{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "is_view": false, "human_description_en": "where state = \"VT\" and year = 2015 sorted by date descending", "rows": [["https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/must-read/old-man-wanted-more-than-money-in-branson-bank-robbery", "Old man wanted more than money in Branson bank robbery", "2015-12-31", "2015", "2015-12", "Independent", "House", "VT", "Bernard Sanders", "S000033", "www.sanders.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Old man wanted more than money in Branson bank robbery\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t By: Harrison Keegan \n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tThursday, December 31, 2015\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\tJoseph Cyrus could barelyget the words out.\r\nHe knew what he wanted to say, but he didn't want to break down in the courtroom.\r\nCyrus' lawyer told him it was OK. Hecould wait until the sentencing hearing in a few months if he wanted.But the 77-year-oldCyrus couldn't wait.\r\nA proud man, Cyruscouldn't go another day without explaining himself.\r\n\"I wanted to be caught, your honor,\" Cyrus said from his wheelchair last month at the federal courthouse in Springfield.\"I wanted to get some help from the United States government.\"\r\nA masked Cyrus robbed the Central Bank on James Epps Road in Branson on Oct. 16, pointing what he says wasa plastic BBgunat the tellers.\r\nThe reason he committed the crime, he said, was to get access to health care in the federal prison system.\r\nContinue reading here.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/leahy-local-advocates-announce-expansion-of_charitable-deductions-of-food-donations", "Leahy, Local Advocates Announce Expansion of  Charitable Deductions of Food Donations", "2015-12-30", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "VT", "Patrick Leahy", "L000174", "www.leahy.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "12.30.15\n\t\t\t Leahy, Local Advocates Announce Expansion of  Charitable Deductions of Food Donations \n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tBURLINGTON, Vt. (WEDNESDAY, Dec. 30, 2015)  Joined by local advocates to end hunger and food insecurity, Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) Wednesday announced at the Chittenden Emergency Food Shelf in Burlington that a provision incentivizing donations of surplus food to local food pantries was recently signed into law, helping efforts to cut back on food waste and supporting communities help those in need across the country. \r\nDuring this congress, Leahy successfully led a bipartisan effort to expand and make permanent tax deductions for businesses and farms for donated food to community food shelves this year. As much as 40 percent of food that is produced, grown and transported in the United States will never be used because some businesses find it too costly to donate. This amounts to an estimated 70 billion pounds of wasted food each year.\r\nLeahy said: The burden of hunger threatens the livelihood and wellbeing of communities across Vermont. Hunger leads to malnourishment, obesity, diabetes and academic and social difficulty among children, and we all know a hungry child cannot learn.Vermont is a leader in the fight against hunger, and I was proud support this common sense provision to cut down on food waste and redirect resources to those in need.\r\nThe Chittenden Emergency Food Shelf serves over 12,000 Vermonters each year, and continues to see an increase in visitors seeking food assistance. Rob Meehan, Executive Director of the Chittenden Emergency Food Shelf said, Many of the people we serve face difficult choices including skipping meals so their children will have enough to eat, choosing between food and medicine, food and housing, food and healthcare simply because they do not have enough money. We need more help from our federal government to feed vulnerable Vermonters and this is a valuable step in that direction.\r\nThe provision, the House companion of Leahy's Senate legislation the Good Samaritan Hunger Relief Tax Incentive Extension Act, was included within a broader tax extension package passed in the year-end spending bill. This provision builds on a proven tax incentive to encourage businesses and farms to donate surplus food to their local food banks. It also permanently extends the same tax incentives to donate food, now available to corporations, to small businesses, farmers, ranchers and restaurant owners  many of whom have large amounts of fresh food to donate.\r\nAccording to the Vermont Foodbank, 153,000 Vermonters rely on meals provided through food shelters, meal sites, senior centers and after-school programs each year. Vermont Foodbank CEO John Sayles said, Many of our neighbors are working hard and still can't make ends meet. Federal assistance is the first line of defense against hunger, but it has been decreasing in the past several years. We appreciate Senator Leahy getting a win for hunger relief this year, and we'll work hard to leverage that win for hungry Vermonters and continue to push for more federal, state and private support to end hunger.\r\nCommunity members were also in attendance to lend support for this enhanced opportunity for public-private partnership. Former Co-Chair of the Chittenden County Hunger Council and City Market Director of Community Engagement Allison Weinhagen said, Vermont's food co-ops, farms and food retailers all value the partnership with our local food banks and pantries. This extension further supports the impactful work that is being done throughout the state. The statistics on food insecure families in our community have not significantly decreased over the past several years and leadership like Senator Leahy's at the federal level is an important step in making a positive difference in the lives of our neighbors.\r\nAs the most senior member and former chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee, Senator Leahy has helped to lead the fight in Congress against hunger and is a longtime supporter of federal nutrition programs. This year he successfully advocated for an increase in federal funding for The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP), a federal program which provides states with commodity food products to fill food shelves. Earlier this year, he also introduced the Farm to School Act of 2015 to bolster nutrition education in schools, while increasing economic benefits for our local farmers.\r\nAlso in attendance were Vermont Agency of Natural Resources Secretary Deb Markowitz, Hunger Free Vermont, the Vermont Farm Bureau and members of the Chittenden County Hunger Council.\r\n# # # # #\r\nPress Contact   David Carle: 202-224-3693\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t Press Contact \n\t\t\t\tPress Contact  David Carle: 202-224-3693\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t  \n\t\n\t\n\t\n  \n\t\n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \t\n    \t\n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tNext Article\n\t\t    \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tPrevious Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/must-read/for-the-wealthiest-a-private-tax-system-that-saves-them-billions", "For the Wealthiest, a Private Tax System That Saves Them Billions", "2015-12-29", "2015", "2015-12", "Independent", "House", "VT", "Bernard Sanders", "S000033", "www.sanders.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "For the Wealthiest, a Private Tax System That Saves Them Billions\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t By: NOAM SCHEIBER and PATRICIA COHEN \n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tTuesday, December 29, 2015\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\tWASHINGTON  The hedge fund magnates Daniel S. Loeb, Louis Moore Bacon andSteven A. Cohenhave much in common. They have managed billions of dollars in capital, earning vast fortunes. They have invested millions in art  and millions more in political candidates.\r\nMoreover, each has exploited an esoteric tax loophole that saved them millions in taxes. The trick? Route the money to Bermuda and back.\r\nWith inequality at its highest levels in nearly a century and public debate rising over whether the government should respond to it through higher taxes on the wealthy, the very richest Americans have financed a sophisticated and astonishingly effective apparatus for shielding their fortunes. Some call it the income defense industry, consisting of a high-priced phalanx of lawyers, estate planners, lobbyists and anti-tax activists who exploit and defend a dizzying array of tax maneuvers, virtually none of them available to taxpayers of more modest means.\r\nIn recent years, this apparatus has become one of the most powerful avenues of influence for wealthy Americans of all political stripes, including Mr. Loeb and Mr. Cohen, who give heavily to Republicans, and the liberal billionaireGeorge Soros, who has called for higher levies on the richwhile at the same time usingtax loopholes to bolster his own fortune.\r\nContinue reading here.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/must-read/new-minimum-wages-in-the-new-year", "New Minimum Wages in the New Year", "2015-12-28", "2015", "2015-12", "Independent", "House", "VT", "Bernard Sanders", "S000033", "www.sanders.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "New Minimum Wages in the New Year\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t By: The Editorial Boarrd \n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tMonday, December 28, 2015\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\tIn five states and nine cities  including California, New York, Oregon and Washington, D.C.  voters and lawmakers will consider proposals in 2016 to gradually raise minimum wages to $15 an hour.\r\nThe ballot initiatives and pending legislation will build on momentum from this year, in which 14 states and localities used laws, executive orders and other procedures to lift wages for all or part of their work forces to $15 an hour.\r\nIn New York City, for instance, the minimum wage for workers in fast food and state government will rise to $10.50 on New Years Eve, and to $15 by the end of 2018. In the rest of New York, the minimum for those workers will reach $15 an hour in mid-2021. InLos Angeles County, including the city of Los Angeles, the minimum wage for most workers will rise to $10.50 by mid-2016 and to $15 by mid-2020. Seattle and San Francisco are also phasing in citywide minimums of $15 an hour, while five other cities  Buffalo and Rochester in New York; Greensboro, N.C.; Missoula, Mont.; and Pittsburgh  are gradually raising their minimums to $15 for city workers.\r\nMinimum-wage raises are examples of states and cities leading in the absence of leadership by Congress, which has kept the federal minimum at $7.25 an hour since 2009. State and local increases are also potent shapers of public perception. It was only three years ago that a walkout by 200 or sofast-food workersin New York City began theFight for $15, now a nationwide effort to raise pay and support unions. Two years ago SeaTac, Wash., home to an international airport,voted inthe nations first $15-an-hour minimum for some 6,500 workers in the city, on and off airport property. Since then, $15 an hour has gone from a slogan to a benchmark.\r\nContinue reading here.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/must-read/-20-people-now-own-as-much-wealth-as-half-of-all-americans", "20 People Now Own As Much Wealth as Half of All Americans", "2015-12-26", "2015", "2015-12", "Independent", "House", "VT", "Bernard Sanders", "S000033", "www.sanders.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "And theres a stark racial divide at the top. The 100 richest households own more assets than the entire African-American community (there are just two black people on theForbes400 list, one of whom is Oprah Winfrey). And just 182 individuals on theForbeslist have more assets than Americas entire Hispanic population.\r\nBut Chuck Collins, director of IPSs Program on Inequality and the Common Good and a co-author of the report, tellsThe Nationthat their study likely underestimates the scope of the problem. Our wealth data is a tip of the iceberg, he says. So much wealth among the ber-rich is hidden, either in offshore tax havens or in these loophole trusts where money is shuffled around into private corporate accounts or between different family members, and it disappears from taxation or any sort of oversight or accountability.So theres a huge amount of escaped wealth that isnt even factored into these statistics.\r\nAnd Collins says its only getting worse. These inequalities really undermine our quality of life, he says. We need to explain to people who say So what, I dont care how much theForbes400 has that it really does touch on all of our lives, deeply and profoundly.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/must-read/now-its-even-easier-for-candidates-and-their-aides-to-help-super-pacs", "Now its even easier for candidates and their aides to help super PACs", "2015-12-26", "2015", "2015-12", "Independent", "House", "VT", "Bernard Sanders", "S000033", "www.sanders.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Now its even easier for candidates and their aides to help super PACs\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t By: Matea Gold \n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tSaturday, December 26, 2015\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\tThe Federal Election Commission has quietly given the green light to federal candidates who want to solicit contributions for super PACs by meeting in small groups  so small that there can be just two other people in the room.\r\nIn addition, the little-noticed advisory opinion gives permission to a candidates campaign consultant and other aides to solicit large donations for a super PAC, as long as they make clear that they are not making the request at the direction of the candidate.\r\nThe decisions  which came in response to a request from two Democratic super PACs, including one with close ties to Senate Minority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.)  further erode the boundary between campaigns and their independent allies at a time when they are already engaged in unprecedented collaboration.\r\nFederal candidates are still not permitted to explicitly ask a donor to give more than $5,000 to a super PAC. But the latest decision means that an elected official or candidate can meet privately with just one wealthy donor and one super PAC operative to discuss fundraising for the group, said Ellen Weintraub, one of two Democrats on the six-member panel who opposed loosening the rules.\r\nContinue reading here.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/must-read/-shutting-down-planned-parenthood-would-catapult-women-into-poverty", "Shutting Down Planned Parenthood Would Catapult Women Into Poverty", "2015-12-23", "2015", "2015-12", "Independent", "House", "VT", "Bernard Sanders", "S000033", "www.sanders.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Shutting Down Planned Parenthood Would Catapult Women Into Poverty\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t By: Bryce Covert \n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tWednesday, December 23, 2015\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\r\nAlready forgotten in the aftermath of the San Bernardino shootings is a more persistent terrorist threat to average Americans: right-wing extremists. Robert Lewis Dear, who shot and killed three people at a Planned Parenthood clinic in Colorado Springs, has since pleaded guilty to being a warrior for the babies. His actions follow a long tradition of violence against abortion providers. That violence is increasing: The number of clinics reporting threats and targeted intimidation has increased from about 25 percent to more than 50 percent since 2010.\r\nDears terrorism hasnt affected the GOPs congressional crusade against the womens-healthcare provider, however. Immediately after the shooting, Senate Republicans said they would proceed with efforts to defund Planned Parenthood, which currently receives about $500 million from the federal government. About 80 percent of Planned Parenthoods clients are low-income (which is measured as being at or below 150 percent of the federal poverty line).\r\n\r\n\r\nUnintended pregnancies among poor women have been increasing, while those among well-off women are falling.\r\n\r\n\r\nWhat terrorists like Dear and Republicans in Congress want is basically the same: to shut down Planned Parenthood and deny women access to abortions. If they got their wish, it would serve only to make poor women poorer and increase the number of unintended pregnancies.\r\nIndeed, unintended pregnancies are already concentrated among low-income women, an imbalance that has been increasing. The rate of such pregnancies among women with incomes below the poverty line jumped 56 percent from 1994 to 2008, while for higher-income women it actually fell by 24 percent. In 2008, the unintended-pregnancy rate for poor women was more than five times that of the most well-off. All of this means that poor women have higher rates of unplanned births as well as abortionssix times and five times higher, respectivelythan women at the other end of the income scale. Poor women also have fewer places to turn for affordable contraception and reproductive careexcept for organizations like Planned Parenthood.\r\nContinue reading here.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/must-read/bernie-sanders-to-rein-in-wall-street-fix-the-fed", "Bernie Sanders: To Rein In Wall Street, Fix the Fed", "2015-12-23", "2015", "2015-12", "Independent", "House", "VT", "Bernard Sanders", "S000033", "www.sanders.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Bernie Sanders: To Rein In Wall Street, Fix the Fed\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t By: Sen. Bernie Sanders \n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tWednesday, December 23, 2015\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\tWALL STREET is still out of control. Seven years ago, theFederal Reserveand the Treasury Department bailed out the largest financial institutions in this country because they were considered too big to fail. But almost every one is bigger today than it was before the bailout. If any were to fail again, taxpayers could be on the hook for another bailout, perhaps a larger one this time.\r\nTo rein in Wall Street, we should begin by reforming the Federal Reserve, which oversees financial institutions and which uses monetary policy to maintain price stability and full employment. Unfortunately, an institution that was created to serve all Americans has been hijacked by the very bankers it regulates.\r\nThe recent decision by the Fed to raise interest rates is the latest example of the rigged economic system. Big bankers and their supporters in Congress have been telling us for years that runaway inflation is just around the corner. They have been dead wrong each time. Raising interest rates now is a disaster for small business owners who need loans to hire more workers and Americans who need more jobs and higher wages. As a rule, the Fed should not raise interest rates until unemployment is lower than 4 percent. Raising rates must be done only as a last resort  not to fight phantom inflation.\r\nWhat went wrong at the Fed? The chief executives of some of the largest banks in America are allowed to serve on its boards. During the Wall Street crisis of 2007, Jamie Dimon, the chief executive and chairman of JPMorgan Chase, served on the New York Feds board of directors while his bank received more than $390 billion in financial assistance from the Fed. Next year, four of the 12 presidents at the regional Federal Reserve Banks will be former executives from one firm: Goldman Sachs.\r\nContinue reading here.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/newswatch/122315", "News December 23", "2015-12-23", "2015", "2015-12", "Independent", "House", "VT", "Bernard Sanders", "S000033", "www.sanders.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "News December 23\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tWednesday, December 23, 2015\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\tSenator Sanders\r\nSanders: Fix the Fed To rein in Wall Street, we should begin by reforming the Federal Reserve, which oversees financial institutions and which uses monetary policy to maintain price stability and full employment. Unfortunately, an institution that was created to serve all Americans has been hijacked by the very bankers it regulates, Sen. Bernie Sanders wrote in The New York Times.\r\nSandra BlandSen. Sanders said late Monday night that Sandra Bland would not have died in police custody if she were a white women, CNN, The Associated Press, The Guardian, Houston Chronicle and The Huffington Post reported.\r\nUnlikely Alliance Sen. Sanders spends much of his time railing against millionaires and billionaires, but he has different sentiments when speaking about one of the richest men in Burlington, Tony Pomerleau, Burlington Free Press reported.\r\nWorld\r\nRamadi For the first time, Iraqi forces engaged Islamic State fighters within the city center of Ramadi on Tuesday, reaching the edge of the inner government district in an attempt to seize the critical western provincial capital after months of approach and maneuvering, The New York Times reported.\r\nNational\r\nVirginia Gun Safety Virginia will no longer recognize concealed-handgun permits issued by 25 other states, its attorney general announced Tuesday, a stark change in a state known for its expansive gun rights, The New York Times reported.\r\nVermont\r\nGMOs The latest attempt in Congress to block states from passing GMO labeling laws has failed. Its good news for Vermont, which is poised to become the first state in the country to implement mandatory GMO labeling on July 1st, WAMC reported.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/following-sanders-investigation-vermont-secures-discount-on-life-saving-drug-", "Following Sanders Investigation, Vermont Secures Discount on Life-Saving Drug", "2015-12-23", "2015", "2015-12", "Independent", "House", "VT", "Bernard Sanders", "S000033", "www.sanders.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "BURLINGTON, Vt., Dec. 23  Following up on U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) investigation on the skyrocketing cost of generic drugs and letters the senator sent to officials urging them to seek a discount on naloxone, Vermonts attorney general signed a deal with Amphastar Pharmaceuticals for a 20 percent rebate on the drug used by first-responders as an opiate overdose antidote.\r\nThe opioid abuse epidemic in our country is a public health emergency that must be addressed, and no company should jeopardize the progress being made in tackling this emergency by overcharging for a critically important drug like naloxone, said Sanders, who serves as the ranking member of the Subcommittee on Primary Health and Retirement Security. It is a tragedy for my state of Vermont. It is a tragedy all over this country. The number of heroin deaths are growing very, very significantly.\r\nDrug overdose deaths hit a record high last year in the United States. Tragically, that included 83 Vermonters.\r\nVermont Attorney General Bill Sorrell reached an agreement last Friday with Amphastar Pharmaceuticals to address concerns with the 2014 price increase of the opioid antidote drug naloxone. Under the agreement, Vermont will receive a $6 rebate per vial.\r\nSince last fall, Sanders and Rep. Elijah E. Cummings (D-Md.), Ranking Member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, have been investigating the increasingly high prices being charged for naloxone and other drugs.\r\nIn July, Sanders and Cummings sent letters to the United States Conference of Mayors, the National Association of Counties, and the Associations of National Governors, Lieutenant Governors, and Attorneys General to urge their members to follow the lead of New York and other states that are demanding affordable prices for a critical drug used by first responders nationwide.\r\nWe encourage all of your members to consider negotiating agreements with Amphastar to make naloxone more widely available in every state, Cummings and Sanders wrote.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/leahy-sharper-focus-on-americas-middle-class-needed-in-the-new-year", "Leahy: Sharper Focus On Americas Middle Class Needed In The New Year", "2015-12-18", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "VT", "Patrick Leahy", "L000174", "www.leahy.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "12.18.15\n\t\t\t Leahy: Sharper Focus On America's Middle Class Needed In The New Year \n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t \n\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n        \n\t\t\t\t . . . Congress Clears Budget Bill, Ending The Sequester Straightjacket And Lifting Caps To Fund Key Priorities\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t [Late Friday morning, the U.S. Senate approved legislation to fund the federal government through fiscal year 2016 and extend tax credits for millions of low- and middle-income class families. The final budget bill, which Leahy voted for and is expected to be signed by the President TODAY, includes a wide variety of funding investments that reflect Senator Patrick Leahy's priorities for Vermont. Leahy holds the most seniority on the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee, which handled the Senate's work in writing the bill.]\r\nHardworking Americans deserve more than living paycheck to paycheck, worrying about having to choose between paying an electric bill or putting healthy food on the table. This appropriations law ends a year of continuing budget uncertainty and extends tax credits for millions of hardworking families. We have kept out harmful riders that would have undermined everything from Wall Street reform to clean air and water laws. There are many steps forward in this bill for Vermonters and all Americans, but we need stronger steps. We need to carry this into the new year and strengthen it, to help lift the middle class and to protect the most vulnerable among us.\r\nWe need much more progress in creating well-paying jobs in rural areas like Vermont, not just in the nation's urban centers. We need to do more to protect Social Security and Medicare and other programs in the safety net. We need to do more to make college affordable for students and families.\r\nThis bill will let Congress begin the new year with focusing on America's middle class, taking stronger steps to help working families. By standing together, Senate Democrats have made it possible to cancel the harmful sequester and to lift caps to make investments possible that will make a difference in communities across Vermont  from cleanup efforts on Lake Champlain, to ramping up our fight against opioid addiction, to equipping our police officers with lifesaving bulletproof vests.\r\n# # # # #\r\nAt-A-Glance Summary Of Several Key Vermont-Related Provisions In The Final Fiscal Year 2016 Budget Bill (Cleared By Congress On Friday, Dec. 18, 2015)\r\nLake Champlain  The Omnibus Appropriations Bill includes funding to continue efforts to address the water quality and phosphorous levels in Lake Champlain, a longstanding Vermont priority for Senator Leahy. It includes $4.4 million in funds for the EPA's Lake Champlain Geographic Program, which will be crucial as Vermont and the EPA take on ambitious new work to improve water quality in the region. The highly successful sea lamprey control program was also funded at Leahy's request, and the $3.45 million provided will also support other ecosystem restoration work.\r\nAnti-Heroin Task Force  Senator Leahy was instrumental in establishing this program to combat the growing scourge of opioid addiction in communities across Vermont and the nation, holding several Senate Judiciary Committee hearings, including one in Rutland. The Vermont Drug Task Force received $1 million from the first round of grants for this program in September 2015, resulting in the addition of five troopers to focus on heroin trafficking. The program will receive $7 million in funding in FY16.\r\nSubstance Abuse Treatment  The final spending bill includes $25 million  an increase of $13 million over FY15 levels -- for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration's grant program, to expand opioid and heroin abuse treatment programs. This fall, Vermont's Department of Health received $1 million from the first round of federal funding from this program.\r\nCrime Victims Fund  The Crime Victims Fund will receive its highest level of funding for services since its creation in 1984, increasing the funding available to victims by roughly $300 million, bringing the total to $2.6 billion. These funds provide direct aid to crime victims, helping with emergency shelter, transportation and legal assistance, as well as compensation for expenses such as hospital bills, burial costs and other restitution. The fund is financed by criminal fines and penalties, not taxpayer dollars. Leahy, a former prosecutor, has long been an effective champion for victims and for the help offered through the Crime Victims Fund.\r\nBulletproof Vests  The Bulletproof Vest Partnership Grant program, a program originally authored by Leahy in 1997, is funded at $22.5 million. In Vermont more than $980,000 in grant money has helped in buying 4392 vests for local and state law enforcement officers since the program began. \r\nCollege Affordability  The final spending bill includes additional resources to help students and families afford the cost of college. The bill includes $900 million for TRIO -- $60 million more than last year -- which helps low-income and first-generation college students prepare for and succeed in college. The bill also includes strong funding for Pell Grants, and the maximum award under the program is expected to rise to $5915. \r\nResearch Funding  The bill increases funding for the work of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) by more than $2 billion, which is the largest increase for NIH since 2003. These funds will enhance funding for Alzheimer's Disease research and for precision medicine, among others initiatives. The NIH supports vital breakthrough research at institutions in Vermont and across the country.\r\nHead Start and Early Childhood Education The bill offers a total of $9.2 billion for Head Start, increasing funding by $570 million from last year. This level will restore funding for more than 900,000 children nationwide and increase Early Head Start programming for children from birth to age three. The bill also includes $250 million for Preschool Development Grants, which will support high-quality early education for more than 100,000 at-risk children across the country.\r\nNorthern Border Regional Commission  The Northern Border Regional Commission, a program that provides development funding for economically distressed Northern Border counties in Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine and New York, received a $2.5 million increase, growing the program by 80 percent in three years to $7.5 million in funding. The program awarded $1.2 million in funding to support projects in Vermont in 2015 and was created through Leahy's efforts in the 2008 Farm Bill.\r\nLand And Water Conservation Fund  For the past two years, Leahy has led the charge for the full reauthorization and funding of the nation's most successful conservation program. Allowed to expire in September for the first time in its 50-year, bipartisan history, this bill rescues the program and includes a three-year reauthorization of the Fund. In Vermont more than $123 million in LWCF grants have supported hundreds of local parks and conservation projects over the last five decades.\r\nForest Legacy Projects  Forest Legacy projects are funded at $55.9 million. In Vermont more than 80,000 acres are permanently conserved through more than $22.9 million in Forest Legacy funds used in Vermont over the 25 years of this program, which Leahy authored and enacted in an earlier Farm Bill, modeling the program on Vermont's needs and experience. This year's funding includes a significant conservation project in central Vermont.\r\nAffordable Housing  Senator Leahy led efforts to restore funding for the HOME program (which had been cut by 90 percent in the earlier Senate committee mark) to $950 million in the final bill -- a $50 million increase over last year's levels. The HOME program is the only federal block grant program to state and local governments designed exclusively to produce affordable housing for low-income families. The omnibus bill includes continued funding for the Community Development Block Grant program, and for Public Housing programs.\r\nRural Development  The U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development programs will receive an increase of $300 million, including more resources for Community Facilities and Water and Waste Disposal grants assisting rural communities.\r\nThe DARK Act  The omnibus rejected efforts by the food industry to block Vermont's Act 120, set to go into effect in July, ensuring that states can continue efforts to support consumers' right to know what is in their food.\r\nSchool Nutrition  The omnibus provides $30 million for school equipment grants to help schools update outdated equipment to improve school nutrition and food safety.\r\nTax Credit Extensions  The bill makes permanent several important tax provisions used by thousands of Vermonters, including the Child Tax Credit, the American Opportunity Tax Credit, the Earned Income Tax Credit, conservation easement, charitable food donations by businesses and farmers, charitable IRA rollover, and permanently extends the research and development credit and section 179 business development tax credit for small businesses. The New Markets Tax Credit, Low Income Housing Tax Credit, and the Work Opportunity Tax Credit were extended through 2019.\r\n# # # # #\r\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t Press Contact \n\t\t\t\tPress Contact  David Carle: 202-224-3693", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sanders-opposes-spending-package", "Sanders Opposes Spending Package", "2015-12-18", "2015", "2015-12", "Independent", "House", "VT", "Bernard Sanders", "S000033", "www.sanders.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, Dec. 18 Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) issued the following statement today opposing the omnibus and tax extenders bills:\r\nMillions of Americans are unemployed and working longer hours for lower wages, yet this spending package gives more tax breaks to billionaires, encourages large corporations to ship jobs overseas and makes worse an already corrupt campaign finance system. Scientists tell us that we must act immediately to combat climate change, but this bill will lift the crude oil export ban and encourage the burning of more fossil fuels. And 16 million children are living in poverty in this country, but Congress has decided to cut food and nutrition services for our most vulnerable and increase the already bloated defense budget.\r\nWhile there are some important and positive provisions in this bill like the expanded Earned Income Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit, the truth is we cannot afford another spending package that expands the power and wealth of the billionaire class at the expense of everyone else. Congress must pass legislation that make our rigged political and economic systems work once again for the vast majority of Americans not just the 1 percent.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/a-look-back-at-the-first-year-of-the-us-cuba-relationship-december-17-2014_-present", "A Look Back at the First Year of the U.S.-Cuba Relationship December 17, 2014 - Present", "2015-12-17", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "VT", "Patrick Leahy", "L000174", "www.leahy.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "12.17.15\n\t\t\t A Look Back at the First Year of the U.S.-Cuba Relationship December 17, 2014 - Present \n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tKey Actions and Accomplishments\r\nDecember 17, 2014: President Obama moves to normalize relations with Cuba.\r\n \r\nDecision follows 18 months of secret negotiations between U.S. and Cuba and the release of American aid contractor Alan Gross.\r\nAnnouncement of plans over the coming months to ease travel and financial restrictions on Cuba.\r\nPaves the way for U.S.-Cuba to restore diplomatic ties, reopen embassies, and potentially lift the embargo.\r\n \r\nJanuary 16, 2015: Departments of Commerce and Treasury announce regulatory changes to Cuba sanctions.\r\n \r\nThe amendments implement the changes President Obama announced on December 17, 2014.\r\n \r\nMarch 31, 2015: U.S. and Cuba hold first formal talks on human rights.\r\nApril 8, 2015: A public opinion poll of Cubans on the island is released; shows that an overwhelming majority of Cubans support an end to the embargo.\r\n \r\nNearly all Cubans (97 percent of those polled) believe normalization of the relationship between Cuba and the United States is good for Cuba.\r\n \r\nApril 11, 2015: Presidents Obama and Castro meet at the Summit of the Americas in Panama.\r\n \r\nMarks the first time the two nations' top leaders have sat down for substantive talks in more than 50 years. Both presidents agree it is time to end the embargo.\r\nThe inclusion of Cuba in the Summit of the Americas comes after Latin American countries pressured the United States to allow Cuba to participate.\r\n \r\nApril 20, 2015: Governor Andrew Cuomo leads delegation to Cuba.\r\n \r\nGovernor Andrew Cuomo leads a delegation of New York business owners and politicians to Havana.\r\nHis visit marks the first time a U.S. governor has travelled to the island since the U.S. and Cuba normalized relations.\r\nThe trip includes officials from JetBlue Airways, the Plattsburgh International Airport, Pfizer, MasterCard, and the founder of Chobani.\r\nThe trip leads to an agreement between Cuba's Center for Molecular Immunology and Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo, New York to import a lung cancer vaccine and begin clinical trials in the United States.\r\n \r\nMay 4, 2015: New Cuba PAC launches.\r\n \r\nNew Cuba PAC pledges to donate to political candidates who support favorable policy toward ending the Cuban embargo.\r\n \r\nMay 29, 2015: United States removes Cuba from state terror sponsors list.\r\n \r\nPresident Obama informs Congress of his decision in mid-April; Congress has a 45-day review period.\r\nSome congressional Republicans oppose the move; however, they do not make any effort to block the decision.\r\nCuba had been on the list since 1982. Being listed subjects a country to U.S. restrictions on such things as foreign aid and defense sales.\r\n \r\nJune 18, 2015: Cuba expands Wi-Fi access across the island.\r\n \r\n35 Wi-Fi hotspots are created.\r\nPreviously, Wi-Fi was only available at tourist hotels at hourly prices that would amount to nearly a quarter of the average monthly salary for Cubans.\r\n \r\nJuly 2015: United States restores diplomatic ties with Cuba.\r\n \r\nOn July 1, President Obama announces that the U.S. and Cuba would reopen their embassies nearly 55 years since they first closed.\r\nOn July 20, diplomatic relations are officially re-established; Cuban embassy holds flag-raising ceremony in Washington. Engage Cuba hosts private dinner between Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodrguez-Parrilla and American business leaders.\r\nOn July 22, Engage Cuba hosts a briefing at the White House for the Cuban-American community about U.S.-Cuba relations.\r\n \r\nJuly 23, 2015: Senate Appropriations Committee approves three amendments favorable to lifting sanctions on Cuba.\r\n \r\nThe amendments would end restrictions on travel to Cuba, allow private financing for agricultural sales to Cuba, and lift restrictions on ships docking at Cuban ports.\r\n \r\nAugust 14, 2015: Secretary of State John Kerry presides over the flag-raising ceremony at American embassy in Havana.\r\n \r\nSec. Kerry's visit marks the first time in 70 years that a U.S. Secretary of State has visited Cuba.\r\n \r\nAugust 2015  October 2015: American airline companies announce new flights to Cuba\r\n \r\nAmerican Airlines and Cuba Travel Services announce a new charter service providing nonstop service from Los Angeles to Havana. American Airlines also begins offering a once-weekly flight from Miami to Havana in partnership with Cuban travel services.\r\nJetBlue announces the addition of a second charter flight from JFK to Havana\r\nDelta establishes charter flights from Atlanta to Havana, set to start April 2, 2016.\r\n \r\nSeptember 8, 2015: Leading Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump comes out in support of diplomatic reengagement with Cuba.\r\n \r\nTrump's stance means that for the first time in over a half-century, the leading presidential candidates from both parties support normalization; Hillary Clinton had stated her support a year prior.\r\n \r\nSeptember 18, 2015: Obama administration further eases travel and business restrictions against Cuba.\r\n \r\nThe announcement expands telecommunication opportunities in Cuba and allows certain American businesses to establish offices and bank accounts on the island.\r\nCuban businesses and residents are now able to set up offices and bank accounts in the United States.\r\nHowever, significant barriers to open trade and travel still exist with Congress' refusal to lift the embargo.\r\n \r\nSeptember 19, 2015: Pope Francis arrives in Cuba.\r\n \r\nThe Pope visits Cuba before coming to the United States. During his visit, he lauds the normalization process between the two countries.\r\n \r\nSeptember 2015  November 2015: Telecommunications contracts begin to be signed on the island.\r\n \r\nVerizon begins to offer voice and data roaming in Cuba through a third party.\r\nSprint signs an interconnection agreement with Cuba's state telecoms monopoly Etecsa.\r\n \r\nSeptember 28, 2015: Governor Asa Hutchinson leads Arkansas delegation to Cuba.\r\n \r\nGovernor Asa Hutchinson asks Congress to lift restrictions that prevent U.S. food companies from selling to Cuba on credit.\r\nThe measure, led by Senator John Boozman (R-AR), was approved by the Senate Appropriations Committee in July but has yet to receive a floor vote in the Senate and House.\r\nIn 2000, the U.S. authorized cash-only agricultural exports to Cuba, which brought $30 million in sales to Arkansas annually. Since Cuba prefers to buy on credit, sales have fallen.\r\n \r\nSeptember 29, 2015: Presidents Obama and Castro meet on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.\r\n \r\nFor the first time in more than 60 years, a U.S. president meets with a Cuban president on U.S. soil.\r\n \r\nOctober 6, 2015: Secretary of Commerce Pritzker makes official trip to Cuba.\r\n \r\nSec. Penny Pritzker becomes the second U.S. cabinet official to visit the island since Fidel Castro's 1959 revolution.\r\nSec. Pritzker meets with the country's ministers of foreign affairs and foreign investment.\r\nSec. Pritzker tours Mariel, the site of a $1 billion investment to create a major shipping hub in Cuba.\r\n \r\nOctober 14, 2015: Nine state governors sign onto bipartisan letter supporting end to Cuban embargo.\r\n \r\nThe governors of Alabama, California, Idaho, Minnesota, Montana, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Virginia and Washington write letter to Congressional leadership highlighting the harm that the embargo has done to American agriculture exports.\r\n \r\nOctober 25, 2015: North Dakota Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring leads North Dakota agriculture delegation to Cuba.\r\n \r\nNorth Dakota Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring leads a delegation of representatives from commodity, agricultural, and commerce organizations to the island.\r\nFull list of participants: North Dakota Department of Agriculture; Bank of North Dakota; Fredrikson & Byron, P.A.; Great Northern Ag; Northarvest Bean Growers Association; North Dakota Grain Growers Association; North Dakota Mill & Elevator; North Dakota Trade Office; North Dakota Wheat Commission; and Red River Farm Network.\r\n \r\nNovember 2, 2015: Cuba hosts annual international trade fair.\r\n \r\nIt is estimated that 50 U.S. companies attend the fair, more than ever before.\r\nCuba signs first-ever roaming agreement with U.S. telecom company Sprint Corp.\r\n \r\nNovember 17, 2015: Engage Cuba partners with the Atlantic Council to release a poll from America's Heartland voters profiling their opinions on Cuba.\r\n \r\nThe poll's findings show bipartisan support in Heartland states  Iowa, Ohio, Indiana, and Tennessee  for restoring diplomatic relations with Cuba, lifting the travel ban and ending the embargo.\r\n \r\nNovember 18, 2015: U.S. and Cuba sign historic environmental pact.\r\n \r\nThe agreement marks the first accord between the two countries since the announcement that they would be normalizing diplomatic relations.\r\nThe accord will protect nearby fish and marine life living off the coasts of both countries and allow U.S. and Cuban scientists to collaborate on research.\r\nCuba's marine ecosystem is considered one of the best preserved and most diverse in the world.\r\n \r\nNovember 19, 2015: Debit cards become available for use in Cuba.\r\n \r\nMasterCard and Stonegate Bank (based in Ft. Lauderdale) announce that their cards are now active for use in hotels, restaurants and other stores in Cuba.\r\nThey become the first financial institutions to take advantage of new business openings with Cuba.\r\nAmericans travelling to Cuba will be able to use these cards at 10,000 merchants that accept the cards.\r\nATM transactions will be available in 2016.\r\n \r\nNovember 29, 2015: Governor Greg Abbott leads Texas delegation to Cuba.\r\n \r\nGovernor Greg Abbott leads a delegation of Texas agriculture and port officials and local businesses to Cuba.\r\nWhile in Cuba, the delegation meets with the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Investment, the Port of Mariel, the Chamber of Commerce and two Cuban entities, Alimport and Cimex.\r\nTexas-Cuba trade relations have decreased over the years due to restrictions and regulations. If full trade were allowed, Texas could see an economic impact of $43 billion.\r\n \r\nDecember 7, 2015: Engage Cuba launches Tennessee State Council.\r\n \r\nThe 16-person council includes representatives from a range of industries, including agriculture, academia, manufacturing, business, and the arts.\r\n \r\nDecember 8, 2015: U.S. and Cuba hold the first round of discussions on mutual property claims.\r\n \r\nThe two governments begin negotiations over U.S. individuals' and companies' properties that were seized after the 1959 revolution; Cuba also presents counterclaims of economic damages stemming from the embargo.\r\n \r\n\r\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t Press Contact \n\t\t\t\tPress Contact  David Carle: 202-224-3693\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t  \n\t\n\t\n\t\n  \n\t\n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \t\n    \t\n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tNext Article\n\t\t    \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tPrevious Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/comment-of-senator-patrick-leahy-d-vt-ranking-member-senate-judiciary-committee-on-the-need-to-combat-straw-purchasing-and-illegal-gun-trafficking", "Comment of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Ranking Member, Senate Judiciary Committee, On the Need To Combat Straw Purchasing & Illegal Gun Trafficking", "2015-12-17", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "VT", "Patrick Leahy", "L000174", "www.leahy.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "12.17.15\n\t\t\t Comment of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Ranking Member, Senate Judiciary Committee, On the Need To Combat Straw Purchasing & Illegal Gun Trafficking \n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tWe must do everything we can to ensure that deadly weapons  like the rifles used in the San Bernardino shootings  do not fall into the hands of terrorists, violent criminals, and drug traffickers. Law enforcement officials have complained for years that they lack effective tools necessary to investigate and deter straw purchasers and gun traffickers. Today's arrest of the individual who provided the rifles for the San Bernardino shooters is a reminder that we need to strengthen our laws to give law enforcement agents and prosecutors the tools they need to fight terrorism and violent crime.\r\nI will soon reintroduce the Stop Illegal Trafficking in Firearms Act, which had broad bipartisan support last Congress. My legislation will make it a Federal crime to serve as a straw purchaser' of firearms, and establish tough penalties for those who skirt existing laws and traffic firearms to terrorists and criminals. In light of reports that the rifles used in the San Bernardino shootings may have been acquired through a straw purchaser, it is all the more important for Congress to take action to fix this problem.\r\n# # # # #\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t Press Contact \n\t\t\t\tPress Contact  David Carle: 202-224-3693\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t  \n\t\n\t\n\t\n  \n\t\n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \t\n    \t\n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tNext Article\n\t\t    \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tPrevious Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/leahy-expansion-of-charitable-deductions-of-food_included-in-legislation-poised-to-clear-congress-by-end-of-this-week", "Leahy: Expansion Of Charitable Deductions Of Food  Included In Legislation Poised To Clear Congress By End Of This Week", "2015-12-17", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "VT", "Patrick Leahy", "L000174", "www.leahy.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "12.17.15\n\t\t\t Leahy: Expansion Of Charitable Deductions Of Food  Included In Legislation Poised To Clear Congress By End Of This Week \n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tWASHINGTON (THURSDAY, Dec. 17, 2015)  U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) praises the inclusion of a provision aimed at fighting hunger by incentivizing donations of surplus food to local food shelves in a legislative package set to pass the U.S. Senate this week. Leahy has long been the leading advocate for the bipartisan Good Samaritan Hunger Relief Tax Incentive Extension Act, dating back to his time working with former Senator Richard Lugar (R-Ind.).\r\nThe soon-to-be enacted provision, which was the House companion of Leahy's Senate legislation, expands and makes permanent incentives for farmers and businesses to donate excess food to nonprofit organizations like local food banks and pantries. As much as 40 percent of food that is produced, grown and transported in the United States will never be used because some businesses find it too costly to donate the excess food. This amounts to 70 billion pounds of wasted food each year.\r\nLeahy said: In Vermont, far too many families struggle to make ends meet, and a major factor continues to be the rising cost of nutritious food. Our food pantries play a crucial role in bridging the gap for families, and this commonsense step helps empower communities to help meet the need for healthy, affordable food. No one in our country should go hungry, especially as we send billions of pounds of food to landfills. This is a responsible solution that helps farmers, businesses and those in need.\r\nThe CEO of the Vermont Foodbank, John Sayles, said, \"The Vermont Foodbank is thrilled with Senator Leahy's leadership to secure a permanent enhanced tax deduction for food donations. Everything we can do to support our food donors puts food on Vermont tables, keeping our kids ready for school, parents ready for work and our seniors free from worry.\"\r\nThe tax deduction expands upon a proven and effective tax incentive to encourage businesses and farms to donate surplus food to their local food banks. It would also permanently extend the same tax incentives to donate food, now available to corporations, to small businesses, farmers, ranchers and restaurant owners  many of whom have large amounts of fresh food to donate. More than 50 million Americans live in food insecure households, according to a 2011 study by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.\r\nThe measure is part of a broader tax credit extension package that will be considered as part of the year-end spending bill, which the Senate will consider before the end of this year's congressional session. \r\n# # # # #\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t Press Contact \n\t\t\t\tPress Contact  David Carle: 202-224-3693\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t  \n\t\n\t\n\t\n  \n\t\n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \t\n    \t\n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tNext Article\n\t\t    \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tPrevious Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/statement-of-senator-patrick-leahy-d-vt-ranking-member-senate-ju2diciary-committee-on-judicial-nominations", "Statement Of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Ranking Member, Senate Judiciary Committee, On Judicial Nominations", "2015-12-17", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "VT", "Patrick Leahy", "L000174", "www.leahy.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "12.17.15\n\t\t\t Statement Of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Ranking Member, Senate Judiciary Committee, On Judicial Nominations \n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tAs we close the book on the first session of the 114th Congress, our attention is on the thousands of pages in the omnibus spending bill. But as the Republican leadership rushes to spin the press about what the Senate has accomplished in their twelve months in the majority, there is one Senate responsibility that should not get lost in the noise. That is our responsibility to equip our coequal branches of government, the Federal judiciary and the Executive branch, with the confirmed public servants that both branches need to serve the American people.\r\nSenate Republicans began the year by filibustering the nomination of the first black woman to be nominated for the position of Attorney General of the United States. No other Attorney General nominee in our history has been met with a filibuster. That did not stop Republicans from holding up Loretta Lynch's nomination longer than the last seven Attorneys General combined. Our nation's top law enforcement official deserved better treatment, but the fight to get her a confirmation vote previewed how difficult it would be to get votes scheduled on other crucial nominees. Republicans have blocked confirmation votes for the people nominated to serve as ambassadors to some of our closest allies. They have blocked consideration of nominees who would help keep our country safe from terrorist threats, including a Treasury Department nominee who would lead an office that investigates terrorist financing.\r\nBy the end of this week, Senate Republicans will have also earned the dubious distinction of matching the record for confirming the fewest annual number of judicial nominees in more than half a century. Too many Americans who have sought justice in our Federal courts this year have instead found delays and empty courtrooms because of Senate Republicans' obstruction on judicial nominees. I am concerned that Republicans' treatment of our Third Branch risks politicizing it and diminishing the role that it was designed to play in our system of government.\r\nFor the first six years of President Obama's tenure in office, Senate Republicans pulled out every stop to obstruct confirmations on judicial nominees  systematically filibustering nominees and abandoning the Senate's tradition of confirming consensus judicial nominees before long recesses. While I was hopeful they would change course once they assumed the majority, they have instead taken their obstruction to unprecedented heights by virtually shutting down judicial confirmations.\r\nOver the course of the entire year, Senate Republicans have allowed judicial confirmation votes for only 11 nominees. In stark contrast, when Senate Democrats were in the majority during the seventh year of the Bush presidency, we confirmed 40 judges that year  more than triple the number of judges confirmed this year. The Senate has a constitutional duty to provide advice and consent on the President's nominees. It is part of the core duties we must fulfill as Senators, and a fully-functioning Federal judiciary is dependent on us meeting this obligation.  \r\nI have urged the Republican leaders to allow confirmation votes on the uncontroversial judicial nominees before the end of the year. We have 19 judicial nominees still pending on the floor. Each of these nominees was voice voted out of the Judiciary Committee and each has the support of their home state Senators. Traditionally, the Senate has confirmed such consensus nominees at the end of a session, but Republicans have repeatedly refused to do so during the Obama presidency. This is the seventh year in a row that Senate Republicans are rejecting the Senate's practice of consenting to confirmation votes at the end of a session. At the end of 2009, Senate Republicans left 10 judicial nominees on the Senate floor without a vote. At the end of 2010 and again in 2011, Senate Republicans left 19 judicial nominees pending on the calendar as they left town. In 2012 it was 11 judicial nominees, and in 2013 it was 9 that Senate Republicans left pending on the floor. Last year, Senate Republicans attempted to block 12 nominees on the floor in December. Fortunately, because Leader Reid took seriously the Senate's duty to fill judicial vacancies and filed cloture on those nominees, we were able to get those nominees confirmed. In each of the last two years of the George W. Bush administration when Democrats were in the Senate majority, we confirmed all of President Bush's judicial nominees pending on the Executive Calendar in December before we left for the year. Contrast that with this year when Senate Republicans are leaving 19 judicial nominees pending on the floor as they head home.\r\nThe Republicans' double standard for President Obama's nominees will force the Senate to spend time next year doing work that should have been completed by now. For example, for the 19 nominations Senate Republicans left in 2010 and again in 2011, it took nearly half the following year in each case for the Senate to confirm these nominees. Perhaps Senate Republicans' real intent is to just run out the clock on the Obama administration  but these delays are not procedural abstractions without real world consequences. For the judicial nominees who have already made a commitment to public service in the Federal judiciary, the obstruction means they must continue to wait and keep their professional lives on hold wondering if the Senate will do its job.\r\nThe consequences for the judges currently serving in the Federal judiciary, as well as the litigants seeking justice before them, are also very real. Senate Republicans' treatment of judicial nominations has resulted in a dramatic increase in judicial vacancies this year. Since Republicans took over the majority in January, judicial vacancies have increased by more than 50 percent  from 42 to 66. These vacancies impact communities across America, and it is doing the most harm to states with at least one Republican Senator. Of the 66 current vacancies that exist, 47 of them  or more than 70 percent  are in states with at least one Republican Senator. Of critical concern is the fact that judicial vacancies deemed to be emergency vacancies by the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts have more than doubled this year. These vacancies represent judicial districts where caseloads are unmanageably high, leading to lengthier delays for parties before those courts. And yet, as we leave for the year, 9 of the 19 nominees pending on the floor that Senate Republicans refuse to confirm are judicial emergency vacancies in Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Minnesota, New Jersey, Iowa, New York, and California.\r\nIn addition to the Article III nominees, there are five nominees to the U.S. Court of Federal Claims who were nominated well over a year ago. Each of these nominees was unanimously voice voted out of Committee last year and again this year. The Court of Federal Claims has been referred to as the keeper of the nation's conscience and the People's Court because it allows citizens with claims against the government to promptly seek justice. It is critically important that we confirm the five pending nominees to this court. However, they continue to be blocked by a single Republican Senator  the junior Senator of Arkansas.\r\nSenator Cotton claims to have concerns that the court's caseload is not high enough and that the court should simply depend on senior judges coming out of retirement to hear cases. A recent letter to the Committee from the Chief Judge of the Court of Federal Claims, however, indicates that only one of the nine senior judges is willing to be recalled for full-time duty, and the other three would only agree to be recalled on a limited basis. Furthermore, the court's overall caseload has increased by nine percent over the last year. No member of the Judiciary Committee raised caseload concerns when these nominees were unanimously approved by voice vote last year or again this year. There is no good reason for Senator Cotton to deprive Americans across the country of a fully-functioning Court of Federal Claims by blocking the five highly-qualified nominees from receiving an up-or-down vote. These nominees include Armando Bonilla, a Cuban American who has devoted his entire career to public service at the U.S. Department of Justice; Jeri Somers, an African American woman who spent over two decades serving as a Judge Advocate General and as a Military Judge, and several others who would contribute to our justice system. As these nominees approach the two year mark of waiting for the Senate to take up their confirmations, I urge Senator Cotton to consider these well-qualified nominees on their merits.\r\nI have heard some suggest that Republicans' glacial pace on judicial confirmations is political retribution for the change to Senate rules regarding nominations. This obstruction, however, does not hurt U.S. Senators  it hurts the American people. Behind the statistics on Republican obstruction  the number of nominees languishing without votes on the Senate floor, the rising number of judicial vacancies, and the dramatic increase in emergency vacancies  are the experiences of real people in our justice system. Individuals and small businesses seeking justice in our Federal courts who end up waiting for years for overburdened courts to hear their claims. The national press, including the Wall Street Journal and the Associated Press, has highlighted the devastating effects of the high number of judicial vacancies. The Wall Street Journal interviewed one of the Federal judges in a California district where a judgeship went unfilled for almost three years. Judge Lawrence J. O'Neill said, Over the years I've received several letters from people indicating, Even if I win this case now, my business has failed because of the delay. How is this justice?' And the simple answer, which I cannot give them, is this: It is not justice. We know it.\r\nSenate Republicans' obstruction on judicial nominees has also had another effect; it has halted the enormous progress needed in making the Federal judiciary better reflect the citizenry it serves. This progress increases public confidence in our justice system. I am proud of the fact that there are more women and minorities than ever before serving on our Federal bench.\r\nYet as we conclude this session, the Senate is leaving several nominees of color with outstanding qualifications on the floor without votes. This includes Judge Luis Felipe Restrepo, who was nominated to a judicial emergency vacancy in the Third Circuit well over a year ago. When he is eventually confirmed, he will be the first Hispanic judge from Pennsylvania on the Third Circuit. Judge Restrepo has the strong support of the Hispanic National Bar Association, and has bipartisan support from his home state Senators, Senator Toomey and Senator Casey. Senator Toomey has said not only that he strongly supports Judge Restrepo's confirmation, but that he also recommended him to the President. Despite this overwhelming support for his nomination and the emergency vacancy that needs to be filled urgently, Republican Leadership recently skipped over Judge Restrepo on the Executive Calendar to confirm a district court nominee from Tennessee for a non-emergency judgeship.\r\nIn addition to Judge Restrepo, Senate Republicans are adjourning for the year with four exceptional African American district court nominees and an exceptional Hispanic district court nominee held up on the floor. Two of the African American nominees  Waverly Crenshaw and Edward Stanton  have been nominated to district court positions in Tennessee. Both have the support of their home state Republican Senators and were unanimously approved by the Judiciary Committee by voice vote. The three other nominees of color  Justice Wilhelmina Wright to the District of Minnesota, and John Vazquez and Julien Neals to the District of New Jersey  are all nominated to judicial emergency vacancies. All have the support of their home state Senators and all were voted out of the Judiciary Committee by voice vote. The only reason all of these nominees could not be confirmed this week is that Senate Republicans would not allow it. \r\nWhile there is no reason not to hold votes on these nominees today, I am glad that Republicans have consented to a bipartisan plan to confirm five well-qualified judicial nominees in the five-week period after we return in the New Year. Because of this agreement, the Senate will be on pace in the first two months of next year to confirm almost half the number of nominees it took us this entire year to confirm. Under the agreement, the Senate will hold confirmation votes for Judge Restrepo as well as four district court nominees: Justice Wilhelmina Wright to the District of Minnesota; John Vazquez to the District of New Jersey; Judge Rebecca Ebinger to the Southern District of Iowa; and Judge Leonard Strand to the Northern District of Iowa. Four of these nominees are nominated to fill emergency vacancies, and three are nominees of color. This agreement allows for good progress that the Senate must continue to build on, so that we reduce judicial vacancies to ensure that Americans can seek timely justice in our courts.\r\nFederal judges serve an essential role in communities across the Nation. In two weeks, the Chief Justice of the United States will issue his end of year report. His predecessor often noted in such reports the impact of unfilled judicial vacancies on the functioning of the Third Branch. I hope that such a core resource matter will again be addressed in the upcoming report because the Republican Majority's treatment of nominations this past year has been an historic disappointment.\r\nI hope that in the New Year the Senate will make progress on the judicial nominees pending in the Judiciary Committee as well as on additional nominees that we receive from the President. I was glad to hear the Majority Leader's remarks this week that he does not believe there should be a cut off point for confirming qualified judicial nominees in an election year. The Majority Leader has been consistent on this view, and I commend him for it. In July 2008, the Senate Republican caucus held a hearing solely dedicated to arguing that the Thurmond Rule does not exist. At that hearing, the senior Senator from Kentucky stated: I think it's clear that there is no Thurmond Rule. And I think the facts demonstrate that. Similarly, the Senator from Iowa, my friend who is now serving as Chairman of the Judiciary Committee, stated at that hearing that the Thurmond Rule was in his view plain bunk. He said: The reality is that the Senate has never stopped confirming judicial nominees during the last few months of a president's term. That was certainly the case when Democrats were in the majority in the last two years of the George W. Bush administration. I served as Chairman of the Judiciary Committee then, and I can tell you that Senate Democrats confirmed 22 of President Bush's judicial nominees in the second half of 2008.\r\nThe American people deserve to have judicial vacancies in their communities filled. Hardworking Americans across this country are counting on us to do our jobs as Senators. Our constituents call our offices and meet with us to let us know how they feel about the legislative issues before us. They should not also have to ask us to fulfill the bare minimum of our constitutional duties, such as the duty to consider nominees in a timely manner to keep the Third Branch of government fully functioning.\r\nI sincerely hope the New Year will bring a new approach from Senate Republicans and that we can move forward to confirm all of the pending judicial nominees without further delay.\r\n# # # #\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t Press Contact \n\t\t\t\tPress Contact  David Carle: 202-224-3693", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/statement-of-senator-patrick-leahy-on-the-one-year-anniversary-of-the-release-of-alan-gross", "Statement of Senator Patrick Leahy On The One Year Anniversary of the Release of Alan Gross", "2015-12-17", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "VT", "Patrick Leahy", "L000174", "www.leahy.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "12.17.15\n\t\t\t Statement of Senator Patrick Leahy On The One Year Anniversary of the Release of Alan Gross \n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tMr. LEAHY. Mr. President, today marks the one-year anniversary of the release of Alan Gross from a Cuban prison where he spent five years. During that time he lost more than 100 pounds, lost five teeth, his mother died, his mother-in-law died, a brother-in-law died, and he missed his daughter's wedding.\r\nI worked for three years to help obtain Alan Gross' release and the return of the remaining members of the so-called Cuban Five who had served more than 15 years in U.S. prisons.\r\nScott Gilbert, Alan Gross' lawyer, did an outstanding job, traveling countless times to Cuba and skillfully advocating on Alan's behalf with Cuban and U.S. officials.\r\nMy larger purpose, like that of my good friend from Arizona, Senator Flake, who has been a real partner in this, was to finally put the Cold War behind us and to start looking forward to a new era.\r\nLike Senator Flake and many others, I was convinced that such a step would be widely embraced by the U.S. business community, by religious groups, by academia, by the scientific community, the media, and Americans across the political spectrum.\r\nI also knew that it would be welcomed around the world, including in countries whose people believe in democracy and human rights as strongly as we do.\r\nAlan Gross' release ushered in a new day in U.S.-Cuba relations, poignantly demonstrated on August 14th by the raising of our flag at the U.S. Embassy in Havana. It was a deeply moving experience to be there on that swelteringly hot day, to hear both national anthems played, and especially to hear the cheers of the Cubans who were inside and outside of the Embassy grounds.\r\nAfter 54 years of a failed, punitive policy that had achieved none of its objectives, President Obama and President Raul Castro wisely decided it was time to chart a new path.\r\nThe reaction of the people of the United States and Cuba has been overwhelmingly positive. Even some of Cuba's most vocal critics of the Castro Government have welcomed the new opening.\r\nAlan Gross, who had every reason to be a bitter defender of sanctions, has instead strongly supported the new policy of engagement. He has never expressed anything but warmth and admiration for the Cuban people.\r\nContrast that with the small handful of Members of Congress who continue to defend a discredited policy of isolation that has been repudiated by large majorities of their own constituents, denounced by every other government in this hemisphere, and that even they acknowledge has not succeeded.\r\nYet their answer is to keep it in place, even opposing efforts by the State Department to improve security and staffing at the U.S. Embassy in Havana to which the Cuban Government has agreed.\r\nI am not so nave to think that reestablishing diplomatic relations with Cuba would result in the rapid transformation of Cuba into a democracy. Cuba's leaders are steadfast believers in a repressive political system that has enabled them to hold onto power unchallenged for more than half a century.\r\nTheir economic policies have been a disaster, resulting in daily hardships for the Cuban people. While the Cuban Government blames its economic problems on the U.S. embargo, no one seriously believes that, although it is undeniable that the embargo has exacerbated those hardships.\r\nIt is also undeniable that support for the embargo in the United States, from the business community to the human rights community, has evaporated.\r\nI wonder how many Members of Congress know that in the past five years the Government of Cuba, while blaming us for the embargo, has imported more than $1 billion in U.S. agricultural and medical products. American exports mean American jobs. The embargo punishes American workers.\r\nWhy are we also punishing half a million Cuban entrepreneurs who already work in the private sector and are no longer dependent on the government? Why not support the private sector in Cuba as we do everywhere else in the world?\r\nWhy not open the United States to an emerging Cuban market?\r\nIt is past time to replace vindictiveness and personal or family grievances with what is best for the American people.\r\nI condemn the Cuban Government's arrests and imprisonment  after trials that are devoid of due process  of individuals who have done nothing more than peacefully protest against the government's repressive policies. At least two of them are among the 53 who were released as part of the agreement a year ago.\r\nEleven others who were released at an earlier time are still being denied their right to travel freely.\r\nBut Cuba's leaders cannot stop the tide of history any more than any of us can. The majority of Cubans were not even born at the time of the 1959 revolution, and they have very different priorities and aspirations from those who overthrew Batista's corrupt, abusive regime. Cuba is already changing in ways that will mean more freedom, more engagement with the world, and more economic opportunities.\r\nDuring the past twelve months, the Obama Administration has taken historic steps to implement the new policy. After so many decades when U.S.  Cuban relations were frozen in time, the progress has been breathtaking.\r\nTalks are underway between both governments on a wide range of issues, from resuming direct mail and air service, to law enforcement cooperation and property claims.\r\nSenator Flake and I have introduced legislation, cosponsored by 45 other Democrats and Republicans, to end restrictions on travel by Americans to Cuba  restrictions that do not exist for travel to any other country, including Iran and North Korea. \r\nIf our bill were voted on I am confident it would pass easily. \r\nThis year, the Senate Appropriations Committee passed, with bipartisan majorities, a similar travel amendment by Senator Moran and myself and two other amendments to facilitate U.S. agricultural exports and shipping to and from Cuba.\r\nIn contrast, the House of Representatives adopted half a dozen provisions offered by a single Member that would turn back the clock.\r\nI have no doubt that the path begun by President Obama and President Raul Castro is the right one for the people of both countries and that the dwindling few who continue to try to stand in its way will fail.\r\nHistory is not on their side, and rather than continue to cling to a policy that was misguided from its inception and did nothing to help the Cuban people, they should respect the will of their constituents and the Cubans on whose behalf they erroneously claim to speak.\r\nMr. President, only twelve months have passed since Alan Gross came home, but more has been accomplished in those twelve months for the betterment of the people of Cuba and the United States, and for our reputation and influence in this hemisphere, than in the past half century.\r\nI ask unanimous consent that a chronology of those accomplishments prepared by the coalition Engage Cuba be printed in the Record at the end of my remarks.\r\nI hope that before another year passes the Congress will have finally recognized that it, too, has a responsibility to respect the will of the people, to end the embargo, to stop interfering with the right of Americans to travel, and that exposing the Cuban people to our ideas, our principles, and our products is the best policy for the future.\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t Press Contact \n\t\t\t\tPress Contact  David Carle: 202-224-3693", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/newswatch/121715", "News December 17", "2015-12-17", "2015", "2015-12", "Independent", "House", "VT", "Bernard Sanders", "S000033", "www.sanders.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "News December 17\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tThursday, December 17, 2015\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\tSenator Sanders\r\nAndrea Mitchell Interview MSNBCs Andrea Mitchell was joined by Sen. Bernie Sanders, to discuss his plan for the American fight against ISIS. Sanders also commented on last nights Republican presidential debate.\r\nMosque Visit Wednesday, Sen. Bernie Sanders joined members of three faiths - Christianity, Islam and Judaism - at Masjid Muhammad in Washington to discuss racial and religious tensions in national politics, ABC, The Huffington Post, The Washington Post, WRC-TV in Washington and National Journal reported. As a politician who has aligned himself with civil rights causes for decades, Sanders seemed comfortable talking about the issue of religious tolerance, according to The New York Times.\r\nDrug Prices A new report requested by Sen. Sanders found that Medicaid could have saved $1.4 billion over the past decade if companies were required to offer rebates whenever prices for best-selling generic drugs exceeded the inflation rate. The federal budget bill, which was passed last month, included a provision authored by Sen. Sanders and Rep. Cummings requiring generic drug makers to offer state Medicaid programs rebates tied to inflation, STAT News reported.\r\nFed Rate Hike Sen. Sanders has critiqued the Federal Reserves decision to raise interest rates, stating that, The Fed should act with the same sense of urgency to rebuild the disappearing middle class as it did to bail out Wall Street banks seven years ago, The New York Times, PBSNewsHour,The Associated Press, The Hill,The Washington Post,Fortune and Business Insider reported.\r\nBernie Beans Capitol Grounds Cafe and Roasters announced a new, special edition coffee called Bernie's Beans, named after Vermont Senator and Presidential Candidate Bernie Sanders, FOX44 reported.\r\nWorld\r\nCuba Cuba and the United States reached an agreement Wednesday night that will allow U.S. commercial airlines to begin operating flights to the island for the first time in decades, according to U.S. officials with knowledge of the discussion, The Washington Post reported.\r\nNational\r\nFreddie Gray Trial Jurors deliberated more than 16 hours over three days but still could not reach a verdict in the trial of the first officer to face prosecution in Freddie Grays death, forcing an already-weary Baltimore to continue waiting for any resolution in a case that has strained the city for months, The Washington Post reported.\r\nBudget Deal Congressional negotiators introduced a sweeping year-end spending and tax-break package Wednesday that bursts through previously agreed budget limits with $66 billion in new spending for 2016. It also makes permanent an array of tax benefits at a cost of adding more than a half-trillion dollars to the deficit, The New York Times reported.\r\nVermont\r\nVermont Yankee Entergy plans to begin moving Vermont Yankees spent nuclear fuel into more stable storage two years earlier than initially expected, VT Digger reported.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/skyrocketing-generic-drug-prices-cost-taxpayers-14-billion-new-report-finds", "Skyrocketing Generic Drug Prices Cost Taxpayers $1.4 Billion, New Report Finds", "2015-12-17", "2015", "2015-12", "Independent", "House", "VT", "Bernard Sanders", "S000033", "www.sanders.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Skyrocketing Generic Drug Prices Cost Taxpayers $1.4 Billion, New Report Finds\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tThursday, December 17, 2015\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\tWASHINGTON, Dec. 17  Skyrocketing generic drug prices cost taxpayers an additional $1.4 billion over the last decade according to a new report from the Department of Health and Human Services inspector general, undertaken at the request of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.), ranking member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.\r\nPrices of top-selling generic drugs rose faster than inflation 22 percent of the time over the 10-year study. If a rebate had been applied on generic drugs rising faster than inflation Medicaid would have saved more than $700 million in 2013 and 2014 alone.\r\nIt is unacceptable that Americans pay, by far, the highest prices in the world for prescription drugs. The United States is the only major country on earth that does not in one form or another regulate prescription drug prices and the results have been an unmitigated disaster. This report further demonstrates that we need a new approach to stop skyrocketing drug prices in this country, said Sanders.\r\nThe IG report confirms that skyrocketing drug prices are not just an isolated problem caused by one or two CEOs motivated by greed, but a systemic injustice that enriches corporate executives at the expense of Americans in desperate need of their medications. Unfortunately, House Republicans have not sent a single letter to a single drug company requesting a single document to investigate these abuses, said Cummings.\r\nSanders and Cummings Medicaid Generic Drug Price Fairness Act  included in the 2015 budget deal  requires generic drug manufacturers to pay back the Medicaid program if prices of their drugs rise faster than the rate of inflation. The passage of the generic drug inflationary rebate will save the federal government $1 billion over the next decade, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.\r\nSanders and Cummings have urged Congress to build on the successful passage of their Medicaid rebate bill and implement prescription drug policies to counter sharp rises in drug prices.In September, they introduced legislation that would direct Medicare to negotiate drug prices, penalize drug companies that commit fraud and allow for the importation of lower-cost drugs from Canada.\r\nThe inspector general will conduct a follow-up study at Sanders and Cummings request that will analyze the impact of generic drug price increases on the Medicare Part D program.\r\nTo read the report click here.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/leahy-senate-republicans-must-prioritize_judicial-nominees-in-new-year-", "Leahy: Senate Republicans Must Prioritize  Judicial Nominees In New Year", "2015-12-16", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "VT", "Patrick Leahy", "L000174", "www.leahy.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "12.16.15\n\t\t\t Leahy: Senate Republicans Must Prioritize  Judicial Nominees In New Year  \n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tWASHINGTON (Tuesday, December 15, 2015) The Republican-controlled Senate confirmed just 11 judicial nominees this year, matching the fewest number of nominees confirmed by any Senate in more than half a century.\r\nBut under a bipartisan agreement negotiated by Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Republican Chairman Chuck Grassley (Iowa), the Senate next year will vote on five judicial nominees before the February recess. Four of these nominees are nominated to fill emergency vacancies, and three are nominees of color.\r\nLeahy said the bipartisan nominations agreement is a positive first step toward filling vacancies next year.\r\nAfter a year in which the Senate broke records for its inaction on judicial confirmations, I am glad that Republicans have consented to a bipartisan plan to confirm these well qualified judicial nominees, Leahy said. Because of this agreement, the Senate will be on pace in the first two months of next year to confirm almost half the number of nominees it took us this entire year to confirm. The Senate must continue to build on this progress so that we reduce judicial vacancies.\r\nThe five nominees the Senate is poised to confirm early next year are: Judge Luis Felipe Restrepo of Pennsylvania to the Third Circuit Court of Appeals; Justice Wilhelmina Wright to the District of Minnesota; John Vazquez to the District of New Jersey; Judge Rebecca Ebinger to the Southern District of Iowa and Judge Leonard Strand to the Northern District of Iowa.\r\nIn addition to the five nominees in the agreement, there are 14 more judicial nominees pending on the executive calendar, all of whom were approved by the Judiciary Committee by voice vote. These nominees will not be returned to the White House at the end of the session but rather will remain on the Senate calendar.\r\n# # # # #\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t Press Contact \n\t\t\t\tPress Contact  David Carle: 202-224-3693\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t  \n\t\n\t\n\t\n  \n\t\n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \t\n    \t\n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tNext Article\n\t\t    \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tPrevious Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sanders-statement-on-fed-raising-interest-rates", "Sanders Statement on Fed Raising Interest Rates", "2015-12-16", "2015", "2015-12", "Independent", "House", "VT", "Bernard Sanders", "S000033", "www.sanders.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, Dec. 16  Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) issued the following statement today after the Federal Reserve announced that it would raise interest rates for the first time in nearly a decade:\r\nWhen millions of Americans are working longer hours for lower wages, the Federal Reserves decision to raise interest rates is bad news for working families. At a time when real unemployment is nearly 10 percent and youth unemployment is off the charts, we need to do everything possible to create millions of good-paying jobs and raise the wages of the American people. The Fed should act with the same sense of urgency to rebuild the disappearing middle class as it did to bail out Wall Street banks seven years ago.\"", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/must-read/pharma-bros-latest-move-targets-latinos", "Pharma Bro's Latest Move Targets Latinos", "2015-12-15", "2015", "2015-12", "Independent", "House", "VT", "Bernard Sanders", "S000033", "www.sanders.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Pharma Bro's Latest Move Targets Latinos\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t By: Daisy Hernandez \n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tTuesday, December 15, 2015\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\tAfter dropping $2 million on aWu-Tang Clan album, the pharmaceutical executive Martin Shkreli has found a new project: making an essential treatment unaffordable for poor immigrants from Latin America.\r\nShkreli, otherwise known as pharma bro, gained notoriety earlier this year when his company, Turing Pharmaceuticals, increased the price of a drug used to treat AIDS patients from around $13.50 to $750. Hes now the CEO of KaloBios Pharmaceuticals, which recently announced its plans to submit benznidazole, a treatment for Chagas diseasepurchased earlier this month, for Food and Drug Administration approval next year. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that about300,000 peoplein the United States have the deadly disease. Most of them are immigrants from Latin America, where as many as8 million peopleare infected.\r\nThe third most common parasite disease in the world, Chagas, also known as the kissing bug disease, is transmitted via the painless bites of Triatomine insects. Untreated, it can lead to heart failure and death. Last year, researchers at the Baylor College of MedicineidentifiedChagas in several patients who hadnt traveled outside of the country, positing that they may have come into contact with the bugs through camping and hunting. That said, the risk of contracting the parasite in the U.S. remains small; most people who have the disease in the United States already had it when they arrived.\r\nRight now, doctors in the U.S. obtain benznidazole free of charge through the CDC. According to Rachel Cohen, the regional executive director of the Drugs for Neglected Disease Initiative in North America, the drug sells in Latin America for somewhere between $60 and $100 for each course of treatment. Both of these would change the moment the FDA approved benznidazole from any companyand Shkreli, in particular, seems determined to price this drug out of reach of the people who need it. In filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, KaloBioswrotethat it expects to price the Chagas drug similarly to antivirals for Hepatitis C,which can cost almost $100,000for a single course of treatment in the United States.\r\nContinue reading here.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/statement-of-senator-patrick-leahy-on-lourdes-tiban", "Statement of Senator Patrick Leahy On Lourdes Tiban", "2015-12-14", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "VT", "Patrick Leahy", "L000174", "www.leahy.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "12.14.15\n\t\t\t Statement of Senator Patrick Leahy On Lourdes Tiban \n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tMr. President, I want other Senators to be aware of information I received about Ecuadorian National Assembly member Lourdes Tiban, a prominent and respected leader of Ecuador's indigenous people. \r\nAs an indigenous leader, Ms. Tiban has become one of the most outspoken advocates for freedom of expression, indigenous rights, and social rights in Ecuador. Not surprisingly, this has made her the target of verbal attacks by President Rafael Correa.\r\nEarlier this year, Ms. Tiban was beaten by unidentified assailants as she was walking to work. The assault was filmed and then shared online by government supporters who posted humiliating comments.\r\nThis isn't the first time that Ms. Tiban has been physically assaulted. She is the victim of two other similar incidents which, I am told, have not been properly investigated.\r\nIt is regrettable that, instead of vigorously investigating this latest attack against Ms. Tiban, a National Assembly member from President Correa's political party has brought a criminal case for libel against her. This is believed to be in retaliation for Ms. Tiban's claim that government supporters were responsible for targeting her, presumably in an attempt to silence her and remove her from the National Assembly.\r\n\r\nEcuador is a country where judicial independence is seriously compromised. I have spoken about this several times, and it has been well documented by the Department of State, the United Nations, and human rights organizations. It is also illustrated by the fact that the Council of the Judiciary, with the power to appoint and remove judges, is comprised of five former officials of the Correa administration. It is likely that the criminal investigation against Ms. Tiban could result in an unjust conviction.\r\n\r\nWe should condemn these attacks on freedom of expression, political rights, and the rights of indigenous people, and we should defend judicial independence which is fundamental to democracy in Ecuador and throughout the hemisphere.\r\n\r\nLourdes Tiban has devoted her legislative efforts to protecting human rights for her people, and I am confident that she will continue to do so as she is not easily intimidated. She has my support and the support of others who believe in the principles of democracy.\r\n\r\n# # # # #\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t Press Contact \n\t\t\t\tPress Contact  David Carle: 202-224-3693\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t  \n\t\n\t\n\t\n  \n\t\n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \t\n    \t\n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tNext Article\n\t\t    \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tPrevious Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/four-years-after-irene-renewal-in-waterbury", "Four Years After Irene, Renewal In Waterbury", "2015-12-11", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "VT", "Patrick Leahy", "L000174", "www.leahy.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "12.11.15\n\t\t\t Four Years After Irene, Renewal In Waterbury \n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t \n\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n        \n\t\t\t\t By Patrick Leahy, Bernie Sanders and Peter Welch\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t This past August, we marked the four year anniversary of Tropical Storm Irene. Memories of communities besieged by flood waters, houses knocked from their foundations and families forever changed are still fresh for each of us, and for so many other Vermonters.\r\nBut just as Vermont rebuilt from the historic 1927 floods, Vermonters have pulled together to build back stronger, smarter and better after Irene. This has required new and creative thinking, and significant collaboration between communities, the State of Vermont and the federal government. Nowhere in Vermont is that story better told than in Waterbury.\r\nOn August 29, 2011, the Winooski River jumped its banks and inundated the iconic Waterbury State Office Complex and state psychiatric hospital.When the floodwaters receded, it was clear the office complex and hospital were a total loss.\r\nEven before Irene hit, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) helped Vermonters prepare for the storm.The agency helped coordinate first responders across the state during and immediately after the floods. And in the end, it would provide individual assistance to more than 7300 Vermonters who lost property.\r\nBut, as communities across Vermont would soon learn, FEMA generally only helps pay to rebuild infrastructure if it is rebuilt in the same place and restored to its pre-flood condition. Ideas like moving the state hospital and power plant out of the flood plain were nonstarters. This made no sense to us, to use taxpayer money to rebuild in a manner likely to fail again in the next flood, rather than building back stronger.\r\nSo we crafted legislation and steered it through the Appropriations process and into law to ensure that FEMA could pay for smarter, more resilient projects. We met with FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate and his leadership team, and urged them to use this new authority in Vermont. And to their credit, they did. FEMA contributed more than $55 million to build a new state-of-the-art psychiatric hospital facility in Berlin, and to build a fantastic new state office complex that will reopen in Waterbury on Monday. In the end, the community of Waterbury, patients at the state hospital, and state workers in both locations are all better off.\r\nAnother example of local, state and federal collaboration in Irene's aftermath is Waterbury's new municipal building. After Waterbury residents voted to expand the town library and historical society and to relocate the Town offices out of the flood plain, the project used more than $1 million in special Community Development Block Grant disaster funding that we fought hard to include in the federal budget.That federal assistance helped rebuild Waterbury stronger.\r\nOther examples of this collaboration include the Hunger Mountain Children's Center and the new South Main Apartments, each of which received $1 million in federal disaster assistance. And as a result, Waterbury has new affordable housing and expanded childcare opportunities for working families.\r\nAll of these projects took vision from local leaders, Vermonters pulling together, lots of creative thinking, and an effective collaboration among town, state and federal governments to get where we are today.Residents of Waterbury and all Vermonters should be proud of what we have achieved, working together. There is more to do, but if we continue to work together we will always be stronger than before.\r\n# # # # #\r\n[Patrick Leahy (D) and Bernie Sanders (I) are Vermont's U.S. Senators, and Peter Welch (D) represents Vermont in the U.S. House of Representatives.]\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t Press Contact \n\t\t\t\tPress Contact  David Carle: 202-224-3693\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t  \n\t\n\t\n\t\n  \n\t\n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \t\n    \t\n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tNext Article\n\t\t    \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tPrevious Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/leahy-welcomes-long-delayed-sec-draft-rule-on-oil-and-mining-transparency", "Leahy Welcomes Long-Delayed SEC Draft Rule On Oil And Mining Transparency", "2015-12-11", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "VT", "Patrick Leahy", "L000174", "www.leahy.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "12.11.15\n\t\t\t Leahy Welcomes Long-Delayed SEC Draft Rule On Oil And Mining Transparency \n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tWASHINGTON (FRIDAY, Dec. 11, 2015) -- U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) Friday welcomed action by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to propose a rule on a long-delayed extractive industries transparency provision of the Wall Street reform law enacted in 2010. The transparency provision was authored by Leahy and became Section 1504 of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act.\r\nLeahy as a conferee worked closely with former Senator Dick Lugar (R-Ind.) and Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.) when he successfully offered the amendment during the Dodd-Frank conference negotiations that created Section 1504. The transparency reforms require transparent reporting of payments made to governments for the extraction of oil, natural gas and minerals by companies that otherwise must file disclosures with the SEC. Once fully implemented, Section 1504 will help empower investors with a more complete view of the value of their holdings, encouraging capital formation. The reforms will bring more information to global commodities markets, contributing to price stability. Leahy notes that the reforms also will help citizens in holding governments accountable for the decisions made in managing valuable oil, gas, and minerals resources and revenues.\r\nA final rule on Section 1504 had been adopted by the agency on August 22, 2012, but it was subsequently vacated by the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Since then, the European Union and Canada have both adopted transparency initiatives similar to the rule the SEC had initially adopted in 2012.\r\nLeahy said: I look forward to reviewing the proposed rule, but after the SEC's latest action it is clear that the commissioners have made an important step in the right direction and in following congressional intent by finally proposing this long-awaited rule for U.S. investors and citizens in resource-rich countries to hold their leaders accountable.\r\n# # # # #\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t Press Contact \n\t\t\t\tPress Contact  David Carle: 202-224-3693\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t  \n\t\n\t\n\t\n  \n\t\n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \t\n    \t\n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tNext Article\n\t\t    \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tPrevious Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://welch.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/welch-introduces-bipartisan-authorization-military-force-against-isil", "Welch Introduces Bipartisan Authorization Of Military Force Against ISIL", "2015-12-10", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "VT", "Peter Welch", "W000800", "welch.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTONAt a Capitol Hill press conference this afternoon, Rep. Peter Welch (VT-AL), joined by Rep. Scott Rigell (R-VA), announced the introduction in the House of bipartisan legislation that would authorize the use of American military force against ISIL. Joining Welch and Rigell at the press conference were Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Senator Jeff Flake (R-AZ), the sponsors of identical legislation in the Senate.\nUnder the U.S. Constitution, it is the responsibility of Congress to authorize the use of military force,\" said Congressman Welch. \"Since August 8, 2014 when military action against ISIL began, Congress has been absent. Since then, our military has delivered 8,573 airstrikes in Syria and Iraq at a cost to the American taxpayer of $5.2 billion. One American service member has been killed. It is time Congress did its job by debating and deciding on America's role in defeating ISIL. The failure of Congress to do its job is an abdication of its Constitutional responsibility and an indefensible transfer of power to the executive.\nThe War Powers Resolution states that apart from an attack upon the United States, its territories or possessions, or its armed forces, Congress must either declare war or authorize the proposed military action. The bipartisan, bicameral Authorization of the Use of Military Force (AUMF) introduced today would authorize the President to take specific, strategic military action and to provide support to our allies and regional partners in the battle to defeat ISIL. Key provisions include a sunset after three years unless reauthorized; a repeal of the 2002 Iraq AUMF; and a clause that defines this authorization as the sole statutory authority for the war on ISIL, as opposed to the 2001 AUMF.\nThe text of the AUMF is available here.\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/new-england-senators-call-for-federal-funding-to-support-conte-refuge-and-connecticut-river-watershed-", "NEW ENGLAND SENATORS CALL FOR FEDERAL FUNDING TO SUPPORT CONTE REFUGE & CONNECTICUT RIVER WATERSHED", "2015-12-10", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "VT", "Patrick Leahy", "L000174", "www.leahy.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "12.10.15\n\t\t\t NEW ENGLAND SENATORS CALL FOR FEDERAL FUNDING TO SUPPORT CONTE REFUGE & CONNECTICUT RIVER WATERSHED  \n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tWASHINGTON Today, U.S. Senators Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) called on the U.S. Department of the Interior to provide federal funding to support the protection of the diverse plant, fish, and wildlife species in the Silvio O. Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge. In a letter to Secretary Sally Jewell of the Department of the Interior, the senators urged the Department to continue funding the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) and to prioritize the Conte Refuge  which is of great environmental and recreational importance but is in need of more than $14 million for necessary upkeep and improvement projects.\r\nThe Silvio O. Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge spans more than 36,000 acres throughout the Connecticut River watershed in Connecticut, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Massachusetts.\r\nAs elected representatives of the four states encompassing the boundaries of the Connecticut River Watershed and the Silvio O. Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge, we write to urge you to provide sufficient funding in your FY17 budget to support the Refuge. The current need for the Refuge is acute: Fish and Wildlife Service staff and the non-governmental partner groups composing the Friends of Conte have identified over $14 million in projects as current and available priority opportunities within the Refuge, wrote the senators. These land trusts have added a combined total of more than 350,000 acres to the conservation estate basin-wide, providing recreational opportunities to the more than 2.3 million people who live in the basin and another 70 million who live within a day's drive of these properties. While we continue to work to reauthorize and for full funding for LWCF, we hope you will continue to put forward adequate funding for the Conte Refuge.\r\nThe full text of the letter is below:\r\nThe Honorable Sally Jewell\r\nSecretary\r\nDepartment of the Interior\r\n1849 C Street NW\r\nWashington DC 20240            \r\nDear Secretary Jewell:\r\nAs elected representatives of the four states encompassing the boundaries of the Connecticut River Watershed and the Silvio O. Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge, we write to urge you to provide sufficient funding in your FY17 budget to support the Refuge.\r\nWe thank you for including $2 million in the President's FY 16 budget in Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) last fiscal year. While we continue to advocate to our colleagues on the appropriations committee, Conte Refuge has not ranked high enough on the project list to receive funding for FY16. We hope you will consider moving the Refuge higher on the list of priority projects for LWCF funding. The current need for the Refuge is acute: Fish and Wildlife Service staff and the non-governmental partner groups composing the Friends of Conte have identified over $14 million in projects as current and available priority opportunities within the Refuge.\r\nBecause of the many local, state, and federal partnerships in this watershed, the Conte Refuge presents a unique opportunity to leverage additional non-Federal funding. Additionally, members of the land trust community from throughout the basin routinely assist the Refuge in identifying properties and working with landowners towards federal ownership, lowering staff time and costs to the Service. These land trusts also have added a combined total of more than 350,000 acres to the conservation estate basin-wide, providing recreational opportunities to the more than 2.3 million people who live in the basin and another 70 million who live within a day's drive of these properties.\r\nWhile we continue to work to reauthorize and for full funding for LWCF, we hope you will continue to put forward adequate funding for the Conte Refuge. We look forward to working with you during the final steps of the FY16 and through the FY17 appropriations process.\r\nSincerely,\r\nU.S. Senator Christopher S. Murphy\r\nU.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal\r\nU.S. Senator Ed Markey\r\nU.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren\r\nU.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen\r\nU.S. Senator Patrick Leahy\r\nU.S. Senator Bernie Sanders\r\nCC.:\r\nThe Honorable Daniel Ashe\r\nDirector\r\nFish and Wildlife Service\r\nDepartment of the Interior\r\n1849 C Street NW\r\nWashington, DC 20240\r\nThe Honorable Shaun Donovan\r\nDirector\r\nThe Office of Management and Budget\r\n725 17th Street, NW\r\nWashington, DC 20503\r\n###\r\n\r\n\r\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t Press Contact \n\t\t\t\tPress Contact  David Carle: 202-224-3693\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t  \n\t\n\t\n\t\n  \n\t\n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \t\n    \t\n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tNext Article\n\t\t    \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tPrevious Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/senate-judiciary-committee-adopts-leahy-amendment-confirming-that-the-us-must-not-bar-individualsbased-on-their-religion", "Senate Judiciary Committee Adopts Leahy Amendment Confirming That The U.S. Must Not Bar IndividualsBased On Their Religion", "2015-12-10", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "VT", "Patrick Leahy", "L000174", "www.leahy.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "12.10.15\n\t\t\t Senate Judiciary Committee Adopts Leahy Amendment Confirming That The U.S. Must Not Bar IndividualsBased On Their Religion \n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tWASHINGTON (THURSDAY, December 10, 2015)  The Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday approved an amendment authored by Ranking Member Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) confirming that the United States must not bar individuals from entering into the United States based on their religion.\r\nLeahy's amendment was adopted by a vote of 16-4. Consideration of his amendment came after some made demands earlier this week to shut the nation's borders to all Muslims. Leahy spoke out against this hateful rhetoric earlier this week. Many top Republicans and Democrats have condemned this reprehensible proposal.\r\nMany on this committee have rightfully expressed their outrage about the call earlier this week to shut our borders to Muslims. Now we need to formally go on the record to reject this reprehensible position, Leahy said. \r\nLeahy also asked FBI Director James Comey at an oversight hearing Wednesday whether such anti-Muslim rhetoric serves as a recruiting tool for ISIS. Director Comey confirmed: The notion that the U.S. is anti-Muslim is part of ISIL's narrative and al Qaeda's narrative and other terrorist groups. \r\nOn Thursday, Leahy said the Senate should heed the call of our national security leaders and send a clear and direct message that America welcomes people from all countries and of all faiths. Our strength comes from our commitment to the principles of freedom, equality, and liberty.\r\nResults and a webcast of Thursday's executive business meeting can be found online.\r\n# # # # #\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t Press Contact \n\t\t\t\tPress Contact  David Carle: 202-224-3693\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t  \n\t\n\t\n\t\n  \n\t\n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \t\n    \t\n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tNext Article\n\t\t    \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tPrevious Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/statement-of-senator-patrick-leahy-d-vt-ranking-member-senate-judiciary-committee-on-consideration-of-the-s1318-nuclear-terrorism-conventions-implementation-and-safety-of-maritime-navigation-act", "Statement Of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Ranking Member, Senate Judiciary Committee On Consideration of the S.1318, Nuclear Terrorism Conventions Implementation and Safety of Maritime Navigation Act", "2015-12-10", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "VT", "Patrick Leahy", "L000174", "www.leahy.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "12.10.15\n\t\t\t Statement Of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Ranking Member, Senate Judiciary Committee On Consideration of the S.1318, Nuclear Terrorism Conventions Implementation and Safety of Maritime Navigation Act \n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tGiven recent events, Americans are concerned about protecting the country against terrorism. I am glad that the Committee was able to hear from the FBI Director yesterday, and I hope that Congress will ensure that law enforcement has the tools and resources necessary to fight terrorism. Unfortunately, the bill that we will be marking up today is not the answer.\r\nI agree with Chairman Grassley that we must protect against nuclear terrorism. That is why Senator Lee and I worked in a bicameral way to pass legislation earlier this year that does just that. As the Chairman acknowledges,the vast majority of his bill was already enacted into law as part of the USA FREEDOM Act in June. This was language that we negotiated with the leaders of the House Judiciary and Intelligence Committees, to ensure that it could pass in the House. And the provisions that Senator Grassley is now trying to resurrect with his bill  particularly the death penalty provision  were deliberately excluded because the House told us that they could not pass it.\r\nSo this appears to be an attempt to rehash a death penalty debate that is unnecessary. I have made clear that I would not oppose the other provisions in the bill related to material support and wiretap predicates. But I cannot and will not support expanding the scope of the Federal death penalty.\r\nI will not endorse the application of such an irreversible punishment when we still have an imperfect criminal justice system that is so susceptible to racial biases, procedural flaws, and simple human error. In fact, Senator Grassley and I are working togetherright nowon oversight of the FBI's flawed hair and fiber analysis  which may have resulted in the conviction of innocent people sentenced to death.We know with certainty that our system makes mistakes.\r\nUnless the death penalty provisions are removed, the Chairman knows I will oppose this bill.\r\n# # # # #\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t Press Contact \n\t\t\t\tPress Contact  David Carle: 202-224-3693\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t  \n\t\n\t\n\t\n  \n\t\n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \t\n    \t\n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tNext Article\n\t\t    \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tPrevious Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/must-read/middle-class-families-pillar-of-the-american-dream-are-no-longer-in-the-majority-study-finds", "Middle-class families, pillar of the American dream, are no longer in the majority, study finds", "2015-12-10", "2015", "2015-12", "Independent", "House", "VT", "Bernard Sanders", "S000033", "www.sanders.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Middle-class families, pillar of the American dream, are no longer in the majority, study finds\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t By: Don Lee \n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tThursday, December 10, 2015\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\tThe nation's middle class, long a pillar of the U.S. economy and foundation of the American dream, has shrunk to the point where it no longer constitutes the majority of the adult population, according to a new major study.\r\nThe Pew Research Center report released Wednesday put in sharp relief the nation's increasing income divide, which is certain to be a central issue in the 2016 presidential race. It also highlights how various economic and demographic forces have eroded long-held ideals about maintaining a strong, majority middle class.\r\nMany analysts and policymakers regard the shift as worrisome for economic and social stability. Middle-income households have been the bedrock of consumer spending, and many liberals in particular view the declining middle as part of a troubling trend of skewed income gains among the nation's richest families.\r\nMedian-income voters, particularly non-college-educated men, are also at the core of billionaire Donald Trump's surprising surge in the Republican presidential campaign. His supporters' sense that their once-secure middle-class standing is in danger of slipping appears to be fueling much of the anger against the government and immigrant groups.\r\n\r\nContinue reading here.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/newswatch/121015", "News December 10", "2015-12-10", "2015", "2015-12", "Independent", "House", "VT", "Bernard Sanders", "S000033", "www.sanders.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "News December 10\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tThursday, December 10, 2015\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\tSenator Sanders\r\n\r\nTonight ShowSen. Bernie Sanders thinks Donald Trump's rhetoric has no place in the United States,The Huffington Post,The Wall Street Journal, CNN, Salon, Vox, MotherJones, MSNBC, KSNV-TVin Las Vegas andWCBD-TVin Charleston reported. \"Throughout history, you've had demagogues trying to divert attention away from the real issues ... what somebody like a Trump is trying to do is divide us up,\" Sanders told Jimmy Fallon on \"The Tonight Show\" on Tuesday.\r\n\r\nNew York Times Editorial BoardOn Monday,The New York Timeseditorial board asked readers to submit their questions for Sen. Sanders. During his visit to the editorial board on Tuesday, he picked one out of a hat, and a subsequent video of his response has been posted. \r\n\r\nNuclear Plant Decommissioning Vermont's congressionaldelegation wants more time toallow public input fordismantling nuclear plants. The public comment periodruns until January 4th,but Sens. Sanders andPatrick Leahy, as well asRep. Peter Welch all saythat's not enough, according to WPTZ-TV in Burlington.\r\nWorld\r\nPentagon Seeks Overseas Bases to Fight ISIS As American intelligence agencies grapple with the expansion of the Islamic State beyond its headquarters in Syria, the Pentagon has proposed a new plan to the White House to build up a string of military bases in Africa, Southwest Asia and the Middle East, The New York Times reported.\r\nNational\r\nGun Sales Fear of gun-buying restrictions has been the main driver of spikes in gun sales, far surpassing the effects of mass shootings and terrorist attacks alone, according to federal background-check data analyzed by The New York Times.\r\nAffirmative Action An affirmative action plan at the University of Texas seemed to be in trouble at the Supreme Court on Wednesday. By the end of an unusually long and tense argument, a majority of the justices appeared unpersuaded that the plan was constitutional, The New York Times reported.\r\nChicago Mayor Demands Reforms Facing sharply escalating criticism of him and his Police Department, Mayor Rahm Emanuel used an unusually emotional address on Wednesday to call for sweeping changes in the ways the police use force, treat black residents and discipline abusive officers, The New York Times reported.\r\nVermont\r\nDr. Dynasaur Lobbying groups that support universal health coverage are proposing to expand the Dr. Dynasaur program to Vermonters of all income levels up to age 26, VT Digger reported.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sanders-introduces-bill-to-cut-carbon-emissions-80-percent", "Sanders Introduces Bill to Cut Carbon Emissions 80 Percent", "2015-12-10", "2015", "2015-12", "Independent", "House", "VT", "Bernard Sanders", "S000033", "www.sanders.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Sanders Introduces Bill to Cut Carbon Emissions 80 Percent\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tThursday, December 10, 2015\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\tWASHINGTON, Dec. 10  Expanding on his ambitious plan to combat climate change, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) introduced the Climate Protection and Justice Act today to establish a price on carbon pollution. The legislation would cut total emissions 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050, fund historic investments in energy efficiency and sustainable energy technologies, return billions of dollars to working families and protect the most vulnerable communities.\r\nWhat the scientists tell us is that we have a relatively short window of opportunity to bring about the fundamental changes that we need in our global energy system to transform our energy system, Sanders said on the Senate floor today. It is absolutely vital that we do what many economists tell us we must and that is put a price on carbon. It is the simplest and most direct way to make the kind of cuts in carbon pollution that we have got to make if we are going to successfully transition away from fossil fuel to energy efficiency and sustainable energy.\r\nSanders legislation would return billions of dollars to working families to ensure that the fossil fuels industry doesnt pass on unfair rate hikes. Eighty percent of revenue would be transferred from big polluters to the middle class. \r\nThe legislation creates a Climate Justice Resiliency Council, which will distribute $20 billion a year in block grants to areas disproportionately affected by climate change. The bill also sets aside $3 billion each year for energy efficiency investments for towns, cities and low-income families. Other aspects of the bill include: protections for the manufacturing sector from unfair international competition; roughly $1 billion in annual investments to reduce costs for the agricultural sector while also reducing pollution; and reforms to dramatically increase energy efficiency and improve resiliency of the electrical grid.\r\nEarlier this week, Sanders introduced the American Clean Energy Investment Act of 2015and The Clean Energy Worker Just Transition Act to create millions of jobs and drive over $500 billion in clean energy investments between now and 2030.\r\nThe Sierra Club strongly supports the Climate Protection and Justice Act of 2015, as well as the Clean Energy Investment and Transition Acts, Liz Perera, Sierra Club Climate policy director, said. We greatly appreciate Senator Sanders legislative leadership in tackling the climate crisis  the greatest challenge of our time  while also advancing new plans for ensuring jobs, justice and support for the communities affected as we transition to clean energy. These important pieces of legislation provide billions toward necessary efforts to ensure environmental and economic justice as we grow the booming clean energy economy even more. We look forward to continuing to work with Senator Sanders and his colleagues, with the shared goal of building a cleaner, stronger, healthier and more just economy for all American families and workers.\r\n\"As the world watches leaders negotiate a climate deal in Paris it is clear that the United States needs to promote environmental health, workers rights, and justice over the profits of Fossil Fuel Empires. With this new suite of legislation Senator Sanders is recognizing the need to rapidly transition to a new economy. Senator Sanders bills protect workers and communities while helping to build a clean energy economy on the principles of equity and justice.\" --Erich Pica, President, Friends of the Earth.\r\n\"We applaud Senator Sanders for introducing legislation that puts a serious price on carbon pollution and sets ambitious targets for reducing the United States contribution to climate change. We are particularly heartened that the bill recognizes the importance of climate justice and seeks to help those communities already overburdened by conventional pollution. These communities are likely to be among the first and worst hit by the impacts of climate change, Marty Hayden, vice president for policy & legislation, Earthjustice. \r\n\"UCS applauds the introduction of the Clean Energy Worker Just Transition Act. The bill rightfully recognizes that coal miners and their families have built this nation and helped keep the lights on for more than a last centuryand that we have a collective responsibility to ensure that these workers, families, and communities share in the benefits of the emerging clean energy economy. Importantly, the bill recognizes that in addition to protecting workers and families, we must invest in coal communities to create longer term economic development in sustainable industries,\" Dr. Jeremy Richardson,senior energy analyst, Union of Concerned Scientists.\r\nThe Climate Protection and Justice Act provides relief for communities of color across the United States whose health suffers from dangerous emissions, said Brent Newell, Legal Director of the Center on Race, Poverty & the Environment. Unlike Cap and Trades false solutions, this Act will aggressively reduce climate pollution, redirect money back to the public, and support those communities most in need.\r\nNative Alaskans and Native Americans, along with other communities of color in the United States, suffer the effects of climate change first and worst among all Americans, said Millie Hawley, President of the IRA Council for the Native Village of Kivalina, located in northwest Alaska. We deserve equitable treatment and justice, which means resources to adapt to the rapidly changing climate, to live as a people who are identified by our culture and not as a people who once were, and to continue living as we have traditionally in spite of the changes caused by the excessive use of fossil fuel.\r\n\"The Climate Protection and Justice Act (CPJA) is one of the first bills Ive seen that would put us on offense to fight humanitys greatest challenge, climate change. Senator Sanders has once again demonstrated the type of dexterity necessary to address this challenge. CPJA adroitly showcases the intersectional issues of racial, environmental and income inequality by reducing climate emissions. These issues must be addressed together to avert the worst impacts of climate catastrophe. If we want to show the world that were ready to lead, this is the type of proactive climate bill we need. I commend Senator Sanders for leading on this issue and urge Congress to pass CPJA with haste, because time is running out to act on climate,\"Anthony Rogers-Wright, policy and organizing director at Environmental Action.\r\nClick here to read a one page summary of the Climate Protection and Justice Act.\r\nClick here to read a section-by-section summary of the Climate Protection and Justice Act.\r\nClick here to read the full text of the Climate Protection and Justice Act.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/recent-business/sanders-introduces-bill-to-cut-carbon-emissions-80-percent", "Sanders Introduces Bill to Cut Carbon Emissions 80 Percent", "2015-12-10", "2015", "2015-12", "Independent", "House", "VT", "Bernard Sanders", "S000033", "www.sanders.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Sanders Introduces Bill to Cut Carbon Emissions 80 Percent\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tThursday, December 10, 2015\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\tExpanding on his ambitious plan to combat climate change, Sen. Bernie Sanders introduced the Climate Protection and Justice Act today to establish a price on carbon pollution. The legislation would cut total emissions 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050, fund historic investments in energy efficiency and sustainable energy technologies, return billions of dollars to working families and protect the most vulnerable communities.\r\nWhat the scientists tell us is that we have a relatively short window of opportunity to bring about the fundamental changes that we need in our global energy system to transform our energy system, Sanders said on the Senate floor today. It is absolutely vital that we do what many economists tell us we must and that is put a price on carbon. It is the simplest and most direct way to make the kind of cuts in carbon pollution that we have got to make if we are going to successfully transition away from fossil fuel to energy efficiency and sustainable energy.\r\nSanders legislation would return billions of dollars to working families to ensure that the fossil fuels industry doesnt pass on unfair rate hikes. Eighty percent of revenue would be transferred from big polluters to the middle class. \r\nThe legislation creates a Climate Justice Resiliency Council, which will distribute $20 billion a year in block grants to areas disproportionately affected by climate change. The bill also sets aside $3 billion each year for energy efficiency investments for towns, cities and low-income families. Other aspects of the bill include: protections for the manufacturing sector from unfair international competition; roughly $1 billion in annual investments to reduce costs for the agricultural sector while also reducing pollution; and reforms to dramatically increase energy efficiency and improve resiliency of the electrical grid.\r\nEarlier this week, Sandersintroducedthe American Clean Energy Investment Act of 2015and The Clean Energy Worker Just Transition Act to create millions of jobs and drive over $500 billion in clean energy investments between now and 2030.\r\nThe Sierra Club strongly supports the Climate Protection and Justice Act of 2015, as well as the Clean Energy Investment and Transition Acts, Liz Perera, Sierra Club Climate policy director, said. We greatly appreciate Senator Sanders legislative leadership in tackling the climate crisis  the greatest challenge of our time  while also advancing new plans for ensuring jobs, justice and support for the communities affected as we transition to clean energy. These important pieces of legislation provide billions toward necessary efforts to ensure environmental and economic justice as we grow the booming clean energy economy even more. We look forward to continuing to work with Senator Sanders and his colleagues, with the shared goal of building a cleaner, stronger, healthier and more just economy for all American families and workers.\r\n\"As the world watches leaders negotiate a climate deal in Paris it is clear that the United States needs to promote environmental health, workers rights, and justice over the profits of Fossil Fuel Empires. With this new suite of legislation Senator Sanders is recognizing the need to rapidly transition to a new economy. Senator Sanders bills protect workers and communities while helping to build a clean energy economy on the principles of equity and justice.\" --Erich Pica, President, Friends of the Earth.\r\n\"We applaud Senator Sanders for introducing legislation that puts a serious price on carbon pollution and sets ambitious targets for reducing the United States contribution to climate change. We are particularly heartened that the bill recognizes the importance of climate justice and seeks to help those communities already overburdened by conventional pollution. These communities are likely to be among the first and worst hit by the impacts of climate change, Marty Hayden, vice president for policy & legislation, Earthjustice. \r\n\"UCS applauds the introduction of the Clean Energy Worker Just Transition Act. The bill rightfully recognizes that coal miners and their families have built this nation and helped keep the lights on for more than a last centuryand that we have a collective responsibility to ensure that these workers, families, and communities share in the benefits of the emerging clean energy economy. Importantly, the bill recognizes that in addition to protecting workers and families, we must invest in coal communities to create longer term economic development in sustainable industries,\" Dr. Jeremy Richardson,senior energy analyst, Union of Concerned Scientists.\r\nThe Climate Protection and Justice Act provides relief for communities of color across the United States whose health suffers from dangerous emissions, said Brent Newell, Legal Director of the Center on Race, Poverty & the Environment.Unlike Cap and Trades false solutions, this Act will aggressively reduce climate pollution, redirect money back to the public, and support those communities most in need.\r\nNative Alaskans and Native Americans, along with other communities of color in the United States, suffer the effects of climate change first and worst among all Americans, said Millie Hawley, President of the IRA Council for the Native Village of Kivalina, located in northwest Alaska. We deserve equitable treatment and justice, which means resources to adapt to the rapidly changing climate, to live as a people who are identified by our culture and not as a people who once were, and to continue living as we have traditionally in spite of the changes caused by the excessive use of fossil fuel.\r\n\"The Climate Protection and Justice Act (CPJA) is one of the first bills Ive seen that would put us on offense to fight humanitys greatest challenge, climate change. Senator Sanders has once again demonstrated the type of dexterity necessary to address this challenge. CPJA adroitly showcases the intersectional issues of racial, environmental and income inequality by reducing climate emissions. These issues must be addressed together to avert the worst impacts of climate catastrophe. If we want to show the world that were ready to lead, this is the type of proactive climate bill we need. I commend Senator Sanders for leading on this issue and urge Congress to pass CPJA with haste, because time is running out to act on climate,\"Anthony Rogers-Wright, policy and organizing director at Environmental Action.\r\nClick hereto read a one page summary of the Climate Protection and Justice Act.\r\nClick hereto read a section-by-section summary of the Climate Protection and Justice Act.\r\nClick hereto read the full text of the Climate Protection and Justice Act.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/opening-statement-of-senator-patrick-leahy_--sjc-oversight-hearing-with-fbi-director-comey", "Opening Statement Of Senator Patrick Leahy -- SJC Oversight Hearing With FBI Director Comey", "2015-12-09", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "VT", "Patrick Leahy", "L000174", "www.leahy.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "12.09.15\n\t\t\t Opening Statement Of Senator Patrick Leahy -- SJC Oversight Hearing With FBI Director Comey \n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tWASHINGTON (Wednesday, December 9, 2015)  Senate Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) is attending an oversight hearing this morning of the Federal Bureau of Investigation withDirector James Comey. Testimony, member statements, and a webcast of the hearing are available online. \r\n\r\nStatement Of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Ranking Member, Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing On Oversight Of The Federal Bureau Of Investigation December 9, 2015\r\nThe Federal Bureau of Investigation is entrusted with the enormous responsibility of enforcing our laws and protecting the nation. No matter what the threat, and no matter what the motivation, the FBI is tasked with helping to keep us safe. On any given day, FBI agents around the country are investigating cases involving not only terrorism, but violent crime, gangs, cybercrime, identity theft, fraud, human trafficking, hate crimes, and child exploitation.\r\nThe events of the past six months have underscored the varied nature of the threats the FBI faces, and the key role it plays in protecting against terrorist acts. This past June, nine African American churchgoers were murdered by a white supremacist during a bible study in Charleston. The day after Thanksgiving, three individuals  including a police officer  were shot to death inside a women's health clinic in Colorado Springs. Last week, 14 county workers in San Bernardino were murdered in a shooting rampage. Director Comey may not be able to share all of the details about these investigations today, but I believe we can all agree that there is one common motivating factor behind each of these heinous crimes: hateful extremism.\r\nThese attacks remind us that we need to be vigilant against all forms of violent extremism. No one underestimates the incredibly difficult job of protecting the country from terrorist threats. So we have to support the law enforcement and intelligence officials who work to protect our nation by giving them the tools and resources they need to do their jobs effectively. And as we have heard from many law enforcement officials, we need to continue the hard work of building trust in our communities among neighbors, and with law enforcement, so that we can all share in the responsibility of keeping our communities safe.\r\nAt the same time, we must categorically reject the divisive and corrosive rhetoric of fear that only serves to undermine us as a nation. We know what happens when leaders succumb to the politics of fear and lose sight of our fundamental American values. Fear is what drove the government to violate the Constitution and imprison thousands of Americans of Japanese descent during World War II. Fear is what fueled the justification for torture by the CIA, which the Director objected to when he was at the Bush Justice Department.And I know the Director reminds all of his new agents that the rhetoric of fear led J. Edgar Hoover to target Martin Luther King, Jr., and others during the 1960s.\r\nIf we give in to this sort of fear, then the terrorists and extremists will have won. They want us to be afraid, and they want us to be a nation divided. Groups like ISIS, for example, actively promote the narrative that Muslims are not welcome in the United States. When there is talk about rounding up all Muslim Americans, or creating a registry based on religious beliefs, or shutting our borders to all Muslims, that is just the sort of xenophobic, hateful rhetoric that plays into our enemies' hands.It also demeans us as a democratic nation founded on the principles of freedom, equality, and liberty. We are better than that.\r\nWe are a courageous and strong country. And our strength comes from our commitment to the morals and principles that continue to keep our country great  and a beacon of democracy in the world. The Senate at its best can be the conscience of the Nation  and recent events demand that we be at our very best. We are not afraid of terrorists, and we should not let our country be defined by irresponsible fear-mongering.\r\nWhile the focus of today's hearing will naturally be on the recent terrorist attacks, we should continue the Committee's bipartisan oversight of the FBI in other areas. Three years ago, the FBI learned that flawed microscopic hair comparison analysis was used in thousands of criminal prosecutions. I am not satisfied by the FBI's efforts to even notify those defendants who might be affected by the faulty evidence. The FBI should be sending agents out to gather the relevant information. The lives of potentially innocent Americans, including some on death row, depend on it. In addition, I will continue to work with Senator Grassley to ensure that whistleblowers at the FBI are afforded adequate protections.\r\nI thank Director Comey for coming before the Committee today. I know that he shares my respect for the Constitution, and my faith in the American people to rise above the divisive rhetoric of fear.\r\n# # # # #\r\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t Press Contact \n\t\t\t\tPress Contact  David Carle: 202-224-3693\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t  \n\t\n\t\n\t\n  \n\t\n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \t\n    \t\n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tNext Article\n\t\t    \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tPrevious Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/must-read/how-pfizer-set-the-cost-of-its-new-drug-at-9850-a-month", "How Pfizer Set the Cost of Its New Drug at $9,850 a Month", "2015-12-09", "2015", "2015-12", "Independent", "House", "VT", "Bernard Sanders", "S000033", "www.sanders.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "How Pfizer Set the Cost of Its New Drug at $9,850 a Month\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tProcess of setting the price for breast-cancer treatment shows arcane art behind rising U.S. drug prices\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t By: Jonathan D. Rockoff \n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tWednesday, December 9, 2015\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\tDays beforePfizerInc.was to set the price for anew breast-cancer drug called Ibrance, it got a surprise: A competitor raised the monthly cost of a rival treatment by nearly a thousand dollars.\r\nThree years of market researcha stretch that started almost as soon as the new treatment showed promise in the laboratorywas suddenly in doubt. After carefully calibrating the price to be close to rivals and to keep doctors and insurers happy, Pfizer was left wondering if its list price of $9,850 a month for the pills was too low.\r\nWhat do you think if we take that up? askedAlbert Bourla,Pfizers executive overseeing cancer drugs, speaking to his colleagues at the final price-setting meeting last January.\r\nIt was a tricky issue. Drug companies have been reaching for new heights of pricing. They routinely raise the cost of older medicines and then peg new ones to these levels.\r\n\r\nContinue reading here.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/newswatch/120915", "News December 9", "2015-12-09", "2015", "2015-12", "Independent", "House", "VT", "Bernard Sanders", "S000033", "www.sanders.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "News December 9\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tWednesday, December 9, 2015\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\tSenator Sanders\r\nTonight Show Sen. Bernie Sanders appeared on the NBCs Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, The Washington Post, The New York Times, The Huffington Post, ABC News, TIME, The Hill, The Daily Beast and Buzzfeed reported. He slammed Donald Trump one day after his call to ban Muslims from entering the United States. Sanders said that Trump's rhetoric would not work in the United States and that he \"look[ed] forward to beating Donald Trump.\"\r\nRachel Maddow Sen. Sanders sat down with Rachel Maddow on MSNBC Tuesday night. Sanders gave his take on what is going on in the Republican primary, the fear and racism that has taken hold of part of the country and his trip to Baltimore earlier in the day. VIDEO, VIDEO\r\nClimate PlanA pair of bills from Sen. Sanders seeks to create millions of new jobs in clean energy fields through tax changes and worker training,The HillandWPTZ-TVin Burlington reported. Gawkerreported that Sanders' climate plan makes him the only major presidential candidate of either party to call for a carbon tax.\r\nWorld\r\n\r\nClimate Negotiations Despite a domestic agenda consumed by his response to last weeks terrorist attack in California, President Obama is closely tracking the United Nations climate change negotiations outside Paris, Secretary of State John Kerry said in an interview on Tuesday, The New York Times reported.\r\n\r\nBeijing Shuts Down Residents across this city awoke to an environmental state of emergency on Tuesday as poisonous air quality prompted the government to close schools, force motorists off the road and shut down factories, The New York Times reported.\r\n\r\nNational\r\n\r\nVisa Waiver Program The House overwhelmingly passed legislation that would overhaul the visa waiver program and bar those from Iraq, Syria, Iran, and Sudan, or those who have visited those countries in the last five years, from traveling to the United States, CNN reported.\r\n\r\nSan Bernardino Investigators believe San Bernardino shooter Syed Rizwan Farouk may have planned an earlier attack in California, CNN reported. One of the officials on the case said that Farouk plotted with one other person for a 2012 attack, and that a specific target was considered. The official said that the two decided not to go along with the earlier attack due to a round of \"terror related\" arrests in the area.\r\n\r\nVermont\r\n\r\nGun Control Burlington Mayor Miro Weinberger called for Vermont legislators to enact city gun control laws voters approved in 2014, The Burlington Free Press reported. Last March, Burlington voters passed three gun-related amendments to the city Charter, however the Vermont Legislature must approve municipal charter changes in order for amendments to take effect.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://welch.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/vermont-delegation-calls-more-public-scrutiny-meetings-vermont", "Vermont Delegation Calls for More Public Scrutiny, Meetings in Vermont on Decommissioning Regulations", "2015-12-08", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "VT", "Peter Welch", "W000800", "welch.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, Dec. 8  The Vermont congressional delegation  Sen. Patrick Leahy (D), Sen. Bernie Sanders (I) and Rep. Peter Welch (D)  announced Tuesday that they have called upon the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to improve public input on proposed changes to nuclear plant decommissioning regulations.  \n\t  \n\tSen. Bernie Sanders, who serves on the Senate energy and environment committees, led the effort which urged the NRC to hold public meetings in each state where a nuclear power plant is currently being decommissioned and to extend the deadline for public comments.\nWhile we commend the NRC for proposing these long overdue regulations, we believe the short public comment period and the plan to have a single public meeting will not give local and state stakeholders sufficient opportunities to participate meaningfully in the rulemaking process, the Vermont congressional delegation wrote in a letter sent to NRC Chairman Stephen Burns on Monday.  \n\t  \n\tThe letter was also signed by Sens. Edward Markey (D-Mass.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), and Rep. William Keating (D-Mass.).\nTo read the letter to the NRC, click here.  \n\t  \n\t      \n\tContacts:\nDavid Carle (Leahy): 202-224-3693  \n\tMichael Briggs (Sanders): 202-224-5141  \n\tKirsten Hartman (Welch): 202-225-4115    \n\t\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/at-hearing-on-merger-of-two-largest-us-beer-companies_leahy-emphasizes-importance-of-level-playing-field--for-craft-brewers-to-compete", "At Hearing on Merger of Two Largest U.S. Beer Companies,  Leahy Emphasizes Importance of Level Playing Field  for Craft Brewers to Compete", "2015-12-08", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "VT", "Patrick Leahy", "L000174", "www.leahy.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "12.08.15\n\t\t\t At Hearing on Merger of Two Largest U.S. Beer Companies,  Leahy Emphasizes Importance of Level Playing Field  for Craft Brewers to Compete \n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tWASHINGTON (Tuesday, December 8, 2015)  During a hearing Tuesday of the Senate Judiciary Committee's Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy and Consumer Rights to consider the proposed merger of beer companies AB-InBev and SAB Miller, Ranking Member Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) emphasized the importance of a level playing field so that craft brewers can compete.\r\nNoting concern that the large brewing companies can use their power over distributors to squeeze out smaller craft brewers, Leahy called on the companies participating in the merger to commit that they would not increase their ownership of distributors or adopt further exclusionary practices at the expense of craft breweries.\r\nVermont was one of the earliest incubators of craft brewing, Leahy said at the hearing. Our 40 breweries make some of the best, award-winning beers in the world. They contribute to our economy and have helped make Vermont a destination state. We want to ensure that these craft brewers and the brewers of tomorrow can continue to competeand that consumers continue to have choices.\r\nAddressing the CEOs of companies participating in the merger, he added: [G]iven the size of these companies, we need to look closely at this transaction. One way for large brewers to influence distribution is by buying up distributors. AB InBev has indicated that, following this merger, it will not increase its ownership of distributors above its current level of ten percent. Mr. Brito, at a minimum, I ask you to make a formal commitment to that today. For its part, Molson has indicated that, after it gains 100 percent ownership of MillerCoors, it will not increase its ownership of distributorsnor change its current practice of giving distributors leeway to showcase competitors' brands. Mr. Hunter, I ask you to make a formal commitment to that today.\r\nThe pathway from brewer to buyer is critical if we want small companies to compete, Leahy said. I hope this issue will remain a subject of close review.\r\nLeahy is a lead cosponsor of the bipartisan Small Brewer Reinvestment and Expanding Workforce Act (Small BREW Act), which would recalibrate the federal beer excise tax that small brewers pay, cutting the tax nearly in half. Last month, he hosted a roundtable in Montpelier, Vt. with representatives and brewers from Harpoon, Lawson's Finest Liquids, Lost Nation, and Magic Hat to discuss issues facing the craft brew industry.\r\nTestimony, member statements, and a webcast of today's hearing are available online.\r\n# # # # #\r\nStatement of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.),Ranking Member, Senate Judiciary Committee,Subcommittee Hearing on Ensuring Competition Remains on Tap: The AB InBev/SABMiller merger and the State of Competition in the Beer IndustryDecember 8, 2015\r\nToday's hearing on the proposed merger of AB InBev and SABMiller is important not only to American consumers, but to craft brewers and independent distributors across the country. Vermont was one of the earliest incubators of craft brewing. Our 40 breweries make some of the best, award-winning beers in the world. They contribute to our economy and have helped make Vermont a destination state. We want to ensure that these craft brewers and the brewers of tomorrow can continue to competeand that consumers continue to have choices.\r\nThe proposed merger we consider today would join the two giants of the beer industry, which are together responsible for more than 70 percent of the U.S. market. The parties have announced that AB InBev will divest ownership of SAB's stake in MillerCoors, selling it to Molson. I welcome that effort to address some concerns about the proposed merger. But given the size of these companies, we need to look closely at this transaction. I want to hear more about how the divestment will operate in practice, and whether the merger will have other consequences for the beer marketincluding given the practice of big brewers buying up small craft breweries. It is important that we also consider competition in the markets for hops, barley, glass and aluminum. These are essential inputs for any brewer to compete.\r\nI also want to hear more about concerns in distribution: specifically, concerns that the large brewers' power over distribution is shutting out competitors and undermining consumer choice. A product can only be sold if customers can find it. If craft brewers are being squeezed off the shelf because of restrictive behavior by the dominant companies, that harms competition and limits consumers' options.\r\nOne way for large brewers to influence distribution is by buying up distributors. AB InBev has indicated that, following this merger, it will not increase its ownership of distributors above its current level of ten percent. Mr. Brito, at a minimum, I ask you to make a formal commitment to that today. For its part, Molson has indicated that, after it gains 100 percent ownership of MillerCoors, it will not increase its ownership of distributorsnor change its current practice of giving distributors leeway to showcase competitors' brands. Mr. Hunter, I ask you to make a formal commitment to that today.\r\nThe pathway from brewer to buyer is critical if we want small companies to compete. State laws regulating distribution vary dramatically, and many small brewers feel constrained by the current state of distribution. I hope this issue will remain a subject of close review.\r\nThe growth of craft brewing is a success story in Vermont and other states across the country. I know these craft brewers personally, and met with them as recently as last month. Their creativity is shaping our economy, and we should make sure they have a level playing field. I thank Senators Lee and Klobuchar for holding this hearing today. \r\n# # # # #\r\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t Press Contact \n\t\t\t\tPress Contact  David Carle: 202-224-3693", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/statement-of-senator-patrick-leahy-on-the-conference-report-to-the-every-student-succeeds-act", "Statement of Senator Patrick Leahy On the Conference Report to the Every Student Succeeds Act", "2015-12-08", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "VT", "Patrick Leahy", "L000174", "www.leahy.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "12.08.15\n\t\t\t Statement of Senator Patrick Leahy On the Conference Report to the Every Student Succeeds Act \n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tToday the Senate will approve landmark legislation to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965.\r\nSince 2001, the failed policies of No Child Left Behind have unfairly burdened students, families, educators and administrators by holding students accountable for snap-shot academic progress. The overwhelming support in Congress for these reforms will reverse the one-size-fits-all approach to education that did not work for Vermont and so many schools across the nation. This bill gives States more flexibility to ensure that schools are supporting every student, while maintaining the Federal Government's responsibility to ensure that students everywhere have access to the resources they need for lasting academic success.\r\nSince 2001, I have heard from parents, teachers, students, policymakers, and administrators about the negative impacts of No Child Left Behind. I voted against the legislation, as I did not agree, and still do not agree, with a one-size-fits-all approach to education. I was also disappointed with the bill's rigid Federal accountability measures, as I truly believe States and local education agencies deserve flexibility when it comes to how schools operate.\r\nThe conference report we will consider today reflects the positive changes to the law that the Senate overwhelmingly supported in July. The agreement restores educational flexibility to the states, while safeguarding student access to resources, regardless of race, gender, financial status, and learning level. I am pleased that the bill takes into account the greater needs of students in rural areas, increases funding for early childhood education programs, and improves school safety measures. I am especially pleased with the bill's innovative assessment and accountability demonstration authority provision, which will allow Vermont to adopt competency and performance-based assessments that prove far more than how well a student can perform on a test on one given day. And while States will design their own system to improve struggling schools, the conference agreement also includes Federal safeguards to protect civil rights and to provide resources for students at the greatest risk.\r\nWe are eight years overdue for a rewrite of No Child Left Behind. I am pleased that we have come together, members on both sides of the aisle, to support the Every Student Succeeds Act. This bill truly reflects the needs of all students, educators, parents, and administrators, and I urge all Senators to support its passage.\r\n# # # # #\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t Press Contact \n\t\t\t\tPress Contact  David Carle: 202-224-3693\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t  \n\t\n\t\n\t\n  \n\t\n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \t\n    \t\n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tNext Article\n\t\t    \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tPrevious Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/vermont-delegation-calls-for-more-public-scrutiny-meetings-in-vermont-on-decommissioning-regulations", "Vermont Delegation Calls for More Public Scrutiny, Meetings in Vermont on Decommissioning Regulations", "2015-12-08", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "VT", "Patrick Leahy", "L000174", "www.leahy.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "12.08.15\n\t\t\t Vermont Delegation Calls for More Public Scrutiny, Meetings in Vermont on Decommissioning Regulations \n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nWASHINGTON, Dec. 8  The Vermont congressional delegation  Sen. Patrick Leahy (D), Sen. Bernie Sanders (I) and Rep. Peter Welch (D)  announced Tuesday that they have called upon the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to improve public input on proposed changes to nuclear plant decommissioning regulations.\r\nSen. Bernie Sanders, who serves on the Senate energy and environment committees, led the effort which urged the NRC to hold public meetings in each state where a nuclear power plant is currently being decommissioned and to extend the deadline for public comments.\r\nWhile we commend the NRC for proposing these long overdue regulations, we believe the short public comment period and the plan to have a single public meeting will not give local and state stakeholders sufficient opportunities to participate meaningfully in the rulemaking process, the Vermont congressional delegation wrote in a letter sent to NRC Chairman Stephen Burns on Monday.\r\nThe letter was also signed by Sens. Edward Markey (D-Mass.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), and Rep. William Keating (D-Mass.).\r\nTo read the letter to the NRC, click here.\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nContacts:David Carle (Leahy): 202-224-3693 Michael Briggs (Sanders): 202-224-5141 Kirsten Hartman (Welch): 202-225-4115\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n###\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t Press Contact \n\t\t\t\tPress Contact  David Carle: 202-224-3693\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t  \n\t\n\t\n\t\n  \n\t\n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \t\n    \t\n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tNext Article\n\t\t    \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tPrevious Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sanders-introduces-major-clean-energy-jobs-package", "Sanders Introduces Major Clean Energy Jobs Package", "2015-12-08", "2015", "2015-12", "Independent", "House", "VT", "Bernard Sanders", "S000033", "www.sanders.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, Dec. 8  As part of his plan to create a sustainable, clean-energy economy, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) introduced legislation today that would significantly reduce carbon pollution and help put us on a path to more than double the size of the American clean energy workforce to 10 million by 2030.\r\nTogether, the incentives in the American Clean Energy Investment Act of 2015 and The Clean Energy Worker Just Transition Actwould drive over $500 billion in clean energy investments between now and 2030. The bills, both co-sponsored by Sens. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) and Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), would create new sustainable energy jobs and allocate $41 billion to helping oil, gas and coal workers as they transition out of the fossil fuel industry. The costs for these proposals are completely offset by repealing all subsidies for fossil fuels and ending the tax breaks that encourage corporate inversions.\r\nWe have amoral responsibility to help working families in the fossil fuel industry find new jobs, Sanders said. We must act now to reenergize our manufacturing base, bolster our clean energy economy and protect the livelihoods of these workers and the communities they support.\r\nCoal communities have been under pressure for decades as coal-mining jobs have been lost due to more efficient mining practices, competition from cheaper natural gas and the publics desire to move to cleaner sources of energy. The Clean Energy Worker Just Transition Act would helpcoal miners and other fossil fuel workers and their families by connectingdisplaced workerswith new job opportunitiesthrough vocational education and job skills programs. The bills would also provide support so transitioning workers and their families could maintain family-level wages, health care and pensions until they are able to start new jobs.\r\nThe American Clean Energy Investment Act of 2015 would stimulate a strong sustainable economy by spurring massive new investments in renewable energy and energy efficiency. Through the permanent extension of important clean energy tax credits, Sanders legislation would cut carbon pollution, create clean energy jobs, reduce Americans dependence on oil and save consumers and businesses money by promoting energy efficiency.\r\nCurrently the United States wastes huge amounts of money providing corporatewelfare to coal, oil and gas corporations that are destroying our planet. It is time for us to invest in technologies that are cutting greenhouse gas emissions and in the long run will be more cost-effective, Sanders said.\r\nClimate change is no longer a distant theoretical contained in far-off computer models and scientific papersits here, its real and its affecting all of us, said Merkley. Carbon pollution is an urgent problem demanding bold solutions. We have the technology and the know-how to transition rapidly to a clean, renewable energy economy. At the same time as this transition creates hundreds of thousands of new jobs, we must make sure that we have the programs in place to make sure that no workers are left behind.\r\nInvesting in American clean energy puts power in our homes and will make America an energy and manufacturing powerhouse for decades to come.The support we give to clean energy now through this legislation will protect our planet for generations to come, building American jobs as we continually develop the fuels that will power the future.We can spur a generation of American-built energy innovation, and help stave off the worse effects of climate change, said Markey.\r\nThe Solar Energy Industries Association and American Wind Energy Association have endorsed the Clean Energy Investment Act. 350.org supports both bills.\r\n\"Senator Sanders legislation would provide a steady, supportive federal energy policy that keeps in place the highly successful solar investment tax credit (ITC) and we welcome his support, said Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) Vice President of Federal Affairs Christopher Mansour. The solar ITC has helped solar become one of Americas fastest-growing energy sources with more than 20 gigawatts of total installed capacity already built  enough to power nearly 4.5 million homes. Solar installations are forecast to continue to rise, adding 8 gigawatts this year.\r\n\"The American Wind Energy Association deeply appreciates Senator Sanders leadership in seeking long-term policy support to enable the growth of our nations wind energy sector. This legislation is the latest example of his attention to wind energy and his leadership in promoting policies that will generate affordable, reliable, and clean energy, and provide a future for wind energy workers and American factories. We look forward to continuing to work with Senator Sanders and his colleagues with the shared goal of delivering the benefits of wind energy to even more American families.\r\nFor a summary of the American Clean Energy Investment Act click here.\r\nFor a section by section summary of the Clean Energy Investment Act click here.\r\nFor a summary of The Clean Energy Worker Just Transition Act click here.\r\nFor the text of the Clean Energy Investment Act click here.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/recent-business/sanders-introduces-major-clean-energy-jobs-package", "Sanders Introduces Major Clean Energy Jobs Package", "2015-12-08", "2015", "2015-12", "Independent", "House", "VT", "Bernard Sanders", "S000033", "www.sanders.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Sanders Introduces Major Clean Energy Jobs Package\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tPlan Would More Than Double the Clean Energy Workforce\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tTuesday, December 8, 2015\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\r\nAs part of his plan to create a sustainable, clean-energy economy, Sen. Bernie Sanders introduced legislation today that would significantly reduce carbon pollution and help put us on a path to more than double the size of the American clean energy workforce to 10 million by 2030.\r\nTogether, the incentives in the American Clean Energy Investment Act of 2015 and The Clean Energy Worker Just Transition Actwould drive over $500 billion in clean energy investments between now and 2030. The bills, both co-sponsored by Sens. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) and Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), would create new sustainable energy jobs and allocate $41 billion to helping oil, gas and coal workers as they transition out of the fossil fuel industry. The costs for these proposals are completely offset by repealing all subsidies for fossil fuels and ending the tax breaks that encourage corporate inversions.\r\nWe have amoral responsibility to help working families in the fossil fuel industry find new jobs, Sanders said. We must act now to reenergize our manufacturing base, bolster our clean energy economy and protect the livelihoods of these workers and the communities they support.\r\nCoal communities have been under pressure for decades as coal-mining jobs have been lost due to more efficient mining practices, competition from cheaper natural gas and the publics desire to move to cleaner sources of energy. The Clean Energy Worker Just Transition Act would helpcoal miners and other fossil fuel workers and their families by connectingdisplaced workerswith new job opportunitiesthrough vocational education and job skills programs. The bills would also provide support so transitioning workers and their families could maintain family-level wages, health care and pensions until they are able to start new jobs.\r\nThe American Clean Energy Investment Act of 2015 would stimulate a strong sustainable economy by spurring massive new investments in renewable energy and energy efficiency. Through the permanent extension of important clean energy tax credits, Sanders legislation would cut carbon pollution, create clean energy jobs, reduce Americans dependence on oil and save consumers and businesses money by promoting energy efficiency.\r\nCurrently the United States wastes huge amounts of money providing corporatewelfare to coal, oil and gas corporations that are destroying our planet. It is time for us to invest in technologies that are cutting greenhouse gas emissions and in the long run will be more cost-effective, Sanders said.\r\nClimate change is no longer a distant theoretical contained in far-off computer models and scientific papersits here, its real and its affecting all of us, said Merkley. Carbon pollution is an urgent problem demanding bold solutions. We have the technology and the know-how to transition rapidly to a clean, renewable energy economy. At the same time as this transition creates hundreds of thousands of new jobs, we must make sure that we have the programs in place to make sure that no workers are left behind.\r\nInvesting in American clean energy puts power in our homes and will make America an energy and manufacturing powerhouse for decades to come.The support we give to clean energy now through this legislation will protect our planet for generations to come, building American jobs as we continually develop the fuels that will power the future.We can spur a generation of American-built energy innovation, and help stave off the worse effects of climate change, said Markey.\r\nThe Solar Energy Industries Association and American Wind Energy Association have endorsed the Clean Energy Investment Act. 350.org supports both bills.\r\n\"Senator Sanders legislation would provide a steady, supportive federal energy policy that keeps in place the highly successful solar investment tax credit (ITC) and we welcome his support, said Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) Vice President of Federal Affairs Christopher Mansour. The solar ITC has helped solar become one of Americas fastest-growing energy sources withmore than 20 gigawatts of total installed capacity already built  enough to power nearly 4.5 million homes. Solar installations are forecast to continue to rise, adding 8 gigawatts this year.\r\n\"The American Wind Energy Associationdeeply appreciates Senator Sanders leadership in seeking long-term policy support to enable the growth of our nations wind energy sector. This legislation is the latest example of his attention to wind energy andhis leadership in promoting policies that will generate affordable, reliable, and clean energy, and provide a future for wind energy workers and American factories.We look forward to continuing to work with Senator Sanders and his colleagues with the shared goal of delivering the benefits of wind energy to even more American families.\r\nFor a summary of the American Clean Energy Investment Actclick here.\r\nFor a section by section summary of the Clean Energy Investment Actclick here.\r\nFor a summary of The Clean Energy Just Transition Actclick here.\r\nFor the text of the Clean Energy Investment Actclick here.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/leahy-statement-on-americas-history-of-religious-tolerance-and-respect-for-personal-freedoms", "Leahy Statement On America's History of Religious Tolerance and Respect for Personal Freedoms", "2015-12-07", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "VT", "Patrick Leahy", "L000174", "www.leahy.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "12.07.15\n\t\t\t Leahy Statement On America's History of Religious Tolerance and Respect for Personal Freedoms \n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tStatement Of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Ranking Member, Senate Committee On The Judiciary, On Religious Tolerance and Respect for Personal Freedoms\r\nDecember 7, 2015\r\n[NOTE: Senate Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) will be joined by faith leaders Tuesday at 11:30am in the Capitol for a press conference on the need to support refugees fleeing persecution and violence throughout the world.]\r\nI am appalled that some are espousing the hate-filled view that a country as great as ours should have a religious litmus test. For more than 235 years, the United States has upheld the freedom of religion as one of its founding principles. We have been a confident nation unafraid to welcome newcomers. Our willingness to take in the outsider who yearns for freedom and opportunity in America is a source of tremendous strength, whether opening our doors to Jews fleeing persecution, Catholics  including my ancestors  seeking a new life, or countless other groups, including Muslims. I am stunned that some, appealing to fear and intolerance, want to end this legacy and are launching direct assaults on these American values. To reject those of a particular faith is unwise, and it is un-American. Leaders should appeal to the best in us by embracing the shared ideals of tolerance and diversity that bind Americans together. Jockeying for attention by spouting ignorant rhetoric that seeks to divide us for personal political gain is unworthy of anyone who truly deserves to lead this great nation.\r\n# # # # #\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t Press Contact \n\t\t\t\tPress Contact  David Carle: 202-224-3693\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t  \n\t\n\t\n\t\n  \n\t\n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \t\n    \t\n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tNext Article\n\t\t    \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tPrevious Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/statement-of-senator-patrick-leahy-d-vt-ranking-member-senate-judiciary-committee-on-judicial-nominationssd", "Statement of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Ranking Member, Senate Judiciary Committee, On Judicial Nominations", "2015-12-07", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "VT", "Patrick Leahy", "L000174", "www.leahy.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "12.07.15\n\t\t\t Statement of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Ranking Member, Senate Judiciary Committee, On Judicial Nominations \n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tToday, we will vote on the nomination of Travis McDonough to be a Federal district judge in the Eastern District of Tennessee. He was nominated over a year ago, and his nomination was voted out of the Judiciary Committee by unanimous voice vote nearly five months ago. Despite having the support of his home state Republican Senators, Mr. McDonough's nomination has nevertheless been held up by Republican leadership for no good reason.\r\nI will further note that while Mr. McDonough's vote is long overdue, Republican leadership has skipped over Judge Luis Felipe Restrepo  who is ahead of Mr. McDonough on the Executive Calendar. I recall Republican leadership promising regular order when they took over the majority, so they should explain how skipping over a consensus and eminently qualified nominee with bipartisan support is following regular order.\r\nJudge Restrepo was nominated to a judicial emergency vacancy in the Third Circuit over a year ago. If confirmed, he would be the first ever Hispanic judge from Pennsylvania on the Third Circuit. Judge Restrepo has the strong support of the Hispanic National Bar Association, and has bipartisan support from his home state Senators, Senator Toomey and Senator Casey. Senator Toomey has said not only that he strongly supports Judge Restrepo's confirmation, but that he also recommended him to the President. I hope that the Republican leadership or Senator Toomey can explain to the people of Pennsylvania why Judge Restrepo is not being confirmed today.\r\nAs we approach the end of the year, the Senate Republican majority is coming closer and closer to matching the record for confirming the fewest number of judicial nominees in more than half a century. While most Senators I have served with over the last 40 years would shudder at this fact, the current Republican leadership seems content to accomplish as little as possible when it comes to confirming nominees to our Third Branch of government.\r\nIn the 11 months that Republicans have controlled the Senate, only 11 judges will have received a confirmation vote, including today. When Senate Democrats were in the majority during the seventh year of the Bush presidency, we had already confirmed 36 judges by this point. We should take action right now and hold confirmation votes on the 19 other judicial nominees pending on the floor. If we did confirm the remaining 19 nominees, thereby fulfilling a basic duty of the Senate, that would make a total of 30 judicial nominees confirmed this year. That number is still short of the 36 nominees that Senate Democrats confirmed at the same point of the George W. Bush administration, but it would mark a significant effort by this Senate to reduce vacancies. There is no reason not to do this. All 19 of the nominees were voted out of the Judiciary Committee by voice vote, yet as of today, Republicans refuse to bring them up for a vote.\r\nThis obstruction has resulted in needless delays for hard working Americans who seek justice in our Federal courts. Currently pending on the Senate floor are nominees who would fill judicial emergency vacancies in Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Minnesota, New Jersey, Iowa, New York, and California. Senate Republicans have refused to respond to the urgent needs of those states to the detriment of their own constituents.\r\nThroughout his tenure in office, President Obama has worked with Senators to have the Federal judiciary better reflect the people they serve. Today there are more women and minorities than ever before on the Federal bench. This is an accomplishment that helps ensure the public's confidence in their court system. Unfortunately, that meaningful progress has slowed down under the Senate's Republican control. Today, several nominees of color with outstanding qualifications are being held up for no good reason, including Judge Luis Felipe Restrepo.\r\nSenate Republicans are also holding up four exceptional African American district court nominees and an exceptional Hispanic district court nominee. Two of the African American nominees  Waverly Crenshaw and Edward Stanton  have been nominated to district court positions in Tennessee. Both have the support of their home state Republican Senators and were unanimously approved by the Judiciary Committee by voice vote, and yet, continue to wait for the Majority Leader to schedule their votes. The three other nominees of color  Wilhelmina Wright to the District of Minnesota, and John Vazquez and Julien Neals to the District of New Jersey  are all nominated to judicial emergency vacancies. They all have the support of their home state Senators and were voted out of the Judiciary Committee by voice vote. And yet, they continue to wait for their confirmation votes to be scheduled.\r\nIn addition to the Article III nominees, there are also five nominees to the U.S. Court of Federal Claims that were all nominated more than a year ago who all continue to be held up by a single Republican Senator  the junior Senator of Arkansas. The Court of Federal Claims has been referred to as the People's Court because it allows citizens to seek prompt justice against our government. Of the five nominees, one is a Cuban American who has devoted his entire career to public service at the U.S. Department of Justice; another is an African American woman who spent over two decades serving as a Judge Advocate General and as a Military Judge. All five were voted out of the Judiciary Committee by unanimous voice vote, but Senator Cotton continues to object to any of them receiving an up-or-down vote. He claims to have concerns with the caseload, but a recent letter from the Chief Judge of the Court of Federal Claims to the Judiciary Committee has indicated that only one of the nine senior judges is willing to be recalled for full time duty, and the other three would only agree to be recalled on a limited basis. Moreover, the court's overall caseload has increased nine percent over the last year. There are no good reasons for Senator Cotton to continue blocking these nominees. They deserve to have their confirmation votes scheduled. Senators can vote for or against them but they should not be denied a simple up-or-down vote.\r\nIn a letter dated December 2, 2015 from the American Bar Association to Majority Leader McConnell, the President of the ABA states that our courts are unfortunately worse off today than they were at the start of this Congress. The letter urges that the Majority Leader schedule votes on the confirmation of all the Article III judicial nominees currently pending on the Executive Calendar. I ask unanimous consent to include a copy of this letter in the Record at the conclusion of my remarks.\r\nThe process of confirming judges is about ensuring that the American people have a fully functioning judiciary. Because of Republican obstruction, judicial vacancies have increased by more than 50 percent since they took over the majority and caseloads are piling up in courts throughout the country. And judicial emergencies have more than doubled since the beginning of this year.\r\nI am concerned that the Republican leadership's refusal to confirm judicial nominations this year is undermining the Judicial Branch and harming the American people who seek justice. I urge Senate Republicans to conclude this year by showing some semblance of leadership by scheduling confirmation votes on the remaining judicial nominees pending on the Executive Calendar.\r\n# # # # #\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t Press Contact \n\t\t\t\tPress Contact  David Carle: 202-224-3693", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sanders-announces-key-provisions-for-vermont-schools-in-education-law-overhaul", "Sanders Announces Key Provisions for Vermont Schools in Education Law Overhaul", "2015-12-07", "2015", "2015-12", "Independent", "House", "VT", "Bernard Sanders", "S000033", "www.sanders.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, Dec. 7  Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) announced today that new legislation, agreed to by House and Senate negotiators, will give Vermont and other states much more control over how public schools are held accountable for student performance.\r\nSanders, a member of the Senate education committee, helped draft the Elementary and Secondary Education Act to replace the much-maligned No Child Left Behind education law, whichinaccurately stigmatized Vermont schools for supposedly low performance.\r\nI think it is wrong to judge schools solely on the basis of narrow tests. We have to work on what kind of criteria we really need, Sanders said. What we in Vermont understand is a kid is more than a test. We want kids to be creative. We want kids to be critical thinkers. We also want schools held accountable for factors other than test scores, including how they meet the challenges of students from low-income families.\r\nThe new measure would include a pilot program that could help Vermont shift from annual standardized tests to a new system for assessing student performance. Under the legislation, factors that were Vermonts priorities such as a childs learning growth from year to year, student and teacher engagement, access to advanced coursework and school climate and safety will become criteria in assessing school performance.\r\nThe legislation recognizes the huge opportunity barriers that poverty places on low-income children by authorizing an extra $1.2 billion nationwide to fund the neediest schools, including $41 million over the next four years for struggling Vermont schools.\r\nVermont would also benefit from a new formula for rural school funding that could steer an extra $1.3 million a year in federal funds to the state and the reauthorization of funding for the 21st Century Community Learning Centers program, which provides over 5,500 children afterschool programing in Vermont every day.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sanders-statement-on-obama-oval-office-address", "Sanders Statement on Obama Oval Office Address", "2015-12-06", "2015", "2015-12", "Independent", "House", "VT", "Bernard Sanders", "S000033", "www.sanders.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "BURLINGTON, Vt.  U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders on Sunday issued the following statement after President Barack Obama delivered an address from the Oval Office:\r\nPresident Obama is right. ISIS will be destroyed with an international coalition in which Muslim troops on the ground are supported by the United States, United Kingdom, France, Russia and other leading powers. We must learn the lesson of Iraq.American troops should not be engaged in perpetual warfare in the Middle East.\r\nFurther, as we destroy ISIS, it is essential that we do not allow fear and division to undermine the constitutional rights that make us a free people.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/recent-business/sanders-statement-on-obama-oval-office-address", "Sanders Statement on Obama Oval Office Address", "2015-12-06", "2015", "2015-12", "Independent", "House", "VT", "Bernard Sanders", "S000033", "www.sanders.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Sanders Statement on Obama Oval Office Address\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tSunday, December 6, 2015\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\tSen. Bernie Sanders on Sunday issued the following statement after President Barack Obama delivered an address from the Oval Office:\r\nPresident Obama is right. ISIS will be destroyed with an international coalition in which Muslim troops on the ground are supported by the United States, United Kingdom, France, Russia and other leading powers. We must learn the lesson of Iraq.American troops should not be engaged in perpetual warfare in the Middle East.\r\nFurther, as we destroy ISIS, it is essential that we do not allow fear and division to undermine the constitutional rights that make us a free people.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/newswatch/120515", "News December 5", "2015-12-05", "2015", "2015-12", "Independent", "House", "VT", "Bernard Sanders", "S000033", "www.sanders.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "News December 5\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tSaturday, December 5, 2015\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\tSenator Sanders\r\n\r\nClimate ChangeSen. Sanders hed push negotiators meeting at a climate summit in Paris to embrace aggressive moves to reduce carbon emissions,Radio Iowareported. We have a real crisis, Sanders told O. Kay Henderson.\r\n\r\nCriminal JusticeSen. Sanders has made a pledge to abolish private prisons in the federal system a centerpiece of his criminal justice reform platform, expounding on it in speeches, tweets and a bill that he introduced in the Senate,SalonandThe New York Observerreported. The bill would reestablish federal parole, the abolition of which three decades ago was a key ingredient in fueling the explosive growth of the American prison system. Sanders has explained the negative consequences of for-profit prisons in the criminal justice system, which have replaced health reforms as a means to fix problems like drug addiction and poverty.\r\nPharmaceutical IndustryReutersreported that the antitrust division of the U.S. Department of Justice has subpoenaed Mylan N.V. for information relating to the marketing, pricing and sale of its generic doxycycline antibiotic products, the drug-maker said on Friday. Sen. Sanders and Democratic Representative Elijah Cummings opened an investigation last fall into 14 drug companies, including Mylan and Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, over price increases of generic drugs. In February, Sanders and Cummings asked the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' enforcement arm to investigate generic drug price increases. \r\nSunday Shows Sen. Sanders will be on CBSs Face the Nation on Sunday along with Donald Trump and Chris Christie, The Associated Press reported.\r\nWorld\r\nISIS Financing The United States and Russia are negotiating a new resolution at the United Nations Security Council intended to strengthen international efforts to cut off revenues that the Islamic State raises to govern territory and spread its ideology, The New York Times reported.\r\nNational\r\nSan Bernardino Shooters In an online radio broadcast by the Islamic State on Saturday, the group said that two supporters had carried out the attacks in San Bernardino, but stopped short of referring to the couple as members. The group praised the attacks but didnt claim responsibility for it, The Washington Post reported.\r\nGun Safety President Obama edged closer Saturday to declaring the shooting in San Bernardino, Calif., that killed 14 people a terrorist attack, but stuck to his prescription that the answer to preventing such tragedies was gun limits, The New York Times reported.\r\nVermont\r\nChamplain Parkway Rain trickled through cracked asphalt onthe Champlain ParkwaynearU.S. 7 in BurlingtonWednesday afternoon. Built in the1980s and abandoned shortly thereafter, the divided highwayhas done littlemore than provide overflow parkingfor the nearby Howard Center. A completed parkway, if wary South End residents set aside their skepticism, is on the horizon. City leaders this week promised to resume construction on the 50-year-old project by 2018, Burlington Free Press reported.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://welch.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/welch-leahy-sanders-challenge-fda-new-fda-cheese-standard", "Welch, Leahy, Sanders Challenge FDA on New FDA Cheese Standard", "2015-12-04", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "VT", "Peter Welch", "W000800", "welch.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON Rep. Peter Welch (D-VT), Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT), and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) are leading a bicameral, bipartisan coalition in Congress challenging a new U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) standard that could ban many age-old recipes for raw milk cheese and severely harm artisan cheese producers in Vermont.   \n\t  \n\tIn a December 3rd letter sent to FDA Deputy Commissioner Michael Taylor, the lawmakers express their concerns about FDA's non-toxigenic E. coli standard for raw milk cheeses, and insist that the agency listen to feedback from cheese producers who would be harmed by the more stringent standard. In addition, they question whether a new FDA standard calling for a thousand-fold decrease in the presence of non-toxigenic E. coli in raw milk cheeses would actually benefit public health, whether the standards are scientifically sound, and if they were adopted in an open and transparent way.   \n\t  \n\tThe implementation of a more stringent non-toxigenic E. coli standard for raw milk cheeses is inconsistent with internationally-recognized standards. Non-toxigenic E. coli are typically not harmful to humans. The legislators believe that this new standard seriously threatens the artisan cheese industry in Vermont and across the country without evidence of risk to public health.  \n\t  Welch, Leahy, Sanders and their colleagues wrote: Cheese production is an important, and growing, component of our nation's value-added agricultural economy. It is an economic driver in rural areas across the country, producing good jobs, internationally-recognized brands, and award-winning cheeses.\n\t\n\tWe are concerned that this standard could have a detrimental effect on cheese producers in our districts, and we ask that you carefully consider their feedback and that of the scientific community, and whether there is a commensurate risk and public safety benefit with a more stringent standard.  \n\t  \n\tThe letter can be read in its entirety here.   \n\t  \n\tThe FDA standard specifically seeks to limit the level of non-toxigenic E. coli found in raw milk cheeses from 10,000 most probable number (MPN)/gram in 2009 to 10 MPN/gram. The standard was contained in the latest edition of the FDA Compliance Program Guidance Manual and Compliance Policy Guide.   \n\t  \n\tArtisan cheese plays a powerful role in rural economies through job creation and conservation of working landscapes. Cheese has certainly been transformative for our community in Vermont's Northeast Kingdom. Every industry needs good regulation in order to thrive. As a cheesemaking community we are not asking for less' regulation, we are asking for good' regulation that is developed transparently and based on solid science. Getting the details right is of critical importance. The future of artisan cheesemaking in America depends on it, said Mateo Kehler, Co-Founder, Jasper Hill Farm.  \n\t  \n\tI am delighted that the Vermont congressional delegation and their colleagues in the House and Senate are challenging FDA's establishment of non-toxigenic E. coli standards for cheese. The American artisan cheese industry is witnessing extraordinary growth in the number of producers and products with corresponding improvements in quality and safety. Our American artisan cheeses rival the very best cheeses produced in Europe, and both domestic and imported cheeses are in high consumer demand and are creating economic opportunities for cheese makers and retailers both large and small. At a time when the Food Safety Modernization Act is requiring us to harmonize our microbiological standards with those of our international trading partners, this issue requires rigorous scientific analysis and international dialogue. These standards are negatively impacting both domestic and imported artisan cheeses. As someone who has conducted extensive research to improve the safety of artisan cheeses, I can conclusively state that there is no scientific basis for these standards, said Dr. Catherine W. Donnelly, Professor of Nutrition and Food Science, The University of Vermont.  \n\t  \n\tIn addition to the Vermont delegation, the letter was signed by Senators Kelly Ayotte (R-NH), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Ron Johnson (R-WI), Angus S. King Jr. (I-ME), Christopher Murphy (D-CT), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Ron Wyden (D-OR), and by Representatives Tony Cardenas (D-CA), Joe Courtney (D-CT), Peter DeFazio (D-OR), Morgan Griffith (R-VA), Richard Hanna (R-NY), Jared Huffman (D-CA), Bill Huizenga (R-MI), Ron Kind (D-WI), Ann Kuster (D-NH), Chellie Pingree (D-ME), Mark Pocan (D-WI), Reid Ribble (R-WI), Jim Sensenbrenner (R-WI) and Randy Weber (R-TX).  \n\t\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/days-before-program-expires-leahy-and-grassley-urge-support-for-legislation-to-reform_extend-job-creating-foreign-investment-program", "Days Before Program Expires, Leahy & Grassley Urge Support For Legislation To Reform & Extend Job-Creating Foreign Investment Program", "2015-12-04", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "VT", "Patrick Leahy", "L000174", "www.leahy.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "12.04.15\n\t\t\t Days Before Program Expires, Leahy & Grassley Urge Support For Legislation To Reform & Extend Job-Creating Foreign Investment Program \n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tWASHINGTON (Friday, December 4, 2015)  The job-creating immigrant investor visa program, known as the EB-5 Regional Center program, is set to expire in just one week if Congress does not move to reauthorize it. \r\nSenate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Ranking Member Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) are urging Congressional leaders to support a bipartisan, bicameral proposal that would provide much-needed reforms to the program and reauthorize it for four years. \r\nThe EB-5 program is not working how it was intended to by Congress. The EB-5 program has serious vulnerabilities, is loaded with fraud and abuse, and isn't nearly the job-creator it has been purported to be. We need to be sure that the EB-5 Regional Center program is not only creating economic stimulus and jobs in areas that need it the most, but also not jeopardizing the nation's security or harming U.S. investors, Grassley said. The program needs an overhaul with the common sense reforms that we've put together in a bipartisan, bicameral way. The status quo is unacceptable.\r\nThe EB-5 Regional Center program has generated investment and created jobs in distressed communities, but the program is facing some pressing challenges. Reports of rampant fraud and abuse raise serious concerns and threaten the program's mission. The incentives Congress established to spur investment in high unemployment and rural communities are also routinely abused, undermining a core objective of the program, Leahy said. The Regional Center should be reauthorized, but only if reformed. There is now bipartisan consensus around these reforms, and we cannot squander this opportunity.\r\nSince launching in 1993, this program has generated capital investment and created jobs across the country. But the program has also experienced significant problems in recent years, underscoring the need for Congress to restore the program to one that transforms local economies in impoverished areas as well as rural states.\r\nTo improve the program and ensure its reauthorization, Grassley and Leahy on Friday released the text of a carefully-crafted compromise with House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) and Ranking Member John Conyers (D-Mich.), Congressman Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), and House Immigration Subcommittee Ranking Member Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.). The proposal modifies legislation the lawmakers unveiled earlier this year to bolster the Department of Homeland Security's authorities to administer the program, and provide investors with greater protections and more information about their investments.\r\nAdditionally, the bipartisan proposal increases transparency and oversight and provides DHS the ability to proactively investigate fraud, both in the United States and abroad, using a dedicated fund paid for by certain program participants. It raises the amount of investment required and helps to restore the program to its original intent, by ensuring that much of the capital generated and jobs created occur in rural areas and areas with high unemployment.\r\nThe bipartisan compromise has the support of Invest in the USA (IIUSA), by far the largest association of regional centers and EB-5 stakeholders, as well as the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights (LCCR).\r\nAn outline of the bipartisan proposal can be found here. Text of legislation can also be found online.\r\n# # # # #\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t Press Contact \n\t\t\t\tPress Contact  David Carle: 202-224-3693\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t  \n\t\n\t\n\t\n  \n\t\n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \t\n    \t\n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tNext Article\n\t\t    \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tPrevious Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/in-late-night-vote-senate-passes-five-year-transportation-funding-package", "In Late-Night Vote, Senate Passes Five-Year Transportation Funding Package", "2015-12-04", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "VT", "Patrick Leahy", "L000174", "www.leahy.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "12.04.15\n\t\t\t In Late-Night Vote, Senate Passes Five-Year Transportation Funding Package \n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t \n\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n        \n\t\t\t\t . . . Bill Will Bring More Than $1 Billion To Vermont For Critical Infrastructure Projects\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t [WASHINGTON (FRIDAY, Dec. 4, 2015)  On the eve of an expiration deadline, the Senate Thursday night passed legislation to fund America's transportation and highway programs, bringing stability to help Vermont plan critical infrastructure projects for the next five years. Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) voted for The Fixing America's Surface Transportation Act (FAST Act), which authorizes $305 billion in federal surface transportation funding over the next five years. The legislation is now on the President's desk, and he is expected to sign it into law today. The current authorization runs out tonight at Midnight. Following is Leahy's statement on the bill.] \r\nStatement of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.)  On Supporting The Highway Trust Fund\r\nVermonters take great pride in our historic downtowns and small communities. In our cities and towns, we have a culture of getting things done  and finding a way to accomplish our shared goals. That is why, like many Vermonters, I have been frustrated with the back-to-back short term patches to keep our highway trust fund afloat. I have consistently advocated for a long-term solution that will give States the ability to move forward with building and repairing roads, bridges, and byways; to promote rail safety and transit, and to invest in the critical infrastructure that supports our cities and towns; to enable interstate and intrastate commerce; and to create jobs for American workers. The time to pass a plan for long term transportation funding has finally come.\r\nThe FAST Act will bring stability where for too long there has been uncertainty. This bill ensures that Vermont will receive the funding it needs, more than $1.1 billion over the next five years, to allow Vermonters to move forward on infrastructure projects that have been waiting in the wings. In Vermont, the construction season is short and the need is great, and a series of stopgap measures to kick the can down the road was never the right answer. I am pleased there will finally be the stability needed for Vermont, and all states, to move forward to bolster our country's infrastructure.\r\nThis legislation also reverses changes made to the Federal Crop Insurance program, which was a careful balance first struck in the Farm Bill, sending a clear message that we should not thoughtlessly tamper with the Farm Bill until its next expiration in 2018. And while I'm glad that the harmful Freedom of Information Act exemptions that we eliminated in the Senate bill remain out of this conference report, I am concerned that a new exemption was added. Nowhere is the free flow of information more important than when the safety of every Vermonter, and every American, is at stake.\r\nWe Vermonters know that in a democracy, demanding 100 percent of what you want and refusing to negotiate effective compromises is a formula for stalemate and paralysis. As a result, Vermonters know that to actually get something done, comprise is a must, and we have advanced the ball a long way down the field. This legislation provides stability to move our infrastructure forward to support our economy. It supports safety provisions to protect the wellbeing of those traveling America's highways and rails. Frankly, to facilitate the thriving communities, commerce, and economic growth that we want and need, we should be doing far more to rebuild our crumbling infrastructure. This process should not be reduced to searching under sofa cushions  as some have described it -- to scrape together the budget to pay for the vital roads and bridges that are so important to us in so many ways. But with this bill we finally are providing our states and communities with longer lead times to plan and accomplish this work on our infrastructure, and that signals at least a flicker of progress. We've had enough kicking the can down the road and generating year after year of uncertainty. It is time to bring stability and certainty back to our infrastructure and transportation.\r\n# # # # #\r\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t Press Contact \n\t\t\t\tPress Contact  David Carle: 202-224-3693\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t  \n\t\n\t\n\t\n  \n\t\n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \t\n    \t\n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tNext Article\n\t\t    \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tPrevious Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/welch-leahy-sanders-challenge-fda-on-new-fda-cheese-standard", "Welch, Leahy, Sanders Challenge FDA on New FDA Cheese Standard", "2015-12-04", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "VT", "Patrick Leahy", "L000174", "www.leahy.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "12.04.15\n\t\t\t Welch, Leahy, Sanders Challenge FDA on New FDA Cheese Standard \n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t \n\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n        \n\t\t\t\t Bipartisan, bicameral coalition warns of threat to Vermont's artisan cheese industry\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t WASHINGTON Rep. Peter Welch (D-VT), Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT), and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) are leading a bicameral, bipartisan coalition in Congress challenging a new U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) standard that could ban many age-old recipes for raw milk cheese and severely harm artisan cheese producers in Vermont.\r\nIn a December 3rd letter sent to FDA Deputy Commissioner Michael Taylor, the lawmakers express their concerns about FDA's non-toxigenic E. coli standard for raw milk cheeses, and insist that the agency listen to feedback from cheese producers who would be harmed by the more stringent standard. In addition, they question whether a new FDA standard calling for a thousand-fold decrease in the presence of non-toxigenic E. coli in raw milk cheeses would actually benefit public health, whether the standards are scientifically sound, and if they were adopted in an open and transparent way.\r\nThe implementation of a more stringent non-toxigenic E. coli standard for raw milk cheeses is inconsistent with internationally-recognized standards. Non-toxigenic E. coli are typically not harmful to humans. The legislators believe that this new standard seriously threatens the artisan cheese industry in Vermont and across the country without evidence of risk to public health.\r\nWelch, Leahy, Sanders and their colleagues wrote: Cheese production is an important, and growing, component of our nation's value-added agricultural economy. It is an economic driver in rural areas across the country, producing good jobs, internationally-recognized brands, and award-winning cheeses.\r\nWe are concerned that this standard could have a detrimental effect on cheese producers in our districts, and we ask that you carefully consider their feedback and that of the scientific community, and whether there is a commensurate risk and public safety benefit with a more stringent standard.\r\nThe letter can be read in its entirety here. \r\nThe FDA standard specifically seeks to limit the level of non-toxigenic E. coli found in raw milk cheeses from 10,000 most probable number (MPN)/gram in 2009 to 10 MPN/gram. The standard was contained in the latest edition of the FDA Compliance Program Guidance Manual and Compliance Policy Guide. \r\nArtisan cheese plays a powerful role in rural economies through job creation and conservation of working landscapes. Cheese has certainly been transformative for our community in Vermont's Northeast Kingdom. Every industry needs good regulation in order to thrive. As a cheesemaking community we are not asking for less' regulation, we are asking for good' regulation that is developed transparently and based on solid science. Getting the details right is of critical importance. The future of artisan cheesemaking in America depends on it, said Mateo Kehler, Co-Founder, Jasper Hill Farm.\r\nI am delighted that the Vermont congressional delegation and their colleagues in the House and Senate are challenging FDA's establishment of non-toxigenic E. coli standards for cheese. The American artisan cheese industry is witnessing extraordinary growth in the number of producers and products with corresponding improvements in quality and safety. Our American artisan cheeses rival the very best cheeses produced in Europe, and both domestic and imported cheeses are in high consumer demand and are creating economic opportunities for cheese makers and retailers both large and small. At a time when the Food Safety Modernization Act is requiring us to harmonize our microbiological standards with those of our international trading partners, this issue requires rigorous scientific analysis and international dialogue. These standards are negatively impacting both domestic and imported artisan cheeses. As someone who has conducted extensive research to improve the safety of artisan cheeses, I can conclusively state that there is no scientific basis for these standards, said Dr. Catherine W. Donnelly, Professor of Nutrition and Food Science, The University of Vermont.\r\nIn addition to the Vermont delegation, the letter was signed by Senators Kelly Ayotte (R-NH), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Ron Johnson (R-WI), Angus S. King Jr. (I-ME), Christopher Murphy (D-CT), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Ron Wyden (D-OR), and by Representatives Tony Cardenas (D-CA), Joe Courtney (D-CT), Peter DeFazio (D-OR), Morgan Griffith (R-VA), Richard Hanna (R-NY), Jared Huffman (D-CA), Bill Huizenga (R-MI), Ron Kind (D-WI), Ann Kuster (D-NH), Chellie Pingree (D-ME), Mark Pocan (D-WI), Reid Ribble (R-WI), Jim Sensenbrenner (R-WI) and Randy Weber (R-TX).\r\n\r\n###\r\n\r\n\r\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t Press Contact \n\t\t\t\tPress Contact  David Carle: 202-224-3693\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t  \n\t\n\t\n\t\n  \n\t\n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \t\n    \t\n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tNext Article\n\t\t    \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tPrevious Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/must-read/americas-100-richest-people-control-more-wealth-than-the-entire-black-population", "America's 100 Richest People Control More Wealth Than the Entire Black Population", "2015-12-04", "2015", "2015-12", "Independent", "House", "VT", "Bernard Sanders", "S000033", "www.sanders.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "America's 100 Richest People Control More Wealth Than the Entire Black Population\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t By: Josh Harkinson \n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tFriday, December 4, 2015\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\tIt's well known that America's wealthiest have been getting richerat the expense of the middle class. But the trend looks even starker when you look at the racial aspects. According to a new report from theInstitute for Policy Studies, the combined wealth of those on the Forbes 400 list of America's richest dwarfs that of the nation's entire black or Latino populations.\r\n\r\nThe report found that the 100 richest US citizens control about as much wealth as all of the nation's 42 million African Americans. The total wealth of the nation's 55 million Latinos stacks up to that of the 186 richest Americans.\r\nThis can be explained in part by the rapid erosion of the black and Latino middle classes. African Americans' net worth relative to whites has fallen by more than half since 2000: The average white family today has net assets of $141,900, compared with just $11,000 for black familiesabout the same paltry sum as back in 1985. Latinos have seen similar declines in net worth relative to whites.\r\nThere are many reasons for this slide: Black and Latino families were disproportionately exposed to risky subprime mortgages, had smaller amounts of inherited wealth, and were more susceptible to job and wage cuts during the Great Recession. And because these families are less likely than white families to own homes and stocks, they haven't benefited as much from the subsequent recovery.\r\n\r\nContinue reading here.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sanders-congressional-democrats-file-amicus-brief-supporting-obamas-immigration-executive-actions", "Sanders, Congressional Democrats File Amicus Brief Supporting Obamas Immigration Executive Actions", "2015-12-04", "2015", "2015-12", "Independent", "House", "VT", "Bernard Sanders", "S000033", "www.sanders.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, Dec. 4  Sen. Bernie Sanders, Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid, House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi and 215 members of Congress last night filed an amicus brief in support of the Department of Justices petition for Supreme Court review of the presidents immigration executive actions.\r\nPresident Obama did exactly the right thing when he took action to protect DREAMers and the parents of children who are citizens or legal permanent residents. I am confident that the Supreme Court will support the presidents authority to defend aspiring Americans, Sanders said. We must work to unite families, not tear them apart.\r\nThe members argue in the brief that Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents (DAPA) and expanded Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) are consistent with congressional intent and the Executives longstanding legal authority to establish national immigration enforcement priorities and exercise discretion in the enforcement of our immigration laws. As stated in the brief: Congress has granted the Secretary [of Homeland Security] broad discretion in determining how to carry out the immigration laws, and has explicitly directed the Secretary to establish policies and priorities for enforcement of those laws.\r\nThe 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruling would effectively strip the Executive of broad authority to make discretionary judgments on how best to enforce the nations immigration laws where Congress has not prescribed a specific action, and would devastate millions of individuals, families, and communities across the nation.\r\nFull text of the amicus brief can be found here.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/statement-of-senator-patrick-leahy-d-vt-on-supporting-the-highway-trust-fund-", "Statement of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) On Supporting The Highway Trust Fund", "2015-12-03", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "VT", "Patrick Leahy", "L000174", "www.leahy.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "12.03.15\n\t\t\t Statement of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) On Supporting The Highway Trust Fund  \n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tVermonters take great pride in our historic downtowns and small communities. In our cities and towns, we have a culture of getting things done  and finding a way to accomplish our shared goals. That is why, like many Vermonters, I have been frustrated with the back-to-back short term patches to keep our highway trust fund afloat. I have consistently advocated for a long-term solution that will give States the ability to move forward with building and repairing roads, bridges, and byways; to promote rail safety and transit, and to invest in the critical infrastructure that supports our cities and towns; to enable interstate and intrastate commerce; and to create jobs for American workers. The time to pass a plan for long term transportation funding has finally come.\r\nThe FAST Act will bring stability where for too long there has been uncertainty. This bill ensures that Vermont will receive the funding it needs, more than $1.1 billion over the next five years, to allow Vermonters to move forward on infrastructure projects that have been waiting in the wings. In Vermont, the construction season is short and the need is great, and a series of stopgap measures to kick the can down the road was never the right answer. I am pleased there will finally be the stability needed for Vermont, and all states, to move forward to bolster our country's infrastructure.\r\nThis legislation also reverses changes made to the Federal Crop Insurance program, which was a careful balance first struck in the Farm Bill, sending a clear message that we should not thoughtlessly tamper with the Farm Bill until its next expiration in 2018. And while I'm glad that the harmful Freedom of Information Act exemptions that we eliminated in the Senate bill remain out of this conference report, I am concerned that a new exemption was added. Nowhere is the free flow of information more important than when the safety of every Vermonter, and every American, is at stake.\r\nWe Vermonters know that in a democracy, demanding 100 percent of what you want and refusing to negotiate effective compromises is a formula for stalemate and paralysis. As a result, Vermonters know that to actually get something done, comprise is a must, and we have advanced the ball a long way down the field. This legislation provides stability to move our infrastructure forward to support our economy. It supports safety provisions to protect the wellbeing of those traveling America's highways and rails. Frankly, to facilitate the thriving communities, commerce, and economic growth that we want and need, we should be doing far more to rebuild our crumbling infrastructure. This process should not be reduced to searching under sofa cushions  as some have described it -- to scrape together the budget to pay for the vital roads and bridges that are so important to us in so many ways. But with this bill we finally are providing our states and communities with longer lead times to plan and accomplish this work on our infrastructure, and that signals at least a flicker of progress. We've had enough kicking the can down the road and generating year after year of uncertainty. It is time to bring stability and certainty back to our infrastructure and transportation.\r\n# # # # #\r\n\r\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t Press Contact \n\t\t\t\tPress Contact  David Carle: 202-224-3693\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t  \n\t\n\t\n\t\n  \n\t\n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \t\n    \t\n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tNext Article\n\t\t    \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tPrevious Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/must-read/-wonkblog-there-have-been-334-days-and-351-mass-shootings-so-far-this-year", "The San Bernardino shooting is the second mass shooting today and the 355th this year", "2015-12-03", "2015", "2015-12", "Independent", "House", "VT", "Bernard Sanders", "S000033", "www.sanders.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "The San Bernardino shooting is the second mass shooting today and the 355th this year\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t By: Christopher Ingraham \n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tThursday, December 3, 2015\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\tAuthorities in San Bernardino, Calif.,saying 14 people were killed and 14 others were injured in a mass shooting on Wednesday at a center for people with developmental disabilities.This is at leastthe third mass shooting since therampage in Colorado Springs last Friday.\r\nHere's a look at the year's mass shootings, including today's.\r\nThe San Bernardino shooting isthe 355th mass shooting this year, according toa mass shooting trackermaintained by the Guns Are Cool subreddit.The Reddit trackerdefines mass shootings as incidents in which four or more people, including the gunman, are killed or injured by gunfire.\r\n\r\nThe Mass Shooting Tracker is different from other shooting databases in that it uses a broader definition of mass shooting the old FBI definition focused on four or more people killed as part of a single shooting.\r\nContinue reading here.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/newswatch/120315", "News December 3", "2015-12-03", "2015", "2015-12", "Independent", "House", "VT", "Bernard Sanders", "S000033", "www.sanders.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "News December 3\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tThursday, December 3, 2015\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\tSenator Sanders\r\nSan Bernardino ShootingSen. Bernie Sanders quickly responded to the shootings in San Bernardino, California,The New York Times,CBS NBC, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, Reuters and Business Insider reported. Sen. Bernie Sanders noted that \"mass shootings are becoming an almost-everyday occurrence\" in the United States: \"Mass shootings are becoming an almost-everyday occurrence in this country. This sickening and senseless gun violence must stop.\" \r\nRepublican BudgetSen. Sanders took to the floor to lead the Democratic opposition to the Republican budget,VTDigger,.Mic and MSNBCreported. The last thing we need is a budget reconciliation bill that throws 17 million Americans off of health insurance and denies nearly 3 million women the health care they need by defunding Planned Parenthood, Sanders said. Sanders argued that rather than seeking to defund Planned Parenthood, lawmakers should boost support for it. \r\nClimate ConferenceScience-denying Republicansintent on derailing local, national and global attempts to avert a looming climate crisishave their priorities all wrong, Sen. Sanders said on Tuesday. I find it unacceptable that many of my Republican colleagues are more worried about campaign contributions theyre getting from the Koch brothers and others in the fossil fuel industry than they are about preserving the planet for our children and grandchildren, Sanders said in a statement urging the U.S. to take the lead in stopping global warming,EcoWatch reported. \r\nTransportation Bill Sen. Sanders announced that a $305 billion transportation bill agreement reached will provide nearly $1.1 billion to Vermont to help improve the state's roadways. According to the senator's office, he legislation would allow Vermont to become more competitive for federal funding and lowering the cost of borrowing federal funds for rural projects, FOX44 in Burlington reported.\r\nSocial Security Sens. Patrick Leahy and Sanders have joined Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren and 17 other Democrats in seeking a cost-of-living increase for seniors on Social Security. The Seniors and Veterans Emergency Benefits Act seeks to provide a boost to about 70 million seniors, veterans and people with disabilities with a bonus payment of just under $600, The Times Argus reported.\r\nMost Fascinating PeopleBarbara Walters has announced who will appear on her annual \"Most Fascinating People\" special,ABCreported. \"Barbara Walters Presents: 10 Most Fascinating People 2015\" will feature actors Bradley Cooper, Amy Schumer and Tracy Morgan, American Ballet Theater principal dancer Misty Copeland, Sen. Sanders, UFC champion Rhonda Rousey and fashion designer Donna Karan. \r\n\r\nWorld\r\nISIS For years, the Joint Special Operations Command, known throughout the Pentagon as JSOC, has provided standing forces of American commandos to track down terrorist leaders overseas. Now, in announcing that it is deploying a small team of special operators to Iraq to carry out raids against high-value Islamic State leaders in Iraq and Syria, the Pentagon is turning to its elite team of manhunters once again, The New York Times reported.\r\nClimate Talks Negotiators walked into the climate change summit meeting with a 50-page draft accord that is full of options  too many options. In the months leading up to these talks, whenever they have had big disagreements on tough issues  like how, exactly, rich countries would send money to poor countries to help adapt to the ravages of climate change, or how to maintain accountability  negotiators have kept their options open, The New York Times reported.\r\nNational\r\nSan Bernardino At least two gun-wielding assailants opened fire on a holiday party for county employees Wednesday, killing 14people in the deadliest mass shooting in the United States since the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre three years ago this month. Hours after the shooting, law enforcement officials said two suspects Syed Rizwan Farook, 28, andTashfeen Malik, 27 had been killed in a police shootout several miles from the site of the original attack, The Washington Post reported.\r\nA Daily Occurrence More than one a day. That is how often, on average, shootings that left four or more people wounded or dead occurred in the United States this year, according to compilations of episodes derived from news reports, The New York Times reported.\r\nNo Child Left Behind The House on Wednesday approved a sweeping bill to revise the contentious No Child Left Behind law, representing the end of an era in which the federal government aggressively policed public school performance, and returning control to states and local districts, The New York Times reported.\r\nVermont\r\nRacist Response Racism was on full display as students gathered at a rally Wednesday outside Bellows Free Academy high school to demonstrate against racial prejudice in Vermonts schools. A young man drove past the rally with a Confederate flag mounted to the bed of his pickup truck; others drove past giving demonstrators the middle finger. A group of white students who gathered around another pickup truck pantomimed shooting guns at demonstrators, VT Digger reported.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sanders-calls-for-common-sense-gun-safety-legislation", "Sanders Calls for Common-Sense Gun Safety Legislation", "2015-12-03", "2015", "2015-12", "Independent", "House", "VT", "Bernard Sanders", "S000033", "www.sanders.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, Dec. 3  Following the mass shooting in San Bernardino, California, yesterday, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) joined with his Democratic colleagues in the Senate to call for sensible gun safety legislation. A full copy of his remarks is below.\r\nHere is the very sad truth and that is that it is very difficult for the American people to keep up with the mass shootings that we seem to see almost every day. Yesterday, San Bernardino, a few days ago, Colorado Springs, before that Roseburg, Oregon, before that Chattanooga, Tennessee, and on and on it goes.\r\nThe San Bernardino shooting was the 355th mass shooting this year. Gun violence has reached epidemic levels in the United States. Over the past decade, 275,000 Americans have been killed by guns.\r\nLet me paraphrase what President Obama said recently. And what he said is, this is not an easy problem to solve. But just because it is not an easy problem to solve does not mean that we should not do everything that we can. Now the bad news is that this nation is divided over gun legislation. Thats a simple fact. Thats a political reality. But the good news is there is a broad consensus, perhaps 60, 70 percent of the American people who agree on common sense gun safety legislation. And here is what that consensus is about, supported by a strong majority of the American people.\r\nWe need to significantly expand and improve background checks. Who is arguing that people who should not have guns because of a criminal background, because of mental problems should not be able to purchase guns? Very few Americans disagree with that.\r\nWe need to renew the assault weapons ban. We need to end the sale of high capacity magazines.\r\nWe need to make gun trafficking a federal crime and give law enforcement the tools they need to get illegal guns off the streets.\r\nWe need to close the gun show loophole, as well as loopholes that allow gun purchasers to buy a gun after the waiting period expires without a completed background check.\r\nWe need to close loopholes that allow domestic abusers and stalkers to obtain guns.\r\nWe need to strengthen penalties for straw purchasers who buy guns from licensed dealers on behalf of someone prohibited from purchasing a gun.\r\nAnd very significantly, we need to greatly expand and improve our mental health capabilities. The sad reality is that in America today there are many thousands of people who are walking our streets who are suicidal or homicidal. And these people need treatment when they need treatment, regardless of their income, regardless of their insurance status. When they are in crisis they should be able to get treatment today, not two months from now.\r\nThese are just some of the ideas that in fact are supported by the vast majority of the American people, and its time the Congress move forward in response.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/leahy-urges-senate-to-protect-vermont-businesses-from-trade-secret-theft", "Leahy Urges Senate To Protect Vermont Businesses From Trade Secret Theft", "2015-12-02", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "VT", "Patrick Leahy", "L000174", "www.leahy.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "12.02.15\n\t\t\t Leahy Urges Senate To Protect Vermont Businesses From Trade Secret Theft \n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tWASHINGTON (WEDNESDAY, Dec. 2, 2015)  The Senate Judiciary Committee Wednesday held a hearing on the impact of trade secret theft on American businesses. At the hearing, Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) noted that Vermont businesses rely on trade secrets to protect their intellectual property and emphasized the importance of those protections.\r\nIn Vermont, trade secrets protect the specialized knowledge of woodworkers and artisans who have been crafting heirloom products for generations. They protect the secret recipes for Vermont craft brews and closely guarded customer lists for our top tourist services. They protect cutting-edge technologies that Vermont businesses are developing in plastics, complex manufacturing, software and green technology, Leahy said.\r\nHe added: Trade secrets are especially important to small businesses, which often lack the resources to seek patent protection for their inventions. In the United States, trade secret law is the one form of intellectual property protection that currently lacks a federal civil remedy. Carefully written legislation will fill this gap in the law and provide businesses in Vermont and across the country with an improved tool to protect their intellectual property.\r\nTestimony, member statements, and a webcast of today's hearing are available online.\r\n# # # # \r\nStatement of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Ranking Member, Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing on Protecting Trade Secrets: the Impact of Trade Secret Theft  on American Competitiveness and Potential Solutions to Remedy This HarmDecember 2, 2015\r\nToday's hearing focuses on a topic that is essential to our Nation's economy and our status as the leading source of innovation around the world.\r\nIn Vermont, trade secrets protect the specialized knowledge of woodworkers and artisans who have been crafting heirloom products for generations. They protect the secret recipes for Vermont craft brews and closely-guarded customer lists for our top tourist services. They protect cutting-edge technologies that Vermont businesses are developing in plastics, complex manufacturing, software, and green technology. Trade secrets are relied on by countless businesses to help keep their products and services unique.\r\nToday we will hear about the importance of trade secrets from two companies that have used proprietary information to build global brands and create tens of thousands of jobs across America and around the world. Yet trade secrets are especially important to small businesses, which often lack the resources to seek patent protection for their inventions. The features that make trade secret protections so useful also make them vulnerable, since disclosure by a rogue employee or by a cyber-attack can end their confidential status in an instant.\r\nIn the United States, trade secret law is the one form of intellectual property protection that currently lacks a federal civil remedy. I have heard from businesses, practitioners, and law enforcement experts that creating such a remedy will improve the law by promoting uniformity and reducing the procedural hurdles that companies now face when stolen information is taken across state lines. Carefully written legislation will fill this gap in the law, and provide businesses in Vermont and across the country with an improved tool to protect their intellectual property.\r\nIt will also ensure that our Federal law serves as a meaningful example internationally. During my travels to China and other countries I have emphasized the need for strong global protection of trade secrets. There is much more to be done to address the problem of trade secret theft internationally, but adopting a uniform Federal policy at home is one important step.\r\nGood, thoughtful work is being done in this Committee to craft such legislation. One priority for me has been ensuring that any seizure remedy to protect trade secrets is narrowly-tailored  for example, so that actions to protect confidential information on a computer server do not unintentionally impact other content on the server that is unrelated to the theft. I thank Senators Coons and Hatch for working with me and with technology companies to address this concern. I look forward to the Committee's continued consideration of the bill.\r\nIn 2012, we passed two pieces of legislation that helped improve our trade secret laws, including the Theft of Trade Secrets Clarification Act, which I introduced to close a troubling loophole in the law that allowed an employee who had stolen trade secrets to go free because the stolen secret was not part of a product sold in interstate commerce. I am glad that the Committee is continuing its bipartisan work in this vital area. I look forward to working with Chairman Grassley, Senators Hatch and Coons, and with all members of this Committee on this important issue for American businesses.\r\n# # # # #\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t Press Contact \n\t\t\t\tPress Contact  David Carle: 202-224-3693\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t  \n\t\n\t\n\t\n  \n\t\n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \t\n    \t\n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tNext Article\n\t\t    \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tPrevious Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/must-read/how-an-84000-drug-got-its-price-lets-hold-our-position_whatever-the-headlines", "How an $84,000 drug got its price: Lets hold our position  whatever the headlines", "2015-12-02", "2015", "2015-12", "Independent", "House", "VT", "Bernard Sanders", "S000033", "www.sanders.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "How an $84,000 drug got its price: Lets hold our position  whatever the headlines\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t By: Carolyn Y. Johnson and Brady Dennis \n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tWednesday, December 2, 2015\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\tGilead Sciences executives wereacutely aware in 2013 that their plan to charge an exorbitantly high price fora powerful new hepatitis C drug would spark public outrage, but they pursued the profit-driven strategy anyway,according to a Senate Finance Committee investigation report released Tuesday.\r\n\"Let's not fold to advocacy pressure in 2014,\" Kevin Young, Gilead's executive vice president for commercial operations, wrote in an internal email.Lets holdour position whatever competitors do or whatever the headlines.\"\r\nGilead gained federal approval for its drug Sovaldi in late 2013 and ultimately settled on the price of $84,000 for a 12-week course of treatment. To the company, that price seemed to deliver the right balance: value to shareholders while also not so high that insurers would \"hinder patient access to uncomfortable levels,\" according to internal documents. But they also got more than they bargained for: an outpouring of outrage from the public, a backlash from government and private payers, and political scrutiny.\r\nThe 18-month Senate committee investigation reviewedmore than 20,000 pages of company documents.\r\nThe documents show it was always Gileads plan to max out revenue, and that accessibility and affordability were pretty much an afterthought,\" said Sen. Ron Wyden(D-Ore.), who co-led the investigation with Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa), in a news conference.\r\n\r\nContinue reading here.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sanders-announces-11-billion-for-vermont-in-transportation-bill", "Sanders Announces $1.1 Billion For Vermont in Transportation Bill", "2015-12-02", "2015", "2015-12", "Independent", "House", "VT", "Bernard Sanders", "S000033", "www.sanders.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, Dec. 2  Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) announced today that a five-year, $305 billion transportation bill agreement reached Tuesday by House and Senate negotiators will deliver nearly $1.1 billion to Vermont to improve the states roadways.\r\nWhile this legislation does not have everything I would have hoped for, I am pleased it includes more than $1 billion for Vermonts roads and bridges in the coming years, Sanders said.\r\nAs a member of the committee with primary jurisdiction over federal road and bridge programs, Sanders successfully fought for a funding formula that helps Vermont. The final agreement includes a 5 percent increase in funding for Vermont in the first year and a total increase of 15 percent over five years.\r\nThe legislation includes several other provisions authored by Sanders that would benefit Vermont, including changes to make Vermont competitive for additional federal funding and lowering the cost of borrowing federal funds for rural projects. Sanders also secured a provision to start the process of creating a national network of recharging stations for electric vehicles.\r\nThe bill also includes a 10 percent increase in funding for public transit in the first year and an overall increase of almost 18 percent over five years. This funding increase is critically important for low-income families, senior citizens, veterans and for people with disabilities in rural areas like Vermont, Sanders said.\r\nCongress is poised to pass the agreement in the coming days. The current short-term transportation bill expires on December 4. Once approved, this legislation will mark the first time since 2005 that Congress has passed a long-term highway bill.\r\nThe problem isnt just roads and bridges. Our airports, railways, drinking water and waste systems, harbors and inland waterways, dams and levees, and electric grid are all suffering from a lack of investment, Sanders said. While this bill is an important first step, I will continue to fight for legislation to rebuild our nations crumbling infrastructure.\r\nEarlier this year, Sanders introduced the Rebuild America Act, a $1 trillion, five-year plan that would modernize the infrastructure our economy depends on, while creating 13 million decent-paying jobs.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/recent-business/sanders-slams-republican-budget", "Sanders Slams Republican Budget", "2015-12-02", "2015", "2015-12", "Independent", "House", "VT", "Bernard Sanders", "S000033", "www.sanders.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Sen. Bernie Sanders ranking member of the Senate Budget Committee, took to the floor today to lead the Democratic opposition to the Republican budget.\r\nThe last thing we need is a budget reconciliation bill that throws 17 million Americans off of health insurance and denies nearly 3 million women the health care they need by defunding Planned Parenthood, Sanders said.\r\nAt a time when the United States is the only major country that does not guarantee health care as a right, the proposed budget would gut the Affordable Care Act and continue the Republican witch-hunt against Planned Parenthood.\r\nSanders called instead for a responsible budget that reverses the massive transfer of wealth from working families to the top 1 percent, stops skyrocketing prescription drug prices and puts millions of Americans back to work. He questioned why the Republican budget does not provide paid family leave, raise the minimum wage to a living wage or make college affordable for all.\r\nThe reason why the American people are angry and the reason why the Congress is so unpopular, is that the Congress is not addressing the real problems that are impacting their lives each and every day, Sanders added. At a time when the rich are getting richer, poverty is increasing, and the middle class has been in a 40-year decline, we need a budget that improves the lives of all Americans, not just the people on the top.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/leahy-urges-action-as-cola-deadline-approaches-for-seniors-veterans", "Leahy Urges Action As COLA Deadline Approaches For Seniors, Veterans", "2015-12-01", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "VT", "Patrick Leahy", "L000174", "www.leahy.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "12.01.15\n\t\t\t Leahy Urges Action As COLA Deadline Approaches For Seniors, Veterans \n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t \n\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n        \n\t\t\t\t Legislation Would Boost Social Security By Closing Multi-Million Dollar Corporate Bonus Loophole\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t WASHINGTON (TUESDAY, Dec. 01, 2015) -- With one month to go until seniors and veterans face a rare zero Cost-Of-Living Adjustment (COLA), Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and other senators Tuesday urged action on the Senate Floor to pass the SAVE Benefits Act.\r\nCosponsored by Leahy, the bill would boost Social Security and veterans benefits by ending tax subsidies for multi-million dollar corporate bonuses. If Congress does not act, seniors and veterans will face a zero COLA on January 1st.\r\nThe Seniors and Veterans Emergency Benefits Act (SAVE Benefits Act) would provide about 70 million seniors, veterans, people with disabilities and others an emergency supplemental payment of about $581. This payment is equal to 3.9 percent of the average annual Social Security benefit -- the same percentage raise that CEOs at the top 350 firms received last year. The cost of the bill would be covered by closing a tax loophole allowing corporations to write off executive bonuses as a business expense for \"performance pay.\"\r\nSen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) also supports the bill, whose chief sponsor is Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.).\r\nStatement of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.),On the Senior and Veterans Emergency (SAVE) Benefits Act December 1, 2015\r\nI want to thank Senator Warren for her leadership on a matter of great importance to millions of Americans.\r\nIn October, Social Security beneficiaries received some upsetting news. For the third time in 40 years, the Social Security Administration announced that, in 2016, Social Security payments will not include a cost-of-living increase. Unless Congress Acts, seniors and others who receive Social Security benefits will not see an additional dime in payments in the new year. For the nearly two-thirds of beneficiaries who depend on Social Security for at least half of their income, and for the 24 percent of those where Social Security is the sole source of income, this news is not just distressing  it is devastating.\r\nIn order to address this issue, I am proud to stand with thousands of Vermonters and millions of Americans, and to support Senator Warren's bill to provide Social Security recipients, those who receive disability benefits, and veterans, among others, a one-time payment next year. This payment would be equivalent to an average increase of 3.9 percentthe same pay increase that the top CEOs in the United States saw last year.\r\nMany in Congress have turned a blind eye to the problems facing Social Security, arguing that we cannot as a country possibly afford to spend resources on our seniors. Yet each year, hardworking Americans subsidize billions of dollars in tax subsidies for the compensation packages of corporate CEOs. By no longer allowing corporations to receive tax deductions for performance pay packages for their executives, we could give a one-time, emergency payment to our nation's seniors and increase the solvency of the Social Security Trust Fund without adding a penny to the deficit. \r\nIt is a matter of priorities. Are we as a country going to support the millions of Americans who depend upon Social Security to make ends meet? Or are we going to continue to allow the country's top CEOswhose average salary in 2014 topped $16 million eachto continue to rake in billions of dollars thanks to the performance pay tax loophole? The choice here should be clear.  \r\nSocial Security is an immensely important program, one that has helped millions of Americans stay out of poverty once entering retirement. This program has always represented a strong commitment to our nation's seniors. Ever since Ida May Fuller of Vermont received the first Social Security check issued, vulnerable seniors have had a safety-net to fall back on in retirement or to supplement individual retirement savings or pensions. Support for this bill represents a continued commitment to our nation's seniors and those with disabilities in this uncertain economy.\r\nI hope we can redouble our commitment to seniors, veterans, and those with disabilities in this country by passing this important legislation.\r\n# # # # #\r\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t Press Contact \n\t\t\t\tPress Contact  David Carle: 202-224-3693\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t  \n\t\n\t\n\t\n  \n\t\n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \t\n    \t\n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tNext Article\n\t\t    \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tPrevious Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/statement-of-senator-patrick-leahy-on-recognizing-past-crimes-against-humanity-in-indonesia", "Statement of Senator Patrick Leahy On Recognizing Past Crimes Against Humanity in Indonesia", "2015-12-01", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "VT", "Patrick Leahy", "L000174", "www.leahy.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "12.01.15\n\t\t\t Statement of Senator Patrick Leahy On Recognizing Past Crimes Against Humanity in Indonesia \n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tMr. President, the realignment toward Asia has focused our attention on partnerships with countries in the region. We share political, economic, security, and humanitarian interests, creating complex and multi-dimensional relationships. But our commitment to the protection and promotion of human rights must continue to be a foundation for our relations with these countries, as with others around the world. We must continue to advocate for open societies where dialogue and dissent are encouraged and where security forces are professional and accountable. At the same time, we cannot ignore history.\r\nFifty years ago, under the guise of a state-sanctioned communist purge, hundreds of thousands of Indonesian men, women, and children were murdered. Many more were rounded up and led to concentration camps where they were imprisoned and many were tortured by the security forces of a dictatorial and brutal regime that had the backing of the United States. It has been widely recognized as one of the worst mass atrocities of the 20th Century, but efforts to establish a truth and reconciliation commission to come to terms with these crimes have stalled at every turn. The atrocities are still not recognized or discussed by the Indonesian government and the perpetrators were long celebrated as heroes for their actions.\r\nThe United States should lead by example in acknowledging this tragic history and reaffirm that human rights are at the forefront of our strategic relationships, in Indonesia and beyond. As the most senior member of the Appropriations Committee, I have supported conditions on foreign assistance, including requiring recipient countries to protect freedoms of expression and association, respect the rule of law and due process, reform their judicial systems and security forces, and strengthen other key elements of a democratic society. \r\nThrough the Leahy Law, I have sought to encourage reform of Indonesia's military and police forces, promote cooperation with civilian authorities, and hold human rights violators accountable. I have also supported efforts to demilitarize West Papua and stop the human rights violations associated with the militarization of that island.\r\nUnfortunately, while Indonesia has made important economic and political strides since the systemic repression of the Suharto years, impunity for the horrific crimes of the 1960s and during the final years of the independence struggle in East Timor remain glaring examples of unfinished business that are inconsistent with a democratic society based on the principle that no one is above the law.\r\nWe need to recognize the role of our own government in this history, declassify relevant documents, and urge the Indonesian government to acknowledge the massacres and establish a credible truth and justice mechanism.\r\nI ask that a poignant opinion piece on this subject that was published in The New Yorker on September 29, 2015, be printed in the Record.\r\n# # # # \r\nThe New Yorker Tuesday, September 29 Suharto's Purge, Indonesia's Silence\r\n\r\nBy Joshua Oppenheimer\r\nThis week marks the 50th anniversary of the beginning of a mass slaughter inIndonesia. With American support, more than 500,000 people were murdered by the Indonesian Army and its civilian death squads. At least 750,000 more were tortured and sent to concentration camps, many for decades.\r\nThe victims were accused of being communists, an umbrella that included not only members of the legally registered Communist Party, but all likely opponents ofSuharto's new military regime  from union members and women's rights activists to teachers and the ethnic Chinese. Unlike in Germany, Rwanda or Cambodia, there have been no trials, no truth-and-reconciliation commissions, no memorials to the victims. Instead, many perpetrators still hold power throughout the country.\r\nIndonesia is the world's fourth most populous nation, and if it is to become the democracy it claims to be, this impunity must end. The anniversary is a moment for the United States to support Indonesia's democratic transition by acknowledging the 1965 genocide, and encouraging a process of truth, reconciliation and justice.\r\nOn Oct. 1, 1965, six army generals in Jakarta were killed by a group of disaffected junior officers. Maj. Gen. Suharto assumed command of the armed forces, blamed the killings on the leftists, and set in motion a killing machine. Millions of people associated with left-leaning organizations were targeted, and the nation dissolved into terror  people even stopped eating fish for fear that fish were eating corpses. Suharto usurped President Sukarno's authority and established himself as de facto president by March 1966. From the very beginning, he enjoyed the full support of the United States.\r\nI've spent 12 years investigating the terrible legacy of the genocide, creating two documentary films, The Act of Killing in 2013 and The Look of Silence, released earlier this year. I began in 2003, working with a family of survivors. We wanted to show what it is like to live surrounded by still-powerful perpetrators who had murdered your loved ones.\r\nThe family gathered other survivors to tell their stories, but the army warned them not to participate. Many survivors urged me not to give up and suggested that I film perpetrators in hopes that they would reveal details of the massacres.\r\nI did not know if it was safe to approach the killers, but when I did, I found them open. They offered boastful accounts of the killings, often with smiles on their faces and in front of their grandchildren. I felt I had wandered into Germany 40 years after the Holocaust, only to find the Nazis still in power.\r\nToday, former political prisoners from this era still face discrimination and threats. Gatherings of elderly survivors are regularly attacked by military-backed thugs. Schoolchildren are still taught that the extermination of the communists was heroic, and that victims' families should be monitored for disloyalty. This official history, in effect, legitimizes violence against a whole segment of society.\r\nThe purpose of such intimidation is to create a climate of fear in which corruption and plunder go unchallenged. Inevitably in such an atmosphere, human rights violations have continued since 1965, including the 1975-1999 occupation of East Timor, where enforced starvation contributed to the killing of nearly a third of the population, as well as torture and extrajudicial killing that go on in West Papua today.\r\nMilitary rule in Indonesia formally ended in 1998, but the army remains above the law. If a general orders an entire village massacred, he cannot be tried in civilian courts. The only way he could face justice is if the army itself convenes a military tribunal, or if Parliament establishes a special human rights court  something it has never done fairly and effectively.\r\nWith the military not subject to law, a shadow state of paramilitaries and intelligence agencies has formed around it. This shadow state continues to intimidate the public into silence while, together with its business partners, it loots the national wealth.\r\nIndonesia can hold regular elections, but if the laws do not apply to the most powerful elements in society, then there is no rule of law, and no genuine democracy. The country will never become a true democracy until it takes serious steps to end impunity. An essential start is a process of truth, reconciliation and justice.\r\nThis may still be possible. The Indonesian media, which used to shy from discussing the genocide, now refers to the killings as crimes against humanity, and grassroots activism has taken hold. The current president, Joko Widodo, indicated he would address the 1965 massacre, but he has not established a truth commission, issued a national apology, or taken any other steps to end the military's impunity.\r\nWe need truth and accountability from the United States as well. U.S. involvement dates at least to an April 1962 meeting between American and British officials resulting in the decision to liquidate President Sukarno, the populist  but not communist  founding father of Indonesia. As a founder of the nonaligned movement, Sukarno favored socialist policies; Washington wanted to replace him with someone more deferential to Western strategic and commercial interests.\r\nThe United States conducted covert operations to destabilize Sukarno and strengthen the military. Then, when genocide broke out, America provided equipment, weapons and money. The United States compiled lists containing thousands of names of public figures likely to oppose the new military regime, and handed them over to the Indonesian military, presumably with the expectation that they would be killed. Western aid to Suharto's dictatorship, ultimately amounting to tens of billions of dollars, began flowing while corpses still clogged Indonesia's rivers. The American media celebrated Suharto's rise and his campaign of death. Time magazine said it was the best news for years in Asia.\r\nBut the extent of America's role remains hidden behind a wall of secrecy: C.I.A. documents and U.S. defense attach papers remain classified. Numerous Freedom of Information Act requests for these documents have been denied. Senator Tom Udall, Democrat of New Mexico, will soon reintroduce a resolution that, if passed, would acknowledge America's role in the atrocities, call for declassification of all relevant documents, and urge the Indonesian government to acknowledge the massacres and establish a truth commission. If the U.S. government recognizes the genocide publicly, acknowledges its role in the crimes, and releases all documents pertaining to the issue, it will encourage the Indonesian government to do the same.\r\nThis anniversary should be a reminder that although we want to move on, although nothing will wake the dead or make whole what has been broken, we must stop, honor the lives destroyed, acknowledge our role in the destruction, and allow the healing process to begin.\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t Press Contact \n\t\t\t\tPress Contact  David Carle: 202-224-3693", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/must-read/why-the-us-pays-more-than-other-countries-for-drugs", "Why the U.S. Pays More Than Other Countries for Drugs", "2015-12-01", "2015", "2015-12", "Independent", "House", "VT", "Bernard Sanders", "S000033", "www.sanders.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Why the U.S. Pays More Than Other Countries for Drugs\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t By: Jeanne Whalen \n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tTuesday, December 1, 2015\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\tNorway, an oil producer with one of the worlds richest economies, is an expensive place to live. A Big Mac costs $5.65. A gallon of gasoline costs $6.\r\nBut one thing is far cheaper than in the U.S.: prescription drugs.\r\nA vial of the cancer drug Rituxan cost Norways taxpayer-funded health system$1,527 in the third quarter of 2015, while the U.S. Medicare program paid $3,678. An injection of the asthma drug Xolair cost Norway $463, which was 46% less than Medicare paid for it.\r\nDrug prices in the U.S. are shrouded in mystery, obscured by confidential rebates, multiple middlemen and the strict guarding of trade secrets. But for certain drugsthose paid for by Medicare Part Bprices are public. By stacking these against pricing in three foreign health systems, as discovered in nonpublic and public data, The Wall Street Journal was able to pinpoint international drug-cost differences and what lies behind them.\r\n\r\nContinue reading here.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/newswatch/120115", "News December 1", "2015-12-01", "2015", "2015-12", "Independent", "House", "VT", "Bernard Sanders", "S000033", "www.sanders.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "News December 1\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tTuesday, December 1, 2015\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\tSenator Sanders\r\nDrug Prices About 7 out of 10 Americans, including two-thirds of Republicans,said Medicare, the federal health insurance program for older and disabled Americans, should be able tonegotiate lower prices for all prescription drugs.Another 13 percent support negotiations for just high-cost drugs for illnesses such as hepatitis C or cancer, according to a new poll by STAT News. More broadly, about three-quarters of the public believe the prices of brand-name prescription drugs are unreasonable, while 1 in 4 expressed that view about generics.\r\n\r\nTax Break Deal House and Senate negotiators are working to complete a deal as earlyas this week thatwouldrevive dozens of expired tax breaks andcould also seek to scale backa controversial part of Obamacare and expand some tax benefits for low income workers. Early versions of the package circulated by lobbyists and staffers were estimatedto cost as much as $700 billion over 10 years. The deal would repeal the Cadillac Tax, which Sen. Sanders opposes, The Washington Post reported.\r\nWorld\r\nPope: World Near Suicide on Climate Change Environmental negotiators meeting in Paris should strike a climate change deal to save a world \"at the limits of suicide,\" Pope Francis said on Monday, The Washington Post reported. \"I am not sure, but I can say to you 'now or never',\" he told a group of reporters aboard the papal plane, en route home from Africa, according to Reuters. \"Every year the problems are getting worse. We are at the limits. If I may use a strong word I would say that we are at the limits of suicide.\"\r\nUkraine The United States has delivered more than $260 million in non-lethal military equipment to help the government of Ukraine in its fight against a Russian-backed insurgency, but some of the U.S.-supplied gear meant to protect and transport Ukrainian military forces is little more than junk, The Washington Post reported.\r\nNational\r\nMoney in Politics The rich families remaking Illinois are among a small group around the country who have channeled their extraordinary wealth into political power, taking advantage of regulatory, legal and cultural shifts that have carved new paths for infusing money into campaigns. Economic winners in an age of rising inequality, operating largely out of public view, they are reshaping government with fortunes so large as to defy the ordinary financial scale of politics. In the 2016 presidential race, a New York Times analysis found last month, just 158 families had provided nearly half of the early campaign money.\r\nVermont\r\nVermont Health Connect Although Gov. Peter Shumlin recently proclaimed the Vermont Health Connect a totally different ballgame in comparison to last years performance, a House committee on Monday heard of several unresolved problems affecting the insurance exchange, Burlington Free Press reported.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/on-world-aids-day-sanders-demands-affordable-drugs", "On World AIDS Day, Sanders Demands Affordable Drugs", "2015-12-01", "2015", "2015-12", "Independent", "House", "VT", "Bernard Sanders", "S000033", "www.sanders.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "On World AIDS Day, Sanders Demands Affordable Drugs\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tTuesday, December 1, 2015\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\tWASHINGTON, Dec. 1  On World AIDS Day, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) condemned price gouging by pharmaceutical companies on lifesaving drugs to treat the disease.\r\nThe biggest problem in caring for those with AIDS is no longer mainly a medical or scientific problem the crisis is access to affordable drugs, Sanders said. People are dying in America because they can't afford to pay the outrageous prices for medicine they need to live. In the richest nation in the world, we must do everything possible to get people the medicine they need at a price they can afford.\r\nLast year, one in five Americans  35 million people  were unable to afford to fill their prescriptions. The price of Daraprim, a drug taken by AIDS patients, was recently increased 5,000 percent overnight.\r\nSanders and Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) have introduced comprehensive legislation to lower the skyrocketing cost of prescription drugs. Their bills would authorize the secretary of Health and Human Services to negotiate drug prices with pharmaceutical companies and reduce barriers to the importation of lower-cost drugs from Canada and other countries. Sanders and Cummings have also conducted a year-long investigation into rising prices.\r\nThe United States is the only major country on earth that does not in one form or another regulate prescription drug prices and the results have been an unmitigated disaster, Sanders said. We must take on the pharmaceutical industry that has been ripping off the American people and pass legislation to lower the cost of lifesaving drugs.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sanders-slams-republican-budget", "Sanders Slams Republican Budget", "2015-12-01", "2015", "2015-12", "Independent", "House", "VT", "Bernard Sanders", "S000033", "www.sanders.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, Dec. 1  Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), ranking member of the Senate Budget Committee, took to the floor today to lead the Democratic opposition to the Republican budget.\r\nThe last thing we need is a budget reconciliation bill that throws 17 million Americans off of health insurance and denies nearly 3 million women the health care they need by defunding Planned Parenthood, Sanders said.\r\nAt a time when the United States is the only major country that does not guarantee health care as a right, the proposed budget would gut the Affordable Care Act and continue the Republican witch-hunt against Planned Parenthood.\r\nSanders called instead for a responsible budget that reverses the massive transfer of wealth from working families to the top 1 percent, stops skyrocketing prescription drug prices and puts millions of Americans back to work. He questioned why the Republican budget does not provide paid family leave, raise the minimum wage to a living wage or make college affordable for all.\r\nThe reason why the American people are angry and the reason why the Congress is so unpopular, is that the Congress is not addressing the real problems that are impacting their lives each and every day, Sanders added. At a time when the rich are getting richer, poverty is increasing, and the middle class has been in a 40-year decline, we need a budget that improves the lives of all Americans, not just the people on the top.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/us-must-lead-on-climate-change-sanders-says", "U.S. Must Lead on Climate Change, Sanders Says", "2015-12-01", "2015", "2015-12", "Independent", "House", "VT", "Bernard Sanders", "S000033", "www.sanders.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "U.S. Must Lead on Climate Change, Sanders Says\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tTuesday, December 1, 2015\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\tWASHINGTON, Dec. 1  As nearly 150 world leaders gather for a summit in Paris on climate change, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said on Tuesday that the United States must lead the world in taking bold actions to stop climate change.\r\nCalling the need to combat climate change a moral issue, Sanders agreed with Pope Francis about the urgent need to take action,\r\nThe pope was right when he said the problems are getting worse and that unless we act we are at the limits of suicide, Sanders said.\r\nA member of the Senate environment and energy committees, Sanders said scientists have warned that there is a short window of opportunity to transform our energy systems away from fossil fuels and toward energy efficiency and sustainable energy.\r\nThe evidence is overwhelming. When the final calculations are made, 2015 will replace 2014 as the warmest year on record. Droughts, floods and severe storms already are impacting the planet and the situation will only become worse in years to come, Sanders said.\r\nI find it unacceptable that many of my Republican colleagues are more worried about campaign contributions theyre getting from the Koch brothers and others in the fossil fuel industry than they are about preserving the planet for our children and grandchildren, the senator added.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/recent-business/on-world-aids-day-sanders-demands-affordable-drugs", "On World AIDS Day, Sanders Demands Affordable Drugs", "2015-12-01", "2015", "2015-12", "Independent", "House", "VT", "Bernard Sanders", "S000033", "www.sanders.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "On World AIDS Day, Sen. Bernie Sanders condemned price gouging by pharmaceutical companies on lifesaving drugs to treat the disease.\r\nThe biggest problem in caring for those with AIDS is no longer mainly a medical or scientific problem the crisis is access to affordable drugs, Sanders said. People are dying in America because they can't afford to pay the outrageous prices for medicine they need to live. In the richest nation in the world, we must do everything possible to get people the medicine they need at a price they can afford.\r\nLast year, one in five Americans  35 million people  were unable to afford to fill their prescriptions. The price of Daraprim, a drug taken by AIDS patients, was recently increased 5,000 percent overnight.\r\nSanders and Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) have introduced comprehensive legislation to lower the skyrocketing cost of prescription drugs. Their bills would authorize the secretary of Health and Human Services to negotiate drug prices with pharmaceutical companies and reduce barriers to the importation of lower-cost drugs from Canada and other countries. Sanders and Cummings have also conducted a year-long investigation into rising prices.\r\nThe United States is the only major country on earth that does not in one form or another regulate prescription drug prices and the results have been an unmitigated disaster, Sanders said. We must take on the pharmaceutical industry that has been ripping off the American people and pass legislation to lower the cost of lifesaving drugs.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://welch.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/lawmakers-congress-must-act-ethanol-mandate", "Lawmakers: Congress Must Act on Ethanol Mandate", "2015-11-30", "2015", "2015-11", "Democrat", "House", "VT", "Peter Welch", "W000800", "welch.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, D.C.  Following the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) release of the final rules for the 2014-2016 Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), Reps. Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Steve Womack (R-Ar.), and Jim Costa (D-Calif.) released the following statement:  \n\t  \n\tThe EPA's decision to funnel more ethanol into the fuel supply is terribly disappointing. The RFS requirements announced today will push ethanol volumes beyond the blendwall in 2016, leaving American consumers and our economy to feel the negative effects. While well-intentioned, it's now abundantly clear the RFS is a broken policy that is having drastic impacts on families, small businesses and retailers, the agriculture community, and the environment.\nNeglecting the concerns of 184 bipartisan Members of the House of Representatives over increasing ethanol requirements, the EPA proceeded anyway. And since the EPA refuses to keep RFS volumes below the blendwall, Congress must act to fix this broken ethanol mandate. A growing majority in Congress has recognized the real-world limitations' of this bungled policy, and a recent survey found 70 percent of Americans oppose it. The RFS Reform Act is a solution to the problems created by the ethanol mandate, and our bill would finally provide much-needed, long-term relief for those impacted by the failures of this policy.\nRecently, 184 bipartisan Members of the House of Representatives joined in sending a letter to EPA Administrator McCarthy expressing concerns regarding the proposed 2016 RFS requirements. In February 2015, Goodlatte, Welch, Womack, and Costa introduced the RFS Reform Act (H.R. 704), which eliminates corn-based ethanol requirements, caps the amount of ethanol that can be blended into conventional gasoline at 10 percent, and requires the EPA to set cellulosic biofuels levels at production levels.\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/must-read/how-walmart-keeps-an-eye-on-its-massive-workforce", "How Walmart Keeps an Eye on Its Massive Workforce", "2015-11-30", "2015", "2015-11", "Independent", "House", "VT", "Bernard Sanders", "S000033", "www.sanders.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "How Walmart Keeps an Eye on Its Massive Workforce\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tThe retail giant is Always watching.\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t By: Susan Berfield \n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tMonday, November 30, 2015\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\tIn the autumn of 2012, when Walmart first heard about the possibility of a strike on Black Friday, executives mobilized with the efficiency that had built a retail empire. Walmart has a system for almost everything: When theres an emergency or a big event, it creates a Delta team. The one formed that September included representatives from global security, labor relations, and media relations. For Walmart, the stakes were enormous. The billions in sales typical of a Walmart Black Friday were threatened. The companys public image, especially in big cities where its power and size were controversial, could be harmed. But more than all that: Any attempt to organize its 1million hourly workers at its more than 4,000 stores in the U.S. was an existential danger. Operating free of unions was as essential to Walmarts business as its rock-bottom prices.\r\nOURWalmart, a group of employees backed and funded by a union, was asking for more full-time jobs with higher wages and predictable schedules. Officially they called themselvesthe Organization United for Respect at Walmart. Walmart publicly dismissed OURWalmart as the insignificant creation of the United Food and Commercial Workers International (UFCW) union. This is just another union publicity stunt, and the numbers they are talking about are grossly exaggerated, David Tovar, a spokesman, said onCBS Evening Newsthat November.\r\nInternally, however, Walmart considered the group enough of a threat that it hired an intelligence-gathering service from Lockheed Martin, contacted the FBI, staffed up its labor hotline, ranked stores by labor activity, and kept eyes on employees (and activists) prominent in the group. During that time, about 100 workers were actively involved in recruiting for OURWalmart, but employees (or associates, as theyre called at Walmart) across the company were watched; the briefest conversations were reported to the home office, as Walmart calls its headquarters in Bentonville, Ark.\r\nThe details of Walmarts efforts during the first year it confronted OURWalmart are described in more than 1,000 pages of e-mails, reports, playbooks, charts, and graphs, as well as testimony from its head of labor relations at the time. The documents were produced in discovery ahead of a National Labor Relations Board hearing into OURWalmarts allegations of retaliation against employees who joined protests in June2013. The testimony was given in January2015, during the hearing. OURWalmart, which split from the UFCW in September, provided the documents toBloomberg Businessweekafter the judge concluded the case in mid-October. A decision may come in early 2016.\r\nContinue reading here.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sanders-statement-on-colorado_planned-parenthood-shooting", "Sanders Statement on Colorado  Planned Parenthood Shooting", "2015-11-28", "2015", "2015-11", "Independent", "House", "VT", "Bernard Sanders", "S000033", "www.sanders.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Sanders Statement on Colorado  Planned Parenthood Shooting\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tSaturday, November 28, 2015\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\tBURLINGTON, Vt., --U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders issued the following statement todayafter a gun battle left three dead at a Planned Parenthood center in Colorado Springs, Colorado:\r\nWhile we still do not know the shooters motive, what is clear is that Planned Parenthood has been the subject of vicious and unsubstantiated statements attacking an organization that provides critical health care for millionsof Americans. I strongly support Planned Parenthood and the work it is doing and hope people realize that bitter rhetoric can have unintended consequences.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://welch.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/hoyer-welch-house-democrats-send-letter-speaker-ryan-need-robust-long", "Hoyer, Welch, House Democrats Send Letter to Speaker Ryan on Need for Robust, Long-Term Surface Transportation Funding", "2015-11-27", "2015", "2015-11", "Democrat", "House", "VT", "Peter Welch", "W000800", "welch.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, DC - House Democratic Whip Steny H. Hoyer (MD) joined Congressman Peter Welch (VT) and 60 Democrats in sending the following letter to Speaker Ryan on Wednesday about the need for robust, long-term funding for infrastructure repairs and improvements that will strengthen America's economic competitiveness.\nTo read the letter, click here or see below.\nNovember 25, 2015 Hon. Paul D. Ryan  \n\tSpeaker  \n\tU.S. House of Representatives  \n\tH-232, The Capitol  \n\tWashington, DC 20515\nDear Mr. Speaker: As the House and Senate work to finalize a long term surface transportation conference report, we urge you to support the higher funding levels needed to strengthen our surface transportation infrastructure and improve our competitiveness. There is bipartisan agreement that our transportation infrastructure is crumbling because the federal investment has failed to keep pace with our growing transportation needs. A quarter of our bridges are deficient; more than half our road are rated below good condition, and congestion increasingly burdens commerce. The American Society of Civil Engineers gives our infrastructure a nearly failing grade of D+. Prior to MAP-21, successive surface transportation bills consistently provided significant increases in funding. Unfortunately, while the Senate bill does contain small increases above the current inadequate baseline spending levels, neither the House nor the Senate version of H.R. 22 identifies or guarantees the funding sources sufficient to maintain our current transportation infrastructure, let alone the upgrades that are so urgently needed to expand and modernize that infrastructure. Given this shortfall in funding, we urge you to join us in supporting a conference report that packs the most punch by shortening the duration of the reauthorization  perhaps to three or four years instead of six -- and increasing the transportation investment in each of those years. This is not a novel idea: the Chamber of Commerce recently wrote, The Chamber urges you to ensure that the conference report maximizes the benefits it would provide, rather than focusing on the number of years the transportation authorization would last. Providing increased funding for projects within less than the six year duration of this bill would help ensure long overdue needs are addressed in a more timely basis. We believe this approach will create jobs, improve our international competitiveness, make our roads safer, and provide American families and businesses with better transportation alternatives. Sincerely yours, Steny Hoyer  \n\tPeter Welch  \n\tJames E. Clyburn  \n\tJoseph Crowley  \n\tBrad Ashford  \n\tAmi Bera  \n\tDonald Beyer  \n\tEarl Blumenauer  \n\tMadeleine Z. Bordallo  \n\tBrendan Boyle  \n\tJulia Brownley  \n\tTony Crdenas  \n\tKathy Castor  \n\tYvette Clarke  \n\tWm. Lacy Clay  \n\tJim Costa  \n\tElijah E. Cummings  \n\tJohn K. Delaney  \n\tMark DeSaulnier  \n\tTed Deutch  \n\tMichael F. Doyle  \n\tTammy Duckworth  \n\tElizabeth H. Esty  \n\tSam Farr  \n\tRuben Gallego  \n\tJohn Garamendi  \n\tAlan Grayson  \n\tGene Green  \n\tRaul M. Grijalva  \n\tLuis V. Gutirrez  \n\tAlcee L. Hastings  \n\tBrian Higgins  \n\tRuben Hinojosa  \n\tMichael Honda  \n\tWilliam R. Keating  \n\tRobin Kelly  \n\tDaniel T. Kildee  \n\tDerek Kilmer  \n\tAnn Kirkpatrick  \n\tAnn M. Kuster  \n\tBrenda L. Lawrence  \n\tBarbara Lee  \n\tTed Lieu  \n\tAlan S. Lowenthal  \n\tMichelle Lujan Grisham  \n\tJerry McNerney  \n\tGregory W. Meeks  \n\tGrace Meng  \n\tGwen Moore  \n\tSeth Moulton  \n\tDonald Norcross  \n\tEd Perlmutter  \n\tScott Peters  \n\tPedro R. Pierluisi  \n\tMark Pocan  \n\tJared Polis  \n\tMike Quigley  \n\tKathleen M. Rice  \n\tLinda Snchez  \n\tBobby Scott  \n\tTerri Sewell  \n\tEric Swalwell", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/must-read/how-wal-mart-stole-christmas_and-hijacked-american-politics", "How Wal-Mart stole Christmas  and hijacked American politics", "2015-11-27", "2015", "2015-11", "Independent", "House", "VT", "Bernard Sanders", "S000033", "www.sanders.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "How Wal-Mart stole Christmas  and hijacked American politics\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t By: Sean McElwee \n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tFriday, November 27, 2015\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\tWhen retail workers want something, they ask their employers, get denied, get bullied and sometimes fired. Sometimes, they take to the streets, as they have for the last three years on Black Friday. By contrast, when retailers want something, they scurry to the halls of Congress, where they purchase influence with their exorbitant profits.\r\nThe largest big-box retailers have spent a total of $111 million since the 2000 election cycle on lobbying and campaign contributions. During the 2014 election cycle, big-box retailers spent $30 million on federal campaign contributions and lobbying, which is almost six times what they spent in 2000 (after an inflation adjustment).\r\n\r\nWal-Mart in particular is known for its status as a corporate-welfare queen; one studyestimatesthat one 300-person Supercenter costs taxpayers $904,542 to $1,744,590. Anotherestimatesthat Wal-Mart and the Walton family pull in $7.8 billion a year in tax breaks and subsidies. Meanwhile, a brand-newreportfrom Americans for Tax Fairness finds that Wal-Mart also avoids taxes on more than $21 billion in offshore profits. In its most recent annualreport, Wal-Mart openlyadmitsthat changes to government food stamp programs may hurt its financial performance.Hundreds of thousands of Wal-Mart workersmake near-povertywages.\r\nWal-Mart certainly benefits from other favorable government actions. Changes to labor laws allow it toabuse worker schedules, although sometimes it ignores them completely and just refuses topay workers,flat out. Since Wal-Mart is a serial polluter, lax environmental standards are beneficial. Its also very concerned about taxes, trade and intellectual property. To advance these interests, Wal-Mart spent $2.4 million on campaign donations and $12.5 million in lobbying in 2014 alone.\r\nContinue reading here.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/must-read/as-mayor-bernie-sanders-was-more-pragmatist-than-socialist", "As Mayor, Bernie Sanders Was More Pragmatist Than Socialist", "2015-11-26", "2015", "2015-11", "Independent", "House", "VT", "Bernard Sanders", "S000033", "www.sanders.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "As Mayor, Bernie Sanders Was More Pragmatist Than Socialist\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t By: Katharine Q. Seelye \n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tThursday, November 26, 2015\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\tBernie Sanders in September 1981, six months after he was elected mayor of Burlington, Vt. He held the office for eight years.Credit:Donna Light/Associated Press\r\nBURLINGTON, Vt.  WhenBernie Sanders, a self-declared socialist, served as mayor here in the 1980s, he often complained that the United States had its priorities wrong, that it should be diverting money from the military to domestic needs like housing and health care.\r\nSo when dozens of antiwar activists blocked the entrance to the local General Electric plant because it was manufacturing Gatling guns to fight the socialists in Central America, the protesters expected the mayors full support.\r\nInstead, he lined up with union officials and watched as the police made arrests, saying later that in blocking the plant, the activists were keeping workers from their jobs.\r\nIt was a classic example of how Mr. Sanders governed  as a pragmatist. He tended to talk globally but act locally, in this case choosing the real and immediate socialist principle of protecting workers over blocking the making of weapons to fight leftists abroad. Although he often shouted about foreign affairs, Mr. Sanders was consumed with running the city.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/newswatch/112515", "News November 25", "2015-11-25", "2015", "2015-11", "Independent", "House", "VT", "Bernard Sanders", "S000033", "www.sanders.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "News November 25\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tWednesday, November 25, 2015\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\tSenator Sanders\r\nSanders Most Popular SenatorSen. Bernie Sanders has eschewed party labels during his decades-long political career. And voters in his home state love him for it,Morning Consultant,The Week,Bloomberg,The Hill, The Boston Globe,Chicago Sun-Times andWCAX-TVin Burlington reported. A comprehensive survey of more than 75,000 voters in all 50 states, conducted over several months by Morning Consult, shows Sanders has the highest approval rating of any United States senator among his own constituents, at 83 percent. And while voters disdain Congress as a whole, they have much more positive views of their individual senators: The polling shows 69 of 100 United States senators have approval ratings of 50 percent or higher among their own constituents.\r\nPfizer-Allergan MergerThe announcement of the Pfizer-Allergen merger, which could help the new company escape billions of dollars in United States taxes, drew a cascade of harsh criticism from lawmakers and renewed a push to crack down on these so-called tax inversions,The New York TimesandReutersreported. Sen. Sanders even called on the Obama administration to use any authority it had to block the deal. \r\nWorld\r\nRussia Promises Retribution for Downed Jet One of two Russian pilots shot down by Turkey over the Syrian border has been rescued in a special operation, Russian officials said Wednesday, as Moscow promised retribution for the first downing of one of its planes by a NATO ally since the Cold War, The Washington Post reported.\r\nU.S., France Lead ISIS Fight The Obama administration is using the current moment of extreme anger and anxiety in Europe to press allies for sharp increases in their contributions to the fight against the Islamic State. Suggestions include more strike aircraft, more intelligence-sharing, more training and equipment for local fighters, and deployment of their own special operations forces. The message has already fallen on willing ears, at least in the case of France, whose president met with President Obama on Tuesday to plan strategy in the wake of the Nov.13 terrorist attacks in Paris, The Washington Post reported.\r\nNational\r\nLaquan McDonald Hundreds of protesters flooded streets overnight after awhite police officer who fatally shot a black teenager last year was charged with first-degree murder on Tuesday and a graphic video of the killing was released. While the demonstrations, which at times blocked some of Chicagos busy Interstate highways, were largely peaceful, some turned confrontational during the night, The Washington Post reported.\r\nVermont\r\nShumlin Welcomes Refugees Two days before Thanksgiving Gov. Peter Shumlin visited a classroom of newly arrived refugees from Africa and Asia, welcoming them to Vermont and reiterating his public support for welcoming Syrian refugees into the U.S. as well. Several of the dozen adult refugee students learning basic English at the Ohavi Zedek Synagogue Tuesday morning came to the front of the class and shook the governors hand in front of the media, VT Digger.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/newswatch/112415", "News November 24", "2015-11-24", "2015", "2015-11", "Independent", "House", "VT", "Bernard Sanders", "S000033", "www.sanders.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "News November 24\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tTuesday, November 24, 2015\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\tSenator Sanders\r\n\r\nPfizer-Allergan DealSen. Sanders condemned the Pfizer acquisition of Allergan on Monday and urged the Obama administration to block the deal,The Associated Press,Reuters, Business Insider,Los Angeles Times,The New York Times,TheHillandVoxreported. Pfizer said it would buy Botox maker Allergan in a record-breaking deal worth $160 billion to cut its U.S. tax bill by moving its headquarters to Ireland. \"The Pfizer-Allergan merger would be a disaster for American consumers who already pay the highest prices in the world for prescription drugs,\" Sanders said in a statement.\r\nTIME Person of the YearWith eleven days left to go before TIMEs 2015 Person of the Year poll comes to a close, Sen. Sanders, the upstart candidate for president, holds a wide lead over global notables among TIME readers even as he trails Hillary Clinton in voter polls and fights a long-shot battle for the Democratic nomination,TIMEand The Hill reported. \r\nLarry SandersIn this longer video from a previous interview withRolling Stone, Larry Sanders discusses what Sen. Sanders was like as a child (a bit of a jock) and how both brothers became left-leaning politicians (they grew up in working-class Brooklyn, in the aftermath of the Holocaust, motivating them to fight for justice for all).\r\nSOTU Essay ContestSen. Sanders has launched his sixth annual State of the Union essay contest, calling upon Vermont's high school students to address what they view as the major issues facing the United States,The Manchester Journalreported. Sanders' annual essay contest is an opportunity for Vermont high school students to articulate what issues they would prioritize if they were president. \r\nColumn: Sanders as a Democrat\"Sen. Sanders could call himself a Democrat  it would fit his ideology, and it would fit his ambitions. But he steadfastly refuses. Understanding why is, I think, crucial to understanding not just Sanders but his support,\" Ezra Klein wrote forVox. \"Sanders' socialism, in other words, is a costly  and thus believable  signal that he isn't going to get elected and suddenly start doing fundraisers with Robert Rubin. That signal has powered a truly extraordinary primary campaign  and it suggests that there may be more liberal dissatisfaction with the Democratic Party than many in the party realize.\" \r\nWorld\r\nTurkey Downs Russian Jet Turkish military aircraft shot down a Russian jet Tuesday after Turkey says it violated its airspace near the border with Syria, a major escalation in the Syrian conflict that could further strain relations between Russia and the West. Russian officials confirmed that a Russian warplane had been shot down but claimed it had been flying over Syria and had not violated Turkish airspace, The Washington Post reported.\r\nKerry Urges Bigger Push Against ISIS With the Obama administration under mounting pressure from some of its own top former officials to take a more aggressive approach to combating the Islamic State, Secretary of State John Kerry said Monday that he would like to see the American-led military and diplomatic effort in Syria go faster. He added that President Obama had charged his aides with coming up with any concepts that will, in fact, work, and which could help change the situation on the ground, The New York Times reported.\r\nNational\r\n5 Shot Near BLM Protest Simmering racial tensions boiled over yetagain on Monday when a small group of white men allegedly shot five peoplewho had beenprotestingthe recent police killing of an African American manin Minneapolis. Police announced on Twitter early Tuesday morning that five people had suffered non-life-threatening gunshot wounds, and that officers were searching for three white suspects who had fled the scene, The Washington Post reported.\r\nVermont\r\nBurlington Skate Park The sound of skateboards hitting the pavement boomed from inside the pit of the newest addition to Burlington's northern waterfront:a world-class skate park. The park is part of Waterfront Access North,the first major, new waterfront public infrastructure investment since the creation of Waterfront Park in the early1990s, Burlington Free Press reported.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sanders-is-most-popular-senator-in-america", "Sanders is Most Popular Senator in America", "2015-11-24", "2015", "2015-11", "Independent", "House", "VT", "Bernard Sanders", "S000033", "www.sanders.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "BURLINGTON, Vt., Nov. 24  U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) is the most popular senator in America according to a Morning Consult survey of more than 75,000 voters in all 50 states. Sanders has the highest approval rating of any United States senator among his own constituents at 83 percent.\r\nSenate Democrats had an average approval rating of 54 percent in the survey, while Republicans averaged a 51 percent approval rating.\r\nClick here to see the complete poll results.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/-with-gratitude-in-our-hearts-lets-resolve-to-end-hunger", "With Gratitude In Our Hearts, Lets Resolve To End Hunger", "2015-11-23", "2015", "2015-11", "Democrat", "House", "VT", "Patrick Leahy", "L000174", "www.leahy.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "11.23.15\n\t\t\t  With Gratitude In Our Hearts, Let's Resolve To End Hunger \n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t \n\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n        \n\t\t\t\t By Patrick Leahy\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t This week we gather with family and friends to celebrate Thanksgiving and rekindle some of the most important relationships in our lives.\r\nAll of us in this great and good land have things to be thankful for. Some of us will give special thanks for good health or good fortune over the past year. We are always grateful when we can spend time with our loved ones.\r\nAs we express thanks for the bounty that we enjoy, it can be easy to take for granted the comfortable shelter and the full tables that help make homecoming comfortable. For the 48 million Americans struggling with food insecurity, Thanksgiving can be a time of great stress and need as they grapple with the challenges of affording enough food for their families. Each and every day, millions of Americans face the uncertainty of not knowing when they and their families will have their next meals.\r\nHunger and malnourishment are not confined to developing nations; they exist across the nation, and in our own communities. Nearly one in seven Vermonters receives 3SquaresVT help, and about 13 percent of all Vermont households face food hardship each year. One in five children faces hunger each day in Vermont, while more than 150,000 Vermonters each year rely on the safety net of food shelves, meal sites, senior centers and after-school programs for nutritional resources that they would not otherwise have without the support of the people of their communities.\r\nAcross the nation, the costs of everyday essentials like food, heat, housing and medicine continue to rise, straining families' budgets. Americans should not have the impossible dilemma of having to choose between heat and food, but far too many must do that.\r\nHunger can take its biggest toll on children. Kids who live in food-insecure homes are at greater risk of developmental setbacks, poor academic performance, nutrient deficiencies, obesity and depression. Food assistance programs have shown that these statistics can be turned around, or at least stabilized. Federal nutrition programs reduce the risk of children developing health problems, and they are associated with declines in the incidence of child abuse. Children from families who receive help from supplemental nutrition programs are also shown to have a higher achievement in math and reading, and improved behavior, social interactions and diet quality than children who go without. We all know that a hungry child cannot learn. Every child in America deserves a fair chance, which is why investments in nutrition programs are so important.\r\nAs the senior member of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry I am working to defend and continue the programs that counter childhood hunger, including the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children; the school lunch program; and the Child and Adult Care Food program. Years ago when I chaired the committee I was proud to restore Nutrition to the committee's title and to elevate its place on our portfolio of priorities. The Farm to School Act that I authored helps schools feed all children farm-fresh food while teaching them the importance of healthy eating  lessons that will promote good health over a lifetime.\r\nThis spring I had the chance to visit Milton Elementary School and saw students eager to fill their trays with nutritious, locally produced foods at the lunch counter. Milton also feeds hundreds of local families at monthly dinners aimed at bridging community relationships, as well as supplementing everyone's knowledge and skills for healthy eating habits. Since Milton began these programs, student participation in the school lunch program has risen from 38 percent to 65 percent. Milton's approach is proof that local and federal community investments in child nutrition and the farm to school program are making tangible strides in improving child and family health  a model for communities everywhere.  Vermont has made tremendous effort and achieved great progress in lifting Vermonters out of poverty with anti-hunger programs and with partners like the Vermont Foodbank and Hunger Free Vermont. We must also support these partnership efforts in Washington. Congress can help ensure that foodbanks are well-stocked by passing the Good Samaritan Act, a bill I authored to expand and make permanent tax deductions for donating food. Every year, 70 billion pounds of fit and wholesome food is sent into landfills. There's simply no excuse that in the wealthiest nation on Earth, people do not have enough to eat. We spend billions of dollars to dispose of wasted food. What if we instead invested this food in our own people? During Thanksgiving, and every week of the year, let's recommit ourselves to eradicating hunger. Together we can give a voice to our fellow Vermonters and fellow Americans who are often overlooked and marginalized. We have made meaningful progress in several ways in the fight against hunger and poverty. With gratitude in our hearts, let us resolve to do more.\r\n# # # # #\r\n[U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) serves on the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition And Forestry.]\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t Press Contact \n\t\t\t\tPress Contact  David Carle: 202-224-3693\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t  \n\t\n\t\n\t\n  \n\t\n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \t\n    \t\n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tNext Article\n\t\t    \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tPrevious Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sanders-condemns-pfizer-allergan-merger", "Sanders Condemns Pfizer-Allergan Merger", "2015-11-23", "2015", "2015-11", "Independent", "House", "VT", "Bernard Sanders", "S000033", "www.sanders.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Sanders Condemns Pfizer-Allergan Merger\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tMonday, November 23, 2015\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\tATLANTA, Nov. 23  Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) issued the following statement today after Pfizer and Allergan announced they would merge in the largest inversion ever, enabling Pfizer to dodge United States taxes.\r\nThe Pfizer-Allergan merger would be a disaster for American consumers who already pay the highest prices in the world for prescription drugs. It also would allow another major American corporation to hide its profits overseas. The Obama administration has the authority to stop this merger, and it should exercise that authority. Congress also must pass real tax reform that demands that profitable corporations pay their fair share of taxes.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/must-read/if-america-really-valued-mothers-we-wouldnt-treat-them-like-this", "If America really valued mothers, we wouldnt treat them like this", "2015-11-22", "2015", "2015-11", "Independent", "House", "VT", "Bernard Sanders", "S000033", "www.sanders.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "If America really valued mothers, we wouldnt treat them like this\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t By: Ezra Klein \n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tSunday, November 22, 2015\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\tA few years ago, a Mother's Day video from Cardstore.com went viral. In it, the company pretended to recruit for a seemingly impossible job. They told applicants that the job requires you to stand all day and put in 135 hours a week  or more. It means you have to work nights and weekends. There's no time off, and the hours increase around Thanksgiving, Christmas, and other holidays. The position requires skill in finance, medicine ,and food preparation. It entails intense physical labor and a total collapse in your personal life. Oh, and it pays absolutely nothing.\r\nThey called the job director of operations, but its real title, of course, is mom.\r\nCardstore sent the video out into the world with the hashtag#WorldsToughestJob. But here's the thing about the world's toughest job: a lot of the people doing it also hold another job, or even a few other jobs. More than two-thirds of mothers hold jobs outside the home, and mothers are the primary earners in40 percent of families. Butin America, public policy makes balancing those jobs a lot harder than it has to be.\r\nAmerica is, for instance, one of the only countries in the world that doesn't guarantee paid maternity leave. Thismapfrom UCLA's World Policy Analysis Center tells the tale well: our maternal leave policies make us look more like Papua New Guinea than, say, any country in Western Europe:\r\n\r\nContinue reading here.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/our-enemy-is-isis-not-refugees-fleeing-isis", "Our Enemy Is ISIS, Not Refugees Fleeing ISIS", "2015-11-20", "2015", "2015-11", "Democrat", "House", "VT", "Patrick Leahy", "L000174", "www.leahy.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "11.20.15\n\t\t\t Our Enemy Is ISIS, Not Refugees Fleeing ISIS \n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tLast Thursday, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to make it almost impossible for people from Syria and Iraq, fleeing the brutality of ISIS and Bashar al-Assad, to find refuge in the United States. It is worth reflecting on what this means for our country.\r\nJust a few weeks ago the world came together, stunned and heartbroken over the image of a three-year-old Syrian child's lifeless body washed up on a Turkish beach. His tragic death focused our attention on the desperate plight of so many Syrians who have fled the horror of ISIS and Assad's army. We called it the humanitarian issue of our day. We called forth images of the Statue of Liberty and our proud history as a safe haven for those fleeing persecution and war.\r\nJust days later, we hear calls to slam the door. To shut down our borders. To ignore that great symbol of refuge standing in New York Harbor.\r\nWe should remember that the people we will shut out are those very children who touched our hearts just weeks ago. We watched in horror as desperate mothers and fathers loaded their infants into precarious rafts, awestruck that the risk of death was preferable to whatever terror they were fleeing.\r\nWe are a country of immigrants. In the past year, about 70,000 refugees from almost 70 countries have resettled in the United States. Fewer than 2000 were Syrians  mostly children, women, and the elderly who have been the victims of horrific violence and acts of terrorism, like ISIS's victims in Paris. By contrast, some nations have accepted hundreds of thousands of these desperate people. They have come here only after passing the most rigorous screening procedures for any population of travelers, which involve multiple federal law enforcement agencies and require anywhere from 18 months to two years to complete.\r\nVermont has a proud and compassionate history of welcoming refugees, as Governor Shumlin has demonstrated in upholding our legacy, in the face of the knee-jerk retreats signaled by some states. These new Vermonters have enriched our communities culturally, socially and economically.\r\nYet legislation reflexively introduced in Congress, like that approved in the House on Nov. 19, would collectively punish an entire population of people for one reason only: their country of origin. It does so based on the crimes of less than a dozen individuals, only one of whom may have been of Syrian nationality. \r\nWe should reject this shortsighted, unnecessary, impulsive response. It will do nothing to make us safer. Instead it punishes thousands of innocent people who are fleeing atrocities by ISIS and others -- the very same barbaric terrorists we are trying to defeat -- as they struggle to escape being killed in Syria.\r\nAt least one candidate for President has spoken of rounding up Syrians and sending them home. We must never forget the U.S. internment camps during World War II, when thousands of Japanese Americans were imprisoned for no other reason than their country of origin. It was a shameful period in our history, and one that should not be repeated.\r\nOthers running for President suggest that we should admit only refugees who are Christians. Is that the kind of nation we want to become, when our Constitution guarantees religious liberty? As governors, presidential candidates, and many members of Congress call for slamming the door on Syrians fleeing death and destruction, France's President Hollande has shown leadership by reaffirming his government's intention to accept 30,000 refugees over the next two years. This is the example also shown by our neighbor to the north, Canada.\r\nFormer Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, once, herself, a refugee from Czechoslovakia, reminds us of the millions of refugees who have come to our shores in the 67 years since she arrived with her family. Like them, the Syrian people, whose country is being destroyed, have no choice but to leave.\r\nWe are all horrified by what happened in Beirut and Paris. We need an effective, thoughtful strategy for countering ISIS and other terrorist organizations. This is what we should be debating, because what we have done so far is not working. ISIS is our enemy. The Syrian people fleeing ISIS are not.\r\nIntolerance has no place in this great and good country. Accepting refugees is a part of our history, our culture, of who we are, and it can be done safely with the proper screening procedures. This week, we give thanks for our freedom and for the American tradition of serving as a beacon of hope to those who are persecuted and in need of refuge. It would be a cruel irony if a terrorist attack in France caused us to abandon the American values embodied in France's gift to America, the Statue of Liberty.\r\n# # # # #\r\n[Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., is Vermont's senior United States Senator]\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t Press Contact \n\t\t\t\tPress Contact  David Carle: 202-224-3693", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/statement-of-senator-patrick-leahy-d-vt-ranking-member-senate-judiciary-committee-on-the-need-to-reform-the-eb-5-regional-center-program-", "Statement of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Ranking Member, Senate Judiciary Committee, On the Need To Reform the EB-5 Regional Center Program", "2015-11-20", "2015", "2015-11", "Democrat", "House", "VT", "Patrick Leahy", "L000174", "www.leahy.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "11.20.15\n\t\t\t Statement of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Ranking Member, Senate Judiciary Committee, On the Need To Reform the EB-5 Regional Center Program  \n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tI have championed the EB-5 Regional Center program for many years. I have done so because I have seen its ability to generate investment and create jobs in distressed communities. But the program is facing some pressing challenges. Reports of rampant fraud and abuse raise serious concerns and threaten to cripple the program's integrity. The incentives Congress established to invest in high unemployment and rural communities are also routinely abused, undermining a core objective of the programto spur growth and create jobs in underserved areas. The Regional Center program is set to expire on December 11. It should be reauthorized, but we should not extend it blindly. There is bipartisan consensus that the program is in dire need of reform, and we cannot squander this opportunity.\r\nI have long sought reforms to the Regional Center program. Last Congress, my EB-5 amendment to Comprehensive Immigration Reform provided the Department of Homeland Security additional authority to revoke suspect regional center designations or immigrant petitions. It also provided for increased reporting, background checks, and securities oversight. My amendment was unanimously approved in the Judiciary Committee, but unfortunately the improvements it contained have all had to wait, as the House of Representatives failed to allow a vote on the bipartisan immigration reform bill that passed the Senate last Congress.\r\nIn the past year, only more concerns have emerged. In January, I joined Senators Grassley, Corker, Johnson, and others in requesting that the Government Accountability Office (GAO) audit the EB-5 program. The GAO report, released in August, detailed fraud vulnerabilities within the program and questioned its economic impact. Separate reports from the Department of Homeland Security's Office of Intelligence and Analysis and Office of the Inspector General highlighted additional issues that need to be addressed.\r\nI am also troubled by the fact that the incentives Congress created to promote EB-5 investment in rural and high unemployment areas have been rendered meaningless. Investors are provided a discount if they choose to invest in rural or high unemployment areas, known as targeted employment areas or TEAs. At present, however, the most affluent neighborhoods in the country routinely qualify as TEAs by selectively stitching together otherwise unrelated census tracts. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Johnson rightly described this practice as gerrymandering. I do not suggest that affluent areas should not benefit from EB-5. They should. But they should not qualify for incentives intended to benefit high unemployment and rural areas. These areas typically do not have access to significant capital and often struggle to create jobs.\r\nSecretary Johnson himself called for significant reforms to strengthen the Regional Center program. In a letter to the Judiciary Committee last April, he asked for authority to quickly act on criminal and national security concerns, additional protections for investors, enhanced reporting and auditing, improved integrity of TEAs, increased minimum investment amounts, and more.\r\nI have now worked for over two years to develop legislation that would provide a necessary overhaul of the Regional Center program.In June, I was joined by Chairman Grassley in introducing this reform-oriented legislation, S.1501.Since then, Chairman Grassley and I have worked with House Judiciary Chairman Goodlatte on a bicameral bill based on S.1501.\r\nThis bicameral bill would provide the Department with the authorities and investigative tools necessary to address national security concerns and fraud. The reforms include further expanding background checks, conducting a more thorough vetting of immigrant investors and proposed investments, and providing for the ability to proactively investigate fraud, both in the United States and abroad, using a dedicated fund paid for by certain program participants. The bill would provide greater protections for investors and clarity and shorter processing times for project developers. It would also raise minimum investment thresholds so more money goes to the communities that need it. And it would help to restore the program to its original intent, by ensuring that incentives to invest in distressed and undercapitalized areas are restored.\r\nSuch reforms would answer the concerns raised by Secretary Johnson, the Department's Inspector General, the GAO, and others, instilling both confidence and transparency in the program. I believe these reforms would result in a secure EB-5 program that creates American jobs and promotes economic growth throughout our country. We cannot continue to leave the Department ill-equipped to administer this job creation program. We know what is needed to fix it. And we should fix it now.\r\n# # # # #\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t Press Contact \n\t\t\t\tPress Contact  David Carle: 202-224-3693\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t  \n\t\n\t\n\t\n  \n\t\n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \t\n    \t\n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tNext Article\n\t\t    \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tPrevious Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/must-read/bernie-sanders-is-right-the-top-01-percent-have-as-much-as-the-bottom-90-percent", "Bernie Sanders is right: The top 0.1 percent have as much as the bottom 90 percent", "2015-11-20", "2015", "2015-11", "Independent", "House", "VT", "Bernard Sanders", "S000033", "www.sanders.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Bernie Sanders is right: The top 0.1 percent have as much as the bottom 90 percent\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t By: Max Ehrenfreund \n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tFriday, November 20, 2015\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\tSen. Bernie Sanders defined the phrase\"democratic socialist\" in a speech at Georgetown University Thursday afternoon, in an effort to clarify theunusual moniker he uses to describe his worldview forconfused voters.\r\nBeing a democratic socialist means believing that government must guarantee its citizens' material well being in order to truly protect their freedom, Sanders said, citing President Franklin Delano Roosevelt.\r\n\"Real freedom must include economic security. That was Roosevelt's vision 70 years ago. It is my vision today,\" the Democratic presidential candidate said. \"People are not truly free when they are unable to feed their family. They are not truly free when their are unable to retire with dignity. They are not truly free when they are unemployed, underemployed, or when they are exhausted from working 60 or 70 years a week.\"\r\nIn appealing to the principles of freedom and \"economic rights,\" in a phrase of Roosevelt's thatSanders quoted, the senator from Vermont tried to steal the thunder fromhis conservative detractors. His opponents also cite personal freedom, sayingSanders'svision of socialism would leave Americans less free to pursue their economic interests without interference from government. Under hisagenda, for example, private health insurers and colleges would have to compete with government-sponsored insurance and education, and the rich would have to forfeit more of their earnings in taxes.\r\n\r\nContinue reading here.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/must-read/specialty-drugs-now-cost-more-than-the-median-household-income", "Specialty drugs now cost more than the median household income", "2015-11-20", "2015", "2015-11", "Independent", "House", "VT", "Bernard Sanders", "S000033", "www.sanders.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Specialty drugs now cost more than the median household income\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t By: Carolyn Y. Johnson \n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tFriday, November 20, 2015\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\r\nThe average annual retail cost of specialty drugs used to treat complex diseases such as cancer, rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis now exceeds the median U.S. household income,according to a report to be published Friday.\r\nThe study of 115 specialty drugs found that a year's worth of prescriptions for a single drug retailedat $53,384 per year, on average, in 2013 -- more than the median U.S. household income, double the median income of Medicare beneficiaries, and more than three times as much as the average Social Security benefit in the same year. The report was prepared by the AARP Public Policy Institute to highlightthe impact of drug priceson seniors.\r\n\"We're talking about drugs that are now costing more than a lot of people are making in a year,\" said Leigh Purvis, director of health services research at the AARP Public Policy Institute.\r\n\r\nContinue reading here.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/leahy-continues-leading-role-in-bipartisan-push-to-reauthorize-and-fund-the-nations-premier-conservation-fund", "Leahy Continues Leading Role In Bipartisan Push To Reauthorize And Fund The Nations Premier Conservation Fund", "2015-11-19", "2015", "2015-11", "Democrat", "House", "VT", "Patrick Leahy", "L000174", "www.leahy.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "11.19.15\n\t\t\t Leahy Continues Leading Role In Bipartisan Push To Reauthorize And Fund The Nation's Premier Conservation Fund \n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t \n\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n        \n\t\t\t\t . . . Land And Water Conservation Fund Is Under Attack In The House\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t WASHINGTON (THURSDAY, Nov. 19, 2015)  Ratcheting up a bipartisan effort to reauthorize a longstanding conservation program, Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) this week joined a coalition of 14 senators calling on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Minority Leader Harry Reid to move to permanently reauthorize the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), and provide full mandatory funding for the program. Leahy also led a separate bipartisan letter to the chair and ranking member of the Senate Appropriations Committee's Subcommittee on Interior, Environment and Related Agencies urging strong funding for the LWCF and the Forest Legacy Program in Fiscal Year 2016. The authorization for the LWCF expired in September after 50 years of funding conservation work in communities in Vermont and across the nation. \r\nLeahy and other senators wrote Leader McConnell and Minority Leader Reid: For the economy, sportsmen, veterans, wildlife and our kids and grandkids, we must permanently reauthorize LWCF  it is America's most successful conservation program. We also strongly request that you include mandatory full funding in any must-pass year end legislation.\r\nThe Land and Water Conservation Fund Act of 1964 established one of America's most successful conservation programs. Using funds primarily derived from oil and gas receipts paid to the federal government by energy companies that extract publically owned resources  not using tax dollars -- the program supports the nation's land, water, historic and recreational heritage. The program also supports America's outdoor recreation, conservation and preservation economies, which contribute more than $1 trillion to the nation's economy each year and support 9.4 million American jobs. Leahy, the senior-most member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, has long supported the LWCF and promoted its success in communities across Vermont and the country.\r\nThe letter to Leader McConnell and Minority Leader Reid, led by Senators Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) and Richard Burr (R-N.C.), was also signed by Susan M. Collins (R-ME), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Jon Tester (D-Mont.), Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Kelly A. Ayotte (R-N.H.), Tom Udall (D-N.M.), Cory Gardner (R-Colo.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and Steve Daines (R-Mont.).\r\nLeahy's letter to the chair and ranking member of the Senate Interior, Environment and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee, in which Leahy was joined by Richard Burr (R-N.C.), Susan M. Collins (R-ME), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) and Kelly A. Ayotte (R-N.H.).\r\n# # # # #\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t Press Contact \n\t\t\t\tPress Contact  David Carle: 202-224-3693\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t  \n\t\n\t\n\t\n  \n\t\n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \t\n    \t\n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tNext Article\n\t\t    \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tPrevious Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/senate-floor-remarks-of-senator-patrick-leahy-d-vt-as-he-and-senator-richard-durbin-d-ill-object-to-the-sudden-bid-by-senator-cruz-to-bring-his-anti-refugee-bill-to-an-immediate-senate-vote", "Senate Floor Remarks Of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) As He And Senator Richard Durbin (D-Ill.) Object To The Sudden Bid By Senator Cruz To Bring His Anti-Refugee Bill To An Immediate Senate Vote", "2015-11-19", "2015", "2015-11", "Democrat", "House", "VT", "Patrick Leahy", "L000174", "www.leahy.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "11.19.15\n\t\t\t Senate Floor Remarks Of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) As He And Senator Richard Durbin (D-Ill.) Object To The Sudden Bid By Senator Cruz To Bring His Anti-Refugee Bill To An Immediate Senate Vote \n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t[Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Senator Richard Durbin (D-Ill.) on Thursday spoke on the Senate Floor to object to a bid by Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) to force an immediate vote on his anti-refugee bill, introduced an hour earlier. Leahy for decades has been a leader in honoring America's commitment to help refugees seeking safety from atrocities abroad and is the coauthor of the bipartisan legislation to respond to the refugee crisis  the Middle East Refugee Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act  which he introduced with Senator Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.). Recalling the heartbreak felt the world over on seeing the image of a three-year old Syrian child's lifeless body washed up on a Turkish beach, Leahy said that ISIS is our enemy, NOT the Syrian refugees fleeing ISIS atrocities.]\r\nI thank the distinguished chair. I'm worried in this country that we hear rhetoric that is dangerous, and it's time to stop. It shames the very nature of what America is. We hear ideas that are wrong. I would say they are deeply anti-American.\r\nMy Italian grandparents and my Irish great great-grandparents heard some of this rhetoric when some in this country said they shouldn't come here. Don't allow these papists into the United States. Don't allow these Irish that are opposed to the rule of Great Britain in their island that actually stood up and fought against Great Britain. And the words back then, like some of the words today, come from a place of fear and hatred.\r\nI don't want to stand by quietly and see the victims of terrorism and torture be demonized just so people will have a talking point for the local evening news. We are better than this. The bill that my colleague, the junior senator from Texas, introduced an hour ago would prevent virtually all nationals of Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Syria, and Yemen from refugee protection regardless of how they suffered at the hands of terrorists and despots. Women fleeing gang rapes, children fleeing horrors we cannot even imagine, they would be closed off.\r\nA few weeks ago the world came together stunned and heart-broken over the image of a three-year-old Syrian child's lifeless body washed up on a Turkish beach. His tragic death focused our attention on the plight of so many Syrians who have fled the horror of ISIS and Bashar Al-Assad. We called it the humanitarian issue of the day. We called forth images of our Statue of Liberty and our proud history as a land of refuge for those fleeing persecution. I heard so many on this floor as well as commentators in the news. But those who call now to slam our door on even properly vetted Syrian and other refugees should remember that the people we will shut out are the very children who touched our hearts just weeks ago.\r\nOf course we are horrified by what happened in Beirut and Paris. And we need an effective, thoughtful strategy for countering ISIS and other terrorist organizations. That is what we should be debating. We should be talking about how more countries should be involved in this fight. ISIS is our enemy. The people fleeing ISIS are not. In fact, we've had discussions about other things that could be done. Somebody who's on a terrorist watch list, but is in this country legally, can go to a gun show and buy all the weapons they want. They'd break no law. They can buy all the ammunition they want. They break no law. They can go to the store  like the terrorist who did the Oklahoma City bombing -- and buy the components of a bomb. They break no law. These are the things we ought to be discussing.\r\n# # # # #\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t Press Contact \n\t\t\t\tPress Contact  David Carle: 202-224-3693\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t  \n\t\n\t\n\t\n  \n\t\n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \t\n    \t\n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tNext Article\n\t\t    \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tPrevious Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/statement-of-senator-patrick-leahy-d-vt-ranking-member-senate-judiciary-committee-on-the-anniversary-of-executive-action-on-immigration", "Statement of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Ranking Member, Senate Judiciary Committee, On The Anniversary Of Executive Action On Immigration", "2015-11-19", "2015", "2015-11", "Democrat", "House", "VT", "Patrick Leahy", "L000174", "www.leahy.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "11.19.15\n\t\t\t Statement of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Ranking Member, Senate Judiciary Committee, On The Anniversary Of Executive Action On Immigration \n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tA year ago today, in a nationwide address, President Obama announced a series of measures to improve our broken immigration system. He outlined efforts to focus scarce resources on identifying and deporting those people who pose a danger to our communities, to modernize our legal immigration system, and to provide temporary relief from the threat of deportation forhardworking, law-abiding members of our communities. For many, the President's announcement offered, at last, a hope for stability. It acknowledged the longstanding presence and contributions of immigrants to our country.\r\nBut the President's announcement also underscored the real human consequences of the House of Representatives failing to allow a vote to reform our immigration laws. Importantly, it highlighted the impracticality of deporting 11 million undocumented immigrants. Many of them have strong family ties in the United States and a deep desire to become fully integrated in our country. They are mothers and fathers, sisters and brothers, sons and daughters. To suggest that we can simply remove them is unrealistic and it would conflict with fundamental American values.\r\nThe President's executive action is no substitute for legislation. He reminded critics of that very fact during his address, pointing out that the commonsense, responsible solution to the problems in our immigration system is to pass a comprehensive reform bill. A year later, the Republican-led Senate has failed to debate, let alone pass meaningful immigration reform. Instead, it has repeatedly taken up divisive and partisan proposals that do not reflect a desire to fix what we all agree is a broken system.\r\nThese political gimmicks are not serious attempts to address an issue as important as immigration and could not be more different from what the Democratic-led Senate accomplished in 2013 when we passed a bipartisan immigration bill supported by 68 Senators. During the Senate Judiciary Committee's consideration of the Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act, I convened multiple hearings and we heard from 42 witnesses. Government officials and individuals representing a range of perspectives  including law enforcement, civil rights, labor, faith, business, and state and local governments  testified about the challenges confronting our current immigration system.\r\nWe heard the powerful testimony of witnesses such as Jose Antonio Vargas and Gaby Pacheco, who pressed the urgent need for immigration reform. The compelling stories of DREAMers, young immigrants brought to this country as children, who have grown up as Americans and have every desire to make meaningful contributions to their communities, continue to inspire. Many of them have qualified for the temporary relief provided by the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which has established a path for them to become our next generation of teachers, engineers, public servants, and doctors. Our Senate-passed, comprehensive bill included the DREAM Act, an important measure that would have provided a long-lasting solution to the problems these courageous young individuals face, acknowledging that they deserve to be part of our nation's future.\r\nThe Senate-passed bill would have addressed many of the injustices in our current immigration system. It was a remarkable example of all that we can accomplish when we actually focus on the hard job of legislating. But the Republican-led House of Representatives blocked that effort. It stubbornly refused to even allow a vote on that bill. Given that lack of action, I understand the President's frustration and motivation. His executive action was a response to what we all acknowledge is a broken system, but it is no substitute for comprehensive immigration reform.\r\nFollowing the President's announcement, the Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing on the executive action program and heard the testimony of Astrid Silva. Hers is a fundamentally American story. It is similar in many ways to those of our parents and grandparents. It is a story of a family looking to find a better life. Astrid qualifies for the President's Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. And her parents would be eligible for the Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents (DAPA) program because her younger brother is a U.S. citizen. For more than 20 years, Astrid's family has been working hard and contributing to their local community. They are the kind of family we want to have as our neighbors and coworkers. Their stories remind us that their dreams, along with those of so many others affected by our dysfunctional immigration system, hang in the balance, and underscore the need for a permanent legislative solution.\r\nSome in Congress claim that the President's executive action undermined the prospect of achieving comprehensive immigration reform. But I remind them that the President's action  prompted by Congressional inaction  is not an excuse for continued Congressional inaction. We must keep working to find a permanent legislative solution that provides today's immigrants with an opportunity to prosper and contribute to our country. As families across the nation gather next week around the table to give thanks, we will all count our family members and their security among our greatest blessings. Our fight for comprehensive immigration reform is at its core a fight to help reunite families and provide the security that we all want for our loved ones. I urge Republicans to return to the cooperative and bipartisan approach of 2013 and work on comprehensive immigration reform legislation. The American people support immigration reform. It is the right thing to do, and it should not be delayed any longer.\r\n# # # # #\r\n\r\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t Press Contact \n\t\t\t\tPress Contact  David Carle: 202-224-3693\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t  \n\t\n\t\n\t\n  \n\t\n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \t\n    \t\n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tNext Article\n\t\t    \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tPrevious Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.leahy.senate.gov/chamberlin-school-south-burlington-vt", "Chamberlin School, South Burlington, VT", "2015-11-18", "2015", "2015-11", "Democrat", "House", "VT", "Patrick Leahy", "L000174", "www.leahy.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "11.18.15\n\t\t\t Chamberlin School, South Burlington, VT \n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tOn November 18, 2015, Senator Leahy hosted an online chat with the Chamberlin School of South Burlington. The Senator was impressed with the engagement of the fifth grade classrooms, and enjoyed their rendition of their school song. The Senator also enjoyed answering their questions on his long term projects in the Senate, like his work on the USDA Farm to School grant program.\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t Press Contact \n\t\t\t\tPress Contact  David Carle: 202-224-3693\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t  \n\t\n\t\n\t\n  \n\t\n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \t\n    \t\n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tNext Article\n\t\t    \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tPrevious Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/comment-of-senator-patrick-leahy-d-vt-on-the-need-to-support-refugees-fleeing-violence", "Comment Of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) On the Need to Support Refugees Fleeing Violence", "2015-11-18", "2015", "2015-11", "Democrat", "House", "VT", "Patrick Leahy", "L000174", "www.leahy.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "11.18.15\n\t\t\t Comment Of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) On the Need to Support Refugees Fleeing Violence \n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t[Senate Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) issued the following comment Wednesday on the need to support Syrian refugees. Leahy, who is also the Ranking Member of the State Department's budget committee  the State Department and Foreign Operations Appropriations Subcommittee  has long led efforts to support assistance for refugees. He is the coauthor of the bipartisan Graham-Leahy Middle East Refugee Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act to respond to the refugee crisis resulting from conflict in the Middle East.]\r\nJust a few weeks ago the world came together stunned and heartbroken over the image of a three year old Syrian child's lifeless body washed up on a Turkish beach. His tragic death focused our attention on the desperate plight of so many Syrians who have fled the horror of ISIS and Bashar al-Assad. We called it the humanitarian issue of our day. We called forth images of the Statue of Liberty and our proud history as a land of refuge for those fleeing persecution.\r\nThose who call now to slam our doors on even properly vetted Syrian refugees should remember that the people we will shut out are those very children who touched our hearts just weeks ago. We are all horrified by what happened in Beirut and Paris. We need an effective, thoughtful strategy for countering ISIS and other terrorist organizations. That is something we should be debating, because what we have done so far is not working. ISIS is our enemy. The Syrian people fleeing ISIS are not.\r\n# # # # #\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t Press Contact \n\t\t\t\tPress Contact  David Carle: 202-224-3693\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t  \n\t\n\t\n\t\n  \n\t\n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \t\n    \t\n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tNext Article\n\t\t    \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tPrevious Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/senator-leahy-invites-vt-family-to-testify-at-hearing-on-international-adoption", "Senator Leahy Invites VT Family To Testify At Hearing On International Adoption", "2015-11-18", "2015", "2015-11", "Democrat", "House", "VT", "Patrick Leahy", "L000174", "www.leahy.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "11.18.15\n\t\t\t Senator Leahy Invites VT Family To Testify At Hearing On International Adoption \n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tWASHINGTON (Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2015)  Christine Hutchins and her family from Cambridge, Vt., Wednesday came to the Senate Judiciary Committee to share their story of adopting their son James from Sierra Leone. Hutchins was invited to testify by the committee Ranking Member Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) at the hearing, just days before National Adoption Day. \r\nLeahy said: The Hutchins' journey to parenthood is one of courage and perseverance. They represent many other Vermont families who have similarly opened their hearts to a child in need through international adoption. I have been inspired by each Vermont family my office has helped through the adoption process.\r\nHutchins testified during the hearing about her experience adopting her new son James in May, 2015. She and her husband Jonathan have been married for 11 years. Christine and Jonathan live in Cambridge, Vt., where Jonathan was raised. Christine was raised in Georgia, Vt. Hutchins' sister-in-law, Jennifer Smithers, and her husband Gregory Smithers, who adopted James' twin sister Grace were also at the hearing. Both families represent many other Vermont families who have similarly opened their hearts to children in need through international adoption.\r\nLeahy's full statement is available here, and Hutchins' statement is available here. \r\n# # # # #\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t Press Contact \n\t\t\t\tPress Contact  David Carle: 202-224-3693\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t  \n\t\n\t\n\t\n  \n\t\n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \t\n    \t\n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tNext Article\n\t\t    \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tPrevious Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/statement-of-senator-patrick-leahy-d-vt-ranking-member-senate-judiciary-committee-hearing-on-national-adoption-month-stories-of-success-and-meeting-the-challenges-of-international-adoptions", "Statement Of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Ranking Member, Senate Judiciary Committee, Hearing on National Adoption Month: Stories of Success and Meeting the Challenges of International Adoptions", "2015-11-18", "2015", "2015-11", "Democrat", "House", "VT", "Patrick Leahy", "L000174", "www.leahy.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "11.18.15\n\t\t\t Statement Of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Ranking Member, Senate Judiciary Committee, Hearing on National Adoption Month: Stories of Success and Meeting the Challenges of International Adoptions \n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tNext week, millions of families in this country will gather around a table to give thanks for the many blessings they have received. For proud parents and grandparents, this of course includes their children and grandchildren. It is fitting that this month we also recognize National Adoption Month, which honors the adoptive families who selflessly open their hearts and homes to children from the United States and around the world who are in need of a safe and loving family. \r\nToday we raise awareness about some of the barriers to international adoption and recommit ourselves to work together to improve the international adoption system. We must unite as families, communities, and policy makers, to find permanent, loving homes for all children.\r\nWe will hear inspirational stories of international adoption. I am honored to welcome Christine Hutchins from Cambridge, Vermont. She and her husband, Jonathan Hutchins, welcomed their son James from Sierra Leone last year. I would also like to welcome Christine's sister-in-law, Jennifer Smithers, and her husband Gregory Smithers, who adopted James' twin sister Grace. Their journey to parenthood is one of courage and perseverance. They represent many other Vermont families who have similarly opened their hearts to a child in need through international adoption. I have been inspired by each family my office has helped through the adoption process. \r\n \r\nThese families include Rabbi Joanie Chase and her husband Harley Parry from Rutland, Vermont, who adopted their son Ezra, from Ethiopia. My office helped to expedite the adoption process due to Ezra's health issues at the time. Ezra is now four years old. He is very healthy, active and much loved by his family, especially by his 10-year old sister, Arielle.\r\nSarah and Paul Messenger of Townshend, Vermont, adopted their son Leyeyo from Tanzania, after having sponsored him to study in the United States. He came to Vermont when he was 9 years old, speaking no English and is now a successful high school student who plays soccer, ice hockey and lacrosse and is applying to colleges.\r\nJen Violette and John Gerding from Wilmington, Vermont, have two adopted sons from South Korea. Niko is 6-and-a-half years old and his biological brother Bennett, who was adopted two years later, is now 5-and-a-half. My office became involved in assisting with Bennett's adoption. These boys are full of energy and deeply bonded with each other and their adoptive parents and bring joy to everyone around them. These Vermonters are just a few examples of the many Americans who have chosen to create a family through international adoption.\r\n \r\nI am happy that Vermont is not alone in reaching out to children across the globe. Just last year, American families adopted 6,441 children through international adoption. These families welcomed children from 99 different countries. We know that adoption of any kind  international or domestic  is unlikely for the vast majority of orphaned and abandoned children in many foreign countries. We can help those countries strengthen their child welfare systems and do a better job of caring for their children. But when international adoption is an option it provides children with a loving home and bright future filled with possibility. It can also be complicated, both legally and diplomatically. It can take an emotional, physical, and financial toll on a family. \r\nWe also know that corruption is a serious problem in many countries of origin for adopted children, and there have been instances when governments have suspended international adoptions altogether as a result of reports of abuse.\r\nMany of the families we will hear from today have experienced delays during their adoption process, some for this very reason. As lawmakers, we must do our part to ensure that our laws not only provide protections for vulnerable children, but also to provide clarity to American families who want to be a forever family. That is why we are here today.\r\nI thank Chairman Grassley for convening this hearing on such an important humanitarian issue. I also look forward to hearing the compelling stories of the families with us today.\r\n# # # # #\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t Press Contact \n\t\t\t\tPress Contact  David Carle: 202-224-3693\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t  \n\t\n\t\n\t\n  \n\t\n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \t\n    \t\n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tNext Article\n\t\t    \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tPrevious Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/newswatch/111815", "News November 18", "2015-11-18", "2015", "2015-11", "Independent", "House", "VT", "Bernard Sanders", "S000033", "www.sanders.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "News November 18\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tWednesday, November 18, 2015\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\tSenator Sanders\r\nPBS NewsHour Senator Bernie Sanders joined PBS NewsHour last night to discuss the Syrian refugee crisis. The good news, in the midst of all of this tragedy, is that countries all over the world, whether it is France, whether it is Russia, whether it is the Muslim countries in the Gulf region, we now have a common interest, Sanders said. Sanders also discussed the current anti-Muslim bigotry in the GOP race Last I heard, we had a Constitution in this country which gave all of our people the right of religious freedom, you know? And then Im hearing other people saying, well, you know, we may have to undermine the Constitution in terms of civil liberties. LINK, VIDEO\r\nF.D.A. Commissioner Sen. Bernie Sanders raised questions at a Senate confirmation hearing Tuesday about Dr. Robert Califfs ties to the pharmaceutical industry,The Associated Press,The New York Times,The Washington Post,The HillandWashington Examinerreported. At the end of the day, people are dying and not buying the food they need because they have to pay outrageous prices for medicine, Sanders said. Weve been extraordinarily weak at taking on the pharmaceutical industry that has been ripping off the American people. I believe we need a commissioner whos going to stand up to the pharmaceutical industry and protect American consumers. And I have to say to you, with regret, that I think you are not that person.LINK,LINK,LINK,LINK,LINK\r\nSyrian Refugees Sen. Sanders slammed calls to shut the borders to Syrian refugees, telling supporters at a Monday night campaign rally that \"now is not the time for demagoguery and fear-mongering, Politico, Reuters,FusionandThe Washington Postreported. The United States must not turn its backs on refugees fleeing violence from places like Syria or Afghanistan, he said, on the same day that governors of more than two dozen states said that they would try to stop the flow of immigrants from Syria out of concerns stemming from the fact that one of the terrorists in Friday's deadly attacks in France came from Syria. LINK, LINK,LINK,VIDEO\r\nWorld\r\nTwo Terror Suspects Dead Gunshots and explosions rang out from the northern suburb of Saint-Denis early Wednesday as more than 100 French police and army troops laid siege to an apartment with at least six terror suspects, potentially including the alleged ringleader of Fridays deadly attacks in Paris, The Washington Post reported. LINK\r\nNational\r\nSyrian Refugee Plan As Republicans call for blocking Syrian refugees from coming to the United States in the wake of the attacks in Paris, the Obama administration said on Tuesday that it was confident that it could weed out any migrants posing a terrorism threat before they entered the country, The New York Times reported. LINK\r\nStudent Debt The Department of Education announced Tuesday that it would expand its program to forgive federal student loan debt to thousands more students who attended programs of Corinthian Colleges, once one of the nations largest for-profit education companies, The New York Times reported. LINK\r\nVermont\r\nRally Against Refugees H. Brooke Paige, a candidate in several past Vermont elections, has announced a rally against the governor's willingness to accept Syrian refugees, the Burlington Free Press reported. Gov. Peter Shumlin said Monday that Vermont would continue to welcome refugees, including those from Syria, despite other governors around the country who shut their doors following terrorist attacks in Paris. Paige intends to run for governor in 2016, Vermont Press Bureau and others have reported. LINK", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://welch.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/welch-statement-speaker-shap-smith", "Welch Statement on Speaker Shap Smith", "2015-11-17", "2015", "2015-11", "Democrat", "House", "VT", "Peter Welch", "W000800", "welch.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTONRep. Peter Welch (D-VT) today issued the following statement on Speaker Shap Smith's decision to suspend his gubernatorial campaign.\nThe challenges of life arrive on their own timetable, never convenient and always disruptive. Melissa has a thriving career as a much loved community physician. And Shap is a respected attorney, legislative leader, and strong gubernatorial candidate. For them, the timing could not have been worse. But that was beyond their control. What was within their control was how they responded. They are both fully engaged parents to Eli and Mia. They are both deeply committed to each other. And, together, they made a decision that reveals their strong character. We all support them and wish them well.\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/comment-of-senator-patrick-leahy-on-speaker-shap-smith", "Comment Of Senator Patrick Leahy On Speaker Shap Smith", "2015-11-17", "2015", "2015-11", "Democrat", "House", "VT", "Patrick Leahy", "L000174", "www.leahy.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "11.17.15\n\t\t\t Comment Of Senator Patrick Leahy On Speaker Shap Smith \n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tI spoke with Speaker Smith today and conveyed the heartfelt hopes, wishes and prayers that Marcelle and I have for him, Melissa and their family.\r\n\r\nThroughout his career in public service, Shap has worked to keep his priorities in order, striving to do the right things, for the right reasons. That has been a mark of his character, and a reason for the deep respect he has earned across our state. In this difficult decision, he has done that again.\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t Press Contact \n\t\t\t\tPress Contact  David Carle: 202-224-3693\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t  \n\t\n\t\n\t\n  \n\t\n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \t\n    \t\n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tNext Article\n\t\t    \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tPrevious Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/leahy-vermont-nets-125000-to-connect-schools-and-local-farms_", "Leahy: Vermont Nets $125,000 To Connect Schools And Local Farms", "2015-11-17", "2015", "2015-11", "Democrat", "House", "VT", "Patrick Leahy", "L000174", "www.leahy.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "11.17.15\n\t\t\t Leahy: Vermont Nets $125,000 To Connect Schools And Local Farms   \n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tWASHINGTON (Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2015)  A program long championed by Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) will invest $125,000 in bolstering efforts to bring local agriculture into the classrooms and cafeterias of schools across Vermont. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced the Farm to School grants Tuesday to connect child nutrition programs with local farmers.\r\nLeahy said: Tying local agriculture to our schools not only provides our children with healthy meals and improved nutrition, it encourages a long standing connection to the farms that are so iconic of our Green Mountain State. Every student deserves equal access to healthy meals, and I am proud that our school nutrition leaders will use these funds to help all children gain a better understand about where their food comes from. Today's announcement is another example of how Vermont continues to lead the nation in implementing this winning strategy.\r\nThe Burlington School District received a $100,000 grant to expand hands-on food and garden-based education. The district has several gardens, which schools use to integrate nutrition education into the curriculum. Through the use of hands-on food science students are gaining heightened awareness of the importance of cultivation and nutrition. The funds will also be used to increase the availability of local beef in school meals.\r\nFarm to School is a valuable tool in creating food access for students and providing them with the ability to learn about their food, where it comes from, and the farmers growing it, said Doug Davis, Director of Food Service for the Burlington School Food Project. Knowing where your food comes from is one of the most important aspects of creating a sustainable food system. Burlington has been working in Farm to School for well over 10 years, and this grant will help us to move our program forward and allow us to create a model that can be replicated around our state. I am grateful to Senator Leahy and his team for making these grants available to schools around the country as part of the Healthy Hunger Free Kids Act.\r\nThe Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets also received a $25,000 grant for a statewide farm-to-school training to encourage Vermont supply chain partners to engage in agriculture development learning. This grant arrives on the heels of an Agency-led strategic mapping process to better inform farm to school practices in Vermont that identified this priority.\r\n\r\nFarm to School programs are a vital tool we can use to promote agricultural literacy in schools so that, from an early age, students understand the value of nutrition, develop healthy eating habits, and appreciate where their food comes from, said Vermont Secretary of Agriculture Chuck Ross.This USDA Farm to School Training Grant will provide a valuable opportunity to convene statewide FTS stakeholders and work collaboratively to develop and deepen partnerships between Vermont farmers, schools, nonprofits, community members, state government and other partners in order to increase the positive impact of Farm to School programming in Vermont.\r\n\r\nThese awards were part of $4.9 million in grants for 74 projects across 39 states that were announced Tuesday as part of a program that Leahy championed in the creation of the child nutrition bill of 2010, the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act. Since the program began awarding grants three years ago, Vermont has received over $425,000 in federal funding. Earlier this year, preliminary results from the 2015 USDA Farm to School Census announced that schools with robust farm to school programs are seeing reductions in plate waste, increases in school meal participation rates, and an increased willingness on the part of children to try new foods, notably fruits and vegetables. Students at Vermont schools with Farm to School programs were above the state and national averages for fruit and vegetable consumption\r\n\r\nThe Leahy-authored USDA Farm to School program receives $5 million per year in annual appropriations. This year Leahy and Senator Thad Cochran (R  Miss.) introduced bipartisan legislation to raise the program's funding level from $5 million to $15 million, and increase the maximum grant award to $200,000. The legislation also expands the scope of the program to include preschools, summer food service programs, and after-school programs, and it enhances access to tribal foods and other farming, such as aquaculture. The legislation also helps grantees improve procurement and distribution of local food.\r\n\r\nLeahy added: In Vermont we have long seen the benefits of farm to school programs in addressing child hunger. Since we started the USDA program, grant applications have far exceed the funds available. It is time we provide additional support to this commonsense strategy.\r\n\r\n# # # # #\r\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t Press Contact \n\t\t\t\tPress Contact  David Carle: 202-224-3693\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t  \n\t\n\t\n\t\n  \n\t\n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \t\n    \t\n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tNext Article\n\t\t    \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tPrevious Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/statement-of-senator-patrick-leahy-d-vt-in-support-of-the-administrations-clean-power-plan", "Statement of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), In Support of the Administrations Clean Power Plan", "2015-11-17", "2015", "2015-11", "Democrat", "House", "VT", "Patrick Leahy", "L000174", "www.leahy.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "11.17.15\n\t\t\t Statement of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), In Support of the Administration's Clean Power Plan \n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t[WASHINGTON (Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2015)  The Senate Tuesday passed two resolutions disapproving the Environmental Protection Agency's Clean Power Plan, an historic initiative led by the administration to combat the effects of climate change and benefit public health by reducing carbon emissions and encouraging a cleaner energy future. Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) has long warned that the threat of climate change is now at our doorstep and called the resolutions an attempt to roll back one of the most meaningful environmental initiatives of our time.] \r\nStatement of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.),In Support of the Administration's Clean Power Plan November 17, 2015\r\nThere is irrefutable evidence, with more accumulating all the time, that humans have altered not just the weather of a region, but the climate of our entire planet.\r\nFrom flooding felt across the country to extreme temperatures from north to south and east to west, these severe events are happening more and more frequently. Droughts are proliferating, wildfires are bigger and more expensive, tropical storms and hurricanes are more intense. You can look no further than the damage wrought in Vermont in the wake of Tropical Storm Irene  a storm that had greatly weakened since first making landfall, but still so powerful as to deliver hundreds of millions of dollars in damage to our small state. It was enough to convince many Vermonters of the reality of climate change, as they watched roads washed away and iconic covered ridges yanked out of the footings that had supported them for generations.\r\nThe science and the data by now are clear that human activities are a factor in the climate change that is unfolding all around us and in every corner of the globe. But common sense alone should tell us, as we look about us and see all of the carbon and pollution that is being pumped into our thin and fragile atmosphere, that all of these human activities are contributing factors.\r\nWe must address the root causes of climate change, and that is what the administration's Clean Power Plan, bolstered by the rules for new and existing power plants, will do.\r\nToday, we won't vote about how to support our roads and bridges. We won't vote to further advance educational opportunities for young children. We won't vote on ways to keep our government  of the people, for the people  open. Rather, we are summoned to heed the call of pressure groups, wealthy corporations, and moneyed interests, and vote on a resolution of disapproval that denies the impact and the causes of climate change. These challenges under the Congressional Review Act fail to recognize the true cost of carbon pollution. The Clean Power Plan sets clear and flexible rules that signal to the marketplace that we cannot continue to spew harmful carbon pollution without limit. It finally puts an end to the free lunch for the fossil fuels industry.\r\nThese rules offer commonsense solutions that will not only address climate change, but will protect Americans' health with cleaner air. They will also unleash the creativity and inventiveness of American entrepreneurship, and support investments in new technology. They will further set the stage for our vibrant and job-rich energy future. The flexibility in these rules means that states and companies will be able to decide the best ways to reduce their carbon emissions, whether through gains in efficiency and new technologies, or through an increased use of natural gas or renewable fuels.\r\nVermonters are encouraged by these rules and about the Clean Power Plan -- not only because together, these proposals move the country forward to finally address climate change, but also because the plan and rules recognize the important work that Vermont and other Northeast States have been doing for the last decade through the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) to cap carbon emissions and offer credits to cleaner producers. In Vermont, we can breathe easier knowing that under these rules, we will have less pollution blowing into the state from power plants in the Midwest.\r\nThe majority in the Senate would rather roll back some of the most meaningful environmental initiatives of our time, rather than help to improve the health of Americans across the country. The science is clear: Failing to address climate change will lead to more dangerous and costly extreme weather events and threaten the health and wellbeing of our families and our communities. We must stop putting the interests of polluters above public health. It's time to stop putting the future of our planet and of generations to come in danger, and to act now to halt the devastating effects of climate change. Let us move beyond the energy policies of the last two centuries and move forward toward America's energy future.\r\n# # # # #\r\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t Press Contact \n\t\t\t\tPress Contact  David Carle: 202-224-3693\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t  \n\t\n\t\n\t\n  \n\t\n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \t\n    \t\n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tNext Article\n\t\t    \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tPrevious Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/newswatch/111715", "News November 17", "2015-11-17", "2015", "2015-11", "Independent", "House", "VT", "Bernard Sanders", "S000033", "www.sanders.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "News November 17\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tTuesday, November 17, 2015\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\tSenator Sanders\r\n\r\nSyrian Refugees Rejecting what he called cheap political talk in the wake of the terrorist attacks in Paris, Sen. Bernie Sanders said that he opposes banning refugees from Syria from entering the U.S., BuzzFeed, The Washington Post, The Associated Press and CNN reported. I am disturbed by some of what I am hearing from my Republican colleagues, and I will just say this: During these difficult times, as Americans we will not succumb to racism. We will not allow ourselves to be divided and succumb to Islamophobia, Sanders said. We will not turn our backs on the refugees. LINK, LINK, LINK, LINK, LINK\r\nFamily LeaveSen. Sanders highlighted his support Sunday for a plan to provide three months of paid leave after a family has a child, The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal reported. \"You think that we can afford $1.39 per week?\" Sanders asked a crowd of more than 400 people, composed largely of college students, gathered for a town hall meeting. It is unconscionable that millions of new parents in this country are forced back to work because they dont have the income to stay home with their newborn babies.LINK, LINK\r\nHigh Drug PricesSen. Sanders would allow Medicare, the federal health plan for the elderly and disabled, to negotiate with drug companies for lower prices. That bargaining isnt currently allowed by federal law, a restriction Senate Democrats are seeking to lift through legislation, The Wall Street Journal reported.LINK\r\nFDA NomineeEver since Califf was named a deputy commissioner at the FDA in January and then nominated to be chief regulator in September, his long-standing working relationship with the pharmaceutical industry has prompted debate. Among those opposing his nomination are Sen. Sanders and Public Citizen, a consumer advocacy group, STAT Newsreported.LINK\r\nWorld\r\nObamas ISIS Strategy In response to each of the questions posed by reporters, Obama made his case for a steady and persistent campaign that seeks to gradually shrink the Islamic States territory in Iraq and Syria with airstrikes, slowly build up indigenous ground forces and press for renewed diplomatic negotiations to end Syrias civil war, The Washington Post. LINK\r\nSinai Plane Crash The mid-air explosion of a Russian jetliner over the Sinai desert last month that killed all 224 people on board was the result of a terrorist attack, Russias chief intelligence officer said Tuesday according to The Washington Post. LINK\r\nNational\r\nFreddie Gray Investigation The first independent review of the Baltimore Police Departments response to riots in April found major shortcomings and said officers were unprepared and untrained for the scale and scope of the unrest, The New York Times reported. LINK\r\nVermont\r\nShumlin Defends Private Prisons Vermont houses 271 inmates at a private prison in Michigan, down from 562 out-of-state inmates about five years ago, according to a statement. The states overall inmate population has fallen nearly 18 percent during the same period, to 1,734. Shumlin argued that private prison contracts save moneyand said its nave to suggest Vermont should stop shipping inmates to Michigan., the Burlington Free Press reported. LINK", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sanders-questions-fda-nominee-with-deep-pharma-ties", "Sanders Questions FDA Nominee With Deep Pharma Ties", "2015-11-17", "2015", "2015-11", "Independent", "House", "VT", "Bernard Sanders", "S000033", "www.sanders.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Sanders Questions FDA Nominee With Deep Pharma Ties\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tTuesday, November 17, 2015\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\tWASHINGTON, Nov. 17  At a Senate confirmation hearing today, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said he opposes the nomination of Dr. Robert Califf to be commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration because of doubts that he would act to lower skyrocketing drug prices.\r\nAt the end of the day people are dying and not buying the food they need because they have to pay outrageous prices for medicine, Sanders said. We have been extraordinarily weak at taking on the pharmaceutical industry that has been ripping off the American people. I believe we need a commissioner who is going to stand up to the pharmaceutical industry and protect American consumers. You are not that person.\r\nLast year, one in five Americans  35 million people  were unable to afford to fill their prescriptions. Prices for some prescription drugs soared 1,000 percent or more in recent years. Since 2002, total spending on medicine in the United States went up by more than 90 percent.\r\nCaliff has deeper ties to the pharmaceutical industry than any FDA commissioner in recent history. He ran a multimillion-dollar clinical research center at Duke University that received more than 60 percent of its funding from the pharmaceutical and medical device industry. And his financial disclosure form last year listed seven drug companies and a device maker that paid him for consulting and six others including Merck, Novartis and Eli Lilly  which supported his university salary.\r\nIn 2014, the pharmaceutical industry spent $250 million on lobbying and campaign contributions and employed some 1,400 lobbyists. Do you think that type of expenditure has any impact on the fact that we pay the highest prices in the world for prescription drugs? Sanders asked Califf.\r\nThe top three pharmaceutical companies made a combined $45 billion in profits last year and spent more on sales and marketing than they did on research and development.\r\nSanders has introduced comprehensive legislation that would lower soaring drug prices.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "truncated": false, "filtered_table_rows_count": 1440, "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 \"state\" = :p0 and \"year\" = :p1 order by date desc limit 101", "params": {"p0": "VT", "p1": "2015"}}, "facet_results": {"party": {"name": "party", "type": "column", "hideable": false, "toggle_url": "/press/releases.json?state=VT&year=2015", "results": [{"value": "Independent", "label": "Independent", "count": 921, "toggle_url": "http://dpwillis-congress-press-search.hf.space/press/releases.json?state=VT&year=2015&party=Independent", "selected": false}, {"value": "Democrat", "label": "Democrat", "count": 519, "toggle_url": "http://dpwillis-congress-press-search.hf.space/press/releases.json?state=VT&year=2015&party=Democrat", "selected": false}], "truncated": false}, "chamber": {"name": "chamber", "type": "column", "hideable": false, "toggle_url": "/press/releases.json?state=VT&year=2015", "results": [{"value": "House", "label": "House", "count": 1440, "toggle_url": "http://dpwillis-congress-press-search.hf.space/press/releases.json?state=VT&year=2015&chamber=House", "selected": false}], "truncated": false}, "state": {"name": "state", "type": "column", "hideable": false, "toggle_url": "/press/releases.json?state=VT&year=2015", "results": [{"value": "VT", "label": "VT", "count": 1440, "toggle_url": "http://dpwillis-congress-press-search.hf.space/press/releases.json?year=2015", "selected": true}], "truncated": false}, "year": {"name": "year", "type": "column", "hideable": false, "toggle_url": "/press/releases.json?state=VT&year=2015", "results": [{"value": "2015", "label": "2015", "count": 1440, "toggle_url": "http://dpwillis-congress-press-search.hf.space/press/releases.json?state=VT", "selected": true}], "truncated": false}}, "suggested_facets": [], "next": "2015-11-17,https~3A~2F~2Fwww~2Esanders~2Esenate~2Egov~2Fnewsroom~2Fpress-releases~2Fsanders-questions-fda-nominee-with-deep-pharma-ties", "next_url": "http://dpwillis-congress-press-search.hf.space/press/releases.json?state=VT&year=2015&_next=2015-11-17%2Chttps~3A~2F~2Fwww~2Esanders~2Esenate~2Egov~2Fnewsroom~2Fpress-releases~2Fsanders-questions-fda-nominee-with-deep-pharma-ties&_sort_desc=date", "private": false, "allow_execute_sql": true, "query_ms": 168.03158400580287, "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"}