caribbean? They are not there for drug interdiction. The reason they\u2019re there is obvious, and it\u2019s even acknowledged. President Trump wants Maduro gone. He wants regime change,\u201d said Senator Welch. \u201cAs the President masses our forces for a war\u2014as he and his associates have explicitly stated is one in which their goal would be the elimination of the Maduro regime\u2014the President continues to refuse to come to Congress and seek Congressional approval for a military action, as is required under the War Powers Act.\n\n\u201cAll of us as elected members of the United States Senate have vested in us, under the Constitution Article I, the responsibility and exclusive authority to declare war. Let us all accept our duty and demand that the executive be transparent, be accountable, and comply with the provisions of the War Powers Act and come to Congress for our approval of the military action that is clearly underway.\u201d\n\nWatch Senator Welch\u2019s full remarks below:\n\nRead Senator Welch\u2019s remarks as delivered here.\n\nSenator Welch has urged Congress to reassert its constitutional authority and pass new legislation to prohibit the unauthorized use of U.S. Armed Forces in hostilities in Venezuela. The Senator also expressed strong opposition to the President\u2019s mobilization of the Vermont Air National Guard, alongside thousands of other U.S. military units, to support Operation Southern Spear.\n\nIn October, Senator Welch voted in support of a War Powers Act Resolution led by Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) to stop Trump\u2019s unconstitutional attacks in the Caribbean Sea and urged the Senate to question President Trump\u2019s legal authority to take the United States to war. Senator Welch also led every Senate Judiciary Committee Democrat in demanding answers from the Department of Justice about the legality of military actions ordered by President Trump that have now killed at least 99 people in the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"], ["https://www.welch.senate.gov/welch-slams-trump-admins-efforts-to-demolish-federal-education-programs-it-has-nothing-to-do-with-reform/", "Welch Slams Trump Admin\u2019s Efforts to Demolish Federal Education Programs: \u201cIt has nothing to do with reform.\u201d", "2025-12-17", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "VT", "Peter Welch", "W000800", "www.welch.senate.gov", "welch", "https://www.welch.senate.gov/category/press-release/page/", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2014 U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) this week joined a spotlight hearing titled: \u201cDismantling Education: What the Trump Administration\u2019s Illegal Attacks on Federal Programs Mean for Students, Families, and Educators,\u201d to highlight how the Trump Administration\u2019s efforts to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education would be detrimental for Vermont\u2019s students, families, educators, and schools.\n\n\u201cThe Trump Administration has taken a wrecking ball to essential federal education programs like Title I, which ensure first-generation, rural, and lower-income students get an equal opportunity to learn and grow. Despite our taxpayers spending one of the highest rates in the country for our students\u2019 education, Vermont now ranks well below the national average on reading and math scores. Just a decade ago, our students scored the 4th highest in the country,\u201d said Senator Welch. \u201cInstead of trying to dismantle the Department of Education, we should be doing everything in our power to give students the resources they need to succeed.\u201d\n\nSenator Welch\u2019s exchange with Rachel Gittleman, President of the American Federation of Government Employees Local 252, focused on how the Trump Administration\u2019s policies have endangered the ability of vital federal programs like TRIO to help hundreds of underserved students in Vermont succeed at higher education institutions.\n\nMs. Gittleman emphasized how the Trump Administration\u2019s proposal to move the TRIO program to the Department of Labor would be disastrous for students and TRIO\u2019s program infrastructure: \u201cThis has already led to students and higher education institutions dropping out of the program for fear of retaliation\u2014not because these students are not citizens, but because they support high immigrant populations at these institutions. This move is nothing but harmful to the very students who rely on this funding just to have the same opportunities as kids from other backgrounds.\u201d\n\nWatch Senator Welch\u2019s full remarks below:\n\nThe bicameral forum focused on the Trump Administration\u2019s recent proposal to illegally move nearly all federal K-12 programs\u2014and many higher education programs\u2014to other federal agencies, which have limited capacity and no prior experience to run such programs. Last month, the Department of Education announced that it would partner with the Departments of Labor, Interior, Health and Human Services, and State to conduct the transfer of these programs. This move would fulfill President Trump\u2019s campaign promise to eliminate the Department of Education and weaken the federal government\u2019s role in ensuring that all students have access to a quality education.\n\nAt the forum, witnesses comprised of K-12 education leaders and civil rights experts spoke about how abolishing the Department of Education\u2014and moving education programs to other federal agencies\u2014would harm students across the country, especially those from low-income, rural, Native, migrant, and federally-impacted communities.\n\nThe forum featured testimony from Rachel Gittleman; Randi Weingarten, President, American Federation of Teachers; Denise Forte, President and CEO, The Education Trust; Dr. Amy Loyd, CEO, All4Ed; Chad Rummel, Executive Director, Council for Exceptional Children; and Angelica Infante-Green, Rhode Island Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education, Rhode Island Department of Education.\n\nThe forum was led by Senator Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) and attended by Sens. Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), and Dick Durbin (D-Ill.).\n\nWatch a livestream of the spotlight forum here.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"], ["https://www.welch.senate.gov/welch-statement-on-ndaa/", "Welch Statement on NDAA", "2025-12-17", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "VT", "Peter Welch", "W000800", "www.welch.senate.gov", "welch", "https://www.welch.senate.gov/category/press-release/page/", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C.\u2014U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) today voted against the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year (FY) 2026, and released the following statement:\n\n\u201cThis defense funding bill perpetuates the status quo. Congress is, once again, sinking taxpayer dollars into the Pentagon\u2019s bloated budget, and neglecting to modernize and adapt to 21st century warfare. This bill does little to rein in the Trump Administration\u2019s reckless efforts to politicize the military here in America or restrict his use of force abroad. I offered amendments to the Senate\u2019s bill and worked with my colleagues to improve it, but ultimately Congressional Republicans advanced a bill I cannot support.\n\n\u201cDespite the bill\u2019s shortcomings, this annual defense spending package does contain policies and priorities I championed and support\u2014including a pay raise for our troops and my bipartisan legislation that takes a significant step forward in banning the use of burn pits that have caused severe illnesses for so many of our soldiers. This bill requires the Department of Defense to be more transparent about accountability and actions surrounding war crime allegations, and ensures the military is trained annually in standards of conduct and government ethics.\n\n\u201cI remain committed to working with the President and my Republican colleagues on a military budget that defends American interests for another century\u2014but they must show a willingness to invest American taxpayer dollars in smarter, more forward-leaning ways.\u201d\n\nThe FY 2026 NDAA includes Senator Welch\u2019s bipartisan Waste and Illegal Property Eradication (WIPE) Act, legislation to support servicemember health and strengthen national security by improving how the U.S. military eliminates certain materials both at home and overseas.\n\nThe FY 2026 NDAA also includes the following policies led and championed by Sen. Welch:\n\nWar Crimes Accountability: Senator Welch\u2019s provision would push DOD to comply with its legal commitments to retain records of alleged war crimes.\n\nAgent Orange Cleanup: Senator Welch\u2019s provision would push the Defense Department to ensure America follows through on its responsibility to continue cleaning up Agent Orange around former U.S. bases in Vietnam, where children are still born with preventable disabilities and diseases.\n\nICE Detentions by the Military: The bill\u2019s language exercises congressional oversight to ensure the Defense Department is accountable toward the use of DOD facilities for immigration detentions and that U.S. troops can focus on keeping Americans safe instead of President Trump\u2019s mass deportation agenda.\n\nSupport for Ukraine: The bill sustains and bolsters U.S. military and intelligence support for Ukraine\u2019s resilient defense against Russia\u2019s invasion.\n\nSenator Welch supported several other provisions included in the NDAA including: a pay increase for servicemembers; repealing laws that authorize military action in the Middle East, including the 2002 and 1991 AUMFs; authorizing the Baltic Security Initiative and the Western Balkans Democracy and Prosperity Act, repealing the 2019 Ceasar Act sanctions to help Syria rebuild; and forcing Defense Secretary Hegseth to release the video of the Caribbean strikes.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"], ["https://www.welch.senate.gov/welch-curtis-cohen-wilson-welcome-release-of-123-political-prisoners-in-belarus/", "Welch, Curtis, Cohen, Wilson Welcome Release of 123 Political Prisoners in Belarus", "2025-12-16", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "VT", "Peter Welch", "W000800", "www.welch.senate.gov", "welch", "https://www.welch.senate.gov/category/press-release/page/", "scraper", "Bipartisan lawmakers called on Trump Admin to work to free political prisoners\n\nWASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senators Peter Welch (D-Vt.) and John Curtis (R-Utah), alongside U.S. Representatives Steve Cohen (D-TN-09) and Joe Wilson (R-SC-02), today welcomed the release of 123 political prisoners held by Belarusian strongman Aleksandr Lukashenka. The news comes after the bipartisan, bicameral lawmakers called on the Trump Administration to continue working to free political prisoners in Belarus, including several U.S. nationals. The lawmakers also encouraged the Department of State to continue to hold Strategic Dialogue with the Belarusian democratic movement and their exiled leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya.\n\n\u201cWhile long overdue, the release of Maryia Kalesnikava, Viktar Babaryka and other high-profile political prisoners is a welcome development. There are still at least 1,100 political prisoners in Lukashenko\u2019s jails, and we will continue to work for their release,\u201d the lawmakers said in a joint statement.\n\nIn their November letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the lawmakers urged the State Department to prioritize the release of Maryia Kalesnikava, Ales Bialiatski, Viktar Babaryka, Uladzimir Labkovich, and Maksim Znak, all of whom were released on Saturday. Other political prisoners mentioned in the lawmakers\u2019 letter, but still imprisoned, include Marfa Rabkova, Valiantsin Stefanovich, Nasta (Anastasia) Loika, Eduard Babaryka, Dzyanis Ivashyn, and Kaciaryna Andrejeva.\n\nSenator Welch has spoken on the Senate floor to highlight the case of Maryia Kalesnikava, a leading member of the Belarusian political opposition calling for free and fair elections in Belarus, who was apprehended in 2020 by officials who attempted to forcibly deport her to Ukraine. Senator Welch also met with political and human rights advocates, including Maryia\u2019s sister, Tatsiana Khomic to discuss ways to help secure the release of Maryia and other political prisoners in Belarus.\n\nSenator Welch has advocated for bipartisan cooperation to secure the release of political prisoners in Belarus and around the world. Following high-level bilateral U.S.-Belarus negotiations in June 2025, which led to the release of pro-democracy opposition figures, Senator Welch encouraged the Administration to ensure human rights and the release of political prisoners remain central to any further negotiations. Earlier this year, the Senator led his colleagues in urging Secretary of State Rubio to preserve the staff and programs administered by the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor (DRL) amid the Department\u2019s proposed reorganization.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"], ["https://www.welch.senate.gov/welch-reintroduces-bill-to-provide-climate-finance-to-countries-in-the-global-south-while-reducing-debt/", "Welch Reintroduces Bill to Provide Climate Finance to Countries in the Global South While Reducing Debt", "2025-12-16", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "VT", "Peter Welch", "W000800", "www.welch.senate.gov", "welch", "https://www.welch.senate.gov/category/press-release/page/", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.), a member of the Senate Finance and Agriculture Committees, and U.S. Senator Andy Kim (D-N.J.) today reintroduced the Global Climate Resilience Act, legislation that would create a new debt-for-resilience program to bolster the United States\u2019 ability to provide climate finance and debt relief to countries in the Global South. This new program would enhance the United States\u2019 ability to negotiate debt reductions with countries in the Global South that agree to undertake climate resilience initiatives. The Senators\u2019 legislation also directs the United States to use its influence with international financial institutions to promote debt reduction for nations at risk of climate destruction and advocate for an international climate insurance program.\n\n\u201cAs the second-largest carbon emitter in the world, the United States has a responsibility to do more to combat the climate crisis. Owning up to our contributions to climate change includes helping countries in the Global South, which are often the first to feel the impacts of climate-driven extreme weather events,\u201d said Senator Welch. \u201cOur bill will create new pathways for climate funding to help reduce the debt burden on countries in the Global South and increase global climate resilience.\u201d\n\n\u201cCommunities here in the United States like those impacted by Superstorm Sandy and Hurricane Ida in New Jersey know the long-term damage from extreme weather caused by the climate crisis. When I meet with leaders from the Global South, I hear about the devastation caused by rising sea levels and droughts. By lending this support to countries that have faced such devastation around the world, we not only support their own resilience but also our own national security and global economic stability and resilience,\u201d said Senator Kim.\n\nIn 2025 alone, the Global South was devastated by floods and cyclones in South and Southeast Asia, hurricanes in the Caribbean, extreme heat waves in Middle East and Northern Africa, and rising sea levels which are beginning to submerge small Pacific Islands countries. While some nations have the resources necessary to adapt to the effects of climate change, countries with developing economies often lack resources to meet challenges of a warming world. For many countries in the Global South, this creates a vicious cycle where funds from economic growth service debt from a climate event instead of building resilience.\n\nCollective international action to reduce carbon emissions and build resilience are crucial to combatting the growing impacts of climate change. At recent United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COPs), global leaders have recognized the need to provide climate financing to countries in the Global South. During COP29, Global North countries, as the largest historical emitters of carbon, committed to providing $300 billion a year to support climate actions in Global South countries. The United States must do its part in reaching this commitment and take further action to help at-risk countries reduce their debt.\n\nLearn more about the Global Climate Resilience Act of 2025 and read a section-by-section summary of the bill.\n\nRead and download the full text of the bill.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"], ["https://www.welch.senate.gov/welch-marshall-bipartisan-whole-milk-for-healthy-kids-act-heads-to-presidents-desk/", "Welch-Marshall Bipartisan Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act Heads to President\u2019s Desk", "2025-12-15", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "VT", "Peter Welch", "W000800", "www.welch.senate.gov", "welch", "https://www.welch.senate.gov/category/press-release/page/", "scraper", "Bill will support Vermont students and dairy farmers\n\nWASHINGTON, D.C. \u2014 U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.), a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, and U.S. Senator Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) today celebrated the House\u2019s passage of their bipartisan, bicameral Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act, legislation to support America\u2019s students and dairy farmers. The Senators\u2019 bipartisan bill would allow schools participating in the National School Lunch Program to offer students whole milk, in addition to reduced-fat, low-fat, fat-free, lactose-free milk, and non-dairy alternatives. It now heads to the President\u2019s desk.\n\n\u201cDairy is at the heart of Vermont\u2019s culture and local economy, which is why our bipartisan bill to expand access to whole milk and inclusive alternatives in our schools is a major win for Vermont\u2019s students and farmers. The Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act will help future generations grow stronger and let dairy farmers in Vermont, Kansas, and around the country do what they love\u2014feed our communities,\u201d said Senator Welch. \u201cI\u2019m thankful for the partnership of Senator Marshall and to my House colleagues for their support in getting this bipartisan bill to the President\u2019s desk.\u201d\n\n\u201cThis is a win for kids, parents, and common sense. The Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act puts nutrition back in the lunchroom, gives families more choice, and ensures our children have access to the nutrients they need to grow strong and healthy,\u201d said Senator Marshall. \u201cI\u2019m proud to see this bipartisan bill head to the President\u2019s desk.\u201d\n\nAs Ranking Member of the Senate Agriculture Subcommittee on Rural Development, Energy, and Credit, Senator Welch has championed efforts to support Vermont\u2019s dairy farmers and strengthen the state\u2019s dairy industry. Last week, Senator Welch joined students, educators, and farmers at St. Albans City Elementary School to celebrate the Senate\u2019s unanimous passage the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act. This Congress, Senator Welch reintroduced the Organic Dairy Assistance, Investment, and Reporting Yields Act (O DAIRY) Act, legislation to expand federal support for organic dairy farmers by extending emergency assistance to farmers facing losses due to factors like feed shortages and increased costs.\n\nSenator Welch also recently introduced legislation to help more Americans access SNAP and improve child nutrition, including the Local School Foods Expansion Act, Improving Access to Nutrition Act of 2025, Student Loan Deduction Act of 2025, and the School Lunch Debt Cancellation Act. Last Congress, Senator Welch introduced several bills in the 118th Congress to support Vermont\u2019s dairy, organic, and specialty crop farmers. These bills were included in Senate Democrats\u2019 draft Farm Bill, the Rural Prosperity and Food Security Act.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"], ["https://www.welch.senate.gov/welch-sanders-balint-introduce-bicameral-bill-to-give-greater-local-control-over-nuclear-reactor-shutdown-plans/", "Welch, Sanders, Balint Introduce Bicameral Bill to Give Greater Local Control Over Nuclear Reactor Shutdown Plans", "2025-12-15", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "VT", "Peter Welch", "W000800", "www.welch.senate.gov", "welch", "https://www.welch.senate.gov/category/press-release/page/", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Ranking Member of the Senate Agriculture Subcommittee on Rural Development, Energy, and Credit, and U.S. Senators Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), and U.S. Representative Becca Balint (D-VT-At-Large) introduced the Nuclear Plant Decommissioning Act of 2025, bicameral legislation that aims to give states a more meaningful role in the development and approval of reactor shutdown plans and post-shutdown license transfers. The legislation will also provide new support for Community Advisory Boards and economic development in host communities throughout the decommissioning process.\n\n\u201cVermonters know first-hand that decommissioning a nuclear power plant has enormous economic and environmental impacts on neighboring communities. That\u2019s why it is absolutely essential that state and local leaders have a seat at the table throughout the decommissioning process,\u201d said Senator Welch. \u201cThis commonsense, bicameral legislation will ensure that the decommissioning process is transparent, inclusive, and collaborative.\u201d\n\n\u201cFor too long, working class communities across the country have been forced to deal with the safety and economic consequences of nuclear power plant while having virtually no say in the plans, which the people of Vernon understand all too well,\u201d said Senator Sanders. \u201cThat is unacceptable. These communities deserve economic relief and a meaningful role in the decommissioning process. The Nuclear Plant Decommissioning Act of 2025 would make sure communities like Vernon are actually part of the decision making and receive the federal support they need to deal with the very real impacts of these closures.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhen a nuclear plant decommissions, the consequences are felt first and hardest by the surrounding communities, from the loss of jobs to the long-term challenge of managing stranded waste,\u201d said Senator Gillibrand. \u201cThese communities deserve transparency, accountability, and a meaningful seat at the table. I am proud to join my colleagues on this legislation to ensure local and state voices are better heard and communities have the support they need to build a strong economic future.\u201d\n\n\u201cAs the Trump administration wages attacks on the NRC\u2019s independence, we must defend open, transparent, and safety-first regulation and decision-making. We must also ensure that communities are kept safe and not stuck with major costs when nuclear plants shut down. The Nuclear Plant Decommissioning Act would provide the NRC, states, and communities the ability to weigh in on decommissioning activities that directly affect public health and safety, while also providing for economic development and revitalization that will make communities resilient and successful in the long term,\u201d said Senator Markey.\n\n\u201cDecommissioning a nuclear plant creates significant economic challenges for residents, communities, and for local and state governments. Vermonters experienced these challenges when Vermont Yankee was shut down in 2014,\u201d said Rep. Balint. \u201cIt\u2019s crucial for stakeholders to have a voice during the decommissioning process and are provided economic support for their recovery. This legislation ensures that decommissioning plans are made with local communities, not without them.\u201d\n\nThe process of hosting and decommissioning a nuclear plant carries significant consequences for both the operator of the plant and the surrounding community. For example, the closure and subsequent transfer of the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant in Vernon during the late 2010s created far-reaching environmental and economic impacts on the state and surrounding communities, including revenue and job loss. The closure also decreased traffic to local businesses, as nuclear workers left Vernon in search of new employment. However, under current regulations, states and host communities are not guaranteed a say in the development and implementation of shutdown plans for nuclear plants. As a result, shutdown plans may not accurately capture all potential environmental and community impacts.\n\nThe Nuclear Plant Decommissioning Act would give affected communities an opportunity to weigh in on shutdown plans if there is a license transfer or other significant change to the decommissioning plan. The legislation would also require licensees to consult with the host state as well as state governments within 50 miles of the plant when drafting a proposed decommissioning plan, as well as require the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to solicit public input on the proposed decommissioning plan. The NRC would have to evaluate and formally adopt or reject the input of the affected states.\n\nThe Nuclear Plant Decommissioning Act would also create several new grant programs to foster communication and information exchange between licensees and communities impacted by plant decommissioning and stranded nuclear waste, and to provide economic assistance to impacted communities. If a host state supports the proposed plan or license transfer, the licensee can secure expedited NRC approval. Otherwise, the NRC must consider amending the proposed plan based on the host state\u2019s recommendations.\n\nThe legislation is endorsed by the Brattleboro Development Credit Corporation.\n\n\u201cCommunities that host nuclear plants feel the effects of a shutdown immediately. Jobs disappear, local tax revenues drop and long-term plans for housing, infrastructure and business development can get thrown off course. In Vermont, the loss of steady information, limited local capacity and the lack of predictable planning dollars made it much harder for the region to adapt. A community can only react for so long before momentum slips away,\u201d said Adam Grinold, Executive Director, Brattleboro Development Credit Corporation. \u201cThis legislation gives host communities what they have historically lacked. With these new tools in place, host communities can prepare for what\u2019s coming, manage the transition with more confidence and build a post-closure economy that reflects their own goals instead of reacting to circumstances they can\u2019t control. This bill gives them the structure and resources to do exactly that.\u201d\n\nSenator Welch previously led the introduction of the bill as a member of the House, and Senator Sanders led the Senate version.\n\nLearn more about the Nuclear Plant Decommissioning Act and read a section-by-section summary of the bill.\n\nRead and download the full text of the bill.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"], ["https://www.welch.senate.gov/vermont-congressional-delegation-introduces-resolution-congratulating-vermont-green-football-club-on-historic-season/", "Vermont Congressional Delegation Introduces Resolution Congratulating Vermont Green Football Club on Historic Season", "2025-12-12", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "VT", "Peter Welch", "W000800", "www.welch.senate.gov", "welch", "https://www.welch.senate.gov/category/press-release/page/", "scraper", "BURLINGTON, VT \u2013 The Vermont Congressional Delegation, Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.), and Representative Becca Balint (VT-At Large), this week introduced a bicameral resolution congratulating the Vermont Green Football Club on their historic win in the 2025 USL League Two National Championship. The Vermont Green FC\u2019s win came after an undefeated season and marks the second year in a row a Vermont-based soccer team has won a national championship.\n\n\u201cI think I speak for the whole state in congratulating the Vermont Green on their extraordinary championship season, and I am glad to join my Vermont colleagues to recognize their accomplishments in the Congressional record. Undefeated. Two overtime playoff wins. Finally, national champions. Unbelievable,\u201d said Senator Sanders. \u201cVermont Green is respected by Vermonters and soccer fans around the country for their skill and heart on the field. The founders built their team the Vermont way \u2014 by involving the community and creating an organization rooted in social and environmental justice. What they have done is truly remarkable, and we know they are just getting started.\u201d\n\n\u201cI\u2019m pleased to join Senator Sanders, Rep. Balint, and all Vermonters in congratulating the Vermont Green FC on their well-deserved USL League Two National Championship win following an incredible and undefeated season. We\u2019re so proud of this team\u2019s achievements and of their commitment to building a soccer community that reflects the core values of Vermonters: hard work, dedication and teamwork,\u201d said Senator Welch. \u201cWe look forward to cheering on the Boys in Green as they defend their title in 2026!\u201d\n\n\u201cVermont Green FC has proven that Vermont is a soccer state. In just three years, they have not only built a team but built a community,\u201d said Rep. Balint. \u201cTheir undefeated season, overflowing with crowds, has made our state proud. I\u2019m looking forward to watching them defend their title in 2026.\u201d\n\nRead and download the full text of the resolution.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"], ["https://www.welch.senate.gov/welch-ruiz-celebrate-advancement-of-bipartisan-bicameral-wipe-act-to-eliminate-burn-pits-and-enhance-protections-for-veterans/", "Welch, Ruiz Celebrate Advancement of Bipartisan, Bicameral \u2018WIPE Act\u2019 to Eliminate Burn Pits and Enhance Protections for Veterans", "2025-12-12", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "VT", "Peter Welch", "W000800", "www.welch.senate.gov", "welch", "https://www.welch.senate.gov/category/press-release/page/", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) and U.S. Representative Raul Ruiz (D-CA-25) today celebrated the advancement of the Waste and Illegal Property Eradication (WIPE) Act, bipartisan, bicameral legislation to support servicemember health and strengthen national security by improving how the U.S. military eliminates certain materials both at home and overseas. The WIPE Act\u2019s provisions prohibiting the use of open-air burn pits to dispose of contraband or classified materials and of burn-pit disposal systems were included in the final National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26).\n\n\u201cWhen we passed the PACT Act, we took a major step forward to ensure the cost of the war will include the cost of caring for the warrior. But we can\u2014and must\u2014do more to address the risk burn pits and other toxic substances pose for our veterans,\u201d said Senator Welch. \u201cThe WIPE Act will increase protections for veterans who could potentially be exposed to toxic substances and invest in waste disposal alternatives that will eliminate harmful burn pits. I\u2019m encouraged this essential, common-sense bipartisan legislation to protect our veterans was included in the NDAA.\u201d\n\n\u201cAs an emergency physician, I\u2019ve seen the devastating effects of toxic exposure on our servicemembers. That\u2019s why I championed the toxic exposure provisions of the PACT Act and why I\u2019m committed to preventing future harm,\u201d said Rep. Dr. Ruiz. \u201cThe WIPE Act builds on that work by moving the military away from hazardous burn pits and toward safer, modern disposal systems. I\u2019m proud to see this bipartisan measure included in the NDAA to better protect those who protect us.\u201d\n\nFor decades, the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) has relied on open-air burn pits to dispose of waste in overseas contingency operations. The Department\u2019s use of open-air burn pits\u2014which create airborne hazards and increase health risks\u2014has exposed an estimated 3.5 million U.S. servicemembers to harmful toxins that have been linked to long-term health conditions, including respiratory disease, cancer, and heart issues. In 2022, Congress passed the Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics Act (PACT) Act to expand care and benefits for veterans suffering from toxic exposure. Since the bill was signed into law by President Biden, over 5.6 million veterans have been screened for exposure to toxic chemicals.\n\nThe WIPE Act would invest in safer disposal systems for the future by replacing outdated and harmful waste disposal practices with modern, secure alternatives. These new systems will also improve how the U.S. secures and eliminates dangerous material and can also be deployed to military bases, border operations, and overseas installations.\n\nThe WIPE Act is cosponsored by Sens. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), and Reps. Gus Bilirakis (R-FL-12) and Claudia Tenney (R-NY-24). The legislation is endorsed by Burn Pits 360 and the FealGood Foundation.\n\nSenator Welch has championed efforts to limit toxic substance exposure among veterans in the Senate, including supporting legislation to educate servicemembers on the impact of burn pits and other airborne hazards and improve data collection on veterans affected by toxic exposure. Last year, Senator Welch introduced the bicameral Airborne Hazards and Open Burn Pit Registry 2.0 Act, which passed as part of the Fiscal Year 2025 (FY25) National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), and the bipartisan Burn Pit Elimination Act, both bills that would improve protections for veterans under the PACT Act and prevent future toxic exposure cases.\n\nLast Congress, a bipartisan amendment led by Sens. Welch, Tillis, and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) requiring the VA to conduct a review on mortality and toxic exposure data for veterans who served in Kosovo passed with bipartisan support in the Senate. Senator Welch also cosponsored the Burn Pit Registry Enhancement Act, Reducing Exposure to Burn Pits Act, and Toxic Exposure Education for Servicemembers Act, bills that build on the PACT Act to provide increased support for veterans exposed to burn pits, improve data collection on burn pit and toxic substance exposure, and help mitigate future toxic substance exposure for servicemembers.\n\nLearn more about the WIPE Act and read the full text of the bill.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"], ["https://www.welch.senate.gov/welch-thanks-vermont-airmen-for-loyal-service-promises-to-continue-pushing-back-on-trumps-illegal-strikes-and-march-to-war-in-the-caribbean/", "Welch Thanks Vermont Airmen for Loyal Service, Promises to Continue Pushing Back on Trump's Illegal Strikes and March to War in the Caribbean", "2025-12-12", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "VT", "Peter Welch", "W000800", "www.welch.senate.gov", "welch", "https://www.welch.senate.gov/category/press-release/page/", "scraper", "Pentagon orders mobilization of Vermont\u2019s 158th Fighter Wing to Caribbean as Trump ramps up conflict with Venezuela\n\nBURLINGTON, VT \u2013 U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) today released the following statement on the deployment of the Vermont Air National Guard\u2019s 158th Fighter Wing to support Operation Southern Spear:\n\n\u201cI want to thank our brave airmen for their faithful service to Vermont and the United States\u2014and acknowledge the difficulty of leaving their families at home this holiday season. You have my full respect and gratitude.\n\n\u201cAt the same time, I strongly oppose President Trump\u2019s mobilization of the Vermont Air National Guard alongside thousands of other U.S. military units in what appears to be a relentless march to war. An undeclared war against the Venezuelan regime would be illegal under our Constitution. If this president\u2014or any president\u2014wants to start a war with Venezuela, which has not attacked us and is not a source of the fentanyl that is killing Americans, then he needs to seek authorization from Congress, as the authors of the Constitution intended.\n\n\u201cOne of the gravest decisions Congress can make is to authorize the U.S. military to attack a sovereign nation\u2014in this instance, a sovereign nation that has not attacked us. I will continue to urge my colleagues\u2014Democrats and Republicans\u2014not to cede our constitutional authority for a war of choice based on lies.\u201d\n\nSenator Welch recently spoke on the Senate Floor urging Congress to reassert its constitutional authority and pass new legislation to prohibit the unauthorized use of U.S. Armed Forces in hostilities in Venezuela. In October, Senator Welch voted in support of a War Powers Act Resolution led by Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) to stop President Trump\u2019s unconstitutional attacks in the Caribbean Sea and urged the Senate to question President Trump\u2019s legal authority to take the United States to war. Senator Welch also led every Senate Judiciary Committee Democrat in demanding answers from the Department of Justice about the legality of military actions ordered by President Trump that have now killed at least 87 civilians in the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"], ["https://www.welch.senate.gov/welch-kim-raskin-beyer-reintroduce-bicameral-ranked-choice-voting-act-a-pro-democracy-bill-to-empower-voters/", "Welch, Kim, Raskin, Beyer Reintroduce Bicameral Ranked Choice Voting Act, a Pro-Democracy Bill to Empower Voters", "2025-12-11", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "VT", "Peter Welch", "W000800", "www.welch.senate.gov", "welch", "https://www.welch.senate.gov/category/press-release/page/", "scraper", "Legislation would require ranked choice voting for all congressional primary and general elections, giving voters more meaningful choices at the ballot box.\n\nWASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, alongside U.S. Senator Andy Kim (D-N.J.), U.S. Representative Jamie Raskin (D-MD-08), Ranking Member of the House Committee on the Judiciary, and Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA-08), reintroduced the bicameral Ranked Choice Voting Act, legislation to bring ranked choice voting to U.S. congressional elections across America. The bill would require ranked choice voting in all congressional primary and general elections starting in 2028, allowing voters to express support for multiple candidates for public office, with the candidate receiving the most votes declared the winner.\n\n\u201cOur democracy is at its strongest when everyone is heard and represented. Ranked choice voting offers an opportunity to break through polarization and strengthen our democracy by ensuring that our elected candidates have received the broad support of the folks they\u2019ll represent,\u201d said Senator Welch. \u201cI\u2019m proud to join my friends and former colleagues Representatives Raskin and Beyer on this pro-democracy bill to make our elections more equitable, more civil, and more representative.\u201d\n\n\u201cEmpowering voters couldn\u2019t be more important at a moment when so many people feel detached and disillusioned with our politics. With so much that is broken, ranked choice voting can help reinforce the American people as the drivers of our democracy and make sure that everyone\u2019s voice is heard equally at the ballot box, and by those they chose to represent them in Congress,\u201d said Senator Kim.\n\n\u201cRanked choice voting is a great advance in democracy. It gives voters more power at the ballot box and makes our politics more positive and inclusive, encouraging candidates to connect with more voters,\u201d said Rep. Raskin. \u201cI\u2019m proud to partner with Representative Beyer and Senator Welch on this important legislation to keep growing and improving electoral democracy.\u201d\n\n\u201cPolarization in Congress is worse than ever, and this is making it harder and harder for Congress to solve basic problems for the American people,\u201d said Rep. Beyer. \u201cRanked choice voting would help fix our broken political system by changing election incentives to favor leaders who build broad and diverse coalitions focused on solutions rather than divisive rhetoric. This reform would strengthen our democracy and make Congress more responsive to the needs of the people we represent.\u201d\n\nWith ranked choice voting, voters rank candidates in order of choice. If a candidate receives more than half of the first choices, that candidate wins, just like in any election. If not, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated, and voters who picked that candidate as \u2018number 1\u2019 have their votes redistributed and counted for their next favored choice. This process continues until a candidate wins with more than half the votes.\n\nVoting and elections experts observe that ranked choice voting can help foster political goodwill in a polarized, partisan environment. Ranked choice voting is already being used across the country and in a wide range of jurisdictions. As of October 2025, 52 American jurisdictions have ranked choice voting in place for all voters in public elections, reaching nearly 14 million voters. This includes two states (Maine and Alaska), three counties, and 39 cities. Many more jurisdictions are on the path to implementing ranked choice voting, including Utah, which in 2018 authorized a pilot program to allow cities to use this system in local elections.\n\nThe bill is cosponsored in the House by U.S. Reps. Steve Cohen (D-TN-09), Angie Craig (D-MN-02), Pramila Jayapal (D-WA-07), Summer Lee (D-PA-12), Teresa Leger Fernandez (D-NM-03), Kelly Morrison (D-MN-03), Seth Moulton (D-MA-06), Ilhan Omar (D-MN-05), Scott Peters (D-CA-50), Chellie Pingree (D-ME-01), Delia Ramirez (D-IL-03), Eric Swalwell (D-CA-14) and Shri Thanedar (D-MI-13).\n\nThe Ranked Choice Voting Act of 2025 is endorsed by 7th Generation Labs; Bridge Alliance Education Fund; Campaign Legal Center; Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW); Clean Elections Texas; Divided We Fall; FairVote Action; Fix Democracy First; Greenpeace USA; League of Women Voters Rogue Valley; National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW); NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice; People Power United; Public Citizen; Rank the Vote; RepresentUs; RepresentWomen; Third Way; and Voter Choice MA.\n\n\u201cThe Ranked Choice Voting Act will give voters more choice and more power. It will make Congress more responsive and more accountable to the people they represent,\u201d said Meredith Sumpter, President and CEO of FairVote, a nonpartisan organization seeking better elections. \u201cAt a time when polarization and gridlock are making it harder for Congress to deliver for the American people, ranked choice voting gives members of Congress incentives to lead, legislate, and govern together.\u201d\n\nLearn more about the Ranked Choice Voting Act of 2025 and read a section-by-section summary of the bill.\n\nRead and download the full text of the bill.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"], ["https://www.welch.senate.gov/welch-votes-to-extend-health-care-tax-credits-protect-access-to-care-for-vermonters/", "Welch Votes to Extend Health Care Tax Credits, Protect Access to Care for Vermonters", "2025-12-11", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "VT", "Peter Welch", "W000800", "www.welch.senate.gov", "welch", "https://www.welch.senate.gov/category/press-release/page/", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) today released the following statement after Republicans blocked a vote on the Lower Health Care Costs Act, a three-year extension of urgently-needed health care tax credits for Vermonters:\n\n\u201cA health care crisis is literally days away, yet 48 of my Republican colleagues are refusing to act. We owe it to hardworking families in Vermont and across America to extend these health care tax credits and protect access to quality, affordable health care. Premiums are about to double\u2014even triple\u2014if we don\u2019t take action in the next 20 days,\u201d said Senator Welch. \u201cIt couldn\u2019t be more clear: working families, farmers, and seniors can\u2019t afford a massive spike in their premiums; millions could lose their health care; people will be forced to choose between paying for care and putting food on the table. I\u2019m not giving up on the fight to extend these tax credits and protect Vermonters\u2019 access to care.\u201d\n\nThe Affordable Care Act\u2019s premium tax credits, which help over 24 million Americans\u2014including nearly 30,000 Vermonters\u2014afford health care, are set to expire on December 31, 2025. So far, Republicans have refused to work with Democrats to avoid this coverage cliff, which would drive up costs for millions. Senate Democrats today offered a three-year extension of the tax credits, which was blocked by Republicans.\n\nSenator Welch, a member of the Senate Finance Committee, is a champion in the fight to lower health care and prescription drug costs. Last week, he joined Senator Schumer to unveil Senate Democrats\u2019 plan to extend the tax credits and protect access to care for millions.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"], ["https://www.welch.senate.gov/welch-welcomes-vermonter-dylan-collins-to-u-s-capitol-demands-accountability-for-netanyahu-govts-targeting-of-journalists/", "Welch Welcomes Vermonter Dylan Collins to U.S. Capitol, Demands Accountability for Netanyahu Govt\u2019s Targeting of Journalists", "2025-12-11", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "VT", "Peter Welch", "W000800", "www.welch.senate.gov", "welch", "https://www.welch.senate.gov/category/press-release/page/", "scraper", "Welch and Mr. Collins were joined by Senator Van Hollen, Representative Balint, human rights leaders, and advocates for press freedom and safety\n\nWASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 Today, U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) joined Vermonter and Agence France-Presse (AFP) video journalist Dylan Collins, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), U.S. Representative Becca Balint (D-VT-At Large), the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), and Amnesty International USA to demand justice for journalists killed and injured in the Middle East.\n\nFor the first time publicly, Senator Welch revealed that Prime Minister Netanyahu\u2019s government has closed a review into the Israeli military\u2019s October 13, 2023, targeted double-tap strike on a clearly identifiable group of journalists in southern Lebanon, which wounded his constituent, U.S. citizen and AFP video journalist, Dylan Collins. Reuters video journalist Issam Abdallah was killed in the first strike, and AFP photojournalist Christina Assi was gravely wounded, resulting in the amputation of her right leg. It was the first case CPJ documented of Israeli forces targeting journalists after October 7, 2023\u2014a pattern that has since expanded into dozens of similar cases.\n\n\u201cHere\u2019s the bottom line: the Netanyahu government has made it crystal clear that they never had serious intentions to investigate the deadly October 2023 attack that wounded Dylan Collins. It isn\u2019t asking much of the Israeli government to conduct an investigation that meets international standards and to punish those responsible for this attack. Yet for over two years, we have done everything reasonably possible to get answers and accountability, only to be stonewalled at every turn. But we\u2019re not going to give up our fight for answers,\u201d said Senator Welch. \u201cWe\u2019re demanding accountability from the Israeli government and our own to get justice for Dylan, his colleagues, and every member of the press targeted by the IDF since October 7, 2023.\u201d\n\n\u201cThis was not a \u2018fog of war\u2019 incident. It was a war crime carried out in broad daylight and broadcast on live television,\u201d said Mr. Collins. \u201cAs an American, I thought my government would fight for me. I thought that when an American citizen is wounded in an attack carried out by the U.S.\u2019s greatest ally in the Middle East, that we would get answers.\u201d\n\nWatch a livestream of the press conference hereand view photos from the event below:\n\n\u201cFor over two years, there have been no answers for the journalists who were harmed from a targeted attack by the Israeli Defense Forces in Southern Lebanon. Dylan Collins, an American and a Vermonter, was severely wounded alongside six of his colleagues. A Reuters journalist, Issam Abdallah, was killed instantly. All of them were clearly identified as press,\u201d said Rep. Balint. \u201cI want to thank my colleagues, Senators Welch and Van Hollen, for continuing to demand accountability from both the Israeli and United States government. I will continue to oppose any attempt to intimidate or silence the press and seek accountability for the victims and their families.\u201d\n\n\u201cOver two years ago, Dylan Collins was injured by an IDF strike that left one reporter dead and several of his colleagues hospitalized alongside him. Since that strike, there have been no answers or accountability regarding what happened to Dylan and his colleagues. This silence has become part of a pattern of attacks on journalists by the IDF, with no resolution and no justice. It\u2019s long past time for the U.S. government to live up to its stated commitment to defend American citizens abroad, and pursue accountability for this attack \u2014 it is essential not only for justice for Dylan and his colleagues, but also for the defense of press freedom around the world,\u201d said Senator Van Hollen.\n\n\u201cFor more than two years, we have demanded answers about Israel\u2019s deadly attack on a group of journalists, including an American and Vermonter. Having killed nearly 250 journalists in two years, it is clear Israel has no intention of investigating their crime. But it is even more outrageous that our own government \u2014 under both Biden and Trump\u2014has helped that coverup. This Israeli impunity continues because of Washington\u2019s silence. We will not forgive. We will not forget. And we will keep demanding justice,\u201d said Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.).\n\n\u201cFor decades, Israel\u2019s purported investigations have functioned not to establish facts or deliver justice, but to shield Israeli forces from accountability for the targeted killing of journalists. The international community must now step in to break that pattern of impunity by ensuring effective war crimes investigations are opened,\u201d said Amelia Evans, Advocacy Director, Committee to Protect Journalists. \u201cFailing Dylan Collins is an unacceptable dereliction of a vital responsibility by the U.S. government \u2014 to defend U.S. citizens around the world. The Trump administration must uphold its duties to its citizens.\u201d\n\n\u201cMore than two years have passed without accountability for the October 13 attack,\u201d said Elizabeth Rghebi, MENA Advocacy Director, Amnesty International USA. \u201cIsrael must not be allowed to continue to kill and attack journalists with impunity. Those responsible for the unlawful attack on October 13 by Israeli forces must be held to account. We urge U.S. authorities to open an independent and thorough war crimes investigation in this case and to ensure accountability goes to the top of the Israeli military\u2019s chain of command.\u201d\n\nWhile hospitalized from injuries sustained in the strike, Collins reported the targeted attack to the U.S. Embassy in Beirut and later presented video evidence of the double-tap strike to FBI and DHS investigators and the State Department in May 2024.\n\nWatch a video made by Collins of the targeted attack that he survived on October 13, 2023,below:\n\nIn May 2024, the Vermont Congressional Delegation requested that the Department of State conduct a thorough and independent investigation into these events under the War Crimes Act of 1996 as well as other relevant U.S. and customary international law. In October 2024, Senator Welch joined eleven members of Congress in calling on the Biden Administration to open an investigation on the October 13 targeted attack that injured Collins. Senator Welch has directly engaged with the Trump Administration, Biden Administration, and the Embassy of Israel to demand accountability for the attack and obtain information about the case.\n\nSenator Welch\u2019s office has repeatedly pressed both the Netanyahu and U.S. governments for clarity about Israel\u2019s review of the strike that seriously wounded Collins and killed another journalist. In June 2025, the Israeli government told Senator Welch that its review had concluded and that no soldiers violated instructions or the Israeli military\u2019s Rules of Engagement. It completed its review without ever interviewing Collins or requesting the extensive forensic evidence held by media and independent human rights investigators. Yet, in October 2025, the Netanyahu government told AFP: \u201cThe incident is currently under review, and the findings regarding the event have not yet been concluded.\u201d\n\nSenator Welch, staff of Sens. Sanders, Van Hollen, and Rep. Balint also met with Collins on Capitol Hill in July. To date, the U.S. has failed to undertake an independent and transparent investigation resulting in accountability for this deadly attack. Following the press conference, Senator Welch led Sens. Sanders, Van Hollen, and Rep. Balint in sending an eighth letter to the U.S. government requesting answers about the attack and demanding accountability. A fact sheet on the Netanyahu government\u2019s investigation into the October 13, 2023, attack on Collins and his colleagues can be found here.\n\nRead Senator Welch\u2019s eight letters to the Biden Administration, Trump Administration, and State Department below:\n\nMay 16, 2024: Letter to Biden State Department\n\nOctober 22, 2024: Letter to President Biden, Secretary of State Blinken, Attorney General Garland\n\nDecember 5, 2024: Letter to Secretary of State Blinken\n\nJune 27, 2025: Letter to President Trump, Secretary of State Rubio, Attorney General Bondi\n\nAugust 20, 2025: Letter to Secretary of State Rubio\n\nSeptember 16, 2025: Letter to Secretary of State Rubio\n\nDecember 5, 2025: Letter to Secretary of State Rubio\n\nDecember 11, 2025: Letter to Secretary of State Rubio\n\nTo date, CPJ has determined that a total of 59 journalists and media workers have been directly targeted and killed by Israeli forces, cases that CPJ classifies as murders. Independent investigations by AFP, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Reuters, and the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon all concluded that on October 13, 2023, Israel conducted an apparently deliberate attack on a group of clearly identifiable members of the media. A deliberate attack on civilians constitutes a war crime under international law.\n\nAt least 246 journalists and media workers have been killed by Israel since October 7, 2023, making it the deadliest period for journalists on record. The majority of those killed were Palestinians reporting from the occupied Gaza Strip. CPJ\u2019s May 2023 report, \u201cDeadly Pattern,\u201d found that over 22 years, at least 20 journalists were killed by members of the Israel military. No one has ever been charged or held responsible for these deaths.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"], ["https://www.welch.senate.gov/welch-calls-on-noem-to-release-full-report-from-fema-review-council/", "Welch Calls on Noem to Release Full Report from FEMA Review Council", "2025-12-10", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "VT", "Peter Welch", "W000800", "www.welch.senate.gov", "welch", "https://www.welch.senate.gov/category/press-release/page/", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.), a leader in Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) reform efforts, today called on Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem to release the FEMA Review Council\u2019s full, unaltered report ahead of the Council\u2019s final meeting. According to reports, Secretary Noem edited the report and recommendations down, eliminating roughly 140 pages of the Council\u2019s work.\n\n\u201cPublic reporting indicates that upon receiving the Council\u2019s report, you and your top adviser, Corey Lewandowski, whittled the recommendations down, eliminating roughly 140 pages of the Council\u2019s work. White House officials reportedly also received the draft report. Members of the Council, appointed by President Trump, have raised concerns about your decision to alter the report. I categorically oppose any efforts to eliminate FEMA. I do energetically support reforms to streamline the disaster relief process. It is too burdensome for many small towns, particularly in rural areas,\u201d wrote Senator Welch in his letter to Secretary Noem.\n\nWelch concluded: \u201cWhether or not you agree with all of the Council\u2019s conclusions or recommendations, it is essential their complete findings be released without alteration or selective changes. This welcomes a robust discussion of the best reforms to improve FEMA. I urge you to release the Council\u2019s complete findings to the public immediately.\u201d\n\nEstablished by executive order, the FEMA Review Council was created to provide the Trump Administration recommendations for FEMA\u2019s future\u2014which could include drastic reductions in capacity. The Council is expected to vote on the final draft report on Thursday, December 11, 2025.\n\nSenator Welch introduced the Disaster Assistance Improvement and Decentralization (AID) Act on the anniversaries of Vermont\u2019s catastrophic floods of July 2023 and 2024. Senator Welch\u2019s bill will cut red tape and empower state and local governments to access recovery assistance when it is needed. The bill will support hazard mitigation efforts, make the delivery of disaster aid more efficient and effective, provide technical assistance to small towns and communities impacted by natural disasters, and block the White House from withholding funding for disaster response. In July, Senator Welch called for the resignation of Secretary Noem citing, in part, her mismanagement of FEMA.\n\nRead and download the full letter here.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"], ["https://www.welch.senate.gov/welch-welcomes-winooski-school-district-superintendent-chavarria-to-bicameral-forum-on-trumps-detention-of-u-s-citizens/", "Welch Welcomes Winooski School District Superintendent Chavarria to Bicameral Forum on Trump\u2019s Detention of U.S. Citizens", "2025-12-10", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "VT", "Peter Welch", "W000800", "www.welch.senate.gov", "welch", "https://www.welch.senate.gov/category/press-release/page/", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2014 U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.), member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, this week introduced Vermont\u2019s Wilmer Chavarria, Superintendent of the Winooski School District, during a bicameral forum focused on the Trump Administration\u2019s cruel and inhumane mass deportation campaign. At the forum, Senator Welch expressed outrage against the Trump Administration\u2019s unconstitutional, arbitrary, and cruel immigration policies and highlighted how these policies are impacting Vermont.\n\n\u201cYou know, so many of the people here just show how wonderful new Americans are, wherever it is they come from. This indiscriminate round-up of people\u2014because who knows why, it\u2019s all arbitrary\u2014is what this hearing is about today. So, we\u2019re very proud to have a Vermonter with us today,\u201d said Senator Welch.\n\nSenator Welch\u2019s introduction and exchange with Superintendent Chavarria focused on his experience with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the agency\u2019s detention of a second grader in Chavarria\u2019s school district who was placed in immigration detention in Texas while traveling over the Thanksgiving holiday:\n\n\u201cI think the American people don\u2019t understand or don\u2019t see what you\u2019ve experienced. And that\u2019s why it\u2019s so important that you\u2019re here, because people don\u2019t want that to happen. And if it happens to somebody they know\u2014if it happens in their neighborhood and it\u2019s visible\u2014I think the American people are pretty good people. And each of you has had such an honorable life and has gone through such a horrible experience\u2014and that feeling of the power of the State taking you away and you being invisible and having no idea whether you\u2019re going to get out and in the physical jeopardy that you were in,\u201d said Senator Welch. \u201cTelling your story so that the American people can see that what we\u2019re not talking about is an open border; what we\u2019re not talking about is criminals, who all of us want to be protected from; we\u2019re talking about hard working people who have families, who have careers, who have aspirations, and who deeply, deeply believe in the American dream\u2026I want to thank you for coming here and sharing your story, not just because you want to tell it to us but because it\u2019s really important for the American people to hear it.\u201d\n\nWatch Senator Welch\u2019s full remarks below:\n\nView a photo of Senator Welch and Wilmer Chavarria here:\n\nIn his opening remarks, Superintendent Chavarria recalled his experience being detained by CBP at an airport in Houston, Texas, after returning home from visiting family in Nicaragua: \u201cSince this incident, I do not feel free to travel. I am fearful that a visit to my mother could mean extended detention or a fabricated plot to destroy my life\u2014like they threatened to. If the goal is to make some citizens feel like they are of a second class with only some of the rights, but not others, then they have succeeded. But I choose to believe that the pendulum will swing the other way, and that our collective disgust for these abuses will catalyze into a powerful backlash against overreach. I thank you for being here to support me and my fellow Americans as we ride out a dark time in our history.\u201d\n\nThe bicameral forum follows the Department of Homeland Security\u2019s (DHS) refusal to respond to multiple requests from members of these committees for information on the number of U.S. citizens who have been detained by CBP and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The forum was hosted by members of the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations and the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.\n\nThe forum was led by Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Rep. Robert Garcia (D-CA-42) and attended by Sens. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), and Reps. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC-AL), Ro Khanna (D-CA-17), Jasmine Crockett (D-TX-30), Melanie Stansbury (D-NM-01), Suhas Subramanyam (D-VA-10), Yassamin Ansari (D-AZ-03), Rashida Tlaib (D-MI-12), and Lateefah Simon (D-CA-12).\n\nLawmakers heard testimony from five U.S. citizens who have been assaulted, detained, and denied constitutional rights by DHS agents, including Superintendent Chavarria; Dayanne Figueroa, a paralegal from Illinois; Javier Ramirez, a father from California; George Retes, a disabled U.S. Army veteran from California; and Andrea Velez, a marketing designer from California. The lawmakers also heard testimony from Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, a Senior Fellow at the American Immigration Council.\n\nWatch a livestream of the spotlight forum here.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"], ["https://www.welch.senate.gov/ahead-of-holiday-travel-season-welch-joins-legislation-to-protect-airline-passengers-from-flight-cancellations-and-delays/", "Ahead of Holiday Travel Season, Welch Joins Legislation to Protect Airline Passengers from Flight Cancellations and Delays", "2025-12-09", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "VT", "Peter Welch", "W000800", "www.welch.senate.gov", "welch", "https://www.welch.senate.gov/category/press-release/page/", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2014 Ahead of the holiday travel season, U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) joined U.S. Senators Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), and 13 Senators in introducing the Flight Delay and Cancellation Compensation Act, legislation to protect passengers by requiring airlines to provide cash compensation and free rebooking for passengers facing significant delays or cancellations caused by the airline. The Senators\u2019 bill would also direct the Department of Transportation (DOT) to mandate airlines reimburse passengers for hotels, meals, and transportation to lodging as a result of flight disruptions, regardless of the cause of the delay.\n\nThe legislation comes in response to the Trump Administration\u2019s cancellation of a popular consumer protection rule in the making that would have required airlines to compensate passengers for preventable travel cancellations or delays.\n\n\u201cFrom Day One, President Trump has made it clear that he doesn\u2019t care about consumers. His decision to scrap a proposal to hold airlines accountable for delays is the latest example. Passengers impacted by delays and cancellations should get the compensation they deserve,\u201d said Senator Welch. \u201cI\u2019m proud to join this legislation which will do just that.\u201d\n\n\u201cFlying is already stressful and expensive. Airlines have to be accountable when they cost the American people money and travelers are left stranded,\u201d said Senator Kelly. \u201cWe\u2019re working to make sure that passengers are protected so that cancellations and delays don\u2019t cost them money out of their own pockets.\u201d\n\n\u201cThis commonsense legislation holds airlines accountable and properly compensates passengers when their flight is delayed or cancelled\u2014protecting Americans from losing their hard-earned paychecks to flight disruptions beyond their control and alleviating the burden of chaotic travel days. The Trump Administration\u2019s senseless backtracking on airline passenger protections only serves the airline industry, padding their pocketbooks and leaving Americans stranded without help. With the Flight Delay and Cancellation Compensation Act, we put the traveling public first and bolster cost-saving consumer protections,\u201d said Senator Blumenthal.\n\n\u201cAirlines that cancel and significantly delay flights due to their own mistakes can costs flyers thousands of dollars in secondary costs and lost income. In other words, the traveling public covers the costs of the airlines\u2019 mistakes,\u201d said Senator Markey. \u201cInstead of protecting family budgets, the Trump Administration is choosing to protect the airlines\u2019 bottom line. I\u2019m proud to partner with Senator Kelly and Senator Blumenthal to introduce the Flight Delay and Cancellation Compensation Act, an important step to hold airlines accountable, enact cost-saving protections, and prioritize consumers instead of CEO billionaires and corporations at the top of the airline industry.\u201d\n\nOn November 15, 2025, the Trump Administration officially withdrew a planned Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) that the previous Administration\u2019s Department of Transportation had initiated in December 2024 to require airlines to compensate passengers and cover their expenses for lengthy delays or cancellations caused by carriers. The ANPRM is the first part of the federal rulemaking process, meant to solicit public comment on the policies proposed by the agency. This ANPRM sought public comment on a rulemaking to \u201censure consumers experiencing significant flight disruptions are taken care of and protected from financial losses.\u201d\n\nUnder the Flight Delay and Cancellation Compensation Act, the DOT would be required to issue regulations that:\n\nEstablish an Aviation Rulemaking Committee (ARC) that includes consumer protection groups to develop recommendations for how to implement rules that would require air carriers to provide consumers experiencing significant flight disruptions cash compensation, free rebooking, and reimbursements for passenger care needs such as meals, lodging for overnight delays, and transportation to and from lodging;\n\nRequire the ARC to develop recommendations for passenger compensation in alignment with foreign standards, including the Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA) Air Passenger Protection Regulations and Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council;\n\nSet a baseline standard of compensation of at least $300 for a delay of more than 3 hours but less than 6 hours; and at least $600 for a delay of 6 hours or more;\n\nDirect DOT to undertake a rulemaking to implement the ARC recommendations within 90 days after the ARC report is submitted; and\n\nEstablish a stricter interim final rule that will go into effect 18 months after the bill is enacted, to prevent DOT from dragging its feet and ensuring the rulemaking takes place.\n\nThe bill is cosponsored by Sens. Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), John Fetterman (D-Pa.), Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.).\n\nLearn more about the Flight Delay and Cancellation Compensation Act.\n\nRead and download the full text of the bill.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"], ["https://www.welch.senate.gov/media-advisory-welch-to-join-journalist-dylan-collins-members-of-congress-human-rights-leaders-for-press-conference-on-netanyahu-governments-systematic-targeting-of-journalists/", "MEDIA ADVISORY: Welch to Join Journalist Dylan Collins, Members of Congress, Human Rights Leaders for Press Conference on Netanyahu Government\u2019s Systematic Targeting of Journalists", "2025-12-09", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "VT", "Peter Welch", "W000800", "www.welch.senate.gov", "welch", "https://www.welch.senate.gov/category/press-release/page/", "scraper", "Vermont journalist Dylan Collins will join call for justice for October 2023 Israeli attack that wounded him and killed a Reuters journalist in Lebanon\n\nWASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 On Thursday, December 11th at 9:00 AM ET, U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) will join Vermonter and Agence France-Presse (AFP) video journalist Dylan Collins, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), U.S. Rep. Becca Balint (D-VT-At Large), the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), and Amnesty International USA to demand accountability for the Netanyahu government\u2019s systematic targeting of members of the press since October 7, 2023.\n\nFor the first time, Senator Welch will share findings from his office\u2019s engagement with the Netanyahu and United States governments on the status of its probe into the attack on his constituent, U.S. citizen and AFP video journalist Dylan Collins.\n\nCollins was wounded in the October 13, 2023, double-tap Israeli attack in southern Lebanon on a group of seven journalists clearly identifiable as members of the press. Reuters video journalist Issam Abdallah was killed in the first strike, and AFP photojournalist Christina Assi gravely wounded, resulting in the amputation of her right leg. Collins reported the targeted attack to the U.S. embassy in Beirut while hospitalized from injuries sustained in the strike, and later presented video evidence of the double-tap strike to FBI and DHS investigators and the State Department in May 2024.\n\nWatch a video made by Collins of the attack that he survived on October 13, 2023, below:\n\nIn May 2024, the Vermont Congressional Delegation requested that the Department of State conduct a thorough and independent investigation into these events under the War Crimes Act of 1996 as well as other relevant U.S. and customary international law. In October 2024, Senator Welch joined eleven members of Congress in calling on the Biden Administration to open an investigation on the October 13 targeted attack that injured Collins. Senator Welch has directly engaged with the Trump Administration, Biden Administration, and the Embassy of Israel to obtain information about the attack and demand accountability for those involved.\n\nSenator Welch, staff of Sens. Sanders, Van Hollen, and Rep. Balint also met with Collins on Capitol Hill in July. To date, the U.S. has failed to undertake a credible and thorough investigation or to seek accountability for those involved.\n\nWHO: U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.); Vermonter and Agence France-Presse (AFP) video journalist Dylan Collins; U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.); Rep. Becca Balint (D-VT-At Large); Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ); Amnesty International USA\n\nWHEN: Thursday, December 11th at 9:00 AM ET\n\nWHERE: Senate Swamp, Capitol Hill\n\nWATCH: Livestream the press conference on Senator Welch\u2019s YouTube channel.\n\nRSVP: Media are asked to RSVP hereand to Elisabeth_St.Onge@welch.senate.gov.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"], ["https://www.welch.senate.gov/sanders-welch-balint-and-scott-announce-more-than-12-million-in-northern-border-regional-commission-investments-for-vermont-communities/", "Sanders, Welch, Balint, and Scott Announce More Than $12 Million in Northern Border Regional Commission Investments for Vermont Communities", "2025-12-09", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "VT", "Peter Welch", "W000800", "www.welch.senate.gov", "welch", "https://www.welch.senate.gov/category/press-release/page/", "scraper", "MONTPELIER, VT \u2013 The Vermont Congressional Delegation, Senators Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), and Representative Becca Balint (VT-At Large), along with Governor Phil Scott and the Northern Border Regional Commission (NBRC), announced NBRC\u2019s Fall 2025 Catalyst Program, Forest Economy Program, and Timber for Transit awardees. Sixteen projects in Vermont will collectively receive over $12.2 million in funding to support initiatives that will enhance public health and environmental resilience, support school expansion and regional forestry jobs, bolster tourism, and facilitate long-term community development.\n\nEstablished in 2008, the NBRC is a federal-state partnership in northern Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, and New York, designed to stimulate economic growth and inspire collaboration to improve rural economic vitality across the four-state NBRC region.\n\n\u201cThe Northern Border Regional Commission\u2019s Catalyst Program is instrumental in supporting projects that help Vermont\u2019s rural communities thrive. This new federal funding will be critical in revitalizing rural economies in every corner of our state, from updating our aging water infrastructure, to expanding childcare access, to creating new community centers,\u201d said the Vermont Congressional Delegation. \u201cWe look forward to seeing these investments improve Vermont communities and are proud to work with local partners to support projects that make life better for all Vermonters.\u201d\n\n\u201cThese strategic investments across Vermont will have important long-term impacts for our communities and pay dividends for future generations by supporting much needed infrastructure across the state,\u201d said Governor Scott. \u201cI want to thank our Congressional Delegation for their support.\u201d\n\nWhen evaluating potential projects, the Catalyst Program considers project readiness, economic impacts, impacts on Vermont\u2019s skilled workforce, project location, regional input and priorities, and the project\u2019s transformational nature. Awarded projects in the 2025 Catalyst Fall Competition will support childcare access and workforce development, update essential transportation and water and wastewater infrastructure, expand housing development, reduce the carbon footprint of infrastructure projects, and support wood heat, tourism, Vermont\u2019s forest economy, and more.\n\nThe 2025 Catalyst Fall Competition, Forest Economy Program and Timber for Transit Awardees include:\n\nThe City of Montpelier \u2013 $2,994,597: to replace aging water and sewer infrastructure and support redevelopment of the 133-acre Country Club Road site into a mixed-use neighborhood.\n\nVermont Department of Forests, Parks & Recreation \u2013 $1,940,715: to lead a multistate demonstration of nanocellulose-enhanced concrete in transportation infrastructure. The project will construct eight pilot installations across the Northern Border region, showcasing the environmental and economic benefits of using timber-derived materials.\n\nThe City of Vergennes \u2013 $1,000,000: to construct a new 1,280-foot city street with sidewalks and utilities to support the Vergennes North workforce housing development.\n\nNortheast Kingdom Community Action, Inc. \u2013 $1,000,000: to expand the Lakemont Family Resource Center in Newport, Vermont, by adding 16 childcare slots, constructing three classrooms, and purchasing the building. The project will also support mobile service delivery to rural areas and create six new jobs.\n\nTown of Shelburne \u2013 $1,000,000: to install an ultraviolet disinfection system as part of a larger wastewater treatment plant consolidation and upgrade.\n\nTown of Waitsfield \u2013 $1,000,000: to connect Waitsfield School to a new municipal wastewater system as part of a broader infrastructure project. The connection will replace aging septic infrastructure, support school expansion, and enable future residential and commercial tie-ins.\n\nVermont Public Service Department \u2013 $1,000,000: to support advanced wood heating systems and develop a fuel price comparison platform to promote low-grade wood use. The project will provide financial incentives for schools and municipalities and improve consumer access to wood fuel data.\n\nThe Vermont League of Cities and Towns (VLCT) \u2013 $500,000: to launch a technical assistance program building capacity for municipalities to access the state\u2019s new Community Housing & Infrastructure Program (CHIP).\n\nCambridge 360 \u2013 $489,020: to acquire and renovate the Cambridge Community Center in Jeffersonville, Vermont, preserving it as a vital hub for recreation, youth programs, and economic development.\n\nNorwich Community Collaborative \u2013 $390,000: to complete the third phase of restoring the historic Norwich Grange Hall into a multi-purpose community center.\n\nVermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans) \u2013 $375,000: to conduct a feasibility study for a new Welcome Center near the Canadian border in Highgate, VT. The study will evaluate site suitability, use of advanced wood products, and heating options for the facility.\n\nTaproot Farm & Environmental Education Center \u2013 $294,400: to establish a permanent farm, recreation, and education campus on 60 acres in Lunenburg, Vermont.\n\nCentral Vermont Regional Planning Commission \u2013 $100,000: to conduct a feasibility study for redeveloping the 87 State Street Federal Building in downtown Montpelier.\n\nSouthern Vermont Health and Recreation Center Foundation, Inc. \u2013 $100,000: conduct pre-development planning for a new Connector building that will link its aquatic and fitness center with a historic facility. The project will include design work for a childcare center, wellness programming space, and public meeting areas.\n\nHatchSpace \u2013 $36,225: to conduct a feasibility study for acquiring and improving its current facility in downtown Brattleboro, Vermont. The study will assess building conditions, financial models, and acquisition strategies to support HatchSpace\u2019s mission of advancing craft and technical education.\n\nTwo Rivers-Ottauquechee Regional Commission \u2013 $35,000: to conduct a feasibility study for downtown White River Junction infrastructure improvements, including a public plaza, parking facility, and geothermal energy options.\n\nThis is the second of two Catalyst funding rounds in 2025. Click here for a complete list of awardees. Learn more about how to apply for future NBRC grants here.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"], ["https://www.welch.senate.gov/welch-bonamici-lead-47-bicameral-lawmakers-in-call-to-provide-additional-funding-for-the-federal-public-defender-program-in-fy26-budget/", "Welch, Bonamici Lead 47 Bicameral Lawmakers in Call to Provide Additional Funding for the Federal Public Defender Program in FY26 Budget", "2025-12-08", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "VT", "Peter Welch", "W000800", "www.welch.senate.gov", "welch", "https://www.welch.senate.gov/category/press-release/page/", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee and the Senate\u2019s only former Public Defender, and U.S. Representative Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR-01), led a group of 47 bicameral lawmakers in calling on the Senate and House Appropriations Committees to provide additional funding to the Federal Defender Services program in the upcoming Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26) Financial Services and General Government Appropriations bill, beyond the recently released Republican budget proposal.\n\nIn their letter, the lawmakers urge committee leaders to fully fund the program at $1.76 billion, as requested by the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, to maintain baseline constitutional requirements for federal public defense instead of the lower amounts in House and Senate Republicans\u2019 appropriations bills.\n\n\u201cAs you are aware, in FY24, an inadvertent failure to account for the federal defender program\u2019s carryforward funding structure resulted in initial funding levels that were more than $100 million less than what the program needed. In response to those marks, the program implemented a set of cost-savings measures, including a hard hiring freeze, suspension of most in-person training opportunities, and deferral of other programmatic needs such as cybersecurity upgrades. In FY25, the Defender Services budget was frozen at the artificially low FY24 levels, leaving the program with a critical shortfall woefully inadequate to meet its identified needs,\u201d wrote the lawmakers. \u201cAs a result of two years of underfunding because of a calculation error, Defender Services began FY26 significantly in the red. The current funding level, based on the recent anomaly, is still $194 million short of what is required to fund the program.\u201d\n\nThe lawmakers continued: \u201cWe are very appreciative of your inclusion of a $1.564 billion anomaly for Federal and Community Defenders in the Continuing Resolution. This is an important step in addressing the underfunding. Now we must fully fund the program as soon as possible. Full funding for the program to staff Federal Defender offices, pay the panel deficit for missed payments last fiscal year, and avoid missed payments to panel attorneys throughout FY26 requires $1.76 billion. Without full funding, Federal Defender Services will face more extreme shortfalls in FY26.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe Defender Services program has a history of bipartisan support. This essential funding supports the more than 4,000 attorneys, investigators, paralegals, and other personnel throughout 83 federal defender organizations serving 92 of the 94 federal judicial districts, as well as approximately 12,000 private CJA panel attorneys. Criminal defense funding is non-partisan, and federal defenders represent everyone regardless of political affiliation. Currently, more than ninety percent of federal cases are handled by public defense lawyers,\u201d wrote the lawmakers. \u201cThe inevitable cascading consequences of underfunding public defense will delay prosecutions, create backlogs in U.S. Attorneys Offices, compromise convictions and sentences, and deny witnesses and victims their day in court.\u201d\n\nThe lawmakers concluded: \u201cIn short, a fully funded federal defender system is necessary to promote public safety and the rule of law. We respectfully urge you to fully fund the Federal Defender Services program at $1.76 billion to maintain baseline constitutional requirements for federal public defense and appreciate the unprecedented challenges of the current appropriation process.\u201d\n\nSenator Welch previously joined Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and eight Senators in writing to Senate Appropriations Committee leadership to urge robust funding for federal defenders in the FY26 appropriations bill.\n\nThe Federal Defender Services program serves as an integral part of the federal judicial system by securing access to counsel and providing other necessary defense services for those who cannot afford counsel. The Sixth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution guarantees the right to an attorney in criminal proceedings, and the Criminal Justice Act (CJA) provides that courts appoint counsel from Federal public and community defender organizations or from a panel of private attorneys established by the court. The court must employ private attorneys, often at a higher cost, to meet their constitutional duty to appoint counsel for individuals who cannot afford counsel. As the Executive Branch pursues increased federal prosecutions, including capital cases, it is important that constitutionally adequate counsel is provided.\n\nFederal Defender organizations have now entered their third year in a hard hiring freeze, resulting in more than 500 positions below what the Judicial Conference-approved staffing formula dictates. Additionally, CJA panel attorneys face another devastating year of months-long payment delays. In FY25, money to pay CJA panel attorneys for work performed in federal court ran out beginning in July 2025 and did not restart until the government shutdown ended this November, resulting in over four months without pay. Trials across the country were delayed because of the nonpayment, and at least one case was dismissed.\n\nIn the Senate, the letter is cosigned by Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Rev. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), Andy Kim (D-N.J.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.), and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.).\n\nThe letter is cosigned in the House by Reps. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI-12), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC-AL), Stephen Lynch (D-MA-08), Danny Davis (D-IL-07), Hank Johnson (D-GA-04), Kevin Mullin (D-CA-15), Seth Moulton (D-MA-06), Jes\u00fas \u201cChuy\u201d Garc\u00eda (D-IL-04), Bobby Scott (D-VA-03), Shontel Brown (D-OH-11), Glenn Ivey (D-MD-04), Val Hoyle (D-OR-04), Andrea Salinas (D-OR-06), Emanuel Cleaver, II (D-MO-05), Jonathan Jackson (D-IL-01), Becca Balint (D-VT-AL), Maxine Dexter (D-OR-03), Frederica Wilson (D-FL-24), Veronica Escobar (D-TX-16), Cleo Fields (D-LA-04), Scott Peters (D-CA-50), Summer Lee (D-PA-12), Suhas Subramanyam (D-VA-10), and Sylvia Garcia (D-TX-29).\n\nRead and download the lawmakers\u2019 full letter to Senate and House Appropriations Committee leadership.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"], ["https://www.welch.senate.gov/welch-joins-st-albans-students-educators-and-farmers-to-cheer-senate-passage-of-bipartisan-whole-milk-for-healthy-kids-act/", "Welch Joins St. Albans Students, Educators, and Farmers to Cheer Senate Passage of Bipartisan Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act", "2025-12-08", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "VT", "Peter Welch", "W000800", "www.welch.senate.gov", "welch", "https://www.welch.senate.gov/category/press-release/page/", "scraper", "ST. ALBANS, VT \u2014 Today, U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Ranking Member of the Senate Agriculture Subcommittee on Rural Development, Energy, and Credit, joined students, educators, and farmers at St. Albans City Elementary School to celebrate the Senate\u2019s unanimous passage of his bipartisan bill, the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act, which supports America\u2019s students and dairy farmers.\n\nThe bipartisan bill, co-led with Senator Roger Marshall (R-Kan.), would allow schools participating in the National School Lunch Program to offer students whole milk, in addition to reduced-fat, low-fat, fat-free, lactose-free milk, and non-dairy alternatives. It now moves to the House of Representatives, which is expected to consider the legislation soon\n\n\u201cDairy is at the heart of Vermont\u2019s culture and local economy, which is why this bipartisan bill to expand access to whole milk in our schools is a win for Vermont\u2019s students and farmers alike. The Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act will help our next generation grow stronger and let Vermont dairy farmers do what they love\u2014feed our communities,\u201d said Senator Welch. \u201cI look forward to the President signing this bill into law to ensure students in St. Albans and around the country can get the key nutrients they need.\u201d\n\nView photos from the event below and on the Senator\u2019s website:\n\nSenator Welch has been a leading advocate for protecting and expanding access to nutrition programs in the Senate. Senator Welch recently introduced legislation to help more Americans access SNAP and improve child nutrition, including the Farm to School Act, Local School Foods Expansion Act, Improving Access to Nutrition Act of 2025, Student Loan Deduction Act of 2025, and the School Lunch Debt Cancellation Act.\n\nIn August, the Senator joined nutrition advocates and leaders from across Vermont for a press conference outlining how President Trump and Republicans\u2019 tax and spending bill will hurt Americans who use the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and other nutrition assistance programs. Senator Welch voted in strong opposition to the bill.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"], ["https://www.welch.senate.gov/welch-statement-on-trumps-farm-bailout/", "Welch Statement on Trump\u2019s Farm Bailout", "2025-12-08", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "VT", "Peter Welch", "W000800", "www.welch.senate.gov", "welch", "https://www.welch.senate.gov/category/press-release/page/", "scraper", "Welch: Trump is \u201ctrying to cover up his mistakes and the pain he\u2019s caused in rural America.\u201d\n\nWASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.), a member of the Senate Agriculture and Finance Committees, and Ranking Member of the Agriculture Subcommittee on Rural Development, Energy, and Credit, today released the following statement in response to President Trump\u2019s proposed plan to give farmers a one-time bailout after his administration\u2019s reckless economic policies exacerbated the farm crisis:\n\n\u201cAmerican farms are in crisis, and the agricultural economy is in free-fall. President Trump\u2019s reckless economic and trade policies bear much of the blame for the pain that farmers in Vermont and across the country feel right now. The president\u2019s tariffs and the trade wars he created have closed markets and raised taxes on farms and farming communities. Republican leadership in the Senate and House has slow-walked a multi-year Farm Bill. Consolidation is making it impossible for small, family, and young farmers to succeed. Farmers and their families will be forced to go without health care as health care premiums skyrocket, and rural hospitals will close as a result of the Republicans\u2019 tax bill. It\u2019s obvious: the president is trying to cover up his mistakes and the pain he\u2019s caused in rural America.\n\n\u201cFarmers want to farm, they don\u2019t want endless government handouts. President Trump\u2019s proposed bailout will do nothing to end the pain of his tariffs or support farmers in the long-term\u2014much of this funding won\u2019t help commodity and dairy farmers at all. Republicans and Democrats in Congress need to work together to pass the multi-year Farm Bill that America\u2019s farmers deserve, and provide long-term, forward-thinking policy solutions that strengthen farms in Vermont and across the country.\u201d\n\nSenator Welch recently traveled to Nebraska and Iowa to speak with farmers at statewide annual Farmers Union Conventions. While in Nebraska, Senator Welch was the keynote speaker at a town hall focused on access to health care in rural communities.\n\nSenator Welch has championed legislation to end the trade war, support rural development, and strengthen farms. He is the cosponsor of several bipartisan bills and resolutions to block the Trump Administration\u2019s tariffs on Canada, as well as the global tariffs. Senator Welch has led legislation to ensure farmers have the right to repair their farm equipment, improve crop insurance, and support beginning farmers and ranchers. He is also the sponsor of bipartisan bills to support rural hospitals and build out rural broadband. Recently, the Senate passed his bipartisan bill to support dairy farmers and kids by allowing whole milk in schools.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"], ["https://www.welch.senate.gov/welch-travels-to-iowa-and-meets-with-farmers/", "Welch Travels to Iowa and Meets with Farmers", "2025-12-06", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "VT", "Peter Welch", "W000800", "www.welch.senate.gov", "welch", "https://www.welch.senate.gov/category/press-release/page/", "scraper", "Pledges to Keep Up the Fight Against Trump\u2019s Reckless Agriculture, Trade, and Economic Policies\n\nAMES, IOWA\u2014U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Ranking Member of the Senate Agriculture Subcommittee on Rural Development, Energy, and Credit, today traveled to Ames, Iowa, where he spoke with Iowa farmers and producers at the 110th Annual Iowa Farmers Union State Convention. His remarks focused on the turmoil caused by President Trump\u2019s economic policies, and his fight to support farmers in Vermont, Iowa, and across the country.\n\n\u201cI hear it from Vermont\u2019s world-class farmers, I heard it yesterday in Nebraska, and I heard it today from farmers in Iowa: Farmers ask \u2018When are we going to get a Farm Bill?\u2019 But they\u2019re really asking, \u2018When are we going to get the Farm Bill we need?\u2019,\u201d said Senator Welch. \u201cFarmers are the backbone of our communities\u2014we can\u2019t have a strong America without a strong rural America. I was honored to speak with Iowans today and listen. It\u2019s clear that if Washington is truly going to support farmers we need to let them farm, and that means open markets and an end to this trade war\u2014which is hurting farmers across the country. I\u2019m committed to making rural America more affordable and stronger\u2014and won\u2019t back down in the fight.\u201d\n\nView photos below:\n\nSenator Welch speaks at the Iowa Farmers Union State Convention\n\nSenator Welch meets with farmers in Iowa\n\nThe affordability crisis is causing extraordinary pain in rural America. Iowa\u2019s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) fell 6.1% in the first quarter of 2025, and row-crop prices have continued to falter throughout 2025 as the Trump Administration\u2019s tariffs (and subsequent retaliation) have closed markets. As in Vermont, farm machinery prices are rising as imported parts and equipment is tariffed. School enrollment is declining, and housing is unaffordable. Iowa will lose $9 billion over the next decade because of the Medicaid cuts enacted in Republicans\u2019 so-called \u2018One Big Beautiful Bill Act\u2019 and rural hospitals are at risk of closing.\n\nSenator Welch has championed legislation to end the trade war, support rural development, and strengthen farms. He is the cosponsor of several bipartisan bills and resolutions to block the Trump Administration\u2019s tariffs on Canada, as well as the global tariffs. Senator Welch has led legislation to ensure farmers have the right to repair their farm equipment, improve crop insurance, and support beginning farmers and ranchers. He is also the sponsor of bipartisan bills to support rural hospitals and build out rural broadband. Recently, the Senate passed his bipartisan bill to support dairy farmers and kids by allowing nutritious whole milk in schools.\n\nIn addition to serving as the Ranking Member of the Senate Agriculture Committee\u2019s Subcommittee on Rural Development, Energy, and Credit, Senator Welch serves on the Senate Finance Committee, Senate Judiciary Committee, and Senate Rules Committee.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"], ["https://www.welch.senate.gov/welch-and-scott-introduce-bipartisan-bill-to-create-new-multigenerational-home-caregiver-tax-credit/", "Welch and Scott Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Create New Multigenerational Home Caregiver Tax Credit", "2025-12-05", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "VT", "Peter Welch", "W000800", "www.welch.senate.gov", "welch", "https://www.welch.senate.gov/category/press-release/page/", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.), a member of the Senate Finance Committee, and U.S. Senator Rick Scott (R-Fla.) this week introduced the Multigenerational Home Caregiver Credit Act, bipartisan legislation to address the nationwide aging crisis and combat skyrocketing health care costs by creating a $2,000 tax credit for adults caring for an older family member within the same residence. The Senators\u2019 legislation will promote dignified, compassionate aging in place and support new and current generations of caregivers by incentivizing in-home and intergenerational caregiving.\n\n\u201cWe can always do more to meet the needs of aging Americans, and supporting the family caregivers who deliver world-class care to their relatives is a major part of ensuring that older folks can continue to age with dignity in the comfort of their own homes. Creating a tax credit that provides relief to families providing in-home care to elderly relatives will help aging Americans remain in their communities with a known and reliable support system,\u201d said Senator Welch. \u201cI\u2019m proud to partner with Senator Scott on this legislation to ensure older Americans can age with compassion surrounded by the ones they love.\u201d\n\n\u201cMultigenerational households have long strengthened our communities and improved the well-being of our aging Americans, something families across the country already understand. As chairman of the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging, I\u2019m proud to help lead this legislation to establish the Multigenerational Home Caregiver Credit, providing family caregivers with meaningful relief as they care for aging parents or family members at home, where they can maintain their dignity and independence while surrounded by loved ones,\u201d said Senator Scott.\n\nThe number of Americans living in multigenerational homes has quadrupled since 1970, with nearly 60 million Americans\u201418% of all U.S. households\u2014living in an intergenerational household in 2021. In recent years, over a quarter of U.S. adults living in a multigenerational home cite caregiving for an adult family member as a major reason for their living arrangement. Adult family members can provide valuable support to aging adult relatives, including assisting with medications, finances, grocery shopping, meal preparation, and other care needs, which can often delay or prevent institutionalization.\n\nFor older adults with dementia and disability, their chance of nursing home placement is reduced by about 50% in the subsequent two years following diagnosis when they live with an adult family caregiver, in comparison to receiving care from a family member living outside their household. Additionally, older adults living in multigenerational households exhibit improved mental health and better cognition with concurrent hearing loss as they age.\n\nIn addition to supporting older Americans, multigenerational homes help address the national aging crisis by reducing unwanted transitions to long-term care facilities that struggle with bed availability and workforce shortages. In-home caregiving also reduces the need for increasingly expensive and often unreliable third-party caregiver support, a service already vastly inaccessible in rural communities.\n\nThe Multigenerational Home Caregiver Credit Act recognizes a qualifying adult family member as a mother, father, uncle, aunt, grandparent, or in-law living with their aging relative for at least six months of the taxable year. The bill also requires all adult caregivers to submit an attestation from a medical provider when filing their taxes to demonstrate their status as a known caregiver.\n\nAdditionally, the bill also mandates qualifying adult caregivers to provide support for a minimum of ten hours per week in accordance with the Lawton Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADLs) scale, which measures the maximum assistance needed for individuals to complete everyday tasks independently. Such tasks can include assisting with basic care needs such as bathing, dressing, eating or transferring, as well as more complex tasks such as finances, transportation, and cooking.\n\nThe Multigenerational Home Caregiver Credit Act is endorsed by the National Alliance for Caregiving.\n\n\u201cWe commend Senator Welch and Senator Scott for introducing this important legislation, which recognizes the essential caregiving work that family members provide within intergenerational households. Family caregivers serve as the invisible backbone of our nation\u2019s care system. Our latest research reveals that more than half of family caregivers experience negative financial impacts due to their caregiving responsibilities. Tax credits that support family caregivers represent a meaningful step toward alleviating the financial hardships these individuals face daily,\u201d said Jason Resendez, President and CEO, National Alliance for Caregiving.\n\nLearn more about the Multigenerational Home Caregiver Credit Act.\n\nRead and download the full text of the bill.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"], ["https://www.welch.senate.gov/welch-speaks-at-nebraska-farmers-unions-112th-annual-state-convention-talks-rural-health-care-with-nebraskans/", "Welch Speaks at Nebraska Farmers Union\u2019s 112th Annual State Convention, Talks Rural Health Care with Nebraskans", "2025-12-05", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "VT", "Peter Welch", "W000800", "www.welch.senate.gov", "welch", "https://www.welch.senate.gov/category/press-release/page/", "scraper", "NEBRASKA \u2014 U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Ranking Member of the Agriculture Subcommittee on Rural Development, Energy, and Credit, today traveled to Nebraska to speak with farmers impacted by President Trump\u2019s tariffs and economic policies. Senator Welch met with farmers and toured two farms in Madison County ahead of providing remarks at the Nebraska Farmers Union\u2019s 112th Annual State Convention.\n\nSenator Welch\u2019s remarks focused on the importance of strengthening the agriculture economy and supporting rural communities in Vermont, Nebraska, and across America:\n\n\u201cFarmers in Vermont and Nebraska power America\u2019s rural economy. Their work is rooted in generations of farming families who work tirelessly to support their communities. But the job is getting harder and harder\u2014Washington needs to work for our farmers and producers, not the other way around. America\u2019s farmers need open markets, strong trade relationships, and federal policy that makes it easier to keep farming for generations to come,\u201d said Senator Welch. \u201cI hear it at home and I heard it here in Nebraska\u2014President Trump\u2019s economic policies are deeply unpopular. I won\u2019t back down in my fight to support hardworking farmers by leading policies that help rural communities thrive, survive, and be more sustainable.\u201d\n\nView photos below and on Senator Welch\u2019s website:\n\nFriday evening, Senator Welch will be the special guest at a town hall in Omaha, NE focused on the fight for quality, affordable health care in rural America. His remarks will focus on the impact of Republicans\u2019 so-called \u2018One Big Beautiful Bill Act\u2019, which will kick more than 78,000 Nebraskans off their health care and cut $3.6 billion in funding over the next decade. If Republicans refuse to work with Democrats to extend the Affordable Care Act\u2019s premium tax credits, around 112,000 Nebraskans will face higher health care costs\u2014with the average annual premium rising 160% next year.\n\nOn Saturday, Senator Welch will travel to Iowa and speak at the Iowa Farmers Union State Convention in Ames.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"], ["https://www.welch.senate.gov/welch-amo-lead-bicameral-bill-to-update-and-expand-social-security-survivor-benefits-provide-financial-relief-to-families/", "Welch, Amo Lead Bicameral Bill to Update and Expand Social Security Survivor Benefits, Provide Financial Relief to Families", "2025-12-04", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "VT", "Peter Welch", "W000800", "www.welch.senate.gov", "welch", "https://www.welch.senate.gov/category/press-release/page/", "scraper", "Legislation was inspired by Vermont constituent\n\nWASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.), a member of the Senate Finance Committee, and U.S. Representative Gabe Amo (D-RI-01) introduced the Social Security Survivor Benefits Equity Act, bicameral legislation to adjust benefits for the first time in over 70 years to cover costs associated with cremation or burials for surviving family members by increasing the Social Security Administration\u2019s (SSA) lump-sum death benefit to account for inflation. Beginning in 2026, survivor benefits would increase from $255 to $2,900.\n\nThe legislation would index the SSA death benefit to the Consumer Price Index to ensure this benefit is aligned with other Social Security benefits, such as Cost-of-Living Adjustments. The Social Security Survivor Benefits Equity Act was inspired and shaped by a letter Senator received from a Vermont constituent concerned about how the outdated benefit would create financial burdens for their surviving family members.\n\n\u201cFuneral costs should be the last thing on the minds of grieving families when they lose a loved one. But because benefits designed to help folks afford funeral expenses haven\u2019t kept pace with inflation, the cost of burying a loved one has become top of mind for many mourning families,\u201d said Senator Welch. \u201cThis commonsense bill, inspired by the experiences of Vermonters, will update Social Security death benefits to help alleviate financial burdens for families following the loss of a loved one.\u201d\n\n\u201cFamilies experiencing a loss should not have to struggle to afford a funeral for their loved one,\u201d said Rep. Amo. \u201cI\u2019m proud to introduce the Social Security Survivor Benefits Equity Act with Senator Peter Welch to raise the amount a family can receive to help cover end of life costs for the first time in 70 years and index the benefit to inflation going forward. I will keep fighting in Washington to lower costs for Rhode Islanders, including at the most difficult moments.\u201d\n\nSenators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), and Ed Markey (D-Mass.) are cosponsors of the legislation.\n\n\u201cDonald Trump\u2019s chaotic tariffs and skyrocketing costs are already squeezing American families\u2014 losing a loved one shouldn\u2019t be the reason they go broke,\u201d said Senator Warren. \u201cDemocrats are fighting hard to expand benefits and provide relief so families can stay afloat.\u201d\n\n\u201cThis bill will modernize an important feature of Social Security to give families real financial relief and dignity as they grieve a loved one,\u201d said Senator Whitehouse. \u201cI\u2019m glad to join my good friend Congressman Amo on legislation that further strengthens Social Security for the future.\u201d\n\n\u201cOur legislation eases the burden of funeral expenses for American families by adjusting Social Security benefits associated with burials and cremation to account for rising costs. Families grieving a loved one should receive increased Social Security benefits to alleviate the crushing financial burden and stress of burial expenses,\u201d said Senator Blumenthal.\n\n\u201cDespite Social Security\u2019s lump-sum death benefit remaining stagnant at $255 for over 70 years, the costs of funerals have increased ten-fold, costing thousands of dollars for grieving families,\u201d said Senator Booker. \u201cNo one should have to worry about increasing funeral expenses, especially after losing a loved one. This legislation would make long-overdue updates to our Social Security system to ensure survivor benefits reflect the financial and emotional challenges families face during the loss of a family member.\u201d\n\n\u201cA death in the family is already one of life\u2019s hardest moments. The Social Security death benefit exists to ease stress for survivors making final arrangements for loved ones, but this benefit hasn\u2019t been updated in decades. The Social Security Survivor Benefits Equity Act increases benefits to reflect costs and lowers the burden for families in grief,\u201d said Senator Markey.\n\nThe Social Security Administration provides a lump-sum death benefit to survivors of a beneficiary in the event of their death to help families offset funeral costs. The lump sum payment, which is provided to surviving spouses, dependent children under 18, or children with disabilities, was capped at $255 in 1954.\n\nIn the 1950s, a full memorial and cremation service cost around $700. In Vermont, the average cost for a funeral with a viewing and cremation is $7,023. Nationwide, the median cost of a funeral with a viewing is $8,300, while the average cost for a funeral with cremation is $6,280. Despite this increase in cost, the SSA\u2019s lump-sum death benefit has remained stagnant at $255.\n\nThe Social Security Survivor Benefits Equity Act is endorsed by the Alliance for Retired Americans; American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE); American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME); American Federation of Teachers (AFT); Justice in Aging; National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare; National Organization of Social Security Claimants\u2019 Representatives (NOSSCR); Social Security Works; Strengthen Social Security Coalition; and the Women\u2019s Institute for a Secure Retirement (WISER).\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s been 70 years since Social Security\u2019s lump-sum death benefit, currently $255, was last increased. This bill raises the benefit to $2,900 and indexes it to inflation, to better reflect the cost associated with burying a loved one,\u201d said Richard Fiesta, Executive Director, Alliance for Retired Americans. \u201cGrieving families deserve more meaningful assistance at a difficult and painful moment in their lives.\u201d\n\n\u201cAFGE is proud to support Senator Welch\u2019s Social Security Survivor Benefits Equity Act. This long-overdue legislation would raise the Social Security death benefit to help keep family members from being impoverished by basic funeral expenses for a loved one. It is the least we can do as we continue to pursue the modernization of Social Security \u2013 the greatest anti-poverty program the country has ever known,\u201d said Everett B. Kelley, National President, American Federation of Government Employees, AFL-CIO (AFGE).\n\n\u201cWorking families are being squeezed by rising costs on every front, and if tragedy strikes, this financial strain can become overwhelming. The Social Security Survivor Benefits Equity Act will bring meaningful relief to families when they need it most, finally adjusting these benefits for inflation for the first time in more than 70 years. AFSCME members know how easily a family can slip into poverty after losing a loved one, and they see every day how critical this lifeline can be. We thank Sens. Welch, Sanders and Warren for easing the financial burden on families so they can move forward with dignity,\u201d said Lee Saunders, President, AFSCME.\n\n\u201cThe death of a spouse or parent brings profound economic pain for families that only adds to the stress of grieving. The Social Security lump-sum survivor benefit was created to help but remains meager and has completely failed to keep up with the cost of living. Sen. Welch\u2019s Social Security Survivor Benefits Equity Act would finally increase the lump-sum death benefit from $255 to $2,900 and index it to inflation. It\u2019s a compassionate move that would make a huge difference for people grappling with loss\u2014and it\u2019s simply the right thing to do. We fully support it and urge Congress to pass it,\u201d said Randi Weingarten, President, AFT.\n\n\u201cAmong the lesser known and utilized benefits provided under the Social Security Act is a lump-sum amount payable upon the death of a beneficiary which was intended to help the surviving family pay for a beneficiary\u2019s funeral expenses. The last time the amount was adjusted was seventy years ago, when funerals only cost about $700. The Social Security Survivor Benefits Equity Act would adjust the death benefit to account for inflation, providing some relief to families facing financial and emotional burdens following the death of a loved one. Increasing the level would also provide an incentive for more families to claim the benefit, thus advancing the President\u2019s goal of increased accuracy in timely and accurate reporting of the death of Social Security beneficiaries,\u201d said Max Richtmann, President and CEO, National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare.\n\n\u201cFor decades, the Social Security lump-sum death benefit has remained virtually unchanged, failing to reflect the realities families face when a loved one passes away. By updating and indexing this payment to inflation, Senator Welch\u2019s legislation ensures that Social Security continues to provide meaningful, timely support to surviving spouses and families at one of the most difficult moments in their lives. NOSSCR appreciates Senator Welch\u2019s leadership in modernizing this vital but long-overlooked aspect of the Social Security program,\u201d said Betsy Rosecan, Government Relations Director, NOSSCR.\n\n\u201cWhen families lose a loved one, the last thing they should have to worry about is how they will pay for the funeral. Social Security includes a lump-sum death benefit, which should help to cover those costs. However, the value of that benefit has greatly deteriorated. Shockingly, the last time it was increased was almost three-quarters of a century ago. Social Security Works enthusiastically endorses the Social Security Benefits Equity Act, which restores this important component of Social Security so that it once again provides peace of mind during life\u2019s most difficult moments. The American people owe Senator Welch an enormous debt of gratitude for this important legislation,\u201d Nancy J. Altman, President, Social Security Works.\n\n\u201cThis bill is important for widows who are worried about outliving their savings and ending up without resources at the end of their lives,\u201d said Cindy Hounsel, President, Women\u2019s Institute for a Secure Retirement (WISER).\n\nLearn more about the Social Security Survivor Benefits Equity Act of 2025.\n\nRead the full text of the bill.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"], ["https://www.welch.senate.gov/welch-introduces-resolution-condemning-anti-palestinian-hate/", "Welch Introduces Resolution Condemning Anti-Palestinian Hate", "2025-12-04", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "VT", "Peter Welch", "W000800", "www.welch.senate.gov", "welch", "https://www.welch.senate.gov/category/press-release/page/", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2014 U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) introduced a Senate Resolution condemning anti-Palestinian hatred and violence. The resolution was unveiled on the second anniversary of an attack that injured Hisham Awartani, Kinnan Abdalhamid, and Tahseen Ali Ahmad, college students who were shot in Burlington.\n\nOn November 25, 2023, Hisham Awartani, Kinnan Abdalhamid, and Tahseen Ali Ahmad were shot and badly injured in an unprovoked attack, simply for speaking in Arabic and wearing a traditional Palestinian scarf. The three students were visiting family in Burlington for the Thanksgiving holiday. All three victims were injured in the unprovoked attack and Mr. Awartani was paralyzed.\n\nSenator Welch released the following statement on the second anniversary of the attack on Mr. Awartani, Mr. Abdalhamid, and Mr. Ali Ahmad in Burlington:\n\n\u201cAfter the shocking attack in Burlington against Hisham, Kinnan, and Tahseen, Vermonters came together to condemn violence and declare that our state will not tolerate hate in any form. I\u2019m proud that Vermonters have continued to come together to advocate for peace. Threats made against Palestinian Americans are on the rise across the country, and the United States Congress must speak with one voice to condemn anti-Palestinian hate, antisemitism, and violence against anyone on account of their race, religion, or ethnicity.\u201d\n\nThe resolution condemns hateful language, bias, hate, intimidation, and threats to life and safety. The resolution also mourns those killed an injured in the United States by anti-Palestinian violence since the beginning of the war in Gaza, including the attack on Mr. Awartani, Mr. Abdalhamid, and Mr. Ali Ahmad; and on Wadea al-Fayoume, a six-year-old Palestinian-American boy in Illinois killed by his family\u2019s landlord.\n\nRead the Senate Resolution below and download it here:\n\n\u201cWhereas on November 25, 2023, three college students were shot while walking down a street in Burlington, Vermont, where they were visiting family for Thanksgiving;\n\n\u201cWhereas all three victims were grievously injured, including one who was paralyzed;\n\n\u201cWhereas Hisham Awartani, Kinnan Abdalhamid, and Tahseen Ali Ahmad were attacked simply for wearing a scarf using a traditional Palestinian pattern and speaking in Arabic;\n\n\u201cWhereas Palestinian communities across the United States and the Middle East have suffered growing threats and acts of violence and prejudice linked to anti-Palestinian and anti-Muslim hatred during the war in Gaza;\n\n\u201cWhereas no individual in the United States should be subjected to violence or intimidation because of their religion, ethnicity, heritage, or expressions of identity;\n\nNow, therefore, be it resolved that the Senate\u2014\n\n\u201c1.) Mourns those killed and injured in the United States by anti-Palestinian violence since the beginning of the war in Gaza, including the murder of Wadea al-Fayoume in Plainfield Township, Illinois, and the violent attack on Hisham Awartani, Kinnan Abdalhamid, and Tahseen Ali Ahmad in Burlington, Vermont;\n\n\u201c2.) Decries the bias, hatred, and threats to life and safety experienced by many Palestinian Americans during the two-year conflict in Gaza;\n\n\u201c3.) Condemns hateful language that\u2013\n\n\u201c a. advocates for the removal of Palestinians from Israel or the Palestinian territories;\n\n\u201cb. suggests that Palestinians should move to other countries;\n\n\u201cc. denies the existence, cultural traditions, or right to a state of the Palestinian people; and\n\n\u201c4.) Commends community leaders in the United States, Israel, and the West Bank and Gaza who have spoken out against hateful language and urged peace and mutual respect between different communities, religions, and traditions.\u201d\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"], ["https://www.welch.senate.gov/welch-joins-schumer-to-unveil-plan-to-protect-plan-to-protect-aca-tax-credits/", "Welch Joins Schumer to Unveil Plan to Protect ACA Tax Credits", "2025-12-04", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "VT", "Peter Welch", "W000800", "www.welch.senate.gov", "welch", "https://www.welch.senate.gov/category/press-release/page/", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2014 U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.), a member of the Senate Finance Committee, today joined Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Senators Ben Ray Luj\u00e1n (D-N.M.) and Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.) to unveil Senate Democrats\u2019 plan to protect health care tax credits for millions of Americans.\n\nThe Affordable Care Act\u2019s premium tax credits, which help over 24 million Americans\u2014including nearly 30,000 Vermonters\u2014afford health care, are set to expire on December 31, 2025. So far, Republicans have refused to work with Democrats to avoid this coverage cliff, which would drive up costs for millions. Senate Democrats have offered a three-year extension of the tax credits.\n\n\u201cWe\u2019ve got a calendar that is relentlessly ticking away, and unless we extend these tax credits\u2014so that people can continue to have the same health care in 2026 that they had in 2025\u201424 million Americans are in jeopardy,\u201d said Senator Welch. \u201cWe felt it was our responsibility to put a concrete plan on the table that would make certain that Americans across the country did not lose their health care.\u201d\n\nWatch Senator Welch\u2019s full remarks below:\n\nOpen Enrollment for the ACA Marketplaces began on November 1, and the sticker shock is devastating families nationwide. Without health care tax credits, a Vermont family of four making $130,000 a year that currently pays $1,195 a month for a baseline health care plan can expect to pay $3,035 a month for that same plan\u2014a $22,080 annual increase. A Vermont family of four making about $64,000 a year will pay 920% more. Ultimately, Republicans\u2019 actions will kick 15 million Americans off their health insurance, including about 4 million people who will no longer be able to afford an ACA health plan.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"], ["https://www.welch.senate.gov/welch-leads-resolution-condemning-trumps-pardon-of-ex-honduran-president-and-drug-kingpin-juan-orlando-hernandez/", "Welch Leads Resolution Condemning Trump\u2019s Pardon of Ex-Honduran President and Drug Kingpin Juan Orlando Hern\u00e1ndez", "2025-12-04", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "VT", "Peter Welch", "W000800", "www.welch.senate.gov", "welch", "https://www.welch.senate.gov/category/press-release/page/", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2014 U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) today led eleven Democratic Senators in introducing a resolution condemning President Trump\u2019s pardon of Juan Orlando Hern\u00e1ndez, the former two-term President of Honduras who was sentenced to 45 years in prison and fined $8 million for drug trafficking and weapons conspiracy charges. The Senators\u2019 resolution emphasizes how President Trump\u2019s pardon of Hern\u00e1ndez\u2019s vast crimes weakens the rule of law and severely harms the United States\u2019 credibility in combating global drug trafficking.\n\nThe resolution also outlines how President Trump\u2019s pardon is an affront to the extraordinary efforts of federal law enforcement and judicial officials who investigated and prosecuted Hern\u00e1ndez, as well as to the jurors who performed their civic duty in convicting him.\n\n\u201cPresident Trump\u2019s pardon of Juan Orlando Hern\u00e1ndez is outrageous. The evidence was overwhelming that throughout his career he abused his office to protect violent drug cartels in return for bribes to finance his political ambitions. His detractors were either extradited or killed. Criminality on this scale\u2014facilitating the importation of massive amounts of cocaine to the U.S. and the corruption of his country\u2019s police force\u2014should be universally condemned,\u201d said Senator Welch. \u201cLet\u2019s hope our next President uses the pardon power to correct manifest injustice as the framers intended, not to reward friends, cronies, and drug kingpins.\u201d\n\n\u201cTrump\u2019s pardon of Juan Orlando Hern\u00e1ndez \u2013 a narcotrafficking kingpin who bragged about \u2018shoving the drugs up the noses of the gringos\u2019 as he flooded U.S. communities with more than 400 tons of cocaine \u2013 is disgusting,\u201d said Senator Kaine. \u201cThis pardon is so bizarre that it\u2019s difficult to fathom any reason why this would happen other than that someone in Trump\u2019s circle is personally benefitting from it. Convicted drug kingpins should be in prison, end of story.\u201d\n\n\u201cPresident Trump\u2019s decision to pardon Juan Orlando Hern\u00e1ndez doesn\u2019t just seek to whitewash the crimes of a man who helped poison our communities with illegal drugs\u2014it lays bare the inconsistency of President Trump\u2019s entire counternarcotics efforts,\u201d said Senator Shaheen, Ranking Member on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. \u201cYou cannot claim to be waging a tough fight against traffickers while simultaneously freeing someone convicted of facilitating one of the most notorious drug trafficking conspiracies in decades. The American people want real solutions to the drug epidemic, but this only makes us less safe and undermines the work of law enforcement and our partners abroad.\u201d\n\n\u201cPresident Trump\u2019s pardoning of Juan Orlando Hern\u00e1ndez, a known drug smuggling conspirator who was set to spend over 40 years in jail, is the latest abuse of pardon power by the president. By using the pardon power as a means of rewarding wealthy donors, family members, allies, benefiting himself personally, or in this case trying to influence the elections in Honduras, Trump is using the pardon power to commit injustice rather than correcting it,\u201d said Senator Schiff.\n\n\u201cJuan Orlando Hern\u00e1ndez once boasted that he \u2018would stuff the drugs up the gringos\u2019 noses\u2019, he accepted a million-dollar bribe from El Chapo to allow cocaine shipments to pass through Honduras destined to the United States, had a man killed in prison to protect him, and orchestrated a vast trafficking conspiracy that prosecutors said raked in millions of dollars for cartels,\u201d said Senator Durbin. \u201cJuan Orlando Hern\u00e1ndez is the worst of the worst and the fact the President of the United States pardoned him is appalling. This is not an action by a President trying to keep America safe from narcotics. It is a strange understanding of his power that he would use this and not penalize those responsible for the narcotics coming into the United States.\u201d\n\n\u201cTrump and Republicans can\u2019t claim to be for protecting America\u2019s borders or getting tough on drugs and then turn around and release a convicted, notorious drug trafficker from U.S. prison. Setting free Juan Orlando Hern\u00e1ndez sends the message that no crime against Americans is out of bounds as long as Trump and Republicans think they get a political benefit,\u201d said Senator Wyden.\n\nHern\u00e1ndez was at the center of one of the largest and most violent drug-trafficking conspiracies in the world for nearly two decades. During his tenure as President of Honduras and in the Honduran National Congress, Hern\u00e1ndez abused his positions and authority to facilitate the importation of over 400 tons of cocaine into the United States\u2014enough for approximately 4.5 billion individual doses.\n\nAs President, Hern\u00e1ndez also selectively supported and took credit for extraditions to the United States of certain drug traffickers who threatened his grip on power, including directing the Honduran National Police and military to protect smugglers who paid him off, promising that he would shield them from extradition to the United States. Hern\u00e1ndez and his co-conspirators were convicted and sentenced to prison in the United States for their abuse of Honduran institutions to protect and grow their conspiracy.\n\nThe resolution is supported by Sens. Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), and John Fetterman (D-Pa.).\n\nRead and download the full text of the resolution.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"], ["https://www.welch.senate.gov/welch-urges-continued-support-for-ukraine-to-resist-russian-aggression-we-must-stay-the-course/", "Welch Urges Continued Support for Ukraine to Resist Russian Aggression: \u201cWe must stay the course.\u201d", "2025-12-04", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "VT", "Peter Welch", "W000800", "www.welch.senate.gov", "welch", "https://www.welch.senate.gov/category/press-release/page/", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 In remarks from the Senate floor, U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) urged the United States to remain steadfast in its support of the Ukrainian people\u2019s brave defense against Putin\u2019s unjust invasion. Senator Welch emphasized the importance of renewing Congress\u2019 bipartisan commitment to ensuring that Ukraine has what it needs to resist Russian aggression and defending a world where borders cannot be changed by force.\n\n\u201cThe question before this United States Senate, right now, is not whether Ukraine is going to hang in there and fight\u2014they\u2019ve proved again and again that they will hang in and fight. If Ukraine won\u2019t falter in that fight, the U.S. must also persevere,\u201d said Senator Welch.\n\n\u201cI believe we must renew our commitment to the Ukrainian people. I believe we must stay the course. This year, we\u2019re celebrating the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, when the United States advanced a foreign policy principle that borders cannot be changed by force\u2026.We have an opportunity today to stand up and protect that legacy for this century by recommitting to the Ukrainian people that we will stand in support of that principle, in support of their freedom, and in support of our security.\u201d\n\nWatch Senator Welch\u2019s full remarks below:\n\nIn March, Senate Republicans rejected a resolution offered by Senator Welch reaffirming the United States\u2019 support for the principle that no country can take another by force or threat of force. In his remarks on the resolution, Senator Welch reaffirmed support for the people of Ukraine as they defend their country against Russia\u2019s violent invasion.\n\nOn the third anniversary of the Russia\u2019s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Senator Welch joined Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and his colleagues in introducing the Protecting our Guests During Hostilities in Ukraine Act, legislation that would provide temporary guest status to Ukrainians and their immediate family members who are already in the United States through the \u201cUniting for Ukraine\u201d parole process. The bill allows Ukrainians to stay and work in the U.S. until the Secretary of State determines that hostilities in Ukraine have ceased, and it is safe for them to return.\n\nLearn more about Senator Welch\u2019s work by visiting his website or by following him on social media.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"], ["https://www.welch.senate.gov/welch-joins-bicameral-bill-to-prevent-inexperienced-temporary-immigration-judge-appointments-close-loopholes-exploited-by-trump-administration/", "Welch Joins Bicameral Bill to Prevent Inexperienced Temporary Immigration Judge Appointments, Close Loopholes Exploited by Trump Administration", "2025-12-03", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "VT", "Peter Welch", "W000800", "www.welch.senate.gov", "welch", "https://www.welch.senate.gov/category/press-release/page/", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2014 Today, U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, joined U.S. Senator Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) and U.S. Representative Juan Vargas (D-CA-52) in introducing the Temporary Immigration Judge Integrity Act, bicameral legislation to prevent inexperienced temporary immigration judge appointments in light of the Trump Administration\u2019s abuse of loopholes in current regulations.\n\nFollowing the Trump Administration\u2019s mass firing of immigration judges and authorizing of up to 600 military lawyers to serve as temporary immigration judges, the bill aims to close the loopholes the Administration has been utilizing to speed up their mass deportation agenda\u2014such as the lack of due process protections for individuals in immigration court proceedings.\n\n\u201cEveryone deserves to have their fair day in court before an immigration judge who knows and understands our complex immigration laws. But as a result of the Trump Administration\u2019s continued attempts to steamroll our judicial system, we now have judges with no prior immigration law experience making decisions that have permanent consequences on people\u2019s lives,\u201d said Senator Welch. \u201cI\u2019m proud to join my colleagues in reaffirming our commitment to a just, independent, and humane immigration system.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe Trump Administration\u2019s willingness to fire experienced immigration judges and hire inexperienced or temporary \u2018deportation judges,\u2019 especially in places like California, has fundamentally impacted the landscape of our justice system. Given the Administration\u2019s unlawful terminations of qualified judges, and their plan to leverage the power of temporary positions to speed up their mass deportation agenda, the risks of grave injury to families, fairness, and due process have expanded. The Administration\u2019s unlawful mass firing of immigration judges at an alarming rate is their latest aggressive enforcement tactic that jeopardizes our judicial workforce. Amidst the growing number of pending cases in immigration courts, this legislation will ensure that only experienced and trained temporary immigration judges will have the privilege of adjudicating cases that have permanent consequences for millions of people,\u201d said Senator Schiff.\n\n\u201cAfter purging over 100 permanent immigration judges from the DOJ, the Trump Administration is now looking to push attorneys with limited to no prior immigration law experience into these roles,\u201d said Representative Vargas. \u201cAnyone facing the life-altering consequences of deportation deserves to have their case heard in front of a judge who is trained and experienced in immigration law. We need guardrails now as the Trump Administration continues to attack our immigrant communities and due process rights.\u201d\n\nThe Temporary Immigration Judge Integrity Act would:\n\nCap temporary immigration judge appointments at four consecutive six-month terms: 2-year maximum service limit with at least a 3-year break in between services;\n\nPrevent military attorneys and Judge Advocate Generals (JAGs) from being appointed as temporary immigration judges;\n\nAuthorize appointments of attorneys at DOJ who meet the eligibility requirements; and\n\nEstablish basic training requirements.\n\nIn the Senate, the bill is also cosponsored by Sens. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.).\n\nThe bill is endorsed by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU); American Immigration Council (AIC); American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA); Brennan Center for Justice; and the National Association of Immigration Judges (NAIJ).\n\n\u201cThe Trump Administration has exploited its ability to improperly influence immigration judges\u2019 decisions, further eroding the integrity of the immigration court system. This year alone, the administration has fired or pushed out more than a hundred permanent judges while simultaneously taking steps to hire hundreds of unqualified temporary judges. The American Immigration Council supports this bill because it would prevent future administrations from replacing permanent immigration judges with temporary appointees who lack immigration law experience and are vulnerable to political pressure. Noncitizens are entitled to fair and impartial hearings, and this bill is a critical step toward protecting the independence and credibility of immigration courts,\u201d said Adriel D. Orozco, Senior Policy Counsel, American Immigration Council (AIC).\n\n\u201cThe bill is a common-sense approach that ensures temporary immigration judges have sufficient expertise and training to allow them to handle immigration cases. The Supreme Court has recognized immigration law as a complex legal specialty, and minimum requirements are needed to make sure immigrants\u2019 due process rights are respected,\u201d said Brennan Center for Justice.\n\n\u201cStrengthening appointment criteria to emphasize credentials, judicial temperament, and commitment to due process reinforces public trust that decisions are based on law and evidence\u2014not politics. Further, implementing rigorous vetting, training, and performance evaluation standards, with safeguards against political influence, promotes judicial excellence and consistency across both permanent and temporary appointments,\u201d said the National Association of Immigration Judges (NAIJ).\n\nRead and download the full text of the bill.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"], ["https://www.welch.senate.gov/media-advisory-welch-to-travel-to-nebraska-and-iowa-to-speak-with-farmers-rural-communities-about-trade-war-and-rural-health-care/", "MEDIA ADVISORY: Welch to Travel to Nebraska and Iowa to Speak with Farmers, Rural Communities About Trade War and Rural Health Care", "2025-12-02", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "VT", "Peter Welch", "W000800", "www.welch.senate.gov", "welch", "https://www.welch.senate.gov/category/press-release/page/", "scraper", "NEBRASKA and IOWA\u2014U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.), a member of the Senate Finance Committee and Senate Agriculture Committee, will travel to Nebraska and Iowa this week to discuss the Trump Administration\u2019s trade war and attack on rural health care.\n\nOn Friday, Senator Welch will visit farms in Madison County, Nebraska, and provide remarks at the Nebraska Farmers Union State Convention. Senator Welch\u2019s remarks will focus on the impact of President Trump\u2019s reckless tariffs on the agriculture economy and the importance of strengthening rural communities. Welch will host a town hall on Friday evening at Creighton University, focused on supporting working families\u2019 access to quality, affordable health care.\n\nOn Saturday, Senator Welch will meet with farmers in Ames, Iowa, and provide remarks at the Iowa Farmers Union State Convention.\n\nMedia Note: Senator Welch is available for interviews on the trade war and rural health care in both Nebraska and Iowa. Reporters are asked to RSVP to Aaron White: aaron_white@welch.senate.gov.\n\nFriday, December 5, 2025\n\n9:30AM Farm Tours in Madison County, NE\n\nLocation provided upon RSVP\n\n2:00PM Senator Welch provides Remarks at the Nebraska Farmers Union State Convention\n\nLocation: Norfolk Lodge & Suites & Divots Convention Center; 4200 W Norfolk Ave, Norfolk, NE 68701\n\n6:30PM Town Hall with Senator Welch: Fighting for Affordable Health Care: Supporting Working Families and Rural Communities\n\nLocation: Creighton University, Hixson-Lied Auditorium at the Harper Center; 602 N 20th St, Omaha, NE 68178\n\nSaturday, December 6, 2025\n\n9:30AM Senator Welch Provides Remarks at the Iowa Farmers Union State Convention\n\nLocation: Quality Inn & Suites; 2601 E 13th Street, Ames, IA\n\nPresident Trump\u2019s One Big Beautiful Bill Act will cut more than $1 trillion dollars from Medicaid over ten years and will result in billions of lost revenue for rural hospitals. Senator Welch voted in strong opposition against the legislation in July. If Republicans refuse to work with Democrats and extend ACA Premium Tax Credits before December 31, 2025, nearly 27,000 Vermonters, 129,000 Nebraskans, and 120,000 Iowans will lose a vital source to pay for plans provided through the ACA marketplace.\n\nThe trade war has been devastating for farmers in Vermont, Nebraska, and Iowa. In the first quarter of 2025, Nebraska and Iowa saw their Gross Domestic Product (GDP) shrink by more than 6 percent each.\n\nSenator Welch\u2019s Committee and Subcommittee Assignments for the 119th Congress include:\n\nSenate Committee on Finance\n\nSenate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, & Forestry; Ranking Member, Subcommittee on Rural Development, Energy, and Credit\n\nSenate Committee on the Judiciary; Ranking Member, Subcommittee on the Constitution\n\nSenate Committee on Rules & Administration\n\nLearn more about Senator Welch\u2019s work by visiting his website or by following him on social media.\n\nRSVP/Media Questions: Aaron White, Director of Communications for Senator Welch: Aaron_White@welch.senate.gov; 608-792-3617 (cell); 202-960-0677 (work).\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"], ["https://www.welch.senate.gov/welch-statement-on-release-of-mohammed-ibrahim-and-the-prosecutions-of-palestinian-children-2/", "Welch Statement on Release of Mohammed Ibrahim and the Prosecutions of Palestinian Children", "2025-12-02", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "VT", "Peter Welch", "W000800", "www.welch.senate.gov", "welch", "https://www.welch.senate.gov/category/press-release/page/", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C.\u2014U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) today submitted a Statement for the Congressional Record raising deep concern about the systematic incarceration, prosecution and punishment of Palestinian children in the Israeli military justice system. In Senator Welch\u2019s statement, he discussed the recent release of Mohammed Ibrahim, a Palestinian American child who was detained by Israeli authorities for nearly ten months. Ibrahim was released late last week.\n\nRead the statement here and below:\n\nStatement of Senator Peter Welch\n\nOn Prosecutions of Palestinian Children\n\nCongressional Record\n\nDecember 2, 2025\n\nMr. President, for those of us who have long supported U.S. diplomatic leadership in pursuit of a secure, democratic Israel alongside a demilitarized, independent Palestinian state, the protection of due process and the rule of law has central importance. Equal access to justice is essential for lasting peace in the Middle East. Today I voice a concern shared by many of my colleagues: the incarceration, prosecution, and punishment of Palestinian children in the Israeli military justice system.\n\nAs a former public defender and member of the Judiciary Committee\u2019s Subcommittee on the Constitution, which has jurisdiction over human rights, I have a perspective on the way justice systems should treat children. To put it categorically, civilians, and especially children, should not be prosecuted in military courts. It\u2019s analogous to how I feel about child soldiers\u2014children should not be recruited or allowed to serve in the armed forces.\n\nThe reasons should be obvious. Civilians are, by definition, noncombatants. Military justice systems lack independence and routinely fall short in providing the fundamental protections of due process and a fair trial that exist in the civilian justice system, and which are rooted in international law.\n\nIsrael, however, automatically and systematically prosecutes Palestinian civilians in the West Bank in Israeli military courts under Israeli military law. These courts lack impartiality and transparency, as military court judges and military court prosecutors are active or reserve duty officers in the Israeli military and subject to the chain of command.\n\nTo make the process even less credible, in the West Bank Israeli military law only applies to the Palestinian population, while Israeli citizens have the benefit of the protections of Israeli civil law and courts. This double standard is glaringly inconsistent with the principle of equal justice that is foundational to a democracy.\n\nAccording to numerous credible reports, Palestinian children are frequently arrested in their homes by heavily armed Israeli soldiers. They are bound, blindfolded, and often beaten in military vehicles during transport before arriving at an Israeli police station for interrogation, which is often located in an Israeli settlement. They are routinely interrogated alone without the presence of a family member or attorney and often threatened with physical violence if they don\u2019t confess.\n\nNearly half of the approximately 350 Palestinian children currently detained by Israel are in administrative detention. Most have not been formally charged or brought to trial. When they are charged in military courts, they are overwhelmingly accused of throwing rocks. Rarely are they accused of causing injury or significant property damage. Generally, there is no evidence-gathering process by Israeli authorities for children who are charged in the military courts, so the crux of the case is the child\u2019s confession or a signature on a document in Hebrew they don\u2019t understand. There can also be an affidavit from an arresting soldier or intelligence officer or an incriminating statement made against the child by another child who was also arrested and accused in connection with the same alleged incident.\n\nOnly a small percentage of Palestinian children in the military courts are released on bail. Custodial pre-trial\u2014and often pre-charge\u2014detention is the norm. Almost all prosecutions of children in military courts are resolved with plea agreements, which are the fastest way for a Palestinian child to be released from detention. Entering a not guilty plea is rare, and contesting a charge in the military courts means legal proceedings can be long and drawn out. To put it bluntly, punishment, not justice, is the goal of the military courts. The system is stacked unfairly against the child defendant, whose family is not even allowed to be present during court hearings, so irrespective of the facts or the reliability of the confession, pleading guilty in return for the shortest time in jail\u2014which can still mean weeks or months or even years\u2014is the norm.\n\nI think of Mohammed Ibrahim, a Palestinian American who was detained for nearly ten months after being arrested at the age of 15 in his home at 3 o\u2019clock in the morning by heavily armed Israeli soldiers. He described being bound and beaten while being transported and threatened while being interrogated without the presence of a family member or an attorney. U.S. Embassy officials who visited him most recently in November described obvious deterioration in his mental and physical condition.\n\nMohammed\u2019s case fits the pattern, except that he is an American citizen. Putting aside that his confession may have been coerced, even if everything he was accused of\u2014throwing stones that caused no harm\u2014were true, it is unconscionable that he was abused and detained for months. He was deprived of adequate food and reportedly lost a third of his body weight. Senator Van Hollen, I, and other Members of Congress repeatedly raised concerns about him, and thankfully, on Thanksgiving Day, he was released. It is now the Israeli government\u2019s obligation to hold accountable the soldiers who beat him and the jailers who mistreated him.\n\nIsraeli authorities have defended this inherently flawed and discriminatory system as a necessary response to an ongoing state of hostilities. There are at least three problems with that argument:\n\nFirst, these are children. Children do not belong in military detention or military courts, and the fact that they are caught in the middle of a decades-long conflict doesn\u2019t change that. A child does not become an armed combatant deserving of prosecution and punishment in the military justice system because of throwing a stone that causes no injury. Yet that is the reality for Palestinian children in the West Bank.\n\nSecond, administrative detention compounded by physical and psychological abuse and humiliation of Palestinian detainees and the lack of due process that is endemic in the military justice system, have long-lasting impacts on a child. They have difficulty re-entering and continuing school, face increased restriction on freedom of movement, disruptions to family life, behavior and mental health issues, and it fuels resentment and hatred.\n\nAnd third, Israeli settlers routinely and increasingly engage in provocations, threats, and violence\u2014sometime deadly violence\u2014against Palestinians with impunity. These attacks and gratuitous destruction and theft of Palestinian property are often observed and tolerated by IDF soldiers. This too fuels hatred and more violence.\n\nAbsent a legitimate claim of self-defense, violence is wrong no matter who engages in it. But the incarceration, prosecution, and punishment of Palestinian children by Israeli military prosecutors and judges should stop. It is a flagrant violation of international law. It perpetuates an indefensible double standard of tiers of justice based on ethnicity, religion, and nationality. And by fomenting hatred it makes Israel less secure.\n\nFinally, it should stop because it reflects badly on the United States. The Israel Defense Forces are a major recipient of U.S. aid, and the United States should not explicitly or implicitly condone a flawed system of justice that systematically abuses and violates the rights of Palestinian children.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"], ["https://www.welch.senate.gov/welch-welcomes-nearly-21-million-in-liheap-funding-for-vermonters/", "Welch Welcomes Nearly $21 Million in LIHEAP Funding for Vermonters", "2025-12-02", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "VT", "Peter Welch", "W000800", "www.welch.senate.gov", "welch", "https://www.welch.senate.gov/category/press-release/page/", "scraper", "Welch urged Secretary Kennedy to stop blocking LIHEAP funding\n\nWASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Ranking Member of the Senate Agriculture Subcommittee on Rural Development, Energy, and Credit, welcomed $20.7 million in federal funding for Vermont to support the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). Nearly $4 billion in federal funding for communities across the country was unnecessarily delayed by the Trump Administration.\n\nLIHEAP is a crucial lifeline that keeps people safe and warm in the winter by helping low-income households and seniors on fixed incomes pay their energy bills. The program also helps reduce energy costs through improved energy efficiency initiatives.\n\n\u201cAfter weeks of delay, it\u2019s a relief that federal LIHEAP funding will finally reach Vermonters who need it most. But let\u2019s be clear: these funds never should\u2019ve been stalled in the first place. While the Trump Administration sat on these funds, vulnerable communities across the country were left without a vital resource to stay warm during freezing weather. Not only was it illegal, but heartbreakingly cruel,\u201d said Senator Welch. \u201cThis funding will be a lifeline in helping low-income families and seniors afford their home heating bills and stay safe this winter.\u201d\n\nThe Trump Administration\u2019s release of this funding comes after Senator Welch joined 30 bipartisan Senate colleagues in calling on Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. to release LIHEAP funds as swiftly and at the highest level possible.\n\nNationwide, an estimated 6 million households\u2014including 26,000 Vermonters\u2014received assistance with heating and cooling costs through LIHEAP over the last year. According to a new forecast from the National Energy Assistance Directors Association, home heating costs are estimated to rise nearly 8% over last winter on average, with costs for heating with electricity forecasted to increase even higher\u2014to 10% above last year.\n\nStates and tribes typically receive their LIHEAP allocations from HHS by early November. Eligibility for LIHEAP is based on income, family size, and the availability of resources. As eligibility varies by state, most applicants must have a household income below 150% of the federal poverty guideline or 60% of the state median income.\n\nWhile the Trump Administration has proposed eliminating LIHEAP, including zeroing out funds in its Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26) budget plan, the Senate\u2019s Labor-HHS-Education and Related Agencies Appropriations bill for FY26 would provide a $20 million increase for LIHEAP to $4.045 billion. In the House of Representatives, the Appropriations Committee recommended a $10 million increase.\n\nIn November, Senator Welch took to the Senate floor and urged the Trump Administration to stop stalling and release federal funding for LIHEAP. The Senator also recently grilled a Trump Administration nominee about the Administration\u2019s actions to undermine the program and partnered with the Vermont Congressional Delegation in pushing back on the President\u2019s proposal to eliminate LIHEAP funding entirely.\n\nVermonters interested in applying for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program can use the LIHEAP Eligibility Tool to quickly identify if they might be eligible for LIHEAP assistance by inputting basic information like income and household size. Vermonters can also visit www.dcf.vermont.gov/benefits/fuel or call 1-800-479-6151 to learn more.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"], ["https://www.welch.senate.gov/icymi-welch-pushes-for-bipartisan-action-to-extend-aca-tax-credits/", "ICYMI: Welch Pushes for Bipartisan Action to Extend ACA Tax Credits", "2025-12-01", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "VT", "Peter Welch", "W000800", "www.welch.senate.gov", "welch", "https://www.welch.senate.gov/category/press-release/page/", "scraper", "In a letter to the Senate Finance Committee, Congressional leadership, and members of the House, Welch calls for bipartisan cooperation to solve urgent health care crisis\n\nWASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.), a member of the Senate Finance Committee, called on Senate Finance Committee leadership, Congressional leadership, and members of the House of Representatives to act with urgency and extend the Affordable Care Act (ACA) Premium Tax Credits (APTCs) before the credits expire on December 31, 2025 and the cost of coverage skyrockets nationwide. In his letter to Chairman Mike Crapo (I-Idaho) and Ranking Member Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Senator Welch urged immediate bipartisan action in both the chambers of Congress.\n\n\u201cOnce we address the current premium crisis, there are numerous policy reforms we can pursue on a bipartisan basis to rein in out-of-control health care costs. I am eager to work with both of you on those reforms,\u201d wrote Senator Welch. \u201cBut with the reality of January 1st looming, the only action this Congress can take to avoid inflicting unnecessary harm on people we all represent is to extend the Advanced Premium Tax Credits.\u201d\n\nSenator Welch concluded: \u201cFailure to extend the tax credits now will destabilize the insurance marketplace and inflict harm on all of our constituents. Let us work together and solve this urgent crisis. I urge you, as leaders of the Senate Finance Committee, to schedule a markup of an extension of the APTCs during the first week of December.\u201d\n\nOpen Enrollment for the ACA Marketplaces began on November 1, and the sticker shock is devastating families nationwide: Over 24 million Americans\u2014including nearly 30,000 Vermonters\u2014saw premiums more than double next year, on average. Without health care tax credits, a Vermont family of four making $130,000 a year that currently pays $1,195 a month for a baseline health care plan can expect to pay $3,035 a month for that same plan\u2014a $22,080 annual increase. A Vermont family of four making about $64,000 a year will pay 920% more. Ultimately, Republicans\u2019 actions will kick 15 million Americans off their health insurance, including about 4 million people who will no longer be able to afford an ACA health plan.\n\nRead and download the full text of Senator Welch\u2019s letter to Senate Finance Committee leadership.\n\nThis Congress, Senator Welch has led the introduction of several bills to make health care more accessible and affordable for Vermonters, including the Comprehensive Alternative Response to Emergencies (CARE) Act, Strengthening Medicare and Reducing Taxpayer (SMART) Prices Act, Fair Prescription Drug Prices for Americans Act, End Price Gouging for Medications Act, Creating Opportunities Now for Necessary and Effective Care Technologies (CONNECT) for Health Act, Protecting Pharmacies in Medicaid Act, Fair Funding for Rural Hospitals Act, and the Rural Hospital Support Act.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"], ["https://www.welch.senate.gov/ahead-of-small-business-saturday-welch-visits-with-local-businesses-in-burlington-and-brattleboro/", "Ahead of Small Business Saturday, Welch Visits with Local Businesses in Burlington and Brattleboro", "2025-11-26", "2025", "2025-11", "Democrat", "Senate", "VT", "Peter Welch", "W000800", "www.welch.senate.gov", "welch", "https://www.welch.senate.gov/category/press-release/page/", "scraper", "BURLINGTON & BRATTLEBORO, VT \u2014 Ahead of Small Business Saturday and the busy holiday season, U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.), a member of the Senate Finance Committee, visited with small business owners in Burlington and Brattleboro. Senator Welch celebrated Vermont\u2019s nearly 82,000 small businesses and reminded Vermonters to shop small and locally this holiday season.\n\nIn Burlington, Senator Welch visited Outdoor Gear Exchange, Kountry Kart Deli, and Phoenix Books\u2014where he purchased Dog Show, a book of poems by former Poet Laureate Billy Collins. Prior to meeting small businesses, he received a tour of the new AC hotel (which will also be home to new apartments) in downtown Burlington, led by Vermont-based construction company S.D. Ireland. In Brattleboro, Senator Welch visited the Brattleboro Food Co-op, Burrow\u2019s Sports, and the Hatch Space\u2014a woodworking school and community workshop located downtown.\n\n\u201cVermont\u2019s small businesses power our Main Streets\u2014they\u2019re a source of great pride for the state, employing thousands and supporting our local economy. This holiday season, I encourage Vermonters to join me in shopping small and supporting local businesses and workers,\u201d said Sen. Welch ahead of his tour.\n\nView photos here and on Senator Welch\u2019s website:\n\nVermont boasts nearly 82,000 small businesses, which represent 99% of all businesses in the state. Small businesses employ more than 62% of Vermont\u2019s overall workforce\u2014higher than the national average.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:52:45Z"], ["https://www.welch.senate.gov/vermont-delegation-condemns-anti-palestinian-hatred-on-second-anniversary-of-burlington-attack/", "Vermont Delegation Condemns Anti-Palestinian Hatred on Second Anniversary of Burlington Attack", "2025-11-25", "2025", "2025-11", "Democrat", "Senate", "VT", "Peter Welch", "W000800", "www.welch.senate.gov", "welch", "https://www.welch.senate.gov/category/press-release/page/", "scraper", "Sanders, Welch announce new Senate Resolution on anniversary\n\nBURLINGTON, VT \u2014 The Vermont Congressional Delegation, Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.), and Representative Becca Balint (VT-At-Large) today condemned anti-Palestinian hatred and violence. Their statements came on the second anniversary of an attack on college students Hisham Awartani, Kinnan Abdalhamid, and Tahseen Ali Ahmad, in Burlington.\n\nSenators Welch and Sanders today also announced a forthcoming Senate Resolution commemorating the second anniversary of the attack and denouncing bias, hatred, and threats to life and safety. The Senate Resolution will be officially filed when Congress returns in early December.\n\n\u201cThe idea that three young men just walking down the street were shot, for no other reason than that they are Palestinian, is unspeakable. It\u2019s incomprehensible. No one should fear for their safety simple because of who they are, and we must remain vigilant against the rise in hate crimes targeting Muslims and Palestinian-Americans in particular. We must come together and remain committed to fighting all forms of bigotry and intolerance,\u201d said Senator Sanders.\n\n\u201cAfter the shocking attack in Burlington against Hisham, Kinnan and Tahseen, Vermonters came together to condemn violence and declare that our state will not tolerate hate in any form. I\u2019m proud that Vermonters have continued to come together to advocate for peace. Threats made against Palestinian Americans are on the rise across the country, and the United States Congress must speak with one voice to condemn anti-Palestinian hate, antisemitism, and violence against anyone on account of their race, religion, or ethnicity,\u201d said Senator Welch.\n\n\u201cVermonters do not tolerate hate in our state. The attack on Palestinian students in Vermont two years ago is no exception,\u201d said Rep. Balint. \u201cWhile some people want to fan the flames of bigotry and sow division, we must stand together against all forms of hate. The rise in Islamophobia and antisemitism poses a clear and present threat. Everyone deserves to be safe \u2014 no matter who you are or where you come from. For Hisham, Kinnan, and Tahseen, we need to make it crystal clear that we stand against all kinds of hate, bigotry, and racism.\u201d\n\nOn November 25, 2023, Hisham Awartani, Kinnan Abdalhamid, and Tahseen Ali Ahmad were shot and badly injured in an unprovoked attack, simply for speaking in Arabic and wearing a traditional Palestinian scarf. The three students were visiting family in Burlington for the Thanksgiving holiday. All three victims were injured in the unprovoked attack and Mr. Awartani was paralyzed.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:52:45Z"], ["https://www.welch.senate.gov/bipartisan-statement-on-the-crisis-in-sudan-from-senators-welch-and-rounds/", "Bipartisan Statement on the Crisis in Sudan from Senators Welch and Rounds", "2025-11-21", "2025", "2025-11", "Democrat", "Senate", "VT", "Peter Welch", "W000800", "www.welch.senate.gov", "welch", "https://www.welch.senate.gov/category/press-release/page/", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) and U.S. Senator Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) released the following statement on the crisis in Sudan:\n\n\u201cWe are deeply concerned by the extreme atrocities being perpetrated by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) against civilians in and around the city of El Fasher and in North Kordofan, and call on those backing the RSF to urgently press for a cessation of the violence.\n\n\u201cWe urge all external parties\u2014in particular the United Arab Emirates\u2014to publicly condemn the RSF\u2019s atrocities and to make consequence-bound demands for the RSF to cease attacks on civilians, allow the safe passage of civilians fleeing El Fasher and other towns in North Kordofan, and allow emergency humanitarian aid into the area.\n\n\u201cWe are committed to making sure that the United States supports efforts to aid civilians whose lives are threatened and to bring perpetrators of these war crimes in Sudan to justice.\u201d\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:52:45Z"], ["https://www.welch.senate.gov/welch-adams-reintroduce-bicameral-bill-to-improve-agricultural-loan-process-for-farmers-and-ranchers/", "Welch, Adams Reintroduce Bicameral Bill to Improve Agricultural Loan Process for Farmers and Ranchers", "2025-11-21", "2025", "2025-11", "Democrat", "Senate", "VT", "Peter Welch", "W000800", "www.welch.senate.gov", "welch", "https://www.welch.senate.gov/category/press-release/page/", "scraper", "Legislation will reform FSA loans to create long-term payoffs that strengthen rural communities across America\n\nWASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Ranking Member of the Senate Agriculture Subcommittee on Rural Development, Energy, and Credit, this week joined U.S. Senators Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), John Fetterman (D-Pa.) and U.S. Representative Alma Adams (D-NC-12) in reintroducing the bicameral Fair Credit for Farmers Act, bicameral legislation to strengthen financial security for agricultural producers. The lawmakers\u2019 bill will improve access and accountability for the farm loan services offered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture\u2019s Farm Service Agency (FSA) and strengthen borrower rights of the farmers and ranchers who feed America\u2019s families.\n\n\u201cVermont farmers are facing challenges at every turn, from brutal flooding and drought to shifting markets and rising costs caused by Trump\u2019s reckless economic policies. Those hardships are made worse when farmers have nowhere to turn to absorb losses without risking their farms. Working to eliminate financial barriers and expand access to FSA loans is essential to ensuring farmers facing hardship can get help when they need it most,\u201d said Senator Welch. \u201cOur bill will reform FSA loans to better meet the needs of farmers in Vermont, North Carolina, and across the country.\u201d\n\n\u201cNew York\u2019s farmers are the backbone of our Upstate economy, and they deserve fair, transparent credit opportunities as they do the critical work of feeding our communities,\u201d said Senator Gillibrand. \u201cFor too long, family farmers and beginning farmers have been weighed down by administrative red tape and barriers that stack the deck against them. Our legislation will provide real relief for farmers and help ensure they have the protections and resources they need to thrive.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe Fair Credit for Farmers Act offers relief to our small, mid-sized, and family farms, allowing them to compete with the growing corporate consolidation of agriculture,\u201d said Rep. Adams. \u201cSmall-scale farmers are the backbone of North Carolina\u2019s economy but falling commodity prices, the impacts of climate change, and the Trump trade war are making it harder for these farms to stay in business. My bill reforms FSA loans, making it easier for farmers to get farm credit and removing harmful barriers that have prevented underserved farmers from receiving the support they deserve.\u201d\n\nMost family farmers rely on agricultural credit or loans to plant crops, invest in conservation, purchase livestock, replace old machinery, and navigate marketplace disruptions. FSA loans provided through USDA offer great potential to help farmers get their operations up and running. However, financial barriers and unfair FSA lending practices have put this vital resource out of reach for many family farmers. FSA has also been criticized for discriminatory lending practices and burdensome requirements that have harmed farmers of color.\n\nUSDA estimates that farm debt will exceed more than $591 billion in 2025\u2014higher than ever before. In the past decade, crippling debt caused by natural disasters has led to the closure of nearly half of Vermont\u2019s dairy farms. More recent natural disasters like the brutal back-to-back floods in 2023, 2024, and 2025 have left many Vermont farms burdened with debt and with few options for relief. As farming operations in Vermont and across the country continue to face external shocks, farmers need new ways to help absorb losses without risking their farms and livelihoods.\n\nThe Fair Credit for Farmers Act will improve access and accountability in the FSA loan application and appeals process for farmers. Specifically, the bill will:\n\nEnact a targeted, two-year, low-interest payment deferment on direct farm loans and extend the term for repayment by two years to help farmers recover from recent market disruptions. To be eligible, farmers must be economically distressed.\n\nWaive guaranteed loan fees for certain borrowers for two years, which can cost farmers much more in interest over time.\n\nLimit over-collateralization on farm loans and protect farmers\u2019 homes to a maximum of the full value of FSA loans and only allow farmers\u2019 homes as the last option for collateral. Homes will also be the first collateral removed from the loan once enough has been paid.\n\nProtect farmers in delinquency against FSA taking all of their assets as collateral, as well as from some lenders of guaranteed loans initiating liquidation without concurrence by FSA.\n\nBetter ensure that historically underserved farmers and ranchers receive equal treatment in FSA lending and appeal processes.\n\nEnsure that farmers can refinance existing debt with FSA loans to better manage their debt and adapt to market and environmental changes or disasters.\n\nEliminate arbitrary FSA loan eligibility term limits for farmers who cannot access favorable credit options in the private sector. The bill would amend current FSA policy which restricts farmers to only seven years of loan eligibility for direct operating loans and only ten years for direct farm ownership loans, regardless of financial status.\n\nRestore FSA eligibility for farmers with a previous debt write-down (or partial debt-relief).\n\nProvide greater flexibility and improve access to the use of funds and credit reserved for beginning farmers. This provision would shorten USDA\u2019s three-year experience requirement for direct loans to enhance loan access for new and beginning producers.\n\nExpand equitable relief when FSA erroneously denies a farmer\u2019s loan or program benefit to deliver economic support to farmers in situations where FSA\u2019s error has financially harmed them, particularly if the farmer missed a planting season or market opportunity. It also makes equitable relief decisions appealable to the National Appeals Division. These provisions do not apply retroactively.\n\nImprove transparency and fairness in the National Appeals Division (NAD) by requiring FSA to include all potential reasons for denial in its initial communication with the farmer to ensure that the farmer does not have to repeat the appeals process. This bill also shifts the burden of proof in NAD appeals to FSA when the farmer\u2019s annual farm income is $300,000 or lower.\n\nThe Fair Credit for Farmers Act is endorsed by the National Family Farm Coalition (NFFC) and the Rural Advancement Foundation International (RAFI).\n\n\u201cIndependent farmers and ranchers are facing extreme, often unpredictable financial challenges, including the highest level of farm debt in history. Improving transparency and fair access to the public loans offered by FSA must be a top priority to support the hard-working farmers that put food on our tables. The improvements made through the Fair Credit for Farmers Act will support farmers in confidently sustaining and growing their businesses, and their ability to remain resilient against the unique challenges of farming,\u201d said the National Family Farm Coalition.\n\n\u201cFarmers are navigating all types of uncertainty right now\u2013whether that\u2019s fluctuating costs and prices, changes at USDA, or increasingly frequent weather disasters. Farmers need FSA to be a lender where they can have a fair shot at accessing credit that makes sense for their businesses, and who will work with them when they hit hard times. The Fair Credit for Farmers Act directly addresses many of the barriers we\u2019ve seen farmers encounter as we work with them to navigate those crises,\u201d said Margaret Krome-Lukens, Policy Co-Director, RAFI.\n\nRead and download the full text of the bill.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:52:45Z"], ["https://www.welch.senate.gov/welch-calls-on-trump-administration-to-stop-stalling-and-release-liheap-funding-there-is-no-excuse-for-withholding-the-funding/", "Welch Calls on Trump Administration to Stop Stalling and Release LIHEAP Funding: \u201cThere is no excuse for withholding the funding.\u201d", "2025-11-21", "2025", "2025-11", "Democrat", "Senate", "VT", "Peter Welch", "W000800", "www.welch.senate.gov", "welch", "https://www.welch.senate.gov/category/press-release/page/", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Ranking Member of the Senate Agriculture Subcommittee on Rural Development, Energy, and Credit, this week spoke on the Senate floor and urged the Trump Administration to release $4 billion in federal funds for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) that has yet to be distributed this year. In his remarks, Senator Welch emphasized how LIHEAP funding helps more than 6 million lower-income households and seniors\u2014including 26,000 Vermonters\u2014heat their homes during the cold winter months.\n\n\u201cWe are in the cold weather season, and getting money out after the cold weather season does not help keep people warm. LIHEAP funding enjoys broad support, and that\u2019s because\u2014in your state and in mine\u2014folks in the winter who are on the margins financially, literally, can\u2019t get by unless they have access to this funding. So here we are; the heating season is upon us and the LIHEAP funding is stuck and not being distributed. This is an absolute responsibility of the Trump Administration and there is no excuse for withholding the funding,\u201d said Senator Welch. \u201cThis is the call to the Trump Administration: do your job. Secretary Kennedy has a legal responsibility to disburse the current LIHEAP funding. It\u2019s illegal for him to withhold those funds, as well as pretty cruel.\u201d\n\nWatch Senator Welch\u2019s full remarks below:\n\nStates and tribes typically receive LIHEAP allocations from HHS by early November. Eligibility for LIHEAP is based on income, family size, and the availability of resources. While eligibility varies by state, most applicants must have a household income below 150% of the federal poverty guideline or 60% of the state median income. While the Trump Administration has proposed eliminating LIHEAP, including zeroing out funds in its Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26) budget plan, the Senate\u2019s funding bill for 2026 would provide a $20 million increase for LIHEAP.\n\nLast week, Senator Welch joined 30 bipartisan Senate colleagues in calling on Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. to release LIHEAP funds as swiftly and at the highest level possible. The Senator also recently grilled a Trump Administration nominee about the Administration\u2019s actions to undermine the program and partnered with the Vermont Congressional Delegation in pushing back on the President\u2019s proposal to eliminate LIHEAP funding entirely.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:52:45Z"], ["https://www.welch.senate.gov/media-advisory-ahead-of-small-business-saturday-welch-to-tour-local-businesses-in-burlington-brattleboro/", "MEDIA ADVISORY: Ahead of Small Business Saturday, Welch to Tour Local Businesses in Burlington, Brattleboro", "2025-11-20", "2025", "2025-11", "Democrat", "Senate", "VT", "Peter Welch", "W000800", "www.welch.senate.gov", "welch", "https://www.welch.senate.gov/category/press-release/page/", "scraper", "BURLINGTON and BRATTLEBORO, VT \u2014 U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.), a member of the Senate Finance Committee, will travel to Burlington and Brattleboro next week ahead of Small Business Saturday and the holiday season to meet with small business owners and discuss the importance of shopping small.\n\n\u201cVermont\u2019s small businesses power our Main Streets\u2014they\u2019re a source of great pride for the state, employing thousands and supporting our local economy. This holiday season, I encourage Vermonters to shop small and support local businesses and workers,\u201d said Sen. Welch.\n\nVermont boasts nearly 82,000 small businesses, which represent 99% of all businesses in the state. Small businesses employ more than 62% of Vermont\u2019s overall workforce\u2014higher than the national average.\n\nTOUR SCHEDULE:\n\nMonday, November 24th, 2025: Burlington\n\nMeeting Location: AC Hotel (130 Bank St, Burlington, VT 05401);\n\nfollowed by stops at Outdoor Gear Exchange (37 Church St, Burlington, VT 05401) and Phoenix Books (89 Church St, Burlington, VT 05401)\n\nMeeting Time: 9:45 AM ET\n\nTuesday, November 25th, 2025: Brattleboro\n\nMeeting Location: Brattleboro Food Co-op (2 Main Street, Brattleboro, VT 05301);\n\nfollowed by stops at Burrow\u2019s Sports (105 Main Street, Brattleboro, VT 05301) and The Hatch Space (22 High Street, 3rd Floor, Brattleboro, VT 05301)\n\nMeeting Time: 10:00 AM ET\n\nRSVP:Media are asked to RSVP to Aaron White; 202-960-0677\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:52:45Z"], ["https://www.welch.senate.gov/sanders-welch-balint-host-telephone-town-hall-as-vermonters-face-health-insurance-premium-hikes/", "Sanders, Welch, Balint Host Telephone Town Hall", "2025-11-20", "2025", "2025-11", "Democrat", "Senate", "VT", "Peter Welch", "W000800", "www.welch.senate.gov", "welch", "https://www.welch.senate.gov/category/press-release/page/", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 The Vermont Congressional Delegation, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Sen. Peter Welch (D-Vt.), and Rep. Becca Balint (D-VT-At Large), last night held a statewide telephone town hall on the delegation\u2019s continued fight to protect health care and lower costs for hardworking Vermont families.\n\nThe telephone town hall followed Congressional Republican\u2019s government shutdown, which was brought on by the Trump Administration\u2019s refusal to negotiate an extension of health care tax credits. The delegation heard directly from Vermonters about their concerns and answered questions about how they are working to lower costs for families, protect democracy, and fight back against President Trump\u2019s reckless policies.\n\n\u201cThe immediate urgency is health care. This is on top of the \u2018One Big Beautiful Bill,\u2019 (so called), which is going to kick 15 million people off of health care. It\u2019s going to take a trillion dollars out of our health care system, and it\u2019s going to be brutal on our community hospitals that are so essential to the well-being of Vermonters. And now, with the expiration of the premium tax credits, businesses, farmers, individuals are going to see their premiums skyrocket,\u201d said Senator Welch. \u201cIt\u2019s just unsustainable.\u201d\n\nWatch a livestream of the event here.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:52:45Z"], ["https://www.welch.senate.gov/welch-calls-on-dhs-to-investigate-secretary-noems-220-million-ad-campaign/", "Welch Calls on DHS to Investigate Secretary Noem\u2019s $220 Million Ad Campaign", "2025-11-20", "2025", "2025-11", "Democrat", "Senate", "VT", "Peter Welch", "W000800", "www.welch.senate.gov", "welch", "https://www.welch.senate.gov/category/press-release/page/", "scraper", "Welch requested answers from DHS about Noem\u2019s authorization of multiple no-bid contracts to firms close to her and her advisors\n\nWASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, called on the Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to investigate Secretary Kristi Noem\u2019s recent awards of multiple no bid contracts as part of a $220 million ad campaign to firms with which she and her senior advisors have personal ties. Senator Welch asked Inspector General Joseph Cuffari to investigate and provide answers on Secretary Noem\u2019s use of a \u201cnational emergency\u201d to issue these taxpayer-funded contracts.\n\n\u201cBetween February and August 2025, DHS awarded $143 million in no bid contracts to a company called Safe America Media, which was incorporated 11 days before the initial contract solicitation. In October, Safe America Media was contracted to help DHS produce a commercial\u2014filmed during the government shutdown\u2014featuring Secretary Noem on horseback at Mount Rushmore,\u201d wrote Senator Welch. \u201cAlthough not identified in public contracting disclosures, according to public reporting, a firm called Strategy Group was engaged by Safe America Media to produce the ad at Mount Rushmore.\u201d\n\n\u201cThis is not the first time the Department has used the claim of a \u2018national emergency\u2019 to issue no bid contract awards. Earlier this year, DHS invoked the measure to skip a competitive bidding process for an ad featuring Secretary Noem thanking President Trump. One of the firms contracted for the ad, People Who Think, LLC, is headed by Jay Connaughton, a former Trump campaign advisor. Connaughton worked with Lewandowski, Noem\u2019s chief advisor, on Jeff Landry\u2019s gubernatorial campaign in Louisiana,\u201d continued the Senator. \u201cIn June 2025, Secretary Noem announced that she would personally approve all DHS contracts over $100,000.\u201d\n\nThe Senator concluded: \u201cThese awards call into question whether DHS, under Secretary Noem\u2019s leadership, is fulfilling its obligations under federal procurement laws to consider bids \u2018with complete impartiality and with preferential treatment for none.\u2019 In order to understand the extent to which Secretary Noem\u2019s advertising campaign and contract process complies with applicable federal laws and regulations, I request that your office initiate a review of DHS\u2019s contracts associated with advertising campaigns since January 20, 2025.\u201d\n\nSenator Welch requested answers from DHS Inspector General Cuffari to the following questions:\n\nWhat is DHS\u2019s process for reviewing bids associated with its advertising campaigns?\n\nIs this process compliant with federal procurement rules?\n\nDid Secretary Noem personally review and approve the contracts awarded to Safe America Media or People Who Think, LLC?\n\nHas DHS awarded any other contracts to Safe America Media or People Who Think, LLC? If so, please provide a list of such contracts and a copy of each contract.\n\nDoes Secretary Noem have any personal or professional relationships with the firms Safe America Media, People Who Think LLC, or their subcontractors? If so, please provide details on their relationship.\n\nDo any senior personnel at DHS have any personal or professional relationships with the firms Safe America Media, People Who Think LLC, or their subcontractors? If so, please provide a list of those personnel and details on their relationship(s).\n\nDo any other firms that have been awarded contracts to conduct advertising since January 20, 2025 have any personal or professional relationships with Secretary Noem? If so, please provide a copy of each contract.\n\nDid Secretary Noem personally review and approve the contract(s) awarded to these other firm(s)?\n\nDo any of these firms have any personal or professional relationships with senior personnel at DHS? If so, please provide a list of those personnel and details on their relationship.\n\nRead and download the full text of the Senator\u2019s letter to DHS Inspector General Cuffari.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:52:45Z"], ["https://www.welch.senate.gov/welchs-bipartisan-whole-milk-for-healthy-kids-act-passes-senate/", "Welch\u2019s Bipartisan Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act Passes Senate", "2025-11-20", "2025", "2025-11", "Democrat", "Senate", "VT", "Peter Welch", "W000800", "www.welch.senate.gov", "welch", "https://www.welch.senate.gov/category/press-release/page/", "scraper", "Bill will support students and Vermont\u2019s dairy farmers\n\nWASHINGTON, D.C. \u2014 U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.), a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, today celebrated the Senate\u2019s unanimous passage of his bipartisan, bicameral Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act, legislation to support America\u2019s students and dairy farmers.\n\nThe bipartisan bill, co-led with Senator Roger Marshall (R-Kan.), would allow schools participating in the National School Lunch Program to offer students whole milk, in addition to reduced-fat, low-fat, fat-free, lactose-free milk, and non-dairy alternatives. It will now move to the House of Representatives.\n\n\u201cDairy is at the heart of Vermont\u2019s culture and local economy, which is why our bipartisan bill to expand access to whole milk in our schools is a win for Vermont\u2019s students and farmers. Our Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act will help our next generation grow stronger and helps dairy farmers do what they love\u2014feed our communities,\u201d said Senator Welch. \u201cI\u2019m thankful for the support of the Senate on our bipartisan bill and look forward to sending it to the President\u2019s desk.\u201d\n\nBefore the vote, Senators Welch and Marshall took to the Senate floor to highlight the benefits of their bipartisan legislation.\n\n\u201cThis is a very serious thing in two ways: number one, we\u2019ve got to have good nutrition for our kids\u2026and the second reason is that the dairy farming industry\u2014it\u2019s not so much an industry as it is a way of life. And in Vermont, the hardest working people we have are dairy farmers. It\u2019s a hard, hard job. But it\u2019s one where families have done it for generation to generation. There\u2019s an enormous pride in being custodians of the landscape, and caring for the animals and the herd, and in providing nutritious milk to the community. And there\u2019s a lot of pressure on our farmers. And this whole milk bill is an acknowledgment of the extraordinary contribution that the dairy farmers in the state of Vermont make to the entire state of Vermont\u2014that the dairy farmers in America make to all of America\u2026\u201d said Senator Welch on the Senate Floor, after drinking from a glass of whole milk.\n\nWatch the Senator\u2019s full remarks below:\n\nAs Ranking Member of the Senate Agriculture Subcommittee on Rural Development, Energy, and Credit, Senator Welch has championed efforts to support Vermont\u2019s dairy farmers and strengthen the state\u2019s dairy industry. This Congress, Senator Welch reintroduced the Organic Dairy Assistance, Investment, and Reporting Yields Act (O DAIRY) Act, legislation to expand federal support for organic dairy farmers by extending emergency assistance to farmers facing losses due to factors like feed shortages and increased costs.\n\nSenator Welch also recently introduced legislation to help more Americans access SNAP and improve child nutrition, including the Local School Foods Expansion Act, Improving Access to Nutrition Act of 2025, Student Loan Deduction Act of 2025, and the School Lunch Debt Cancellation Act. Last Congress, Senator Welch introduced several bills in the 118th Congress to support Vermont\u2019s dairy, organic, and specialty crop farmers. These bills were included in Senate Democrats\u2019 draft Farm Bill, the Rural Prosperity and Food Security Act.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:52:45Z"], ["https://www.welch.senate.gov/welch-calls-out-republicans-health-care-affordability-crisis-in-finance-committee-hearing-this-hearing-is-a-year-too-late-you-had-the-gavel/", "Welch Calls Out Republicans\u2019 Health Care Affordability Crisis in Finance Committee Hearing: \u201cThis hearing is a year too late. You had the gavel.\u201d", "2025-11-19", "2025", "2025-11", "Democrat", "Senate", "VT", "Peter Welch", "W000800", "www.welch.senate.gov", "welch", "https://www.welch.senate.gov/category/press-release/page/", "scraper", "Welch stressed the urgent need to extend ACA tax credits before January 2026\n\nWASHINGTON, D.C. \u2014 At a Senate Finance Committee hearing this afternoon, U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) exposed how Republicans\u2019 inaction on extending Affordable Care Act (ACA) tax credits will raise premiums for families already struggling to afford health care, food, housing, and other basic needs as a result of President Trump\u2019s economic policies. Senator Welch reiterated that the only path forward is a clean extension of the ACA tax credit.\n\n\u201cMr. Chairman, here\u2019s the reality: this hearing is a year too late. You had the gavel,\u201d said Senator Welch. \u201c\u2026There\u2019s something fundamentally bogus about us having this discussion about ideas about how we can bring down health care costs, when families in Vermont; when families in Idaho; in Oregon; have no capacity to deal with these macro-issues we\u2019re talking about\u2014with insurance ripoffs; drug company ripoffs; executive pay; shareholder buybacks; huge dividends; trillions of dollars\u2014where all that money that we put into the health care system is not reinvested in the health care system.\u201d\n\n\u201cWe have no choice, and no other option other than to extend these tax credits, so we don\u2019t penalize good American families\u2014Republican, Democrat, Independent\u2014for the failure of Congress to do what its job is: and that is to address the rising cost of health care.\u201d\n\nWatch the Senator\u2019s full remarks below:\n\nRead the Senator\u2019s remarks as delivered here.\n\nOpen Enrollment for the ACA Marketplaces began on November 1, and the sticker shock is devastating families nationwide. Over 24 million Americans\u2014including nearly 30,000 Vermonters\u2014are seeing their share of premiums more than double next year, on average. Without ACA tax credits, a Vermont family of four making $130,000 a year that currently pays $1,195 a month for a baseline health care plan can expect to pay $3,035 a month for that same plan\u2014a $22,080 annual increase. A Vermont family of four making about $64,000 a year will pay 920% more. Ultimately, Republicans\u2019 actions will kick 15 million Americans off their health insurance, including about 4 million people who will no longer be able to afford an ACA health plan.\n\nThis Congress, Senator Welch has led the introduction of several bills to make health care more accessible and affordable for Vermonters, including the Comprehensive Alternative Response to Emergencies (CARE) Act, Strengthening Medicare and Reducing Taxpayer (SMART) Prices Act, Fair Prescription Drug Prices for Americans Act, End Price Gouging for Medications Act, Creating Opportunities Now for Necessary and Effective Care Technologies (CONNECT) for Health Act, Protecting Pharmacies in Medicaid Act, Fair Funding for Rural Hospitals Act, and the Rural Hospital Support Act.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:52:45Z"], ["https://www.welch.senate.gov/welch-joins-21-senate-colleagues-in-demanding-answers-on-trump-admins-unlawful-head-start-funding-delays/", "Welch Joins 21 Senate Colleagues in Demanding Answers on Trump Admin\u2019s Unlawful Head Start Funding Delays", "2025-11-19", "2025", "2025-11", "Democrat", "Senate", "VT", "Peter Welch", "W000800", "www.welch.senate.gov", "welch", "https://www.welch.senate.gov/category/press-release/page/", "scraper", "GAO recently found that the Trump Admin. illegally withheld Head Start Funds, exacerbating delays caused by the Republican shutdown\n\nWASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.), a member of the Senate Finance Committee, this week joined U.S. Senators Ben Ray Luj\u00e1n (D-N.M.), Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), and 18 Senate colleagues in demanding answers from the Trump Administration regarding delays in disbursing Head Start funds, which the Government Accountability Office found violated the Impoundment Control Act. The Senators also called for immediate clarification on authorization of the delays, legal rationale, and measures to prevent recurrence, as well as assurances that Head Start programs can continue providing inclusive services for children with disabilities.\n\nIn their letter to Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Russell Vought, the Senators highlight how these delays, worsened by the government shutdown, forced programs to reduce services, temporarily close classrooms, lay off staff, and left thousands of children and families without critical early learning and family support.\n\n\u201cWhen funds are delayed, many Head Start programs must plan for a disruption in services by notifying staff and families of a possible closure. In extreme cases, Head Start programs have had to close due to funding delays and lack of communication by the Administration. These issues were compounded by the government shutdown, which created an additional and immediate crisis for Head Start programs,\u201d wrote the Senators.\n\n\u201cWe are particularly alarmed that there have been no assurances by HHS that funding delays for this critical program have been resolved, especially as Head Start programs continue to face issues drawing down their funding which puts the livelihoods of their employees and families served at risk,\u201d continued the Senators.\n\n\u201cWe strongly urge HHS to take immediate steps to ensure Head Start funds were delivered promptly and equitably to serve the children and families who depended on them, especially as the government shutdown and limited funding threatened to disrupt services for the 134 grantees whose programs are November 1st grant recipients. These programs, their staff, and the families they serve cannot afford further uncertainty or delay,\u201d concluded the Senators.\n\nIn addition to Senators Welch, Luj\u00e1n, Warnock, and Merkley, the letter was signed by Sens. Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), and Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.).\n\nRead and download the Senators\u2019 full letter HHS Secretary Kennedy and OMB Director Vought.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:52:45Z"], ["https://www.welch.senate.gov/welch-wyden-balint-reintroduce-end-rent-fixing-act-to-crack-down-on-companies-using-algorithms-to-illegally-raise-rents/", "Welch, Wyden, Balint Reintroduce End Rent Fixing Act to Crack Down on Companies Using Algorithms to Illegally Raise Rents", "2025-11-19", "2025", "2025-11", "Democrat", "Senate", "VT", "Peter Welch", "W000800", "www.welch.senate.gov", "welch", "https://www.welch.senate.gov/category/press-release/page/", "scraper", "Bill would strengthen enforcement and lawsuits against companies that allow landlords to collude on rent prices\n\nWASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.), a member of the Senate Finance and Senate Judiciary Committees, today joined Ranking Member of the Senate Finance Committee Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and U.S. Representative Becca Balint (D-VT-At-Large) in introducing the End Rent Fixing Act, bicameral legislation to crack down on companies that help landlords increase rents in already high-priced markets. These services allow landlords to collude to set prices via software and price-setting algorithms.\n\nSince the legislation was first introduced in early 2024, the state of New York, Seattle, Philadelphia, and cities across the country have adopted the bill, formerly titled Preventing the Algorithmic Facilitation of Rental Housing Cartels Act, to serve as a successful model for reigning in algorithmic rent fixing in states and localities.\n\n\u201cVermonters are amongst the hardest hit by the housing crisis raging across the country. We have the fourth-highest rate of homelessness in the nation. In the midst of this crisis and at a time when families are struggling to put food on the table\u2014thanks to Trump\u2019s reckless economic policies\u2014housing providers are using anticompetitive pricing algorithms to raise rents. It\u2019s outrageous,\u201d said Senator Welch. \u201cThe End Rent Fixing Act would crack down on these pricing algorithms and prevent future monopolies on the housing market to protect renters in Vermont and nationwide.\u201d\n\n\u201cSetting prices with an algorithm is no different from doing it over cigars and whiskey in a private club,\u201d said Senator Wyden. \u201cThese cartels are already being sued for violating antitrust laws, but I don\u2019t want there to be a sliver of doubt that fixing rents with an algorithm is illegal. Housing costs are crushing American families. Companies shouldn\u2019t be using AI to make the housing crisis worse.\u201d\n\n\u201cFamilies in Vermont and across the country are being crushed by the housing affordability crisis \u2014 a result of corporate greed,\u201d said Rep. Balint. \u201cLandlords are colluding to illegally push rent higher and higher. The End Rent Fixing Act will prevent this type of price fixing and protect people\u2019s wallets. Everyone deserves affordable housing. We cannot allow greedy corporations to get away with this.\u201d\n\nThe legislation is cosponsored by Sens. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Andy Kim (D-N.J.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), John Fetterman (D-Pa.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), and Cory Booker (D-N.J.).\n\n\u201cToday in America \u2014 at a time when millions of our people spend 50% or 60% of their limited incomes on housing, when nearly 800,000 Americans are homeless, and when there is not a state, city or town in this country where a full-time minimum wage worker can afford the rent \u2014 greedy corporations like RealPage are exploiting our housing crisis for profit by illegally colluding to jack up rents,\u201d said Senator Sanders. \u201cThat is outrageous and it has got to end. This legislation is an important step toward finally taking on that corporate greed and protecting the American people.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhen landlords delegate pricing decisions to algorithms, renters lose out on the benefits of competition and are faced with higher rates, while some homes are priced so high they sit vacant,\u201d said Senator Klobuchar. \u201cThis bill will ensure rental property owners abide by antitrust law and let market forces determine rents.\u201d\n\n\u201cCorporate landlords should not be able to collude to raise rents,\u201d said Senator Smith. \u201cIncreasing the price of rent using algorithms makes housing less affordable and worsens the financial struggles for everyday Americans. This bill would end these anti-competitive practices and make accessing affordable housing easier for renters nationwide.\u201d\n\n\u201cUsing AI driven rent-setting tools, big corporations are rigging the rental housing markets in cities across the country \u2013 sending prices ever higher and leaving residents with almost no way to find an affordable place to live,\u201d said Senator Van Hollen. \u201cWe need to put a stop to this corporate cronyism by ending the price fixing and restoring fair competition in the rental market, a key step toward addressing the housing affordability crisis we\u2019re facing in this country.\u201d\n\n\u201cThis measure cracks down on predatory use of new technology like algorithms to exploit renters with rising prices,\u201d said Senator Blumenthal. \u201cIt helps stop high tech collusion that suppresses competition and exacerbates our nation\u2019s housing crisis. Affordable housing depends on consumers having access to fair prices.\u201d\n\n\u201cHousing costs are out of control in this country and rising rents are crushing people,\u201d said Senator Booker. \u201cThis bill cracks down on predatory landlords who use sophisticated pricing software to game the system and drive rents even higher. It\u2019s a simple, straightforward way to stop illegal price-fixing that takes advantage of families who are already struggling to keep a roof over their heads.\u201d\n\nReporting has demonstrated that companies like RealPage and Yardi advertise their products as \u201cproperty management software,\u201d but in fact help landlords coordinate prices to increase rental rates in the same market. The companies collect real-time price and lease information and in return suggest rent increases. The result is less competition and higher rent prices for consumers.\n\nThe Council of Economic Advisors found that rent fixing costs renters at least $3.8 billion. In cities like Atlanta, Tampa, and Dallas, rent fixing alone raised rents well over $100 a month. RealPage has said that its software \u201censures that [landlords] are driving every possible opportunity to increase price even in the most downward trending or unexpected conditions,\u201d and that by using RealPage, landlords can \u201cmove in unison versus against each other.\u201d To address this, the End Rent Fixing Act of 2025 would:\n\nMake it illegal for rental property owners to contract for the services of a company that coordinates rental housing prices and supply information, and designate such arrangements a per se violation of U.S. antitrust law;\n\nProhibit the practice of coordinating price, supply, and other rental housing information among two or more rental property owners; and\n\nAllow individual plaintiffs to invalidate any pre-dispute arbitration agreement or pre-dispute joint action waiver that would prevent their bringing a suit.\n\nThe End Rent Fixing Act of 2025 is endorsed by the American Economic Liberties Project; Center for American Progress; Color Of Change; Consumer Federation of America; National Low Income Housing Coalition; National Alliance to End Homelessness; and the Open Markets Institute.\n\n\u201cAmid a generational housing crisis, algorithmic rent fixing has allowed corporate landlords to do through software what used to be done in smoke-filled rooms: coordinate prices, suppress supply, and extract billions in extra rent from struggling tenants. The End Rent Fixing Act draws a clear line by reinforcing the per se illegality of cartel pricing schemes, prohibiting covert data exchanges and cut-and-paste pricing strategies that tech platforms have used to rig markets with impunity. Restoring competitive dynamism to struggling housing markets is among the easiest steps lawmakers can take to drive down rents and encourage new housing development today,\u201d said Lee Hepner, Senior Legal Counsel, American Economic Liberties Project.\n\n\u201cAlgorithmic rent-setting has allowed too many corporate landlords to collude in plain sight, driving up housing costs for families across the country. The End Rent Fixing Act will restore competition in the market, stop this digital price-fixing, and ensure renters aren\u2019t forced to pay inflated prices just to keep a roof over their heads,\u201d said Michael Negron, Senior Fellow for Economic Opportunity, Center for American Progress.\n\n\u201cWe are very excited and proud to endorse the End Rent Fixing Act. Wealthy landlords are using rent-fixing algorithms to distort the market and take hard-earned money from renters across the country. Underrepresented communities are demanding policies that prioritize the working class and make housing more affordable for everyday people. It\u2019s time that Congress passes common-sense legislation that restricts algorithms from gouging consumers and gives more resources back to our families and communities,\u201d said Michael Huggins, Deputy Senior Director of Policy & Government Affairs, Color Of Change.\n\n\u201cAlgorithms already secretly mediate so much of people\u2019s lives \u2013 their job prospects, insurance rates, loan eligibility, and increasingly their rent. Exploitative companies and landlords are capitalizing on the lack of regulation and transparency and boosting people\u2019s rents beyond market value when people need relief most. This law is a straightforward effort that would draw clear lines prohibiting this collusive behavior hidden behind a proprietary algorithm and help victims hold the conspirators accountable,\u201d said Ben Winters, Director of AI and Privacy, Consumer Federation of America.\n\n\u201cAlgorithmic collusion by landlords is a contributor to pushing housing costs out of reach for too many Americans, especially young people. Collusion against consumers is illegal, whether it takes place in smoke-filled rooms, over the phone, or via algorithm. The End Rent-Fixing Act will give enforcers enhanced powers to protect renters from the use of digital tools to fix rents,\u201d said Brian Callaci, Chief Economist, Open Markets Institute.\n\n\u201cThe main thing making homelessness worse is long-term increases in rents. The End Rent Fixing Act will put free market principles to work as part of a solution to this problem,\u201d said Steve Berg, Chief Policy Officer, National Alliance to End Homelessness.\n\nLearn more about the End Rent Fixing Act.\n\nRead and download the full text of the bill.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:52:45Z"], ["https://www.welch.senate.gov/welch-and-46-democratic-colleagues-call-on-leader-thune-to-quickly-bring-the-epstein-files-transparency-act-to-senate-floor-for-vote/", "Welch and 46 Democratic Colleagues Call on Leader Thune to Quickly Bring the Epstein Files Transparency Act to Senate Floor for Vote", "2025-11-18", "2025", "2025-11", "Democrat", "Senate", "VT", "Peter Welch", "W000800", "www.welch.senate.gov", "welch", "https://www.welch.senate.gov/category/press-release/page/", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2014 U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today joined every Senate Democrat in calling on Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) to immediately bring the bipartisan Epstein Files Transparency Act to the Senate floor for a vote, without delay or unnecessary process distractions. The Senators\u2019 letter follows the U.S. House of Representatives\u2019 overwhelming bipartisan approval of the measure by a vote of 427-1 earlier this afternoon.\n\nFor more than two decades, survivors of Jeffrey Epstein have sought justice and accountability for his alleged sexual crimes involving underage girls. The bipartisan Epstein Files Transparency Act, legislation cosponsored by Senator Welch, would require the Department of Justice (DOJ) to release all documents and records related to Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, ensuring transparency and providing the American people with access to critical information.\n\n\u201cThe victims of Jeffrey Epstein\u2014and the American people\u2014deserve answers, accountability and the truth,\u201d wrote the Senators. \u201cSo far, they have only seen empty promises from President Trump and his Administration. Now that a majority of the U.S. House of Representatives has acted to provide transparency on this matter\u2014we call on you to quickly hold a vote in the U.S. Senate to help deliver the accountability that was promised and that so many Americans are demanding.\u201d\n\n\u201cDespite multiple Senate oversight requests and House subpoenas for release of the full and complete Epstein files, the DOJ and FBI have refused to produce any information to the Senate and have failed to provide the complete set of files to the House,\u201d the Senators continued.\n\nIn a social media post over the weekend, President Donald Trump abruptly changed course and encouraged House Republicans to vote for the bill, despite having tried for months to prevent the complete release of the files. Given longstanding efforts by President Trump and his Administration to slow walk or discourage the release of these files, the Senate must take action to provide transparency and help restore the public\u2019s trust.\n\n\u201cThe U.S. Senate has the chance to show strong leadership and swiftly pass this legislation,\u201d concluded the Senators. \u201cWe urge you to promptly proceed to the consideration of H.R. 4405 on the Senate floor pursuant to Senate Rule XIV, so that the legislation can be immediately placed on the Senate Calendar.\u201d\n\nThe letter was led by Ranking Member of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Ranking Member of the Judiciary Committee Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), and Ranking Member of the Budget Committee Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.).\n\nJoining Senators Welch, Peters, Schumer, Durbin and Merkley in sending the letter were Sens. Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), John Fetterman (D-Pa.), Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Andy Kim (D-N.J.), Angus King (I-Maine), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Ben Ray Luj\u00e1n (D-N.M.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), Rev. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.).\n\nRead and download the full text of the Senators\u2019 letter to Senate Majority Leader John Thune.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:52:45Z"], ["https://www.welch.senate.gov/welch-collins-introduce-bipartisan-care-act-to-support-ems-providers-in-rural-communities/", "Welch, Collins Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Expand Treat-in-Place Emergency Medical Services", "2025-11-18", "2025", "2025-11", "Democrat", "Senate", "VT", "Peter Welch", "W000800", "www.welch.senate.gov", "welch", "https://www.welch.senate.gov/category/press-release/page/", "scraper", "Bill would test a treatment-in-place Medicare reimbursement model for EMS providers, helping patients avoid unnecessary hospital visits\n\nWASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senators Peter Welch (D-Vt.), a member of the Senate Finance Committee, and Susan Collins (R-Maine) introduced the Comprehensive Alternative Response to Emergencies (CARE) Act, bipartisan legislation that would require the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to test a five-year \u201ctreatment-in-place\u201d model in which Medicare reimburses Emergency Medical Service (EMS) providers when they treat a patient outside of the hospital, such as for minor medical incidents, rather than transporting them to a hospital for care.\n\n\u201cVermont\u2019s EMS providers are on the frontlines of medical emergencies. It\u2019s only common sense that our government should pay EMS providers for their vital services, regardless of whether a person needs an ambulance to the hospital. But right now, EMS providers aren\u2019t getting reimbursed for their work\u2014we need to fix that,\u201d said Senator Welch. \u201cI\u2019m proud to work with Senator Collins on this bipartisan legislation to ensure that EMS providers can better help communities across rural America.\u201d\n\n\u201cHaving access to high-quality emergency medical services is essential for individuals in rural communities across Maine and the nation, yet in many areas these providers face serious staffing and financial challenges,\u201d said Senator Collins. \u201cThis bipartisan bill would expand the treatment-in-place model for EMS services, reducing unnecessary emergency room visits, lowering costs, and easing the strain on our state\u2019s hospital and EMS workforces.\u201d\n\nInflationary pressures, coupled with the increasing volume of services that are ineligible for reimbursement, pose a serious threat to EMS providers, particularly those serving rural and older communities. These challenges are forcing EMS providers to curtail service and, in some areas, shut down services entirely. In recent years, several EMS providers in rural Vermont have closed their doors due to mounting expenses, leaving local residents with fewer options for emergency services.\n\nThe CARE Act would build on the success of a temporary treatment-in-place model implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic, which demonstrated savings of more than $500 to Medicare per patient encounter. In recent years, about 22% of EMS calls conclude without transport to a hospital, leaving providers to absorb those costs. By reimbursing EMS for care delivered in place, this legislation would strengthen local emergency response and better ensure that more patients receive appropriate, timely care.\n\nThe CARE Act is endorsed by the American Ambulance Association; Congressional Fire Service Institute; International Association of Firefighters; International Association of Fire Chiefs; National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians (NAEMT); National Association of Towns and Townships; National Rural Health Association; and the Vermont Ambulance Association.\n\n\u201cAn immense thank you to Senator Welch for introducing with Senator Collins the CARE Act (S. 3145), which recognizes that Vermont ambulance service organizations and our paramedics and EMTs provide vital prehospital medical care and that reimbursement should not be based solely on also transporting a Vermonter to a medical facility,\u201d said Drew Hazelton, President, Vermont Ambulance Association.\n\n\u201cWe extend our heartfelt thanks to Senators Collins and Welch for their leadership in introducing the CARE Act. By acknowledging that ambulance service organizations provide critical prehospital medical care, not just transportation, this legislation helps ensure that our nation\u2019s EMTs and paramedics are properly recognized and services are reimbursed for this care delivered every single day in communities across America,\u201d said Jamie Pafford-Gresham, President, American Ambulance Association.\n\n\u201cThe IAFC supports the bipartisan Comprehensive Alternative Response for Emergencies (CARE) Act,\u201d said Fire Chief Trisha L. Wolford, President and Board Chair, International Association of Fire Chiefs. \u201cFire-based EMS agencies across the nation are on the front lines of our healthcare system, providing critical care every day while facing the challenges of overburdened emergency departments and increasing demand on EMS. The CARE Act represents a significant step toward recognizing and supporting fire and EMS departments in their lifesaving work, while enhancing patient outcomes and alleviating the burden on overcrowded emergency departments. We commend Senator Collins and Senator Welch for their leadership in advancing this initiative with a common-sense approach to modernizing emergency medical care.\u201d\n\n\u201cNAEMT advocates to provide patients with the right care, in the right place, at the right time, and in the most cost-effective manner. We are grateful for Senators Collins and Welch for introducing the Comprehensive Alternative Response for Emergencies (CARE) Act. This legislation will assess the benefits of TIP to reduce overall Medicare costs, promote patient outcomes, and allow patients the freedom to receive care on their own terms. TIP provides strong benefits to struggling EMS agencies and crowded emergency departments (ED). By allowing patients to more appropriately receive care on-scene in lieu of transportation to a hospital, CMS can lessen the burden placed on EMS providers struggling with workforce shortages as well as decompress overcrowded hospitals and ED,\u201d said Chief Chris Way, President, the National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians (NAEMT).\n\nLearn more about the CARE Act.\n\nRead and download the full text of the bill.\n\n### ###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:52:45Z"], ["https://www.welch.senate.gov/welch-joins-27-senate-democrats-on-anti-cash-grab-act-to-repeal-500000-republican-kickback/", "Welch Joins 27 Senate Democrats on Anti-Cash Grab Act to Repeal $500,000 Republican Kickback", "2025-11-18", "2025", "2025-11", "Democrat", "Senate", "VT", "Peter Welch", "W000800", "www.welch.senate.gov", "welch", "https://www.welch.senate.gov/category/press-release/page/", "scraper", "Bill repeals last-minute \u2018Arctic Frost\u2019 provision allowing Republican Senators to collect $500,000 per lawfully subpoenaed phone record\n\nWASHINGTON, D.C. \u2014 U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.), a member of the Senate Rules Committee, today joined U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on the Legislative Branch, U.S. Senator Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), and 25 Senate Democrats in introducing the Anti-Cash Grab Act, legislation that will repeal a provision\u2014quietly added into the Senate government funding bill at the last minute\u2014that allows Senators to collect $500,000 for every phone record lawfully obtained.\n\n\u201cThere\u2019s no excuse for this Republican kickback\u2014it\u2019s a gross abuse of the policymaking process and should be immediately blocked before the American taxpayers are forced to pay millions of dollars. This bill is just common sense,\u201d said Senator Welch.\n\n\u201cWhile Democrats were fighting to make health care more affordable and help working families put food on the table, Senate Republicans were focused on taxpayer-funded windfalls for themselves. Let\u2019s be crystal clear: negotiating a $500,000 windfall for yourself while refusing to help everyday Americans is wrong and deserves to be called out,\u201d said Senator Heinrich. \u201cOur bill is about accountability, transparency, and fighting for working families. The Senate must take this bill up and pass it now.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhile we were fighting to lower health care costs and keep food on the table for hardworking Americans, Senate Republicans were slipping a taxpayer-funded payout for themselves into the government funding bill,\u201d said Senator Kelly. \u201cIt\u2019s a political cash grab \u2014 plain and simple, and our bill puts an end to it. Republicans and Democrats should be able to agree that ripping off American taxpayers is bad policy.\u201d\n\nIn addition to Senators Welch, Heinrich, and Kelly, the legislation is cosponsored by Sens. Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Angus King (I-Maine), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Ben Ray Luj\u00e1n (D-N.M.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.).\n\nLearn more about the Anti-Cash Grab Act.\n\nRead and download the full text of the bill.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:52:45Z"], ["https://www.welch.senate.gov/welch-curtis-cohen-wilson-call-on-trump-administration-to-free-political-prisoners-in-belarus/", "Welch, Curtis, Cohen, Wilson Call on Trump Administration to Free Political Prisoners in Belarus", "2025-11-17", "2025", "2025-11", "Democrat", "Senate", "VT", "Peter Welch", "W000800", "www.welch.senate.gov", "welch", "https://www.welch.senate.gov/category/press-release/page/", "scraper", "Lawmakers commend and encourage the Administration\u2019s efforts to free political prisoners wrongfully held in Belarus\n\nWASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senators Peter Welch (D-Vt.) and John Curtis (R-Utah) partnered with U.S. Representatives Steve Cohen (D-TN-09) and Joe Wilson (D-SC-02) in calling on the Trump Administration to continue working to free political prisoners in Belarus, and use caution in future negotiations with the Putin-aligned Lukashenka regime.\n\nIn a letter sent recently, the bipartisan, bicameral lawmakers commended the Trump Administration for working to free political prisoners in Belarus, including several U.S. nationals. The lawmakers also encouraged the Department of State to continue to hold Strategic Dialogue with the Belarusian democratic movement and their exiled leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya.\n\n\u201cWe were very encouraged by the June 21, 2025 release of 14 hostages, wrongful detainees, and political prisoners who had been unjustly held in Belarus, followed by the September 11 release of an additional 52 political prisoners and foreign nationals, and the release of 25 prisoners on September 16,\u201d wrote the lawmakers to Secretary of State Marco Rubio. \u201cAs the Administration continues its engagement with this illegitimate regime, we urge caution to ensure that any progress on the release of political prisoners is not undermined by the government\u2019s continued pattern of arbitrary detention.\u201d\n\nThe lawmakers emphasized the need for sustained vigilance, highlighting that Lukashenka\u2019s concessions could be a tactic to distract from Belarus\u2019 sustained support for Putin\u2019s war in Ukraine: \u201cNegotiations with the Lukashenka regime inevitably contribute to its pursuit of legitimacy in the eyes of the international community. The regime\u2019s practice of releasing certain prisoners while detaining new opposition figures, journalists, and human rights defenders must not be allowed to persist unchecked\u2026 At the same time, Belarus continues to facilitate Russia\u2019s unlawful war of aggression against Ukraine, including by enabling drone strikes launched from its territory, and by supporting hybrid warfare tactics such as the orchestration of irregular migration into the European Union. These actions not only perpetuate repression at home but also directly undermines U.S. interests and broader transatlantic security in the region.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhile we recognize the Administration\u2019s significant achievements to date, these actions demonstrate the need for sustained vigilance and conditionality in any further engagement with the Lukashenka regime,\u201d the lawmakers continued. \u201cAny released political prisoners should have all pending charges against them dropped. They should not be forced into exile, which is a violation of international law. We also urge the State Department to prioritize the release of those individuals in need of urgent medical care on what is known as the \u2018humanitarian list,\u2019 which was prepared by Belarusian human rights organizations.\u201d\n\nIn their letter, the lawmakers urged the State Department to prioritize the release of the following individuals in any future negotiations with the Government of Belarus: Maryia Kalesnikava; Viktar and Eduard Babaryka; Marfa Rabkova; Ales Bialiatski; Valiantsin Stefanovich; Uladzimir Labkovich; Nasta (Anastasia) Loika; Dzyanis Ivashyn; Maksim Znak; and Kaciaryna Andrejeva.\n\nThe Senators\u2019 letter is endorsed by the McCain Institute and Freedom House.\n\nSenator Welch has advocated for bipartisan cooperation to secure the release of political prisoners in Belarus and around the world. Following high-level bilateral U.S.-Belarus negotiations in June 2025, which led to the release of pro-democracy opposition figures, Senator Welch encouraged the Administration to ensure human rights and the release of political prisoners remain central to any further negotiations. Earlier this year, the Senator led his colleagues in urging Secretary of State Rubio to preserve the staff and programs administered by the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor (DRL) amid the Department\u2019s proposed reorganization.\n\nLast Congress, Senator Welch spoke on the Senate floor to highlight the case of Maryia Kalesnikava, a leading member of the Belarusian political opposition calling for free and fair elections in Belarus, who was apprehended in 2020 by officials who attempted to forcibly deport her to Ukraine. Senator Welch also met with political and human rights advocates, including Maryia\u2019s sister, Tatsiana Khomic to discuss ways to help secure the release of Maryia and other political prisoners in Belarus.\n\nRead and download the full text of the Senators\u2019 letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:52:45Z"], ["https://www.welch.senate.gov/welch-joins-30-bipartisan-colleagues-in-urging-trump-admin-to-release-liheap-home-heating-aid/", "Welch Joins 30 Bipartisan Colleagues in Urging Trump Admin to Release LIHEAP Home Heating Aid", "2025-11-14", "2025", "2025-11", "Democrat", "Senate", "VT", "Peter Welch", "W000800", "www.welch.senate.gov", "welch", "https://www.welch.senate.gov/category/press-release/page/", "scraper", "Federal LIHEAP funding helps 26,000 Vermonters\n\nBURLINGTON, VT \u2013 U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) today joined U.S. Senators Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), and 27 bipartisan Senate colleagues in calling on the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to release funds for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) as swiftly and at the highest level possible. Currently, the Trump Administration is sitting on $4 billion in federal LIHEAP dollars that have yet to be distributed this year.\n\nIn their letter to HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., the bipartisan lawmakers emphasize that federal LIHEAP funding is a crucial lifeline that keeps vulnerable citizens safe and warm during winter by helping low-income households and seniors on fixed incomes pay their energy bills. The program also helps reduce energy costs through improved energy efficiency initiatives.\n\n\u201cAs Congress works to finalize the Fiscal Year 2026 appropriations bill for the Department of Health and Human Services, we urge you to immediately release the highest amount of LIHEAP funding available under the Continuing Resolution,\u201d the Senators wrote. \u201cAs state agencies and tribes activate their LIHEAP programs for the coming winter, it is crucial that they have the resources on hand to help low-income households and seniors as soon as possible. As such, we request that you quickly release LIHEAP funds at the highest level possible, so that low-income households do not have to choose between paying for heat and affording other necessities like food or medicine.\u201d\n\nNationwide, an estimated 6 million households\u2014including 26,000 Vermonters\u2014received assistance with heating and cooling costs through LIHEAP over the last year. According to a new forecast from the National Energy Assistance Directors Association, home heating costs are estimated to rise nearly 8% over last winter on average, with costs for heating with electricity forecasted to increase even higher\u2014to 10% above last year.\n\nStates and tribes typically receive their LIHEAP allocations from HHS by early November. Eligibility for LIHEAP is based on income, family size, and the availability of resources. While eligibility varies by state, most applicants must have a household income below 150% of the federal poverty guideline or 60% of the state median income.\n\nWhile the Trump Administration has proposed eliminating LIHEAP, including zeroing out funds in its Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26) budget plan, the Senate\u2019s Labor-HHS-Education and Related Agencies Appropriations bill for FY26 would provide a $20 million increase for LIHEAP to $4.045 billion. In the House of Representatives, the Appropriations Committee recommended a $10 million increase.\n\nIn addition to Senators Welch, Reed, Collins, and Murkowski, the letter was signed by Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Sens. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Angus King (I-Maine), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Ben Ray Luj\u00e1n (D-N.M.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.).\n\nRead and download the Senators\u2019 full letter to HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:52:45Z"], ["https://www.welch.senate.gov/welch-joins-41-senate-colleagues-in-urging-trumps-hud-to-immediately-halt-plans-to-upend-key-homelessness-program/", "Welch Joins 41 Senate Colleagues in Urging Trump\u2019s HUD to Immediately Halt Plans to Upend Key Homelessness Program", "2025-11-14", "2025", "2025-11", "Democrat", "Senate", "VT", "Peter Welch", "W000800", "www.welch.senate.gov", "welch", "https://www.welch.senate.gov/category/press-release/page/", "scraper", "Trump Admin is planning to make drastic changes to the Continuum of Care (CoC) program, which could force 200,000 people back onto the streets\n\nWASHINGTON, D.C. \u2014 U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) joined 41 Senate colleagues in urging Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Scott Turner to immediately halt reported plans to make drastic changes to the Continuum of Care (CoC) program, which could result in nearly 200,000 Americans being forced out of their housing and back into homelessness. In their letter, the Senators call on Secretary Turner to instead use existing congressional authorization to expeditiously renew existing CoC grants for Fiscal Year 2025 (FY25) to prevent massive disruption and frightening uncertainty for hundreds of thousands of vulnerable Americans in the coming months.\n\n\u201cWe write to express our deep concerns regarding the instability the entire homeless support system could face if funding delays, uncertainty, and rushed policy changes continue,\u201d write the Senators. \u201cHUD must immediately reconsider these harmful and potentially illegal changes that could result in nearly 200,000 older adults, chronically homeless Americans with disabilities, veterans, and families being forced back onto the streets. As Secretary, you have the authority to avoid this worst-case scenario by carrying out the previously planned and congressionally authorized two-year Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO), and we strongly urge you to do so expeditiously.\u201d\n\nThe lawmakers note that the reported and potentially illegal plans to upend the program, which is the largest source of federal grant funding to prevent homelessness, would cause sudden and significant shortfalls and real pain across the country. Specifically, they write: \u201cThe most troubling of these changes is a new, arbitrary cap on the amount of funds that may be used for permanent housing. Currently, 87% of CoC funds support permanent housing, but the new NOFO reportedly limits the amount of funding for permanent housing to only 30%. This appears to be in contravention of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, undermines local decision-making authority, and ignores decades of research that has proven that permanent supportive housing and rapid rehousing are less costly and more likely to be successful in providing long-term stability than other strategies, particularly for chronically homeless people and families.\u201d\n\n\u201cEach new Administration can make policy changes when they take office,\u201d the Senators continue. \u201cWhile we may not always agree on those policy changes, we should never have to question whether agency officials will faithfully follow the law and work to minimize harm to our constituents and communities when implementing those new policies. Reports of HUD intentionally blocking staff from examining the legality of the Fiscal Year 2025 NOFO changes with its own attorneys are deeply troubling.\u201d\n\nThe Senators note that, since January 20, repeated, chaotic policy changes affecting the program have created needless, costly uncertainty for communities across the country\u2014and HUD has failed to communicate clearly with stakeholders and Congress about its plans: \u201cFor months, our staffs have sent HUD countless questions about its intents and actions around CoC funding that have remained unanswered, undermining Congress\u2019s ability to carry out its legislative and oversight functions. Real people in every community across the country rely on these funds to address homelessness. The funding competition process for FY25 has not begun, and with CoC project awards beginning to expire in less than two months, HUD is simply out of time.\u201d\n\n\u201cThere is a better way forward,\u201d the Senators conclude. \u201cHUD\u2019s current path risks causing a dangerous spike in street homelessness and creating chaos in urban, suburban, and rural communities alike by forcing nearly 200,000 chronically homeless Americans with disabilities and families back onto the streets. We implore you to make the better choice and expeditiously renew current CoC grants for FY25 as authorized by Congress to protect communities and avoid displacing thousands of our nation\u2019s most vulnerable individuals.\u201d\n\nThe letter is led by U.S. Senators Senator Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee; Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee; Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies; and Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Ranking Member of the Senate Banking Subcommittee on Housing, Transportation, and Community Development. In addition to Senator Welch, the letter is also cosigned by Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Sens. Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Rev. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), Angus King (I-Maine), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Andy Kim (D-N.J.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), Ben Ray Luj\u00e1n (D-N.M.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), and John Fetterman (D-Pa.).\n\nRead and download the full text of the Senators\u2019 letter to HUD Secretary Scott Turner.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:52:45Z"], ["https://www.welch.senate.gov/welch-statement-on-shocking-human-rights-report-on-el-salvador-prison-cecot/", "Welch Statement Following Shocking Human Rights Report on El Salvador\u2019s Infamous Prison, CECOT", "2025-11-12", "2025", "2025-11", "Democrat", "Senate", "VT", "Peter Welch", "W000800", "www.welch.senate.gov", "welch", "https://www.welch.senate.gov/category/press-release/page/", "scraper", "BURLINGTON, VT\u2014 Today, leading human rights organizations, from both the United States and El Salvador, released a new report on the shocking conditions in El Salvador\u2019s infamous anti-terrorism prison, Centro de Confinamiento del Terrorismo (CECOT). U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) released the following reaction to the report:\n\n\u201cThe findings in this report are horrific, and they are doubly disturbing because the United States is directly implicated. It would not be an exaggeration to describe what is happening daily in CECOT as President Bukele\u2019s Abu Ghraib.\n\n\u201cWhat happened to those 40 men is shocking, but it was not unique to them. The abuses and deprivations they describe are endemic inside the walls of CECOT. These men were forcibly disappeared, which is a crime in this country and a violation of international law. From their first day behind CECOT\u2019s walls, each of them was subjected to near-daily beatings, food and medical deprivation, and other inhumane and appallingly degrading treatment.\n\n\u201cNobody defends the heinous crimes and corruption perpetrated by Tren de Aragua and other violent criminal organizations. They have terrorized the people of Venezuela, El Salvador, and many other countries. Those who commit such atrocities should be brought to justice. President Bukele\u2019s Kafkaesque response to these criminal gangs is a prison that the guards describe as \u2018hell\u2019 and where everyone, innocent or guilty, is labeled a terrorist. Criminal proceedings, if one can call them that, are conducted en masse and make a mockery of due process.\n\n\u201cPresident Trump has feted Bukele in Washington and praised his leadership. Bukele has called himself the world\u2019s \u201ccoolest dictator\u201d. There is one thing President Bukele should remember: President Trump\u2019s term expires on January 20, 2028, after which he will no longer be there to turn a blind eye to Bukele\u2019s role in presiding over the torture and denial of fundamental rights of tens of thousands of prisoners, many of whom have no affiliation with violent gangs. Sooner or later the law will catch up to President Bukele, and there will be accountability for what is happening in CECOT.\n\n\u201cUntil then, or for as long as torture continues in El Salvador\u2019s prisons, the Trump Administration must stop deportations to El Salvador. It is immoral for the United States to be paying Bukele to lock up deportees knowing they will be brutalized and denied due process.\u201d\n\nThe 81-page report contains detailed, first-hand accounts of 40 Venezuelan prisoners in CECOT who were deported by the Department of Homeland Security and then returned to Venezuela in exchange for 10 American citizens or permanent residents who had been detained by President Maduro. Report investigators found no evidence that any of the Venezuelans in their report were members of the notorious Tren de Aragua gang, and the Trump Administration has never produced any evidence that they were. Almost none of them were ever convicted of any crime, in Venezuela or the United States.\n\nAt least 62 of the men in the Human Rights Watch-Cristosal report had fled Maduro\u2019s repression or violence in Venezuela and had pending asylum cases in the United States, before they were arbitrarily rounded up and deported. According to the report, Department of Homeland Security agents lied to them about where they were being sent and refused their requests to contact their families. During the almost four months they were in CECOT, they had no access to lawyers or their families.\n\nExcerpts from Human Rights Watch/Cristosal Report\n\n\u201cYou Have Arrived in Hell\u201d\n\nTorture and Other Abuses Against Venezuelans in El Salvador\u2019s Mega Prison\n\nNovember 12, 2025\n\nPeople held in CECOT said they were beaten from the moment they arrived in El Salvador and throughout their time in detention. Guards and riot police beat them in the hallways of the prison module and in a solitary confinement cell in a section of CECOT known as \u201cthe Island.\u201d They beat them during daily cell searches for allegedly violating prison rules, such as speaking loudly with other detainees or showering at the wrong time, and sometimes for requesting medical treatment.\n\nPeople held in CECOT said that many detainees were also beaten after US Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem\u2019s visit in March, following visits by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in May and June, and after two prison protests occurring in April and May.\n\nHuman Rights Watch and Cristosal concluded that the cases of torture and ill-treatment of Venezuelans in CECOT were not isolated incidents by rogue guards or riot police, but rather systematic violations that took place repeatedly during their detention. Every former detainee interviewed reported being subjected to serious physical and psychological abuse on a near-daily basis, throughout their entire time in detention.\n\nThese beatings and other abuses appear to be part of a practice designed to subjugate, humiliate, and discipline detainees through the imposition of grave physical and psychological suffering. Officers also appear to have acted on the belief that their superiors either supported or tolerated their abusive acts.\n\nThree people held in CECOT told Human Rights Watch and Cristosal that they were subjected to sexual violence. One of them said that guards took him to \u201cthe Island,\u201d where they beat him. He said four guards sexually abused him and forced him to perform oral sex on one of them. \u201cThey played with their batons on my body.\u201d People held in CECOT said sexual abuse affected more people, but victims were unlikely to speak about what they had suffered due to stigma.\n\nThe United States sent the 252 Venezuelans to CECOT despite credible prior reports that torture and other abuses were taking place in El Salvador\u2019s prisons. This violates the principle of non-refoulement, established in the Convention against Torture, among others.\n\nIn at least 19 cases, people held in CECOT or their relatives said they fled Venezuela to escape threats, abuses, or persecution by state security forces, as well as threats posed by armed and criminal groups, including Tren de Aragua. Their allegations indicate that these individuals fled persecution and, in many instances, articulated strong claims for asylum.\u201d\n\nHuman Rights Watch analyzed data on U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations that ICE released in response to a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request made by the UCLA Center for Immigration Law and Policy. The data indicates that at least 48.8 percent of the Venezuelans deported to El Salvador on March 15, March 30, and April 12\u2014the dates of flights Human Rights Watch confirmed transported Venezuelans to CECOT\u2014had no criminal history in the United States. Only 8 (3.1 percent) had been convicted of a violent or potentially violent offense. The data only includes information on 226 of the 252 Venezuelan people who were held in CECOT.\n\n# # #", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:52:45Z"], ["https://www.welch.senate.gov/welch-votes-no-on-funding-bill-condemns-republicans-for-refusing-to-address-health-care-crisis/", "Welch Votes No on Funding Bill, Condemns Republicans for Refusing to Address Health Care Crisis", "2025-11-10", "2025", "2025-11", "Democrat", "Senate", "VT", "Peter Welch", "W000800", "www.welch.senate.gov", "welch", "https://www.welch.senate.gov/category/press-release/page/", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) today released the following statement after voting against a continuing resolution that fails to extend urgently-needed health care tax credits:\n\n\u201cI cannot vote for a government funding bill that kicks millions of Americans off their health care. The heart of this government shutdown is, and always was, about access to health care. There was an early recognition from my Republican colleagues that working families, small businesses, and farmers in their states would be really hurt by these premium increases\u2014just as they will be in Democratic states, too. That\u2019s why it is so disappointing that Republicans refused to come to the table to extend the Affordable Care Act\u2019s premium tax credits. Millions of hardworking people, in every state, will face higher premiums and many will go without health coverage altogether.\n\n\u201cRepublicans in the Senate spent the last 41 days capitulating to this White House. Republicans in the House of Representatives took a 52-day vacation. Meanwhile, Democrats fought to protect access to health care and lower costs. We are already in an affordability crisis, and Republicans chose to make it worse.\n\n\u201cNobody wants a government shutdown\u2014shutdowns are painful, damaging, and a sign of dysfunctional government. This Republican shutdown, the longest in U.S. history, was made all the more painful by President Trump\u2019s refusal to negotiate and his total disregard for federal workers and those in need, including millions of people who rely on SNAP and other government services. I am appalled by this Administration\u2019s endless cruelty.\u201d\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:52:45Z"], ["https://www.welch.senate.gov/welch-joins-48-congressional-democrats-on-bicameral-bill-to-ensure-dhs-detainees-can-speak-to-a-lawyer-contact-their-families/", "Welch Joins 59 Congressional Democrats on Bicameral Bill to Ensure DHS Detainees Can Speak to a Lawyer, Contact their Families", "2025-11-07", "2025", "2025-11", "Democrat", "Senate", "VT", "Peter Welch", "W000800", "www.welch.senate.gov", "welch", "https://www.welch.senate.gov/category/press-release/page/", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, today joined U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), U.S. Representative Maxine Dexter (D-OR-03), and 57 congressional Democrats in introducing the Restoring Access to Detainees Act, bicameral legislation to ensure the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) allows noncitizens who have been detained to contact their legal counsel and families.\n\n\u201cPresident Trump\u2019s takeover of our immigration system has been nothing short of inhumane\u2013conducting violent raids and detaining folks right off the street. As a result, children and families all across the country are now desperately trying to figure out why their family member didn\u2019t come home and where they are being held\u2014it\u2019s cruel,\u201d said Senator Welch. \u201cOur bill aims to ensure families have access to their loved ones while in immigration detention and access to a lawyer. Everyone deserves due process.\u201d\n\n\u201cFor months now, Americans have watched the horrific videos of CBP and ICE agents violently snatching people off the street at schools, workplaces, and grocery stores. But what happens after people are taken into custody is equally disturbing,\u201d said Senator Murphy. \u201cDHS has repeatedly refused to allow people to contact their families and lawyers, traumatizing children and families who are left searching for answers when their loved one suddenly misses after-school pickup or just doesn\u2019t come home for dinner. It\u2019s heartless and deeply un-American. This bill protects the basic right of people in this country to call their family \u2013 which often includes American citizens \u2013 when they are taken into custody. DHS has proven time and again they cannot be trusted to follow basic humanitarian principles, and it\u2019s on Congress to step in and hold them accountable.\u201d\n\n\u201cI saw with my own eyes the reality of Trump\u2019s immigration system: a mother and her four U.S. citizen children disappeared and locked in a windowless cell unable to contact a lawyer or their loved ones. The inhumanity was staggering. If we allow this to continue, we will lose who we are,\u201d said Representative Dexter. \u201cI\u2019m proud to join Senator Chris Murphy in defending the simple truth that access to legal counsel and communication with loved ones isn\u2019t a luxury, it is a fundamental human right.\u201d\n\nThe bill comes after months of credible reporting that U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) have deprived detainees\u2014including children and longtime legal residents\u2014of the ability to access a lawyer, sometimes for months at a time. People have also reportedly been taken into custody, and in some cases, transferred to facilities in other countries, without being allowed to contact their families.\n\nThe Restoring Access to Detainees Act would ensure:\n\nPeople detained, or transferred to a new facility, have the right to call their families to let them know where they are;\n\nPeople detained have an opportunity to speak confidentially with their legal counsel or to find competent legal counsel while in custody;\n\nPeople detained have an opportunity to communicate confidentially with existing oversight entities, if applicable; and\n\nThe restoration of a program from the first Trump Administration which established a process for noncitizens to call their families while they are in deportation proceedings.\n\nNotable instances of the Trump Administration cutting off detainees from their constitutionally enshrined right to legal counsel include:\n\nMahmoud Khalil, a 30-year-old Columbia University graduate and U.S. permanent resident, was arrested without a warrant and transferred across three states \u2014 from New Jersey to New York to Louisiana \u2014 where he spent more than three months in a detention center with limited access to legal counsel.\n\nKilmar Abrego Garcia, a 29-year-old from El Salvador living in Maryland, was arrested without a warrant and detained in Texas. Days later, he called his wife to tell her that he was being sent to El Salvador\u2019s notorious Terrorism Confinement Center, or CECOT \u2014 which turned out to be the last time his family heard from him until his return to the U.S. in June.\n\nA 13-year-old Brazilian national was arrested in Everett, MA and transferred to a Virginia detention center. His family and lawyers were left in the dark for days about his location or the reason for his arrest.\n\nLuis Peralta, who has lived in the U.S. since he was a child, was detained and transferred from Miami to Tacoma. Officers denied him access to his personal documents, leaving him unable to contact his family or attorney.\n\nGeorge Retes, a U.S. citizen, was detained by ICE agents and held incommunicado, leaving him unable to contact his family \u2014 who only learned what happened to him after his release.\n\nRamon Eduardo Contreras-Hernandez was denied access to legal representation after being transferred from an ICE detention center to a county jail, cutting him off from information about his own case.\n\nA ProPublica investigation found that more than 20 U.S. citizens have reported being detained for over a day without being able to call their loved ones or an attorney.\n\nCivil rights attorneys representing detainees in \u201cAlligator Alcatraz\u201d filed for a temporary restraining order against the detention center, citing systemic violations of detainees\u2019 constitutional rights to legal representation and due process.\n\nCivil rights groups including the American Immigration Lawyers Association, National Immigration Law Center, National Immigrant Justice Center, Stop AAPI Hate, and New Haven Legal Assistance Association have endorsed the Restoring Access to Detainees Act.\n\nIn the Senate, the Restoring Access to Detainees Act of 2025 is cosponsored by Senators Welch, Murphy, Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Andy Kim (D-N.J.), Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.), Ben Ray Luj\u00e1n (D-N.M.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), and Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.). The legislation is led in the House by Rep. Dexter and cosponsored by 36 additional House members.\n\nLearn more about the Restoring Access to Detainees Act.\n\nRead and download the full text of the bill.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:52:45Z"], ["https://www.welch.senate.gov/welch-leads-colleagues-in-demanding-transparency-from-hhs-on-trumprx-new-pricing-deals-with-pfizer-and-astrazeneca/", "Welch Leads Colleagues in Demanding Transparency from HHS on \u201cTrumpRx,\u201d New Pricing Deals with Pfizer and AstraZeneca", "2025-11-07", "2025", "2025-11", "Democrat", "Senate", "VT", "Peter Welch", "W000800", "www.welch.senate.gov", "welch", "https://www.welch.senate.gov/category/press-release/page/", "scraper", "Senators request answers on structure of \u201cTrumpRx\u201d and how recent drug pricing agreements will impact Medicare and Medicaid benefits\n\nWASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.), a member of the Senate Finance Committee, this week led six Senate Democrats in demanding transparency from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on the scope, structure, and legal authority of the Trump Administration\u2019s newly unveiled \u201cTrumpRx\u201d platform. In their letter to Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., the Senators requested answers about how the Administration\u2019s recent drug pricing arrangements with pharmaceutical companies Pfizer and AstraZeneca will impact patients, and existing state and federal drug pricing programs.\n\nThe Senators highlighted that while the President\u2019s \u201cTrumpRx\u201d program promises \u201cdeep discounts\u201d on brand-name medications, the Administration has not provided any detailed information on the legality and implementation of the program: \u201cWhile the announcement of TrumpRx emphasized affordability and access, direct-to-patient sales programs help only a fraction of patients\u2014those who can afford to buy their drugs out of pocket. Additionally, these direct-to-consumer discount programs do nothing to address long-term costs.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe Administration\u2019s announcement of a new Most Favored Nation (MFN)-style deal with Pfizer and AstraZeneca included much fanfare but few details about how the program will be implemented. State Medicaid programs and safety net providers rely on the Medicaid Drug Rebate Program to ensure vulnerable patients get the lowest prices,\u201d the Senators continued. \u201cThe introduction of a new, preferential pricing arrangement with individual manufacturers, absent a statutory framework, threatens to undermine these longstanding programs.\u201d\n\nThe Senators also raised concerns about potential conflicts of interest between TrumpRx and the Trump family\u2019s business dealings: \u201cBlinkRx\u2014a direct-to-patient sales platform of which President Trump\u2019s son, Donald Trump Jr., is a board member\u2014will reportedly be facilitating the TrumpRx program. The Wall Street Journal recently reported President Trump\u2019s upcoming \u2018Future of Pharmaceuticals\u2019 summit will be co-hosted by BlinkRx and 1789 Capital, a venture capital firm in which Mr. Trump Jr. is a partner. The firm invested in BlinkRx less than a year ago. These connections raise questions about potential conflicts of interest between TrumpRx and the Trump family\u2019s business dealings.\u201d\n\n\u201cGiven the wide-reaching implications for Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries, and the 340B safety-net covered entities, it is imperative that the Department provide Congress and the public with immediate transparency regarding the structure, impact, and legality of these initiatives,\u201d the Senators concluded.\n\nIn addition to Senator Welch, the letter is cosigned by Sens. Ben Ray Luj\u00e1n (D-N.M.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), and Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.).\n\nRead the full text of the Senators\u2019 letter to HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:52:45Z"], ["https://www.welch.senate.gov/welch-collins-blunt-rochester-reintroduce-bipartisan-bill-to-expand-farm-to-school-program/", "Welch, Collins, Blunt Rochester Reintroduce Bipartisan Bill to Expand Farm to School Program", "2025-11-06", "2025", "2025-11", "Democrat", "Senate", "VT", "Peter Welch", "W000800", "www.welch.senate.gov", "welch", "https://www.welch.senate.gov/category/press-release/page/", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.), a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, today joined U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.) in reintroducing the Farm to School Act, bipartisan legislation to get more fresh, locally grown foods in schools across the nation by expanding and investing in the Farm to School Program. The Senators\u2019 legislation would increase annual funding for the program, reduce barriers to applying for Farm to School Program grants, and support initiatives that deliver fresh, local foods to schools nationwide.\n\n\u201cWe all want our kids to eat well and get a quality education. The Farm to School Program has helped connect Vermont schools with fresh, local foods, and has supported nutrition and agriculture education. This program has also been a reliable lifeline for family farms as they face incredible economic pressures from all sides. Expanding this program would be a win-win for our kids and farmers alike,\u201d said Senator Welch. \u201cI\u2019m proud to join Senators Collins and Blunt Rochester in this bipartisan effort to improve childhood nutrition, uplift small farms and rural economies, and support education across America.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe Farm to School Program helps provide nutritious, locally sourced food to Maine students while supporting family farms in their communities,\u201d said Senator Collins. \u201cOur bipartisan bill would help ensure that schools and nonprofits in Maine and across the nation can continue purchasing local foods for student lunches and offering innovative agriculture and wellness lessons.\u201d\n\n\u201cFor 15 years, the Farm to School Program has brought local foods to our students\u2019 lunch tables while teaching them about nutrition and agriculture in their communities,\u201d said Senator Blunt Rochester. \u201cSupporting farmers, feeding children, and equipping them with valuable skills is a bipartisan effort. I\u2019m proud to stand alongside Senators Welch and Collins to reintroduce the Farm to School Act and look forward to increasing our investment in the leaders of tomorrow.\u201d\n\nSince its creation in 2010 through the Healthy Hunger Free Kids Act, the Farm to School Program has invested over $100 million in initiatives that feed children local foods at lunch and help teach students about food, nutrition, and agriculture in their communities. According to the 2023 Farm to School Census, school food authorities (SFAs) estimated that they spent about $1.8 billion on local food through the Farm to School Program\u201416% of their total food spending.\n\nDuring the 2022-2023 school year in Vermont, over 93% of SFAs participated in the Farm to School Program, reaching 224 schools and feeding over 50,000 students across the state. Additionally, nearly 80% of Vermont SFAs provided food, nutrition, or agricultural education, and 59% of SFAs had operating food-producing gardens in the state.\n\nHowever, the popular program\u2014which is administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)\u2014is significantly oversubscribed, with less than a quarter of grant applications receiving funding each year. The Farm to School Act would increase the program\u2019s mandatory funding from $5 million to $15 million per year and increase the maximum grant award to $500,000.\n\nAdditionally, the Farm to School Act would reduce barriers to applying for Farm to School Grants by granting USDA the authority to modify or waive the current 25% non-federal matching requirement. This legislation would also help grantees improve procurement and distribution of local food and expand the scope of the program to include pre-schools, summer food service, and after-school programs.\n\nThe Farm to School Act of 2025 is endorsed by the Food Research & Action Center, Hunger Free Vermont, and the National Farm to School Network (NFSN).\n\n\u201cHunger Free Vermont is grateful to Senator Welch for championing the Farm to School Act. Investing in Farm to School strengthens our local food systems, supports Vermont farmers, and ensures that more children can enjoy fresh, nourishing foods at school,\u201d said Anore Horton, Executive Director, Hunger Free Vermont.\n\n\u201cThe Farm to School Act of 2025 will expand critical investments in the projects benefiting kids, farmers, and their local communities across the country. Building on ten years of the popular Patrick Leahy Farm to School Grant Program, these improvements will allow more students to experience agriculture hands-on, maximize the health impact of federal child nutrition funding, spur new engagement with local farmers, circulate food dollars in communities, and strengthen the future of rural economies and our food system,\u201d said Karen Spangler, Policy Director, National Farm to School Network (NFSN). \u201cWe\u2019re grateful to Sen. Welch, Sen. Collins, and Sen. Blunt Rochester for recognizing the importance of this work.\u201d\n\nLearn more about the Farm to School Act of 2025.\n\nRead and download the full text of the bill.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:52:45Z"], ["https://www.welch.senate.gov/welch-urges-republicans-to-support-legislation-extending-aca-tax-credits-and-open-enrollment-the-answer-to-dealing-with-the-cost-of-health-care-is-not-to-take-away-insurance/", "Welch Urges Republicans to Support Legislation Extending ACA Tax Credits and Open Enrollment: \u201cThe answer to dealing with the cost of health care is not to take away insurance.\u201d", "2025-11-06", "2025", "2025-11", "Democrat", "Senate", "VT", "Peter Welch", "W000800", "www.welch.senate.gov", "welch", "https://www.welch.senate.gov/category/press-release/page/", "scraper", "Republicans block legislation to fund Affordable Care Act premium tax credits until 2028, extend Open Enrollment until May 2026\n\nWASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.), a member of the Senate Finance Committee, today urged the Senate to pass his bill that would extend funding for Affordable Care Act (ACA) premium tax credits by three years and extend nationwide Open Enrollment. In his remarks, Senator Welch highlighted how uninsured rates in states like Tennessee, Alabama, and North Carolina will skyrocket if Republicans fail to help Democrats extend ACA premium tax credits.\n\nThe bill, which would fund ACA premium tax credits until 2028 and extend the current Open Enrollment season to May 1, 2026, was blocked by Senate Republicans.\n\n\u201cI would love to get the government open, and I\u2019d love to be able to let folks know that the health care they had in 2025\u2014they\u2019ll be able to have in 2026. I\u2019d like the President to do what Presidents do\u2014and that\u2019s get the parties together in the room and negotiate an outcome that works for all of us,\u201d said Senator Welch. \u201cWe have real work to do on the cost side of health care. We really all have to take that on. But the approach to dealing with the high cost of health care can\u2019t be taking people\u2019s health care away. It has to be making the health care they have more affordable.\u201d\n\n\u201cThere is an urgency to the moment, because the Open Enrollment now, in November, is here, and families have to make decisions. And this body is literally the only institution in the United States of America that has the ability; that has the authority; that has the power to provide a remedy to the families we all care about. So, that\u2019s my plea to my Republican colleagues.\u201d\n\nWatch Senator Welch\u2019s full remarks below:\n\nRead a key excerpt from Senator Welch\u2019s remarks:\n\n\u201cYou know, President Trump\u2026he\u2019s got enormous authority, and he\u2019s got enormous influence on the Republicans in the House and in the Senate. And it would be so good if he would come and sit down and figure out how to address this problem. The simplest way to do it is to extend the tax credits, and then all of us acknowledge that we have to address the cost of health care,\u201d said Senator Welch. \u201cI know in talking to many of my Republican colleagues, you\u2019re focused on costs. Totally fair. But the answer to dealing with the cost of health care is not to take away insurance. People still get sick.\u201d\n\n\u201cI do believe the one thing we cannot do in good conscience is allow these premium tax credits to expire when what that means is that the folks we care about\u2014who have no control themselves over what the cost of health care is, they\u2019re just on the receiving end\u2014that we\u2019ve got to extend those. That can bring us time to start addressing some of the concerns that my colleagues have about the cost of health care.\u201d\n\n\u2022\u2022\u2022\n\nOver 24 million Americans rely on the ACA\u2019s tax credits to afford health care. In Vermont, nearly 30,000 people rely on ACA tax credits to afford health care. Without ACA tax credits, a Vermont family of four making $130,000 a year that currently pays $1,195 a month for a baseline health care plan can expect to pay $3,035 a month for that same plan\u2014a $22,080 annual increase. A Vermont family of four making about $64,000 a year will pay 920% more.\n\nRead and download the full text of the legislation here.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:52:45Z"], ["https://www.welch.senate.gov/as-supreme-court-hears-arguments-on-trumps-tariffs-welch-and-colleagues-join-small-businesses-to-decry-trade-war/", "As Supreme Court Hears Arguments on Trump\u2019s Tariffs, Welch and Colleagues Join Small Businesses to Decry Trade War", "2025-11-05", "2025", "2025-11", "Democrat", "Senate", "VT", "Peter Welch", "W000800", "www.welch.senate.gov", "welch", "https://www.welch.senate.gov/category/press-release/page/", "scraper", "Welch: \u201cWe are urging the Court to do something simple: read the Constitution.\u201d\n\nWASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.), a member of the Senate Finance Committee, today joined Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Administration Ed Markey (D-Mass.), alongside Ranking Member of the Senate Finance Committee. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Ranking Member of the Agriculture Committee Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), and small business owners in condemning the negative impact of President Trump\u2019s chaotic tariff policies on small businesses. The Senators and small business owners called on the Supreme Court to uphold previous court decisions and strike down Trump\u2019s use of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to impose reckless, global tariffs.\n\n\u201cThe small businesses that are so much the focus of community life, who do so much for the well-being of our communities that are under such pressure\u2014it\u2019s our small businesses, our bakers, our small farms, our small manufacturers\u2014they\u2019re getting hit every single day with something new on the tariff front,\u201d said Senator Welch.\n\n\u201cBottom line: there should be no tariffs unless Congress acts. What\u2019s at stake here is the separation of powers and the system of checks and balances. Congress has the taxing authority\u2014we can be held accountable if people don\u2019t like the vote that we make. That\u2019s been hijacked, not by an emergency, but by a presidential whim. We want the Supreme Court to do, really, the simplest thing possible, and that is stand up for enforcing the Constitution.\u201d\n\nWatch a livestream of the press conference below:\n\nVermont boasts nearly 82,000 small businesses, which represent 99% of all businesses in the state, and employ over 62% of Vermont\u2019s overall workforce\u2014higher than the national average. Small businesses in Vermont also employ a diverse workforce, with 43.8% of small businesses in the state owned by women and 6% owned by veterans.\n\nPresident Trump\u2019s turbulent changes and modifications to his tariff proposals and policies have been difficult to navigate for small businesses across the United States, especially in Vermont, where Canada is the state\u2019s largest trading partner. Small business importers paid an average of $90,000 in tariffs from April to July. In June, 44% of small business owners reported a loss in revenue from the month before, and U.S. small businesses have reported average revenue losses of 13% as a result of Trump\u2019s tariffs.\n\nAdditionally, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce has projected that small businesses should expect to pay up to $202 billion annually as a result of Trump\u2019s tariffs\u2014nearly $856,000 per small business. These costs are ultimately passed onto consumers, where Trump\u2019s tariffs are expected to cost U.S. households $2,400 annually.\n\nSenator Welch is the leading sponsor of the CANADA Act, bipartisan legislation that would exempt United States-owned small businesses from tariffs imposed on Canada from the April 2 global tariff Executive Order. The Senator also voted in favor of bipartisan legislation to restrict the executive branch\u2019s authority to impose tariffs through the IEEPA, which passed the Senate with bipartisan support last week.\n\nThe Senator has hosted roundtables in Stowe, Newport, St. Albans, Manchester, and virtually to hear concerns and first-hand stories from Vermont and Canadian businesses impacted by the trade war.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:52:45Z"], ["https://www.welch.senate.gov/welch-leads-resolution-honoring-life-and-legacy-of-dr-jane-goodall/", "Welch Leads Resolution Honoring Life and Legacy of Dr. Jane Goodall", "2025-11-05", "2025", "2025-11", "Democrat", "Senate", "VT", "Peter Welch", "W000800", "www.welch.senate.gov", "welch", "https://www.welch.senate.gov/category/press-release/page/", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2014 U.S. Senator Peter Welch today led 16 Democratic Senators in introducing a resolution honoring the life, leadership, and legacy of Dr. Jane Goodall, one of the world\u2019s most celebrated ethologists and environmental conservationists.\n\nThe Senators\u2019 resolution pays tribute to Dr. Goodall\u2019s lifelong dedication to global wildlife conservation and advocacy for the survival and ethical treatment of all living things. The resolution also acknowledges her tireless efforts to educate the public and especially children about the importance of working together to protect the natural environment.\n\n\u201cDr. Jane Goodall fundamentally changed our understanding of the complex emotional and social behavior of animals, and she inspired generations of people on every continent to become actively involved in environmental conservation,\u201d said Senator Welch. \u201cBy honoring her with this resolution, we rededicate ourselves to continuing her remarkable legacy of advocacy for the protection of wildlife and the conservation of nature,\u201d\n\nIn addition to Senator Welch, the resolution is supported by Sens. Chris Coons (D-Del.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.).\n\nRead and download the full text of the resolution.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:52:45Z"], ["https://www.welch.senate.gov/welch-statement-ahead-of-supreme-court-decision-on-trumps-global-tariffs/", "Welch Statement Ahead of Supreme Court Decision on Trump\u2019s Global Tariffs", "2025-11-04", "2025", "2025-11", "Democrat", "Senate", "VT", "Peter Welch", "W000800", "www.welch.senate.gov", "welch", "https://www.welch.senate.gov/category/press-release/page/", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2014 U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.), a member of the Senate Finance Committee, released the following statement ahead of oral arguments in Learning Resources v. Trump and Trump v. V.O.S. Selections, Inc., cases challenging the legality of President Trump\u2019s use of a 1977 law to impose global tariffs:\n\n\u201cPresident Trump has no authority under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act to impose new taxes\u2014these tariffs hurt America\u2019s small businesses, farmers, and working families. Markets are being destroyed, inflation and consumer prices are rising, and chaos is constantly swirling.\n\n\u201cJust last week, the Senate voted to pass three bipartisan bills to rebuff President Trump\u2019s reckless trade war and reassert our constitutional authority. Now, this White House is attempting to bypass Congress by turning to the Supreme Court, hoping the conservative Justices will reverse the lower courts\u2019 decisions and give the president a green light to abuse his power. The Court has an obligation to stand up to this illegal power grab by the Executive, and Congress has an obligation to reassert our authority over taxation and tariffs.\u201d\n\nThe Supreme Court is scheduled to hear arguments in Learning Resources v. Trump and Trump v. V.O.S. Selections, Inc. on Wednesday, November 5, 2025.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:52:45Z"], ["https://www.welch.senate.gov/welch-joins-bill-to-expand-social-security-veterans-affairs-benefits/", "Welch Joins\u00a0Bill to Expand Social Security, Veterans Affairs Benefits", "2025-11-03", "2025", "2025-11", "Democrat", "Senate", "VT", "Peter Welch", "W000800", "www.welch.senate.gov", "welch", "https://www.welch.senate.gov/category/press-release/page/", "scraper", "Legislation would increase benefits by $200 per month for six months, offering relief while costs rise due to Trump\u2019s chaotic tariffs, Republicans\u2019 health care cuts\n\nWASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) joined U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), and eight Senate Democrats in introducing the Social Security Emergency Inflation Relief Act, legislation to provide rapid relief by expanding Social Security and Veterans Affairs benefits by $200 per month for six months. The bill follows a recent cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) at just $56 per month, on average.\n\n\u201cPresident Trump\u2019s reckless economic policies are raising costs for seniors left and right\u2014from the grocery store to the pharmacy counter. For seniors living on a fixed income, the President\u2019s tariffs and rising inflation have meant that their Social Security benefits don\u2019t stretch as far as they used to,\u201d said Senator Welch. \u201cOur bill provides a financial lifeline to seniors to help them weather the disastrous impacts of Trump\u2019s trade war.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhile Donald Trump sends $40 billion to Argentina, I\u2019m proposing sending American seniors on Social Security an extra $200 a month to offset higher prices. The cost of everything from coffee to beef to health care is up, in large part due Trump\u2019s chaotic tariffs, and Democrats are fighting to deliver some financial relief and lower costs for Americans,\u201d said Senator Warren. \u201cThis new legislation to expand Social Security is an emergency lifeline for seniors struggling to afford Trump\u2019s tariffs and rising inflation.\u201d\n\n\u201cTrump campaigned on lowering costs, but all he has done is raise tariffs, slash healthcare benefits, and sabotage energy projects, increasing prices on everything from groceries to electricity,\u201d said Leader Schumer. \u201cSeniors face difficult decisions as they see their bank accounts shrinking and the Social Security cost-of-living adjustment is simply not reflective of the current reality. I urge Republicans to join with us to help offset the cost of Trump\u2019s inflationary trade war and give seniors the money they deserve.\u201d\n\n\u201cSeniors, families and Americans with disabilities can\u2019t keep up with the higher costs Donald Trump is inflicting on the country. Trump has fanned the flames of inflation and passed out tax breaks to billionaires, betraying his promises to lower costs yet again. Democrats are fighting back to help seniors afford basic necessities while Trump refuses to lift a finger,\u201d said Senator Wyden.\n\nIn addition to Senators Welch, Warren, Wyden, and Leader Schumer, the bill is also cosponsored by Sens. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), and Tina Smith (D-Minn.).\n\nThe Social Security Emergency Inflation Relief Act would provide critical relief to Americans living on a fixed income by providing a $200 per month emergency increase to Social Security checks until July 2026. The legislation would also support all Title II Social Security beneficiaries, Supplemental Security Income (SSI) beneficiaries, Railroad Retirement beneficiaries, veteran disability compensation, and veteran pension benefit annuitants.\n\nJust last week, the Trump administration announced that the 2026 cost of living adjustment will be 2.8%\u2014equivalent to just $56 extra a month on average. Meanwhile, thanks to President Trump\u2019s chaotic tariffs and the Republicans\u2019 giant health care cuts, prices\u2014particularly for food and health care\u2014are rising quickly, leaving families struggling to afford basic necessities. This new bill would provide relief to seniors, veterans, and Americans with disabilities who live on a fixed income and are being flattened by Trump\u2019s economy.\n\nThe President\u2019s failing economy hits American seniors and people with disabilities especially hard. Half of all American seniors rely on Social Security for half of their income, while Social Security is the sole source of income for one in every four seniors. Due to stringent eligibility requirements, SSI and Social Security Disability Insurance benefits are even more likely to be the sole source of income for their beneficiaries. Over half of seniors\u2019 monthly spending is on housing, food, and transportation\u2014all basic necessities that are only becoming less affordable in Trump\u2019s economy.\n\nThe Trump Administration has also gutted the workforce and in-person services at the Social Security Administration, ultimately making it far more difficult for seniors to claim their benefits at a time when those monthly checks are more critical than ever.\n\nRead and download the full text of the legislation.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:52:45Z"], ["https://www.welch.senate.gov/welch-joins-schiff-senate-democrats-in-demanding-answers-on-financing-of-president-trumps-white-house-ballroom/", "Welch Joins Schiff, Senate Democrats in Demanding Answers on Financing of President Trump\u2019s White House Ballroom", "2025-11-03", "2025", "2025-11", "Democrat", "Senate", "VT", "Peter Welch", "W000800", "www.welch.senate.gov", "welch", "https://www.welch.senate.gov/category/press-release/page/", "scraper", "Letter comes after Trump demolished the White House\u2019s historic East Wing\n\nWASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, joined fellow Senate Judiciary Democrat Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) in launching a new push for answers into the financing of President Trump\u2019s White House ballroom, which includes private donations from individuals and corporations whose business interests are directly impacted by the Administration and its decisions.\n\nIn a letter to White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles following the recent release of a list of donors, the Senators emphasize that the Trump Administration\u2019s approach to financing the ballroom raises troubling questions about the potential for influence peddling and other forms of corruption.\n\n\u201cTo assess possible conflicts of interest and violations of law and ethics obligations, Congress and the American public deserve meaningful transparency. We, therefore, request a complete accounting of all donations to the White House ballroom construction project, including the conditions under which contributions were made,\u201d wrote the lawmakers.\n\nThe Senators are requesting all information related to the ballroom\u2019s financing, including the amount of each financial contribution, which donors have existing business with the federal government\u2014including applications for federal contracts, ongoing litigation, and pending regulatory approvals. The Senators are also seeking information about whether the President or any Executive Branch official sought guidance from ethics officials on whether it is permissible to accept private donations, and about any guardrails the Administration put in place to ensure donors don\u2019t have unfair access to the President or members of his Administration as a result of their contribution to the ballroom.\n\n\u201cAmong these donors are corporations recently awarded federal contracts worth millions of dollars in revenue, many with close ties to Administration officials. These circumstances risk blatant corruption as these companies and their stakeholders seek to position themselves in the government\u2019s good graces,\u201d the lawmakers continued.\n\nIn addition to Senators Welch and Schiff, the letter was cosigned by Senate Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Sens. Alex Padilla (D-Calif), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), and Jack Reed (D-R.I.).\n\nRead and download the full text of the Senators\u2019 letter to White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:52:45Z"], ["https://www.welch.senate.gov/welch-joins-health-care-providers-farmers-and-patients-in-berlin-ahead-of-start-of-open-enrollment/", "Welch Joins Health Care Providers, Farmers, and Patients in Berlin Ahead of Start of Open Enrollment", "2025-10-31", "2025", "2025-10", "Democrat", "Senate", "VT", "Peter Welch", "W000800", "www.welch.senate.gov", "welch", "https://www.welch.senate.gov/category/press-release/page/", "scraper", "BERLIN, VT \u2014 Today, U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) joined health care providers, farmers, and patients at the Central Vermont Medical Center (CVMC) in Berlin to discuss looming premium rate increases ahead of the beginning of Open Enrollment on Saturday, November 1st. Senator Welch discussed the urgent need to extend Affordable Care Act\u2019s (ACA) enhanced premium tax credits, which help nearly 27,000 Vermonters access health coverage through the ACA marketplace, including working families, small business owners, and seniors. Senate Republicans have, so far, refused to negotiate an extension of the tax credits and help reopen the government.\n\n\u201cWe already know what\u2019s at stake for families that count on ACA tax credits to access health care when open enrollment begins tomorrow. Folks in Vermont and in Texas, folks in red and blue states alike, are going to face price increases they can\u2019t afford\u2014all because Republicans refuse to work with us to reopen the government. That means that families already struggling with rising costs will be faced with impossible choices, like paying rent or their mortgage\u2014or affording health care. Without these tax credits, Vermont families will see rates double or triple, and hospitals will lose out on vital revenue. I\u2019ll keep pushing President Trump and Republicans to work with us to help patients and rural care providers,\u201d said Senator Welch.\n\nView photos from the tour below and on the Senator\u2019s website:\n\nWhen Open Enrollment begins tomorrow, 24 million Americans across the country will try to shop for health insurance that they can no longer afford. Without ACA subsidies, a Vermont family of four making $130,000 a year that currently pays $1,195 a month for a baseline health care plan can expect to pay $3,035 a month for that same plan\u2014a $22,080 annual increase. A Vermont family of four making about $64,000 a year will pay 920% more for their premiums.\n\nThis Congress, Senator Welch has led the introduction of several bills to make health care more accessible and affordable for Vermonters, including the 340B Pharmaceutical Access To Invest in Essential, Needed Treatments & Support (PATIENTS) Act, Eliminating Thickets to Improve Competition (ETHIC) Act, Maximizing Opioid Recovery Emergency (MORE) Savings Act, Strengthening Medicare and Reducing Taxpayer (SMART) Prices Act, Fair Prescription Drug Prices for Americans Act, End Price Gouging for Medications Act, Creating Opportunities Now for Necessary and Effective Care Technologies (CONNECT) for Health Act, Fair Funding for Rural Hospitals Act, and the Rural Hospital Support Act.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:32:54Z"], ["https://www.welch.senate.gov/welch-applauds-senate-passage-of-bipartisan-legislation-to-repeal-trumps-global-tariffs-calls-on-house-to-take-up-final-passage/", "Welch Applauds Senate Passage of Bipartisan Legislation to Repeal Trump\u2019s Global Tariffs, Calls on House to Take Up Final Passage", "2025-10-30", "2025", "2025-10", "Democrat", "Senate", "VT", "Peter Welch", "W000800", "www.welch.senate.gov", "welch", "https://www.welch.senate.gov/category/press-release/page/", "scraper", "Bill to reverse Trump\u2019s price-hiking global tariffs passed the Senate with bipartisan support\n\nWASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 Today, U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.), a member of the Senate Finance Committee, joined Ranking Member Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Sens. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) in applauding the Senate\u2019s passage of their bipartisan legislation to repeal Donald Trump\u2019s global tariffs. The measure passed on a 51-47 vote this afternoon. The Senators introduced a similar measure in April, which narrowly failed. The resolution, along with the similar resolutions to repeal the tariffs on products Americans buy from Canada and Brazil, next heads to the House.\n\n\u201cThe Senate\u2019s passage of our bipartisan resolution makes it crystal clear: we will not continue to sit by and relinquish our authority on trade policy while the President\u2019s trade war throws families into financial crisis. Trump\u2019s tariffs have been especially brutal for Vermont\u2019s economy, farmers, and businesses\u2013and the same is true for folks in red and blue states across the country,\u201d said Senator Welch. \u201cI applaud my colleagues who crossed the aisle to help us pass this vital legislation to reassert the Senate\u2019s constitutional authority on what tariff policy should be in this country. The House must urgently take up and pass this legislation to prevent President Trump\u2019s reckless tariffs from ruining more lives and livelihoods.\u201d\n\n\u201cFor the third day in a row, bipartisan senators have made it clear that it\u2019s time to put a stake in the heart of Donald Trump\u2019s job-killing trade taxes,\u201d said Senator Wyden. \u201cThese three Senate-passed bills are now pending in the House, where Speaker Johnson has done everything in his power to ensure they won\u2019t get a vote. Every time Americans pay more for their TV, groceries or car payment they\u2019re going to know it\u2019s because House Republicans were too afraid to vote to protect them. I\u2019ll continue working with my colleagues to give Republicans opportunities to put their constituents ahead of blind loyalty to Donald Trump.\u201d\n\n\u201cThis week, the Senate sent a strong message to the administration: Trump\u2019s erratic tariffs and irrational trade war is an illegal tax driving up costs on the American people,\u201d said Leader Schumer. \u201cCongressional authority must be reasserted over trade. The livelihood of the American people and small businesses are at stake. I urge the House to drop their fealty to Trump, stand up for the American people, and pass the repeal of these damaging global tariffs.\u201d\n\n\u201cPresident Trump\u2019s broad-based global tariffs are making prices go up for Virginia families and creating uncertainty that hurts our businesses,\u201d said Senator Kaine. \u201cWith the holidays right around the corner, the harm created by these new taxes are only going to get worse. I\u2019m glad the Senate fulfilled its constitutional duty to weigh in on matters of taxation by voting to undo these disastrous tariffs. If the House fails to take up this legislation, it will show that Republicans are fine with punishing American families and businesses with higher prices, fewer jobs and slower growth.\u201d\n\n\u201cIt is past time to end this so-called \u2018national emergency\u2019 that has increased prices for families and businesses alike through an unprecedented tariff tax on Americans,\u201d said Senator Shaheen. \u201cThe President does not have the authority to unilaterally hike taxes on Americans, throw our trade system and manufacturers into disarray and raise prices on household goods.\u201d\n\nIn the wake of Trump\u2019s global tariffs declaration, costs have increased, manufacturers have laid off thousands of workers and halted domestic investments, and foreign countries have sharply cut purchases of American agricultural exports.\n\nThis bipartisan measure would terminate the emergency that President Trump declared. It now moves to the House of Representatives to become legally binding.\n\nRead and download the full text of the resolution.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:32:54Z"], ["https://www.welch.senate.gov/welch-gluesenkamp-perez-lead-bicameral-legislation-to-provide-farmers-with-the-right-to-repair/", "Welch, Gluesenkamp Perez Lead Bicameral Legislation to Provide Farmers with the Right to Repair", "2025-10-30", "2025", "2025-10", "Democrat", "Senate", "VT", "Peter Welch", "W000800", "www.welch.senate.gov", "welch", "https://www.welch.senate.gov/category/press-release/page/", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.), a member of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy, and Consumer Rights, this week joined U.S. Representative Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-WA-03) in introducing the Freedom for Agricultural Repair and Maintenance Act (FARM Act), bicameral legislation to give farmers the right to repair their own equipment and restore competition in the agricultural repair market. The lawmakers\u2019 bill would require farm equipment manufacturers to share documentation, parts, and software with farmers and independent repairers, giving farmers back the autonomy to fix their own equipment and support their farms.\n\nThe bill is cosponsored in the Senate by Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and John Fetterman (D-Pa.) and in the House by Rep. Joe Neguse (D-CO-02).\n\n\u201cFarmers are fixers. It only makes sense that farmers should have the right to repair their own equipment, which is vital to saving money and maintaining operations. But right now, lack of a federal right to repair means that farmers in Vermont have to waste valuable time and resources getting someone else to fix their equipment\u2013even if they can do it themselves,\u201d said Senator Welch. \u201cOur bicameral legislation will help protect farmers from rip-offs and ensure they have the right to fix their own equipment.\u201d\n\n\u201cFarmers work tirelessly to feed this country. They shouldn\u2019t have to wait for weeks on end and pay sky-high prices for a manufacturer to fix essential farm equipment that farmers already know how to repair themselves,\u201d said Senator Warren. \u201cOur bill is a commonsense solution: it fights back against the manufacturers\u2019 greed and will save our farmers billions every year in repair costs.\u201d\n\n\u201cFor farmers across Pennsylvania, a broken tractor right before a harvest can ruin months of hard work. Time is money,\u201d said Senator Fetterman. \u201cOur farmers should have the freedom to repair their own equipment without having to travel hours on hours to the nearest approved service center or being price gouged on repair software subscriptions. I\u2019m proud to join my colleagues on this bill so we can help protect farmers and their right to repair.\u201d\n\n\u201cI\u2019ve heard directly from farmers across Colorado that delays to repairs for their equipment can mean thousands of dollars in lost crops. A national Right to Repair Law is a common-sense solution to ensuring these folks have more options to fix broken machinery in a timely manner,\u201d said Rep. Neguse. \u201cI\u2019m proud to join with my colleagues in introducing the FARM Act and look forward to working together to get it across the finish line.\u201d\n\nManufacturing companies\u2019 exploitation of the equipment repair market creates undue financial hardships for farmers, leaving them without vital functioning equipment for long periods of time. In 2023, U.S. farmers lost an estimated total of $4.2 billion a year as a result of these practices: $3 billion to tractor downtime and $1.2 billion in excess repair costs.\n\nThe FARM Act defines what type of information Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM) are required to provide to make repair accessible. If the OEM does not have the digital or physical tools available, they are required to provide sufficient information to create the tools. This bill also gives the Federal Trade Commission the ability to enforce these requirements and the authority to make rules to assist in the implementation of these requirements.\n\nThe FARM Act is endorsed by the American Economic Liberties Project, FULU Foundation, National Farmers Union (NFU), and the United States Public Interest Research Group (U.S. PIRG).\n\n\u201cAs grain farmers, we have very tight planting and harvest schedules. Where we farm, the timing of planting seed is essential. So, when we\u2019re forced to wait days for the equipment dealer to come to the farm for repairs\u2014that only they can do because the information is locked in their computers\u2014 we often lose the opportunity to replant on time and have a crop to harvest the following season. When we buy farm equipment, especially expensive investments like tractors, we should have the right and freedom to fully repair it if something goes wrong. Without a right to repair, we\u2019ve seen an increase in labor rates of equipment dealers, which drives farmers deeper into debt and jeopardizes the lives of farm families,\u201d said Todd Hardie, Vermont grain farmer, President of the Northern Grain Growers Collaborative, and Board Member of the Northeast Organic Farming Association of Vermont (NOFA-VT). \u201cI support Senator Welch\u2019s FARM Act to ensure farmers have the right to repair their equipment.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe Freedom for Agricultural Repair and Maintenance Act is a major step toward restoring fairness and independence for farmers who just want to fix their own equipment,\u201d said Rob Larew, President, National Farmers Union (NFU). \u201cBy ensuring fair and affordable access to the parts, tools, and information they need, this bill levels the playing field for our family farmers and ranchers. We thank Senators Welch, Warren, and Fetterman for their leadership on this issue, and we look forward to working with them to get this bill across the finish line.\u201d\n\n\u201cIf farm equipment breaks down at the wrong time and farmers can\u2019t get it fixed, they can be forced to watch their crop\u2014and their livelihood\u2014wither on the vine. Too many farmers have told us that they are not able to fix their own equipment, even some that have paid thousands of dollars for repair tools, which the manufacturers intentionally limit. The answer to this problem is simple: Let farmers fix their stuff. We\u2019re grateful to our legislative champions like Sens. Peter Welch, Elizabeth Warren and John Fetterman for standing for farmers, and, frankly, for common sense,\u201d said Nathan Proctor, Senior Director, U.S. PIRG\u2019s Right to Repair Campaign.\n\nLearn more about the FARM Act of 2025 and read a section-by-section summary of the bill.\n\nRead and download the full text of the bill.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:32:54Z"], ["https://www.welch.senate.gov/welch-marshall-reintroduce-bipartisan-legislation-to-expand-access-to-broadband-internet-in-rural-communities/", "Welch, Marshall Reintroduce Bipartisan Legislation to Expand Access to Broadband Internet in Rural Communities", "2025-10-30", "2025", "2025-10", "Democrat", "Senate", "VT", "Peter Welch", "W000800", "www.welch.senate.gov", "welch", "https://www.welch.senate.gov/category/press-release/page/", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Ranking Member of the Senate Agriculture Subcommittee on Rural Development, Energy, and Credit, today joined U.S. Senator Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) in reintroducing the ReConnecting Rural America Act, bipartisan legislation to reauthorize and strengthen the U.S. Department of Agriculture\u2019s (USDA) ReConnect Loan and Grant Program. ReConnect plays a central role in expanding access to high-speed broadband in rural communities, where broadband access is severely limited compared to what is available in urban and suburban areas.\n\n\u201cThe last few years have shown all of us how important high-speed broadband is to our communities. From online school and remote work to telemedicine, a good connection is essential,\u201d said Senator Welch. \u201cMany rural communities don\u2019t have access to broadband at all, let alone the higher speeds needed to participate in today\u2019s digital economy. Our bipartisan legislation will help more Americans access the service they need, with the help of USDA\u2019s ReConnect Loan and Grant program. I\u2019m glad to partner with Senator Marshall on this important bill.\u201d\n\n\u201cJust as the great Kansan President Eisenhower understood the importance of investing in our nation\u2019s highways in the 1950s, we must invest in the critical highway of our time: reliable, high-speed internet,\u201d said Senator Marshall. \u201cBroadband isn\u2019t a luxury \u2013 it\u2019s essential for our way of life. From family farms to schools to small businesses, rural communities depend on connectivity now more than ever. The ReConnecting Rural America Act will help bring rural Kansas up to speed, and I am proud to work with Senator Welch to reintroduce this important legislation.\u201d\n\nAs of early 2025, over a third of Americans lack access to one or no broadband provider. Recent data reports that more than 45 million Americans lack fixed terrestrial 100/20 Mbps broadband, the Federal Communications Commission\u2019s (FCC) minimum standard for broadband speed. Many Americans, in particular in rural areas, lack access to higher-speed 100/100 Mbps service required to telecommute, access telemedicine, or participate in remote schooling.\n\nThe ReConnecting Rural America Act of 2025 will codify and clarify components of the ReConnect Program and, in so doing, reduce red tape and speed broadband deployment. The bill will:\n\nEstablish 100/100 Mbps symmetrical buildout speeds for ReConnect.\n\nClarify that USDA can make grants, loans, or grant-loan combinations under ReConnect.\n\nSet unserved definitions to ensure ReConnect reaches those who need broadband the most, and not building broadband where it is not needed.\n\nClarify that Communications Union Districts are eligible entities under ReConnect.\n\nImprove coordination and communication among stakeholders at the federal level.\n\nThe ReConnecting Rural America Act of 2025 is endorsed by the Fiber Broadband Association.\n\n\u201cThe Fiber Broadband Association (FBA) commends Senator Roger Marshall, M.D. (R-KS) and Senator Peter Welch (D-VT) for reintroducing the Reconnecting Rural America Act in the U.S. Senate. This critical legislation represents another important step toward closing the digital divide and expanding access to symmetric, high-speed, future-proof broadband networks in rural communities across the country. By clarifying how the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) administers grants and loans under the ReConnect program, the bill ensures that federal investments are used effectively and efficiently to deliver fast, reliable, and scalable broadband to unserved and underserved areas. FBA applauds this bipartisan commitment to strengthening America\u2019s broadband infrastructure and ensuring that every household, business, and community has the connectivity needed to thrive in today\u2019s digital economy,\u201d said Gary Bolton, CEO, FBA.\n\nRead more about USDA\u2019s ReConnect Loan and Grant Program here.\n\nAs Ranking Member of the Senate Agriculture Subcommittee on Rural Development, Energy, and Credit, Senator Welch has led the fight to expand access to affordable, high-speed internet across America. In January, Senator Welch pushed then-USDA Secretary nominee Brooke Rollins to support broadband buildout in rural communities. Last Congress, Senator Welch helped secure more than $17 million through USDA\u2019s ReConnect Program to support NEK Community Broadband\u2019s efforts to help low-income Vermonters access affordable broadband.\n\nRead and download the full text of the bill.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:32:54Z"], ["https://www.welch.senate.gov/welch-slams-trumps-trade-war-for-hurting-vermont-farmers-the-market-is-absolutely-destroyed/", "Welch Slams Trump\u2019s Trade War for Hurting Vermont Farmers: \u201cThe market is absolutely destroyed.\u201d", "2025-10-30", "2025", "2025-10", "Democrat", "Senate", "VT", "Peter Welch", "W000800", "www.welch.senate.gov", "welch", "https://www.welch.senate.gov/category/press-release/page/", "scraper", "Sen. Welch: \u201cMuch of what the farm community is facing is a result of policies that have been allowed to take place by this Congress. And we all revere the hard work of our farmers, but we\u2019ve got to do some work of our own and address these policies\u2026The market is absolutely destroyed, and that is directly a result of the tariffs. This is killing these guys, and we\u2019ve got to acknowledge that and get their markets back.\n\n\u201cThere is discussion right now about taking some of that tariff money and sending it to farmers. And God knows, I support getting some aid to farmers. But let me ask you this question: Do the soybean and corn farmers in Iowa\u2014would they prefer to work hard and sell their product to a market, or get a government handout?\u201d\n\nMr. Coppess: \u201cThank you for the question. We don\u2019t want to live by the government\u2019s hand. We\u2019re fine being the tip of the sword if we can correct the greater problems and have a better long-term future.\u201d\n\nSen. Welch: \u201cBut the point here is, you want to be self-reliant, you want to sell, you want to produce, you want to work hard, you don\u2019t want a government handout\u2014right?\u201d\n\nMr. Coppess: \u201cWe would like to have fair trade.\u201d\n\nSen. Welch: \u201cI am totally with you.\u201d\n\nSen. Welch: \u201cYou know, we\u2019ve got the phosphate, as you mentioned, that is everywhere\u201414% increase in price in Vermont for our farmers. They have no control over that\u2014we mostly import it from Canada. Is that an input cost that is also going up in Iowa?\u201d\n\nMr. Coppess: \u201cIt is. On our farm, we minimize the use of phosphate down to an absolute necessity where we have to have it. It is simply a negative return.\u201d\n\nSen. Welch: \u201c\u2026The tariffs are really hurting us in Vermont, my dairy farmers. And this drought, which they don\u2019t complain about, is just something they\u2019ve got to deal with\u2026They cannot control the weather. They cannot control a lot of things. But we can control some policies that will make it possible for another five generations to keep going.\u201d", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:32:54Z"], ["https://www.welch.senate.gov/welch-cosponsored-bipartisan-resolution-to-block-trumps-disastrous-tariffs-on-canada-passes-out-of-senate/", "Welch-Cosponsored Bipartisan Resolution to Block Trump\u2019s Disastrous Tariffs on Canada Passes Out of Senate", "2025-10-29", "2025", "2025-10", "Democrat", "Senate", "VT", "Peter Welch", "W000800", "www.welch.senate.gov", "welch", "https://www.welch.senate.gov/category/press-release/page/", "scraper", "Before the vote, Welch slammed Trump\u2019s reckless trade war and called on Congress to reassert its authority on trade policy\n\nWASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.), a member of the Senate Finance Committee, today voted in favor of a bipartisan resolution to end President Trump\u2019s reckless tariffs on Canadian imports\u2014a tax on Vermont businesses and manufacturers, farmers, and families. The resolution, led by Senator Tim Kaine (D-Va.) and cosponsored by Senator Welch, challenges President Trump\u2019s tariffs on billions of dollars of goods from Canada. The measure passed out of the Senate Wednesday evening.\n\nThe Senators\u2019 resolution would terminate the February 1 emergency declaration that President Trump used to launch his trade war with Canada and would eliminate many of the tariffs on Canadian imports implemented as a result.\n\n\u201cI urge all of us in the Senate to reassert our own authority, under Article I\u2014which gives to the Congress the power to tax, the power to impose tariffs or not\u2014and to not have us continue to relinquish the authority and responsibility we have, as the United States Senate, to an Executive. This is our responsibility, and part of that reason is because we are close to people who are affected by these policies,\u201d said Senator Welch. \u201cIt is a shirking of responsibility for the United States Senate to essentially cede that authority to a President, particularly when we\u2019re seeing\u2026the harmful impacts on folks in our states\u2014businesses in our states, farmers and ranchers in our states\u2014that are working hard to try to pull things together and keep their businesses going, our economy going, and contributing to the well-being of our country.\n\n\u201cI call on the President to reconsider what damages these tariffs are doing. I call on our United States Senate to reassert its authority and be the decider of what tariff policy shall be in this country.\u201d\n\nThe tariffs were imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), an unprecedented use of the nearly 50-year-old statute. Next week, the Supreme Court will hear a case on the President\u2019s authority to impose tariffs under IEEPA.\n\nWatch Senator Welch\u2019s full remarks from the Senate floor below:\n\nIn his remarks, Senator Welch highlighted that Canada is the largest trading partner for 34 U.S. states, including Vermont. In 2024 alone, trade with Canada accounted for 35% of Vermont\u2019s exports, 67% of imports, and 56% of its total trade. One in four businesses in Vermont relies on trade with Canada.\n\nThe Senate\u2019s vote comes shortly after newly released inflation data showed that consumer prices rose in September at their fastest pace in eight months. The IEEPA tariffs are the largest tax increase on American families in recent history. Since Trump launched his trade war with Canada, exports of U.S. distilled spirits declined by about 85%, and tourism from Canada to the U.S. fell by nearly 34%. Public opinion surveys have overwhelmingly demonstrated that the American people do not support Trump\u2019s trade wars. According to a recent survey by Public First, 43% of American adults opposed applying tariffs to Canada.\n\nIn addition to Senators Welch and Kaine, the bipartisan resolution was cosponsored by Senator Rand Paul (R-Ky.), Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), and Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Angus King (I-Maine), Mark Warner (D-Va.), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.).\n\nSenator Welch is a cosponsor of a bipartisan resolution to repeal the tariffs on Canada, a bipartisan bill to restore congressional tariff authority, a bill to restrict the executive branch\u2019s authority to impose tariffs through the IEEPA, and a bill to exempt small businesses from the April 2nd global tariff Executive Order. Senator Welch also led a bipartisan resolution to end President Trump\u2019s ruinous global tariffs in April.\n\nIn May, Senator Welch joined a bipartisan delegation and traveled to Ottawa to meet with Canadian dignitaries, including Prime Minister Mark Carney, to discuss bipartisan support for a U.S.-Canada partnership and their commitment to a strong trading relationship between the United States and Canada. The Senator has hosted roundtables in Stowe, Newport, St. Albans, Manchester, and virtually to hear concerns and first-hand stories from Vermont and Canadian leaders impacted by the trade war.\n\nRead and download the full text of the resolution.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:32:54Z"], ["https://www.welch.senate.gov/welch-leads-senate-judiciary-democrats-in-demanding-answers-from-doj-on-trumps-military-actions-in-the-caribbean-sea-and-pacific-ocean/", "Welch Leads Senate Judiciary Democrats in Demanding Answers from DOJ on Trump\u2019s Military Actions in the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean", "2025-10-29", "2025", "2025-10", "Democrat", "Senate", "VT", "Peter Welch", "W000800", "www.welch.senate.gov", "welch", "https://www.welch.senate.gov/category/press-release/page/", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2014 U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on The Constitution, and Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) today led every Senate Judiciary Committee Democrat in demanding answers from the Department of Justice (DOJ) about the legality of military actions ordered by President Trump that have already killed 57 individuals in the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean. In their letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi, the Senators highlight how the President\u2019s recent strikes may violate an Executive Order, various statutes of U.S. law, and the United States Code of Military Justice. The Senators also slammed the Trump Administration for undermining bipartisan efforts to curb drug trafficking, which has had devastating impacts on American families and communities.\n\n\u201cSummarily killing criminal suspects is prohibited under domestic and international law in both peacetime and wartime. These recent strikes raise numerous questions about whether the Department provided adequate legal guidance to those involved in ordering, planning, and carrying out the killings,\u201d wrote the Senators. \u201cIn accordance with the Committee\u2019s constitutional oversight responsibilities, we ask that Committee members and staff be briefed on and afforded the opportunity to review any legal analysis produced by your Department.\u201d\n\nThe Senators slammed Trump\u2019s DOJ for taking counterproductive steps to stem the drug epidemic, writing: \u201cFor example, you have diverted thousands of Drug Enforcement Administration and other federal law-enforcement agents from their critical missions to carry out the President\u2019s immigration agenda. You inexplicably shut down the Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force, which has dismantled thousands of criminal organizations. You have unilaterally terminated hundreds of grants that provide critical funding to state and local law enforcement. The Administration\u2019s Fiscal Year 2026 Budget would slash the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas program by more than a third, from about $298 million to $196 million. Not surprisingly, on your watch federal drug prosecutions have dropped to the lowest level in decades.\u201d\n\nThe Senators concluded: Given the gravity of the President\u2019s claimed authority to lethally target alleged criminals he claims to be at war with, we request that you schedule a briefing prior to November 3, 2025, for members and staff of the Senate Judiciary Committee on the Department\u2019s legal analysis of these strikes, which can be done in an appropriately classified setting.\u201d\n\nThe Senators requested answers to the following questions by November 7, 2025:\n\nWhat role did you, the Office of Legal Counsel, or any other component of the Department of Justice play in reviewing the legality of these killings either prior to or following the killings?\n\nTo which executive branch departments and/or agencies did you or anyone else in the Department provide formal or informal legal opinions, including any memos prepared by OLC on the legality of these strikes?\n\nWere you or anyone else at the Department of Justice asked or directed to provide a legal justification for the killings by the President, Secretary of Defense, or anyone else?\n\nDid the Department conduct an analysis of the risk of putting U.S. personnel in legal jeopardy, including under 18 U.S.C. \u00a7 1111, 10 U.S.C. \u00a7 918, and Executive Order 12333, prior to the action?\n\nWhat steps has the Department taken or what analysis has the Department conducted, either prior to or since these killings, to assess whether any U.S. laws or provisions of international law applicable to the United States have been violated, including whether any violations of U.S. criminal law have occurred?\n\nDo you know whether the Executive Branch took steps to verify whether or not the persons killed in the strike were United States citizens, and, if so, what additional legal protections were applicable?\n\nThe letter was led by Senator Welch and cosigned by every Senate Judiciary Committee Democrat, including Ranking Member Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Sens. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), and Adam Schiff (D-Calif.).\n\nRead and download the Senators\u2019 full letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:32:54Z"], ["https://www.welch.senate.gov/welch-raises-alarm-on-extending-aca-tax-credits-ahead-of-open-enrollment/", "Welch Discusses Importance of Protecting Health Care Access as Open Enrollment Nears", "2025-10-29", "2025", "2025-10", "Democrat", "Senate", "VT", "Peter Welch", "W000800", "www.welch.senate.gov", "welch", "https://www.welch.senate.gov/category/press-release/page/", "scraper", "Welch Joined Wyden and health care advocates for a press conference on lowering health care costs\n\nWASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 In remarks from the Senate floor tonight, U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.), a member of the Senate Finance Committee, raised the alarm about the need to extend the Affordable Care Act\u2019s (ACA) premium tax credits ahead of the start of Open Enrollment on Saturday, November 1. Senator Welch highlighted concerns shared by Vermonters and urged Republicans to negotiate with Democrats, reopen the government, and help prevent millions of Americans from losing their health care.\n\n\u201cFolks across the country are going to get some bad news: without the tax credits that are in place now and are set to expire by the end of the year, their health care premiums are going to double, triple, and in some cases quadruple\u2014and even worse,\u201d said Senator Welch. \u201cWe\u2019ve been having this debate about a shutdown. But what we haven\u2019t been having is a negotiation about how to protect families from a rate shock that they can\u2019t afford. It means they\u2019re really going to lose health care.\n\n\u201cI urge us, and I urge the President, to act aggressively to resolve this. It will help folks whether they are in a red state, a blue state, whether they identify as a Republican, or a Democrat, or an Independent. It just doesn\u2019t matter. But we\u2019ve got a health care system that is too, too expensive, beyond reach, and is crippling to our small businesses, our farmers, and our families.\u201d\n\nWatch Senator Welch\u2019s speech below:\n\nWhen Open Enrollment begins on Saturday, 24 million Americans across the country will try to shop for health insurance that they can no longer afford. Without the ACA tax credits, a Vermont family of four making $130,000 a year that currently pays $1,195 a month for a baseline health care plan can expect to pay $3,035 a month for that same plan\u2014a $22,080 annual increase. A Vermont family of four making about $64,000 a year will pay 920% more.\n\nOn Wednesday afternoon, Senator Welch joined Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Protect Our Care, and a patient advocate for a press conference on the importance of extending ACA tax credits and lowering health care costs.\n\n\u201cThis is not a red-state, blue-state deal. This is not a Republican, Democratic deal. This is about families. It\u2019s about small businesses. It\u2019s about farmers wanting to have some minimal level of confidence that if they get sick, they\u2019ll be able to get care. If they get sick, they won\u2019t go broke. And we\u2019ve got a bad health care system in this country. A lot of places you can get the best quality care, but we spend the most and get the least, and this will make what is already an expensive system\u2014and a creaking system\u2014much worse,\u201d said Senator Welch at the press conference.\n\nThis Congress, Senator Welch has led the introduction of several bills to make health care more accessible and affordable for Vermonters, including the Strengthening Medicare and Reducing Taxpayer (SMART) Prices Act, Fair Prescription Drug Prices for Americans Act, End Price Gouging for Medications Act, Creating Opportunities Now for Necessary and Effective Care Technologies (CONNECT) for Health Act, Protecting Pharmacies in Medicaid Act, Fair Funding for Rural Hospitals Act, and the Rural Hospital Support Act.\n\nSenator Welch\u2019s office will remain open throughout the shutdown to help Vermonters. Resources can be found on the Senator\u2019s website or by calling 802-863-2525. Learn more about Senator Welch\u2019s work by visiting his website or by following him on social media.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:32:54Z"], ["https://www.welch.senate.gov/welch-urges-senate-to-stop-trumps-unconstitutional-attacks-in-the-caribbean-sea-its-not-up-to-the-president-to-determine-if-we-go-to-war-its-up-to-congress/", "Welch Urges Senate to Stop Trump\u2019s Unconstitutional Attacks in the Caribbean Sea: \u201cIt\u2019s not up to the President to determine if we go to war\u2014it\u2019s up to Congress.\u201d", "2025-10-29", "2025", "2025-10", "Democrat", "Senate", "VT", "Peter Welch", "W000800", "www.welch.senate.gov", "welch", "https://www.welch.senate.gov/category/press-release/page/", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 In remarks from the Senate floor this week, U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, questioned the legality of the President\u2019s recent military actions in the Caribbean Sea and demanded that Congress assert its constitutional obligation to determine where and why the United States goes to war.\n\n\u201cLaws matter, and the Constitution matters. If the President does want to start a war, if he wants to put America\u2019s troops in harm\u2019s way, he needs to seek authorization from Congress,\u201d said Senator Welch. \u201cIt\u2019s up to the Senate to do its job. We have seen from history that our failure to assert our constitutional responsibility to decide whether to send our military to war has resulted in grievous suffering for the American people and a weakening of our national security. In asserting our responsibility, at the bare minimum, this United States Senate should demand\u2014should demand\u2014to see Attorney General Bondi\u2019s legal analysis that the President has used to justify the use of the U.S. military to engage in these attacks.\u201d\n\nWatch Senator Welch\u2019s speech below:\n\nRead key excerpts from Senator Welch\u2019s remarks:\n\n\u201cThis President\u2014no President\u2014has the legal authority without congressional authorization to take America into military conflict. There have been no credible legal experts that have defended the President\u2019s actions, with one exception\u2014and, of course, and that is the Attorney General, who has provided an opinion to the President. We are told, but have not seen, that what he\u2019s doing is \u2018legal.\u2019 That\u2019s without precedent. It\u2019s without precedent for the top legal official in this country to give an opinion that it\u2019s legal to go to war without congressional authorization.\n\n\u201cBut it\u2019s clearly the legal advice the President wanted and won\u2019t even share with the members of the United States Senate. The President, of course, seems to be basing the legality of these actions on the declaration that drug traffickers are terrorists\u2026.But simply the determination by the President that he\u2019s attacking a group of what he calls terrorists, \u2018narco-terrorists,\u2019 does not by itself make it legal under the Constitution.\u201d\n\nThe Senator also condemned the Trump Administration for undermining efforts to curb drug trafficking, which has had devastating impacts on communities in Vermont and across the country:\n\n\u201cAll of us are on board, Republicans and Democrats, with the fight against narcotics, illegal drugs\u2014fentanyl in particular\u2014which mostly enter the U.S. through Mexico and on the Pacific Ocean. They are wreaking havoc on our communities. It\u2019s happened in Vermont, as well as West Virginia, Idaho, Florida, Montana, every other state, our sons and daughters, mothers and fathers are struggling with addiction and dying from overdose\u2026.This has not been a partisan issue,\u201d said Senator Welch. \u201cBut why are we spending billions of dollars in this effort in Venezuela, while at the same time taking funding away for treatment programs here at home that actually have been proven effective to help the most vulnerable Americans that are actually struggling with addiction to fentanyl and other drugs?\u201d\n\n\u201cSo, when the President claims his new war is about \u2018protecting\u2019 America from drugs, it\u2019s a fair question: why are we doing so little? Why are we taking money away from treatment? Why are we taking money away from high-intensity drug enforcement? Why are we not prosecuting more, instead prosecuting so much less?\u201d\n\nToday, Senator Welch led every Senate Judiciary Committee Democrat in demanding answers from the Department of Justice (DOJ) about the legality of military actions ordered by President Trump that have already killed 57 individuals in the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean.\n\nLearn more about Senator Welch\u2019s work by visiting his website or by following him on social media.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:32:54Z"], ["https://www.welch.senate.gov/ranking-member-welch-pushes-back-against-far-right-claims-of-one-sided-politically-motivated-violence/", "Ranking Member Welch Pushes Back Against Far-Right Claims of \u2018One-Sided\u2019 Politically Motivated Violence", "2025-10-28", "2025", "2025-10", "Democrat", "Senate", "VT", "Peter Welch", "W000800", "www.welch.senate.gov", "welch", "https://www.welch.senate.gov/category/press-release/page/", "scraper", "Welch: \u201cAll of us must condemn every act of violence that tears at the fabric of our society and is absolutely, totally corrosive to our democracy.\u201d\n\nWASHINGTON, D.C. \u2014 Today, U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Ranking Member of the Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, pushed back on the Republican majority\u2019s false narrative of \u2018one-sided\u2019 political violence during a Subcommittee hearing titled \u201cPolitically Violent Attacks: A Threat to Our Constitutional Order.\u201d In his remarks, Senator Welch called on both parties to strongly condemn all politically-motivated attacks and renew a bipartisan commitment to civility.\n\n\u201cI just want to make it clear I am absolutely horrified by political violence in this country,\u201d said Senator Welch. \u201cI want to say this: the stakes are really too high for the American people and the health of our democracy to use this hearing as an opportunity to demonize one side or the other. If all violence\u2014all political violence\u2014is wrong, is evil, is corrosive, the debate about where there\u2019s more on one side or the other, I don\u2019t see how that helps us get anywhere. Politicizing violence with inflammatory rhetoric has real consequences. So, all of us have to turn that temperature down, those of us who are in public office, those of us who are in public life.\u201d\n\nWatch Senator Welch\u2019s full remarks below:\n\nRead and download Senator Welch\u2019s full opening remarks as delivered.\n\nIn one exchange, following Officer Hodges\u2019 testimony describing his experience defending the United States Capitol against the violent insurrection on January 6, 2021, Senator Welch asked the other hearing witnesses to raise their hands if they agreed with President Trump\u2019s pardoning of individuals convicted in connection with the January 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol. Every Majority witness raised their hands in support of President Trump\u2019s blanket pardon of January 6 rioters.\n\nWitnesses for the Minority included Officer Daniel Hodges, an officer with Washington D.C.\u2019s Metropolitan Police Department since 2014, who defended the United States Capitol against the violent insurrection on January 6, 2021, and was injured in the attack. Officer Hodges was honored with the Presidential Citizens Medal by President Biden in 2023. The Committee also heard testimony from Bill Braniff, a respected leader in America\u2019s efforts to prevent violent extremism and the Executive Director of the Polarization and Extremism Research and Innovation Lab (PERIL) in the School of Public Affairs at American University.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:32:54Z"], ["https://www.welch.senate.gov/welch-calls-police-officer-who-defended-capitol-on-january-6th-and-expert-on-extremism-and-terrorism-as-witnesses-for-hearing-on-politically-motivated-violence/", "Welch Calls Police Officer Who Defended Capitol on January 6th and Expert on Extremism and Terrorism as Witnesses for Hearing on Politically Motivated Violence", "2025-10-27", "2025", "2025-10", "Democrat", "Senate", "VT", "Peter Welch", "W000800", "www.welch.senate.gov", "welch", "https://www.welch.senate.gov/category/press-release/page/", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2014 On Tuesday, October 28, the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution will hold a hearing titled \u201cPolitically Violent Attacks: A Threat to Our Constitutional Order,\u201d in which the Republican majority will advance a false narrative that political violence is a one-sided issue. Ranking Member Peter Welch (D-Vt.) today announced witnesses for the Subcommittee\u2019s minority\u2014Daniel Hodges, a Washington D.C. Metropolitan Police Officer who responded to the January 6th insurrection on the U.S. Capitol, and William (Bill) Braniff, Executive Director of the Polarization and Extremism Research and Innovation Lab (PERIL) in the School of Public Affairs at American University.\n\n\u201cLet\u2019s be clear: political violence is, without question, a \u2018both sides\u2019 issue, and this partisan hearing only serves to turn up the temperature. Any and all politically-motivated attacks must be strongly condemned\u2014from Democrats and Republicans alike,\u201d said Senator Welch. \u201cI am thankful the Subcommittee will hear directly from both a leading expert in extremism, as well as a brave police officer who defended the Capitol from the mob on January 6th. I call on the Subcommittee to work together to curb all political violence and protect our fragile democracy.\u201d\n\nOfficer Daniel Hodges has served as an officer with Washington D.C.\u2019s Metropolitan Police Department since 2014. On January 6, 2021, Officer Hodges defended the United States Capitol against a violent insurrection and was injured in the attack. The mob, incited by President Trump, attempted to prevent the peaceful transfer of power and certification of the 2020 election. He returned to full duty, later testifying before the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack., as well as a spotlight hearing by Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee focused on President Trump\u2019s pardons and commutations for January 6th insurrectionists. Officer Hodges was honored with the Presidential Citizens Medal by President Biden in 2023.\n\nBill Braniff is a respected leader in America\u2019s efforts to prevent violent extremism. Mr. Braniff is the Executive Director of the Polarization and Extremism Research and Innovation Lab (PERIL) in the School of Public Affairs at American University. He is a United States Army veteran and previously served as Director of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security\u2019s Center for Prevention Partnerships and Programs (CP3). Mr. Braniff also led the University of Maryland\u2019s National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START), and served in leadership at West Point\u2019s Combating Terrorism Center (CTC).\n\nMajority witnesses will include Michael Knowles of the Daily Wire; Chad Wolf, former Acting DHS Secretary and Chair of America First Policy Institute\u2019s Homeland Security and Immigration Center; and Kyle Shideler, Director and Senior Analyst for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism at the Center for Security Policy.\n\nLogistics for tomorrow\u2019s hearing are included below:\n\nTitle: Politically Violent Attacks: A Threat to Our Constitutional Order\n\nDate: Tuesday, October 28, 2025\n\nTime: 2:30 P.M. ET\n\nLocation: Room 226 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building\n\nLivestream: Watch live HERE.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:32:54Z"], ["https://www.welch.senate.gov/welch-works-across-the-aisle-to-protect-snap/", "Welch Works Across the Aisle to Protect SNAP", "2025-10-27", "2025", "2025-10", "Democrat", "Senate", "VT", "Peter Welch", "W000800", "www.welch.senate.gov", "welch", "https://www.welch.senate.gov/category/press-release/page/", "scraper", "Hawley and Welch\u2019s Keep SNAP Funded Act would protect millions of Americans from losing SNAP during shutdown\n\nWASHINGTON, D.C.\u2014U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) tonight cosponsored Senator Josh Hawley\u2019s (R-Mo.) Keep SNAP Funded Act, which would ensure nutrition assistance will continue despite the ongoing government shutdown.\n\n\u201cI\u2019m working across the aisle because a lapse in federal nutrition assistance would hurt more than 41 million Americans\u2014from Vermont to Missouri, and beyond,\u201d said Senator Welch. \u201cThe Keep SNAP Funded Act is a commonsense, bipartisan bill. I urge Senate leadership to bring this bill to the floor, and I urge all of my colleagues to support it. If the Trump Administration refuses to use the money it has to fund the program during this shutdown, Congress must step in.\u201d\n\nMore than 63,000 Vermonters rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), called 3SquaresVT.\n\nSenator Welch is a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee.\n\nLast week, Senator Welch joined 45 Democratic colleagues in sending a letter to Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins calling on the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to release the billions of dollars at its disposal to ensure Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits continue in November. The Trump Administration refused to release the funding, and benefits will lapse in early November without congressional action.\n\nRead the Keep SNAP Funded Act here.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:32:54Z"], ["https://www.welch.senate.gov/welch-leads-senators-in-calling-for-state-department-to-provide-answers-on-shooting-of-american-journalist-shireen-abu-akleh/", "Welch Leads Senators in Calling for State Department to Provide Answers on Shooting of American Journalist Shireen Abu Akleh", "2025-10-24", "2025", "2025-10", "Democrat", "Senate", "VT", "Peter Welch", "W000800", "www.welch.senate.gov", "welch", "https://www.welch.senate.gov/category/press-release/page/", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2014 U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) this week led eight Senate colleagues in sending the U.S. Department of State a fourth request for more information and answers on the death of Palestinian American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh. She was killed by an Israeli soldier in the West Bank.\n\n\u201cThe State Department routinely says its highest priority is the safety of American citizens overseas. We are asking questions about the wrongful, violent death of an American citizen. We want to know why she was shot, and whether anyone has or will be held accountable. Her family and we deserve answers,\u201d said Senator Welch.\n\nShireen Abu Akleh, a highly respected Palestinian American journalist, was inexplicably shot and killed in May 2022 by an Israeli soldier from a distance of approximately 200 meters. At the time, Ms. Abu Akleh was wearing a helmet and flak jacket with the word \u2018PRESS\u2019 in bold letters. She was not in the vicinity of any protesters.\n\nA month after Ms. Abu Akleh\u2019s murder, 24 Senators led by Senator Welch\u2019s predecessor, Senator Patrick Leahy, called on then-Secretary of State Antony Blinken to provide answers about her killing and launch an investigation. Four U.S. Senators, led by Senator Welch, wrote to Secretary Blinken in September 2024, again asking questions about the case and echoing the Secretary\u2019s call for an independent, credible investigation. Eight U.S. Senators wrote to Secretary Marco Rubio in May 2025, asking about the case. The lawmakers\u2019 questions have not been answered.\n\nThis week, nine U.S. Senators, again led by Senator Welch, sent another letter to the State Department, asking for the answers to their questions, writing:\n\n\u201cWe understand that the Office of the U.S. Security Coordinator (USSC) is not an investigative body. However, not long after Ms. Abu Akleh was killed the USSC publicly endorsed the Israel Defense Forces\u2019 assertion, without citing any evidence, that the shooting was \u2018unintentional.\u2019\n\n\u201cAs our May 21st letter made clear, we have repeatedly sought answers from the State Department which do not require an investigation. The answers are either currently known to State or readily obtainable from the Israeli Government. Copies of our May 21 letter, as well as our June 23, 2022, and September 25, 2024, letters about this matter, are attached.\n\n\u201cWe continue to believe that a U.S.-led investigation is necessary to secure transparency and accountability in this case. In the meantime, we are requesting answers to our questions about the violent, unexplained death of an American citizen more than three years ago and would appreciate receiving them within 20 business days of the date of this letter.\u201d\n\nThe letter was led by Senator Welch and signed by Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), and Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.).\n\nRead and download the full letter.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:32:54Z"], ["https://www.welch.senate.gov/welch-urges-trump-to-stand-up-for-american-interests-to-ensure-lasting-peace-in-gaza/", "Welch Urges Trump to Stand Up for American Interests to Ensure Lasting Peace in Gaza", "2025-10-24", "2025", "2025-10", "Democrat", "Senate", "VT", "Peter Welch", "W000800", "www.welch.senate.gov", "welch", "https://www.welch.senate.gov/category/press-release/page/", "scraper", "Welch highlighted need for continued U.S. leadership in the Middle East to secure lasting peace, ramp up delivery of desperately needed food aid\n\nWASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 In remarks from the Senate floor, U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) expressed great relief at the ceasefire in Gaza and called on President Trump to use the immense leverage of the United States to cement the path to lasting peace in the Middle East. Senator Welch urged President Trump to stand up firmly for American interests over the political ambitions of Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu to end the brutal bombing campaign and provide desperately needed food aid to starving children in Gaza.\n\n\u201cAfter two years of relentless bombing, after two years of horror for the hostages and their families, the bombing has largely stopped, and the hostages are home. This is extraordinary. And I salute everyone involved in getting us to this day, including President Trump. But let\u2019s be clear: there is more work to be done. The only way this ceasefire will succeed is if it is the beginning of a relentless, tireless process that aims to get us to the two-state solution: Two states for two peoples\u2014a safe and democratic Jewish state of Israel alongside a sovereign state for the Palestinians that are indigenous to the land where they now live\u2014as envisioned in the President\u2019s 20-point plan, and has been U.S. policy for over 50 years,\u201d said Senator Welch.\n\n\u201cSo the question before us is: will all who are involved\u2014particularly the United States government, Prime Minister Netanyahu, and the Palestinian authority, U.S. partners in the Gulf, and our European allies\u2014will everyone do every single thing possible to make that success of a lasting peace through a two-state solution a likelihood?\u201d\n\nWatch Senator Welch\u2019s speech below:\n\nRead a key excerpt from Senator Welch\u2019s remarks:\n\n\u201cThe ceasefire acknowledges that there must be a force that has sufficient authority to quell Hamas\u2019 violence. This is the peacekeeping force that was in the 20-point presidential plan. If we\u2019re going to be successful, we have to redouble our efforts to stand that force up and make certain that all the signatories to that peace plan do their part to make certain that that can happen. President Trump\u2019s leadership to help achieve a ceasefire\u2014that leadership must be redoubled to achieve a durable peace and a lasting peace for the Israelis and the Palestinians.\n\n\u201cTo have this stop on the day the agreement was signed, without then redoubling efforts to face the difficult challenges that await resolution after the ceasefire, will result in failure. So, I call on the President, I urge all of us to do every single thing we can to stay focused on the implementation of the peace plan and not turn away as though this is yesterday\u2019s problem. Because if we don\u2019t do that, it will be tomorrow\u2019s problem once again.\u201d\n\n\u2022\u2022\u2022\n\nLearn more about Senator Welch\u2019s work by visiting his website or by following him on social media.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:32:54Z"], ["https://www.welch.senate.gov/welch-booker-klobuchar-lujan-42-colleagues-urge-trump-usda-to-immediately-release-november-snap-benefits/", "Welch Joins Booker, Klobuchar, Luj\u00e1n, Colleagues\u00a0in Urging\u00a0USDA\u00a0to Immediately\u00a0Release\u00a0November SNAP Benefits", "2025-10-23", "2025", "2025-10", "Democrat", "Senate", "VT", "Peter Welch", "W000800", "www.welch.senate.gov", "welch", "https://www.welch.senate.gov/category/press-release/page/", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C.\u2014Today, U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) joined Senators Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Ben Ray Luj\u00e1n (D-N.M.), and 42 colleagues in sending a letter to Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins calling on the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to release the billions of dollars at its disposal to ensure Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits continue in November.\n\nThe Democrats raised the alarm about the USDA\u2019s failure to use available funding to continue SNAP, writing: \u201cWe were deeply disturbed to hear that the USDA has instructed states to stop processing SNAP benefits for November and were surprised by your recent comments that the program will \u2018run out of money in two weeks.\u2019 In fact, the USDA has several tools available which would enable SNAP benefits to be paid through or close to the end of November.\u201d\n\n\u201cFirst, the USDA must, at a minimum under the law, use the contingency funding that is available for SNAP, as noted by USDA officials. Second, the USDA has interchange authority under 7 U.S.C. 2257 that permits the transfer of funds from other USDA nutrition programs. In fact, this authority was recently used by the USDA when it transferred money from child nutrition programs to the WIC account to maintain WIC benefits during the shutdown,\u201d the Senators continued.\n\nThe Senators concluded, \u201cIn the event that more resources are needed than what is available in contingency funding, the USDA should explore all legal means to augment funds to pay the full amount of SNAP benefits in November. Americans are already struggling with the rising cost of groceries, and they cannot afford a sudden lapse in grocery assistance. We urge you to immediately communicate to states and committees of jurisdiction the USDA\u2019s plans to disburse the contingency funding to state agencies and utilize all available legal authorities so that American families can get benefits without interruption. Democrats remain at the table and ready to negotiate reopening the government.\u201d\n\nThis letter is co-signed by Senators Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Andy Kim (D-N.J.), Angus King (I-Maine), Edward Markey (D-Mass.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.).\n\nTo view the full letter, click here.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:32:54Z"], ["https://www.welch.senate.gov/welch-cosponsors-bills-to-pay-all-federal-employees-servicemembers-and-contractors-during-shutdown/", "Welch Cosponsors Bills to Pay All Federal Employees, Servicemembers, and Contractors During Shutdown", "2025-10-23", "2025", "2025-10", "Democrat", "Senate", "VT", "Peter Welch", "W000800", "www.welch.senate.gov", "welch", "https://www.welch.senate.gov/category/press-release/page/", "scraper", "Republicans block legislation to ensure all federal workers are paid\n\nWASHINGTON, D.C.\u2013Today, U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) cosponsored bills led by U.S. Senators Gary Peters (D-Mich.) and Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) to pay all federal employees during the Republican-led shutdown. Senator Peters\u2019 Military and Federal Employee Protection Act would reopen the government for one day to ensure all furloughed and excepted employees are paid within one week of enactment. In addition to paying federal employees during the shutdown, Senator Van Hollen\u2019s True Shutdown Fairness Act would block the Trump Administration\u2019s attempts at mass firings (Reductions in Force, or RIFs) during the shutdown.\n\nSenate Republicans blocked the passage of both bills this afternoon.\n\n\u201cIt defies common sense and anyone\u2019s definition of fairness to say that only certain federal employees should get paid during a shutdown, or that federal employees should be laid off during a shutdown. While the President may insist that he had \u2018no choice\u2019 but to lay off federal workers during the shutdown, let\u2019s be clear: he\u2019s been doing this since day one. We need to do everything we can to end this shutdown and get these folks paid and back to work,\u201d said Senator Welch. \u201cThese bills push back against the President\u2019s lawless rampage and will ensure all of our federal workers are paid for doing their jobs.\u201d\n\nThe Military and Federal Employee Protection Act would provide a one-time appropriation to pay servicemembers, federal employees, and contractors who have missed any compensation from October 1 to the date the bill is enacted, as a result of the government shutdown. The bill ensures that both furloughed employees, as well as employees who have been excepted from furlough status and are continuing to work, are guaranteed to receive their standard pay. The bill would also require that all employees receive any delayed compensation within one week of enactment, to ensure they are paid in a timely fashion.\n\nThe True Shutdown Fairness Act would immediately restart pay for all excepted and furloughed federal workers, servicemembers, and federal contractors during the current shutdown. The legislation also includes a prohibition on RIFs while the federal government is shut down. Federal employees are ensured retroactive pay after a shutdown ends due to the Government Employee Fair Treatment Act of 2019\u2014legislation that Senator Welch supported as a Member of the House of Representatives and was signed into law by President Trump.\n\nRead and download the full text of the True Shutdown Fairness Act.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:32:54Z"], ["https://www.welch.senate.gov/welch-wyden-lead-colleagues-in-demanding-transparency-accountability-for-massive-rise-in-national-security-tariffs/", "Welch, Wyden Lead Colleagues in Demanding Transparency, Accountability for Massive Rise in National Security Tariffs", "2025-10-23", "2025", "2025-10", "Democrat", "Senate", "VT", "Peter Welch", "W000800", "www.welch.senate.gov", "welch", "https://www.welch.senate.gov/category/press-release/page/", "scraper", "Senators\u2019 letter questions Commerce Secretary Lutnick over unprecedented use of national security tariffs\n\nWASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.), a member of the Senate Finance Committee, today joined Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) in leading eight Senate colleagues to call out the Trump Administration\u2019s unprecedented use of national security tariffs to pursue taxes on cars, appliances, and hundreds of other products.\n\nThe Senators\u2019 letter to Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick raised concerns that Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act\u2014which had been rarely used in the 20 years before Donald Trump became President\u2014this year alone has been used to open 12 new investigations and expand others, spanning hundreds of products used by Americans every day. The massive scope of these investigations and the lack of transparency in the Commerce Department\u2019s process undermine the integrity of a law that is intended to address true national security threats to the United States.\n\n\u201cTrump\u2019s tariffs are putting U.S. jobs, economic competitiveness, and credibility at risk by driving up costs for American businesses and consumers, creating significant uncertainty and confusion for importers, and alienating our allies,\u201d the Senators wrote. \u201cThe reliance on Section 232 to pursue tariffs on everything from cars to household appliances and kitchen cabinets stretches the limited authority delegated by Congress.\u201d\n\nThe Senators called out the lack of public consultation, as well as the failure to publish the required reports to justify the tariffs: \u201cFurther, the Commerce Department has run an opaque, unaccountable process, making decisions behind closed doors, with no justification and with limited opportunity for the American public to weigh in on the tariffs they will have to pay.\u201d\n\nIn addition to Senators Welch and Wyden, the letter was signed by Sens. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), and Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.).\n\nRead the full text of the Senators\u2019 letter to Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:32:54Z"], ["https://www.welch.senate.gov/in-response-to-president-trumps-overreach-welch-supports-blumenthals-push-to-reform-the-insurrection-act/", "In Response to President Trump\u2019s Overreach, Welch Supports Blumenthal\u2019s Push to Reform the Insurrection Act", "2025-10-22", "2025", "2025-10", "Democrat", "Senate", "VT", "Peter Welch", "W000800", "www.welch.senate.gov", "welch", "https://www.welch.senate.gov/category/press-release/page/", "scraper", "Senate Republicans block resolution to prohibit Trump Administration from weaponizing U.S. military against American citizens\n\nWASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) spoke in support of legislation led by Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) to reform and right-size the Insurrection Act, an emergency, near-wartime authority measure President Trump has expressed interest in invoking in order to use the U.S. military to harass American citizens attending peaceful protests. In his remarks, Senator Welch demanded reforms to limit current and future administrations from abusing the Insurrection Act and deploying U.S. troops to police Americans exercising their right to free speech. The resolution was blocked by Senate Republicans.\n\nThe new Insurrection Act of 2025 would reform centuries-old legislation that gives the President broad and vague authority to deploy troops\u2014either with or without the request of a state\u2014to suppress \u201cany insurrection, domestic violence, unlawful combination, or conspiracy.\u201d No President has invoked the Insurrection Act to activate troops without the invitation of a governor in over 50 years, given the potential for the military to escalate tensions, rather than restore order, during a domestic crisis.\n\n\u201cEssentially, this President\u2014from day one\u2014has been overreaching the use of executive authority and declarations of emergencies. And it\u2019s everything from tariffs\u2014where Article I gives Congress the authority to pass those or invoke those, not the President\u2014and now to the use of the National Guard as a private police force that basically serves the will of the President and for political purposes. It is extraordinary, in our country, to have the National Guard deployed. It is even more extraordinary to have the military deployed. There are circumstances where that can be done, but not at the whim of an Executive who does it for political reasons,\u201d said Senator Welch.\n\n\u201cThe importance of the Senator\u2019s bill is that this Congress act to set definitions on what so-called \u2018emergencies\u2019 are and not leave it up to an Executive who has demonstrated, repeatedly, that he will overreach\u2014he has, and he will.\u201d\n\nWatch Senator Welch\u2019s speech below:\n\nRead a key excerpt from Senator Welch\u2019s remarks:\n\n\u201cWhat you\u2019re seeing is an act of political will for a political purpose\u2014not for a public safety purpose\u2026And make no mistake, there\u2019s no limits to what this President will do. He starts in L.A., goes to Portland, he wants to go to Baltimore. And then, for the purpose of putting down what he claims is \u2018lawless behavior\u2019\u2014but upon review by local judges who have the evidence, find that it\u2019s nothing out of the ordinary that the local jurisdiction and law enforcement forces can\u2019t handle\u2014what\u2019s next? Will we see military deployed to cities where the President does not like the outcome of the vote in the next election? That\u2019s a fair question.\u201d\n\n\u2022\u2022\u2022\n\nThe new Insurrection Act of 2025 would:\n\nNarrow and clarify the criteria for the domestic deployment of military troops for law enforcement purposes.\n\nSpecify that the use of the military is a last resort and is authorized only if the use of civilian law enforcement authorities would be insufficient.\n\nClarify that the law cannot be used to suspend habeas corpus, impose martial law, or deputize private militias to act as soldiers.\n\nRequire the President to consult with Congress prior to invoking the Insurrection Act and receive Congressional approval if the President seeks to exercise authority under the Act for longer than 7 days.\n\nRequire a report to Congress providing an explicit justification for the use of the Insurrection Act\u2019s authority, as enumerated in this legislation, and a full description of the scope and duration of its use.\n\nProvide for judicial review to ensure that individuals, or a state or local government, may bring a civil action if the President\u2019s authority under the Insurrection Act is misused or abused.\n\nIn addition to Sens. Welch and Blumenthal, the Insurrection Act of 2025 is cosponsored by Sens. Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Andy Kim (D-N.J.), John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), and Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.).\n\nLearn more about his work by visiting his website or by following him on social media.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:32:54Z"], ["https://www.welch.senate.gov/welch-budd-bipartisan-bill-to-crack-down-on-foreign-robocalls-advances-in-commerce-committee/", "Welch, Budd Bipartisan Bill to Crack Down on Foreign Robocalls Advances in Commerce Committee", "2025-10-21", "2025", "2025-10", "Democrat", "Senate", "VT", "Peter Welch", "W000800", "www.welch.senate.gov", "welch", "https://www.welch.senate.gov/category/press-release/page/", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2014 U.S. Senators Peter Welch (D-Vt.) and Ted Budd (R-N.C.) today celebrated the advancement of their bipartisan Foreign Robocall Elimination Act, legislation that would bring together government and private sector experts to find additional means of eliminating unlawful robocalls placed into the U.S. from abroad.\n\nThe Senators\u2019 bill is the first piece of legislation related to robocalls to be advanced by the Senate Commerce Committee since 2020.\n\n\u201cVermonters receive nearly 3.5 million robocalls every month. And it\u2019s not only our state\u2014folks in red and blue states alike are sick and tired of picking up the phone and wondering if they\u2019re talking to a friend or being scammed. As foreign robocallers step up their efforts to exploit and prey on vulnerable people, we need to do more to combat this unlawful practice and protect Americans from scams,\u201d said Senator Welch. \u201cI\u2019m thankful for the support of the Commerce Committee on this bipartisan legislation and look forward to bringing this bill to the Senate floor.\u201d\n\n\u201cEvery single month, millions of Americans are targeted by billions of scam calls attempting to rob them of their security, privacy, and hard-earned dollars, including many from foreign criminals. This needs to stop. Today, my colleagues on the Senate Commerce Committee voted to advance the common-sense legislation I co-authored with Senator Welch to put an end to nefarious foreign scams deceiving the American people. I hope my Senate colleagues will join us and quickly act to pass the Foreign Robocall Elimination Act into law to help put a stop to this exploitation,\u201d said Senator Budd.\n\nAccording to recent studies, nearly 50 million U.S. adults have reported losing money to an online scam or attack. Additionally, most U.S. adults report receiving scam messages daily or weekly via phone (68%) or text (61%), and 41% of U.S. adults (106 million) say a scam email, text, or call led them to give away personal information.\n\nOnline scams are also a major threat to national security. Last year alone, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) documented nearly $16 billion in annual losses from internet crime\u2014a 33% increase from 2023. Accounting for under-reporting, total fraud-related losses to U.S. consumers exceed $158 billion per year.\n\nThe Foreign Robocall Elimination Act builds on landmark legislation like the TRACED Act to would create an interagency task force to evaluate foreign robocalls and how best to combat them, with the goal of increasing international cooperation to reduce illegal robocalls. The task force will consist of key representatives from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), Federal Trade Commission, Department of Justice (DOJ) and experts in the field of voice service and analytics, telecommunications technology, marketing organizations, and consumer advocates.\n\nAdditionally, the task force will help ensure that the DOJ is adequately equipped to address and prosecute criminals behind the influx of foreign robocalls. The bill also extends the FCC\u2019s renewal period for the Industry Traceback Group from one year to three years. That change will help the Traceback Group, established in the TRACED Act, continue its successful work of tracing back the source of unlawful robocalls.\n\nThe Foreign Robocall Elimination Act is endorsed by the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) and USTelecom.\n\n\u201cAARP, which advocates on behalf of more than 100 million Americans age 50 and older, is pleased to endorse the Foreign Robocall Elimination Act. This legislation represents a critical next step in protecting Americans from fraudulent and abusive robocalls originating from outside the United States. Older Americans are disproportionately targeted by robocall scams, which often lead to financial loss, identity theft, and emotional distress. These calls not only exploit individuals but also erode trust in telecommunications systems and public institutions. The Foreign Robocall Elimination Act builds upon the TRACED Act and addresses this growing threat by convening a task force of government and private sector experts to develop actionable strategies for eliminating harmful foreign robocalls,\u201d said Bill Sweeney, Senior Vice President for Government Affairs, AARP.\n\n\u201cIllegal robocalls are not just a nuisance\u2014they\u2019re a threat to vulnerable Americans and a tool for scammers around the world. Thanks to strong partnerships between the Industry Traceback Group and federal, state, and local law enforcement, we\u2019ve made measurable progress in stopping these bad actors. The Foreign Robocall Elimination Act builds on this success to empower industry and law enforcement to use what works to crack down on the bad actors overseas preying on Americans. Big thanks to Senators Budd and Welch for their leadership and commitment to consumer protection,\u201d said Josh Bercu, Senior Vice President, Policy at USTelecom \u2013 The Broadband Association and Executive Director, The Industry Traceback Group.\n\nRead and download the full text of the Foreign Robocall Elimination Act.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:32:54Z"], ["https://www.welch.senate.gov/welch-wyden-cortez-masto-introduce-bill-to-block-republicans-big-pharma-bailout-protect-access-to-life-saving-prescription-drugs/", "Welch, Wyden, Cortez Masto Introduce Bill to Block Republicans\u2019 Big Pharma Bailout, Protect Access to Life-Saving Prescription Drugs", "2025-10-21", "2025", "2025-10", "Democrat", "Senate", "VT", "Peter Welch", "W000800", "www.welch.senate.gov", "welch", "https://www.welch.senate.gov/category/press-release/page/", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C.\u2014Finance Committee members Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) and Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), alongside Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) today introduced the No Big Blockbuster Bailouts Act (NOBBBA), a bill to reverse Republicans\u2019 policies in the so-called \u2018One Big Beautiful Bill Act\u2019 that block Medicare from negotiating the price of blockbuster drugs. The NOBBBA will ensure seniors, people with disabilities on Medicare, and families can access the lower-priced prescriptions they need.\n\nThe non-partisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) found this week that the Republican tax and spending bill\u2019s exemption and delay of Medicare drug price negotiation on certain drugs provided a staggering $8.8 billion bailout to Big Pharma\u2014nearly double the original estimate. This exclusion included several blockbuster cancer and rare disease drugs, including Keytruda (Merck), Opdivo (Bristol-Myers Squibb), and Darzalex (Johnson & Johnson). As a result of Republicans\u2019 tax bill, seniors with cancer and people with disabilities will be forced to pay higher out-of-pocket costs on drugs while Big Pharma profits.\n\n\u201cRepublicans are forcing seniors with cancer to pay more for the prescription drugs they need and foot the bill for Big Pharma\u2019s massive $8.8 billion bailout. It\u2019s beyond outrageous,\u201d said Senator Welch, a member of the Senate Finance Committee and champion of the Inflation Reduction Act\u2019s drug negotiation provisions. \u201cOur commonsense bill blocks the Trump Administration\u2019s bailout, lowers costs for seniors and families, and protects the hard-fought ability for Medicare to negotiate drug prices.\u201d\n\n\u201cRepublicans can\u2019t stop giving sweetheart deals to Big Pharma. While Trump continues to trot out Big Pharma executives at the White House, Republicans in Congress have been busy making sure these corporations get bailed out while Americans continue to pay more for their prescriptions. This legislation is a no-brainer to correct this Trojan Horse effort to undermine Medicare negotiation,\u201d said Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Wyden.\n\n\u201cThe Republican tax bill was a big pharma bailout, exempting life-saving drugs that Americans rely on from potentially lower prices,\u201d said Senator Cortez Masto, a member of the Senate Finance Committee. \u201cWhen Democrats gave Medicare the authority to negotiate prescription drug prices, it was a promise to give seniors real financial relief, but Republicans\u2019 tax bill broke that promise. We must overturn these disastrous policies making life more expensive for seniors across America.\u201d\n\nThe No Big Blockbuster Bailouts Act (NOBBBA) would repeal Republicans\u2019 bailout for certain blockbuster drugs. Under current law, all \u201corphan-only drugs\u201d\u2014medications used to treat rare diseases\u2014are ineligible for negotiation, regardless of how much Medicare spends on them. Under NOBBBA, if Medicare spending of a rare disease drug exceeds $400 million annually, that drug would be eligible for negotiation regardless of orphan status. NOBBBA therefore protects incentives for rare disease drug development and innovation by targeting blockbuster drugs for negotiation, while still allowing Medicare to get lower prices for drugs that cost the most to taxpayers.\n\nDemocrats championed policies to finally give Medicare the authority to negotiate drug prices as part of the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. Next year, lower prices will take effect for the first 10 prescription drugs, saving taxpayers an estimated $6 billion, and saving Medicare enrollees\u2014seniors and people with disabilities\u2014an estimated $1.5 billion in out-of-pocket costs. Medicare-negotiated pricing for the next 15 drugs will take effect in 2027. This policy is overwhelmingly popular, with 86% of voters polled in 2024 expressing support for preserving or expanding Medicare\u2019s ability to negotiate drug prices\u2014including 81% of Republican voters.\n\nRead and download the text of the No Big Blockbuster Bailouts Act (NOBBBA) here.\n\nRead more about the No Big Blockbuster Bailouts Act (NOBBBA).\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:32:54Z"], ["https://www.welch.senate.gov/senator-welch-tours-drought-impacted-farm-in-orwell-discusses-path-to-disaster-aid/", "Senator Welch Tours Drought-Impacted Farm in Orwell, Discusses Path to Disaster Aid", "2025-10-17", "2025", "2025-10", "Democrat", "Senate", "VT", "Peter Welch", "W000800", "www.welch.senate.gov", "welch", "https://www.welch.senate.gov/category/press-release/page/", "scraper", "ORWELL, VT \u2014 Today, U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Ranking Member of the Senate Agriculture Subcommittee on Rural Development, Energy, and Credit, joined Vermont farmers, state officials, and the Northeast Organic Farming Association of Vermont (NOFA-VT) at Lazy Dog Farm in Orwell to hear from farmers impacted by one of Vermont\u2019s harshest droughts. Senator Welch heard from farmers about how the historic drought has impacted soil, crop yields, farmers\u2019 livelihoods, and efforts to mitigate the impacts of extreme weather.\n\nAs the growing season in Vermont ends, farms across the state are facing the driest August on record, with nearly 94% of the state experiencing a severe drought. The most recent National Integrated Drought Information System map shows almost 24% of Vermont is experiencing extreme drought, and nearly 70% of the state is experiencing severe drought.\n\n\u201cNo one works harder than our farmers, and their work is made more challenging as a result of extreme weather. After this brutal drought, farms like Lazy Dog are finding new solutions to keep farming day in and day out. Vermont farmers should be able to depend on the federal government to lend a hand when extreme weather hits, and while a disaster declaration from USDA won\u2019t solve all of farmers\u2019 problems, it will go a long way toward helping them recover,\u201d said Senator Welch. \u201cI\u2019ll keep pushing for vital disaster aid to repair lives and livelihoods in Orwell and across Vermont.\u201d\n\nView photos from the tour below:\n\nSenator Welch recently joined the Vermont Congressional Delegation in calling on the Trump Administration to help drought-impacted Vermont farmers access urgently-needed disaster assistance. The Delegation recently called on USDA to issue a Secretarial Disaster Designation for the entire State of Vermont due to the mounting impacts of the pervasive and severe drought that has struck the state in recent weeks.\n\nThe disaster declaration would help farmers across the state access much-needed emergency programs and financial support. The Delegation\u2019s letter comes after Vermont\u2019s Agency of Agriculture, Food, and Markets asked USDA to approve a Secretarial Disaster Designation for every county in Vermont to help drought-impacted farmers access vital recovery resources.\n\nSenator Welch has championed efforts to support disaster aid funding, including after Vermont\u2019s brutal back-to-back floods, and strengthen the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in the Senate. This summer, Senator Welch introduced the Disaster Assistance Improvement and Decentralization (AID) Act. Senator Welch\u2019s bill will cut red tape and empower state and local governments to access recovery assistance when it is needed. The bill will also support hazard mitigation efforts, make the delivery of disaster aid more efficient and effective, provide technical assistance to small towns and communities impacted by natural disasters, and block the White House from withholding funding for disaster response.\n\nSenator Welch has also called for the resignation of U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, citing Secretary Noem\u2019s mishandling of FEMA and record of undermining FEMA\u2019s work.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:32:54Z"], ["https://www.welch.senate.gov/tomorrow-welch-to-tour-drought-impacted-farm-in-orwell-discuss-path-to-disaster-aid/", "TODAY: Welch to Tour Drought-Impacted Farm in Orwell, Discuss Path to Disaster Aid", "2025-10-17", "2025", "2025-10", "Democrat", "Senate", "VT", "Peter Welch", "W000800", "www.welch.senate.gov", "welch", "https://www.welch.senate.gov/category/press-release/page/", "scraper", "ORWELL, VT \u2014 On Friday, October 17th at 11:00 AM, U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Ranking Member of the Senate Agriculture Subcommittee on Rural Development, Energy, and Credit, will join Addison County farmers and legislators at Lazy Dog Farm in Orwell for a drought-impact tour to hear from farmers navigating an organic dairy farm through one of Vermont\u2019s harshest droughts. Senator Welch will hear from farmers about how the historic drought has impacted soil, crop yields, farmers\u2019 livelihoods, and efforts to mitigate the impact of extreme weather.\n\nAs the growing season in Vermont ends, farmers across the state are facing the impact of the driest August on record, with nearly 94% of the state experiencing a severe drought. The most recent National Integrated Drought Information System map declared that almost 24% of Vermont meets the D3 (Extreme Drought) intensity value, and nearly 70% of the state is experiencing D2 (Severe Drought) intensity value.\n\nSenator Welch recently joined fellow Vermont Congressional Delegation colleagues, U.S. Senators Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and U.S. Representative Becca Balint (VT-At-Large), in calling on the Trump Administration to help drought-impacted Vermont farmers access urgently-needed disaster assistance. The Delegation called on USDA to issue a Secretarial Disaster Designation for the entire State of Vermont due to the mounting impacts of the pervasive and severe drought that has struck the state in recent weeks.\n\nWHAT: Senator Welch Joins Addison County farmers and leaders to tour drought\n\nimpacted farm and discuss path to disaster aid.\n\nWHO: Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.); Drought-Impacted Farmers, Legislators and Policymakers; Champlain Valley Watershed Alliance.\n\nWHEN: Friday, October 17, 2025, at 11:00 AM\n\nWHERE: Farm Stand at Lazy Dog Farm, 152 Royce Hill Road, Orwell, VT 05760\n\nRSVP: Media are kindly asked to RSVP to Elisabeth_St.Onge@welch.senate.gov.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:32:54Z"], ["https://www.welch.senate.gov/welch-calls-on-republicans-to-help-democrats-rescue-american-families-and-extend-aca-tax-credits-there-is-absolutely-no-excuse-for-us-to-delay-this-is-the-urgency-of-now/", "Welch Calls on Republicans to Help Democrats Rescue American Families and Extend ACA Tax Credits: \u201cThere is absolutely no excuse for us to delay\u2014this is the urgency of now.\u201d", "2025-10-16", "2025", "2025-10", "Democrat", "Senate", "VT", "Peter Welch", "W000800", "www.welch.senate.gov", "welch", "https://www.welch.senate.gov/category/press-release/page/", "scraper", "Typical family of four in Vermont making $130,000 will face a $22,000 spike in annual health care premiums if Republicans refuse to extend ACA subsidies\n\nWASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 On the Senate floor, U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.), a member of the Senate Finance Committee, called on Republicans to come to the table and negotiate in good faith with Democrats to reopen the government and rescue hardworking Americans who rely on Affordable Care Act (ACA) tax credits to afford their health care. In his remarks, Senator Welch emphasized the urgency of extending the ACA subsidies, which help nearly 27,000 low- and moderate-income Vermonters access health coverage through the ACA marketplace.\n\n\u201cThe question I have is: why don\u2019t we, all of us\u2014Republicans and Democrats\u2014who care deeply about the people we represent really come to their rescue by acting, and acting now? There is absolutely no excuse for us to delay. This is the urgency of now. And I stand before you, Mr. President, knowing that right now, in my state of Vermont\u2014from Bennington to Derby Line, from Brattleboro to Swanton\u2014people are going to their mailbox and fainting as they get the news of these rate shocks,\u201d said Senator Welch.\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s not right. But, most importantly for us, it\u2019s not necessary, because we\u2014the United States Senate\u2014have the power to act and to be fair to the folks who are working hard in all of our states, and are entitled to have some confidence that the health care that they have this year they\u2019ll continue to be able to afford next year.\u201d\n\nWatch Senator Welch\u2019s speech below:\n\nIf Republicans refuse to work with Democrats and extend these discounted premiums, the tax credits will expire on December 31, 2025, resulting in rate increases and pushing affordable health care out of reach for millions of Americans.\n\nRead key excerpts from Senator Welch\u2019s remarks:\n\n\u201cWe\u2019re going into day 15 of the shutdown. No one likes shutdowns\u2026I don\u2019t like shutdowns. But some things are worth fighting for. Some things we must fight for, and one of the things that is most essential to the well-being of the people we represent\u2014whether it is a Republican state or Democratic state\u2014is access to affordable health care. And we have a date that is looming: November 1st where people are going to be getting\u2014across this country\u2014notifications about how much of an increase they will have to pay if they are getting tax support; tax credits for them to buy their own insurance in the private marketplace. That is the urgency of the moment and why we must resolve this now. We must resolve this now.\u201d\n\n\u2022\u2022\u2022\n\n\u201cAll of us who have the authority of being in the United States Senate, and representing the people who sent us here, should not allow that rate premium shock to crush that family. By the way, this is not just this family in Vermont. This is families all across our country. You know, if these tax premiums, these tax credits expire\u2014and that\u2019s what they do\u2014then we are going to see nearly 5 million people across this country, in your state and mine, lose their coverage. 24 million Americans will face higher costs.\n\n\u201cThat includes about 17 million people in states that voted for President Trump\u2014families in red states are going to see significant premium increases. But, you know, this is not about red state, blue state for me. This is about American families, American small businesses, and whether they can have access to affordable health care.\u201d\n\nThis Congress, Senator Welch has led the introduction of several bills to make health care more accessible and affordable for Vermonters, including the Strengthening Medicare and Reducing Taxpayer (SMART) Prices Act, Fair Prescription Drug Prices for Americans Act, End Price Gouging for Medications Act, Creating Opportunities Now for Necessary and Effective Care Technologies (CONNECT) for Health Act, Protecting Pharmacies in Medicaid Act, Fair Funding for Rural Hospitals Act, and the Rural Hospital Support Act.\n\nLearn more about his work by visiting his website or by following him on social media.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:32:54Z"], ["https://www.welch.senate.gov/welch-urges-usda-to-help-drought-impacted-vermont-farmers-access-disaster-assistance/", "Welch Urges USDA to Help Drought-Impacted Vermont Farmers Access Disaster Assistance", "2025-10-16", "2025", "2025-10", "Democrat", "Senate", "VT", "Peter Welch", "W000800", "www.welch.senate.gov", "welch", "https://www.welch.senate.gov/category/press-release/page/", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Ranking Member of the Senate Agriculture Subcommittee on Rural Development, Energy, and Credit, called on the Trump Administration to help drought-impacted Vermont farmers access urgently-needed disaster assistance. The Senator requested that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) issue a Secretarial Disaster Designation for the entire State of Vermont due to the mounting impacts of the pervasive and severe drought that has struck the state in recent weeks.\n\nThe disaster declaration would help farmers across the state access much-needed emergency programs and financial support. The letter comes after Vermont\u2019s Agency of Agriculture asked USDA to approve a Secretarial Disaster Designation for every county in Vermont to help drought-impacted farmers access vital recovery resources. The letter was also signed by U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and U.S. Representative Becca Balint (VT-At-Large).\n\n\u201cVermont\u2019s dairy farmers rely on high-quality, home-grown corn and hay silage to feed their cows and maintain production through the long winter. This year\u2019s drought has dramatically reduced both the yield and quality of silage crops. Farmers typically harvest three to four high-quality cuts of hay each summer, but this year, many saw only one high-quality cut, with the second of low quality and the third cut non-existent. Hard-hit areas could see corn yield reductions of more than 40%. These losses will have lasting effects for dairy farmers: their grain bills will go up this winter while their milk production will be down long after this drought ends,\u201d wrote the lawmakers. \u201cFruit, vegetable, grape, and grain growers are equally distressed. As visitors from across the globe flock to Vermont during foliage season, orchards across the state are producing the lowest fruit yields in memory. Some farmers have had to haul water onto their farms for more than 12 weeks.\u201d\n\nAs the growing season in Vermont ends, farmers across the state are facing the impact of the driest August on record, with nearly 94% of the state experiencing a severe drought. The most recent National Integrated Drought Information System map declared that almost 24% of Vermont meets the D3 (Extreme Drought) intensity value, and nearly 70% of the state is experiencing D2 (Severe Drought) intensity value.\n\nThe lawmakers concluded: \u201cThe current drought will continue to have a widespread impact on Vermont farmers and our rural economy. We believe it merits a Secretarial Disaster Declaration for every county in Vermont as requested by Vermont\u2019s Farm Service Agency State Executive Director.\u201d\n\nRead and download the full text of the lawmakers\u2019 letter to USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:32:54Z"], ["https://www.welch.senate.gov/welch-vows-to-protect-health-care-for-all-americans-what-were-fighting-for-is-health-care-regardless-of-who-you-voted-for/", "Welch Vows to Protect Health Care for All Americans: \u201cWhat we\u2019re fighting for is health care, regardless of who you voted for.\u201d", "2025-10-16", "2025", "2025-10", "Democrat", "Senate", "VT", "Peter Welch", "W000800", "www.welch.senate.gov", "welch", "https://www.welch.senate.gov/category/press-release/page/", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) joined U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), and Ed Markey (D-Mass.) on Day 16 of the Republicans\u2019 government shutdown to discuss how spikes in health care premiums will hurt working families across the country. Senator Welch vowed to protect affordable, accessible health care for every American, regardless of their zip code.\n\n\u201cBy the way, what\u2019s so astonishing about this? Trump has been picking on blue states\u2014wanting to inflict pain on blue states\u2014this affects folks who voted for him. I mean, these premiums don\u2019t go to Republicans and Democrats\u2014they go to families, they go to teachers. And everyone is going to get hammered on this,\u201d said Senator Welch. \u201cWhat we\u2019re fighting for is health care, regardless of who you voted for.\u201d\n\nWatch Senator Sanders\u2019 livestream below:\n\nSenator Welch\u2019s office will remain open throughout the shutdown to help Vermonters. Resources can be found on the Senator\u2019s website or by calling 802-863-2525.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:32:54Z"], ["https://www.welch.senate.gov/welch-joins-wyden-finance-committee-democrats-in-urging-crapo-to-investigate-rfk-jr-on-anti-vaccine-actions-conflicts-of-interests/", "Welch Joins Wyden, Finance Committee Democrats in Urging Crapo to Investigate RFK Jr. on Anti-Vaccine Actions, Conflicts of Interests", "2025-10-14", "2025", "2025-10", "Democrat", "Senate", "VT", "Peter Welch", "W000800", "www.welch.senate.gov", "welch", "https://www.welch.senate.gov/category/press-release/page/", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.), a member of the Senate Finance Committee, recently joined Ranking Member Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and four Senate Finance Committee Democrats in urging Chairman Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) to launch a fact-based, bipartisan investigation into Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for his repeated anti-vaccine actions and conflicts of interest.\n\nFDA\u2019s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) has long been considered the nation\u2019s premier voice on vaccine recommendations. Despite pledging in his confirmation hearing to respect ACIP\u2019s independence, Secretary Kennedy fired all 17 ACIP members in June and replaced them with vaccine deniers whose recent actions threaten to put vaccines out of reach for American children and families. Secretary Kennedy also upended ACIP\u2019s regular working process, and these actions are already denying access to Americans who want the COVID-19 vaccine.\n\nIn the letter to Crapo, the Senators underscored: \u201cSecretary Kennedy\u2019s actions put the health and safety of the American people at risk, and Congress must get to the bottom of how he is making decisions related to vaccines and whether his testimony to our Committee aligns with the facts and evidence. We strongly urge the Committee to carry out a bipartisan investigation into Kennedy\u2019s actions and conflicts of interest. Given the severity of these matters and their bearing on the health and safety of children and families, this investigation should be prioritized by the Majority and begin without delay.\u201d\n\nSenate Finance Committee Democrats have been demanding consistent, accurate information regarding Secretary Kennedy\u2019s priorities for U.S. health care since before he was sworn in as HHS Secretary. Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), and Tina Smith (D-Minn.) joined Sens. Welch and Wyden on the letter.\n\nSecretary Kennedy\u2019s actions could cause vaccine manufacturers to exit the market, raise prices, and reduce vaccine access for everyone. Under his leadership, ACIP has sown doubts about the safety of vaccines and taken steps that increase out-of-pocket costs for people trying to get vaccinated. His anti-vaccine actions stand in stark contrast to the commitments Kennedy made to Finance Committee members during his confirmation process. For example, since his confirmation:\n\nSecretary Kennedy claimed that former Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Dr. Susan Monarez lied about his demands that she pre-approve vaccines without clinical evidence.\n\nReports suggested that Secretary Kennedy excluded CDC scientists in the vaccine decision-making process and replaced them with his own political appointees in the process.\n\nTwo of Secretary Kennedy\u2019s hand-picked ACIP members were paid expert witnesses in vaccine-related litigation against Merck. One of them even worked on litigation related to the HPV vaccine, which Kennedy himself was involved with, and his family still retains a financial interest in.\n\nKennedy awarded a $250,000 grant to a law firm with a partner known for his work on litigation related to the HPV vaccine.\n\nSenator Welch has been a staunch opponent of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.\u2019s appointment to serve as HHS Secretary. At a Senate Finance Committee hearing in September, Senator Welch slammed the Secretary for using his position to undermine vaccines and dismantle the CDC and the Administration\u2019s failure to lower health care costs. Senator Welch also spoke on the Senate Floor to emphasize the danger of Secretary Kennedy\u2019s efforts to destroy democratic institutions and undermine the CDC.\n\nRead and download the full text of the Senators\u2019 letter to Senate Finance Committee Chair Mike Crapo.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:32:54Z"], ["https://www.welch.senate.gov/welch-statement-on-the-ndaa-2/", "Welch Statement on the NDAA", "2025-10-10", "2025", "2025-10", "Democrat", "Senate", "VT", "Peter Welch", "W000800", "www.welch.senate.gov", "welch", "https://www.welch.senate.gov/category/press-release/page/", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) released the following statement on the Senate\u2019s passage of the annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA):\n\n\u201cThe use of our brave troops by President Trump and Secretary Hegseth for political theater\u2014militarizing American cities against the wishes of citizens and governors, declaring wars without congressional authorization, parading around generals for a campaign rally\u2014is a nightmare our founders would not have tolerated.\n\n\u201cMy Republican colleagues voted down amendment after amendment that would have protected the military from these abuses by President Trump\u2014including amendments to limit the President\u2019s ability to use the National Guard for police work and requiring the consent of elected state governors before deploying in American cities. They even rejected a commonsense amendment to stop the Defense Department from spending hundreds of millions on President Trump\u2019s vanity project to refurbish the 747 jet \u201cgifted\u201d by Qatar\u2014at the same time that he is gutting veterans\u2019 care.\n\n\u201cThat\u2019s why I voted against this Republican business-as-usual defense authorization bill.\n\n\u201cWhile I will continue to stand up for American democracy and fight inefficient giveaways to defense contractors, I still worked to make sure this year\u2019s NDAA included provisions that reflect American values and the priorities of Vermonters. I also made sure it included new provisions to take care of our troops\u2014the Vermonters and Americans from every state that have dedicated their lives to our defense. This NDAA misses the mark, but I am grateful for our troops and veterans\u2014including those targeted by the anti-LGBTQI+ and anti-DEI provisions in this bill.\u201d\n\nThe Senate\u2019s FY 2026 NDAA included policies led and championed by Sen. Welch, including:\n\nElimination of Burn Pits: The bill included Senator Welch\u2019s bipartisan WIPE Act, which would finally eliminate open-air burn pits and push the Defense Department to use safer and more efficient incineration systems for waste disposal when our troops are deployed around the world.\n\nWar Crimes Accountability: Senator Welch\u2019s provision would push DOD to comply with its legal commitments to retain records of alleged war crimes.\n\nAgent Orange Cleanup: Senator Welch\u2019s provision would push the Defense Department to ensure America follows through on its responsibility to continue cleaning up Agent Orange around former U.S. bases in Vietnam, where children are still born with preventable disabilities and diseases.\n\nICE Detentions by the Military: The bill\u2019s language would ensure the Defense Department\u2019s facilities and U.S. troops can focus on fighting wars instead of President Trump\u2019s mass deportation agenda.\n\nRule of Law at the Defense Department: The Senate included language underlining that the uniformed Judge Advocate Corps is bound by law and their oath to the Constitution to continue providing independent advice\u2014free from political pressures and the whims of President Trump.\n\nSupport for Ukraine: The bill includes language to sustain and bolster U.S. military and intelligence support for Ukraine\u2019s resilient defense against Russia\u2019s invasion.\n\nMaking the Defense Budget Work for Vermonters\u2014the Senate\u2019s FY26 NDAA also included measures championed by Senator Welch with direct financial impact on Vermonters:\n\nFair Pay for State National Guards: The bill includes the Guarding Readiness Resources Act, ensuring National Guard units are reimbursed directly when responding to local emergencies, such as reimbursements to the Vermont Guard for their help during the historic flooding in Vermont.\n\nDOD Cyber Training with Academia: The NDAA supports programs implemented by Norwich University, such as cyber workforce civilian training and the Cybersecurity Model Maturity Certification, ensuring that DOD has access to skilled cybersecurity professionals and bolstering Vermont\u2019s tech leadership.\n\nRepublicans were not willing to call up Senator Welch\u2019s amendments to the NDAA that would have:\n\nStopped spending of Americans\u2019 taxpayer dollars on President Trump\u2019s frivolous vanity project, refurbishing the used 747 gifted to him by Qatar.\n\nStopped DOD from hiring individuals convicted of felony assault on a law enforcement officers, including the hundreds of individuals convicted for their violent attacks on police officers at the Capitol on January 6th.\n\nProhibited the costly expansion of facilities at Guantanamo (Cuba) for ICE detentions and deportations, extending the life of a prison camp that was designed to deprive detainees of legal rights to counsel.\n\nProhibited annexation of the West Bank by Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu\u2019s extremist government and prevented the deployment of US troops to Gaza.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:32:54Z"], ["https://www.welch.senate.gov/welch-urges-republicans-to-work-with-democrats-to-protect-health-care-access/", "Welch Urges Republicans to Work with Democrats to Protect Health Care Access", "2025-10-09", "2025", "2025-10", "Democrat", "Senate", "VT", "Peter Welch", "W000800", "www.welch.senate.gov", "welch", "https://www.welch.senate.gov/category/press-release/page/", "scraper", "Vermont Congressional Delegation hosted a virtual conversation about the shutdown with Vermonters\n\nWASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) joined U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), and Ed Markey (D-Mass.) for a discussion about the Republican shutdown and challenges facing working-class families. Senator Welch urged Republicans to end the government shutdown and join Senate Democrats in protecting the rule of law and Americans\u2019 right to affordable, accessible health care.\n\n\u201cThere has been an abdication of accepting a responsibility here\u2014Senate Republican colleagues have to act like an independent branch of government. You know, these cuts, they\u2019re going to hurt folks who voted for Trump. They\u2019re going to hurt folks who didn\u2019t vote for him. This is all about suffering that\u2019s going to be inflicted on families, regardless of what their political orientation is,\u201d said Senator Welch. \u201cAnd I talk to my Republican colleagues\u2026They get it. All these premiums that you\u2019re talking about\u2014they\u2019re going to inflict the families they represent.\u201d\n\n\u201cBut they need a permission slip from the President. And that\u2019s the lament I have, because we\u2019re talking about trying to protect families, not trying to get some political edge. It\u2019s really astonishing.\u201d\n\nWatch Senator Sanders\u2019 livestream below:\n\nSenator Welch also joined fellow Vermont Congressional Delegation members Sen. Sanders and Rep. Becca Balint (VT-At Large) in hosting a statewide virtual conversation to discuss the challenges facing Vermonters and the government shutdown.\n\n\u201cThis is about us trying to recognize that everyday families need health care, and they\u2019re going to lose it. There\u2019s an urgency to doing it now, because\u2026if we don\u2019t act\u2014and we\u2019re the only ones who can right now\u2014then Vermonters are going to lose health care. And again, whether they voted for Trump or they voted for Harris, their family is entitled to have affordable access to health care,\u201d said Senator Welch. \u201cWe want to fight for health care for everybody, and that\u2019s what\u2019s in jeopardy here.\u201d\n\nWatch a livestream of the Delegation\u2019s virtual event.\n\nSenator Welch\u2019s office will remain open throughout the shutdown to help Vermonters. Resources can be found on the Senator\u2019s website or by calling 802-863-2525.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:32:54Z"], ["https://www.welch.senate.gov/welch-demands-answers-from-attorney-general-bondi-about-trump-administrations-request-for-sensitive-vermont-voter-data/", "Welch Demands Answers from Attorney General Bondi About Trump Administration\u2019s Request for Sensitive Vermont Voter Data", "2025-10-08", "2025", "2025-10", "Democrat", "Senate", "VT", "Peter Welch", "W000800", "www.welch.senate.gov", "welch", "https://www.welch.senate.gov/category/press-release/page/", "scraper", "Sen. Welch: \u201cThere is a point of view that is in dispute here about the fairness of elections. But you have the power as the U.S. Attorney General to use the authority of your office to make demands on states, and you did that with Vermont. That\u2019s within your right to do it. I\u2019m not disputing your legal authority to do it.\u201d\n\nBondi: \u201cIs Vermont disputing turning over the information to our office?\u201d\n\nSen. Welch: \u201cVermont is\u2014the Secretary of State is\u2014and you can resolve that with her.\u201d\n\nBondi: \u201cAnd we have every right to have that information, Senator. Why wouldn\u2019t they want to turn it in?\u201d\n\nSen. Welch: \u201cYou\u2019re a prosecutor with the awesome authority to make the decision that you\u2019re going to start an investigation against a state, or against an individual. And I know from your experience as a county prosecutor and as the Attorney General in Florida, you took seriously that obligation to have a factual basis before you\u2019d proceed, right?\u201d\n\nBondi: \u201cSenator, I take that role, I take my oath very seriously. And I take fair and free elections in this country very seriously.\u201d\n\nSen. Welch: \u201cWe all do.\u201d\n\nBondi: \u201cAnd that information\u2014our office is entitled to have that information. And we are involved in litigation on that, and I assume we\u2019ll be involved in litigation with Vermont.\u201d\n\nSen. Welch: \u201cWhat I\u2019m asking is: do you or does your head of this voting section have any factual basis that you can point to that justifies your demand that Vermont turn over all of this confidential voting rights information?\u201d\n\nBondi: \u201cWell, it would remain confidential with my office\u2026We\u2019ve asked that of every state, Senator.\u201d", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:32:54Z"], ["https://www.welch.senate.gov/welch-statement-on-israel-hamas-peace-agreement/", "Welch Statement on Israel-Hamas Peace Agreement", "2025-10-08", "2025", "2025-10", "Democrat", "Senate", "VT", "Peter Welch", "W000800", "www.welch.senate.gov", "welch", "https://www.welch.senate.gov/category/press-release/page/", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) released a statement following the announcement that Israel and Hamas have agreed to the first phase of a plan to end the war:\n\n\u201cI am deeply relieved that a peace agreement has been reached to stop the bombing and end the immense loss of innocent life that has plagued Israel and Gaza since October 7, 2023. For the first time in over two years, people in Gaza\u2014facing daily bombardment, famine, living in tents, and displaced from their homes\u2014can sleep soundly with the assurance that they will wake up in the morning, free from any further violence. Now, desperately-needed food and medicine must immediately begin flowing to the people of Gaza.\n\n\u201cI\u2019m also immensely gratified that this peace agreement means Israeli families will at long-last be reunited with their loved ones, who have been so cruelly held hostage by brutal Hamas. I hope it will also bring some peace to those whose loved ones have died at the hands of Hamas\u2019 brutality in captivity.\n\n\u201cI\u2019m grateful for President Trump\u2019s diplomatic efforts, along with peacebrokers in Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey, for their efforts to bring peace to this traumatized region.\u201d\n\nThe agreement was approved following months of negotiation, and more than two years after the start of the conflict, which has displaced nearly the entire population of Gaza\u2014more than two million Palestinians. The conflict has injured over 170,000 and killed more than 67,000 people in Gaza\u2014roughly 11% of the country\u2019s population\u2014and led to widespread hunger, starvation, and mass destruction of civilian infrastructure, including homes, schools, hospitals, and mosques.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:32:54Z"], ["https://www.welch.senate.gov/ahead-of-hearing-with-attorney-general-welch-demands-answers-on-politicization-of-civil-rights-division-hiring-practices/", "Ahead of Hearing with Attorney General, Welch Demands Answers on Politicization of Civil Rights Division; Hiring Practices", "2025-10-07", "2025", "2025-10", "Democrat", "Senate", "VT", "Peter Welch", "W000800", "www.welch.senate.gov", "welch", "https://www.welch.senate.gov/category/press-release/page/", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2014 Ahead of today\u2019s oversight hearing with Attorney General Pam Bondi, U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee and the Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on the Constitution, called for answers on the weaponization of the Department of Justice\u2019s Civil Rights Division. Senator Welch\u2019s letter was sent to Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon, who has led the Civil Rights Division since April 2025 and reports directly to the Attorney General.\n\nInstead of enforcing longstanding laws that prohibit discrimination, Assistant AG Dhillon has directed the sections of the Civil Rights Division to pursue President Trump\u2019s policy and political goals. The Senator specifically called out several actions and new policy directives Ms. Dillon has issued to the Division.\n\n\u201cSoon after being confirmed to lead the Division, you issued new policy directives to the Division\u2019s sections instructing staff to \u2018zealous[ly] and faithful[ly]\u2019 pursue President Trump\u2019s objectives by prioritizing the enforcement of the President\u2019s Executive Orders and reinterpreting long-standing statutes to achieve political goals,\u201d wrote Senator Welch. \u201cIn response, the Division has dropped a series of long running civil rights cases, including a decades-old consent decree that enforced desegregation of a Louisiana school, several voting rights cases addressing racial discrimination, and a case alleging child sexual abuse by a housing provider for unaccompanied migrant children.\u201d\n\nThe Senator then turned to how the hiring process has been politicized, raising concerns about the decimation of career staff at the Department and highlighting instances in which political considerations may have influenced hiring decisions. He demanded answers about hiring practices at the Civil Rights Division, including whether the Division is following Inspector General recommendations regarding hiring and who is overseeing the hiring process at the Division.\n\nSenator Welch requested answers to the following questions by October 30, 2025:\n\nAre you following the 2008 recommendations regarding prohibited personnel practices issued by the DOJ Inspector General and DOJ Office of Professional Responsibility?\n\nPlease explain the hiring process for any career staff hired since January 20, 2025.\n\nWho is overseeing the hiring of career attorneys in the Civil Rights Division?\n\nTo what extent are career officials involved in hiring decisions?\n\nPlease explain the hiring process for Maureen Riordan, Greta Gieseke, and Patrick McCarthy.\n\nPlease explain the promotion process for Jonas Geissler, Jeffrey Morrison, Andrew Braniff, and Hilary Pinion.\n\nWho controls the social media accounts for yourself and Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Jesus Osete?\n\nWho approved the social media posts described in this letter?\n\nSenator Welch has been a leading voice in pushing back against the Trump Administration\u2019s attacks on the rule of law and efforts to undermine the Department of Justice. In July, Senator Welch denounced President Trump\u2019s attacks on DOJ\u2019s Civil Rights Division, including the Administration\u2019s plans to freeze all new civil rights cases or investigations at the division. The Senator also led all five of his Democratic colleagues on the Senate Judiciary Committee\u2019s Constitution Subcommittee, plus Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Dick Durbin, in demanding answers from DOJ concerning the Trump Administration\u2019s efforts to dismantle the Department\u2019s Civil Rights Division.\n\nDuring President Trump\u2019s first week in office, Senator Welch slammed the President\u2019s plans to freeze all new civil rights cases or investigations at DOJ\u2019s Civil Rights Division and suggestions that it would sideline police reform agreements established by the Biden Administration.\n\nRead and download the full text of the Senator\u2019s letter to Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:32:54Z"], ["https://www.welch.senate.gov/on-second-anniversary-of-hamas-attack-on-israel-welch-files-resolution-condemning-antisemitic-hatred/", "On Second Anniversary of Hamas\u2019 Attack on Israel, Welch Files Resolution Condemning Antisemitic Hatred", "2025-10-07", "2025", "2025-10", "Democrat", "Senate", "VT", "Peter Welch", "W000800", "www.welch.senate.gov", "welch", "https://www.welch.senate.gov/category/press-release/page/", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2014 On the second anniversary of Hamas\u2019 terror attack on Israel, U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) filed a Senate Resolution condemning antisemitic hatred.\n\nIn his resolution, Senator Welch condemned Hamas for its violent terrorist attacks on Israel and denounced antisemitic attacks and hateful language in America. The resolution also urges elected officials and community leaders to speak out against antisemitism and reaffirms the Senate\u2019s commitment to protecting the rights of all Americans to peacefully assemble and practice their faith without fear of violence.\n\n\u201cWe must acknowledge how catastrophic the October 7th attack was to the people of Israel and to the Jewish community around the world. That pain, and the fear caused by these terror attacks, must be acknowledged by every one of us. I urge the Senate to pass this resolution condemning antisemitism and reaffirming Congress\u2019s commitment to protect the right of all Americans to practice their faith in peace and safety,\u201d said Senator Welch.\n\nAccording to the American Jewish Committee, 77% of American Jews reported feeling less safe as a Jewish person following the October 7, 2023, Hamas terrorist attack on Israel, and 90% of American Jews believe that antisemitism in America has increased since the attack.\n\nThe Senator\u2019s resolution denounces threats of violence and prejudice linked to antisemitic hatred in the United States, Israel, and around the world, and states clearly that no individual should be subjected to violence or intimidation because of their religion, heritage, or peaceful advocacy.\n\nEarlier today, Senator Welch released the following statement on the second anniversary of Hamas\u2019 attack on Israel:\n\n\u201cWe will never forget the atrocities committed by Hamas on October 7, 2023. Almost 1,200 people, including 43 Americans, lost their lives that day and 250 people were taken hostage. It was the most violent attack against the Jewish people since the holocaust. We remember the terror inflicted on Israeli citizens that day and honor the lives and memories of the victims of Hamas\u2019 evil acts\u2014many of whom were children and young people, women, and the elderly. We also remember their families and loved ones, who have endured unimaginable pain since that day. In America and around the world, we must stand against hate and antisemitism today, and always,\u201d said Senator Welch.\n\n\u201cThis horrific conflict must end. Hamas must return the remaining hostages, and humanitarian aid must be surged into Gaza. On the solemn anniversary of this tragic day, we should all recommit to peace and justice for all the people of the Middle East.\u201d\n\nRead and download Senator Welch\u2019s resolution.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:32:54Z"], ["https://www.welch.senate.gov/welch-grills-attorney-general-on-dismissal-of-trump-border-czar-investigation/", "Welch Grills Attorney General on Dismissal of Trump Border Czar Investigation", "2025-10-07", "2025", "2025-10", "Democrat", "Senate", "VT", "Peter Welch", "W000800", "www.welch.senate.gov", "welch", "https://www.welch.senate.gov/category/press-release/page/", "scraper", "Sen. Welch: \u201cI do want to go back to [Tom] Homan. There\u2019s a tape, right, with Mr. Homan? I mean, first of all: is there a tape that has audio and video of the transfer of the $50,000?\u201d\n\nBondi: \u201cYou would have to talk to Director Patel about that.\u201d\n\nSen. Welch: \u201cNo, I\u2019m talking to you.\u201d\n\nBondi: \u201cI don\u2019t know the answer, Senator.\u201d\n\nSen. Welch: \u201cYou do know the answer to that.\u201d\n\nBondi: \u201cDon\u2019t call me liar!\u201d\n\nSen. Welch: \u201cI didn\u2019t call you a liar.\u201d\n\nBondi: \u201cYou just said I know the answer. I said I don\u2019t know the answer. You have to talk to Director Patel. What I said is that investigation was closed.\u201d\n\nSen. Welch: \u201cLet me put it another way. If you don\u2019t know, why don\u2019t you know whether there was a tape and video?\u201d\n\nBondi: \u201cSenator, I believe that was resolved prior to my confirmation as Attorney General.\u201d\n\nSen. Welch: \u201cDo you think it is of public interest for the people to know what happened to the $50,000 that the FBI turned over to Homan?\u201d\n\nBondi: \u201cDid you hear what I just said? That was resolved prior to my confirmation as Attorney General. That\u2019s why I said I would not go.\u201d\n\nSen. Welch: \u201cIt\u2019s not resolved. There\u2019s $50,000\u2014Homan has it, or somebody has it. Do you have no interest in knowing where it is?\u201d\n\nBondi: \u201cYou\u2019re not going to sit here and slander Tom Homan. The FBI and Deputy Director Blanche said there was nothing\u2014\u201d", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:32:54Z"], ["https://www.welch.senate.gov/welch-statement-on-second-anniversary-of-hamas-attack-on-israel/", "Welch Statement on Second Anniversary of Hamas\u2019 Attack on Israel", "2025-10-07", "2025", "2025-10", "Democrat", "Senate", "VT", "Peter Welch", "W000800", "www.welch.senate.gov", "welch", "https://www.welch.senate.gov/category/press-release/page/", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) released the following statement on the second anniversary of Hamas\u2019 attack on Israel:\n\n\u201cWe will never forget the atrocities committed by Hamas on October 7, 2023. Almost 1,200 people, including 43 Americans, lost their lives that day and 250 people were taken hostage. It was the most violent attack against the Jewish people since the holocaust. We remember the terror inflicted on Israeli citizens that day and honor the lives and memories of the victims of Hamas\u2019 evil acts\u2014many of whom were children and young people, women, and the elderly. We also remember their families and loved ones, who have endured unimaginable pain since that day. In America and around the world, we must stand against hate and antisemitism today, and always.\n\n\u201cThis horrific conflict must end. Hamas must return the remaining hostages, and humanitarian aid must be surged into Gaza. On the solemn anniversary of this tragic day, we should all recommit to peace and justice for all the people of the Middle East.\u201d\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:32:54Z"]], "truncated": false, "filtered_table_rows_count": 184, "expanded_columns": [], "expandable_columns": [], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "units": {}, "query": {"sql": "select url, title, date, year, month, party, chamber, state, member_name, bioguide_id, domain, scraper, source, date_source, text, has_text, collected_at, updated_at from releases where \"chamber\" = :p0 and \"state\" = :p1 and \"year\" = :p2 order by date desc limit 101", "params": {"p0": "Senate", "p1": "VT", "p2": "2025"}}, "facet_results": {"party": {"name": "party", "type": "column", "hideable": false, "toggle_url": "/press/releases.json?chamber=Senate&state=VT&year=2025", "results": [{"value": "Democrat", "label": "Democrat", "count": 184, "toggle_url": "http://dpwillis-congress-press-search.hf.space/press/releases.json?chamber=Senate&state=VT&year=2025&party=Democrat", "selected": false}], "truncated": false}, "chamber": {"name": "chamber", "type": "column", "hideable": false, "toggle_url": "/press/releases.json?chamber=Senate&state=VT&year=2025", "results": [{"value": "Senate", "label": "Senate", "count": 184, "toggle_url": "http://dpwillis-congress-press-search.hf.space/press/releases.json?state=VT&year=2025", "selected": true}], "truncated": false}, "state": {"name": "state", "type": "column", "hideable": false, "toggle_url": "/press/releases.json?chamber=Senate&state=VT&year=2025", "results": [{"value": "VT", "label": "VT", "count": 184, "toggle_url": "http://dpwillis-congress-press-search.hf.space/press/releases.json?chamber=Senate&year=2025", "selected": true}], "truncated": false}, "year": {"name": "year", "type": "column", "hideable": false, "toggle_url": "/press/releases.json?chamber=Senate&state=VT&year=2025", "results": [{"value": "2025", "label": "2025", "count": 184, "toggle_url": "http://dpwillis-congress-press-search.hf.space/press/releases.json?chamber=Senate&state=VT", "selected": true}], "truncated": false}}, "suggested_facets": [], "next": "2025-10-07,https~3A~2F~2Fwww~2Ewelch~2Esenate~2Egov~2Fwelch-statement-on-second-anniversary-of-hamas-attack-on-israel~2F", "next_url": "http://dpwillis-congress-press-search.hf.space/press/releases.json?chamber=Senate&state=VT&year=2025&_next=2025-10-07%2Chttps~3A~2F~2Fwww~2Ewelch~2Esenate~2Egov~2Fwelch-statement-on-second-anniversary-of-hamas-attack-on-israel~2F&_sort_desc=date", "private": false, "allow_execute_sql": true, "query_ms": 117.0968390069902, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}