Press releases
Data license: MIT · Data source: dwillis/congress-press
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514 rows where party = "Democrat", state = "VT" and year = 2017 sorted by date descending
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| url | title | date ▲ | year | month | party | chamber | state | member_name | bioguide_id | domain | scraper | source | date_source | text | has_text | collected_at | updated_at |
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| https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/leahy-congressional-record-statement-on-pandemic-preparedness | Leahy Congressional Record Statement On Pandemic Preparedness | 2017-12-22 | 2017 | 2017-12 | Democrat | House | VT | Patrick Leahy | L000174 | www.leahy.senate.gov | legacy | 12.22.17 Leahy Congressional Record Statement On Pandemic Preparedness Mr. President, 2018 marks the 100 year anniversary of the influenza pandemic that killed an estimated 50 million people, including 670,000 Americans. I suspect most people assume that given the remarkable advances in modern medicine since 1918 nothing so disastrous could happen again, but in fact it could and next time it could be even worse. The spread of infectious diseases and drug resistance, and the accompanying threats to global security, are on the rise and the international community is woefully underprepared to fight back. The several large-scale infectious disease outbreaks of the last two decades, including SARS, H1N1, and Ebola have revealed the extent to which individual countries and the international community at large need to dramatically improve their preparedness to respond to such potentially catastrophic health crises. The stark reality is that the threat is increasing. An ever-growing, increasingly-mobile global population will provide the breeding ground for the emergence and contagion of existing and new infectious diseases. The potential threats from infectious disease outbreaks include not only catastrophic loss of life, but severe economic harm and social and political instability. The 2014-15 Ebola outbreak, for example, which began with the death of a two-year-old boy in a remote Guinean village, ultimately killed more than 11,000 people across six countries, left thousands of children orphaned, caused an estimated economic loss to those countries of nearly $3 billion, and resulted in many people losing confidence in their countrys public health system. It is important to note that Ebola, which is spread through direct contact and terrified millions of people including in this country, is hardly the most infectious known disease. Several other disease agents, such as measles and influenza, can be spread through the air and can develop into epidemics or pandemics much more rapidly. That is one of t… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/leahy-congressional-record-statement-on-threats-to-worldwide-press-freedom | Leahy Congressional Record Statement On Threats To Worldwide Press Freedom | 2017-12-22 | 2017 | 2017-12 | Democrat | House | VT | Patrick Leahy | L000174 | www.leahy.senate.gov | legacy | 12.22.17 Leahy Congressional Record Statement On Threats To Worldwide Press Freedom Mr. President, we are all too familiar with President Trumps fake news mantra, which he has repeatedly used to discredit unfavorable news reports and undermine the credibility of the media in our country. This mantra, and the accompanying threats to freedoms of speech and of the press, have now spread far beyond our borders. Autocrats and dictators around the world are enthusiastically using the concept of fake news, and the legitimacy granted to it by the President of the United States, to further undermine and restrict press freedom and fact-based reporting on corruption, human rights and other abuses in their own countries. For example, in response to an Amnesty International report on thousands of military prison deaths in Syria, President Bashar al-Assad remarked, You can forge anything these days, we are living in a fake news era. Similarly, in response to news reports on persecution of the Rohingya ethnic minority group in Myanmar, an officer in Myanmars Rakhine state security ministry stated, There is no such thing as Rohingya. It is fake news. The list goes on and includes comments from autocratic leaders in the Philippines, Venezuela, Russia, China, and Turkey, among others, who have used the fake news mantra to legitimize harassment, arrests, and prosecutions of journalists. Last week, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) released its annual census of imprisoned journalists worldwide, which has hit an historical high of 262. The total does not include the many more journalists who were imprisoned for a period of time during the year before being released prior to the December 1st census. A CPJ statement published with the report noted that: Far from isolating repressive countries for their authoritarian behavior, the United States, in particular, has cozied up to strongmen such as Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an and Chinese President Xi Jinping. At the same time, President Donald Trumps nat… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/leahy-statement-on-the-situation-in-peru | Leahy Statement On The Situation In Peru | 2017-12-22 | 2017 | 2017-12 | Democrat | House | VT | Patrick Leahy | L000174 | www.leahy.senate.gov | legacy | 12.22.17 Leahy Statement On The Situation In Peru Mr. President, I want to speak briefly about the unfolding political crisis, which is also a crisis for justice, in Peru. Peru transitioned to democracy in 2000, after two decades of internal armed conflict and authoritarian rule. The country has made important strides in rebuilding its democratic institutions, consolidating the rule of law, and combatting impunity. But today, efforts by a majority in the Peruvian Congress to arbitrarily remove judges from the countrys highest court, the Constitutional Tribunal, and to oust the Attorney General for courageously doing his job, threaten to undermine those gains and reverse Perus democratic progress. As a former prosecutor and the senior Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, I am especially concerned about the attempt by the majority in Perus Congress to impeach Attorney General Pablo Snchez in the midst of his offices investigation into allegations that the presidential campaign of Keiko Fujimori received illegal contributions in 2011. The effort to remove Attorney General Snchez strongly suggests a deliberate strategy to obstruct justice and to undermine the autonomy of the Attorney Generals Office. This would represent a grave setback for hard-fought gains to reestablish an independent judiciary and the rule of law in Peru. It would have serious ramifications for U.S.- Peruvian relations. Credible allegations of corruption must be thoroughly investigated, without prejudice to party or power, and with due process for the accused. I urge members of Perus Congress to support those who are acting on behalf of the Peruvian people in the pursuit of truth and justice. Key to this is respect for the autonomy of the Office of the Attorney General and of the Constitutional Tribunal, institutions that are guarantors of human rights and the rule of law. Press Contact David Carle: 202-224-3693 Next … | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/statement-of-senate-appropriations-committee-vice-chairman-patrick-leahy-d-vt-on-supporting-the-continuing-resolution | Statement of Senate Appropriations Committee Vice Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) On Supporting The Continuing Resolution | 2017-12-22 | 2017 | 2017-12 | Democrat | House | VT | Patrick Leahy | L000174 | www.leahy.senate.gov | legacy | 12.22.17 Statement of Senate Appropriations Committee Vice Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) On Supporting The Continuing Resolution Governing by crisis must come to an end. Since March, I have been calling for a bipartisan budget deal, based on parity, that would pave a path toward responsibly funding the government and averting this 11th hour Republican shutdown crisis. I have not lost faith that such a deal can still be reached. So, tonight I voted aye on the Continuing Resolution to keep the government open into January. A government shutdown helps no one. This will allow us one more month to reach a bipartisan budget deal based on parity and address the needs of our military and the needs of our communities. But this is not the only thing we must accomplish in the coming months. Our list of unfinished business is long. We need to pass the DREAM Act, and we need to do it soon.DREAMers are American in every way except on paper, having been brought here as children through no fault of their own. By definition, DREAMers are law-abiding strivers, serving our communities as doctors and teachers and defending our homeland as brave men and women in uniform. This must be our one of our top priorities. We need to reform Section 702 of the FISA Amendments Act to protect the privacy of all Americans. We need a permanent reauthorization for the Childrens Health Insurance Program, and Community Health Centers. And we need to consider a comprehensive disaster relief package that takes into consideration the unique needs of the people of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. We have a lot to do, but it is time we take the work of the American people seriously and move beyond governing by crisis. Press Contact David Carle: 202-224-3693 Next Article Previous Article | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/leahy-reax-to-the-presidents-threat-to-cut-support-to-the-un-and-to-countries-that-oppose-his-us-embassy/jerusalem-decision- | Leahy REAX To The Presidents Threat To Cut Support To The UN And To Countries That Oppose His U.S. Embassy/Jerusalem Decision | 2017-12-21 | 2017 | 2017-12 | Democrat | House | VT | Patrick Leahy | L000174 | www.leahy.senate.gov | legacy | 12.21.17 Leahy REAX To The Presidents Threat To Cut Support To The UN And To Countries That Oppose His U.S. Embassy/Jerusalem Decision [Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) is the Vice Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee and Ranking Member of its State Department and Foreign Operations Subcommittee.] The Presidents decision to ignore his national security advisors about moving our embassy at this fragile moment was cause enough for concern. Now he is compounding that error by threatening the United Nations itself, as well as other countries, many of which are close allies, with a cutoff of the support we provide that serves our own national interests and security. This further weakens our national interests, while further weakening our influence in the world. As has been aptly noted, this is not America first; this is America alone. Campaign promises may make good political fodder. But the words and actions of this White House over the past 12 months have made a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict harder to achieve. That is harmful to our own security, harmful to Israels long-term security, and harmful to stability in that region and beyond. Press Contact David Carle: 202-224-3693 Next Article Previous Article | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/leahy-statement-on-the-need-to-pass-the-dream-act | Leahy Statement On The Need To Pass The DREAM Act | 2017-12-21 | 2017 | 2017-12 | Democrat | House | VT | Patrick Leahy | L000174 | www.leahy.senate.gov | legacy | 12.21.17 Leahy Statement On The Need To Pass The DREAM Act We are a nation of immigrants. That should be an obvious point, but it bears repeating at a time when our president sees political advantage in trafficking in xenophobic scapegoating. Unless you are Native American, you come from a line of people who come from somewhere else. Indeed that simple fact is an integral part of the American story. We are also a Nation that believes that anything is possible. Our ancestors and relatives journeyed here because, in America, where you come from does not determine what you can accomplish. In this great country, as long as you work hard and play by the rules, you can achieve your dreams. That itself is the American Dream. No single group of people embodies these ideals more than our Nations DREAMers. DREAMers grew up in this country; they were brought here as children. They seek only the opportunity to contribute to our Nation and to be legally recognized as the Americans that they are. DREAMers are our neighbors, our teachers, and our first responders. Nearly a thousand DREAMers serve in our armed forces, risking their lives to defend the only country they have ever known as home. We cannot in good faith claim to care about the American Dream if we neglect to protect the very people who are living it. Take, for example, Dr. Juan Conde, a DACA recipient and a resident of Vermont. Dr. Conde was born in Mexico and brought to the United States as a child by his mother. In 2007, his mother was tragically taken by cancer. Showing remarkable courage and determination for a young man, this tragedy inspired Dr. Conde to find a way to help cancer patients like his mother. Yet he was unable to become an oncologist due to his immigration status. So instead he decided to obtain a Ph.D. in cancer research from the University of Texas. But Dr. Conde wanted to treat cancer patients, not just study the disease. After receiving DACA status in 2012, he was empowe… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/sens-paul-wyden-lee-and-leahy-release-joint-statement-on-fisa-reform- | Sens. Paul, Wyden, Lee, and Leahy Release Joint Statement on FISA Reform | 2017-12-21 | 2017 | 2017-12 | Democrat | House | VT | Patrick Leahy | L000174 | www.leahy.senate.gov | legacy | 12.21.17 Sens. Paul, Wyden, Lee, and Leahy Release Joint Statement on FISA Reform Today, U.S. Senators Rand Paul (R-KY), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Mike Lee (R-UT), and Patrick Leahy (D-VT) released the following statement opposing any long-term extension of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) without the serious and public debate the American people deserve and should expect from their elected representatives: Congress should not vote on any long-term reauthorization of Section 702 until both the House and Senate have fully debated meaningful reforms in 2018. ### Press Contact David Carle: 202-224-3693 Previous Article | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/leahy-statement-in-support-of-democracy-in-honduras | Leahy Statement In Support of Democracy in Honduras | 2017-12-20 | 2017 | 2017-12 | Democrat | House | VT | Patrick Leahy | L000174 | www.leahy.senate.gov | legacy | 12.20.17 Leahy Statement In Support of Democracy in Honduras Mr. President, on Monday the head of the Honduras Supreme Electoral Tribunal declared Juan Orlando Hernandez the next President of Honduras. Shortly thereafter, the Secretariat of the Organization of American States, one of the principal international observers, announced that it could not certify the election as free and fair and called for a new election. Yesterday, after his top advisors rebuked the OAS for infringing on Honduras sovereignty, President Hernandez, stating that the Honduran people have spoken, declared himself President-elect. On December 5, I spoke at length about the Honduran election, and I have made several statements since then. I will not repeat what I, and many others, have already said about the troubling process orchestrated by President Hernandez and his associates over the past several years to lay the groundwork for his reelection for an unprecedented second presidential term. Nor about the many irregularities that have caused masses of people to take to the streets in protest since the vote on November 26. As of today, at least 12 protesters, and perhaps as many as 20, have been killed and many more injured, mostly from military police firing live ammunition. I was disappointed that in his speech yesterday President Hernandez made no mention of those tragic deaths. As we await the Trump Administrations decision on whether to support the OASs call for a new election or accept President Hernandez claim to a second term, I want to make three points. First, if this flawed election had been held in a country not led by a president whose consolidation of power and reliance on the military and police have had the strong backing of the White House and the State Department, it is doubtful that it would be accepted as free and fair. Instead, the White House which has been willing to excuse the Hernandez governments corruption scandals and crackdown on the press and civil society would likely be calling for a recount… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://welch.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/house-floor-welch-rails-against-gop-tax-bill | On House Floor, Welch Rails Against GOP Tax Bill | 2017-12-19 | 2017 | 2017-12 | Democrat | House | VT | Peter Welch | W000800 | welch.house.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON Today on the floor of the House of Representatives, Rep. Peter Welch (D-VT) railed against the GOP tax bill as it was debated by Members of Congress. Welch voted against the bill which passed the House this afternoon by a vote of 227-203. Youre a Vermont familyif youre lucky, you might make a couple hundred bucks. But at what price? Once these benefits expire, 83 percent of the benefits of the individual tax break go to the top one percent of Americans. At what price? Two trillion dollars added to the deficit. And let me tell you this: Vermont families, working families, theyd like a tax cut, but not one that their children and grandchildren are going to have to pay. That is unconscionable. A full transcript of Rep. Welchs remarks can be found here. Click image to view video of Rep. Welchs full remarks. ### | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/sen-patrick-leahy-on-his-no-vote-as-senate-tues-night-nears-final-passage-of-republican-tax-plan- | Sen. Patrick Leahy, On His NO Vote, As Senate Tues. Night Nears Final Passage Of Republican TAX PLAN | 2017-12-19 | 2017 | 2017-12 | Democrat | House | VT | Patrick Leahy | L000174 | www.leahy.senate.gov | legacy | 12.19.17 Sen. Patrick Leahy, On His NO Vote, As Senate Tues. Night Nears Final Passage Of Republican TAX PLAN Little more than a month ago, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act was unveiled in the Senate. Just a few short weeks later, we are on the verge of passing a colossal bill, publicly available for just four days, that makes sweeping changes to every aspect of our economy. We are moving so fast that the American people would be forgiven for thinking we were addressing a national emergency. And yet, fires are still blazing in California, power in Puerto Rico is still not fully restored, and victims around the Gulf of Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria are still struggling to pick up the pieces and rebuild. There are indeed national emergencies we should be addressing, but instead of doing so, Republicans in Congress are focused first on passing tax cuts for corporations and billionaires tax cuts that will add an estimated $1.5 trillion to the deficit. The process that led to the bill we are voting on today has been fundamentally flawed from the outset. From the beginning, this bill has been written behind closed doors by Senate Republicans. No hearings were ever held on this bill, denying the American people an opportunity to add their voices to the debate. When the Senate voted on its version of this bill in the dead of night, Senators only received the text a few hours before the vote and even then, the text was hastily put together, with scribbles written into the margins. We discovered that lobbyists knew more about what was in it than those of us who had the responsibility to vote on it. No wonder that it was loaded with last-minute special interest giveaways. There is serious doubt this bill will benefit the middle class, as Republicans claim. What we do know is that it will result in millions of fewer insured Americans and higher health care premiums for millions more. At the same time, corporations will receive a windfall in permanent tax cuts that will bust our budget for decades to come. Even … | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/leahy-reaction-to-the-tses-declaration-of-juan-orlando-hernandez-as-the-winner-in-the-honduran-election | Leahy Reaction To The TSE's Declaration Of Juan Orlando Hernandez As The Winner In The Honduran Election | 2017-12-18 | 2017 | 2017-12 | Democrat | House | VT | Patrick Leahy | L000174 | www.leahy.senate.gov | legacy | 12.18.17 Leahy Reaction To The TSE's Declaration Of Juan Orlando Hernandez As The Winner In The Honduran Election "Unfortunately, the announcement by the Supreme Electoral Tribunal leaves too many questions unanswered. There were multiple opportunities for fraud in this election, and only a determination by impartial international observers that the vote tally was fair and transparent will provide the necessary credibility to the process. The Honduran people deserve no less. I urge the EU and the OAS to insist on whatever action - including a complete recount or a new election if necessary - to eliminate any reasonable suspicion of fraud that could have affected the result. I also urge the Honduran police to immediately cease the use of live ammunition against protesters. There is no justification for the tragic loss of life that has occurred." Press Contact David Carle: 202-224-3693 Previous Article | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://welch.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/welch-statement-fcc-net-neutrality-action-and-legislation-he-sponsoring | Welch Statement on FCC Net Neutrality Action, and Legislation He is Sponsoring to Overturn It | 2017-12-14 | 2017 | 2017-12 | Democrat | House | VT | Peter Welch | W000800 | welch.house.gov | legacy | Rep. Peter Welch (D-VT) issued the following statement in response to a vote by the Federal Communications Commission this afternoon to repeal net neutrality rules. In addition, he will soon join colleagues on the House Energy and Commerce Committee to introduce legislation to reverse this decision. “Today’s decision to gut net neutrality is a disaster for consumers and an early Christmas present to big broadband companies who can now pick and choose who gets access to the internet and at what speed. I will soon introduce legislation to reverse this horrible decision so that the internet remains open and accessible to all Americans.” ### | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/leahy-authored-farm-bill-provision-nets-millions-for-northeast-kingdom | Leahy-Authored Farm Bill Provision Nets Millions For Northeast Kingdom | 2017-12-14 | 2017 | 2017-12 | Democrat | House | VT | Patrick Leahy | L000174 | www.leahy.senate.gov | legacy | 12.14.17 Leahy-Authored Farm Bill Provision Nets Millions For Northeast Kingdom . . . Leahy-Led REAP Zone Designation Continues To Address NEK Needs, Now Topping $200 Million Since 2001 Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) announced Thursday that U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) economic development investments in the Northeast Kingdom now total more than $9.1 million during 2017. NEK-area businesses, nonprofits and municipalities received 36 awards from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of Rural Development (USDA-RD) to assist with a diverse range of business assistance, infrastructure upgrades and energy efficiency improvement projects. More than $5.5 million of the awards during federal fiscal year 2017 were made possible through the Rural Area Economic Partnership (REAP) Zone, a special designation secured by Leahy in the last Farm Bill. Leahy is a leading member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, which oversees USDA and handles the Senate’s work in writing Farm Bills, and he also now is the Vice Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, which annually appropriates funds for the USDA. Leahy said: “These USDA investments are empowering local organizations and businesses to make our Vermont communities stronger. The diverse nature of Rural Development’s programs mean that federal help can be pre-tailored to address distinct needs for each community. As Congress begins writing a new Farm Bill in 2018, I’ll be focused on making sure that USDA-RD continues to have resources like these to invest in Vermont.” USDA, through its Rural Development mission area, administers and manages housing, business and community infrastructure programs through a national network of state and local offices. These programs are designed to improve the economic stability of rural communities, businesses, residents, farmers and ranchers to improve the quality of life in rural areas. Since 2001 Leahy has consist… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/leahy-sanders-join-markey-on-resolution-to-restore-fccs-net-neutrality-rules | Leahy, Sanders Join Markey On Resolution To Restore FCCs Net Neutrality Rules | 2017-12-14 | 2017 | 2017-12 | Democrat | House | VT | Patrick Leahy | L000174 | www.leahy.senate.gov | legacy | 12.14.17 Leahy, Sanders Join Markey On Resolution To Restore FCC’s Net Neutrality Rules . . . CRA resolution would reinstate robust net neutrality protections and the Open Internet Order Vermont’s two U.S. senators – Sen. Patrick Leahy (D) and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I) have joined Sen. Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), a member of the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, and 13 other senators on Thursday in announcing their plan to introduce a Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolution that would undo Thursday’s action by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and restore the 2015 net neutrality rules. The FCC Thursday afternoon approved an item that guts the 2015 Open Internet Order, which the D.C. Circuit Court upheld in 2016. The Open Internet Order prohibited internet service providers from setting up internet fast and slow lanes and ensured they could not block or slow down internet traffic. “Donald Trump’s FCC made an historic mistake today by overturning its net neutrality rules, and we cannot let it stand,” said Senator Markey. “Without strong net neutrality rules, entrepreneurs, inventors, small businesses, activists and all those who rely on a free and open internet will be at the mercy of big broadband companies that can block websites, slow down traffic and charge websites fees in order to increase their profits. “We will fight the FCC’s decisions in the courts, and we will fight it in the halls of Congress,” continued Senator Markey. “With this CRA, Congress can correct the Commission’s misguided and partisan decision and keep the internet in the hands of the people, not big corporations. Our Republicans colleagues have a choice - be on the right side of history and stand with the American people who support net neutrality, or hold hands with the big cable and broadband companies who only want to supercharge their profits at the expense of consumers and our economy.” A copy of the CRA can … | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/leahy-usda-economic-development-investments-in-vermont-this-year-now-top-222-million | Leahy: USDA Economic Development Investments In Vermont This Year Now Top $222 Million | 2017-12-14 | 2017 | 2017-12 | Democrat | House | VT | Patrick Leahy | L000174 | www.leahy.senate.gov | legacy | 12.14.17 Leahy: USDA Economic Development Investments In Vermont This Year Now Top $222 Million Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) announced Thursday that U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) economic development investments in the Vermont now total more than $222 million during fiscal year 2017. Federal funds supported a broad range of activities in thirteen Vermont counties, including business development, housing construction and purchases, municipal investments in infrastructure and awards to academic institutions of higher education. The funds were made available through the U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of Rural Development (USDA-RD) an arm of USDA focused on helping rural communities thrive. Leahy is a leading member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, which oversees USDA and handles the Senate’s work in writing Farm Bills, and he now also is the Vice Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, which annually appropriates funds for the USDA. Leahy said: “These USDA investments are empowering local organizations and businesses to make our Vermont communities stronger. The diverse nature of Rural Development’s programs mean that federal help can be pre-tailored to address distinct needs for each community. As Congress begins writing a new Farm Bill in 2018, I’ll be focused on making sure that USDA-RD continues to have resources like these to invest in Vermont.” USDA, through its Rural Development mission area, administers and manages housing, business and community infrastructure programs through a national network of state and local offices. These programs are designed to improve the economic stability of rural communities, businesses, residents, farmers and ranchers to improve the quality of life in rural areas. For 2017 USDA RD awarded more than $9 million in business loans and grants, assisted more than 400 Vermonters in purchasing homes, and invested $128 million in community facilities and infrastructure. Press Contact David Carle: 202-224-3693 … | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/leahy-usda-economic-development-investments-in-washington-county-this-year-now-top-51-million | Leahy: USDA Economic Development Investments In Washington County This Year Now Top $5.1 Million | 2017-12-14 | 2017 | 2017-12 | Democrat | House | VT | Patrick Leahy | L000174 | www.leahy.senate.gov | legacy | 12.14.17 Leahy: USDA Economic Development Investments In Washington County This Year Now Top $5.1 Million Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) announced Thursday that USDA economic development investments in Washington County now total more than $5.1 million during fiscal year 2017. Area businesses, nonprofits and economic development organizations received 12 awards from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of Rural Development (USDA-RD) to assist with a diverse range of projects that included business assistance, capital for startup businesses and energy efficiency improvements. Leahy is a leading member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, which oversees USDA and handles the Senate’s work in writing Farm Bills, and he now also is the Vice Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, which annually appropriates funds for the USDA. Leahy said: “These USDA investments are empowering local organizations and businesses to make our Vermont communities stronger. The diverse nature of Rural Development’s programs mean that federal help can be pre-tailored to address distinct needs for each community. As Congress begins writing a new Farm Bill in 2018, I’ll be focused on making sure that USDA-RD continues to have resources like these to invest in Vermont.” USDA, through its Rural Development mission area, administers and manages housing, business and community infrastructure programs through a national network of state and local offices. These programs are designed to improve the economic stability of rural communities, businesses, residents, farmers and ranchers to improve the quality of life in rural areas. Grants Organization $34,380 Green Mountain Harvest $144,091 Central VT Solid Waste Management District $29,500 Center for Wholesome Communities $30,000 Barre Historical Society $45,116 Vermont Council on Rural Development $11,906 Bear Roots Farm LLC Loans $250,000 … | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/leahy-usda-economic-development-investments-in-windham-county-this-year-now-top-31-million | Leahy: USDA Economic Development Investments In Windham County This Year Now Top $3.1 Million | 2017-12-14 | 2017 | 2017-12 | Democrat | House | VT | Patrick Leahy | L000174 | www.leahy.senate.gov | legacy | 12.14.17 Leahy: USDA Economic Development Investments In Windham County This Year Now Top $3.1 Million Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) announced Thursday that U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) economic development investments in Windham County now total more than $3.1 million during fiscal year 2017. Area businesses, nonprofits and municipalities received 16 awards from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of Rural Development (USDA-RD) to assist with a diverse range of projects that included business assistance, infrastructure upgrades and energy efficiency improvements. The USDA-RD investments leveraged an additional $7 million from other sources for a collective impact of $10.3 million. Leahy is a leading member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, which oversees USDA and handles the Senate’s work in writing Farm Bills, and he now also is the Vice Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, which annually appropriates funds for the USDA. Leahy said: “These USDA investments are empowering local organizations and businesses to make our Vermont communities stronger. The diverse nature of Rural Development’s programs mean that federal help can be pre-tailored to address distinct needs for each community. As Congress begins writing a new Farm Bill in 2018, I’ll be focused on making sure that USDA-RD continues to have resources like these to invest in Vermont.” USDA, through its Rural Development mission area, administers and manages housing, business and community infrastructure programs through a national network of state and local offices. These programs are designed to improve the economic stability of rural communities, businesses, residents, farmers and ranchers to improve the quality of life in rural areas. Grant Organization $14,000 Post Oil Solutions $500,000 Brattleboro Development Credit Corporation $7,700 Holton Home $21,000 Sandglass Theater $503,000 Village of Saxtons River … | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/leahy-vermont-is-a-crucial-step-closer-to-improved-air-and-rail-travel-with-canada | Leahy: Vermont Is A Crucial Step Closer To Improved Air And Rail Travel With Canada | 2017-12-14 | 2017 | 2017-12 | Democrat | House | VT | Patrick Leahy | L000174 | www.leahy.senate.gov | legacy | 12.14.17 Leahy: Vermont Is A Crucial Step Closer To Improved Air And Rail Travel With Canada Senator Patrick Leahy hails action this week by the Canadian Parliament to pass new customs preclearance language into law that will make possible improved rail and air travel between Vermont – and other points in the United States -- and Canada. The Canadian Senate passed the legislation, known as C-23, last week, and the bill took its last step in the Canadian legislative process on Tuesday night, receiving Royal Assent. The bill is companion legislation to Leahy’s Promoting Travel, Commerce, and National Security Act, which became law in 2016. With the law’s adoption, streamlined customs procedures will be implemented for air travel – and eventually passenger rail service – between Burlington and Canadian cities, and between other U.S. and Canadian destinations. Following enactment of C-23, the Canadian government will work to adopt implementing regulations. Leahy said: “Passage of C-23 is a major milestone that brings Vermont another crucial step closer to smoother travel to Canada. I had a very positive call this week with the Canadian Ambassador to the United States, David MacNaughton, about the vital ways that expanded preclearance will help strengthen ties between Vermont and Canada. With this legislation now in place, Canada and the United States – and especially Vermont -- are poised to reap the rewards of improved border security and better economic growth. I look forward to continuing my work and partnership with the Canadian government to make expanded preclearance a reality.” The international agreement advances two of Leahy’s key national goals: enhancing U.S. national security, and increasing efficiency for travelers and commercial exchanges. Leahy has long advocated improving cross-border travel and was the driving force behind this effort, writing the bill, forging the bipartisan and bicameral coalition, and guiding its passage through the Senate and into law. The United States cu… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/reaction-of-senator-patrick-leahy-d-vt-to-the-fccs-vote-to-repeal-net-neutrality-protections | Reaction Of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) To The FCCs Vote To Repeal Net Neutrality Protections | 2017-12-14 | 2017 | 2017-12 | Democrat | House | VT | Patrick Leahy | L000174 | www.leahy.senate.gov | legacy | 12.14.17 Reaction Of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) To The FCC’s Vote To Repeal Net Neutrality Protections [Following is the statement of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) about the FCC’s action Thursday to dismantle the FCC’s earlier net neutrality rules. Leahy has long been a leading advocate of net neutrality and brought the Senate Judiciary Committee to Vermont to hear testimony from small Vermont businesses, libraries and ordinary Vermonters about the importance of keeping the internet unhindered by ‘toll lanes’ and other discriminatory practices.] “Today the FCC took a wrecking ball to the pillars of freedom and openness upon which the Internet was built. Without the protection of net neutrality rules, powerful telecommunication companies can decide which content gets preferential treatment and which gets throttled or even blocked. That will hurt consumers, small businesses and startups. The FCC is stifling innovation and competition. “This has been a rushed, cynical and slipshod process that has been fundamentally flawed. Chairman Pai and the FCC’s Republican majority have shown a shocking disregard for the overwhelming input from the public, choosing instead to listen only to those with the deepest pockets. They have made it clear that the voices of the American people do not matter to them and will be ignored in President Trump’s Washington. As a staunch supporter of net neutrality rules, I will keep fighting until these protections are restored.” Press Contact David Carle: 202-224-3693 Next Article Previous Article | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/leahy-floor-statement-on-repeal-of-net-neutrality-rules | Leahy Floor Statement On Repeal Of Net Neutrality Rules | 2017-12-13 | 2017 | 2017-12 | Democrat | House | VT | Patrick Leahy | L000174 | www.leahy.senate.gov | legacy | 12.13.17 Leahy Floor Statement On Repeal Of Net Neutrality Rules This week, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is preparing to give a giant, early Christmas present to a few, deep-pocketed telecom companies, as it prepares to repeal critical net neutrality protections. Net neutrality is the simple principle that the Internet should be kept free and open by preventing the corporations who control the connections to selectively throttle or block certain content. Repealing net neutrality rules will benefit just a few powerful corporations—and it will do so at the expense of small businesses, consumers, and hardworking Americans, whose persistent and passionate voices on this issue have been completely ignored by the FCC’s Republican majority. Despite calling for public hearings when the current net neutrality protections were developed, Chairman Pai has failed to heed his own advice now that he is in charge of the FCC. The only people he seems to have listened to are those with deep enough pockets to afford high-powered lobbyists. If you are a concerned citizen or small business owner, your voice does not matter to this FCC. As someone who held public hearings on this issue in 2014, I can tell you that there is widespread and overwhelming support for net neutrality just about everywhere except at the FCC itself. If Chairman Pai took the time to listen, as I did, he would hear from small business owners like Cabot Orton at the Vermont Country Store, who told me, “we’re not asking for special treatment, incentives or subsidies. All the small business community asks is simply to preserve and protect Internet commerce as it exists today, which has served all businesses remarkably well.” Just today, we have received a letter from businesses in northern New England, including Vermont’s own Ben and Jerry’s, Cabot Creamery Cooperative, and King Arthur Flour, discussing the “crippling effect” a repeal of net neutrality rules would have on rural businesses. I ask unanimous consent that a copy of … | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/why-budget-parity-matters-the-need-for-investing-equally-in-our-military-and-our-communities | Why Budget Parity Matters: The Need For Investing Equally In Our Military And Our Communities | 2017-12-13 | 2017 | 2017-12 | Democrat | House | VT | Patrick Leahy | L000174 | www.leahy.senate.gov | legacy | 12.13.17 Why Budget Parity Matters: The Need For Investing Equally In Our Military And Our Communities By Senator Patrick Leahy Democrats and Republicans agree that we must fully fund and support our military. But our military readiness is being hampered by artificial and unrealistically low caps on defense spending, as a result of the Budget Control Act (BCA) of 2011, and that law’s required spending cuts known as “sequestration.” In July, Defense Secretary Mattis testified before the Senate Appropriations Committee that “for all the heartache caused by the loss of our troops during these wars, no enemy in the field has done more to harm the readiness of our military than sequestration.” This is a made-in-Washington problem, and we can fix it. In July, I offered a plan that would have addressed the needs of our military by increasing defense spending by $54 billion in fiscal year 2018. But the devastating consequences of these artificial spending caps reach far beyond the Pentagon. Constraining spending on non-defense priorities like infrastructure, job training, education, public safety and meal programs have been equally devastating. As an example, the American Society of Civil Engineers gave our country’s infrastructure a D+ for 2016. This was the collective grade for the roads, bridges, dams, drinking water and wastewater, public parks and schools on which we all depend. We need real and effective investments to repair and improve our crumbling infrastructure across the country. This is why we cannot just provide relief for our defense spending needs. My plan would have raised the spending caps for both defense spending and non-defense spending by $54 billion, an equal increase commonly referred to as “parity.” Much of our national security is funded through non-defense programs, such as caring for our veterans, the Coast Guard, and the FBI. Parity is the principle that we can both strengthe… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://welch.house.gov/media-center/in-the-news/roll-call-trumps-jerusalem-decision-called-provocative-counterproductive | Roll Call: Trump's Jerusalem Decision Called 'Provocative,' Counterproductive | 2017-12-11 | 2017 | 2017-12 | Democrat | House | VT | Peter Welch | W000800 | welch.house.gov | legacy | President Donald Trump says his decision to buck the advice of America’s closest Muslim allies and recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital is part of a broader strategy shift needed to produce a Middle East peace pact. But some lawmakers and experts argue the president has unnecessarily undercut himself. Trump on Wednesday formally announced he will abide by a 1995 U.S. law and move the U.S. embassy in Israel to Jerusalem and recognize that city as the country’s official capital. He noted that for the last 22 years, his predecessors have — despite some campaign-trail pledges to the contrary — exercised a waiver in that law to keep the embassy in Tel Aviv. “Today, we finally acknowledge the obvious that Jerusalem is Israel’s capital,” the U.S. president said. “We cannot solve our problems by making the same failed assumptions,” he added in a not-that-veiled jab at Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama. That shot at the last three diplomats in chief was vintage Trump. So, too, were other parts of his Jerusalem address from the White House’s Diplomatic Reception Room, which was noticeably decked out for Christmas. He said those three chief executives signed the law’s waivers every six months “based on facts as they understood them at the time.” “Nevertheless, the record is in. We are no closer to the lasting peace agreement” than the day Congress sent Clinton the Jerusalem Embassy Act, Trump said. He contended it would be “folly to assume that” his administration should follow “the exact same formula” as the previous three U.S. administrations in search of an Israeli-Palestinian peace pact and expect “a better result.” The Jerusalem decision also carried the hallmarks of the 45th president in its basis in Israel’s right — as a “sovereign country,” as Trump put it — to select its own capital city. The comment was reminiscent of ones he made during his recent swing through Asia, when he defended his “America first” governing philosophy and urged Asian countries to make decisions on trade based on … | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://welch.house.gov/media-center/in-the-news/st-albans-messenger-welch-its-dangerous-situation | St. Albans Messenger: Welch: 'It's a Dangerous Situation' | 2017-12-11 | 2017 | 2017-12 | Democrat | House | VT | Peter Welch | W000800 | welch.house.gov | legacy | As the threat of another government shutdown loomed on Thursday, Rep. Peter Welch, D-Vt., was busy dealing with an array of fast-changing events that will have varying degrees of impact in Vermont. “It’s wild,” Welch said in a conversation with the St. Albans Messenger. As he was waiting for the Republicans to offer a plan to fund the government, he refelected on Jerusalem, impeachment and the House firearms vote, all of which had taken place the day before. On Wednesday, President Donald Trump announced the U.S. would consider Jerusalem the capital of Israel, drawing rebukes from around the world. Rep. Al Green, D-Texas, brought articles of impeachment to the House floor, and the House voted to override local gun laws and allow concealed carry of firearms in places that currently bar it. Then there was the government shutdown. “My guess is it will be averted,” Welch on Thursday. He was correct. The Republicans in both the House and Senate later that day passed a continuing resolution to keep the government operating until Dec. 22, with few Democratic votes. The resolution, he said, was entirely in Republican hands, and they didn’t want a distraction from their tax bill, he suggested. “Everything they’re doing is trying to get their tax bill through by Christmas,” Welch said. The debate over a continuing resolution and whether that resolution should keep the government running for two or three weeks was among three groups of Republican representatives and senators: the so-called Freedom Caucus, moderates and conservatives, Welch said — Democrats were excluded from the conversation. “My view, very strongly, is that we should keep the lights on,” he said. However, his position was that Democrats should oppose a continuing resolution unless it contains funding for fighting the opiate epidemic, the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) as well as an agreement that any cuts to non-military programs will be matched by cuts to the Pentagon budget. The resolution as passed did … | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/net-neutrality-showdown-leahy-and-other-senators-use-fcc-chairs-own-words-to-urge-him-to-delay-thursdays-vote-until-full-impact-can-be-considered | NET NEUTRALITY SHOWDOWN Leahy & Other Senators Use FCC Chair's Own Words To Urge Him To Delay Thursday's Vote, Until Full Impact Can Be Considered | 2017-12-08 | 2017 | 2017-12 | Democrat | House | VT | Patrick Leahy | L000174 | www.leahy.senate.gov | legacy | 12.08.17 NET NEUTRALITY SHOWDOWN Leahy & Other Senators Use FCC Chair's Own Words To Urge Him To Delay Thursday's Vote, Until Full Impact Can Be Considered As Next Week’s Threatened Repeal Of Net Neutrality Rules Looms, Leahy And Other Senators, In A Letter To FCC Chair Pai, Use Pai’s Own Words To Urge Delay Of The Net Neutrality Vote Until The Full Impact Of Repeal Can Be Faithfully Considered WASHINGTON (FRIDAY, Dec. 8, 2017) – Continuing the fight against next week’s threatened repeal of net neutrality rules, Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and other senators, led by Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), are urging Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Ajit Pai to delay the FCC’s December 14 vote on repealing net neutrality rules until the full impact of repeal can be faithfully considered, in accordance with Pai’s own earlier standards of rulemaking. Leahy for years has been a leader in pressing for net neutrality rules, and he brought the Senate Judiciary Committee to Vermont to hear directly from Vermont businesses, nonprofit organizations and citizens about the harm that would directly come from installing “toll booths” on the Internet. In a letter sent to Pai on Friday, Blumenthal and Leahy, joined by Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Edward Markey (D-Mass.) and Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), quoted Pai’s statements from his dissent of the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking for the 2015 Open Internet Order, which established the rules – known as net neutrality – that protect the open internet. In his dissent, Pai reprimanded his FCC colleagues for their failure to “give the American people a full and fair opportunity to participate in this process,” and “ensure that [FCC’s] decisions are based on a robust record.” To meet these standards, Pai suggested commissioning a series of studies by ten economists that would fully evaluate the impact of net neutrality. “Accordingly,” wrote the senators, “we ask that you heed your own advice and delay your planned vote on this item until you have faithf… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://welch.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/welch-displays-works-artist-candy-barr-vermont-office | Welch Displays Works by Artist Candy Barr in Vermont Office | 2017-12-07 | 2017 | 2017-12 | Democrat | House | VT | Peter Welch | W000800 | welch.house.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON - Rep. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) is currently presenting 10 paintings in his Burlington office by local artist Candy Barr. The exhibit is entitled “Vermont & Maine: Paintings on Location.” Barr graduated from Rhode Island School of Design with both a BFA in Painting and a MAT in Lithography, and also earned a MFA from Vermont College. Her work has been described as “moving" and as being "a true master of color." From Warren since 1976, with over 50 years of painting experience from models and working on locations in plein air, she brings a breadth of knowledge of art history, exquisite skill for color and a deep understanding of what makes paint come to life. “I’m pleased to be able to recognize talented Vermont artists like Candy by featuring their work in my Vermont office,” said Rep. Welch. “I hope Vermonters will take the opportunity to visit my office and enjoy these works of art.” "Making paintings brings me great pleasure while the unsettled world today contributes to my desire to seek comfort in nature,” said Barr. “I am most comfortable while intensely observing my environment and during the mindful processes of painting it." The exhibit will be on display through the end of April 2018. The public is invited to Barr’s work. Welch’s Vermont office is located at the Vermont Innovation Center at 128 Lakeside Avenue, Suite 235 in Burlington. Office hours are Monday through Friday from 9am to 5pm. For more information on Barr’s work, please visit http://candybarrartist.com. ### | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/appropriations-vice-chairman-leahys-statement-on-a-continuing-resolution-through-december-22 | Appropriations Vice Chairman Leahy's Statement On A Continuing Resolution Through December 22 | 2017-12-07 | 2017 | 2017-12 | Democrat | House | VT | Patrick Leahy | L000174 | www.leahy.senate.gov | legacy | 12.07.17 Appropriations Vice Chairman Leahy's Statement On A Continuing Resolution Through December 22 The current spending caps set in place by law will not responsibly fund the government or alleviate the consequences of sequestration on our domestic priorities or our military readiness. Since March, I have constantly repeated that we must reach a bipartisan budget deal that is based on parity, free of poison pill riders and not waste taxpayer dollars on President Trump’s useless border wall. But with the current continuing resolution expiring tomorrow, we are running out of time to reach an agreement. The continuing resolution before us today will allow us more time to reach a bipartisan agreement and keep the government’s lights on during negotiations. The key to a successful negotiation is parity. Sequestration has had devastating consequences on our country that will impact a generation, but we must raise the caps on both sides of the ledger—defense and non-defense. This is not an academic exercise. The decisions we make here today have real impacts on people’s lives. There is no question that sequestration has hurt our military readiness, but it has also hurt our Nation’s economy and led to a decline in critical government services on which millions of Americans depend. Our veterans have been short-changed. An average of 558,000 veterans fail to get a healthcare appointment within the 30-day standard. The average wait time for the VA to process a benefit appeal is over three years. Our infrastructure is crumbling. America now gets a D+ rating from the American Society of Civil Engineers. This means the roads, bridges, dams, drinking water, public parks and schools we all use and depend on have a near failing grade. Education programs have suffered. The purchasing power of the maximum Pell Grant now covers only 29 percent of the average price for college. Our elderly citizens are getting short-changed. More than 1 million Social Security benefits appeals are backlogged an … | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.leahy.senate.gov/peoples-academy-high-school | People's Academy High School | 2017-12-06 | 2017 | 2017-12 | Democrat | House | VT | Patrick Leahy | L000174 | www.leahy.senate.gov | legacy | 12.06.17 People's Academy High School On December 6, 2017, Senator Leahy had the opportunity to chat with students from Peoples Academy High School in Morrisville. Senator Leahy enjoyed answering questions from students who are studying genocide, human rights, international law and foreign policy as well as students studying Spanish. Senator Leahy was very impressed with the students’ thoughtful questions and enjoyed hearing their insights on human rights abuses and genocide and how the United States can be a global leader. He also appreciated the students’ dedication to helping Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands rebuild after the recent hurricanes. Press Contact David Carle: 202-224-3693 Previous Article | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/comment-of-senator-leahy-on-president-trumps-decision-on-the-us-embassy-in-israel | Comment Of Senator Leahy On President Trumps Decision On The U.S. Embassy In Israel | 2017-12-06 | 2017 | 2017-12 | Democrat | House | VT | Patrick Leahy | L000174 | www.leahy.senate.gov | legacy | 12.06.17 Comment Of Senator Leahy On President Trump’s Decision On The U.S. Embassy In Israel “Campaign promises to score political points, without careful consideration of U.S. national interests, rarely make good policy, and I fear this is a particularly dangerous example of that. It will make the already distant goal of peace in the Middle East that much harder to reach.” Press Contact David Carle: 202-224-3693 Previous Article | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/comment-of-senator-patrick-leahy-on-senator-al-franken | Comment of Senator Patrick Leahy On Senator Al Franken | 2017-12-06 | 2017 | 2017-12 | Democrat | House | VT | Patrick Leahy | L000174 | www.leahy.senate.gov | legacy | 12.06.17 Comment of Senator Patrick Leahy On Senator Al Franken I just learned of the latest, disturbing allegation against Senator Franken. While the facts from case to case can differ, and while there are sound reasons for weighing evidence in such cases in a deliberate and carefully considered process, Senator Franken’s situation has become untenable. I am concerned that even a prompt Ethics Committee investigation and recommendations will not come soon enough. He has to step aside. I hope as a nation that we are beginning to come to terms with the systemic problem of sexual harassment and assault, but we still have a long way to go. Press Contact David Carle: 202-224-3693 Previous Article | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/leahy-statement-at-appropriations-subcommittee-hearing-addressing-the-opioid-crisis-in-america | Leahy Statement At Appropriations Subcommittee Hearing "Addressing The Opioid Crisis In America" | 2017-12-05 | 2017 | 2017-12 | Democrat | House | VT | Patrick Leahy | L000174 | www.leahy.senate.gov | legacy | 12.05.17 Leahy Statement At Appropriations Subcommittee Hearing "Addressing The Opioid Crisis In America" Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Here’s a startling statistic: last year alone, drug overdoses claimed the lives of 64,000 people. This is the latest figure in a shocking rise in overdose deaths, driven by the opioid epidemic that has hit every corner of our country, and plagues every community. This is a public health crisis. We need to start treating it like one. We need to allocate every necessary resource to finally – and meaningfully – confront it. Vermont has made tremendous strides by leveraging Medicaid dollars through a “hub and spoke” model to confront opioid addiction as a healthcare crisis, not an incarceration problem. This is a system that provides patients with medication-assisted treatment and connects patients with a variety of resources from housing to peer support to counseling, not just once or twice, but through their recovery and beyond. In Vermont, this model is proving effective. But we must continue to invest in it. It is alarming and disappointing that, from the start of his administration, President Trump has refused to make the necessary investments to tackle the opioid epidemic. The President’s budget request seeks to eliminate programs, like the anti-heroin task force, that have proven to be effective. In fact, in his budget, President Trump called for reducing funding for the opioid epidemic by $104 million. And President Trump’s long awaited October declaration on the nationwide opioids crisis proved nothing more than symbolic talk. There is no action or new funding behind the President’s empty words to address this crisis. This is unacceptable. Even worse, in the middle of the night Saturday, Republicans here in the Senate voted to slash Medicaid by $1 trillion to pay for tax cuts for the wealthy. Medicaid is a critical lifeline to provide care for victims of opioid abuse and is the main funding source behind Vermont’s “hub and spoke” model. We canno… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/leahy-statement-regarding-the-fccs-rollback-of-net-neutrality-protections | Leahy Statement Regarding the FCC's Rollback of Net Neutrality Protections | 2017-12-05 | 2017 | 2017-12 | Democrat | House | VT | Patrick Leahy | L000174 | www.leahy.senate.gov | legacy | 12.05.17 Leahy Statement Regarding the FCC's Rollback of Net Neutrality Protections Next week, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will consider a proposed rule that, if approved, will end “net neutrality” as we know it and will threaten the foundation of a free and open Internet. Net neutrality is the simple proposition that Internet service providers should treat all Internet traffic the same; they should not be able to exploit their power to charge for preferred treatment, allowing big corporations to dominate the Internet. The Chairman of the FCC, Ajit Pai, wants the FCC to undo its protections for net neutrality. His proposed ruling is perversely styled as “Restoring Internet Freedom,” when in fact it would do the opposite. It would allow Internet service providers to decide which websites will be privileged and which will be throttled or even blocked. Make no mistake: This will mean that the big firms that can afford the “fast lane” will be protected, while harming consumers, start-ups, and potentially even freedom of speech online. Alarmingly, Chairman Pai has decided to ignore millions of comments submitted by individuals across the country, citing concerns that they are not “unique.” As a member of Congress accountable to my constituents, this is a particularly offensive posture. “Unique” or not, comments and concerns submitted to my office by Vermonters are treated with the same weight and value as any other. Until the FCC fully and meaningfully considers the more than 21.7 million comments it has received about this proposed rule, it should not proceed with this vote. A recent New York Times article by Farhad Manjoo, entitled, “The Internet Is Dying. Repealing Net Neutrality Hastens That Death,” lays out clearly why the FCC’s proposed repeal of net neutrality will bring the open Internet one giant leap closer to becoming a corporate playground. If, as expected, Chairman Pai jams through his proposed rule change next week, it will be clear that he has done so to the benef… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/leahy-statement-on-the-election-in-honduras | Leahy Statement On The Election In Honduras | 2017-12-04 | 2017 | 2017-12 | Democrat | House | VT | Patrick Leahy | L000174 | www.leahy.senate.gov | legacy | 12.04.17 Leahy Statement On The Election In Honduras Those of us who care about Central America have watched the election for Honduras’ next president with increasing alarm. It has been more than a week since November 26, when the people of Honduras cast their votes. Since then, repeated delays and suspicious behavior – which suggests either incompetence or fraud – by the Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE) that has been tallying the ballots, has incited large public demonstrations. Late last week, the government of President Juan Orlando Hernandez suspended constitutional rights and imposed a ten-day, 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew. Several protesters, including a 19-year-old girl, have reportedly been shot and killed by Honduran troops, and hundreds more have been arrested. Salvador Nasralla, the main opposition candidate, called for a new election and reportedly urged the Honduran police and military to disobey orders of their commanders to fire on demonstrators. Even before the Honduran people went to the polls the prospects for a free, fair and peaceful election faced many challenges. The most obvious point of contention is that President Hernandez is seeking a second term, since until recently the Honduran Constitution had been interpreted to limit presidents to a single four-year term. Ironically, in 2009 former President Manuel Zelaya was forced from power by a coalition of military officers, business owners, and conservative politicians including Hernandez, after Zelaya sought to extend his own rule by proposing a popular referendum on the issue of presidential re-election. Zelaya’s ouster was initially labeled a coup by the U.S. State Department, but it was not long before the United States accepted the result and resumed sending economic and military aid to the government of President Porfirio Lobo. During the next three years the influx of illicit drugs and the incidence of violence, including assassinations of journalists and other civil society leaders, increased dramatically, and H… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://welch.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/itc-provides-relief-illegal-chinese-imports-northeast-kingdom-s-columbia | ITC Provides Relief From Illegal Chinese Imports to Northeast Kingdom’s Columbia Forest Products | 2017-12-01 | 2017 | 2017-12 | Democrat | House | VT | Peter Welch | W000800 | welch.house.gov | legacy | Washington, DC - Following four years of advocacy by Rep. Peter Welch (D-VT), the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) today provided long overdue relief to a key employer in the Northeast Kingdom. Columbia Forest Products, which maintains a manufacturing facility in Newport, Vermont, has been struggling to compete with illegal Chinese imports. In a unanimous ruling, the ITC voted 4-0 to impose significant tariffs on dumped and subsidized imports of Chinese hardwood plywood. “Today’s decision is great news for the employees of Columbia Forest Products,” said Rep. Welch. “The company and its employees have been reeling from subsidized and illegal competition from China. This important decision will level the playing field for the company, preserve jobs, and ensure its continued contributions to the regional economy.” In 2012, the company, a hardwood veneer and plywood manufacturer, filed a petition with the ITC protesting the dumping of cheap and illegal Chinese hardwood and veneer products that undercut its business in Vermont and around the country. In 2013, Rep. Welch personally testified before the Commission on the company’s behalf. In addition, Welch helped lead two Congressional letters of support for the industry to the Commission, one in 2013 and one this year. ### | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://welch.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/welch-warren-introduce-legislation-boost-nih-and-fda-medical-research | Welch, Warren Introduce Legislation to Boost NIH and FDA Medical Research | 2017-12-01 | 2017 | 2017-12 | Democrat | House | VT | Peter Welch | W000800 | welch.house.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON - Rep. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) has joined Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) in introducing legislation that would boost funding for critical medical research. The bill would pay for the new research by requiring large pharmaceutical companies that break the law and settle their cases to reinvest a percentage of their profits into medical research conducted by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA). “Too often, drug companies game the system to maximize corporate profits at the expense of consumers and taxpayers,” said Welch. “This commonsense legislation will hold them accountable, while funding vital medical research that will keep America on the cutting edge of innovation, medicine, and scientific progress.” Critical federal investments in medical research have remained nearly flat for over a decade. Today 9 out of 11 research proposals are left unfunded, threatening the pace of medical breakthroughs and undercutting America’s status as the world’s leader in medical innovation. The last decade has also seen a troublesome spike in the number of major drug companies settling with the government for breaking the law and defrauding taxpayers. The Medical Innovation Act (H.R. 4487) would reverse both trends by making it easier for drug companies to develop the next generation of cures, while making it harder for them to profit from breaking the law and defrauding taxpayers. Drug company payments, which would vary according to the severity of the settlement penalty, would only be required of companies that rely on federally-funded research to develop billion-dollar, “blockbuster” drugs and only when they subsequently break the law and enter into major settlement agreements with the federal government. In such cases, the settlements would go forward as they normally do, but the offending company would also be required to reinvest a relatively small portion of the profits it has generated as a result of taxpayer-supported research back into the NIH and FDA. These suppl… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/leahy-statement-on-the-tax-cuts-and-jobs-act | Leahy Statement On The Tax Cuts And Jobs Act | 2017-11-30 | 2017 | 2017-11 | Democrat | House | VT | Patrick Leahy | L000174 | www.leahy.senate.gov | legacy | 11.30.17 Leahy Statement On The Tax Cuts And Jobs Act During Thanksgiving last week, families across the country came together to give thanks for the blessings of the past year. One group in particular – corporate CEOs – had a special reason to be thankful: the Republican tax bill we are considering today. Rather than engaging in a bipartisan process to develop and enact meaningful tax reform that will benefit working Americans and small businesses, Republicans in Congress have spent the last few weeks crafting tax cut legislation that will overwhelmingly favor large corporations and ultra-wealthy Americans. Just in time for the holiday season, this bill delivers everything on the Republican donor class’s wish list while providing the vast majority of working Americans with little more than a lump of coal. This tax bill would have harmful and far-reaching effects, in countless ways, for our economy, for the budget, for our healthcare system, for our environment, and for the pocketbooks of middle income Americans from coast to coast. Yet despite these enormous threats across the board, rarely, if ever, have I seen such a secretive and slapdash process, and such a shoddy result. Republican leaders purposely chose a partisan process, not a bipartisan process. This bill has one clear goal – provide corporations with permanent tax cuts at any and all costs. Unfortunately, the costs of providing these unnecessary cuts are high and fall disproportionately on lower and middle income Americans, who will only see temporary cuts that will expire in 2025. The true purpose and slant of this bill are belied by the fact that huge tax cuts for corporations would be permanent, while the meager adjustments for hardworking Americans are only temporary. Critical deductions relied upon by many Vermonters, including the State and Local Tax Deduction, are reduced or eliminated. These changes are likely to result in higher taxes for many working families. To add insult to injury, even after targeting the middle c… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/senators-to-trump-administration_reject-calls-for-new-nuclear-weapons | Senators to Trump Administration: Reject Calls for New Nuclear Weapons | 2017-11-30 | 2017 | 2017-11 | Democrat | House | VT | Patrick Leahy | L000174 | www.leahy.senate.gov | legacy | 11.30.17 Senators to Trump Administration: Reject Calls for New Nuclear Weapons Senators also want rising costs of modernization effort addressed in next Nuclear Posture Review Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) joined Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and 12 other Senators today to urge the Trump administration to reject calls for new nuclear weapons and to reevaluate the affordability of the current nuclear modernizations effort in the next Nuclear Posture Review. “Many of us oppose the development of new nuclear weapons and believe that the sole purpose of our nuclear arsenal is to deter a nuclear attack,” the senators wrote. “In light of the CBO report, it is now also clear that developing new nuclear weapons is unaffordable, and would force tradeoffs between needed investments in our conventional capabilities.” The full text of the letter follows: November 30, 2017 Dear Secretaries Tillerson, Mattis and Perry: As you finalize the administration’s Nuclear Posture Review (NPR), we strongly urge you to consider the Congressional Budget Office’s (CBO) recent analysis of the increasing cost of the existing nuclear modernization plan. In light of the CBO’s findings, we urge you to incorporate the CBO’s analysis into the NPR process so that the review’s recommendations are affordable, strictly necessary to maintain deterrence, and do not force the nation to choose between an increasingly costly nuclear modernization program and maintaining conventional superiority. The CBO makes clear that the administration’s current nuclear modernization plan is unaffordable and will reduce our ability to make necessary investments in our conventional capabilities. The CBO reported that the administration’s plan will cost up to $1.7 trillion, with inflation, over the next 30 years, with an annual cost of approximately $50 billion in the 2030s. The agency no… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/leahy-announces-13-million-grant-to-help-the-vermont-state-police-combat-the-opioid-epidemic | Leahy Announces $1.3 Million Grant To Help The Vermont State Police Combat The Opioid Epidemic | 2017-11-29 | 2017 | 2017-11 | Democrat | House | VT | Patrick Leahy | L000174 | www.leahy.senate.gov | legacy | 11.29.17 Leahy Announces $1.3 Million Grant To Help The Vermont State Police Combat The Opioid Epidemic . . . Vermont Grant Is One Of Only 8 Nationwide Senate Appropriations Committee Vice Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) Wednesday announced a grant of more than $1.3 million for the Vermont State Police (VSP) to continue its aggressive work fighting the opioid epidemic in Vermont. This was the second-largest of only eight grants awarded nationwide through the highly competitive COPS Anti-Heroin Task Force (AHTF) grant program that Leahy created in the fiscal year 2015 Commerce, Justice, and Science (CJS) appropriations bill. In his new role as the Vice Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Leahy fought hard to fund the program at $10 million in the fiscal year 2017 enacted CJS appropriations act, despite the Department of Justice proposing to eliminate the program. The VSP will use the $1.3 million award to continue funding the five troopers and one analyst hired with the first grant of more than $1.4 million that it received in 2015 through the AHTF grant program. Leahy also is a leading champion of this and other COPS programs on the Judiciary Committee, which oversees the program. Leahy said: “I designed the Anti-Heroin Task Force grant program specifically with the Vermont State Police’s Drug Task Force in mind. The vital and highly successful investigative work that the Task Force does in Vermont is a key component of our fight against the scourge of addiction that touches communities and families across our state. The detectives and analysts dedicated to the anti-heroin task force, whose work is supported with these funds, work to get right at the heart of Vermont’s distribution networks, targeting those who profit from the misery of Vermonters and their families.” “We know that enforcement is only one element of the fight against opioid addiction, and I will continue to work to see that fu… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://welch.house.gov/media-center/in-the-news/vermont-business-magazine-gentleman-every-sense-word-mr-welch-goes | Vermont Business Magazine: A Gentleman in Every Sense of the Word: Mr. Welch Goes to Washington | 2017-11-27 | 2017 | 2017-11 | Democrat | House | VT | Peter Welch | W000800 | welch.house.gov | legacy | There are two great threats to American democracy today and neither one are named Trump, said Vermont’s lone-ranger congressman, Peter Francis Welch (D-VT). “One is (the US Supreme Court decision) Citizens United and the immense amount of money in politics that’s not accountable,” Welch said. “And the other is gerrymandering, where you get boutique districts designed for either the extreme right or the extreme left. Those two issues have gotten worse since I’ve been in Congress. Trump just upped the ante.” Vermonters elected Welch to the House of Representatives as their standard-bearing liberal/progressive, throwing him into the flaming fires of Washington politics in 2006, back when George W Bush was president. Liking what they saw, they have sent him back every two years since. If Vermonters thought Welch would have an easier time after Bush, when Democratic President Barack Obama came into office, then two words should correct that thinking: those words are Mitch and McConnell. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) is the man who vowed to stonewall every piece of Obama’s legislation that he could get his hands on. He remains Senate Majority Leader. And now there’s President Donald Trump. You have to wonder if Vermonters have a collective death wish for Welch. Welch, however, loves his job and refuses to talk about retiring. “Congress has been a tremendous opportunity for someone who believes we’ve all got to pitch in to do the best to maintain our democracy,” he said. “I just love serving in Congress. And my period in Congress has been extraordinary times for the country.” In person Welch looks like a buttoned-down lawyer, but he has an unexpected history of involvement in social justice issues that some might call radical. “It’s the culture I grew up in,” said Welch, who was born into a large Irish Catholic family in Springfield, Mass. “When I was a kid we took a trip down south to Florida. I think we were in Georgia when I saw the segregated water fountains and bathrooms. They were quite shocking… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://welch.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/welch-statement-fcc-chairmans-proposal-repeal-net-neutrality-rules | Welch Statement on FCC Chairman's Proposal to Repeal Net Neutrality Rules | 2017-11-22 | 2017 | 2017-11 | Democrat | House | VT | Peter Welch | W000800 | welch.house.gov | legacy | Rep. Peter Welch (D-VT) issued the following statement in response to the Federal Communications Commission chairman’s proposal to repeal net neutrality rules. “A free and open internet is essential to the free flow of ideas, creativity, participatory democracy, and commerce. This proposal is a wholesale abandonment of the FCC's core responsibility to protect the interests of consumers and an early Christmas present to big telecom companies, who will be able to pick and choose who gets access to the internet and at what speed. I hope the courts overturn this misguided anti-consumer policy.” ### | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/-reaction-of-senator-patrick-leahy-d-vt-to-apples-response-to-the-letter-from-senator-cruz-and-senator-leahy- | Reaction of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) To Apples Response To The Letter From Senator Cruz And Senator Leahy | 2017-11-21 | 2017 | 2017-11 | Democrat | House | VT | Patrick Leahy | L000174 | www.leahy.senate.gov | legacy | 11.21.17 Reaction of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) To Apple’s Response To The Letter From Senator Cruz And Senator Leahy “American tech companies have become leading champions of free expression. But that commitment should not end at our borders. Global leaders in innovation, like Apple, have both an opportunity and a moral obligation to promote free expression and other basic human rights in countries that routinely deny these rights. Apple is clearly a force for good in China, but I also believe it and other tech companies must continue to push back on Chinese suppression of free expression.” LINK to Apple’s letter: https://www.leahy.senate.gov/download/apple-letter-on-china-to-leahy-and-cruz Press Contact David Carle: 202-224-3693 Next Article Previous Article | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/appropriations-committee-vice-chairman-leahy-calls-on-congress-for-bipartisan-budget-deal | Appropriations Committee Vice Chairman Leahy Calls On Congress For Bipartisan Budget Deal | 2017-11-21 | 2017 | 2017-11 | Democrat | House | VT | Patrick Leahy | L000174 | www.leahy.senate.gov | legacy | 11.21.17 Appropriations Committee Vice Chairman Leahy Calls On Congress For Bipartisan Budget Deal Senate Appropriations Committee Vice Chairman Patrick Leahy Tuesday renewed his call for a bipartisan budget deal that would allow for real investments in the American people. Leahy said: “With just 17 days until the current continuing resolution expires and the threat of sequestration looming in January, our toughest path remains ahead. We must come together to reach a bipartisan budget deal that allows for an increase in both defense AND non-defense spending to alleviate the devastating consequences of sequestration on our domestic priorities and military readiness. I look forward to working with Chairman Cochran and leadership on both sides of the aisle in accomplishing that goal.” Under the Budget Control Act of 2011 (BCA), discretionary programs are recklessly slashed by $2 trillion under post-sequestration budget cuts. The resulting cuts have already taken their toll on everything from the readiness of U.S. armed forces, to millions of families not receiving heating assistance, and drastic cuts to federal investment in job training and employment programs. The consequences of these cuts will be felt for a generation or more. Unless a budget deal is reached, the BCA would demand another $5 billion in cuts from fiscal year 2017 funding levels -- $2 billion from defense and $3 billion from non-defense discretionary funding. The Chairman’s mark for defense appropriations released Tuesday exceeds the spending caps by $70 billion and if enacted will trigger across the board spending cuts of more than 13 percent for defense programs on January 15 unless a bipartisan budget agreement is reached. In July, Leahy offered a proposal that would increase defense spending in fiscal year 2018 by $54 billion above post-sequester spending caps, mandated by the Budget Control Act, and provide an equal increase in non-defense programs – a budget and policy approach known as “parity.” Committee Democrats … | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/appropriations-vice-chair-leahys-summary-of/reax-to-chairmans-mark-for-the-fy2018-homeland-security-appropriations-bill | Appropriations Vice Chair Leahys SUMMARY of/REAX To Chairmans Mark For The FY2018 Homeland Security Appropriations Bill | 2017-11-21 | 2017 | 2017-11 | Democrat | House | VT | Patrick Leahy | L000174 | www.leahy.senate.gov | legacy | 11.21.17 Appropriations Vice Chair Leahy’s SUMMARY of/REAX To Chairman’s Mark For The FY2018 Homeland Security Appropriations Bill The Senate Appropriations Committee Tuesday made public the Chairman’s Mark of the fiscal year 2018 Department of Homeland Security Appropriations bill. The bill provides a total discretionary appropriation of $51.565 billion. The net discretionary total is $44.050 billion after the following amounts are excluded: $559 million in emergency appropriations for disaster relief; cap adjustment funding of $6.793 billion for disaster relief; and $163 million for Overseas Contingency Operations. U.S. Senator Jon Tester (D-Mont.), Ranking Member of the Department of Homeland Security Subcommittee, said: “The annual Homeland Security Appropriations bill is critically important for our national security, cybersecurity, airport security, and our emergency responders. Unfortunately, this bill funds a costly and ineffective border wall that is wasting taxpayers’ money and blocking a bipartisan debate on this important legislation. We can’t spend billions of dollars on a wall at the expense of our firefighters, airports, ports, transit hubs, and local communities. We can secure our borders more effectively with better technology and more manpower without saddling our kids and grandkids with the debt a border wall will require. As the appropriations process moves forward, I hope we can reignite a spirit of compromise and working together.” U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Vice Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, said: “President Trump ran on a clear campaign promise – he was going to build a wall between the U.S. and Mexico, and Mexico would pay for it. He could not have been clearer. I have also been clear about how I feel about this misguided campaign promise. Building a wall along our southern border is a waste of taxpayer dollars and an insult to our neighbor to the South. To pay for Trump’s wall, vital programs have been slashed out of this bill, which… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/durbin-leahy-statement-on-fy18-defense-appropriations-chairmans-mark | Durbin, Leahy Statement on FY18 Defense Appropriations Chairman's Mark | 2017-11-21 | 2017 | 2017-11 | Democrat | House | VT | Patrick Leahy | L000174 | www.leahy.senate.gov | legacy | 11.21.17 Durbin, Leahy Statement on FY18 Defense Appropriations Chairman's Mark U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), vice chairman of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, and U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy, vice chairman of the Appropriations Committee, released the following statement on the release of the Fiscal Year 2018 Defense Appropriations Act. The bill exceeds President Trump’s request by $15.3 billion, and exceeds the sequestration caps by $70 billion. This is a step forward, though we remain deeply concerned about the process. So before anyone cheers the major new investments in our national defense, we should pause and recognize that the lack of a budget deal means that all of these new investments will be automatically cut by 13% beginning on January 15th. The right way forward is to conclude a budget deal and then pass an omnibus as soon as possible that contains equal investments in both the military and America’s many critical domestic needs. That must include the bipartisan Dream Act to which the President has already committed. And while the lack of a budget deal to address these issues is extremely concerning, we would like to recognize Chairman Cochran’s work in the Defense Subcommittee to look out for America’s service members and the security of our country. We remain hopeful that a budget agreement can be reached soon to keep all of America strong. Press Contact David Carle: 202-224-3693 Previous Article | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/leahy-slams-border-wall-funding-as-bumper-sticker-budgeting | Leahy Slams Border Wall Funding As Bumper Sticker Budgeting | 2017-11-21 | 2017 | 2017-11 | Democrat | House | VT | Patrick Leahy | L000174 | www.leahy.senate.gov | legacy | 11.21.17 Leahy Slams Border Wall Funding As “Bumper Sticker Budgeting” Slamming the proposal as “bumper sticker budgeting,” Senate Appropriations Committee Vice Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) Tuesday focused on a provision in the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations bill that would provide $1.6 billion from American taxpayers for President Trump’s border wall with Mexico. Leahy said: “This is bumper sticker budgeting to save face for one of President Trump’s failed campaign promises. Instead of wasting billions of taxpayer dollars to fund this costly and ineffective proxy for real action on immigration reform, we should be directing our resources toward finding cures for cancer, building schools for our children, feeding the hungry, rebuilding our infrastructure and real security. We should be investing in what brings us together, not building walls that drive us apart.” Placed in strategic locations identified by the Department of Homeland Security as being in need of additional security to prevent illegal border crossings or other illicit activities, the United States already has 654 miles of pedestrian fencing or vehicle barriers along its southern border. The additional 74 miles of President Trump’s border wall proposed in the appropriations bill is estimated to impact 900 landowners and cost as much as $22 million per mile. With legal disputes still ongoing from border wall construction a decade ago in Texas, the legal costs of new construction are expected to be astronomical and drawn out over years. With illegal border crossings on the decline and apprehensions along the southern border reaching historic lows, Leahy argued that American tax dollars should be spent elsewhere and invested in the American people. If the bill had gone through markup in the full Senate Appropriations Committee, Leahy would have offered an amendment that would have blocked funding for the wall unless it was paid for by Mexico, as President Trump promised. Leahy said: “President Trump ran on a cl… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/sen-leahy-sen-cardin-and-others-send-letter-to-mnuchin-on-sec-oil-gas-mining-transparency-rule | Sen. Leahy, Sen. Cardin And Others Send Letter To Mnuchin On SEC Oil, Gas, Mining Transparency Rule | 2017-11-21 | 2017 | 2017-11 | Democrat | House | VT | Patrick Leahy | L000174 | www.leahy.senate.gov | legacy | 11.21.17 Sen. Leahy, Sen. Cardin And Others Send Letter To Mnuchin On SEC Oil, Gas, Mining Transparency Rule . . . Senators criticize Treasury move to invalidate law, point to other country, company compliance as proof that transparency works U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, led 14 of his colleagues Tuesday, including Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), in a letter to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, urging him to withdraw the Department’s recent recommendation that a key extractive industry transparency provision be completely repealed by Congress. Earlier this year, Congressional Republicans halted the Securities and Exchange Commission’s implementation of the rule but left the underlying rulemaking instructions in place. Section 1504 of Dodd-Frank, also known as the bipartisan Cardin-Lugar Anti-Corruption provision, promotes transparency and accountability by requiring domestic and foreign oil, gas, and mineral companies traded on U.S. stock exchanges to publish the payments they make to foreign governments. Leahy also played a central role in its enactment. Joining Senator Cardin on the letter are U.S. Senators Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Tom Udall (D-N.M.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), and Bob Menendez (D-N.J.). “The Treasury Department’s recommendation to repeal the statute would forfeit U.S. leadership on this critical issue, at a time when it is vital the U.S. reaffirm its commitment to combating corruption,” the Senators said. “Repeal would also undermine our energy security and our national security….undermine global transparency and anti-corruption efforts, and undercut our allies who followed U.S. leadership … | 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-federal-judges-nationwide-injunction-blocking-trump-executive-order-on-sanctuary-jurisdictions | Statement Of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) On Federal Judges Nationwide Injunction Blocking Trump Executive Order On Sanctuary Jurisdictions | 2017-11-21 | 2017 | 2017-11 | Democrat | House | VT | Patrick Leahy | L000174 | www.leahy.senate.gov | legacy | 11.21.17 Statement Of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) On Federal Judge’s Nationwide Injunction Blocking Trump Executive Order On “Sanctuary Jurisdictions” [Last week the U.S. Department of Justice notified 29 jurisdictions, including the State of Vermont and the City of Burlington, of its plans to withhold federal funding based on claims that their policing policies violated federal law with respect to immigration enforcement. Both Vermont jurisdictions have steadfastly denied the DOJ claims, which threatened more than $500,000 in Byrne JAG funding to Vermont law enforcement agencies. Following is Senator Patrick Leahy’s reaction to the court’s nationwide injunction:] On Monday night a federal judge saw the Trump Administration’s attempt to deny critical funding to so-called “sanctuary jurisdictions” for what it is: unconstitutional. Police chiefs, sheriffs and local leaders should decide what state and local policies are necessary to keep their communities safe -- not a President and an Attorney General who are attempting to extort immigration reform by cutting off vital public safety resources to those communities. This decision makes clear that it is an affront to our government’s fundamental separation of powers for the Trump Administration to retaliate against states and localities that refuse to bow to its xenophobic, anti-immigrant agenda. The Trump Administration’s efforts to villainize and scapegoat immigrants and harass states and communities are not just disgraceful, they are illegal. This decision casts doubt on the authority of the Attorney General to withhold funding from the 29 jurisdictions that were notified last week. Press Contact David Carle: 202-224-3693 Next Article Previous Article | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/appropriations-vice-chair-leahys-summary-of-chairmans-mark-of-fy2018-financial-services-and-genl-govt-appropriations-bill | Appropriations Vice Chair Leahys Summary Of Chairmans Mark Of FY2018 Financial Services & Genl. Govt. Appropriations Bill | 2017-11-20 | 2017 | 2017-11 | Democrat | House | VT | Patrick Leahy | L000174 | www.leahy.senate.gov | legacy | 11.20.17 Appropriations Vice Chair Leahy’s Summary Of Chairman’s Mark Of FY2018 Financial Services & Gen’l. Govt. Appropriations Bill Today the Senate Appropriations Committee made public the Chairman’s Mark of the fiscal year 2018 Financial Services and General Government (FSGG) Appropriations bill. The bill provides a total of $21.035 billion, including $159 million in disaster funds. This funding level is $480 million less than the fiscal year 2017 enacted level and nearly $2 billion less than the fiscal year 2018 President’s request. U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.), Ranking Member of the Financial Services and General Government Subcommittee, said: “I thank Chair Capito for addressing a number of my priorities in this bill, in particular, the Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) Fund and the Small Business Administration. I commend her for addressing many agencies’ pressing needs by providing resources above the level the President requested, including for the Internal Revenue Service, the Office of National Drug Control Policy, and the Truman Scholarship Foundation. However, I am disappointed that the Senate bill includes two new riders that I don’t believe belong in this bill. First, the bill includes a provision that effectively negates the campaign finance spending limits imposed on coordinated spending by federal candidates and party committees. Second, the bill puts in jeopardy continued funding for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. If the subcommittee had marked-up, I would have offered amendments to provide much-needed funding to states to protect their election systems from outside intrusions and to protect the personal data collected by the new Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity. I am also disappointed that funding for some key regulatory agencies falls far below the necessary levels, jeopardizing the ability of these agencies to vigorously protect markets, investors, and consumers from unscrupulous practices. In addition, I’m… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/appropriations-vice-chair-leahys-summary-of-chairmans-mark-of-the-fy2018-interior-environment-appropriations-bill | Appropriations Vice Chair Leahys Summary Of Chairmans Mark Of The FY2018 Interior, Environment Appropriations Bill | 2017-11-20 | 2017 | 2017-11 | Democrat | House | VT | Patrick Leahy | L000174 | www.leahy.senate.gov | legacy | 11.20.17 Appropriations Vice Chair Leahy’s Summary Of Chairman’s Mark Of The FY2018 Interior, Environment Appropriations Bill The Senate Appropriations Committee Monday made public the Chairman’s Mark for the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Fiscal Year 2018 Appropriations Bill. The Senate bill recommends $32.536 billion in discretionary funding for agencies funded by the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies bill, which includes $32.030 billion in discretionary funds and $507 million in emergency funds to pay for wildland firefighting needs. Excluding emergency funding, the amount provided is $250 million below the fiscal year 2017 level and $4.831 billion above the President’s budget request. The bill makes troubling cuts to clean air and water programs and includes a number of policy riders that would weaken the nation’s core laws protecting public health and the environment. U.S. Senator Tom Udall (D-N.M.), Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies, said: “I deeply regret that we weren’t able to come together and produce a bipartisan bill, because this bill includes many priorities for New Mexico and the nation that I want to support. I especially appreciate that Senator Murkowski worked with me and other members on both sides of the aisle to reject the president’s disastrous proposal to eliminate the National Endowment for the Arts and National Endowment for the Humanities and maintain level funding for each of the endowments. But I can’t look past the deep and damaging cuts to the EPA budget in this bill that put public health at risk. And I can't ignore that it takes aim at the laws that protect our environment and our communities. It’s very disappointing that this bill continues to be the target for unacceptable poison pill policy riders that undercut bedrock environmental laws like the Endangered Species Act and the Clean Water Act. Had we marked up, I would have offered an amendment to restore the EPA's budget and signif… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/federal-grants-totaling-nearly-600000-to-help-5-vt-communities-hire-new-officers-cops-grants | Federal Grants Totaling Nearly $600,000 To Help 5 VT Communities Hire New Officers (COPS Grants) | 2017-11-20 | 2017 | 2017-11 | Democrat | House | VT | Patrick Leahy | L000174 | www.leahy.senate.gov | legacy | 11.20.17 Federal Grants Totaling Nearly $600,000 To Help 5 VT Communities Hire New Officers (COPS Grants) Senator Patrick Leahy Monday announced that five rural Vermont law enforcement agencies will receive a total of nearly $600,000 to help hire new officers through the Department of Justice COPS Hiring Program. The program covers a large portion of the costs that communities face when adding officers to their ranks, thereby supporting the goals of community policing. “These funds are critical to small law enforcement agencies that would otherwise find it too costly to bring a new officer on board,” said Leahy, a longtime champion of the program who continues to support its funding through his role as Vice Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee. “With the increase in opioid abuse and its inherent problems, our law enforcement agencies and officers are stretched to their limits. This is the type of federal spending that just makes common sense.” The funding provides up to 75 percent of the entry-level salaries and benefits of full-time officers over a three-year period, with a required 25 percent local match. Each of the five Vermont grants will allow the respective departments to hire one new officer. The FY 2017 grants include: Essex County Sheriff’s Department - $113,169 Franklin County Sheriff’s Department - $93,583 Hardwick Police Department - $125,000 Orange County Sheriff’s Department - $125,000 Village of Winhall Police Department - $125,000 In the case of Franklin County, the new funding will help hire a School Resource Officer in Fairfax for grades K-12, according to Franklin County Sheriff Robert Norris. Leahy said he was pleased that this year’s grant awards would be helping some of the state’s most rural populations, noting, “Our small law enforcement agencies are being asked to do more every day to meet the needs of their communities. We know the challenges of illegal drug use hit our small towns just as they do our larger cities, and our law enforcement partners… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/leahy-notches-key-victories-for-lake-champlain-and-vermont-in-appropriations-bill | Leahy Notches Key Victories For Lake Champlain And Vermont In Appropriations Bill | 2017-11-20 | 2017 | 2017-11 | Democrat | House | VT | Patrick Leahy | L000174 | www.leahy.senate.gov | legacy | 11.20.17 Leahy Notches Key Victories For Lake Champlain And Vermont In Appropriations Bill Senate Appropriations Committee Vice Chairman Patrick Leahy Monday announced several key victories for programs that support Lake Champlain, conservation initiatives, and historic downtowns across Vermont. The programs were funded through the Appropriations Committee bill on the Interior, Environment and Related Agencies, for Fiscal Year 2018, which was released on Monday afternoon. The bill will now be negotiated to reconcile differences between the Senate and House bills prior to being considered by the full Senate. Leahy said: “While I am deeply disappointed that the overall bill has bowed to the anti-science know-nothingism of President Trump by slashing environmental programs and denying the reality of climate change, I am glad we were able to secure funding for programs that are vitally important for Lake Champlain and conservation efforts across our state. As Vice Chairman, I will continue to fight against the Trump agenda and work to restore the cuts that are in this bill as we continue through the appropriations process.” The Senate bill contains: $4 million increase, for a total $8.4 million, for the Lake Champlain Program; $8 million increase, for a total $444 million, for the EPA Geographic Programs; $3 million increase for a new federal Historic Revitalization Grants program; $100,000 increase, for a total $489,000, to administer and implement the Lake Champlain Sea Lamprey Control Program; $35 million increase, for a total $106.5 million, for U.S. Forest Service Capital Improvements; and $1.8 million for Forest Service Acquisition of Rolston Rest. President Trump’s budget would have eliminated all of the EPA’s Geographic Programs, abandoning a significant portion of federal support for ongoing regional clean-up projects in areas like Lake Champlain, the Great Lakes and the Gulf of Mexico that partner with local programs to find solutions. In large complex ecosystems like Lake C… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/appropriations-vice-chairman-leahys-reax-to-trump-adms-3rd-emergency-supplemental-request | Appropriations Vice Chairman Leahy's REAX To Trump Adm.'s 3rd Emergency Supplemental Request | 2017-11-17 | 2017 | 2017-11 | Democrat | House | VT | Patrick Leahy | L000174 | www.leahy.senate.gov | legacy | 11.17.17 Appropriations Vice Chairman Leahy's REAX To Trump Adm.'s 3rd Emergency Supplemental Request [Senate Appropriations Committee Vice Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) Friday issued the following statement on the Trump Administration’s emergency supplemental request, totaling $44 billion, to address recent natural disasters. Earlier this month, Leahy and Senator Schumer led a letter outlining what Senate Democrats believe should be contained in the supplemental request.] The Trump Administration’s request does not come close to meeting the needs of victims of recent natural disasters in Texas, Florida, California, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Earlier this month, Senator Schumer and I led Senate Democrats in calling on President Trump to put forward a comprehensive package to provide relief from the recent onslaught of natural disasters. This is not that package. This is wholly inadequate and downright insulting, especially for the people of Puerto Rico who, eight to ten weeks after Hurricanes Irma and Maria, are struggling to get the lights back on and are looking to Congress for help. As Vice Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee I have received requests for more than $180 billion in federal assistance from communities impacted by hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria. This request doesn’t come even close to meeting those needs. This was a chance for the Trump Administration to show that they care about ALL Americans and that the federal government stands behind disaster-struck communities. They failed. It does not provide sufficient funds to rebuild homes, roads, bridges, schools, or Puerto Rico’s electrical grid. What’s more, the Administration wants to pay for this package by making cuts to other important programs that states, including Texas, Florida and others affected by the hurricanes, rely on. This is not how we have treated disasters in the past, and Texas, Florida, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands deserve no less than our full commitment to hel… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/senate-unanimously-passes-grassley-leahy-bill-to-protect-whistleblowers-in-criminal-antitrust-cases | Senate Unanimously Passes Grassley-Leahy Bill to Protect Whistleblowers in Criminal Antitrust Cases | 2017-11-17 | 2017 | 2017-11 | Democrat | House | VT | Patrick Leahy | L000174 | www.leahy.senate.gov | legacy | 11.17.17 Senate Unanimously Passes Grassley-Leahy Bill to Protect Whistleblowers in Criminal Antitrust Cases The U.S. Senate Wednesday night unanimously passed the Criminal Antitrust Anti-Retaliation Act to extend whistleblower protection for employees who provide information to the Department of Justice related to criminal antitrust violations. Senators Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), coauthors of the legislation, hailed the Senate’s quick action on their bipartisan measure. Approval of the bill comes just one month after the Judiciary Committee unanimously reported it to the full Senate. Grassley, current Judiciary Committee Chairman, and Leahy, a former chair of the panel, have worked on this legislation since a Government Accountability Office report recommended these changes in 2011. The measure has passed the Senate the past two Congresses but was not taken up by the House. “Whistleblowers who shed light on violations of our antitrust laws not only help to fight crime; they also help protect consumers from less choice and higher prices in the marketplace. Our bill encourages private sector employees to disclose such criminal behavior by protecting them from retaliation at work. Whistleblowers are critical to exposing fraud, waste and abuse in government, and it’s high time we empower whistleblowers in the private sector to do the same for consumers,” Grassley said. “I applaud the Senate for again acting to advance meaningful bipartisan legislation that will improve the detection and enforcement of antitrust laws. I will now work with Senator Grassley to advance this commonsense legislation in the House and finally get it to the President for signature. No one should be retaliated against for blowing the whistle on criminal activity. If enacted, this legislation will make it harder for bad actors to get away with illegal anticompetitive behavior. Most importantly, it will promote a free and open marketplace and will protect consumers,” Leahy said. The bill allows e… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/senator-lee-and-senator-leahy-introduce-the-usa-liberty-act-in-the-senate | Senator Lee And Senator Leahy Introduce The USA Liberty Act In The Senate | 2017-11-17 | 2017 | 2017-11 | Democrat | House | VT | Patrick Leahy | L000174 | www.leahy.senate.gov | legacy | 11.17.17 Senator Lee And Senator Leahy Introduce The USA Liberty Act In The Senate . . . Key Privacy Improvements For FISA Senator Mike Lee (R-Utah) and Senator Patrick Leahy have jointly introduced the Uniting and Strengthening American Liberty Act (USA Liberty Act) of 2017 in the United States Senate. Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) Amendments Act will expire on December 31, 2017. This legislation would reauthorize Section 702 while making key privacy improvements. Section 702 allows the government to collect sweeping amounts of Internet and other communications, including content and metadata, by targeting communications of foreigners abroad. But in doing so, the government also acquires a vast amount of Americans’ communications and is able to search through such collection without a warrant or even a court order. The Lee-Leahy legislation would apply stricter limits on the government’s ability to search Section 702 collection for communications of Americans and persons inside the United States, to ensure this surveillance is consistent with the Fourth Amendment. The bill is modeled after legislation of the same name introduced in the House of Representatives by House Judiciary Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) and Ranking Member John Conyers Jr. (D-Mich.). Last Congress, Senators Lee and Leahy partnered with the same House Judiciary leaders to pass the historic USA FREEDOM Act, which ended NSA bulk metadata collection and contained significant reforms to other surveillance authorities. Both the House bill, which earlier this month was reported out of the House Judiciary Committee in a strong bipartisan vote, and this Senate companion bill contain long-overdue reforms to this powerful surveillance authority. They codify an end to “about” collection, enhance accountability, and increase protections for queries of Section 702 metadata, among other important reforms. The Sen… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://welch.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/welch-statement-doj-decision-withhold-federal-law-enforcement-grants | Welch Statement on DOJ Decision to Withhold Federal Law Enforcement Grants | 2017-11-16 | 2017 | 2017-11 | Democrat | House | VT | Peter Welch | W000800 | welch.house.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON - Rep. Peter Welch (D-VT) issued the following statement in response to a decision by the U.S. Department of Justice to initiate punitive measures against the State of Vermont and the City of Burlington related to immigration. “This decision is a slap in the face to Burlington, the State of Vermont and law enforcement agencies across our state. It is a blatant attempt by the Attorney General to strong-arm state and local governments in this country to fall in line with the Trump Administration’s offensive anti-immigrant policies. The courts should block this heavy-handed and punitive decision.” ### | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/leahy-statement-on-the-national-defense-authorization-act-conference-report | Leahy Statement On The National Defense Authorization Act Conference Report | 2017-11-16 | 2017 | 2017-11 | Democrat | House | VT | Patrick Leahy | L000174 | www.leahy.senate.gov | legacy | 11.16.17 Leahy Statement On The National Defense Authorization Act Conference Report The Fiscal Year 2018 National Defense Authorization Act, while laudable in its goals, does not comport with reality. At roughly $700 billion, the proposed base funding in this bill is $85 billion above budget caps that are set in law for fiscal year 2018 in the Budget Control Act (BCA), and $31 billion above the administration’s budget request. If the authorized funding level were to be appropriated, without changing the caps, it would trigger a 12 percent across-the-board sequester of defense programs to bring spending levels back to the fiscal year 2018 levels contained in the Budget Control Act. A sequester of this size would hit us in readiness. It would hamper our day-to-day operations and maintenance. It would hurt our troops. Our military leaders do not support such a sequester. If we really want to support our military, and the men and women in uniform, we must immediately reach a bipartisan budget deal to lift the artificial and unrealistically low budget caps that were set in law in 2011. It is hard to get every member of this Chamber to agree on anything, but on this we can agree: sequester has had a negative impact on our country that will impact a generation. We need to have an honest conversation about what the needs of our country are—both in military and domestic spending, and draft our spending bills accordingly. I do appreciate the work that Senator McCain and Senator Reed have put into this massive legislation. While my concerns with the funding levels authorized in this bill prevent me from supporting it, I do believe it reflects a strong commitment to the programs and policies that support our service members and their families. That must always be our goal. I am pleased that the conferenced bill maintains support for medical research that matter so much to our service members, and to all Americans who benefit from the lifesaving results made possible through these programs. I am al… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/reaction-of-appropriations-vice-chair-patrick-leahy-d-vt-to-the-house-passed-tax-bill | Reaction Of Appropriations Vice Chair Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) To The House-Passed Tax Bill | 2017-11-16 | 2017 | 2017-11 | Democrat | House | VT | Patrick Leahy | L000174 | www.leahy.senate.gov | legacy | 11.16.17 Reaction Of Appropriations Vice Chair Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) To The House-Passed Tax Bill . . . “A hodge-podge collection of broken promises to middle class Americans” The House has passed a hodge-podge collection of broken promises to middle class Americans. Republican leaders and President Trump promised to close loopholes for large corporations and the wealthiest Americans to pay for lowering their tax rates. Instead, their tax rates would be cut, and the loopholes remain, meaning even lower effective tax rates for the wealthy, while exploding the federal debt. Vermonters would pay more by losing deductions for state and local taxes, by losing deductions for school loan interest payments and by losing deductions for medical expenses. This bill, produced by a handful of Republicans, behind closed doors, delivers huge tax breaks for corporations, padding corporations’ already bulging coffers, and it gives short shrift to ordinary Americans. There certainly are ways to do tax reform in the right way, through a bipartisan process, to truly benefit middle income families and to spur new investment, but this plan has missed that boat. Press Contact David Carle: 202-224-3693 Next Article Previous Article | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://welch.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/welch-slams-trump-ryan-tax-proposal-during-house-debate | Welch Slams Trump-Ryan Tax Proposal During House Debate | 2017-11-15 | 2017 | 2017-11 | Democrat | House | VT | Peter Welch | W000800 | welch.house.gov | legacy | Washington, DC – This afternoon, Rep. Peter Welch (D-VT) spoke against the Trump-Ryan tax proposal being debated by the House of Representatives. A final vote on the bill is expected tomorrow by early afternoon. “If you asked 435 members of Congress if they want to raise taxes on students, the answer from 435 members would be ‘no.’ This bill was written by and for the donor class. Let’s defeat this bill and stand up for the middle class.” A full transcript of Rep. Welch’s remarks can be found here. Click image to view video of Rep. Welch’s full remarks. ### | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/appropriations-vice-chairman-leahy-statement-at-hearing-on-va-efforts-to-prevent-and-combat-opioid-over-medication | Appropriations Vice Chairman Leahy Statement At Hearing On VA Efforts To Prevent And Combat Opioid Over Medication | 2017-11-15 | 2017 | 2017-11 | Democrat | House | VT | Patrick Leahy | L000174 | www.leahy.senate.gov | legacy | 11.15.17 Appropriations Vice Chairman Leahy Statement At Hearing On VA Efforts To Prevent And Combat Opioid Over Medication The opioid epidemic has reached every state – every community – in the country. It is impacting sons and daughters, mothers and fathers, friends and coworkers. And it is impacting our veterans and servicemembers. We have for over 16 years of war asked members of the active and reserve components to serve an unprecedented numbers of deployments, leaving too many veterans broken and in pain. When we needed these brave men and women to return to battle, it was too easy to prescribe opioids for pain management. That practice has continued when they returned home, where the military and the VA lean far too heavily on opioids to manage pain. It is now an all too familiar story. Over-prescribing opioid medications for chronic pain opens the door to addiction, overdose and suicide risk, which devastate families and communities. According to a 2011 VA study, veterans are twice as likely to die from overdoses than the U.S. civilian population. Yet we continue to prescribe opioids to veterans and our active duty military at an alarming rate. Among veterans, the number of prescriptions written for opioid painkillers increased 77 percent between 2004 and 2012. Beginning in 2014, the VA took common sense steps to increase patient education, provide alternative therapeutic approaches, and allow VA providers to participate in state prescription drug monitoring programs. The result has been more than 260,000 fewer patients receiving opioids this year, down from the 2012 peak of nearly 700,000 veterans. But that still leaves more than 400,000 veterans receiving opioids from VA facilities – this is unacceptable. By continuing the over-prescription and use of these dangerous and highly addictive drugs, we are creating a unique set of problems and challenges for our Nation’s veterans and our military. For example, half of all returning veterans suffer chronic pain, and more than 63 per… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/leahy-slams-attorney-general-sessions-for-threatening-public-safety-funding-to-burlington-and-the-state-of-vermont-over-the-trump-administrations-misguided-anti-immigrant-policies | Leahy Slams Attorney General Sessions For Threatening Public Safety Funding To Burlington And The State Of Vermont, Over The Trump Administrations Misguided Anti-Immigrant Policies | 2017-11-15 | 2017 | 2017-11 | Democrat | House | VT | Patrick Leahy | L000174 | www.leahy.senate.gov | legacy | 11.15.17 Leahy Slams Attorney General Sessions For Threatening Public Safety Funding To Burlington And The State Of Vermont, Over The Trump Administration’s Misguided Anti-Immigrant Policies [(WEDNESDAY, Nov. 15, 2017) – This afternoon (Wednesday), Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ Justice Department notified the State of Vermont and the City of Burlington that the Department believes they have laws, policies or practices that violate 8 U.S.C. 1373, a federal statute that promotes information-sharing related to immigration enforcement. In all, the Department cited 29 jurisdictions, sometimes derided as “sanctuary cities,” that are being threatened with the withholding of funds. Specifically, the Department is questioning whether the State of Vermont and the City of Burlington comply with requirements of the fiscal years 2016 and 2017 Byrne Justice Assistance Grants (Byrne JAG). In all, the Department threatened 29 jurisdictions, sometimes derided as “sanctuary cities,” with the withholding of Byrne JAG funds. The State of Vermont and the City of Burlington have until December 8, 2017, to submit a response to the Department that addresses whether they have laws, policies or practices that violate this statute. Byrne JAG is the primary provider of federal criminal justice funding to state and local governments, including law enforcement agencies. This program uses a congressionally mandated formula, as laid out by Congress. In fiscal year 2016, the State of Vermont received $507,892 and the City of Burlington received $39,945. For fiscal year 2017, Vermont’s allocation is $476,496, and Burlington’s is $38,845, but the Justice Department is holding up all Byrne JAG grants for the entire nation. Following is a comment on this by Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.). Leahy is the Vice Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee and a leading member of the Senate Judiciary Committee:] “These moves against the State of Vermont and the City of Burlington by Attorney General Sessions are shameful. I str… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/leahy-introduces-the-consumer-privacy-protection-act | Leahy Introduces The Consumer Privacy Protection Act | 2017-11-14 | 2017 | 2017-11 | Democrat | House | VT | Patrick Leahy | L000174 | www.leahy.senate.gov | legacy | 11.14.17 Leahy Introduces The Consumer Privacy Protection Act Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), joined by six other senators, Tuesday introduced comprehensive consumer privacy legislation to protect Americans’ sensitive personal information against cyberattacks and to ensure timely notification and protection when data is breached. Leahy’s Consumer Privacy Protection Act of 2017 would require companies to take preventive steps to defend against cyberattacks and data breaches, and to quickly provide consumers with notice and appropriate protection when a data breach occurs. The bill addresses the kinds of security breaches that have affected multiple companies – most notably the recent, massive Equifax breach that exposed the personal information of almost half the American population. This sensitive consumer information is increasingly targeted by both criminal hackers and hostile foreign powers. Leahy said: “Companies that profit from our personal information should be obligated to take steps to keep it safe, and to provide notice and protection to consumers when those protections have failed. This is a comprehensive program to help ensure that when Americans entrust corporations with their most sensitive personal information, these firms take the right steps to keep it secure and to do the right thing if breaches do occur. In today’s world, data security is no longer just about protecting our identities and our bank accounts; it is about protecting our privacy and even our national security.” The bill is cosponsored by Senators Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.); Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Al Franken (D-Minn.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisc.), and Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) who have long shared Leahy’s commitment to consumer privacy protection. The Consumer Privacy Protection Act requires that corporations meet certain baseline privacy and data security standards to keep information they store about consumers safe, and it requires that these firms provide notice and protection to consumers in the… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/leahy-statement-on-the-introduction-of-the-consumer-privacy-protection-act-of-2017 | Leahy Statement On the Introduction of the Consumer Privacy Protection Act of 2017 | 2017-11-14 | 2017 | 2017-11 | Democrat | House | VT | Patrick Leahy | L000174 | www.leahy.senate.gov | legacy | 11.14.17 Leahy Statement On the Introduction of the Consumer Privacy Protection Act of 2017 Today, I am introducing the Consumer Privacy Protection Act of 2017. This legislation, if enacted, will help ensure that when Americans entrust corporations with their most sensitive personal information, these corporations take the right steps to keep this information secure, and do the right thing in the event of a data breach. In today’s modern world, data security is no longer just about protecting our identities and our bank accounts; it is about protecting our privacy and even our national security. The need for this legislation has long been clear, and never more so than in the wake of the recent, massive Equifax data breach. After media investigations and multiple Congressional hearings, we learned that the Equifax breach exposed the sensitive personal information of almost half the American population. We also learned that Equifax failed to take basic steps to secure its databases, and waited an unjustifiably long period before notifying consumers and regulators. Clearly, it is past time for all corporations that hold our personal information to maintain some common-sense, baseline cybersecurity standards. Corporations make significant profits from our personal information, and they should be obligated to keep it safe. Yet too often, data breaches continue to plague American businesses and compromise the privacy of millions of consumers. At the same time, the amount of information we share with corporations who are the target of these breaches is growing. Corporations collect and store our social security numbers, our bank account information, and our email addresses. They collect information about our private health and medical conditions. They know what routes we take to work and where we drop our kids off at school. They can replicate our fingerprints or even faceprints. We trust them with private photographs that we store in the cloud. This information is increasingly targeted by bo… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/leahy-statement-on-the-attorney-generals-russia-related-testimony-before-the-senate- | Leahy Statement On the Attorney Generals Russia-related testimony before the Senate | 2017-11-13 | 2017 | 2017-11 | Democrat | House | VT | Patrick Leahy | L000174 | www.leahy.senate.gov | legacy | 11.13.17 Leahy Statement On the Attorney General’s Russia-related testimony before the Senate Over the past 10 months, the Attorney General has testified before the Senate on three occasions about his knowledge of and contacts with Russian operatives. He also answered written questions and provided additional supplemental testimony. But he still has not gotten his story straight. On numerous occasions, new disclosures of his communications involving Russia have raised serious doubts about his testimony. And not one of these disclosures has come from the Attorney General; all have come from the press or unsealed court records. That is a problem. This started in January. At his nomination hearing both Senator Franken and I asked him about contacts with Russian officials. I asked him in writing whether he had been in contact with anyone connected to the Russian government about the 2016 election. It was not a tricky or surprising question. Other Trump officials’ undisclosed contacts with Russians, like those of Michael Flynn or Jared Kushner, were major headlines at the time. Under oath, then-Senator Sessions answered with a single word, “no.” We soon learned that the answer was “yes”—just the opposite. In March, the Washington Post reported that Sessions met with Russian Ambassador Kislyak on two occasions during the height of the 2016 campaign. Days later, the Attorney General was forced to recuse himself from the Russia investigation. In June, the press reported on a third undisclosed contact. In July, despite the Attorney General’s previous assertions that he never discussed the campaign with Russian officials, U.S. intelligence intercepts reportedly revealed that he had done just that—discussing the campaign and its positions on Russia-related issues with the Russian ambassador. When I asked the Attorney General about this report in the Judiciary Committee last month, his testimony shifted yet again; he acknowledged that it was “possible” he had those conversations. That flatly co… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/leahy-no-tax-breaks-for-corporate-misconduct | Leahy: No Tax Breaks For Corporate Misconduct | 2017-11-09 | 2017 | 2017-11 | Democrat | House | VT | Patrick Leahy | L000174 | www.leahy.senate.gov | legacy | 11.09.17 Leahy: No Tax Breaks For Corporate Misconduct U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy Thursday reintroduced legislation to close a tax loophole that allows corporations to write off the punishment they receive for egregious wrongdoing as an “ordinary” business expense. Punitive damages are imposed rarely, and only on bad actors whose reckless misconduct resulted in extreme consequences – and usually great harm to peoples’ lives. Such damages are intended to impose a punishment on the wrongdoer so that more responsible decisions will be made in the future. But enabling corporations to deduct these damages lessens the deterrent effect of that punishment. Leahy first introduced legislation to close this loophole in 2011. The bill is cosponsored by Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), and Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.). Leahy said: “By giving corporations a deduction specifically for their wrongdoing, our tax code winks and nods at future wrongdoers who know that they can simply write off the damages they owe for the damage they cause. This is wrong. Protecting Americans from corporate misconduct is not a political or partisan issue. It is our job.” Corporate bad actors have been hit with punitive damages and penalties for causing tragic disasters such as the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill which devastated Alaska’s southern coast; the 2010 explosion at Big Branch mine in West Virginia that claimed the lives of 29 miners; and the 2010 Deepwater Horizon rig explosion in the Gulf of Mexico that claimed 11 lives and led to the worst oil spill in U.S. history. But thanks to the existing loophole, these corporations were lawfully able to deduct these punitive damages and penalties as a mere cost of doing business. The Joint Committee on Taxation has estimated that closing the punitive damages loophole could increase federal revenues by $415 million over 10 years. Blumenthal said: “A tax write-off for corporate malfeasance defies all reason. The companies that tak… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/senate-confirms-senator-leahys-and-governor-scotts-recommendation-for-vermonts-next-us-attorney-christina-nolan | Senate Confirms Senator Leahys And Governor Scotts Recommendation For Vermonts Next U.S. Attorney, Christina Nolan | 2017-11-09 | 2017 | 2017-11 | Democrat | House | VT | Patrick Leahy | L000174 | www.leahy.senate.gov | legacy | 11.09.17 Senate Confirms Senator Leahy’s And Governor Scott’s Recommendation For Vermont’s Next U.S. Attorney, Christina Nolan The U.S. Senate Thursday night unanimously confirmed Christina Nolan to be Vermont’s next U.S. Attorney, following the recommendation of U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy and Vermont Governor Phil Scott (R). Ms. Nolan was nominated less than two months ago by President Trump, and she is one of only two U.S. Attorney nominees to be confirmed in states with Democratic Senators and is also one of only two women to be confirmed as U.S. Attorneys in this Congress. Leahy is a leading member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, which handled the nomination. Ms. Nolan will be the 38th U.S. Attorney and the first woman to be Senate-confirmed in Vermont’s history. She will lead an office of some 45 employees, including 20 attorneys who represent the United States in criminal and civil litigation in Vermont. Ms. Nolan has served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in Vermont since 2010, and in recent years has focused on criminal cases involving trafficking in heroin and other opioids. In a joint statement, Leahy and Scott said: “Christina Nolan is a native Vermonter and a well-respected Assistant U.S. Attorney with a passion for the State of Vermont and for the mission of a prosecutor — to seek justice and improve our communities. She also understands the public safety challenges facing our state, especially how opioid addiction has affected so many Vermont families and how this needs to be an important focus of the office. We were proud to join together to recommend Christina to the President for this position, the top federal law enforcement official in our state. We know she will make Vermont proud. “We also extend our appreciation to Eugenia A.P. Cowles, who has served Vermonters well as the Acting U.S. Attorney since February.” Press Contact David Carle: 202-224-3693 … | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://welch.house.gov/media-center/in-the-news/addison-county-independent-local-farmers-congressman-welch-share-farm | Addison County Independent: Local Farmers, Congressman Welch Share Farm Priorities | 2017-11-08 | 2017 | 2017-11 | Democrat | House | VT | Peter Welch | W000800 | welch.house.gov | legacy | “It’s a mess in Washington,” Congressman Peter Welch told a group of Champlain Valley specialty crop farmers who gathered in Middlebury last week to share their wish lists for the 2018 farm bill. But, despite the dysfunction in much of the nation’s capital, the Vermont Democrat said there is still hope because there tends to be bipartisan support to “get a decent farm bill.” Key to building that support, he said, is first gathering specific concerns and recommendations from constituents. “A lot of my colleagues, Republican and Democrat, will be having similar meetings with folks like you in their communities,” Welch said. “The purpose of this meeting today is to get input from you as to what I should be doing on the farm bill.” The around 15 participants gathered, fittingly, in the processing area at Happy Valley Orchard on Monday morning. One topic Welch wished to discuss was support for local foods, which, he said, is an important topic for Congressional representatives from around the country. He described a “significant movement in Congress to try to broaden out the farm bill to support local agriculture.” And he noted the growing awareness nationwide of the multiple positive impacts local sustainable agriculture brings to local communities. Chief among these benefits is healthier food, Welch said, but there are other benefits. “There’s a growing sense of awareness that (local, sustainable agriculture) is good for the environment,” he said. “It keeps land open. People just love the ‘collateral consequences’ of your work and husbandry. And there’s a growing appreciation for the economic impact that the work you do has because that money stays locally.” Area farmers in attendance included three apple growers — host Stan Pratt and Shoreham orchardists Bill Suhr and Scott Douglas — and vegetable growers Becky Maden of Orwell’s Singing Cedars Farmstead and Spencer Blackwell of Middlebury’s Elmer Farm. Grower/vintners from South Hero’s Snow Farm Vineyard and Shelburne Vineyard found Ken Albert also took part. Othe… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/breaking-leahy-reax-to-new-treasury-dept-regs-restricting-travel-and-transactions-by-american-citizens-in-cuba- | BREAKING: Leahy REAX To New Treasury Dept. Regs. Restricting Travel & Transactions By American Citizens In Cuba | 2017-11-08 | 2017 | 2017-11 | Democrat | House | VT | Patrick Leahy | L000174 | www.leahy.senate.gov | legacy | 11.08.17 BREAKING: Leahy REAX To New #Treasury Dept. Regs. Restricting Travel & Transactions By American Citizens In #Cuba “These new regulations are reminiscent of the Cold War and what one would expect of a paranoid totalitarian government, not a democracy like ours. “The hypocrisy of the White House ideologues is glaring. It is stunning. On a day when President Trump and members of his Cabinet are feted in Beijing by the world’s most repressive, nuclear-armed communist government, in a country to which Americans can travel freely, his Treasury Department releases onerous and petty restrictions on what private American citizens can do in Cuba -- an impoverished neighbor that poses not the slightest threat to the United States. “Nobody supports the Cuban military, a decrepit institution that is no match for a single U.S. battalion. But far from promoting human rights in Cuba, these new regulations will hurt fledgling entrepreneurs and the rest of the Cuban people by discouraging Americans from traveling there.” Press Contact David Carle: 202-224-3693 Next Article Previous Article | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/leahy-and-lee-reax-to-house-judiciary-approval-of-key-reforms-to-section-702-surveillance-authorities | Leahy And Lee REAX To House Judiciary Approval Of Key Reforms To Section 702 Surveillance Authorities | 2017-11-08 | 2017 | 2017-11 | Democrat | House | VT | Patrick Leahy | L000174 | www.leahy.senate.gov | legacy | 11.08.17 Leahy And Lee REAX To House Judiciary Approval Of Key Reforms To Section 702 Surveillance Authorities [On Wednesday, the House Judiciary Committee reported the USA Liberty Act, sponsored by House Judiciary Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) and Ranking Member John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.), and by Crime Subcommittee Chairman Jim Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.) and Ranking Member Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas). The legislation, which reauthorizes and reforms Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) Amendments Act, was approved by a vote of 27-8 and will now be reported to the House Floor. Last Congress, Senators Lee and Leahy partnered with the same House Judiciary leaders to pass the historic USA FREEDOM Act, which ended NSA bulk metadata collection and contained significant reforms to other surveillance authorities. Senator Lee and Senator Leahy together released the following statement:] We applaud the House Judiciary Committee and its Chairman Bob Goodlatte and Ranking Member John Conyers for advancing legislation that would reauthorize Section 702 surveillance authorities with some important improvements. The bill codifies an end to “about” collection, closes a loophole that allows this national security tool to be used for standard domestic criminal investigations without a warrant, and contains many other provisions to protect the privacy and civil liberty interests of Americans. This bill is part of a promising, bipartisan effort to provide some long-overdue reforms to this surveillance authority. Just as we did last Congress, we are working with both House Judiciary Committee leaders as well as with leading voices in the Senate, such as Senator Dianne Feinstein, to introduce our own strong reform bill in the Senate in the near term. Press Contact David Carle: 202-224-3693 Previous Article | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/leahys-bulletproof-vest-program-awards-grants-to-34-vermont-communities-to-help-equip-law-enforcement-officers-with-280-more-lifesaving-vests | Leahys Bulletproof Vest Program Awards Grants To 34 Vermont Communities To Help Equip Law Enforcement Officers With 280 More Lifesaving Vests | 2017-11-08 | 2017 | 2017-11 | Democrat | House | VT | Patrick Leahy | L000174 | www.leahy.senate.gov | legacy | 11.08.17 Leahy’s Bulletproof Vest Program Awards Grants To 34 Vermont Communities To Help Equip Law Enforcement Officers With 280 More Lifesaving Vests Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) Wednesday announced that 34 Vermont law enforcement agencies will receive federal funding to help purchase a total of 280 lifesaving protective vests. The FY 2017 funding, administered by the U.S. Department of Justice, is made possible under the Leahy-authored Bulletproof Vest Partnership (BVP) Program. With these most recent awards, Vermont agencies to date have received more than $1 million to help purchase nearly 4,800 vests. Leahy said: “In Vermont and across the nation, those who protect our communities increasingly are being called upon to respond to dangerous situations. As recent tragedies have shown us, yet again, we must do all we can to ensure the safety of those who risk their own lives to protect innocent people.” He noted the need for protective vests is heightened by the rise in drug trafficking in Vermont and around the nation. A leading member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Leahy led the work to create the vest program in the aftermath of a 1997 shootout on the Vermont-New Hampshire border in which the gunman killed four people, including two state troopers. Three law enforcement officers were wounded. The gunman, who was also killed, was armed with a semi-automatic rifle and wore a bulletproof vest. Nationwide, the Leahy-authored BVP program has awarded more than 13,000 jurisdictions a total of $430 million in federal funds to support the purchase of more than 1.2 million vests (1,294,837 as of July 2017). Leahy leads in securing annual funding for the program as Vice Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee. Leahy noted that the program is vital for small communities that struggle under tight budgets to keep their officers safe. Through Leahy’s efforts, communities that cannot meet the 50 percent federal match requirements may also be eligible for waivers. Leahy led the five-yea… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/leahy-leads-senators-urging-senate-finance-committee-to-reject-tax-changes-to-401ks | Leahy Leads Senators Urging Senate Finance Committee To Reject Tax Changes To 401(k)s | 2017-11-07 | 2017 | 2017-11 | Democrat | House | VT | Patrick Leahy | L000174 | www.leahy.senate.gov | legacy | 11.07.17 Leahy Leads Senators Urging Senate Finance Committee To Reject Tax Changes To 401(k)’s Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) Tuesday led a group of Senate Democrats in calling on the leadership of the Senate Finance Committee to reject changes to the tax system that would harm existing tax incentives for Americans to save for retirement. The letter comes as Senate Republicans are poised to release their own version of tax reform legislation later this week. Senate Republicans may be considering making changes to the incentives Americans enjoy for retirement, specifically by adopting so-called “Rothification,” which would eliminate or limit the amount of pre-tax money that can be contributed to these 401(k) accounts. In the letter, Leahy and his allies highlight research showing that workers at all income levels participating in employer-sponsored retirement plans contribute on average at least $2,700 annually to their accounts. This amount exceeds the $2,400 limit that Republicans reportedly have considered setting as a new pre-tax limit for retirement account contributions. The Leahy-led letter says: “Congress needs to do more to improve retirement incentives for the American people, not less. Dramatically altering incentives for retirement simply to raise short-term revenue to pay for tax cuts for the wealthy is a cynical ploy that will harm hardworking Americans in every state.” The full text of the letter is available here. Joining Leahy on the letter are Senators Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisc.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Tom Udall (D-N.M.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Angus King (I-Maine), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.). Press Contact David Carle: 202-224-3693 Previ… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://welch.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/leahy-sanders-welch-announce-early-release-169-million-heating | Leahy, Sanders, Welch Announce Early Release of $16.9 Million in Heating Assistance for Vermonters | 2017-11-03 | 2017 | 2017-11 | Democrat | House | VT | Peter Welch | W000800 | welch.house.gov | legacy | FRIDAY, Nov. 3, 2017 -- Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Congressman Peter Welch (D-Vt.), who advocated for the early release of federal home heating aid funds as Vermont’s winter approaches, today announced that the Department of Health and Human Services has released $16.9 million in heating assistance for Vermont. Leahy, Sanders and Welch have long championed funding for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), which helps struggling Vermonters heat their homes. In a joint statement, Leahy, Sanders and Welch said: “With temperatures dropping in Vermont, the immediate release of this money is welcome news. Energy assistance is a critical lifeline for countless Vermonters, and we must redouble our efforts to protect this vital safety net program, which is under attack by the Trump Administration.” President Trump has proposed completely eliminating LIHEAP, which would have more than 20,000 Vermonters in the cold without heating assistance. Leahy, Sanders and Welch have consistently been in the forefront in defending and maintaining funding for the LIHEAP lifeline, and Leahy, as Vice Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, worked to maintain funding for LIHEAP during the panel’s consideration of the omnibus appropriations bill enacted in February, and to restore the Trump LIHEAP cuts in the appropriations bill approved by the panel on Sept. 7. Last heating season, the LIHEAP benefit paid eligible Vermonters an average of $831, covering 50 percent of their fuel costs. This season, it's expected to pay $879, an estimated 53 percent of costs for eligible households. Vermonters seeking home heating assistance should call 1-800-479-6151 or visit the website of the Department of Children and Families here. Contacts: David Carle (Leahy): 202-224-3693 Dan McLean (Sanders): 802-862-6695 Kate Hamilton (Welch): 202-440-3340 ### | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/leahy-ag-sessions-must-return-to-judiciary-committee-for-under-oath-testimony-to-address-new-revelations | Leahy: AG Sessions Must Return To Judiciary Committee For Under-Oath Testimony To Address New Revelations | 2017-11-02 | 2017 | 2017-11 | Democrat | House | VT | Patrick Leahy | L000174 | www.leahy.senate.gov | legacy | 11.02.17 Leahy: AG Sessions Must Return To Judiciary Committee For Under-Oath Testimony To Address New Revelations [On Monday, unsealed court records revealed that George Papadopoulos – former foreign policy advisor to the Trump campaign – pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about interactions with Russian agents during the 2016 campaign. Court documents show that there was a March 31, 2016, “national security meeting” in Washington, D.C., involving candidate Trump and other advisors, where Papadopoulos explained that he had connections to the Russian government and he offered to “help arrange a meeting between then-candidate Trump and [Russian] President Putin.” Then-Senator Sessions, serving as chairman of the campaign’s national security team, also attended this meeting, sitting just a few seats away from Papadopoulos. Sessions reportedly “shut down” Papadopoulos and asserted that the topic should not be discussed again. Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), a leading member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, has confronted the Attorney General in two hearings this year about his communications with individuals with connections to the Russian government in the context of concerns that members of the Trump campaign colluded with the Kremlin in its efforts to elect Donald Trump. Leahy’s statement follows:] “Attorney General Sessions needs to come back before the Senate Judiciary Committee. The description of the March 2016 meeting contained in unsealed court documents is impossible to reconcile with the Attorney General’s appearance before the Judiciary Committee just two weeks ago. In that hearing, he again testified under oath that he was not aware of any communications between individuals affiliated with the Trump campaign and Russian officials. The Attorney General was already given an opportunity to correct his earlier misleading answers to me and Senator Franken in January through written, supplemental testimony. Yet he only continued to mislead. He now needs to come back before the Commi… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/leahy-reax-on-the-closed-door-gop-tax-plan-and-the-frantic-rush-to-pass-it-without-hearings- | Leahy REAX On The Closed-Door GOP Tax Plan And The Frantic Rush To Pass It Without Hearings | 2017-11-02 | 2017 | 2017-11 | Democrat | House | VT | Patrick Leahy | L000174 | www.leahy.senate.gov | legacy | 11.02.17 Leahy REAX On The Closed-Door GOP Tax Plan And The Frantic Rush To Pass It Without Hearings “Republicans are repeating the same mistakes they made with health care. It’s the same old playbook: jam through a bill, cobbled together in a back room, that sticks it to hard-working Americans. “Republicans are desperately seeking a ‘win’ in Congress, but this one would only come at great cost to the American people. “What House Republican leaders released is a hugely complex bill, with hundreds of pages of fine print, written behind closed doors. House leaders, at President Trump’s tweeted insistence, plan to ram it through in one week -- next week -- with no hearings and little chance for meaningful review, analysis or debate. For generations to come, the selective tax cuts contemplated by Republicans in Congress and by the President would touch every corner of our complex economy and would hurt millions of families, while helping giant corporations. “Vermonters with medical expenses, student loans or state tax payments are not the only ones with crucial stakes in this debate. These are serious pocketbook policy decisions that should not be rushed at hyper speed through a hyper-partisan process. “I want a bipartisan tax reform bill that puts the emphasis on helping working Vermonters and small businesses, not the already flush bank deposits of large corporations. But based on what I’ve seen so far, that is not the direction the House is going. We need to slow down and look carefully, prudently and seriously at this hastily produced bill before putting it on a partisan fast track to the President’s desk. ” Press Contact David Carle: 202-224-3693 Previous Article | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/leahy-reax-on-withdrawal-of-the-clovis-nom-to-usdas-top-science-post-leahy-is-a-leading-member-of-the-agriculture- | Leahy REAX On Withdrawal Of The Clovis Nom. To USDAs Top Science Post; Leahy Is A Leading Member Of the Agriculture | 2017-11-02 | 2017 | 2017-11 | Democrat | House | VT | Patrick Leahy | L000174 | www.leahy.senate.gov | legacy | 11.02.17 Leahy REAX On Withdrawal Of The Clovis Nom. To USDA’s Top Science Post; Leahy Is A Leading Member Of the Agriculture “Sam Clovis was almost a comically bad nominee, even for this administration. He is inarguably unqualified, and he is wrong on almost every major issue relevant to the chief scientist post to which he was nominated. His nomination is all too typical of the anti-science agenda and the know-nothingism pushed by President Trump and his administration. But President Trump already knew that when he nominated Mr. Clovis, and that is not why his nomination was abruptly pulled today. Not because of his association with birtherism or as a climate change denier, or his other repugnant assertions. “His nomination was withdrawn because we learned on Monday that last year Mr. Clovis, while serving as the co-chairman for the national Trump campaign, gave the green light to George Papadopolous’ attempts to collude with Russian operatives and obtain stolen emails from the Clinton campaign. Mr. Clovis’ nomination was only withdrawn because that would certainly have been a topic during his upcoming testimony, under oath, before the Senate Agriculture Committee. I know because I was going ask him all about it to get more facts on the record and before the American people.” Press Contact David Carle: 202-224-3693 Previous Article | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/leahy-announces-74-million-in-federal-funding-to-support-victim-service-programs-in-vermont | Leahy Announces $7.4 Million in Federal Funding To Support Victim Service Programs in Vermont | 2017-11-01 | 2017 | 2017-11 | Democrat | House | VT | Patrick Leahy | L000174 | www.leahy.senate.gov | legacy | 11.01.17 Leahy Announces $7.4 Million in Federal Funding To Support Victim Service Programs in Vermont Grants Will Also Strengthen Domestic and Sexual Violence Response in Rural Communities U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) has announced that Vermont organizations will receive 10 grants totaling more than $7.4 million from the U.S. Department of Justice to support crime victims and to strengthen services for survivors of domestic and sexual violence. As a former prosecutor and as the Vice Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Leahy has long led efforts to protect funding for the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) and the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA), the two federal programs that provide direct support to victims. Leahy also led the Senate in strengthening and reauthorizing VAWA in 2013 as the chief author and sponsor of that legislation, and in 2015 he helped raise the cap on the Crime Victims Fund so that states would be eligible for more funding. “It is vitally important to continue to support those who are supporting victims. We have a highly effective network of organizations that serve thousands of Vermont residents every year, and we must ensure they have the tools they need to do their work,” Leahy said. “We know that half of all homicides in Vermont are related to domestic violence. This disturbing reality tears at the fabric of all our communities, from our urban centers to our most rural towns. That is why one of my highest priorities in renewing VAWA was to strengthen support for victims, especially in rural communities with access to few resources.” Karen Tronsgard-Scott, executive director of the Vermont Network Against Domestic and Sexual Violence, said: “Survivors of domestic and sexual violence need the support of our communities. These grants create innovative approaches to providing these vitally important supports and will help survivors reconstruct their lives free from vio… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/senate-last-night-passes-resolution-by-leahy-and-cruz-calling-for-irans-release-of-unjustly-imprisoned-americans | Senate Last Night Passes Resolution By Leahy And Cruz Calling For Irans Release Of Unjustly Imprisoned Americans | 2017-11-01 | 2017 | 2017-11 | Democrat | House | VT | Patrick Leahy | L000174 | www.leahy.senate.gov | legacy | 11.01.17 Senate Last Night Passes Resolution By Leahy And Cruz Calling For Iran’s Release Of Unjustly Imprisoned Americans U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy issued the following statement on the Senate’s passage Tuesday night of their bipartisan resolution calling on the Government of Iran to release all unjustly detained American citizens and legal permanent residents, including Siamak Namazi, Baquer Namazi, Xiyue Wang and Nizar Zakka, and to return Robert Levinson. “For years the Iranian regime has brutally detained and imprisoned Americans and dual-nationals as a matter of policy, in an effort to leverage the freedom of our citizens for political concessions,” Sen. Cruz said. “We have a moral imperative to speak for the silenced and shackled, to hold those responsible in Iran to account for detaining and mistreating our people, and to fight for the release and return of those held hostage by the Islamic Republic of Iran. I am glad that today the Senate has voted in support of this vital measure. I will continue to work with my colleagues to ensure the United States safely brings our people back to American soil. “There are few more egregious violations of human rights and human dignity than to wrongfully imprison innocent people under harsh conditions for purposes of extortion, which the Government of Iran engages in as a matter of state policy and practice,” Sen. Leahy said. “Baquer Namazi, 80 years old and in failing health, is one of several Iranian-Americans being cruelly abused in this manner. It is imperative that the Administration uses its diplomatic tools to obtain their freedom.” Press Contact David Carle: 202-224-3693 Next Article Previous Article | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/10-senators-led-by-leahy-ask-president-to-abstain-in-tomorrows-un-general-assembly-vote-on-the-failed-55-year-us-embargo-of-cuba | 10 Senators Led By Leahy Ask President To Abstain In Tomorrows UN General Assembly Vote On The Failed 55-Year U.S. Embargo Of Cuba | 2017-10-31 | 2017 | 2017-10 | Democrat | House | VT | Patrick Leahy | L000174 | www.leahy.senate.gov | legacy | 10.31.17 10 Senators Led By Leahy Ask President To Abstain In Tomorrow’s UN General Assembly Vote On The Failed 55-Year U.S. Embargo Of Cuba With the UN General Assembly tomorrow (Wednesday) scheduled to take up a periodic resolution calling for an end to the 55-year-old U.S. embargo on Cuba, U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) has headed a letter, signed also by nine other senators, urging that the United States abstain on the vote, as the United States did last year. The letter is available at this LINK: https://www.leahy.senate.gov/download/cuban-embargo-letter Press Contact David Carle: 202-224-3693 Previous Article | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/comment-of-senator-patrick-leahy-of-the-senate-agriculture-committee-about-the-nomination-of-sam-clovis-to-be-the-usdas-chief-scientist | Comment Of Senator Patrick Leahy Of The Senate Agriculture Committee About The Nomination Of Sam Clovis To Be The USDAs Chief Scientist | 2017-10-31 | 2017 | 2017-10 | Democrat | House | VT | Patrick Leahy | L000174 | www.leahy.senate.gov | legacy | 10.31.17 Comment Of Senator Patrick Leahy Of The Senate Agriculture Committee About The Nomination Of Sam Clovis To Be The USDA’s Chief Scientist “If his anti-science record were not enough cause for concern, the latest reporting suggesting that Mr. Clovis may have facilitated Russian collusion in our elections raises these concerns to an alarming level. Even for this administration, that should be disqualifying.” Press Contact David Carle: 202-224-3693 Previous Article | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/reaction-of-senator-patrick-leahy-to-the-report-of-the-independent-team-of-experts-investigating-the-assassination-of-berta-caceres-in-honduras | Reaction Of Senator Patrick Leahy To The Report Of The Independent Team Of Experts Investigating The Assassination Of Berta Caceres In Honduras | 2017-10-31 | 2017 | 2017-10 | Democrat | House | VT | Patrick Leahy | L000174 | www.leahy.senate.gov | legacy | 10.31.17 Reaction Of Senator Patrick Leahy To The Report Of The Independent Team Of Experts Investigating The Assassination Of Berta Caceres In Honduras “This damning report corroborates what many have suspected -- that the investigation of Berta Caceres’ murder has been plagued by incompetence, attempts to stonewall and deflect blame to protect those who conceived of and paid for this plot, and a glaring lack of political will. The Public Ministry needs to fully disclose, without further delay, all testimony and electronic and ballistics evidence to the Caceres family’s legal representatives and defendants’ lawyers, as required by law. The Ministry also needs to ensure that every piece of evidence is properly safeguarded, and to follow the evidence wherever it leads to arrest those responsible. “It is shameful that despite intense domestic and international pressure, this horrific case has languished, while those responsible have sought to derail it. And there are hundreds of other Honduran social activists and journalists who have been similarly threatened and killed, whose cases have not even prompted investigations. “Any hope that the Honduran Government may have of continued U.S. assistance under the Alliance for Prosperity Plan will hinge, in part, on the outcome of the Caceres case, acceptance of the legitimate role of civil society and the independent press, and top-to-bottom reform of the judicial system.” # # # # # [Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Vice Chairman of the Appropriations Committee and Ranking Member of its Subcommittee on The State Department and Foreign Operations, has consistently called for justice in the case of indigenous Honduran environmental activist Berta Caceres, who was assassinated in March 2016.] Press Contact David Carle: 202-224-3693 Previous Article | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://welch.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/welch-statement-response-charges-filed-against-three-former-trump | Welch Statement in Response to Charges Filed Against Three Former Trump Campaign Officials | 2017-10-30 | 2017 | 2017-10 | Democrat | House | VT | Peter Welch | W000800 | welch.house.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON – Rep. Peter Welch (D-VT) issued the following statement in response to the charges filed against three former Trump campaign officials, including campaign chairman and chief strategist Paul Manafort, in the ongoing investigation by special counsel Robert Mueller into Russian efforts to influence the 2016 presidential election. “Today’s indictments mark the beginning of the American people finally getting a definitive answer to the central question of what then-candidate Donald Trump and his associates knew about Russian efforts to influence the outcome of our 2016 election, and to what extent, if any, they colluded in this sinister effort. After reading news accounts of the charges against Mr. Manafort, I am mystified at how Donald Trump could have hired an individual with such a shady background as his top campaign official. It is clear that Mr. Mueller is methodically and systematically following the facts, as he should. I remain confident he will get to the bottom of this mess and hold accountable anyone who broke the law.” ### | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/as-mueller-investigation-proceeds-leahy-calls-to-protect-integrity-and-independence-of-special-counsel | As Mueller Investigation Proceeds, Leahy Calls to Protect Integrity And Independence Of Special Counsel | 2017-10-30 | 2017 | 2017-10 | Democrat | House | VT | Patrick Leahy | L000174 | www.leahy.senate.gov | legacy | 10.30.17 As Mueller Investigation Proceeds, Leahy Calls to Protect Integrity And Independence Of Special Counsel “Today we learned that one of then-candidate Trump’s foreign policy advisors lied to the FBI about his attempts to coordinate meetings between the Trump campaign and the Kremlin. We separately learned that Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort was deeply connected to and profited from Russian interests in Ukraine, and he allegedly laundered millions of dollars through foreign accounts and lied about it to the U.S. government. He then went on to serve as the chairman of President Trump’s campaign, for free, where he discussed with an associate how to use that position to settle outstanding debts related to his pro-Russian work in Ukraine. “The Special Counsel’s investigation into Russian interference in our election and related matters is ongoing. Special Counsel Mueller must be permitted to follow the facts, wherever they lead. Any direct or indirect attempts to interfere with or undermine the Special Counsel’s investigation are dangerous, and could possibly constitute obstruction of justice. Our democracy was attacked. All of us now – Republicans and Democrats alike – must protect the integrity and independence of the Special Counsel’s investigation.” Press Contact David Carle: 202-224-3693 Previous Article | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/a-reality-check-on-the-presidents-opioid-announcement | A REALITY CHECK ON THE PRESIDENTS OPIOID ANNOUNCEMENT | 2017-10-26 | 2017 | 2017-10 | Democrat | House | VT | Patrick Leahy | L000174 | www.leahy.senate.gov | legacy | 10.26.17 A REALITY CHECK ON THE PRESIDENT’S OPIOID ANNOUNCEMENT White House’s Tough Talk On The Opioid Crisis Crumbles As New ‘Plan’ Offers No New Resources, While Congressional Republicans Act To Slash Medicaid By $1 Trillion President Trump’s long awaited declaration on the nationwide opioids crisis is nothing more than symbolic talk. There is no action or new funding behind the President’s empty words to address this crisis. This is unacceptable. It is far past time for the administration to acknowledge that the opioid crisis is a national emergency that affects every community across the country. This scourge does not discriminate between rich and poor, or Republicans and Democrats, or urban areas and rural ones. The plan provides no new funding, but attempts to take credit for what Congress provided in the fiscal year (FY) 2017 Consolidated Appropriations Act (P.L. 115-31). Making the response to the crisis even worse, the President’s FY 2018 budget proposes to cut funding for the opioid epidemic by $97 million compared the FY 2017 enacted levels. Americans suffering from opioid addiction do not want or need empty talk and symbolic action. They need resources for medication-assisted treatment, which is expensive, yet House and Senate Republicans just passed a budget with the President’s support that slashes Medicaid by $1 trillion, which would force States to severely reduce coverage and restrict eligibility. The President touts that this plan allows the Department of Labor to issue dislocated worker grants to help workers who have been displaced from the workforce because of the opioid crisis. Yet the President’s budget request would slash funding for dislocated workers grants for states and national emergencies by more than 40 percent in FY 2018, a cut of over $500 million, despite his empty promises to help American workers and fight the opioid crisis. The Senate Appropriations Committee is working to provide the necessary funding to target this crisis by providing roughly $1.4 … | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/leahy-releases-further-under-oath-queries-to-ag-sessions-as-part-of-the-judiciary-committees-doj-oversight-hearing-process | Leahy Releases Further Under-Oath Queries To AG Sessions As Part Of The Judiciary Committees DOJ Oversight Hearing Process | 2017-10-26 | 2017 | 2017-10 | Democrat | House | VT | Patrick Leahy | L000174 | www.leahy.senate.gov | legacy | 10.26.17 Leahy Releases Further Under-Oath Queries To AG Sessions As Part Of The Judiciary Committee’s DOJ Oversight Hearing Process Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) on Thursday released his written questions for the record to Attorney General Jeff Sessions following the Senate Judiciary Committee’s Justice Department oversight hearing with him last week. Leahy’s written questions – to which Attorney General Sessions will provide responses under oath – focus on a variety of issues, including Sessions’ misleading testimony in response to a prior question from Leahy about the scope of his contacts with Russian officials as a senior Trump campaign surrogate. Leahy’s questions also probe why President Trump is personally interviewing U.S. attorney nominees – an extraordinarily unusual move – and only for districts in which he has properties or his close associates are under federal investigation. Leahy also presses the Attorney General to recuse himself from any cases in which he clearly has conflicts of interest. Leahy also questions the Attorney General about the Justice Department’s sharp reversals on voting rights cases; on his guidance to discriminate against LGBTQ individuals in the name of religious liberty; on plans that may eviscerate due process and judicial independence in immigration courts; and on threats to press freedom. Leahy’s written questions to Attorney General Sessions can be found online HERE: https://www.leahy.senate.gov/download/leahy-qfrs-to-ag-sessions-102617. Press Contact David Carle: 202-224-3693 Previous Article | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/statement-of-appropriations-vice-chairman-leahy-on-the-presidents-announcement-on-the-opioid-epidemic | Statement Of Appropriations Vice Chairman Leahy On the Presidents Announcement On The Opioid Epidemic | 2017-10-26 | 2017 | 2017-10 | Democrat | House | VT | Patrick Leahy | L000174 | www.leahy.senate.gov | legacy | 10.26.17 Statement Of Appropriations Vice Chairman Leahy On the President’s Announcement On The Opioid Epidemic It is far past time for the administration to acknowledge that the opioid crisis is a national emergency that affects every community across the country. This is a scourge that does not discriminate between rich and poor, or Republicans and Democrats, or urban areas and rural ones. But the President’s talk is just that – talk. There is no action or new funding behind the President’s empty words to address this crisis. This is not acceptable. The Republicans voted TODAY in the House of Representatives, and last week in the Senate, to slash Medicaid by $1 trillion, only to pay for tax cuts for the wealthy. Medicaid is a critical lifeline to providing critical care to victims of opioid abuse. And the cuts do not stop there. The President’s budget request seeks to eliminate programs, like the anti-heroin task force, that have proven to be effective, including in my home state of Vermont. In fact, the President’s fiscal year 2018 budget would reduce funding for the opioid epidemic by $97 million. The Senate Appropriations Committee has not followed suit in making these reckless cuts. We instead are working to provide the necessary funding to address this crisis. Between programs within the Justice Department, Health and Human Services Department, and Veterans Affairs, fiscal year 2018 Senate Appropriations bills would provide roughly $1.4 billion in funding, an increase of more than $137 million above the President’s budget request. Including: $15 million at SAMHSA for a new opioid prevention program (nothing in President Trump’s budget request). $500 million for the State Response To The Opioid Abuse Crisis grants. $12 million for Anti-Heroin Task Force grants to states (eliminated in the President’s budget request). $386 million to treat and prevent opioid dependency among veterans. Senate Appropriations Committee Democrats have gone further to combat this epidemic lik… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://welch.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/welch-sanders-introduce-legislation-requiring-drug-companies-negotiate | Welch, Sanders Introduce Legislation Requiring Drug Companies to Negotiate Lower Drug Prices for Seniors | 2017-10-25 | 2017 | 2017-10 | Democrat | House | VT | Peter Welch | W000800 | welch.house.gov | legacy | WASHNGTON – Rep. Peter Welch (D-VT), Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Reps. Elijah Cummings (D-MD) and Lloyd Doggett (D-TX) today introduced legislation to require the federal government to leverage its bulk purchasing power to negotiate lower Medicare drug prices for seniors. Current law prohibits the Secretary of Health and Human Services from negotiating directly with pharmaceutical companies for lower Medicare drug prices. As a result, Medicare pays, on average, 73 percent more than Medicaid and 80 percent more than the Veterans Administration (VA) for brand-name drugs. If Medicare paid the same price for drugs as Medicaid and the VA, the federal government could save between $15.2 billion and $16 billion a year. Separately today, Rep. Welch and Rep. Cummings sent a letter to President Trump expressing their “profound disappointment” that he has failed to follow through on his commitment to work with them to write and pass Medicare drug price negotiation legislation. During the 2016 presidential campaign, then-candidate Trump expressed strong support for Medicare price negotiation. In an Oval Office meeting on March 8, Welch and Cummings solicited input and support from the President for their bill. The letter sent by the pair today follows two previous unanswered letters on April 20, 2017 and June 21, 2017. “Why is it that today Americans are walking into pharmacies and finding that the price of their medicine has doubled or tripled for no particular reason? The answer is that the drug companies can get away with it,” Sanders said. “At a time when we spend many billions of dollars on medicine, it is time for Medicare to be able to sit down with the drug companies and negotiate prices.” “It simply makes no sense that Medicare is prohibited by law from using its immense purchasing power to get a better deal from drug companies for seniors. Paying retail prices for wholesale purchases is absurd. It's long past time we put an end this sweetheart deal for big Pharma,” Welch said. This bill is cosponsored in … | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/in-late-night-vote-vp-casts-tie-breaking-vote-to-kill-consumer-protection | In Late Night Vote, VP Casts Tie-Breaking Vote To Kill Consumer Protection Rule That Would Have Restored Ordinary Americans' Legal Rights When Harmed By Large Financial Firms | 2017-10-25 | 2017 | 2017-10 | Democrat | House | VT | Patrick Leahy | L000174 | www.leahy.senate.gov | legacy | 10.25.17 In Late Night Vote, VP Casts Tie-Breaking Vote To Kill Consumer Protection Rule That Would Have Restored Ordinary Americans' Legal Rights When Harmed By Large Financial Firms Another Wall Street Win Over Regular Americans – In Late Night Vote, VP Pence Casts Tie-Breaking Vote To Kill CFPB Consumer Protection Rule That Would Have Restored Americans’ Legal Rights For Remedies When They Are Harmed By Large Financial Firms . . . Leahy Has Spotlighted Use Of Forced Arbitration By Such Firms As Wells Fargo And Equifax [The Senate Tuesday night narrowly passed a measure to kill a new consumer protection rule by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) that would have restored consumers’ rights to band together in class action lawsuits for remedies – and transparency – when they are harmed by financial services firms, such as Wells Fargo and Equifax. When applying for commonly used products such as credit cards and other financial services, consumers today are typically forced to sign small-print forced mandatory arbitration clauses, which preclude such lawsuits and compel consumers instead to enter into mandatory arbitration, behind closed doors. Leahy has been a leader in pushing back against this effort by President Trump and congressional Republicans to use the Congressional Review Act (CRA) to kill the new consumer protection rule. Leahy also is the chief sponsor of the Restoring Statutory Rights Act, which would ensure that when Congress or the states have created rights and remedies for injured victims, they are able to enforce those rights and remedies in court. Leahy’s bill, which is pending before the Judiciary Committee, also makes clear that when states take action to address forced arbitration – as Vermont and other states have tried to do – federal law should not interfere. The effort to kill the CFPB rule was strongly supported by powerful Wall Street interests. The Senate vote Tuesday night was 51 to 50, with Vice President Pence casting the tie-breaking vot… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/udall-leahy-feinstein-blumenthal-trump-administration-must-answer-why-nominees-are-serving-without-senate-confirmation- | Udall, Leahy, Feinstein, Blumenthal: Trump Administration Must Answer Why Nominees Are Serving Without Senate Confirmation | 2017-10-25 | 2017 | 2017-10 | Democrat | House | VT | Patrick Leahy | L000174 | www.leahy.senate.gov | legacy | 10.25.17 Udall, Leahy, Feinstein, Blumenthal: Trump Administration Must Answer Why Nominees Are Serving Without Senate Confirmation Michael Dourson, chemical industry hired gun, may be already influencing EPA toxics office work, without being vetted by full Senate Dourson and other Trump nominees may be violating the law and circumventing the Constitution Today, U.S. Senators Tom Udall (D-N.M.), Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) sent a letter to Office of Presidential Personnel (OPP) Director John DeStefano in response to reports that the Trump administration is allowing individuals nominated by the president to perform the duties of their appointed positions prior to receiving Senate confirmation. If true, the senators said, such actions are unlawful and circumvent the Senate’s constitutional role to provide advice and consent on presidential nominations. The four senior Democratic senators are seeking information from OPP about the number, names, and positions of nominated individuals serving in the administration prior to Senate confirmation, the extent of their temporary duties, and the administration’s actions to ensure that they are complying with all relevant ethics rules. The senators noted the particularly concerning example of reports that Michael Dourson, who has been nominated to serve as assistant administrator for the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention, may be already performing the duties of that position without having been vetted by the full Senate. According to news reports, the EPA has so far declined to publicly clarify Dourson’s role at the agency. "Concerns have been raised regarding Dourson’s close ties to the chemical industry, including his partnership in a consulting firm that advised companies facing health a safety challenges from EPA. Although Dourson pledged in his eth… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/leahy-statement-on-the-congressional-resolution-of-disapproval-relating-to-the-cfpbs-arbitration-rule | Leahy Statement On The Congressional Resolution Of Disapproval Relating To The CFPB's Arbitration Rule | 2017-10-24 | 2017 | 2017-10 | Democrat | House | VT | Patrick Leahy | L000174 | www.leahy.senate.gov | legacy | 10.24.17 Leahy Statement On The Congressional Resolution Of Disapproval Relating To The CFPB's Arbitration Rule Something truly outrageous is happening today on the floor of the Senate. The resolution we will consider today signals to the American people, in no uncertain terms, that they do not deserve the right to seek justice when big banks or other financial service providers rip them off, leave their personal information exposed to hackers, or engage in discrimination. The resolution of disapproval before us today will strip Americans of their rights in court and will ensure that corporate wrongdoing can remain shrouded in secrecy — all to protect powerful companies like Wells Fargo and Equifax. Access to our court system is a fundamental principle in American society. It ensures that all those who wrong others, no matter how powerful, are equal in the eyes of the law and can be held accountable. That may no longer be the case. Access to our courts is under assault by companies that slip forced arbitration clauses into the fine print of agreements for basic services like checking accounts and credit cards. For some of these companies, like Equifax, consumers are not even their customers. They sell consumers’ financial information to other companies. They have little incentive to protect consumers or even treat them fairly. That is how Equifax can actually make significant profits after it carelessly allowed the personal information of half of the adult population in the United States to be compromised. This is wrong. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) rightly put some commonsense limitations on the abuse of forced arbitration clauses. The rule provides that financial services companies cannot force consumers to sign away their right to join a class action lawsuit. The rule also requires more transparency when arbitration is used to ensure that wrongdoing cannot be hidden by powerful companies to keep consumers in the dark. Protecting consumers in this way should not … | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://welch.house.gov/media-center/in-the-news/bennington-banner-welch-keep-fighting-partisan-tide | Bennington Banner: Welch: Keep Fighting the Partisan Tide | 2017-10-23 | 2017 | 2017-10 | Democrat | House | VT | Peter Welch | W000800 | welch.house.gov | legacy | On a visit to Bennington, Rep. Peter Welch echoed recent remarks from Gov. Phil Scott, calling for bipartisan remedies for a polarized nation. The Democratic U.S. representative and Vermont's Republican governor, who visited the county last week, both decried the partisan wrangling in Washington. Each contrasted that scene with the move civil political atmosphere they see in the Green Mountain State. "We are kind of stalled in Congress right now," Welch said. "It is really, really unacceptable to the American people." Welch spoke in Bennington on Friday during an afternoon meeting of the Rotary Club. Welch and two staffers had two stops prior to that. They first visited Vishay-Tansitor Electronics. Then, they spent an hour meeting with staff, residents and officials at the Vermont Veterans' Home. Col. Al Faxon, chief operating officer, led the tour. Having served in the House for 11 years, Welch, speaking to the Rotary Club, said he's struck by the extreme partisanship that has overwhelmed efforts toward compromise on legislation. "There have been good times and bad times," he said. "The good times have been when there is a consensus among the people who are there to get something done." A member of the Problem Solvers Caucus in Congress, which includes Democrats and Republicans, Welch said he is pushing against rigid philosophical approaches on myriad issues most Americans want to see addressed. A good example of reasonableness, Welch said, is a plan for reforming the individual insurance market portion of the Affordable Care Act while stabilizing the program for the next two years. It was put forth recently by Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., and Sen. Patty Murray, D-Washington. The proposal would begin to address subsidy issues that most Democrats acknowledge with the act, Welch said, but wouldn't simply repeal what is commonly known as Obamacare, as Republicans repeatedly have tried to do. Among the several state governors who've expressed support for the compromise plan is Scott, Welch noted. Republican gov… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/approps-vice-chairman-leahy-statement-on-emergency-supplemental-appropriations-for-recent-disasters | Approps Vice Chairman Leahy Statement On Emergency Supplemental Appropriations For Recent Disasters | 2017-10-23 | 2017 | 2017-10 | Democrat | House | VT | Patrick Leahy | L000174 | www.leahy.senate.gov | legacy | 10.23.17 Approps Vice Chairman Leahy Statement On Emergency Supplemental Appropriations For Recent Disasters No one in this chamber is immune from disaster. Six years ago, Marcelle and I watched with great alarm as communities around Vermont felt the devastating impact of Tropical Storm Irene. That storm washed away entire communities in our state, tearing down homes, local landmarks and bridges alike. Republicans and Democrats in the Senate, from across the country, stood by Vermont’s side then to help us rebuild. Because that is who we are as Americans. We lift each other up in times of disaster. Today, in California and across the West, families are returning to the charred ruins of their homes. In Florida and Texas communities are trying to put their lives back together after Hurricane Harvey and Irma. And in Puerto Rico, hundreds of thousands are still without potable water, electricity, cell service, or adequate medical supplies following Hurricane Maria. Millions of Americans need us to work together to help lift them up. That is why it is so disappointing that President Trump seems more concerned with claiming credit for a job well done than the actual situation on the ground, particularly in Puerto Rico. President Trump has given himself a “10 out of 10” for the Administration’s response to the devastating hurricane, but let’s look at some numbers that really matter. It has been 48 days since Hurricane Irma made landfall in Puerto Rico, and 34 days since Hurricane Maria tore through the island. These storms wreaked havoc on those who live there, destroying houses, and killing at least 49 people. Yet 48 days later nearly 80 percent of the island is still without power, and over 30 percent of the population is without clean drinking water. Roads are impassable. Bridges are down. Hospitals operate on generators. The Administration was slow to respond to the disaster, and to claim that they get a “10 out of 10” for their response is to ignore the facts. This is not a realit… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/senate-appropriations-committee-vice-chairman-patrick-leahy-d-vt-meets-with-governor-of-puerto-rico-ahead-of-senate-consideration-of-emergency-funding | Senate Appropriations Committee Vice Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) Meets With Governor Of Puerto Rico Ahead Of Senate Consideration Of Emergency Funding | 2017-10-20 | 2017 | 2017-10 | Democrat | House | VT | Patrick Leahy | L000174 | www.leahy.senate.gov | legacy | 10.20.17 Senate Appropriations Committee Vice Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) Meets With Governor Of Puerto Rico Ahead Of Senate Consideration Of Emergency Funding Senate Appropriations Committee Vice Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) late Thursday met with the Governor of Puerto Rico, Ricardo Rosselló, ahead of Senate consideration of emergency supplemental appropriations to respond to recent natural disasters. Leahy said: “As a Vermonter, a Senator and the Vice Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, I assured Governor Rosselló that we stand with the people of Puerto Rico. The path to recovery from Hurricane Maria is not measured in days. It is measured in years, and it will require the unwavering support of the United States Government to recover and to rebuild our communities to be more resilient. However, I continue to be concerned with the slow pace of the administration’s response, and I urge the administration to rapidly overcome any remaining obstacles. As U.S. citizens, we stand by each other in times of disaster. It is who we are.” The U.S. House of Representatives last week passed an emergency supplemental appropriations request that included $18.7 billion for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Disaster Relief Fund, $16.0 billion for National Flood Insurance Program debt forgiveness, $1.2 billion for nutrition assistance and $576.5 million to address wildfires in the western United States. The Senate expects to pass the emergency funding next week. Congress in early September approved a $15.25 billion emergency supplemental package to address destruction caused by Hurricanes Harvey and Irma. The Trump Administration has committed to putting forward a third comprehensive disaster package for Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria in the coming weeks. Press Contact David Carle: 202-224-3693 Previous Article | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/senators-cruz-and-leahy-pen-letter-urging-apple-ceo-tim-cook-to-stop-enabling-the-great-firewall | Senators Cruz and Leahy Pen Letter Urging Apple CEO Tim Cook to Stop Enabling the Great Firewall | 2017-10-19 | 2017 | 2017-10 | Democrat | House | VT | Patrick Leahy | L000174 | www.leahy.senate.gov | legacy | 10.19.17 Senators Cruz and Leahy Pen Letter Urging Apple CEO Tim Cook to Stop Enabling the Great Firewall ‘As long as the Great Firewall operates and is enabled by American technology companies, Internet freedom in China will remain at risk’ U.S. Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Patrick Leahy on Thursday released a letter addressed to Apple CEO Tim Cook regarding reports that Apple has removed Virtual Private Network (VPN) applications (apps) from the version of Apple’s App Store available to users in the People’s Republic of China. “The threat that the Great Firewall poses to the freedom of the people of China is similar to the threat that the Berlin Wall imposed on the people of East Berlin for twenty-eight years,” the senators wrote. “As long as the Great Firewall operates and is enabled by American technology companies, Internet freedom in China will remain at risk.” See the full text of letter here. Press Contact David Carle: 202-224-3693 Previous Article | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/judiciary-democrats-call-on-doj-to-produce-documents-that-may-show-coordination-with-trump-voter-fraud-commission | Judiciary Democrats Call on DOJ to Produce Documents That May Show Coordination with Trump Voter Fraud Commission | 2017-10-17 | 2017 | 2017-10 | Democrat | House | VT | Patrick Leahy | L000174 | www.leahy.senate.gov | legacy | 10.17.17 Judiciary Democrats Call on DOJ to Produce Documents That May Show Coordination with Trump Voter Fraud Commission ‘If these communications concern ongoing or contemplated cases or investigations in the Civil Rights Division, they could violate the Administration’s policy limiting contacts between the White House and the Department’ Recently revealed court records suggest the Department of Justice coordinated with President Donald Trump’s Advisory Commission on Election Integrity, which has sought sensitive voter roll data on the majority of the voting public and conducted highly partisan hearings based on discredited allegations of voter fraud. Today, all Democratic members of the Senate Judiciary Committee signed a letter, led by Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), pushing the Justice Department to produce documents described in the court records that show such coordination is taking place. The Senators’ letter follows a similar request to the Justice Department in late September that has gone unanswered. At the beginning of the month, in a court case between the Commission and the civil rights group Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, the Commission produced an index of hundreds of Commission-related documents being withheld by the Department. Entries on the list “appear to show that the Department was coordinating with the Commission about data collection and other voting issues,” the Senators write. “If these communications concern ongoing or contemplated cases or investigations in the Civil Rights Division, they could violate the Administration’s policy limiting contacts between the White House and the Department,” the Senators continue. “Full disclosure of these documents is necessary for Congress to provide appropriate oversight on this issue.” In March, former Justice Department Civil Rights Division staffer J. Christopher Adams, the Heritage Foundation’s Hans von Spakovsky, and K… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://welch.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/welch-statement-president-trumps-decision-end-cost-sharing-reduction | Welch Statement on President Trump's Decision to End Cost-Sharing Reduction Payments | 2017-10-13 | 2017 | 2017-10 | Democrat | House | VT | Peter Welch | W000800 | welch.house.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON – Rep. Peter Welch (D-VT) issued the following statement in response to President Trump’s decision to end the cost-sharing reduction payments required under the Affordable Care Act. “President Trump’s decision to cut off payments that defray out of pocket costs for low income Americans is stunning, reckless, and cruel. After failing to convince Congress to repeal the Affordable Care Act, he is now openly sabotaging it, which will raise the premiums of hardworking Americans by 20 percent. He is also undermining bipartisan discussions well underway in Congress to make much needed improvements to the law. I hope this irresponsible decision is overturned by the courts. In the meantime, Congress should move forward with making the Affordable Care Act work better for working families.” ### | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/leahy-statement-on-president-trumps-decision-to-not-certify-the-iran-deal- | Leahy Statement On President Trumps Decision To Not Certify The Iran Deal | 2017-10-13 | 2017 | 2017-10 | Democrat | House | VT | Patrick Leahy | L000174 | www.leahy.senate.gov | legacy | 10.13.17 Leahy Statement On President Trump’s Decision To Not Certify The Iran Deal “President Trump’s decision not to certify the Iran deal recklessly endangers our national security interests, isolates our country, and is contrary to determinations made by his own Administration that Iran has been compliant with the agreement -- all for the sake of fulfilling a campaign slogan. It will signal to the world – including to North Korea – that the United States cannot be trusted to keep its word. “The Iran deal is not perfect. No multilateral agreement is. That is why there are many other sanctions that the vast majority of Members of Congress, myself included, have supported to address Iran’s other destabilizing actions. But halting Iran’s nuclear program is a significant victory for world stability, and renegotiating the agreement is not feasible. Our European allies have already released a joint statement noting the importance of keeping the agreement intact. As long as Iran complies, so should we. “Rather than trying to score political points by talking tough, the President should be working with our partners to ensure the nuclear deal continues to be implemented faithfully, and engaging Congress on a bipartisan strategy to continue combating Iran’s other malign activities. “It is now the responsibility of Congress to find a responsible path forward to protect U.S. national interests, including by refraining from enacting any legislation that would jeopardize the Iran deal. Our credibility and national security depends on it.” # # # # # Press Contact David Carle: 202-224-3693 Previous Article | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/leahy-statement-on-president-trumps-recent-actions-on-health-care | Leahy Statement On President Trumps Recent Actions On Health Care | 2017-10-13 | 2017 | 2017-10 | Democrat | House | VT | Patrick Leahy | L000174 | www.leahy.senate.gov | legacy | 10.13.17 Leahy Statement On President Trump’s Recent Actions On Health Care “The President does not want to provide “great” health care. The President wants to tear down the Affordable Care Act, stripping affordable, comprehensive health care coverage from millions of American people, and thousands of Vermonters. His latest attempt to do so is as blatant and obvious as throwing a brick through a plate glass window. His Executive Order and announcement late last night will both drive premiums higher, making it difficult for middle class families to afford health insurance. The President’s irresponsible actions will cut $12 million in Cost Sharing Reduction payments to Vermont next year alone, affecting thousands of Vermont families. The President has spurned the bipartisan efforts in Congress to improve the Affordable Care Act, and is instead punishing millions of families who cannot otherwise afford health insurance. Like the House repeal bill he criticized earlier this year, the President’s actions are just mean. “This is no longer the campaign, and health care policy is more than a partisan applause line. It is long past time for the President to realize that real lives are at stake.” # # # # Press Contact David Carle: 202-224-3693 Previous Article | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/leahy-sanders-welch-reaction-to-mamadou-bah | Leahy, Sanders, Welch Reaction To Mamadou Bah | 2017-10-12 | 2017 | 2017-10 | Democrat | House | VT | Patrick Leahy | L000174 | www.leahy.senate.gov | legacy | 10.12.17 Leahy, Sanders, Welch Reaction To Mamadou Bah Senator Leahy, Senator Sanders, and Congressman Welch wrote a letter to ICE on September 5th requesting that they take no further action to deport Mamadou Bah, pending the results of his motions in Immigration Court and his application to USCIS for a green card based on his marriage to a U.S. citizen. ICE denied the request on September 13th. “We are appalled that the Trump Administration is pursuing an unbridled effort to deport contributing members of our community with no room for compassion or moderation. We wrote a letter to ICE in September requesting that they take no further action to deport Mamadou Bah, pending the results of his motions in Immigration Court and his application to USCIS for a green card based on his marriage to a U.S. citizen. ICE denied this request. Prior administrations focused our limited immigration enforcement resources on removing criminals and those who pose a public safety risk. This administration foolishly considers almost all undocumented immigrants a priority for removal, which results in cases where people are ripped from their US citizen spouses and children, leaving broken families in their wake. We are heartbroken for Mamadou, his wife and their children.” David Carle (Leahy): 202-224-3693 Dan McLean (Sanders): 802-862-6695 Kate Hamilton (Welch): 202-440-3340 ### Press Contact David Carle: 202-224-3693 Previous Article | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://welch.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/welch-urges-house-action-opioid-crisis-shares-vermont-experience | Welch Urges House Action on Opioid Crisis; Shares Vermont Experience with Epidemic | 2017-10-11 | 2017 | 2017-10 | Democrat | House | VT | Peter Welch | W000800 | welch.house.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON – Rep. Peter Welch (D-VT) testified today before a key House subcommittee to urge House action on the opioid epidemic ravaging communities in Vermont and across the country. He shared Vermont’s experience with the epidemic, including a story about a mother whose son became addicted to heroin. He also outlined a four-part legislative agenda for the subcommittee to consider, including fully funding the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act, funding research into alternative treatments for pain, authorizing partial fill policies for opioid prescriptions, and better educating physicians on the safe prescribing of opioid drugs. “This so affects us all, I mean it’s heartbreaking. It doesn’t matter if it is a red district or a blue district. It doesn’t matter what your view is on the size and scope of government,” Welch testified. “Our job in Congress is to come up with policies that will help people help themselves.” A full transcript of Welch’s remarks before the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health can be found here. Click image to view video of Rep. Welch’s full remarks. ### | 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-senator-mcconnells-remarks-concerning-the-blue-slip-tradition | Comment of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) On Senator McConnells Remarks Concerning The Blue Slip Tradition | 2017-10-11 | 2017 | 2017-10 | Democrat | House | VT | Patrick Leahy | L000174 | www.leahy.senate.gov | legacy | 10.11.17 Comment of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) On Senator McConnell’s Remarks Concerning The “Blue Slip” Tradition [The Constitution requires presidents to seek both the “Advice and Consent” of the Senate in appointing judges to lifetime posts on the federal courts. Blue slips distributed and collected by the Judiciary Committee are an enforcement mechanism for the “advice” prong of the Senate’s constitutional role. When a senator returns a favorable blue slip it demonstrates that the senator elected to represent that state with the judicial vacancy was consulted, and that the nominee is likely to be confirmed.] “It was not that long ago that Senator McConnell led a letter to President Obama, which was also delivered to me, stating that the Republican Conference expected the blue slip policy to be observed, ‘even-handedly and regardless of party affiliation.’ I did just that as chairman of the Judiciary Committee. While I was chairman no judicial nominee — district court or circuit court — received a hearing without the committee first receiving both home state senators’ favorable blue slips. I maintained this policy during both Republican and Democratic administrations, even in the face of significant pressure from within my party to abandon it, including from Senate leadership. This protected not just the rights of both Republicans and Democrats, but it protected the Senate’s unique institutional role in our democracy by making meaningful the Constitution’s ‘Advise and Consent’ requirement. “Now that a Republican is in the White House, Senator McConnell is trying to turn the Judiciary Committee into a rubber stamp for President Trump. But it is not up to Senator McConnell; it is up to the committee’s chairman. Chairman Grassley has told me he will respect the blue slip tradition, just as I did. I trust him to keep his word.” # # # # # Press Contact David Carle: 202-224-3693 … | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://welch.house.gov/media-center/in-the-news/market-watch-rep-peter-welch-allergans-bold-brazen-bizarre-patent-deal | Market Watch: Rep. Peter Welch on Allergan's 'Bold, Brazen, Bizarre' Patent Deal with an American Indian Tribe | 2017-10-10 | 2017 | 2017-10 | Democrat | House | VT | Peter Welch | W000800 | welch.house.gov | legacy | Rep. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) is not mincing words when it comes to Allergan Inc.’s deal with an American Indian tribe geared toward protecting one of the company’s top products. “I was astonished at the creativity in craft manipulation to extend the patent,” Welch told MarketWatch on Thursday, adding, “they would only do that if they felt a kind of arrogant confidence that they can continue to get away with murder.” Allergan’s AGN, +1.09% agreement with the New York state-based St. Regis Mohawk Tribe, under which Allergan sold the patents on dry eye medication Restasis to the tribe in order to dismiss challenges made through the U.S. Patent and Trade Office’s inter partes review process, was announced in September. Since then, the deal has been widely criticized and invited lawmaker scrutiny. A bipartisan House Oversight committee letter was sent this week—Welch was one of the four signatories—requesting more information about the deal. And Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.), who has said the move “should be illegal,” said on Thursday that she has drafted a bill in response. Drug prices are a key issue for Welch, who met with President Donald Trump and colleague Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) in March to discuss drug prices and, again with Cummings, sent a letter about prices to manufacturers of multiple sclerosis drugs this summer. Even before Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria and the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history in Las Vegas on Sunday, drug prices seemed to have fallen off the White House’s agenda. But Welch is still hopeful, he said on Thursday, describing prescription drug costs as one of the larger problems facing the U.S., given the spiraling cost of health care. Welch described Allergan’s patent deal as alternately “bold,” “brazen” and “bizarre.” “Congress has a policy by law that extends market protection for a period of time for a new drug, and I’m supportive of that. It allows drug company to recoup their investment costs and make a profit,” he said. “But when companies that have been given this… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://welch.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/leahy-sanders-welch-vermont-firefighters-receive-16-million-federal | Leahy, Sanders, Welch: Vermont Firefighters Receive $1.6 Million in Federal Grants | 2017-10-06 | 2017 | 2017-10 | Democrat | House | VT | Peter Welch | W000800 | welch.house.gov | legacy | BURLINGTON, Vt., Oct. 6 – Vermont’s congressional delegation announced Friday that firefighters throughout Vermont have received $1,635,648 through 15 federal grants. The awards are part of the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Assistance to Firefighters Grant program, which helps fire departments purchase critically needed equipment to better protect the public and first responders. This year’s Assistance to Firefighters grants will help buy a range of equipment, including turnout gear, breathing apparatus, a brush truck and radios. “Our firefighters play an invaluable role in communities throughout Vermont. We are pleased to be able to help provide the resources they need. These federal grants will play a crucial role in purchasing essential equipment to help our first responders protect Vermonters,” said Sens. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), and Rep. Peter Welch (D-Vt.). The grants announced Friday are in addition to a $329,378 FEMA grant the Vermont Public Safety Department’s Division of Fire Safety received last month to help the Division implement “Fire Safe 802,” a statewide, rural home fire safety education project. The federal grants were awarded to: -Bradford Fire Department; $113,694; -Champion Fire Company of South Londonderry; $84,096; -Ferrisburgh Volunteer Fire Department; $76,762; -Franklin Fire Department; $50,186; -Grand Isle Volunteer Fire Department; $80,000; -Middlebury Fire Department; $219,223; -New Brook Fire Department; $93,334; -Pawlet Volunteer Fire Department; $72,381; -Springfield Fire Department; $250,069; -Stamford Volunteer Fire Department; $14,191; -Underhill-Jericho Fire Department; $19,048; -Vermont Department of Public Safety, Division of Fire Safety, Vermont Fire Academy; $426,925; -West Dummerston Volunteer Fire Department; $40,000; -West Dummerston Volunteer Fire Department; $76,096; -Wilmington Fire Department; $19,643 The next Assistance to Firefighters Grant application period is expected to open this fall. For updates, please visit https://www.fem… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z |
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