Press releases
Data license: MIT · Data source: dwillis/congress-press
- url
- Link to the original release on the member's official site
- text
- Extracted body text (may be empty if the page could not be fetched)
- has_text
- 1 if body text was successfully extracted
- date_source
- How the publication date was determined
- bioguide_id
- Bioguide ID of the member
814 rows where party = "Independent", state = "VT" and year = 2014 sorted by date descending
This data as json, CSV (advanced)
| url | title | date ▲ | year | month | party | chamber | state | member_name | bioguide_id | domain | scraper | source | date_source | text | has_text | collected_at | updated_at |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/newswatch/123114 | News December 31 | 2014-12-31 | 2014 | 2014-12 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | News December 31 Wednesday, December 31, 2014 Senator Sanders Economic Security Despite some improvement in the economy, median incomes for American workers are falling. “If you look at the trend over the last 40 years, millions of people have seen a decline in their real income,” Sanders said Tuesday in a radio interview with Ed Schultz. “Economic security is of enormous importance,” the senator said on The Thom Hartmann Program as he outlined an agenda for the coming year. AUDIO, AUDIO A Progressive Vision “The great moral, economic and political issue of our time is the growing level of income and wealth inequality in our nation,” Sen. Sanders wrote in a column for Daily Kos, OpEdNews and Green Mountain Daily. "In the year 2015, our job is to gain control over the national debate, stay focused on the issues of real importance to the American people, stand up for our principles, educate and organize." LINK, LINK, LINK Voodoo Economics Republicans in Congress plan to fire Doug Elmendorf, the Congressional Budget Office chief, because he won't base economic projections on something they call "dynamic scoring." That is the new buzzword among right-wing economists for a notion that tax cuts result in economic growth that in turn yields more government revenue. “It is a fraud,” Sen. Sanders said on Tuesday on The Thom Hartmann Program. It’s what the first President Bush called “voodoo economics,” Sanders added. Budget Committee Americans can expect a smaller but more progressive Democratic caucus in the Senate next year, according to a blog for Moyers & Company, which noted that Sen. Sanders would lead the chamber's Budget Committee. Sanders hired University of Missouri-Kansas City economics professor Stephanie Kelton to serve as the chief economist for Democrats on the committee, The Kansas City Star reported. LINK, LINK World U.S. Denies Iran Swap Deal The United States called on Tuesday for the release of U.S. citizens held in Iran, denying a report that W… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/recent-business/agenda-for-america | Agenda for America | 2014-12-31 | 2014 | 2014-12 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | Agenda for America 12 Steps Forward Rebuilding Our Crumbling Infrastructure Reversing Climate Change Creating Worker Co-ops Growing the Trade Union Movement Raising the Minimum Wage Pay Equity for Women Workers Trade Policies that Benefit American Workers Making College Affordable for All Taking on Wall Street Health Care as a Right for All Protecting the Most Vulnerable Americans Real Tax Reform 1. Rebuilding Our Crumbling Infrastructure We need a major investment to rebuild our crumbling infrastructure: roads, bridges, water systems, waste water plants, airports, railroads and schools. It has been estimated that the cost of the Bush-Cheney Iraq War, a war we should never have waged, will total $3 trillion by the time the last veteran receives needed care. A $1 trillion investment in infrastructure could create 13 million decent paying jobs and make this country more efficient and productive. We need to invest in infrastructure, not more war. 2. Reversing Climate Change The United States must lead the world in reversing climate change and make certain that this planet is habitable for our children and grandchildren. We must transform our energy system away from fossil fuels and into energy efficiency and sustainable energies. Millions of homes and buildings need to be weatherized, our transportation system needs to be energy efficient and we need to greatly accelerate the progress we are already seeing in wind, solar, geothermal, biomass and… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/newswatch/123014 | News December 30 | 2014-12-30 | 2014 | 2014-12 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | News December 30 Tuesday, December 30, 2014 Senator Sanders Sanders: Trade Deal is a ‘Disaster’ Sen. Bernie Sanders said on Monday that he opposes a major trade deal that he says will lead to fewer jobs in the United States. He said the White House hopes to rush a treaty for a 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership through Congress next year. Sanders said treaties like this force American workers to compete against low-wage labor around the world leading to massive U.S. job losses, WFFF-TV and WVNY-TV reported. VIDEO, VIDEO A Progressive Vision “The great moral, economic and political issue of our time is the growing level of income and wealth inequality in our nation,” Sen. Sanders wrote in a column for The Huffington Post. Sanders called the disparity “a disgrace to everything this country is supposed to stand for,” MSNBC reported on Tuesday. Sanders said progressives must stay focused on issues of real importance to the American people, The Hill reported. LINK, LINK, VIDEO Rx Prices Escalating prices of some generic drugs are causing raised eyebrows and drained checking accounts. Sen. Sanders, chairman of a Senate health care subcommittee, has been outspoken on the increase in cost of generic drugs, the Herald-Whig in Quincy, Illinois, reported. "We are talking about the need of the American people to be able to afford the medicine that their doctors prescribe," Sanders told the Chicago Tribune. LINK Phoenix VA A federal administrative law judge upheld the firing of the former Phoenix VA director but rejected charges that she covered up long wait times. The judge concluded that it is "more likely than not that at least some senior leaders were aware or should have been of nationwide problems getting veterans scheduled for timely appointments.” A Fox News report showed former VA Secretary Eric Shinseki telling Chairman Sanders at a hearing in May that there was not a widespread problem of VA officials “cooking the books.” World Embassy in Iran President Barack Obama s… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/newswatch/122914 | News December 29 | 2014-12-29 | 2014 | 2014-12 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | News December 29 Monday, December 29, 2014 Senator Sanders State of the Union Mount Anthony Union High School student Alexina Federhen made news when she won Sen. Sanders’ essay contest, earning the school a visit from the independent senator, according to a Bennington Banner review of top news in the past year. LINK World Jet Lost at Sea The head of the Indonesian agency searching for a missing AirAsia jet carrying 162 people said Monday that he believed the aircraft was “at the bottom of the sea,” The New York Times reported. LINK National Unemployment A U.S. economy that suddenly looks healthy—50 straight months of job gains, best quarter of growth in 11 years—is falling short in a key area. It isn’t luring back many of the millions who dropped out of the labor market during the down times. Over the past three months, an average of 6.8 percent of those outside the labor force either found a job or began looking for one. That means people are entering the labor force at the lowest pace in records kept since 1990, down from more than 8 percent in 2010. LINK Vermont Border Crossings People who cross into the United States by land a have new tool to help them learn where the shortest lines are at some border crossings. Earlier this month U.S. Customs and Border Protection launched its Border Wait Time app. It provides estimated wait times and open lane status at some land ports of entry, The Associated Press reported. | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sanders-tpp-trade-deal-a-disaster | Sanders: TPP Trade Deal a Disaster | 2014-12-29 | 2014 | 2014-12 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | Sanders: TPP Trade Deal a ‘Disaster’ Monday, December 29, 2014 BURLINGTON, Vt., Dec. 29 – U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said today he will oppose a major global trade deal that would lead to fewer jobs and lower pay for workers in the United States. Sanders said he would work with organized labor, environmental groups and other opponents of a 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership that the White House hopes to rush through Congress in the coming year. He issued a statement citing 10 reasons to oppose the agreement. “The Trans-Pacific Partnership is a disastrous trade agreement designed to protect the interests of the largest multi-national corporations at the expense of workers, consumers, the environment and the foundations of American democracy. It will also negatively impact some of the poorest people in the world,” Sanders said. The treaty, which is expected to come before Congress in 2015, was written in secret with the help of Wall Street, the pharmaceutical industry and major media companies. The American public and members of Congress, however, were locked out of the process. The proposed agreement builds on similar ones such as the North American Free Trade Agreement, the Central America Free Trade Agreement and Permanent Normal Trade Relations with China. “These treaties have forced American workers to compete against desperate and low-wage labor around the world. The result has been massive job losses in the United States and the shutting down of tens of thousands of factories. “The TPP is more of the same, but even worse,” Sanders added. “It is part of a global race to the bottom to boost the profits of large corporations and Wall Street by outsourcing jobs; undercutting worker rights; dismantling labor, environmental, health, food safety and financial laws; and allowing corporations to challenge our laws in international tribunals rather than our own court system. “If TPP was such a good deal for America, the administration should have the courage to show th… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/recent-business/sanders-trade-deal-a-disaster | Sanders: Trade Deal a 'Disaster' | 2014-12-29 | 2014 | 2014-12 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | Sanders: Trade Deal a 'Disaster' Monday, December 29, 2014 Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) tours a National Museum of American History gift shop that was restocked at his urging with all made-in-America merchandise on June 8, 2011. Sen. Bernie Sanders said on Monday that he will oppose a major global trade deal that would lead to fewer jobs and lower pay for workers in the United States. Sanders said he would work with organized labor, environmental groups and other opponents of a 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership that the White House hopes to rush through Congress in the coming year. He issued a statement citing 10 reasons to oppose the agreement. “The Trans-Pacific Partnership is a disastrous trade agreement designed to protect the interests of the largest multi-national corporations at the expense of workers, consumers, the environment and the foundations of American democracy. It will also negatively impact some of the poorest people in the world,” Sanders said. The treaty, which is expected to come before Congress in 2015, was written in secret with the help of Wall Street, the pharmaceutical industry and major media companies. The American public and members of Congress, however, were locked out of the process. The proposed agreement builds on similar ones such as the North American Free Trade Agreement, the Central America Free Trade Agreement and Permanent Normal Trade Relations with China. “These treaties have forced American workers to compete against desperate and low-wage labor around the world. The result has been massive job losses in the United States and the shutting down of tens of thousands of factories. “The TPP is more of the same, but even worse,” Sanders added. “It is part of a global race to the bottom to boost the profits of large corporations and Wall Street by outsourcing jobs; undercutting worker rights; dismantling labor, environmental, health, food safety and financial laws; and allowing corporations to challenge our laws in international tri… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/newswatch/122814 | News December 28 | 2014-12-28 | 2014 | 2014-12 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | News December 28 Sunday, December 28, 2014 Senator Sanders World U.S. Ends Combat Mission in Afghanistan U.S.-led forces in Afghanistan are formally ending their combat mission on Sunday, leaving Afghan forces to battle a still-resilient Taliban insurgency largely on their own, The Wall Street Journal reported. LINK National As Medicaid Rolls Swell, Cuts Loom Just as millions of people are gaining insurance through Medicaid, the program is poised to make deep cuts in payments to many doctors, prompting some physicians and consumer advocates to warn that the reductions could make it more difficult for Medicaid patients to obtain care. The impact will vary by state, but a study by the Urban Institute estimates that doctors who have been receiving the enhanced payments will see their fees for primary care cut by 43 percent, on average, The New York Times reported. Vermont Vermont Yankee Shuting Down Monday marks the end of power generation at Vermont Yankee. Control room operators at the nuclear power plant will insert control rods to bring an end to 42½ years of generation, the Rutland Herald reported. LINK Leahy Photo Exhibit Sen. Patrick Leahy will be in Brattleboro this week for a display of photos he has taken during his 40 years in the Senate. The display at the Brattleboro Museum & Art Center will include pictures of American Alan Gross as he was released from prison in Cuba earlier this month. Leahy was part of the team that traveled to Havana to retrieve Gross, AP reported. | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/must-read/chicago-gave-hundreds-of-high-risk-kids-a-summer-job-violent-crime-arrests-plummeted | Chicago gave hundreds of high-risk kids a summer job. Violent crime arrests plummeted. | 2014-12-27 | 2014 | 2014-12 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | Chicago gave hundreds of high-risk kids a summer job. Violent crime arrests plummeted. By: Emily Badger Saturday, December 27, 2014 In a year full of distressing stories — especially about race, crime and violence in urban neighborhoods — this one points to some hope. Earlier this December, we covered a summer jobs program in Chicago that appeared to lead to fewer teenage arrests for violent crime. Our original story, republished below, also reminds us that policy solutions are possible — and possibly even inexpensive. A couple of years ago, the city of Chicago started a summer jobs programfor teenagers attending high schools in some of the city's high-crime, low-income neighborhoods. The program was meant, of course, to connect students to work. But officials also hoped that it might curb the kinds of problems — like higher crime — that arise when there's no work to be found. Research on the program conducted by the University of Chicago Crime Lab and just published in the journal Science suggests that these summer jobs have actually had such an effect: Students who were randomly assigned to participate in the program had 43 percent fewer violent-crime arrests over 16 months, compared to students in a control group. That number is striking for a couple of reasons: It implies that a relatively short (and inexpensive) intervention like an eight-week summer jobs program can have a lasting effect on teenage behavior. And it lends empirical support to a popular refrain by advocates: "Nothing stops a bullet like a job." Continue reading here. | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/newswatch/122714 | News December 27 | 2014-12-27 | 2014 | 2014-12 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | News December 27 Saturday, December 27, 2014 Senator Sanders Veterans’ Home The Vermont Veterans Home is expected to get a federal grant of almost $1 million. Joseph Krawczyk Jr., chairman of the home’s board of trustees, said it was “great” to hear from Sen. Sanders that the project was now on the VA’s priority list. “Sen. Sanders has always been a great supporter, not just of the veterans home, but of veterans overall throughout the country and we’re really happy he comes from Vermont,” Krawczyk told the Rutland Herald. LINK World N. Korea North Korea called President Barack Obama "a monkey" and blamed the U.S. on Saturday for shutting down its Internet amid the hacking row over the comedy "The Interview." North Korea has denied involvement in a crippling cyberattack on Sony Pictures but has expressed fury over the comedy depicting an assassination of its leader Kim Jong Un, CBS News reported. LINK National Thousands Expected at NYPD Funeral Thousands of police officers will gather in Queens, New York today for the funeral of New York City Police Officer Rafael Ramos. He was ambushed along with his partner one week ago. Today he will be laid to rest, with the nation's Vice President attending, CBS News reported. LINK Trade Deal President Obama is preparing a major push on a vast free-trade zone that seeks to enlist Republicans as partners and test his premise that Washington can still find common ground on major initiatives. It also will test his willingness to buck his own party in pursuit of a legacy-burnishing achievement. Already, fellow Democrats are accusing him of abandoning past promises on trade and potentially undermining his domestic priority of reducing income inequality, according to The Washington Post. LINK Jobs and Crime A couple of years ago, the city of Chicago started a summer jobs program for teenagers attending high schools in some of the city's high-crime, low-income neighborhoods. The program was meant to connect students to work, but of… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/newswatch/122614 | News December 26 | 2014-12-26 | 2014 | 2014-12 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | News December 26 Friday, December 26, 2014 Senator Sanders National NSA Admits Privacy Violations The National Security Agency has released heavily redacted accounts of its employees’ violations against Americans’ privacy after the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks. Responding to a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit, the agency was required to file the reports with the Intelligence Oversight Board, The Wall Street Journal reported. LINK Phoenix VA Long before that the Veterans Affairs hospital in Phoenix manipulated waiting lists to hide that veterans were facing long delays to see doctors, senior department officials in Washington were aware of serious problems. The documents in the case of the Phoenix hospital director Sharon Helman, who contested her firing, provided new details of how much officials knew about the medical center, including patient backlogs, shortages of medical personnel and clinic space, and long waiting lists, The New York Times reported. LINK Female Veterans Thousands of female veterans are struggling to get health-care treatment and compensation from the Department of Veterans Affairs on the grounds that they suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder caused by sexual trauma in the military. The veterans and their advocates call it “the second battle” — with a bureaucracy they say is stuck in the past, The Washington Post reported. LINK Vermont Veterans’ Home The union representing Vermont state employees says the state is being cruel to put out word of layoffs at the Vermont Veterans Home in Bennington at Christmastime. Administration Secretary Jeb Spaulding said layoff notices have not gone out yet, but the Vermont State Employees Association has to be notified 35 days before reductions take effect. He said about six workers will lose their jobs due to a declining population at the home, AP reported. LINK | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/newswatch/122414 | News December 24 | 2014-12-24 | 2014 | 2014-12 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | News December 24 Wednesday, December 24, 2014 Senator Sanders FairPoint Strike Sen. Sanders renewed his call for FairPoint Communications to return to the bargaining table and negotiate with unions representing 1,700 striking works in Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. “I worry very much about the quality of service that FairPoint is providing,” he noted in the WCAX-TV interview. Meanwhile, New Hampshire delayed action on a $13 million state contract with FairPoint. "I have big concerns … FairPoint right now wouldn't live up to the terms in the contract," Democratic Executive Councilor Colin Van Ostern said. VIDEO Single Payer Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin’s decision to step back from developing the nation’s first single-payer health care system was “obviously a disappointment for many people in the state,” Sen. Sanders said in the WCAX-TV interview. “I look forward to working with the governor to see how we go forward.” The governor’s surprise announcement last week came as Sanders was touting Vermont as a model for the nation, Steve Early wrote for The Huffington Post and Truthout.org. VIDEO, LINK, LINK Postal Service With layoffs looming for up to 15,000 postal workers, Congress adjourned without passing a one-year moratorium on reduced mail delivery standards and plant closings, according to John Nichols of The Nation. He counted Sen. Sanders among the Postal Service’s “genuine advocates in Congress.” LINK Pre-K Education Vermont recently was awarded what is expected to be a four-year federal grant of more than $30 million for early-childhood education. “I am very excited about that. I am a member of the education committee and we worked very hard on that,” Sen. Sanders said in an interview on WCAX-TV. “What the psychologists tell us is that the age from zero to four are the most important years in development. VIDEO, LINK $1 Million for Vets Home The Vermont Veterans’ Home stands a good chance of receiving nearly $1 million from the federal government to renovate its… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/recent-business/the-week-in-review-122414 | The Week in Review | 2014-12-24 | 2014 | 2014-12 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | The Week in Review Friday, December 26, 2014 The Week in Review Home for the holidays in Vermont, Sen. Bernie Sanders sat down on Tuesday with WCAX-TV’s Kyle Midura to discuss state and national issues ranging from an exciting new early childhood education program in Vermont to a lingering strike by 1,700 workers in northern New England against a major Internet and phone service provider for the region. On Monday, Sanders spoke with WBUR-FM in Boston about a host of national issues including how he will use his new assignment as the ranking member of the Senate Budget Committee to fend off Republican attacks on Social Security and Medicare. Watch the WCAX-TV interview Big Ideas Sanders “has some big ideas about how to rein in big banks, cut defense spending, strengthen Social Security and Medicare, and address income and wealth inequality in the United States,” according to WBUR-FM in Boston. The senator discussed those and other topics during a wide-ranging interview Monday. Listen to the WBUR-FM interview Veterans Home The Vermont Veterans’ Home is in line for a nearly $1 million grant to help pay for a renovation project. The outgoing chairman of the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, Sanders said the Department of Veterans Affairs has placed the Vermont Veterans’ Home on a priority list for a federal matching grant. An Unsung Heroine “Gretchen Baily is an unsung heroine,” Sanders said of the Senate office’s casework coordinator whose last day on the job was Monday. Bailey led a team that has helped tens of thousands of Vermonters cut through red tape.. Earlier this year, she won a prestigious award for exemplary public service. “Gretchen strongly believes that government should work for people,” Sanders wrote a letter nominating her for the award. “Gretchen has dedicated her life to this mission.” Read more about Gretchen Bailey Need help? | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/newswatch/122314 | News December 23 | 2014-12-23 | 2014 | 2014-12 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | News December 23 Tuesday, December 23, 2014 Senator Sanders Sanders Has ‘Big Ideas’ Sen. Bernie Sanders “has some big ideas about how to rein in big banks, cut defense spending, strengthen Social Security and Medicare, and address income and wealth inequality in the United States,” according to WBUR-FM in Boston. Sanders discussed those topics during a wide-ranging interview Monday. LINK Strengthen Social Security In the final days of the 2014 Congress, Sen. Sanders promised to push for new legislation to break up the big banks and expand Social Security, Thom Hartmann said Monday on The Thom Hartmann Program. LINK $1 Million for Vermont Veterans’ Home The state-run Vermont Veterans' Home in Bennington is in line for a nearly $1 million federal matching grant. Sen. Sanders, who chairs the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee, announced the Department of Veterans Affairs has put the Bennington facility on a priority list for construction grants in 2015, The Associated Press and WVNY-TV reported. LINK, VIDEO World N. Korea Web Goes Down While perhaps a coincidence, the failure, which lasted about 10 hours, began after President Obama said the U.S. would respond to an act of “cybervandalism” against Sony Pictures, The New York Times reported. LINK National McConnel Going on Offense Sen. Mitch McConnell, the incoming majority leader, knows his real problem is not corralling mavericks in his party like Senator Ted Cruz. It is persuading other Senate Republicans conditioned to voting no that it is time to vote yes. “One of my challenges is to try to convince some of my members that passing an appropriations bill is a good thing, not a bad thing,” McConnell said during an interview with The New York Times. LINK FairPoint Contract Up in New Hampshire New Hampshire's Executive Council today will consider a $13 million state contract with FairPoint Communications as the company's Northern New England workers continue to strike. If the contract is approved, FairPoint would provid… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/recent-business/big-ideas | Big Ideas | 2014-12-23 | 2014 | 2014-12 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | Big Ideas Tuesday, December 23, 2014 Big Ideas Sen. Bernie Sanders “has some big ideas about how to rein in big banks, cut defense spending, strengthen Social Security and Medicare, and address income and wealth inequality in the United States,” according to WBUR-FM in Boston. The senator discussed those and other topics during a wide-ranging interview Monday. Listen to the interview | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/newswatch/122214 | News December 22 | 2014-12-22 | 2014 | 2014-12 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | News December 22 Monday, December 22, 2014 Senator Sanders Postal Service Reform Passing legislation to reform the U.S. Postal Service remains a goal of Sen. Tom Carper as he steps down as chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. Sen. Bernie Sanders, who has led the charge to keep Saturday mail and protect rural facilities and postal jobs, said he worked with Carper and others in the last month to reach a consensus and “we came very close.” Sanders told USA Today he was impressed with Carper’s efforts “to bridge the very wide gap between right-wing Republicans who want to dismember and eventually privatize the postal service and those of us trying to save and strengthen this vital institution and the jobs it provides.” State of the Union Sen. Sanders wants to hear from Vermont high school students about what they feel are the major issues facing the country. A panel of Vermont teachers will judge the essays, The Associated Press reported. Since the contest was first held, more than 1,150 Vermont students have participated, according to the article published by the Burlington Free Press, Brattleboro Reformer, Rutland Herald and Times Argus. LINK, LINK, LINK, LINK Date Lab Bernie Sanders is the “favorite politician” of Teresa Spencer, an actress who went on a date to a DuPont Circle restaurant with Steve Bradley, who listed John Lewis as his favorite politician in The Washington Post Sunday magazine blind-date feature. LINK World Obama Plans More Gitmo Transfers President Barack Obama aims to make 2015 a landmark year in his long-stalled effort to close the detention center in Guantanamo Bay, with plans to announce a flurry of detainee transfers in coming weeks, senior administration officials told The Wall Street Journal. LINK National New York Police Add Precautions Faced with the first targeted killings of New York City police officers in years, police leaders ratcheted up precautions for their vast patrol force on Sunday as officials des… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/vermont-veterans-home-on-va-priority-list-for-1-million-grant | Vermont Veterans Home on VA Priority List for $1 Million Grant | 2014-12-22 | 2014 | 2014-12 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | BURLINGTON, Dec.22 – U.S. Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee Chairman Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) today welcomed a Department of Veterans Affairs announcement that the state-run Vermont Veterans’ Home in Bennington is in line for a nearly $1 million federal matching grant. The Bennington facility is on the U.S Department of Veterans Affairs’ priority list for construction grants during the coming year. “I am committed to working with the state and the VA to ensure the veterans’ home can make these much-needed repairs,” said Sanders. “The men and women who have served our country in uniform deserve quality care in a safe home.” The Bennington kitchen-renovation project is part of the VA’s commitment to providing a safe living environment and medical care for aging and chronically-ill Veterans. The federal share of the project is $994,045. | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/recent-business/an-unsung-heroine | An Unsung Heroine | 2014-12-22 | 2014 | 2014-12 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | An Unsung Heroine Monday, December 22, 2014 “Gretchen Baily is an unsung heroine,” said Sen. Bernie Sanders. He was describing the Senate office’s casework coordinator whose last day on the job was Monday. Bailey led a team that has helped tens of thousands of Vermonters cut through red tape. Sometimes the federal bureaucracy needs a nudge and “that’s what we do,” she once said. Earlier this year, she won a prestigious award for exemplary public service. “Gretchen strongly believes that government should work for people,” Sanders wrote a letter nominating her for the award. “Gretchen has dedicated her life to this mission.” Read more about Gretchen Bailey Read the senator’s letter nominating her for an award Need help? | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/newswatch/122114 | News December 21 | 2014-12-21 | 2014 | 2014-12 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | News December 21 Sunday, December 21, 2014 Senator Sanders Tom Harkin Tribute The self-described progressive populist hung up his 40-year career in Congress last week — but not before urging his Senate colleagues to close the income gap, save the planet and make it easier for people with disabilities to get hired. Sen. Sanders said Harkin “will go down in history as one of the great senators,” Rekha Basu wrote in The Des Moines Register. LINK Sanders’ Essay Contest Returns Sen. Sanders is once again organizing a State of the Union essay contest for Vermont high school students. Participants are asked to write a 250- to 500-word essay that describes “their own view of the state of the union. The finalists’ pieces will be entered in the Congressional Record and the authors will meet with Sanders for a conversation, the Burlington Free Press reported. LINK National Two NYC Police Murdered A gunman shot and killed two New York City police officers before taking his own life in a brazen ambush that played out on a quiet Brooklyn street corner Saturday afternoon, New York police said. Plice are investigating social-media postings in which the gunman foreshadowed the killings and referenced Eric Garner and Michael Brown, two unarmed black men who recently died during encounters with white police officers, The Washington Post reported. LINK FairPoint Strike Two hundred FairPoint Communications workers rallied on Friday in Concord, New Hampshire, and promised to continue a 10-week-old strike that has begun to take a personal and financial toll on the workers and their families. Gov. Maggie Hassan met with FairPoint officials on Tuesday at the Statehouse and urged them to work in good faith with their employees, her spokesman said. The company’s 1,700 workers across Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont began striking in October. LINK Vermont Progressives Slam Shumlin’s ‘Broken Promises’ The Vermont Progressive Party issued a statement criticizing Gov. Peter Shumlin's decision … | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/newswatch/122014 | News December 20 | 2014-12-20 | 2014 | 2014-12 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | News December 20 Saturday, December 20, 2014 Senator Sanders Sanders: Don’t Cut Social Security Sen. Bernie Sanders is speaking out against proposed cuts to Social Security and Medicare that he said are on the House Republican Budget Committee agenda. At a time when poverty among senior citizens is increasing, Sanders said it would be a moral outrage to cut the programs. He proposed increasing benefits. In January, he will become the ranking member of the Senate Budget Committee, WVNY-TV reported. VIDEO Phone Strike FairPoint Communications employees picketed in Bennington on Friday after CEO Paul Sunu called the workers’ demands “unreasonable.” Sen. Sanders asked the company to put the interests of its workers and its customers ahead of the interests of “the multibillion dollar Wall Street hedge funds” that stand to profit from the sale of the company, the Bennington Banner reported. LINK National Obama Vows Response to N. Korea Cyberattack President Barack Obama vowed on Friday to respond to a devastating cyberattack on Sony Pictures that he blamed on North Korea, and scolded the Hollywood studio for caving in to what he described as a foreign dictator imposing censorship in America. Obama said the attack caused a lot of damage to Sony but that the company should not have let itself be intimidated into halting the public release of "The Interview," a lampoon portraying the assassination of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Reuters reported. LINK Vermont Jobless Decline Vermont’s unemployment rate dropped a tenth of a point in November, the first decrease since April, officials said Friday. The Vermont Department of Labor said the seasonally adjusted statewide rate for November ticked down to 4.3 percent from the revised October rate. The national average remain unchanged in November at 5.8 percent. Vermont’s 4.3 percent jobless rate is tied for the 10th lowest in the country, Vermont Press Bureau reported. LINK Federal Prosecutor Resigns Tristram Coffin, the U.S.… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/newswatch/121914 | News December 19 | 2014-12-19 | 2014 | 2014-12 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | News December 19 Friday, December 19, 2014 Senator Sanders Pensions Under Fire Retirees covered by financially-troubled pensions could soon see their benefits cut under legislation passed during the lame-duck session of Congress. Sen. Bernie Sanders on Thursday told MSNBC’s Ed Schultz that the pension provision tucked into a massive spending bill was one reason he voted against the measure. Instead of taking money from elderly retirees, Sanders said the government could help shore up the funds. “If this country could bailout the crooks on Wall Street who destroyed the economy surely the federal government can help working people who are absolutely dependent on these pensions,” Sanders said. VIDEO Cuba Relations Sen. Sanders told CBS News that he favors normalizing relations with Cuba. He said lifting a trade embargo "would benefit the economies of both countries" and cited an Atlantic Council survey that showed 56 percent of Americans favor changing Cuba policy. LINK Military Budget Sen. Sanders cast a “no” vote on a Pentagon spending bill last week. Sanders, who is set to take over as the ranking member of the Senate Budget Committee, is making an argument for cracking down on budgeting abuses at the Pentagon, according to The Nation's John Nichols. LINK Drug Prices Sen. Sanders used one of his last hearings as chairman of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee to review how the Department of Veterans Affairs has had to ration an expensive medicine that cures hepatitis C, a liver virus infecting 174,000 veterans, The Shreveport (Louisiana) Times reported. LINK FairPoint Strike Sen. Sanders on Thursday said he's disappointed in FairPoint Communications refusal to negotiate with striking unions in Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. Sanders accused the company of wanting to slash wages and benefits for workers, WVNY-TV and WFFF-TV reported. The Vermont congressional delegation had urged the phone company to return to the bargaining table, WCAX-TV reported. VIDEO, VIDE… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sanders-dont-let-republicans_slash-social-security-medicare | Sanders: Dont Let Republicans Slash Social Security, Medicare | 2014-12-19 | 2014 | 2014-12 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | Sanders: Don’t Let Republicans Slash Social Security, Medicare Friday, December 19, 2014 BURLINGTON, Vt., Dec. 19 – U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who will step up in January to a new role as the Senate Budget Committee’s ranking member, said today that he strongly disagreed with the House Republican Budget Committee agenda calling for cuts to Social Security and Medicare. Sanders was responding to recent statements by U.S. Rep. Tom Price (R-Ga.), the incoming House Budget Committee chairman, that he would pursue proposals to cut mandatory spending on programs such as Social Security and Medicare. “At a time when poverty among seniors is increasing, and millions of elderly Americans lack sufficient income to buy the medicine or food they need, it would be a moral outrage for Congress to cut Social Security. In fact, instead of cutting Social Security benefits, we should be expanding them.” Sanders said. Sanders has proposed increasing benefits by lifting the cap on how much of a wage earner’s income is subject to the payroll tax that funds Social Security. Under Sanders’ plan, the wealthiest wage earners who make more than $250,000 a year would pay the same 6.2 percent share of their income into the retirement program as everyone else. The current cap for all beneficiaries is $117,000. “I will also fight the Republican effort to end Medicare as we know it and convert it into a voucher program,” Sanders said. The Ryan budget, which the incoming chairman praised, called for $129 billion in cuts to Medicare as part of $5 trillion in spending cuts over the next decade. | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/recent-business/the-week-in-review-121914 | The Week in Review | 2014-12-19 | 2014 | 2014-12 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | The Week in Review Friday, December 19, 2014 The Week in Review President Barack Obama on Wednesday announced restoration of diplomatic ties between the United States and Cuba. The move was welcomed by Sen. Bernie Sanders, who had traveled to Cuba in February and met with an American prisoner who was freed as part of Wednesday’s diplomatic breakthrough. Named by Senate leadership to take over in January as ranking member of the Senate Budget Committee, Sanders on Monday said he will use the position to defend and expand Social Security. A New Era in U.S. Cuba Relations A trade embargo enacted 54 years ago amid Cold War tensions remains in place, but the White House plans to act soon on its own to re-establish commercial and diplomatic ties with Cuba. Sanders welcomed “a major step forward.” On the same day the diplomatic opening was announced in Washington and Havana, American government contractor Alan Gross was released from a Cuban prison where he had been held for five years. Sanders visited Cuba last February as part of a congressional delegation that met with Gross. Expand Social Security “At a time when prescription drug prices are skyrocketing and one-third of all seniors depend on Social Security for a least 90 percent of their income, we should not be cutting Social Security, we should be expanding it,” Sanders said in a Senate floor speech. “Despite what you may hear from some politicians or pundits on TV, Social Security is not going broke. In fact the program has a $2.76 trillion surplus and has paid out every nickel owed to every eligible beneficiary since its inception.” Watch the Senate floor speech Pension Cuts A provision tucked into a massive bill that the Senate approved last weekend will allow deep cuts in pensions for some current retirees. The provision – tucked into a massive spending bill – was one reason Sanders voted no. Instead of taking money from retirees, Sanders on Thursday suggested that Congress should consider shoring up the funds. “If th… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/newswatch/121814 | News December 18 | 2014-12-18 | 2014 | 2014-12 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | News December 18 Thursday, December 18, 2014 Senator Sanders Major Step Forward for Cuba Relations Sen. Bernie Sanders on Wednesday welcomed news that the United States will open talks with Cuba aimed at restoring full diplomatic relations and that Cuba released Alan Gross, an American who Sanders visited in a Havana jail last February, The Christian Science Monitor, The Wall Street Journal, MarketWatch, Politico, Burlington Free Press, Seven Days, WVNY-TV, WFFF-TV and WPTZ-TV reported. Sanders lauded the move as “a major step forward in ending the 55-year Cold War with Cuba.” LINK, LINK, LINK, LINK, LINK, LINK, LINK, LINK, VIDEO U.S. Agriculture Eyes Cuba Several agriculture groups said they like what they’ve heard so far from the Obama administration about changes that could open limited Cuban markets. Sen. Heidi Heitkamp saw opportunity for farmers. She and Sens. Sanders and Jon Tester met with Cuban officials in February to discuss the possibility of expanding trade with the United States, Congressional Quarterly reported. LINK Budget Committee Sen. Michael Enzi will be the chairman of the Senate Budget Committee in the next Congress. The Wyoming Republican will get the job over current ranking member Jeff Session. The ranking member of the Democratic caucus on the panel will be Sen. Sanders, Reuters reported. “I look forward to working with Sen. Enzi on the Budget Committee to put together a budget which reflects the needs of the working families of our country, and not just powerful special interests,” Sanders said in Congressional Quarterly. Sanders said his top priority as ranking member of the Senate Budget Committee will be resisting cuts to Social Security in the newly Republican-controlled chamber, the Clinton (Iowa) Herald reported on Wednesday. LINK, LINK, LINK FairPoint Strike Vermont’s congressional delegation called this week for FairPoint Communications to negotiate an end to a two-month strike by about 1,700 New England workers after a rash of Interne… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sanders-deeply-disappointed-in-fairpoint | Sanders Deeply Disappointed in FairPoint | 2014-12-18 | 2014 | 2014-12 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | BURLINGTON, Vt., Dec. 18 – U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) issued the following statement today after FairPoint Communications CEO Paul Sunu snubbed a request from the Vermont congressional delegation for the North Carolina company to negotiate an end to a two-month strike by about 1,700 New England workers: “I am deeply disappointed, but not surprised, with the response from Mr. Sunu. His letter confirms what I have long suspected. FairPoint wants to slash wages and benefits for Vermont workers and it refuses to negotiate in good faith. In essence his letter says FairPoint’s bargaining posture is ‘take it or leave it, we want it our way, and we’re not going to make any compromises.’ “Mr. Sunu fails to mention that the unions already have offered more than $200 million in concessions, nor does he describe just how deep FairPoint’s proposed cuts are. I think most Vermonters would be very surprised to know that FairPoint’s opening positon on new employee wages was below Vermont’s minimum wage. “Mr. Sunu also does not seem aware just how bad FairPoint service has become. Frankly, the people of Vermont are becoming sick and tired of poor customer service that is getting worse by the day. “It is time for FairPoint to put its customers’ safety and its workers wellbeing ahead of the interests of the multi-billion dollar Wall Street hedge funds that stand to profit from a sale of the company. It is time for FairPoint to negotiate a contract that respects the contributions of its experienced and dedicated workforce.” | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/recent-business/retirement-security | Retirement Security? | 2014-12-18 | 2014 | 2014-12 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | Retirement Security? Thursday, December 18, 2014 A little-noticed provision in a massive bill that the Senate approved last weekend will allow deep cuts in pensions for some current retirees. The provision would upend 40 years of federal law protecting the pensions for millions of retired workers who earned benefits over decades of loyal work. Former truck drivers, construction workers and supermarket checkout clerks are examples of the retirees whose pensions could be cut by as much as 50 percent in some cases. “I’ve talked to some of the union leaders on this and they’re outraged,” Sanders said Thursday in an interview with radio host Ed Schultz. “I will do everything I can to help find money so that workers don’t see cuts in their pensions.” Watch Sanders on The Ed Show Listen to the podcast | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/newswatch/121714 | News December 17 | 2014-12-17 | 2014 | 2014-12 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | News December 17 Wednesday, December 17, 2014 Senator Sanders FairPoint Strike Vermont’s congressional delegation called Tuesday for FairPoint Communications to negotiate an end to a two-month strike by about 1,700 New England workers after a rash of Internet and phone outages on the network of the state’s dominant carrier. Sens. Patrick Leahy and Bernie Sanders and Rep. Peter Welch sent a letter to FairPoint CEO Paul Sunu saying failure to reach a fair agreement with workers is affecting customers and the services the company is required to provide, according to an Associated Press report published in Tuesday’s Burlington Free Press, Times-Argus and Rutland Herald. LINK, LINK Sanders: Save Social Security Democrats are elevating Sen. Sanders to a Budget Committee post he plans to use to protect Social Security, WCAX-TV reported. In Iowa weighing a 2016 presidential candidacy, Sanders told reporters after speaking to more than 200 people in Ames that his top priority as ranking member of the Senate Budget Committee will be resisting cuts to Social Security in the newly Republican-controlled chamber, The Associated Press reported in the Muscatine Journal and elsewhere. LINK, LINK Tax Breaks for Corporations Approved Before adjourning for the year, the Senate on Tuesday night voted to extend a raft of temporary tax breaks through the rest of 2014. The vote was 76-16 to clear the bill that now goes to President Barack Obama, who is expected to sign it. The final vote on the $41.6 billion package was very bipartisan. Sen. Ron Wyden, the outgoing chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, voted against the package. Sen. Sanders was among eight senators, according to Congressional Quarterly, who didn’t vote. LINK Holiday Dinner Sen. Sanders will host a free holiday dinner for seniors on Saturday at the Brattleboro Senior Center, the Brattleboro Reformer noted. World Pakistan Massacre Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif of Pakistan lifted a moratorium on the death penalty Wednesday a… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sanders-statement-on-cuba-announcements | Sanders Statement on Cuba Announcements | 2014-12-17 | 2014 | 2014-12 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | BURLINGTON, Vt., Dec. 17 – Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) issued the following statement after it was announced that the United States will open talks with Cuba aimed at restoring full diplomatic relations and that Alan Gross, a U.S. citizen being held in Cuba has been released. "I applaud the president for beginning discussions to establish full diplomatic relations with Cuba, just like most of the rest of the world. This is a major step forward in ending the 55-year Cold War with Cuba. Normal diplomatic relations would mean not only that Americans have the opportunity to visit Cuba, but businesses in Vermont and elsewhere can sell products there. "When I visited Cuba last February I had the opportunity to meet Alan Gross, who was released today after being held for more than five years in prison. I am very glad he was finally released and will soon be reunited with his family." | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/recent-business/sanders-applauds-developments-in-us-cuba-relations | Sanders Applauds Developments in U.S.-Cuba Relations | 2014-12-17 | 2014 | 2014-12 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | Sanders Applauds Developments in U.S.-Cuba Relations Wednesday, December 17, 2014 Sen. Bernie Sanders applauded the president following news that the United States will open talks with Cuba aimed at restoring full diplomatic relations and that Alan Gross, a U.S. citizen being held in Cuba has been released. "This is a major step forward in ending the 55-year Cold War with Cuba. Normal diplomatic relations would mean not only that Americans have the opportunity to visit Cuba, but businesses in Vermont and elsewhere can sell products there,” said Sanders. "When I visited Cuba last year I had the opportunity to meet Alan Gross, who was released today after being held for more than five years in prison. I am very glad he was finally released and will soon be reunited with his family." | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/vermont/solar-plan-offers-barre-1-million-savings | Solar plan offers Barre $1 million savings | 2014-12-17 | 2014 | 2014-12 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | Solar plan offers Barre $1 million savings By: David Delcore Times Argus Wednesday, December 17, 2014 BARRE — City councilors spent a portion of Tuesday night’s snowstorm listening to how a little sunshine could save the city nearly $1 million in electrical costs over the next 20 years. Plans to construct two 500-kilowatt solar energy facilities on separate parcels of privately owned property have reached the point where Novus Energy Development — a Montpelier company that develops community-scale net-metered solar projects — needs a nod from the council to proceed. The company didn’t get that Tuesday night, largely because Mayor Thomas Lauzon urged councilors to take a week to consider an offer he believes is too good to pass up but isn’t completely risk-free. It is possible, though not likely, Lauzon said, that utility costs could drop over the next 20 years — eroding or erasing the projected savings to the city, which would be receiving credit for power generated by the solar projects. “I haven’t found a report yet that would indicate energy prices are actually going to decrease,” Lauzon said, inviting councilors to do their own due diligence before meeting next week to vote on a solar service agreement with Novus Energy. That agreement is the product of a process started when Lauzon contacted Novus Energy principals Louis and Alex Bravakis eight months ago. Both men attended Tuesday’s meeting to update the council on the proposal, which has come into much sharper focus since they made a conceptual presentation in July. For starters, councilors were told Novus Energy has signed leases for two chosen sites — one near the top of the former Skyline Ski Center off Railroad Street and the other behind the Booth Brothers Dairy processing plant on Allen Street in Barre Town. They were also told the company has lined up an investor interested in financing and owning the solar projects that Novus Energy would design, obtain permits for and see thr… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/vermont/vermonters-on-the-economy-there-is-not-a-level-playing-field-for-opportunity | Vermonters on the Economy: 'There Is Not A Level Playing Field.' | 2014-12-17 | 2014 | 2014-12 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | Vermonters on the Economy: 'There Is Not A Level Playing Field.' Wednesday, December 17, 2014 Vermont’s jobless rate is one of the lowest in the United States. But thousands of Vermonters continue to struggle to find good-paying jobs. Many Vermonters who do have jobs don’t feel they are earning enough money to give their families the lives they were hoping for. Many of Vermont’s college graduates feel they can’t pursue their “dream jobs” because they have tens of thousands of student loans that must be repaid. Meanwhile, other Vermonters shared that they have serious doubts about whether there is a “level playing field for opportunity.” “I find the economy is very hard to live in today,” said Rachael Trill, 29, of Colchester, Vermont. “I live in a two-parent household. We have a young daughter and we both work -- and we still can’t manage to get by financially.” Trill said she would like to go back to school, but doesn’t want to take out thousands of dollars in loans to do it. “I can’t work, and go to school, and take care of her -- and afford to do all that at once,” she said, describing the challenges of affording day care, covering household expenses and finding money to pay for tuition. Thomas Smith, 56, of Burlington, Vermont is concerned many people in Vermont and throughout the United States won’t have enough money saved for retirement, a situation that will cause major difficulties in the decades ahead. Overall, he said, “I think one of my main concerns, in terms of economic policy in this country, is that there is not a level playing field for opportunity.” ‘PEOPLE CAN’T LIVE THEIR DREAM’ Marc Brunco, 23, senior at Lyndon State College, said student debt weighs on his personal finances and his future plans. He is not sure exactly how much debt he has – but estimates it is “around the $40,000 to $45,000 mark.” “I just try not to think about it,” he said. Seven in 10 seniors who graduated from public and nonprofit colleges in last year had student loan d… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/newswatch/121614 | News December 16 | 2014-12-16 | 2014 | 2014-12 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | News December 16 Tuesday, December 16, 2014 Senator Sanders Sanders: Expand Social Security Sen. Bernie Sanders, who is moving to a new post as top minority member of the Senate Budget Committee, said on Monday that he'll use the position to defend Social Security, which he calls "the most successful government program in history." The Associated Press and WPTZ-TV reported. Sanders said questions about Social Security's long-term solvency are misplaced. The program has a $2.76 trillion surplus and has paid out promised benefits consistently since it was founded nearly 80 years ago, he said in a Senate speech featured on C-SPAN. LINK, VIDEO, VIDEO Budget Committee Senate Republican leaders on Monday announced their conference's new committee assignments for the next Congress. The only race for committee leadership still undecided is for the Senate Budget Committee. Sen. Sanders was selected late last week to become the Budget panel’s ranking member next year, The Hill reported. LINK David Koch is ‘Fascinating’ Barbara Walters of ABC News interviewed conservative donor David Koch as one of her "most fascinating people of 2014." She called him a hero to the right and villain to the left and showed a snippet of a speech by Sen. Sanders. “I don't know if the Koch brothers are nice guys or not nice guys. That's not the issue.” Sanders has criticized the billionaire's efforts to buy elections, according to Newsbusters. LINK Treasury Nominee Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley is joining a growing number of Senate Democrats and Sen. Sanders in expressing concerns about the president's nomination of Antonio Weiss, a Wall Street insider and investment banker, for a top position at the Treasury Department, Business Insider reported. LINK Tar Sands Pipeline Environmental activists are hoping low oil prices will push President Barack Obama to reject the Keystone XL pipeline, Politico reported. Sen. Sanders, a strong opponent of the pipeline, noted the "abundance of oil on the market… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/newswatch/1216142 | News December 16 | 2014-12-16 | 2014 | 2014-12 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | News December 16 Tuesday, December 16, 2014 Senator Sanders Sanders Vows to Protect Social Security Sen. Bernie Sanders was in Iowa Tuesday, telling a mostly Democratic audience he will use his position as the No. 2 on the budget committee to resist cuts to Social Security in the new Republican-controlled Senate, The Associated Press reported. After an hour-long talk with 200 Democratic activists, Sanders told reporters his priority on the committee is to draft a budget that "works for the middle class and working class of this country." LINK Split Up Big Banks A controversial spending bill passed by Congress opens the door for future taxpayer bailouts of big banks by loosening regulations intended to clamp down on Wall Street gambling, Raw Story reported. Sen. Sanders plans a legislative push to split up major financial institutions. “If Congress cannot regulate Wall Street, there is just one alternative,” said Sanders. “It is time to break these too-big-to-fail banks up so that they can never again destroy the jobs, homes, and life savings of the American people.” LINK World Taliban Massacre Taliban gunmen stormed a military-run school in the northwestern Pakistani city of Peshawar on Tuesday, killing at least 141 people, mostly children, before Pakistani officials declared a military operation to clear the school over, The Associated Press reported. LINK Russia President Barack Obama will sign a package of Russia sanctions despite having concerns about the impact of the legislation, the White House said Tuesday according to The Wall Street Journal. The bill was passed by Congress last week and adds additional sanctions to Russian weapons companies and energy interests. It also provides additional military aid to the Ukrainian government, which has been involved in a low-grade military conflict with its neighbor. LINK National Jeb Bush to Explore Run for President President Jeb Bush will “actively explore the possibility of running for president” in 2016, accord… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/delegation-calls-on-fairpoint-to-negotiate | Delegation Calls on FairPoint to Negotiate | 2014-12-16 | 2014 | 2014-12 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | Delegation Calls on FairPoint to Negotiate Tuesday, December 16, 2014 WASHINGTON, Dec. 16 – Vermont’s congressional delegation today sent a letter to FairPoint Communications urging the company to negotiate an end to its ongoing labor strike. “We are extremely disappointed that FairPoint management has not come back to the bargaining table with any meaningful concessions to end this strike,” wrote Sens. Bernie Sanders, Patrick Leahy and Rep. Peter Welch in their joint letter. “It is becoming increasingly clear to Vermonters that management is more concerned with the interests of corporate owners of FairPoint than negotiating a reasonable agreement that is fair to your workers and customers.” Since the strike began, Vermont’s Department of Public Service has received more than 600 complaints from FairPoint’s customers. A recent equipment failure caused a roughly six-hour outage of Vermont’s 9-1-1 system, resulting in nearly 100 missed calls from Vermonters trying to reach emergency dispatchers. “It is imperative that FairPoint returns to the bargaining table as soon as possible, negotiates in good faith, and allows its experienced and dedicated employees to get back to work. We are prepared to do whatever we can to help FairPoint’s workers and management reach a compromise in these very difficult times,” wrote the delegation. It has been 136 days since FairPoint’s labor contract expired and 61 days since the beginning of the strike. More than 1,700 members of the Communications Workers of America and International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers are on strike against FairPoint in Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. Read the letter here. | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/recent-business/state-of-the-union2 | State of the Union | 2014-12-16 | 2014 | 2014-12 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | State of the Union Tuesday, December 16, 2014 Sen. Bernie Sanders on Monday launched his annual State of the Union essay contest. The contest is designed to engage Vermont’s high school students on the major issues facing the country. The U.S. Constitution calls for the president to “give to the Congress information of the State of the Union, and recommend to their consideration such measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient.” As the president prepares to deliver his State of the Union speech to a joint session of Congress next month, Sanders’ essay contest asks Vermont’s high school students to write an essay of 250 words to 500 words detailing their own view of the state of the union. Sanders annual essay contest, now in its fifth year, is an opportunity for Vermont students to articulate what issues they would prioritize, if they were president. A panel of Vermont teachers will judge the essays. The finalists will have their essays entered into the Congressional Record and join the senator for a roundtable discussion. The winner will also have the opportunity to invite Sanders to their school to hold a student town meeting. “We need our students to be engaged, to help find solutions for the problems that confront us, and to think about the future of our country. That’s what democracy is all about,” said Sanders, who serves on the Senate education committee. Since the contest was first held, more than 1,150 students from schools throughout Vermont have written essays about such important issues as the declining middle class, climate change, health care reform, and the rising cost of a college education. The deadline for student essay submissions is noon on Friday, Jan. 9, 2015. More information can be found on the senator’s webpage at https://www.sanders.senate.gov/stateoftheunion/. Since Sanders’ essay contest began in 2010, winning essays have been written by students from the Vermont Commons School, Winooski High School, Champlain Valley Union High School, an… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/newswatch/121514 | News December 15 | 2014-12-15 | 2014 | 2014-12 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | News December 15 Monday, December 15, 2014 Senator Sanders Senate Passes $1.1 Trillion Bill The Senate late Saturday night passed a $1.1 trillion spending bill by a 56-40 vote that crisscrossed party lines. Sen. Bernie Sanders said the bill lacks need regulation for big banks and ignores the needs of the middle class, WCAX-TV reported on Sunday. VIDEO Sanders Votes No In a rare split within Vermont's congressional delegation, Sen. Patrick Leahy voted in favor of the bill that Sen. Sanders called "totally crazy." Sanders joined 21 Democrats and 18 Republicans in opposing it. Rep. Peter Welch also voted against the bill when it passed the House Thursday night. Sanders and Welch took issue with two policy riders attached to the spending bill that would roll back regulations governing Wall Street banks and dramatically increase the amount of money donors can give to political parties. In a statement released ahead of Saturday's vote, Sanders also faulted the legislation for failing to invest in infrastructure improvements and environmental programs, Seven Days reported. LINK Party Splits Sen. Sanders and all of the Senate’s other potential presidential candidates from both parties voted against the bill, The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg Radio News nd Daytona Beach (Florida) News-Journal reported on Monday. “There was commonality among 2016 candidates. They didn't like this bill. Isn't that representative of the Democrats also having a problem with their... Warren wing?” Candy Crowley asked Sen. Chuck Schumer on CNN. “I think that the differences between -- among Democrats are small compared to the huge chasm of Republicans,” Schumer said. LINK, LINK, LINK An American Agenda “We need to put the unemployed back to work, to raise wages and make certain that all Americans have the health care and education they need for healthy and productive lives,” Sen. Sanders wrote in a column published Monday in the Des Moines Register. LINK Bernie’s Bigger Platform Sen. Sanders has long… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sanders-announces-fifth-annual-state-of-the-union-essay-contest | Sanders Announces Fifth Annual State of the Union Essay Contest | 2014-12-15 | 2014 | 2014-12 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | Sanders Announces Fifth Annual State of the Union Essay Contest Monday, December 15, 2014 WASHINGTON, Dec. 15 – Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) has launched his annual State of the Union essay contest. The contest is designed to engage Vermont’s high school students on the major issues facing the country. The U.S. Constitution calls for the president to “give to the Congress information of the State of the Union, and recommend to their consideration such measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient.” As the president prepares to deliver his State of the Union speech to a joint session of Congress next month, Sanders’ essay contest asks Vermont’s high school students to write an essay of 250 words to 500 words detailing their own view of the state of the union. Sanders annual essay contest, now in its fifth year, is an opportunity for Vermont students to articulate what issues they would prioritize, if they were president. A panel of Vermont teachers will judge the essays. The finalists will have their essays entered into the Congressional Record and join the senator for a roundtable discussion. The winner will also have the opportunity to invite Sanders to their school to hold a student town meeting. “We need our students to be engaged, to help find solutions for the problems that confront us, and to think about the future of our country. That’s what democracy is all about,” said Sanders, who serves on the Senate education committee. Since the contest was first held, more than 1,150 students from schools throughout Vermont have written essays about such important issues as the declining middle class, climate change, health care reform, and the rising cost of a college education. The deadline for student essay submissions is noon on Friday, Jan. 9, 2015. More information can be found on the senator’s webpage at https://www.sanders.senate.gov/stateoftheunion/. Since Sanders’ essay contest began in 2010, winning essays have been written by students from the Vermont Commons … | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sanders-to-defend-social-security-on-budget-committee | Sanders to Defend Social Security on Budget Committee | 2014-12-15 | 2014 | 2014-12 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | Sanders to Defend Social Security on Budget Committee Monday, December 15, 2014 WASHINGTON, Dec. 15 – Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), slated to take over as the ranking member of the Senate Budget Committee, announced today that he will use the position to defend and expand Social Security, “the most successful government program in history.” “At a time when prescription drug prices are skyrocketing and one-third of all seniors depend on Social Security for a least 90 percent of their income, we should not be cutting Social Security, we should be expanding it,” said Sanders. “Despite what you may hear from some politicians or pundits on TV, Social Security is not going broke. In fact the program has a $2.76 trillion surplus and has paid out every nickel owed to every eligible beneficiary since its inception.” Speaking on the Senate floor, Sanders said one of the major threats to Social Security is a proposal promoted by Republican budget negotiators to change how the consumer price index is calculate in a way designed to cut annual cost-of-living adjustments for Social Security benefits. Under the so-called chained CPI, the average senior who retires at age 65 would see their Social Security benefits cut by about $658 a year when they reach 75 and by about $1,100 a year once they turn 85. At the beginning of 2014, the average Social Security benefit for a retired worker was $1,193.92 a month. The change in the formula for calculating inflation also would also substantially cut benefits for nearly 4 million veterans. The largest cuts would impact young, permanently disabled veterans who were seriously wounded in combat. It would also impact more than 350,000 survivors who receive service-connected death benefits. Veterans who started receiving VA disability benefits at age 30 would have their benefits reduced by $1,425 at age 45, $2,341 at age 55 and $3,231 at age 65. Sanders has introduced legislation that would lift the cap on contributions to Social Security in order to secur… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/recent-business/expand-social-security | Expand Social Security | 2014-12-15 | 2014 | 2014-12 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | Expand Social Security Monday, December 15, 2014 Sen. Bernie Sanders, slated to take over as the ranking member of the Senate Budget Committee, announced Monday that he will use the position to defend and expand Social Security, “the most successful government program in history.” “At a time when prescription drug prices are skyrocketing and one-third of all seniors depend on Social Security for a least 90 percent of their income, we should not be cutting Social Security, we should be expanding it,” said Sanders. “Despite what you may hear from some politicians or pundits on TV, Social Security is not going broke. In fact the program has a $2.76 trillion surplus and has paid out every nickel owed to every eligible beneficiary since its inception.” Watch the Senate floor speech Speaking on the Senate floor, Sanders said one of the major threats to Social Security is a proposal promoted by Republican budget negotiators to change how the consumer price index is calculate in a way designed to cut annual cost-of-living adjustments for Social Security benefits. Under the so-called chained CPI, the average senior who retires at age 65 would see their Social Security benefits cut by about $658 a year when they reach 75 and by about $1,100 a year once they turn 85. At the beginning of 2014, the average Social Security benefit for a retired worker was $1,193.92 a month. The change in the formula for calculating inflation also would also substantially cut benefits for nearly 4 million veterans. The largest cuts would impact young, permanently disabled veterans who were seriously wounded in combat. It would also impact more than 350,000 survivors who receive service-connected death benefits. Veterans who started receiving VA disability benefits at age 30 would have their benefits reduced by $1,425 at age 45, $2,341 at age 55 and $3,231 at age 65. Sanders has introduced legislation that would lift the cap on contributions to Social Security in order to secure … | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/vermont/senate-proclamation-rebecca-haslam | Senate Proclamation - Rebecca Haslam | 2014-12-15 | 2014 | 2014-12 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | Senate Proclamation - Rebecca Haslam Monday, December 15, 2014 M. President, I rise today to bring to your attention a remarkable Vermonter, Rebecca Haslam, who is recognized as Vermont’s 2015 Teacher of the Year. The honor is a testament to Rebecca’s hard work and dedication to improved learning and education. Rebecca’s leadership in education has helped foster intellectual and personal growth in countless students. She has earned the respect of the community through her commitment, dedication, and passion to her classroom and her innovative approach to learning. Her dedication to her students is unwavering, “They have such a love of learning and they are joyful when they come to school,” she explains. Moreover, Rebecca provides a comfortable environment for students to learn, fostering social, academic, and emotional development for her students. As an educator, Rebecca sets high expectations and routines in the classroom to ensure the success of all her students. She is diligent in providing academic rigor and a caring environment. Her academic expectations inspire students of all backgrounds and learning abilities. In our state’s biggest city, Burlington, she tackles difficult issues many students have faced. Rebecca pulls on her own childhood experiences to better address the stereotypes and biases she noticed as a child. As a student, she recalls her own classmates were quick to point out she was different, “It was like here’s the norm, and here’s you,” Rebecca shared with a local reporter. As a child, Rebecca was never empowered with the language or the space to talk about her experience as a minority, and she does not want the same for the youth of today. To better address race and culture in the classroom, Rebecca is also the Burlington School District social studies and equity coach. In this role she creates curriculum, teaches side by side with colleagues, and works to promote an inclusive classroom environment in all six elementary schools. Additionally, Reb… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/must-read/is-it-bad-enough-yet | Is It Bad Enough Yet? | 2014-12-14 | 2014 | 2014-12 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | Is It Bad Enough Yet? By: Mark Bittman Sunday, December 14, 2014 The police killing unarmed civilians. Horrifying income inequality. Rotting infrastructure and an unsafe “safety net.” An inability to respond to climate, public health and environmental threats. A food system that causes disease. An occasionally dysfunctional and even cruel government. A sizable segment of the population excluded from work and subject to near-random incarceration. You get it: This is the United States, which, with the incoming Congress, might actually get worse. This in part explains why we’re seeing spontaneous protests nationwide, protests that, in their scale, racial diversity, anger and largely nonviolent nature, are unusual if not unique. I was in four cities recently — New York, Washington, Berkeley and Oakland — and there were actions every night in each of them. Meanwhile, workerswalked off the job in 190 cities on Dec. 4. The root of the anger is inequality, about which statistics are mind-boggling: From 2009 to 2012 (that’s the most recent data), some 95 percent of new income has gone to the top 1 percent; the Walton family (owners of Walmart) have as much wealth as the bottom 42 percent of the country’s people combined; and “income mobility” now describes how the rich get richer while the poor ... actually get poorer. Continue reading here. | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/newswatch/121414 | News December 14 | 2014-12-14 | 2014 | 2014-12 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | News December 14 Sunday, December 14, 2014 Senator Sanders Senate Passes $1.1 Trillion Bill The Senate voted 56-40 on Saturday night to approve a $1.1 trillion deal and send the legislation to President Barack Obama. Sen. Bernie Sanders and nearly every other senator mentioned as a future presidential candidate voted no, Politico reported. In stark contrast to House Democrats who nearly derailed the budget, just five Senate Democrats and Sanders voted against the procedural motion that ended debate on the bill, The Guardian and CQ/Roll Call reported. LINK, LINK, LINK, LINK Wall Street Wins, Taxpayers Lose The $1.1 trillion bill rolled back regulations on Wall Street. Federally insured funds can now be used again by banks in high-risk investments. “When they make a whole lot of money they get richer, but when they lose money because of the repeal of this provision, the taxpayers of this country have to bail them out,” Sen. Sanders said. “Does anybody – anybody – think that that makes any sense at all?” Sanders asked in an NBC News report on KWQC-TV in Davenport, Iowa, and other network affiliates nationwide. LINK, VIDEO Sanders: Break Up Big Banks Sen. Sanders plans to introduce legislation to break up Wall Street banks and prevent them from using a provision in the spending bill to engage in the kind of investments that led to the 2008 financial crisis. He used Saturday’s Senate session to outline a proposal that he believes would counter a provisions meant to gut a 2010 law. “If Congress cannot regulate Wall Street, there is just one alternative. It is time to break these too-big-to-fail banks up so that they can never again destroy the jobs, homes and life savings of the American people,” Sanders said in The Washington Times. LINK The Billionaire Class From 2009 to 2012 (that's the most recent data), some 95 percent of new income has gone to the top 1 percent … while the poor actually get poorer. “Increasingly, it seems, there's an appetite and even unity to take on t… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/recent-business/senate-passes-bill-that-rolls-back-bank-regulation | Senate Passes Bill that Rolls Back Bank Regulation | 2014-12-14 | 2014 | 2014-12 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | Senate Passes Bill that Rolls Back Bank Regulation Sunday, December 14, 2014 The Senate on Saturday night voted 56-40 for a controversial $1.1 trillion bill that rolls back regulations on Wall Street, lets companies reduce pensions for current retirees, cuts funding for the EPA and dramatically increases how much rich people may donate to politicians. Sen. Bernie Sanders voted no. Read why In stark contrast to House Democrats who nearly derailed the budget, just five Senate Democrats and Sanders voted against the motion that ended debate on the bill. Under the measure headed to the White House for President Barack Obama’s signature, federally insured funds may be used again by banks in high-risk investments. That risky practice was outlawed by the 2010 Dodd-Frank Wall Street reform law. “When they make a whole lot of money they get richer, but when they lose money because of the repeal of this provision, the taxpayers of this country have to bail them out,” Sen. Sanders said. “Does anybody – anybody – think that that makes any sense at all?” Sanders asked in a Senate floor speech. Watch “Totally crazy,” Sanders said of the deal in a Friday night interview with Rachel Maddow. Watch Sanders announced on Saturday that he plans to introduce legislation to break up Wall Street banks and prevent them from using a provision in the spending bill to engage in the kind of investments that led to the 2008 financial crisis. “If Congress cannot regulate Wall Street, there is just one alternative. It is time to break these too-big-to-fail banks up so that they can never again destroy the jobs, homes and life savings of the American people,” Sanders said. Read more | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/newswatch/121314 | News December 13 | 2014-12-13 | 2014 | 2014-12 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | News December 13 Saturday, December 13, 2014 Senator Sanders Senate Sets Saturday Vote on Spending Bill The Senate moved closer to passing a $1.1 trillion bill to fund almost all of the government through most of 2015, but a late-night maneuver by Sen. Ted Cruz delayed a final vote on the spending deal and forced the Senate to meet on Saturday. Sen. Bernie Sanders opposes the bill that he said “comes nowhere close to reflecting the needs and priorities of the American people," WCAX-TV, Politico, National Journal, The Nation and WAMC-FM reported. LINK, LINK, LINK, LINK, VIDEO Wall Street Banks Wall Street lobbyists tucked a provision in the bill to put taxpayers on the hook if risky investments boomerang, Sen. Sanders warned on KTVM-TV in Butte, Montana, and other NBC News affiliates. “If they win they make a lot of money. If they lose the taxpayers bail them out. That is totally crazy,” Sanders explained to Rachel Maddow on MSNBC. “Anyone who thinks that Congress regulates Wall Street has got it backwards,” Sanders said in reports by The Associated Press and USA Today. Sanders’ effort to delete the provision was unlikely to succeed, The New York Post reported. Sanders and another critic of the bill, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, declined to say whether they would filibuster, The Washington Post reported. LINK, LINK, LINK, LINK, LINK, VIDEO, VIDEO Senate Passes Bloated Pentagon Budget The Senate gave final approval to a $560 billion defense spending bill on Friday. “I just don't think we can spend all that much on defense and ignore the needs of our kids, ignore the needs of our elderly, ignore the needs of our working families, of our infrastructure, of education. We've got to get our priorities right," said Sen. Sanders on WCAX-TV. He voted against the bill. LINK, VIDEO Sanders Named Ranking Member on Budget Panel Senate Democrats appointed independent Sen. Sanders to lead their caucus on the chamber's budget committee next year, the Burlington Free Press, The Wall Street Jo… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/wall-street-runs-washington-sanders-says-in-proposing-to-break-up-big-banks- | Wall Street Runs Washington, Sanders Says in Proposing to Break Up Big Banks | 2014-12-13 | 2014 | 2014-12 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, Dec. 13 – Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said he will introduce legislation to break up Wall Street megabanks that are using a bill before the Senate today to put taxpayers on the hook for the banks’ risky investments. Sanders outlined the proposal as the Senate, in a rare Saturday session, prepared to take up a House-passed bill that would roll back a law limiting risky investments like those that caused the financial crisis of 2008 and the recession that followed. “Over the last several days, it has become abundantly clear that Congress does not regulate Wall Street but Wall Street regulates Congress. If Wall Street lobbyists can literally write a provision into law that will allow too-big-to-fail banks to make the same risky bets that nearly destroyed our economy just a few years ago, it should be obvious to all that their incredible economic and political power is a huge danger to our economy and our way of life,” Sanders said. Lobbyists for Citigroup drafted the measure and JP Morgan CEO Jamie Dimon reportedly called congressmen to lobby for the provision that would gut a key provision of Dodd-Frank, the Wall Street reform law passed in 2010. “Enough is enough,” Sanders said. “Today, almost all of the too-big-to-fail banks are bigger and even more powerful than they were before we bailed them out. The six largest financial institutions have over $9.8 trillion in assets — the equivalent of more than 60 percent of GDP. They issue over half of the mortgages and more than two-thirds of the credit cards in America. “If Congress cannot regulate Wall Street, there is just one alternative. It is time to break these too-big-to-fail banks up so that they can never again destroy the jobs, homes, and life savings of the American people. “At the beginning of the new Congress, I will be introducing legislation that will break these behemoth banks up once and for all. If a financial institution is too big to fail, it is too big to exist. I look forward to working with both progressive and conservative Se… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/recent-business/break-up-big-banks-sanders-says-as-senate-debates-bill-to-gut-wall-street-reform | Break Up Big Banks, Sanders Says as Senate Debates Bill to Gut Wall Street Reform | 2014-12-13 | 2014 | 2014-12 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | Break Up Big Banks, Sanders Says as Senate Debates Bill to Gut Wall Street Reform Saturday, December 13, 2014 As the Senate met in a rare Saturday session, Sen. Bernie Sanders said he will introduce legislation to break up Wall Street megabanks that are using a bill before the Senate this weekend to put taxpayers on the hook for the banks’ risky investments. The House-passed bill would roll back a law limiting risky investments like those that caused the financial crisis of 2008 and the recession that followed. “Over the last several days, it has become abundantly clear that Congress does not regulate Wall Street but Wall Street regulates Congress. If Wall Street lobbyists can literally write a provision into law that will allow too-big-to-fail banks to make the same risky bets that nearly destroyed our economy just a few years ago, it should be obvious to all that their incredible economic and political power is a huge danger to our economy and our way of life,” Sanders said. Lobbyists for Citigroup drafted the measure and JP Morgan CEO Jamie Dimon reportedly called congressmen to lobby for the provision that would gut a key provision of Dodd-Frank, the Wall Street reform law passed in 2010. “Enough is enough,” Sanders said. “Today, almost all of the too-big-to-fail banks are bigger and even more powerful than they were before we bailed them out. The six largest financial institutions have over $9.8 trillion in assets — the equivalent of more than 60 percent of GDP. They issue over half of the mortgages and more than two-thirds of the credit cards in America “If Congress cannot regulate Wall Street, there is just one alternative. It is time to break these too-big-to-fail banks up so that they can never again destroy the jobs, homes, and life savings of the American people. “At the beginning of the new Congress, I will be introducing legislation that will break these behemoth banks up once and for all. If a financial institution is too big to fail, it is too big to exist… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/must-read/the-vanishing-male-worker-how-america-fell-behind | The Vanishing Male Worker: How America Fell Behind | 2014-12-12 | 2014 | 2014-12 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | The Vanishing Male Worker: How America Fell Behind By: Binyamin Appelbaum Friday, December 12, 2014 ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Frank Walsh still pays dues to the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, but more than four years have passed since his name was called at the union hall where the few available jobs are distributed. Mr. Walsh, his wife and two children live on her part-time income and a small inheritance from his mother, which is running out. Sitting in the food court at a mall near his Maryland home, he sees that some of the restaurants are hiring. He says he can’t wait much longer to find a job. But he’s not ready yet. “I’d work for them, but they’re only willing to pay $10 an hour,” he said, pointing at a Chick-fil-A that probably pays most of its workers less than that. “I’m 49 with two kids — $10 just isn’t going to cut it.” Working, in America, is in decline. The share of prime-age men — those 25 to 54 years old — who are not working has more than tripled since the late 1960s, to 16 percent. More recently, since the turn of the century, the share of women without paying jobs has been rising, too. The United States, which had one of the highest employment rates among developed nations as recently as 2000, has fallen toward the bottom of the list. Continue reading here. | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/newswatch/121214 | News December 12 | 2014-12-12 | 2014 | 2014-12 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | News December 12 Friday, December 12, 2014 Senator Sanders House Sends Spending Bill to Senate The House narrowly approved a $1.1 trillion spending package to keep most government agencies operating through next summer. The 219-206 vote came late Thursday less than three hours before government funding expired at midnight. The Senate is expected to vote Friday on the package loaded with Republican policy riders to loosen Wall Street regulations, slash pensions and cut environmental protection spending. “This is a bad bill, and I'm certainly going to vote against it,” Sen. Bernie Sanders told MSNBC. “It’s does not reflect the needs of the working families of this country” he told The Washington Post. It contains “very onerous provisions which will hurt working people,” he said in Politico. LINK, LINK, VIDEO Breaks for Big Banks While the bill includes increased funding for veterans' health care - one of Sanders's top priorities - he told The Washington Post that the changes in Wall Street regulations are “totally absurd.” Congressional Quarterly said Sens. Sanders and Elizabeth Warren threatened to vote against the bill over their concerns that it undercuts a Wall Street reform law by letting banks protected by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation trade in risky derivatives. “Instead of cracking down on Wall Street CEOs who plunged the country into a terrible recession, this bill allows too-big-to-fail banks to make the same risky bets on derivatives that led to the largest taxpayer bailout in history and nearly destroyed the economy,” Sanders said in The Hill. LINK, LINK, LINK Budget Politics “The desires of establishment Democrats have been increasingly drowned out by liberals like Sen. Warren, who have energized activists across America and are beginning to pull other Democrats further to the left. That's a dynamic that will likely play out in the Democratic presidential primaries. To many in the party, likely front-runner Hillary Rodham Clinton is too cozy with W… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sanders-appointed-ranking_member-of-senate-budget-committee | Sanders Appointed Ranking Member of Senate Budget Committee | 2014-12-12 | 2014 | 2014-12 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | Sanders Appointed Ranking Member of Senate Budget Committee Friday, December 12, 2014 WASHINGTON, Dec. 12 – Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) issued the following statement today after Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) announced Sanders’ appointment as the ranking member of the Senate Budget Committee in the next session of Congress: “I want to thank Sen. Reid and the Democratic caucus for the opportunity to serve as the ranking member on the Senate Budget Committee. At a time when the middle class is disappearing and the gap between the rich and everybody else is growing wider, we need a budget which reflects the needs of working families and not Wall Street and the top 1 percent. I look forward to working with Democrats and Republicans on the committee to craft a budget that is fair to all Americans, not just the powerful special interests.” | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sanders-opposes-spending-bill | Sanders Opposes Spending Bill | 2014-12-12 | 2014 | 2014-12 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | Sanders Opposes Spending Bill Friday, December 12, 2014 WASHINGTON, Dec. 12 – Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) issued the following statement on a massive $1.01 trillion spending bill that the Senate plans to take up later today: “At a time when the middle class continues to disappear, and the gap between the very rich and everyone else grows wider, this bill comes nowhere close to reflecting the needs and priorities of America’s working families. “Instead of helping to strengthen Social Security, Medicare and other programs that help working families, this bill would allow the Pentagon to spend almost as much as the rest of the world combined on our military and seemingly never-ending wars in the Middle East.” “Instead of investing in rebuilding our crumbling infrastructure and creating millions of decent-paying jobs, this bill would let companies renege on promises they made to their workers by cutting the pension benefits of current retirees. “Instead of cracking down on Wall Street CEOs whose greed and illegal behavior plunged the country into a terrible recession, this bill allows too-big-to-fail banks to make the same risky bets on derivatives that led to the largest taxpayer bailout in history and nearly destroyed the economy. “Instead of cutting back on the ability of billionaires to buy elections, this bill outrageously gives the wealthy even more power over the political process. “Instead of giving the Environmental Protection Agency the tools it needs to begin dealing with the planetary crisis of global warming, this bill would cut spending by the EPA.” | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/vermont-rivers-recognized-as-wild-and-scenic-rivers | Vermont Rivers Recognized as Wild and Scenic Rivers | 2014-12-12 | 2014 | 2014-12 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | Vermont Rivers Recognized as ‘Wild and Scenic Rivers’ Friday, December 12, 2014 WASHINGTON, Dec. 12 – Vermont’s congressional delegation applauded the passage today of legislation to add portions of the Upper Missisquoi and Trout Rivers to the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. “Vermont’s rivers are an essential part of our state’s rural character. The wild and scenic designation highlights the unique cultural, scenic and recreational qualities of these Vermont rivers,” the delegation said in a joint statement. “The recognition also empowers communities along the rivers to protect these resources.” The measure was introduced by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), co-sponsored by Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), and Rep. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) introduced the measure in the House. The House passed the legislation on Sept. 15 and the Senate passed the measure today. The Vermont congressional delegation began work on this designation back in 2007 at the request of local communities, when the initial legislation to authorize a study of this potential addition to the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System was first introduced. Designation under the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act will help protect the natural, cultural and recreational qualities of the Upper Missisquoi and Trout rivers, enabling continued enjoyment of the rivers by fishermen, hunters and paddlers. It will also help maintain water quality within the rivers, as well as in Lake Champlain. The National Wild and Scenic Rivers system was established in 1968 to recognize and preserve rivers with exceptional scenic and recreational value. Forty-one states and territories now have rivers listed in the Wild and Scenic Rivers System. The Missisquoi and Trout Rivers are Vermont’s first rivers to be added to the prestigious national river network. | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/recent-business/sanders-says-no-to-spending-bill | Sanders Says 'No' to Spending Bill | 2014-12-12 | 2014 | 2014-12 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | Sanders Says 'No' to Spending Bill Friday, December 12, 2014 As the Senate prepared to take up a massive $1.01 trillion spending bill, Sen. Bernie Sanders explained why he plans to vote against the measure. “At a time when the middle class continues to disappear, and the gap between the very rich and everyone else grows wider, this bill comes nowhere close to reflecting the needs and priorities of America’s working families,” said Sanders. “Instead of helping to strengthen Social Security, Medicare and other programs that help working families, this bill would allow the Pentagon to spend almost as much as the rest of the world combined on our military and seemingly never-ending wars in the Middle East. Instead of investing in rebuilding our crumbling infrastructure and creating millions of decent-paying jobs, this bill would let companies renege on promises they made to their workers by cutting the pension benefits of current retirees. “Instead of cracking down on Wall Street CEOs whose greed and illegal behavior plunged the country into a terrible recession, this bill allows too-big-to-fail banks to make the same risky bets on derivatives that led to the largest taxpayer bailout in history and nearly destroyed the economy. Instead of cutting back on the ability of billionaires to buy elections, this bill outrageously gives the wealthy even more power over the political process. “Instead of giving the Environmental Protection Agency the tools it needs to begin dealing with the planetary crisis of global warming, this bill would cut spending by the EPA.” | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/recent-business/the-week-in-review-121214 | The Week in Review | 2014-12-12 | 2014 | 2014-12 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | The Week in Review Friday, December 12, 2014 The Senate on Friday took up a $1.1 trillion spending bill jam-packed by Republicans with favors for big banks and big businesses. Sen. Bernie Sanders said he opposes the measure that “comes nowhere close to reflecting the needs and priorities of America’s working families.” The Senate Intelligence Committee on Tuesday issued a blistering report blaming the Central Intelligence Agency for misleading Congress about its brutal interrogations of terrorism suspects. The Senate on Friday approved a bloated budget bill for the military. Sanders voted no. Also on Friday, Senate leadership named Sanders the ranking member of the Senate Budget Committee. Spending Bill As the Senate prepared to take up a massive spending bill, Sanders explained why he plans to vote against the measure. “At a time when the middle class continues to disappear, and the gap between the very rich and everyone else grows wider, this bill comes nowhere close to reflecting the needs and priorities of America’s working families,” said Sanders. Instead of helping to strengthen Social Security, Medicare and other programs that help working families, this bill would allow the Pentagon to spend almost as much as the rest of the world combined on our military and seemingly never-ending wars in the Middle East. Instead of investing in rebuilding our crumbling infrastructure and creating millions of decent-paying jobs, this bill would let companies renege on promises they made to their workers by cutting the pension benefits of current retirees. Instead of cracking down on Wall Street CEOs whose greed and illegal behavior plunged the country into a terrible recession, this bill allows too-big-to-fail banks to make the same risky bets on derivatives that led to the largest taxpayer bailout in history and nearly destroyed the economy. Instead of cutting back on the ability of billionaires to buy elections, this bill outrageously gives the wealthy even more power over the politi… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/newswatch/121114 | News December 11 | 2014-12-11 | 2014 | 2014-12 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | News December 11 Thursday, December 11, 2014 Senator Sanders Torture Report Sen. Bernard Sanders denounced the brutal interrogation tactics described in a withering Senate Intelligence Committee report on the Central Intelligence Agency. He told The New York Times in an interview that he was especially disturbed by the panel's conclusion that the CIA misled the White House and Congress. "If anyone is lying to elected officials, they should be fired immediately," he said. But most of the major presidential candidates would not plunge into the debate over the report and some ducked questions entirely. Sen. Rand Paul, approached outside his office Wednesday, would not answer questions. LINK Big Hug for Rich Donors Democratic lawmakers expressed outrage at a provision slipped into the omnibus government funding bill that would expand the amount wealthy donors can give to national political party committees. The provision, buried on page 1,599 of a 1,603-page bill, would increase the sums a single contributor could give to a party committee by nearly tenfold. Sen. Sanders told The Huffington Post that the provision is “a total outrage.” In a Senate speech, Sanders said that "the billionaire class can now put unlimited sums of money into elect candidates who represent their interests,” CNN, KVUE-TV in Austin, Texas, WVLT-TV in Knoxville, Tennessee, WSJV-TV in South Bend, Indiana, and other stations reported. LINK, LINK, VIDEO, VIDEO, VIDEO Treasury Pick Panned An increasing number of senators, including Sanders, oppose the nomination of Wall Street banker Antonio Weiss to a key Treasury Department post, Salon, CNN Money, Politico, American Banker, Talking Points Memo and The Huffington Post reported. The brawl has become a proxy battle for a deepening rift in the party over its ties to the financial industry, according to a Wall Street Journal article listing Sanders among those opposing the New York banker. Sanders raised questions about the nominee’s experience helping corpor… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sanders-votes-no-on-defense-authorization-bill | Sanders Votes No on Defense Authorization Bill | 2014-12-11 | 2014 | 2014-12 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | Sanders Votes No on Defense Authorization Bill Thursday, December 11, 2014 WASHINGTON, Dec. 11 – The Senate today advanced a Department of Defense bill that would authorize $560 billion for the military. The vote was 85-14. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) voted “no” and issued the following statement: “I am voting no because I have very serious concerns about our nation's bloated military budget and the misplaced national priorities this bill reflects. “At a time when our national debt is more than $18 trillion and we spend nearly as much on defense as the rest of the world combined, the time is long overdue to end the waste and financial mismanagement that have plagued the Pentagon for years. “The situation is so absurd that the military is unable to even account for how it spends all of its money. The non-partisan watchdog agency, the Government Accountability Office, said ‘serious financial management problems at the Department of Defense made its financial statements un-auditable.’ “I support a strong defense system for our country and a robust National Guard and Reserve that can meet our domestic and foreign challenges. At a time when the country is struggling with huge unmet needs, however, it is unacceptable that the Defense Department continues to waste massive amounts of money.” | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sanders-welcomes-funding-for-affordable-rental-housing | Sanders Welcomes Funding for Affordable Rental Housing | 2014-12-11 | 2014 | 2014-12 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | Sanders Welcomes Funding for Affordable Rental Housing Decision could mean up to $3 million for Vermont to meet rental housing needs Thursday, December 11, 2014 WASHINGTON, Dec. 11 – Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), a national leader in efforts to increase affordable housing, welcomed a move today that could free up hundreds of millions of dollars to expand affordable rental housing nationwide. The Federal Housing Finance Agency today decided to use excess profits from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to fund the National Housing Trust Fund starting next year. The contributions from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will provide a new dedicated revenue source for states to finance very-low-income rental housing construction and rehabilitation projects. “This is really excellent news,” said Sanders, who first proposed legislation in the House of Representative in 2001 to create the Housing Trust Fund. The Housing Trust Fund became law in 2008, but has never received any funding, until now. “It is no secret that over the past decade, incomes have not come close to keeping pace with the escalating costs of housing. At a time when millions of families are struggling to get by, and when many households are spending 50 percent or more of their limited income on housing, the Trust Fund will provide resources to build the affordable housing we desperately need and create thousands of good-paying jobs.” The National Low Income Housing Coalition had estimated that in 2012 there were only 3.2 million rental housing units available and affordable for the 10.3 million extremely-low-income households that need them. Sheila Crowley, the coalition president, cited Sanders’ role in a statement celebrating “a great victory” for the homeless and poor. “At long last, the National Housing Trust Fund will have funds to begin to ameliorate the shortage of housing that they can afford. I am very grateful to Sen. Bernie Sanders for championing the NHTF since the first days of our campaign in 2001.” In Verm… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/recent-business/sanders-opposes-bloated-pentagon-budget | Sanders Opposes Bloated Pentagon Budget | 2014-12-11 | 2014 | 2014-12 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | Sanders Opposes Bloated Pentagon Budget Thursday, December 11, 2014 The Senate on Thursday advanced a Department of Defense bill that would authorize $560 billion for the military. The vote was 85-14. Sen. Bernie Sanders voted no. “I am voting no because I have very serious concerns about our nation's bloated military budget and the misplaced national priorities this bill reflects. At a time when our national debt is more than $18 trillion and we spend nearly as much on defense as the rest of the world combined, the time is long overdue to end the waste and financial mismanagement that have plagued the Pentagon for years. “The situation is so absurd that the military is unable to even account for how it spends all of its money. The non-partisan watchdog agency, the Government Accountability Office, said ‘serious financial management problems at the Department of Defense made its financial statements un-auditable.’ “I support a strong defense system for our country and a robust National Guard and Reserve that can meet our domestic and foreign challenges. At a time when the country is struggling with huge unmet needs, however, it is unacceptable that the Defense Department continues to waste massive amounts of money.” | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/newswatch/121014 | News December 10 | 2014-12-10 | 2014 | 2014-12 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | News December 10 Wednesday, December 10, 2014 Senator Sanders CIA Lied about Ineffective Torture A Senate report on Central Intelligence Agency torture of detainees found that the agency lied about brutal tactics which were ineffective in intelligence gathering. Sen. Bernie Sanders called it “an ugly chapter in American history,” WCAX-TV, WVNY-TV, WFFF-TV, MSNBC online and The Washington Examiner reported. LINK, LINK, VIDEO, VIDEO, VIDEO, VIDEO, VIDEO Vermont Wins $33 Million for Pre-K Vermont has received $7.3 million in what is expected to be a $33.4 million, four-year federal grant for pre-kindergarten programs in public schools and Head Start agencies. The grant is in addition to $37 million Vermont received last year to lay the foundation for its pre-kindergarten program. Vermont's congressional delegation made the case for the state's application in an Oct. 10 letter to Education Secretary Arne Duncan and Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell, The Associated Press reported. LINK Climate Change A group of Senate Democrats is pushing President Barack Obama's administration to toughen rules on carbon pollution from existing power plants, The Hill and KTVZ-TV in Bend, Oregon, reported. Sen. Bernie Sanders signed the letter which said the EPA should require more renewable energy and energy efficiency deployment. LINK, LINK Older Americans Act Sen. Sanders “stands above all others” as a champion for seniors issues, Bob Blancato of the Elder Justice Coalition wrote in Forbes. Sanders “produced a strong and bipartisan Older Americans Act reauthorization bill … but it has stalled,” Blancato wrote LINK Treasury Nominee Sen. Elizabeth Warren and other progressives are challenging the credentials of President Obama's nominee for a top Treasury Department job, Bloomberg reported. Sen. Sanders has also questioned the nomination, Politico reported. LINK, LINK WWII City A U.S. Senate bill would designate Wilmington, North Carolina, as the first American W… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/vermont-wins-33-million-for-pre-k_delegation-and-governor-announce | Vermont Wins $33 Million for Pre-K, Delegation and Governor Announce | 2014-12-10 | 2014 | 2014-12 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | Vermont Wins $33 Million for Pre-K, Delegation and Governor Announce Wednesday, December 10, 2014 WASHINGTON, Dec. 10 – Vermont was awarded $7.3 million in what is expected to be a $33.4 million, four-year federal grant for pre-kindergarten programs at public schools and Head Start agencies throughout the state. Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Rep. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) and Gov. Peter Shumlin (D) announced the grant today. Sanders, a member of the Senate education committee, worked with the U.S. Department of Education, the congressional delegation and the Shumlin administration to secure the funding to operate the Pre-K program. “At a time when working families are struggling to find quality and affordable child care, this grant is a big boost for Vermont,” Sanders said. “The grant will help Vermont lead the nation in early-childhood education as we better prepare our kids for school and the challenges and opportunities of life.” “Vermont has always understood the importance of early-childhood education and how effective it can be in helping children break the cycle of poverty,” Leahy said. “This is great news for Vermont and recognition of the quality of our education system and its leaders,” Welch said. “Vermont is one of the top states in America when it comes to early childhood education, and we’re committed to being the best. We know that investments in our youngest children pay huge dividends in their ability to achieve in school and succeed in life,” Shumlin said. “We will use this $33 million directly to expand access to quality early education for Vermont children most in need. I congratulate those at Agencies of Education and Human Services, my own staff, and our many grant partners statewide for their hard work in securing these funds for our children,” the governor added. The latest award is in addition to $37 million Vermont received last year to lay the foundation for its pre-K program. The earlier federal grant made the state elig… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/recent-business/the-filibernie | The Filibernie | 2014-12-10 | 2014 | 2014-12 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | The Filibernie Wednesday, December 10, 2014 Sen. Bernie Sanders took to the Senate floor on this day four years ago and didn’t stop speaking for 8 ½ hours. Some called it a filibuster. Keith Olberman dubbed it the Filibernie. The speech made the case against a tax deal that had been reached by President Barack Obama with the Republican leadership in Congress to extend Bush-era tax breaks for the wealthiest Americans. “It makes no sense to me to provide huge tax breaks for millionaires and billionaires while we drive up the national debt that our children and grandchildren will have to pay,” Sanders said of the deal at the time. Over Sanders’ objection, the tax deal was approved for two more years. Since then, however, Sanders’ view has prevailed and Congress let tax breaks for the top 1 percent of wage earners expire. Watch Keith Olberman on the Filibernie Watch the speech | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/newswatch/120914 | News December 9 | 2014-12-09 | 2014 | 2014-12 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | News December 9 Tuesday, December 9, 2014 Senator Sanders The Middle Class Americans are "a lot better off today than six years ago when George W. Bush left office," Sen. Bernie Sanders told The Ed Schultz Show, but more aggressive action is needed to create jobs and lift wages, the senator added in a radio interview that aired on Monday. AUDIO An American Agenda Sen. Sanders has laid out a 12-point economic plan for jobs, pay equity and a living wage. “It’s one thing to talk about the problems, and it’s important we do that, but it’s another thing to come up with an agenda that rebuilds the middle class," Sanders said Monday on The Leslie Marshall Show. AUDIO Treasury Nominee Progressive groups are emailing supporters, calling on them to oppose President Barack Obama's nomination of Wall Street banker Antonio Weiss for the top spot at the Treasury Department, The Hill reported. Sens. Sanders, Dick Durbin and Elizabeth Warren have aired concerns about the pick. LINK 350.org Bill McKibben, one of America’s highest profile climate activists, is stepping down as the board chairman of 350.org, the environmental organization he co-founded, the Addison County Independent reported. McKibben has been one of the most vocal opponents of the Canadian tar sands pipeline, which Sen. Sanders voted against. LINK World Climate Conference In a sign of the importance that the Obama administration has placed on the outcome of United Nations climate change negotiations taking place this week, Secretary of State John Kerry will arrive on Thursday in Lima, Peru, to strongly urge negotiators to reach a deal, The New York Times reported. LINK Combat Command Ends in Afghanistan American and NATO troops closed their operational command in Afghanistan on Monday, lowering flags in a ceremony to mark the formal end of their combat mission in a country still mired in war 13 years after the U.S.-led invasion, The Associated Press reported. LINK National Torture Report On the eve of a long-a… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sanders-statement-on-cia-report | Sanders Statement on CIA Report | 2014-12-09 | 2014 | 2014-12 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | Sanders Statement on CIA Report Tuesday, December 9, 2014 WASHINGTON, Dec. 9 – Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) today issued the following statement on a Senate Intelligence Committee investigation which found that the Central Intelligence Agency misled the White House and Congress about the brutal interrogation of terrorism suspects: “A great nation must be prepared to acknowledge its errors. This report details an ugly chapter in American history during which our leaders and the intelligence community dishonored our nation’s proud traditions. Of course we must aggressively pursue international terrorists who would do us harm, but we must do so in a way that is consistent with the basic respect for human rights which makes us proud to be Americans. “The United States must not engage in torture. If we do, in an increasingly brutal world we lose our moral standing to condemn other nations or groups that engage in uncivilized behavior.” | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/recent-business/cia-brutality-dishonesty-detailed-in-senate-report | CIA Brutality, Dishonesty Detailed in Senate Report | 2014-12-09 | 2014 | 2014-12 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | CIA Brutality, Dishonesty Detailed in Senate Report Tuesday, December 9, 2014 A Senate Intelligence Committee investigation found that the Central Intelligence Agency misled the White House and Congress about the brutal interrogation of terrorism suspects. “A great nation must be prepared to acknowledge its errors. This report details an ugly chapter in American history during which our leaders and the intelligence community dishonored our nation’s proud traditions,” said Sen. Bernie Sanders. “Of course we must aggressively pursue international terrorists who would do us harm, but we must do so in a way that is consistent with the basic respect for human rights which makes us proud to be Americans. “The United States must not engage in torture. If we do, in an increasingly brutal world, we lose our moral standing to condemn other nations or groups that engage in uncivilized behavior,” the senator added. Read the report | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/must-read/global-warming-to-make-european-heat-waves-commonplace-by-2040s-study-finds | Global Warming to Make European Heat Waves Commonplace by 2040s, Study Finds | 2014-12-08 | 2014 | 2014-12 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | Global Warming to Make European Heat Waves ‘Commonplace’ by 2040s, Study Finds By: David Jolly Monday, December 8, 2014 PARIS — In June 2003, a high-pressure weather system took hold over Western Europe and hovered there for weeks, bringing warm tropical air to the region and making that summer the hottest since at least 1540, the year King Henry VIII discarded his fourth wife, Anne of Cleves. Temperatures were about 2.3 degrees Celsius, or 4.1 degrees Fahrenheit, above average that summer, contributing to perhaps 70,000 additional deaths and hitting the elderly particularly hard. The heat was a factorin the outbreak of forest fires and in lower than usual crop yields. It caused Alpine glaciers to shrink at a rate double that seen in the previous record summer five years earlier. Now, three scientists from the Met Office, the British weather agency, have concluded that human-caused global warming is going to make European summer heat waves “commonplace” by the 2040s. Their findings, published on Monday in the online journal Nature Climate Change, suggest that once every five years, Europe is likely to experience “a very hot summer,” in which temperatures are about 1.6 degrees Celsius, or 2.9 degrees Fahrenheit, above the 1961-90 average. This is up from a probability, just a decade ago, that such events would occur only once every 52 years, a 10-fold increase. Continue reading here. | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/must-read/the-kochs-eclipse-the-rnc | The Kochs eclipse the RNC | 2014-12-08 | 2014 | 2014-12 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | The Kochs eclipse the RNC By: Mike Allen and Kenneth Vogel Monday, December 8, 2014 The Koch brothers and their allies are pumping tens of millions of dollars into a data company that’s developing detailed, state-of-the-art profiles of 250 million Americans, giving the brothers’ political operation all the earmarks of a national party. The move comes as mainstream Republicans, led by Mitch McConnell, are trying to reclaim control of the conservative movement from outside groups. The Kochs, however, are continuing to amass all of the campaign tools the Republican National Committee and other party arms use to elect a president. The Koch network also has developed in-house expertise in polling, message-testing, fact-checking, advertising, media buying, dial groups and donor maintenance. Add mastery of election law, a corporate-minded aggressiveness and years of patient experimentation — plus seemingly limitless cash — and the Koch operation actually exceeds the RNC’s data operation in many important respects. “The Koch operations are the most important nonparty political players in the U.S. today, and no one else is even close,” said a top Republican who has been involved in the last eight presidential campaigns. Read more here. | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/newswatch/120814 | News December 8 | 2014-12-08 | 2014 | 2014-12 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | News December 8 Monday, December 8, 2014 Senator Sanders Primary Care Cliff Primary care programs serving 22 million poor Americans expire at the end of this fiscal year unless Congress finds more funding. But keeping the programs alive could be a tough sell amid a political climate still sour on President Obama's signature health law. "It will precipitate a huge crisis in primary care," said Sen. Bernard Sanders. He has written legislation to keep the funding going, but said no Republicans have signed onto his bill to direct nearly $30 billion to the programs over the next five years. "It's an expensive proposition," he told The Washington Times. LINK Holiday Dinner Area families enjoyed dinner Sunday at the 34th annual Tony Pomerleau Holiday Party at the Hilton in Burlington. Sen. Bernie Sanders started the party for families in need when he was mayor of Burlington, WCAX-TV, WVNY-TV and WFFDF-TV reported. Hundreds of adults and children attended this year’s event at the Burlington Hilton, the Burlington Free Press reported. LINK, LINK, VIDEO, VIDEO, VIDEO Holiday Dinner Sen. Sanders will host a free holiday dinner for seniors this Friday in Bennington. It’s of several holiday dinners throughout Vermont he holds to hear seniors’ concerns and to provide Vermonters with an update from Washington. The free turkey dinner will be catered by Bennington County Meals on Wheels and will be held at the Unitarian Universalist Church. Students from Mount Anthony Union High School will perform holiday music during the event, the Bennington Banner reported. LINK World 1,000 Extra U.S. Soldiers Will Remain in Afghanistan The United States military will keep as many as 1,000 extra troops in Afghanistan through early next year, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said Saturday, a response to a slower-than-expected force commitment from NATO allies. The revelation came during a trip to Afghanistan by Hagel, who made a point of saying the additional soldiers were not a response to several mon… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/recent-business/koch-brothers-surpass-rnc | Koch Brothers Surpass RNC | 2014-12-08 | 2014 | 2014-12 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | Koch Brothers Surpass RNC Monday, December 8, 2014 According to Politico the Koch Brothers, the right-wing multi-billionaire family, has surpassed the Republican Party in developing a political data base with information on 250 million Americans. Sen. Bernie Sanders responded to the news by asking, “Are we living in a democracy when billionaires can significantly control the political process? We must overturn Citizens United and pass public funding of elections.” Three years go on Monday Sanders introduced a constitutional amendment to overturn the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision. Read the article here. | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/vermont/nobody-goes-on-vacation-anymore | Nobody Goes on Vacation Anymore | 2014-12-08 | 2014 | 2014-12 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | ‘Nobody Goes on Vacation Anymore’ Monday, December 8, 2014 Like tens of thousands of Vermonters, Christine Campbell, 44, of Winooski, works more than one job. She works as a full-time manager at a retail sports store in Essex, but out of economic necessity she has carved out another 30 to 40 hours each month to dedicate to her second job: decorating window displays for local merchants. On a recent Friday, Christine was removing baseball pennants that declared Boston as the 2013 World Series Champions from a window display in the Burlington Town Center mall and replacing them with football memorabilia. Her freelance “visual display” business creates an essential second stream of revenue. Without the money from her second job, she said, things would be tight. “I would be able to pay my bills – and that would be it. I would not be able to enjoy my life,” she said. The Vermont Department of Labor, citing 2012 data, estimates that, in these rough economic times, about 30,000 Vermonters work more than one job to cover their expenses. Christine keeps current with her credit card debt and has no school loans. She notes, however, that she has many friends who have been struggling since the recession hit in 2008. “They do a lot of pasta nights. They don’t have a lot of money,” she said. “Going on vacation is nice, but nobody goes on vacation anymore.” Christine’s second job, which she has had for the last six years, creates some extra money for the occasional movie and dinner with a friend. Her earnings also help, slowly, replenish her retirement savings that she had to deplete when her husband lost his job. Raiding Retirement Funds When her husband was out of work, Christine was forced to raid her retirement fund to make sure the bills were paid. “The money had to come from some place,” she said. Christine is not alone. In the years that followed the most severe recession to hit the United States in generations, many people in Vermont and throughout the U.S. had l… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/newswatch/120714 | News December 7 | 2014-12-07 | 2014 | 2014-12 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | News December 7 Sunday, December 7, 2014 Senator Sanders American Agenda Sen. Bernie Sanders detailed a 12-point economic agenda to rebuild America’s middle class by creating jobs and raising wages. “The question of our time is whether we take on the billionaire class or whether we continue to slide into oligarchy,” he said in Senate speech covered in a report on MSNBC. “If the president remains strong and we rally the American people, we can implement some important policies,” Sanders said in the interview broadcast on Sunday. VIDEO Citizens United A tidal wave of money made the 2014 federal midterm elections the costliest in history. The money paid for negative ads that created close to universal disgust and caused the lowest turnout since 1942. U.S. Rep. Dave Loebsack, who represents the Iowa Quad-Cities, supports a constitutional amendment by Sen. Sanders to require stronger disclosure of contributions and expenditures, the Quad-City Times in Davenport, Iowa, reported. LINK World Six Guantanamo Detainees Sent to Uruguay Six detainees were finally transferred to Uruguay over the weekend. The Pentagon announced the transfer on Sunday. The transfers are part of a move by President Barack Obama to close the U.S. military detention facility in Cuba, The Washington Post reported. LINK National Senate ’14 Republicans picked up a ninth Senate seat Saturday when Rep. Bill Cassidy defeated Sen. Mary Landrieu in a runoff election in Louisiana. Landrieu’s loss means there will be no Democratic senators from the Deep South when the new Congress is sworn in early next year. Republican gains in the House mean they will start the next Congress with the largest majority since World War II, The Washington Post reported. LINK Oil Giants, State AGs Fight Obama Republican attorneys general have formed an unprecedented, secretive alliance with some of the nation’s top energy producers to push back against the Obama regulatory agenda, an investigation by The New York Times has found. A… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/recent-business/american-agenda | American Agenda | 2014-12-07 | 2014 | 2014-12 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | American Agenda Sunday, December 7, 2014 Sen. Bernie Sanders detailed a 12-point economic agenda to rebuild America’s middle class by creating jobs and raising wages. “The question of our time is whether we take on the billionaire class or whether we continue to slide into oligarchy,” he said in Senate speech. Looking ahead to the new session of Congress that begins in January, Sanders was guardedly optimistic. “If the president remains strong and we rally the American people, we can implement some important policies,” he said in the interview broadcast on Sunday. WATCH | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/newswatch/120614 | News December 6 | 2014-12-06 | 2014 | 2014-12 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | News December 6 Saturday, December 6, 2014 Senator Sanders Climate Summit The University of Vermont and Sen. Bernie Sanders on Friday hosted a youth summit on climate change. Small teams of high school students laid out climate action plans for their high schools, WCAX-TV, WVNY-TV and WPTZ-TV reported. Sanders told students that action must be taken to slow climate change, Vermont Public Radio reported. VIDEO, VIDEO, VIDEO, LINK Agenda for America Sen. Sanders on The Thom Hartmann Program proposed a 12-point economic agenda to create jobs, raise wages and reform the nation's broken financial system. Sanders told HuffPost Live that his agenda is “supported … by the vast majority of the American people." VIDEO, VIDEO, LINK Taxes The House rushed through a last-minute measure Wednesday to extend a massive package of expired tax breaks for banks, investment firms, commuters and NASCAR track owners. The bill would enable millions of businesses and individuals to claim the tax breaks on their 2014 returns. It would add nearly $42 billion to the budget deficit over the next decade. It's unclear when the bill will come before the Senate, but Sanders is not a fan. He told WCAX-TV that 65 percent of the credits go to businesses but credits for low-income families were not extended by the bill. LINK Medical Mistakes Medical mistakes are responsible for millions of injuries and hundreds of thousands of deaths each year in America, WBUR-FM reported. Patient Safety America estimated that 440,000 Americans die each year from such mistakes, making medical errors the nation's third-leading cause of death, Sen. Sanders noted at a summer hearing on the issue. LINK Rx Prices “Congress is right to demand answers from drug companies given what has happened to the price of many generic drugs” according to an editorial in The Joplin (Missouri) Globe. It said Sen. Sanders and U.S. Rep. Elijah Cummings sent letters to the makers of 10 generic drugs that have seen price increases of over 300… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/newswatch/120514 | News December 5 | 2014-12-05 | 2014 | 2014-12 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | News December 5 Friday, December 5, 2014 Senator Sanders Climate Change Youth Summit The University of Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders are holding a youth summit on climate change. More than 150 high school students from around Vermont were expected to attend the event on Friday. They will work in small teams to come up with climate action plans for their high schools, The Associated Press and WPTZ-TV reported. LINK, VIDEO Minimum Wage Workers Fast-food workers and others in low-paying jobs on Thursday launched one-day strikes across the United States demanding a $15 an hour minimum wage and union rights. Organizers said workers at major chains like McDonald's, Burger King, Wendy's and Taco Bell walked off their jobs in more than 190 cities. Sen. Sanders spoke to protesters outside the Air and Space Museum in Washington, according to Yahoo News. LINK Drug Price Gouging A Senate hearing this week chaired by Sen. Bernie Sanders investigated the staggering cost of speciality drugs to treat the deadly hepatitis C virus — around $1,000 per pill for one drug, Sovaldi. Sen. Sanders is hoping to bring down the cost of the drug, which is commonly used by the Department of Veterans Affairs, The Fiscal Times reported. “We cannot leave VA providers in the position where they are forced to choose which veterans get treated... and which do not because of cost,” Sanders said. LINK Save the Postal Service A group of senators is trying to prevent the Postal Service from closing down dozens of mail processing facilities to cut costs. In a series of Senate speeches on Thursday, Sen. Sanders joined Montana Sen. Jon Tester, who noted that there are "a lot of people in Congress who would like to see the Postal Service go out of business,” The Hill reported LINK Wall Street Nominee William D. Cohan of The New York Times criticized Sen. Elizabeth Warren for making "political hay" out of her opposition to Wall Street and a nominee for a Treasury Department post. Sens. Sanders and Dick also oppo… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sanders-and-uvm-host-youth-climate-summit | Sanders and UVM Host Youth Climate Summit | 2014-12-05 | 2014 | 2014-12 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | Sanders and UVM Host Youth Climate Summit Friday, December 5, 2014 BURLINGTON, Vt., Dec. 5 – U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and the University of Vermont held a Youth Climate Summit today. More than 150 Vermont high school students and dozens of teachers from 26 high schools throughout the state worked in small teams to create climate action plans for their high schools. “Global warming is the planetary crisis of our time,” Sanders told the students. “The scientific community is telling us that we have a narrow window of opportunity to address the crisis of climate change and to transform our energy system away from fossil fuels and toward sustainable energy,” added the senator, a member of both the Senate energy and environment committees. The high school students took part in workshops organized by 65 UVM undergraduates who had studied ecological economics. Organizing the climate summit for young Vermonters was one of the goals of the college course that also focused on energy efficiency, renewable energy development and greenhouse gas auditing. “The summit provided a great opportunity not only to help students develop action plans that will tangibly decrease the carbon footprint of their high schools, but also to pass along to younger peers some of the optimism and passion we feel about addressing climate change,” said Amelia Fontein, a UVM junior from Tinmouth, Vermont. “Sen. Sanders’ involvement has been key to the success we’ve had recruiting students and in underlining the importance of this issue.” Gillian Galford, a research professor and fellow at the Gund Institute for Ecological, shared research on the impact climate change will have on Vermont in coming decades. “The University of Vermont is honored to be hosting the inaugural Vermont Youth Climate Summit in partnership with Sen. Sanders,” said Professor Jon Erickson of UVM's Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources. “Through building strong peer networks, we hope this summit elevates the voi… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/recent-business/the-week-in-review-120514 | The Week in Review | 2014-12-05 | 2014 | 2014-12 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | The Week in Review Friday, December 5, 2014 Real unemployment in November was 11.4 percent, the U.S. Labor Department announced on Friday. “We need to put the unemployed back to work and raise wages,” Sanders said in a Senate speech on Tuesday. Up to 15,000 good Postal Service jobs may be eliminated starting in January unless Congress stops the planned cuts, senators warned in a series of speeches on Thursday. On Wednesday, Sanders chaired a hearing on exorbitant drug prices. And on Friday, the senator welcomed students from across Vermont to a Youth Climate Summit at the University of Vermont. Jobs The government’s broadest measure of unemployment stood at 11.4 percent in November. The figure counts workers forced to settle for part-time jobs and others who gave up looking for work. Raise the Minimum Wage The new jobless numbers were announced one day after fast-food workers and others in low-paying jobs launched one-day strikes across the United States demanding a $15 an hour minimum wage and union rights. Sanders spoke to protesters outside the Air and Space Museum in Washington. Watch An American Economic Agenda In his major Senate speech on Tuesday, Sanders said the American people face a fundamental choice. “Do we continue the 40-year decline of our middle class and the growing gap between the very rich and everyone else, or do we fight for a progressive economic agenda?” Watch, Read more in The Huffington Post Drug Prices A Senate panel on Wednesday examined exorbitant prices for new treatments for hepatitis C, an often fatal liver disease. Gilead, the leading manufacturer of the drugs, refused to testify at the hearing about the $84,000 it charges for a 12-week regimen of Sovaldi and the $94,500 price tag for a newer drug, Harvoni. The price per pill is about $1,000 for Sovaldi $1,125 for Harvoni. “What we are looking at is a very excessive profit,” said Sanders, chairman of the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs. He called it “deplorable” and a “moral issue” th… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/recent-business/youth-climate-summit | Youth Climate Summit | 2014-12-05 | 2014 | 2014-12 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | Youth Climate Summit Friday, December 5, 2014 Sen. Bernie Sanders took part in a Youth Climate Summit on Friday at the University of Vermont. Nearly 200 Vermont high school students and dozens of teachers from 26 high schools throughout the state worked in small teams to create climate action plans for their high schools. “Global warming is the planetary crisis of our time,” Sanders told the students. “The scientific community is telling us that we have a narrow window of opportunity to address the crisis of climate change and to transform our energy system away from fossil fuels and toward sustainable energy,” added the senator, a member of both the Senate energy and environment committees. The high school students took part in workshops organized by 65 UVM undergraduates who had studied ecological economics. Organizing the climate summit for young Vermonters was one of the goals of the college course that also focused on energy efficiency, renewable energy development and greenhouse gas auditing. “The summit provided a great opportunity not only to help students develop action plans that will tangibly decrease the carbon footprint of their high schools, but also to pass along to younger peers some of the optimism and passion we feel about addressing climate change,” said Amelia Fontein, a UVM junior from Tinmouth, Vermont. “Sen. Sanders’ involvement has been key to the success we’ve had recruiting students and in underlining the importance of this issue.” Gillian Galford, a research professor and fellow at the Gund Institute for Ecological, shared research on the impact climate change will have on Vermont in coming decades. “The University of Vermont is honored to be hosting the inaugural Vermont Youth Climate Summit in partnership with Sen. Sanders,” said Professor Jon Erickson of UVM's Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources. “Through building strong peer networks, we hope this summit elevates the voice of our youth and ties the… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/must-read/in-fast-food-workers-fight-for-15-hourly-wage-a-strong-voice-in-terrance-wise | In Fast-Food Workers Fight for $15 Hourly Wage, a Strong Voice in Terrance Wise | 2014-12-04 | 2014 | 2014-12 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | In Fast-Food Workers’ Fight for $15 Hourly Wage, a Strong Voice in Terrance Wise Thursday, December 4, 2014 KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Most mornings last year, Terrance Wise left home before his three daughters woke up, to head to his $9.30-an-hour job at Burger King. And after working his second job of the day, as a $7.47-an-hour cook for Pizza Hut, he returned home 16 hours later, around 11 p.m., after his daughters had gone to sleep. “The kids started saying, ‘Daddy, we never get to see you,' ” said Mr. Wise, 35. The situation worsened when Burger King cut back his hours and his fiancée was sidelined from work with a back injury. Despite his working two jobs, he and his family were evicted from their apartment, leaving them homeless for three months. His financial struggles while working in low-paying fast-food jobs since the age of 16 help to explain — not surprisingly to many friends and colleagues — why he has emerged as the leading voice of a nationwide movement of fast-food workers clamoring for a higher wage. Two years after 200 fast-food workers walked out in a one-day strike in New York City, the walkouts have spread across the country and become the largest labor protests in the nation in years. Continue reading here. | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/newswatch/120414 | News December 4 | 2014-12-04 | 2014 | 2014-12 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | News December 4 Thursday, December 4, 2014 Senator Sanders American Economic Agenda Sen. Bernie Sanders argued in a Senate speech this week for a bold economic agenda that emphasizes job creation and raising wages, The Nation’s John Nichols reported. Sanders is "doing the Democratic Party, with which he caucuses, a service by issuing some specific proposals, many of which Democrats of all stripes can rally around,” John Cassidy of The New Yorker wrote. LINK, LINK Economic Agenda Sen. Sanders will discuss his agenda Thursday on the Burt Cohen Show on WCSA-FM in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, Foster’s Daily Democrat and the Portsmouth Herald reported. LINK, LINK Drug Prices A new drug holds the potential to cure hepatitis C in tens of thousands of veterans but Department of Veterans Affairs officials told a Senate panel Wednesday that VA’s requested $1.3 billion to buy the drug is only enough to treat about 30,000 of the 114,000 vets who might need it. Sen. Sanders, the veterans committee chairman, criticized Gilead, the drugmaker, for reaping large profits while veterans face possible rationing due to the expense, Stars and Stripes. The drugmaker refused to testify, WFFF-TV and WVNY-TV reported. LINK, VIDEO, VIDEO Minimum Wage Workers Low-wage federal contract workers in the nation's capital will walk off their jobs today to demand presidential action to win a $15 an hour living wage and a union. Several members of Congress, including Sen. Sanders, will join workers at the strike at the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum, according to The Associated Press. Energy The quest by Montpelier, Vermont, to shift its energy use toward renewable sources has earned it national recognition by the White House as a Climate Action Champion alongside Boston, Seattle and San Francisco. Sen. Sanders said, “Vermont is a national leader in transforming our energy system from fossil fuels to clean, sustainable, renewable energy. It is fitting that our state capital has earned this prestigious … | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/delegation-welcomes-dairy-insurance-extension | Delegation Welcomes Dairy Insurance Extension | 2014-12-04 | 2014 | 2014-12 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | Delegation Welcomes Dairy Insurance Extension Thursday, December 4, 2014 WASHINGTON, Dec. 4 – U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today extended by two week’s the deadline for dairy farmers to sign up for a new insurance program. Farmers now have until Dec. 19 to enroll in the new Margin Protection Program. “This extension is helpful to Vermont’s dairy farmers as well as those across the country who may still be weighing their options,” Sens. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Rep. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) said. “Many are looking at the latest market forecasts with dropping prices and are considering increasing their protection levels under the insurance program. For dairy farmers who have not yet contacted their local county USDA Farm Service Agency offices, now is the time to pick up the phone and make an appointment or just drop in. This is a small but important step to ensure coverage.” Leahy, Sanders and Welch also encouraged dairy producers to go online to use the Web tool at www.fsa.usda.gov/mpptool to find the best levels of coverage for their particular dairy operations. Farmers can simply enter their specific operation data and explore price projections to determine what levels of coverage is best for them. The tool also allows them to compare data to see how the program would have helped in previous years, such as 2008, when margins dropped from $8 to $3 in just three months. The online resource is on a secure website that can be accessed from computers, mobile phones or tablets, 24 hours a day and seven days a week. Farmers who do not sign up now for the 2015 calendar year will also miss out on the opportunity for a reduced premium rate for their first 4 million pounds of production for this initial year of the program’s operation. A 25 percent reduction in the premium rates for margin levels of $4.50 to $7.50 for calendar year 2015 was a provision added to the 2014 farm bill. | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sanders-dont-destroy-the-us-postal-service | Sanders: Dont Destroy the U.S. Postal Service | 2014-12-04 | 2014 | 2014-12 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | Sanders: Don’t Destroy the U.S. Postal Service Thursday, December 4, 2014 WASHINGTON, Dec. 4 – Warning that the future of the U.S. Postal Service is at stake, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) today called on managers of the mail system to back off plans to slow deliveries and eliminate as many as 15,000 jobs. Despite big increases in revenue, Postal Service managers are forging ahead with a self-destructive plan to close up to 82 mail-sorting centers and gut first-class mail standards. “If Congress doesn’t stop the postmaster general from making these devastating cuts it will drive more Americans away from the Postal Service and lead to a death spiral of lower-quality service, fewer customers, more cuts, less revenue and eventually the destruction of the Postal Service,” Sanders said in a Senate floor speech. House Republican leaders refused to consider a plea by 51 senators, a majority, and 160 members of the House of Representatives who signed a letter supporting a moratorium on the cuts. Sanders strongly disputed claims that the Postal Service is going broke. In fact, from 2003 through 2006 the Postal Service made a combined profit of more than $9 billion. Increasing revenue would have resulted in nearly $1 billion in profits over the past two years except for an unprecedented requirement that the Postal Service sink billions of dollars into an already-flush fund for future retiree health benefits. The requirement was slipped into law at the request of President George W. Bush during a lame-duck session of Congress. “This onerous and unprecedented burden that costs $5.5 billion a year is responsible for all of the financial losses posted by the Postal Service since October 2012,” Sanders said. | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/recent-business/minimum-wage-workers-strike | Minimum Wage Workers Strike | 2014-12-04 | 2014 | 2014-12 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | Minimum Wage Workers Strike Thursday, December 4, 2014 Low-wage federal contract workers in the nation's capital walked off their jobs Thursday to demand presidential action to win a $15 an hour living wage and a union. Sen. Bernie Sanders joined workers at the strike at the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum. "Here's the simple truth: In America, we have millions and millions of working people who are working hard but are not making enough money to put bread on the table or to take care of their kids," Sanders told the strikers. "That has got to end. If people work 40 hours a week, they should not be living in poverty." | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/vermont/montpelier-joins-big-cities-in-energy-honor | Montpelier joins big cities in energy honor | 2014-12-04 | 2014 | 2014-12 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | Montpelier joins big cities in energy honor Amy Ash Nixon By: Amy Ash Nixon Thursday, December 4, 2014 MONTPELIER — The city’s quest to shift its energy use toward renewable sources has earned it national recognition as a Climate Action Champion alongside Boston, Seattle and San Francisco. The White House on Wednesday announced the 16 winners in this first year of a Department of Energy competition highlighting the steps communities are taking to combat climate change. The announcement noted that Montpelier this year launched Net Zero Montpelier, a major initiative focused on making it the first effectively carbon-neutral capital city in the country by the year 2030, through the use of energy efficiency and renewable sources. “My hope is that Montpelier will become a model for how cities can address the problem of climate change at the local level,” Mayor John Hollar said in a phone interview Wednesday. “This designation will provide us with additional resources to meet that goal.” According to a news release from City Hall, Montpelier will have increased opportunities to access Department of Energy funding possibilities as well as technical assistance. City Manager William Fraser said Montpelier appears to be, by far, the smallest city among the winners. The others include Boston, Minneapolis, Portland, Oregon, Salt Lake City, San Francisco, Seattle and the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians in Michigan. It was the Montpelier Energy Advisory Committee that sought the special designation, with many volunteers helping to get the application in on time. The state’s two senators offered congratulatory statements Wednesday. Sen. Bernard Sanders said, “Vermont is a national leader in transforming our energy system from fossil fuels to clean, sustainable, renewable energy. It is fitting that our state capital has earned this prestigious recognition from the U.S. Department of Energy.” Sen. Patrick Leahy said, “Montpelier’s work to address cl… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/must-read/this-drug-costs-84000 | This drug costs $84,000 | 2014-12-03 | 2014 | 2014-12 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | This drug costs $84,000 And there’s nothing the US health-care system can do to stop it. By: Sarah Kliff Wednesday, December 3, 2014 The first thing Philip Mason noticed was the hair loss. The 73-year-old retiree, a former computer programmer, began shedding hair from his arms, legs, everywhere on his body. "It just all came right off," he said. After the hair loss came weight loss; Mason dropped from 150 to 125 pounds. He felt weak and sick. Mason, who is blind and already used a white cane to get around, began having falls. He switched to a walker for more stability. Mason went to the doctor and discovered he had Hepatitis C. He had contracted the disease through sex with an ex-boyfriend. And when he received his diagnosis three years ago, the prognosis wasn't good. He already had renal insufficiency, a chronic condition in which the kidneys become increasingly weak and unable to process urine. After the diagnosis of Hepatitis C, which weakens liver function, Mason's doctor recommended a transplant. Mason declined. "I told my doctor I was already old, and worried about what my quality of life would be like after the transplant," he said. So Mason lived with his Hepatitis C, the hair loss, the weight loss, the walker, and the falls, until this past February. That's when his doctor at the Whitman Walker Clinic in Washington, DC, asked if he wanted to try a new Hepatitis C drug called Sovaldi. It had just come on the market a few months earlier. In initial trials, Sovaldi used with another medication cured at least 94 percent of Hepatitis C cases during a 12-week treatment course. Treatment would not be invasive like a liver transplant. He would just need to take Sovaldi and one other medication once a day for three months. Mason agreed. Continue reading here. | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/must-read/this-is-why-the-middle-class-cant-get-ahead | This is why the middle class cant get ahead | 2014-12-03 | 2014 | 2014-12 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | This is why the middle class can’t get ahead By: Nick Hanauer Wednesday, December 3, 2014 Editor’s Note: When’s the last time you worked overtime? How about the last time you worked overtime and got paid for it? If you’re in the middle class, probably not recently. Only Americans who make less than $23,660 a year are automatically eligible for time-and-a-half pay after working 40 hours a week. Today, that’s only 11 percent of salaried workers. It didn’t used to be this way, and it doesn’t have to stay this way, argues venture capitalist Nick Hanauer. Just like President Obama has taken executive action on immigration, Hanauer believes the president can and should take executive action to raise the salary threshold for overtime eligibility. Hanauer’s a billionaire who made his fortune as one of the original investors in Amazon. The current rules are written to benefit wealthy capitalists like him, he admits. So, you might ask, why does Hanauer care about overtime pay for people who make less, much less, than he does? “Ironically,” he writes, when “you earn less, and unemployment is high, it even hurts capitalists like me.” That won’t surprise Making Sen$e readers who’ve heard his brand of “middle-out economics.” Closing the income gap wouldn’t just benefit the middle class; a stronger middle class is the source of economic prosperity for everyone, he thinks. Read more at PBS.org | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/newswatch/120314 | News December 3 | 2014-12-03 | 2014 | 2014-12 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | News December 3 Wednesday, December 3, 2014 Senator Sanders Robin Hood in Reverse Sen. Bernie Sanders told MSNBC’s Ed Schultz on Tuesday that he would oppose a deal that would permanently extend tax breaks for big corporations without extending benefits for working families. “This is just another example of the Republicans having their priorities exactly wrong,” Sanders said. “We take from the poor and we give to the rich – that is the Republican philosophy.” VIDEO Agenda for America Americans must choose between policies that brought a 40-year decline of the middle class and a progressive economic agenda that creates jobs, raises wages, protects the environment and provides health care for all, Sen. Sanders wrote for Daily Kos. Sanders “is giving everyone a pretty good idea of what his major campaign issues would be if he does seek the White House,” according to a Brattleboro Reformer editorial. Wonkette called the plan "so crazy it just might work." LINK, LINK, LINK Treasury Nominee More than 100,000 progressive voters are urging the Senate to reject President Barack Obama's choice of Antonio Weiss, a former Wall Street banker, to fill a key Treasury Department post. Sen. Sanders said he will vote against Weiss, The Boston Globe, The Huffington Post and Politico reported. Bloomberg said Weiss won the backing of Sen. Orrin Hatch, the Republican who will chair the Senate Finance Committee. LINK, LINK, LINK, LINK Senate Approves Ambassadors The Senate approved President Oabam's nominees to be U.S. ambassador to Argentina and Hungary. Sen. Sanders voted for both, National Review Online reported. LINK Postal Service Cuts A bipartisan group of senators joined Sen. Sanders in calling for a delay in next year's scheduled closings of 82 Postal Service mail processing centers, the News Tribune of Jefferson City, Missouri, and Wheeler News Service of Wisconsin reported. LINK, LINK FairPoint Investigation Some 100 emergency 911 calls did not go through during a six-hour ou… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/senate-panel-probes-exorbitant-prices-for-hepatitis-c-drugs | Senate Panel Probes Exorbitant Prices for Hepatitis C Drugs | 2014-12-03 | 2014 | 2014-12 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | Senate Panel Probes Exorbitant Prices for Hepatitis C Drugs Wednesday, December 3, 2014 WASHINGTON, Dec. 3 – The Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee held a hearing today on exorbitant prices charged by drugmakers for new treatments for hepatitis C, a liver disease that claims about 15,000 lives a year in the United States. Gilead, the leading manufacturer of the drugs, refused to testify at the hearing about the $84,000 it charges for a 12-week regimen of Sovaldi and the $94,500 price tag for a newer drug, Harvoni. The price per pill is about $1,000 for Sovaldi $1,125 for Harvoni. Even with bulk-purchase discounts, the Department of Veterans Affairs spent $370 million in the past year on new treatments. Outlays are projected to soar by an additional $1.3 billion for the next two years. “What we are looking at is a very excessive profit,” said Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), the committee chairman. He called it “deplorable” and a “moral issue” that the life-saving drug may have to be rationed because the price makes it unaffordable for all who need it. The treatment cost is especially significant to the VA because the disease affects veterans – particularly Vietnam-era veterans – at a rate higher than the general population. Approximately 174,000 veterans currently enrolled in VA have been diagnosed with hepatitis C. Sovaldi is on pace to become the highest grossing drug in history. Approved by the Food and Drug Administration late in 2013, sales totaled $2.27 billion in the first quarter of 2014 and $3.48 billion in the second quarter. Gilead bought the rights to market the drug from another company, which had planned to charge less than half as much for the medication. “Did Gilead purchase the company knowing it could more than double the price and pay for its investment in one year?” asked John Rother of the National Coalition on Health Care. Robert Weissman, president of the consumer rights group Public Citizen, testified that Gilead is making $200 million a week on Soval… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/recent-business/exorbitant-drug-prices | Exorbitant Drug Prices | 2014-12-03 | 2014 | 2014-12 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | Exorbitant Drug Prices Wednesday, December 3, 2014 A Senate panel on Wednesday examined exorbitant prices charged by drugmakers for new treatments for hepatitis C, a liver disease that claims about 15,000 lives a year in the United States. Gilead, the leading manufacturer of the drugs, refused to testify at the hearing about the $84,000 it charges for a 12-week regimen of Sovaldi and the $94,500 price tag for a newer drug, Harvoni. The price per pill is about $1,000 for Sovaldi $1,125 for Harvoni. Even with bulk-purchase discounts, the Department of Veterans Affairs spent $370 million in the past year on new treatments. Outlays are projected to soar by an additional $1.3 billion for the next two years. “What we are looking at is a very excessive profit,” said Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), chairman of the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs. He called it “deplorable” and a “moral issue” that the life-saving drug may have to be rationed because the price makes it unaffordable for all who need it. The treatment cost is especially significant to the VA because the disease affects veterans – particularly Vietnam-era veterans – at a rate higher than the general population. Approximately 174,000 veterans currently enrolled in VA have been diagnosed with hepatitis C. Sovaldi is on pace to become the highest grossing drug in history. Approved by the Food and Drug Administration late in 2013, sales totaled $2.27 billion in the first quarter of 2014 and $3.48 billion in the second quarter. Gilead bought the rights to market the drug from another company, which had planned to charge less than half as much for the medication. “Did Gilead purchase the company knowing it could more than double the price and pay for its investment in one year?” asked John Rother of the National Coalition on Health Care. Robert Weissman, president of the consumer rights group Public Citizen, testified that Gilead is making $200 million a week on Sovaldi. He said treatments are us… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/newswatch/120214 | News December 2 | 2014-12-02 | 2014 | 2014-12 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | News December 2 Tuesday, December 2, 2014 Senator Sanders An Economic Agenda for America Americans must choose between the policies that brought a 40-year decline of our middle class and a progressive economic agenda that creates jobs, raises wages, protects the environment and provides health care for all, Sen. Bernie Sanders wrote for The Huffington Post and Op-Ed News. LINK, LINK Sanders Calls for FairPoint Investigation Vermont officials are calling for an investigation of FairPoint Communications’ following hundreds of complaints and a recent outage that prevented some Vermonters from reaching 911 emergency help. Sen. Sanders and the state Public Service Department called for an investigation. He called the disrupted 911 service “unacceptable,” according to the Burlington Free Press and Bennington Banner, The Berkshire (Massachusetts) Eagle, WPTZ-TV, WVNY-TV and WFFF-TV reported. LINK, LINK, LINK, VIDEO, VIDEO Dairy Farmers’ Deadline Nears With a Friday deadline looming, about two-thirds of Vermont’s dairy farmers have yet to apply for a federal program designed to provide a safety net for milk producers, according to the Burlington Free Press. Sens. Sanders and Patrick Leahy and Rep. Peter Welch fought to fund the program under a new farm bill signed into law this year. LINK ‘Crazy’ Tax Deal Lawmakers are hammering out a legislative deal to extend tax breaks for large corporations but ignores tax cuts for working families, The Hill reported. Sen. Sanders said he was glad the president last week threatened to veto the deal. “This tax cut agreement does exactly the wrong things,” Sanders said. LINK Veterans Members of Congress have plenty of work ahead as they reconvene for the last weeks of 2014, Defense One reported. Sen. Sanders said last week he would pursue the passage of veterans suicide prevention legislation before the year's end. Charles Pierce of Esquire noted that Senate Republicans filibustered a "carefully crafted" comprehensive veterans benefits bill… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sanders-details-economic-agenda-for-america | Sanders Details Economic Agenda for America | 2014-12-02 | 2014 | 2014-12 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | Sanders Details Economic Agenda for America Tuesday, December 2, 2014 WASHINGTON, Dec. 2 – Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) today outlined a progressive economic agenda to reverse a 40-year decline of the American middle class and the growing gap between the very rich and everyone else in the United States. In a Senate floor speech, Sanders detailed measures to create millions of new jobs, raise wages, protect the environment and provide health care for all. He said the most significant question facing the American people is: “Are we prepared to take on the enormous economic and political power of the billionaire class or do we continue to slide into economic and political oligarchy?” The collapse of the middle class, accelerated by the Wall Street crash of 2008, has left the United States with more wealth and income inequality than any major country and the highest rate of childhood poverty. “Today, millions of Americans are working longer hours for lower wages,” he said. In inflation-adjusted dollars, the median male worker earned $783 less last year than he made 41 years ago. The median female worker made $1,337 less last year than she earned in 2007. Since 1999, household income for the median middle-class family is less than it was a quarter century ago. “We once led the world in terms of the percentage of our people who graduated college, but we are now in 12th place. Our infrastructure, once the envy of the world, is collapsing. Real unemployment today is not 5.8 percent, it is 11.5 percent if we include those who have given up looking for work or who are working part time when they want to work full time. Youth unemployment is 18.6 percent and African-American youth unemployment is 32.6 percent,” Sanders said. Sanders detailed a 12-point economic program to: * Invest in our crumbling infrastructure with a major program to create jobs by rebuilding roads, bridges, water systems, waste water plants, airports, railroads and schools. * Transform energy systems away from… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/recent-business/sanders-details-economic-agenda-for-america | Sanders Details Economic Agenda for America | 2014-12-02 | 2014 | 2014-12 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | Sanders Details Economic Agenda for America Tuesday, December 2, 2014 Sen. Bernie Sanders on Tuesday outlined a progressive economic agenda to reverse a 40-year decline of the American middle class and the growing gap between the very rich and everyone else in the United States. In a Senate floor speech, Sanders detailed measures to create millions of new jobs, raise wages, protect the environment and provide health care for all. He said the most significant question facing the American people is: “Are we prepared to take on the enormous economic and political power of the billionaire class or do we continue to slide into economic and political oligarchy?” Watch the speech | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/video-audio/take-from-the-poor-give-to-the-rich | Take from the Poor, Give to the Rich | 2014-12-02 | 2014 | 2014-12 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | Take from the Poor, Give to the Rich Sen. Bernie Sanders discusses a Republican proposal to extend tax breaks for big corporations while ignoring benefits for working families with MSNBC's Ed Schultz. See Video on YouTube Tweet Copy Link | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/newswatch/120114 | News December 1 | 2014-12-01 | 2014 | 2014-12 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | News December 1 Monday, December 1, 2014 Senator Sanders Congress Reconvenes Lawmakers reconvene Monday for the final two weeks of the 113th Congress, with some Republicans clamoring to block President Obama's executive action on immigration and Democrats warning that such a strategy could lead to another government shutdown. After hearings before the Thanksgiving recess on veterans suicide-prevention and mental health, legislation could be gaining traction. Sen. Bernie Sanders, the Veterans’ Affairs Committee chairman, said he would work to get a bill passed by the end of the year, National Journal reported. LINK Veterans Health Care Congressional Quarterly examined the cost of using private doctors to care for veterans. Lou Celli of the American Legion pointed to an analysis of a bill by Senate Veterans’ Affairs Chairman Sanders and Sen. John McCain which could have cost the federal government in excess of $50 billion a year. LINK Treasury Pick Panned President Obama’s nomination of Antonio Weiss to serve as the Treasury Department’s top domestic finance official is drawing fire from Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders. They oppose Weiss, a major investment banker with Lazard, as another example of their fatigue with filling top-ranking administration spots with officials that have spent significant time working for or on behalf of Wall Street titans, The Hill reported. Global Warming Rep. Jared Huffman introduced legislation that would require the Congressional Budget Office to estimate the projected carbon footprint — greenhouse gas emissions — stemming from all congressional legislation. The same bill was introduced in the Senate by Sen. Sanders, according to the Marin Independent Journal in San Rafael, California. LINK Working Families “If Democrats want to win back the white working class — an enormous demographic — they need to start encouraging work, rather than talking about race or class. Sen. Sanders, for one, suggests the government invest heavily in … | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sanders-wants-probe-of-fairpoint-service-interruptions | Sanders Wants Probe of FairPoint Service Interruptions | 2014-12-01 | 2014 | 2014-12 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | Sanders Wants Probe of FairPoint Service Interruptions Monday, December 1, 2014 WASHINGTON, Dec. 1 – Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) today applauded a Vermont Public Service Department request for an investigation into FairPoint Communications telephone service interruptions, including a nearly six-hour lapse in emergency 911 service on Friday. A FairPoint equipment failure prevented 45 Vermonters from reaching emergency dispatchers at the Montpelier Police Department and the Vermont State Police in Williston, St. Albans and Middlesex. “That is simply unacceptable,” Sanders said. “FairPoint’s history of bankruptcy and poor service should be cause for real concern in terms of the company’s ability to deliver the emergency services Vermonters need, deserve and are paying for.” Altogether, some 400 Vermonters have made formal complaints to the Public Service Department since Sept. 4 regarding poor service. “FairPoint is clearly putting the interests of the multi-billion-dollar hedge funds, which own the company, ahead of its workers and ahead of its Vermont customers. The company’s plan to freeze pensions, eliminate future retiree health benefits, force workers to pay hundreds of dollars more a month for health care and outsource jobs will only result in worse customer service,” Sanders said. Sanders urged the company to return to the bargaining table. “The best way for FairPoint to improve its customer service right now is to agree to a contract that is fair to the workers so they can return to their jobs and provide quality service for Vermonters,” he said. More than 1,700 members of the Communications Workers of America and International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers are on strike against FairPoint in Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/recent-business/an-economic-agenda-for-america-12-steps-forward | An Economic Agenda for America: 12 Steps Forward | 2014-12-01 | 2014 | 2014-12 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | An Economic Agenda for America: 12 Steps Forward Monday, December 1, 2014 The American people must make a fundamental decision. Do we continue the 40-year decline of our middle class and the growing gap between the very rich and everyone else, or do we fight for a progressive economic agenda that creates jobs, raises wages, protects the environment and provides health care for all? Are we prepared to take on the enormous economic and political power of the billionaire class, or do we continue to slide into economic and political oligarchy? These are the most important questions of our time, and how we answer them will determine the future of our country. The long-term deterioration of the middle class, accelerated by the Wall Street crash of 2008, has not been pretty. Today, we have more wealth and income inequality than any major country on earth. We have one of the highest childhood poverty rates and we are the only country in the industrialized world which does not guarantee health care for all. We once led the world in terms of the percentage of our people who graduated college, but we are now in 12th place. Our infrastructure, once the envy of the world, is collapsing. Real unemployment today is not 5.8 percent, it is 11.5 percent if we include those who have given up looking for work or who are working part time when they want to work full time. Youth unemployment is 18.6 percent and African-American youth unemployment is 32.6 percent. Today, millions of Americans are working longer hours for lower wages. In inflation-adjusted dollars, the median male worker earned $783 less last year than he made 41 years ago. The median woman worker made $1,337 less last year than she earned in 2007. Since 1999, the median middle-class family has seen its income go down by almost $5,000 after adjusting for inflation, now earning less than it did 25 years ago. The American people must demand that Congress and the White House start protecting the interests of… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/newswatch/113014 | News November 30 | 2014-11-30 | 2014 | 2014-11 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | News November 30 Sunday, November 30, 2014 Senator Sanders Sen. Harkin Sen. Sanders is a member of one of the most productive senate committees, the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. Sen. Tom Harkin, the chair of the committee, did not seek reelection this year. LINK World Germans Seek to Reduce Carbon Emissions Scientists have developed a comprehensive computer model that simulates German energy supply and demand, in a bid to establish whether it is feasible for Germany to rely on renewable energy sources to power its economy and meet its carbon dioxide emission reduction targets, The New York Times reported. LINK Afghanistan Taliban insurgents have intensified their attacks on Kabul with a flurry of bombings and afternoon raids targeting foreigners and Afghans, bringing the war into this city in a way not seen in any other year since the radical Islamists were ousted from power, The Washington Post. LINK National Attack on Affordable Care Act In mounting the latest court challenge to the Affordable Care Act, House Republicans are focusing on a little-noticed provision of the law that offers financial assistance to low- and moderate-income people, The New York Times reported. LINK GOP Taps Democratic Base As Republicans took control of an unprecedented 69 of 99 statehouse chambers in the midterm elections, they did not rely solely on a bench of older white men. Key races hinged on the strategic recruitment of women and minorities, many of them first-time candidates who are now learning the ropes and joining the pool of prospects for higher office, The New York Times reported. LINK Vermont GMO Labeling Millions of Americans are watching and waiting to see what happens in the lawsuit between the Grocery Manufacturers Association and the state of Vermont in its law to over labeling products which contain GMO ingredients. Oral arguments in the case tentatively are scheduled for early January, the Burlington Free Press reported. LINK | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/newswatch/112914 | News November 29 | 2014-11-29 | 2014 | 2014-11 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | News November 29 Saturday, November 29, 2014 Senator Sanders World Mubarak Cleared An Egyptian court has cleared former president Hosni Mubarak of involvement in the killing of hundreds of demonstrators during the 2011 revolt that ended his three-decade rule, the BBC reported. LINK National Dark Money A wave of organizations funded by secret donors set a new high-water mark in the 2014 midterms. In 13 House races, non-disclosing groups spent at least $1 million on political ads and voter outreach. In another 17 House campaigns, they made up more than half of the spending by independent groups, The Washington Post reported. LINK U.N. Critical of U.S. Justice System A United Nations panel on Friday sharply criticized how the United States handles a variety of criminal justice-related issues, such as the police shooting of unarmed African Americans, the imprisonment of terror detainees at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba and the application of the death penalty, The Los Angeles Times reported. LINK Vermont Power Back On Vermont's largest electric utility says its crews have restored power to all customers left in the dark by the first major snowstorm of the season. And with power restored in Vermont, Green Mountain Power is sending 42 line workers and 21 bucket trucks to New Hampshire to help with power restoration there, The Associated Press reported. LINK Ed Board Seeks Public Comment Controlling costs and ensuring educational opportunity across the state are two of the state Board of Education's primary goals as it develops a five-year strategic plan. The board is seeking public comment on its plan, available on the department's website, by Dec. 4, the Burlington Free Press reported.LINK | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/newswatch/112814 | News November 28 | 2014-11-28 | 2014 | 2014-11 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | News November 28 Friday, November 28, 2014 Senator Sanders Treasury Nominee's Wall Street Prowess a Vulnerability President Barack Obama’s nominee to be under secretary of the Treasury for domestic finance, Antonio Weiss, has drawn opposition from Senate progressives from his work on corporate tax inversion deals, The New York Times reported. Some Senate Democrats say Mr. Weiss’s confirmation by the Senate would send the wrong signal about whether Democrats can advance the economic prospects of the struggling middle class. “The American people are profoundly disappointed with the fraud they read about every day coming from Wall Street,” said Sen. Bernie Sanders. “They are disgusted that instead of investing in the American economy, they are busy trying to avoid paying their fair share of taxes, and the American people want people in the Treasury Department who are prepared to hold Wall Street accountable.” LINK World E.U. Passes Resolution to Break Up Google Europe’s resentment of the American technology giant Google reached a new noise level on Thursday as the European Parliament passed a nonbinding vote to break up the company. Although merely symbolic — the resolution carries no legal weight — the move came the day after a separate European body sought to further expand citizens’ “right to be forgotten” privacy protections against Google, The New York Times reported. LINK Iraq After learning hard lessons rebuilding foreign militaries over the past dozen years, the U.S. military is shifting its strategy against the Islamic State, choosing to train a smaller number of Iraqi soldiers rather than trying to stand up an entire army anew, The Washington Post reported. LINK Pope in Turkey Pope Francis is visiting Turkey at a sensitive moment for the Muslim nation, as it cares for 1.6 million refugees and weighs how to deal with the Islamic State group as its fighters grab chunks of Syria and Iraq across Turkey's southern border, The Associated Press reported. LINK Nationa… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/recent-business/the-week-in-review-112814 | The Week in Review | 2014-11-28 | 2014 | 2014-11 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | The Week in Review Friday, November 28, 2014 Sen. Bernie Sanders announced that in the coming weeks he will try to pass legislation to address the crisis of high suicide rates among veterans. Sanders also announced that he intends to vote against the confirmation of President Obama’s nominee for Treasury Secretary, investment banker Antonio Weiss. He cited concerns that Weiss’ investment bank helped business dodge U.S. taxes by sheltering profits in other countries. A proposed tax deal negotiated by Senate and House leadership was under fire by President Obama this week for extending and expanding tax breaks for large corporations while allowing tax breaks for clean energy companies to expire. "This tax cut agreement does exactly the wrong things. I strongly support the president's decision to veto it,” said Sanders of the proposed deal. What Do You Think? Do you think the economic and political systems in the United States are stacked against people like you? The answer to that question is one that an otherwise politically-divided nation mostly agrees on. In a recent poll for NBC News and The Wall Street Journal, a majority of Democrats (58 percent) Republicans (51 percent) whites (55 percent) blacks (60 percent) and Hispanics (53 percent) answered yes. So did majorities blue-collar workers, white-collar workers and retirees. The same survey found that the stock market soaring to record highs doesn’t affect Americans’ views on the economy as much as the unemployment rate and stagnating or falling wages. What do you think? Take the poll. Veterans Suicides: Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee Chairman Sanders said Monday he will work to pass bipartisan legislation in the remaining days of this session of Congress to address the crisis of high suicide rates among veterans. Sanders, Sen. John McCain and House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Chairman Jeff Miller were successful in passing major veterans’ legislation last summer. “The suicide rate, especially among young veterans,… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/newswatch/112714 | News November 27 | 2014-11-27 | 2014 | 2014-11 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | News November 27 Thursday, November 27, 2014 Senator Sanders Rising Generic Drug Prices In the last few months, prices for many popular generic prescription drugs have shot up, with some increasing as much as 1000 percent overnight, Rich Harvie of Montpelier Pharmacy told Vermont Public Radio. Sen. Bernie Sanders has launched a congressional investigation into the price hikes, which are hurting pharmacists like Harvie. The senator said there's no question that many people will be unable to afford to take their medication on a regular basis and he worries the benefits of generic drugs "will be significantly lost" with increased prices. LINK Grant Connects Vermont Schools The U.S. Department of Agriculture is investing almost $500,000 in a distance learning project in four Vermont school districts to help rural students take classes, the Bennington Bannerreported. "As the rising costs of education continue to be a barrier for many in rural Vermont, we applaud USDA-Rural Development for funding high quality distance learning opportunities to 5,000 students in 19 schools across Vermont," said Sens. Sanders and Patrick Leahy and Rep. Peter Welch. Burlington Mayor '15 Burlington Mayor Miro Weinberger may face challenges from progressives in March's upcoming elections, Paul Heintz wrote for Seven Days. Department of Public Works director Steve Goodkind, who worked for Sen. Sanders in 1981, last Monday confirmed his intention to challenge Weinberger. LINK Folk Album Sen. Sanders' 1987 folk album is being digitally remastered, WPTZ-TV reported. "I love music very much, but to be honest I can't carry a tune," said Sanders, who added that he enjoyed working with talented Vermont musicians. LINK World UN Urges Obama on Torture Report United Nations human rights investigators called on President Barack Obama to release a long completed report on CIA interrogation methods, Reuters reported. LINK Offshore Drilling Ignites Conflicts A new study says that the rise of offshore … | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/newswatch/112614 | News November 26 | 2014-11-26 | 2014 | 2014-11 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | News November 26 Wednesday, November 26, 2014 Senator Sanders Pipeline and Politics Sen. Sanders discussed his opposition to the Keystone XL pipeline, the President's executive orders on immigration and his potential run for the White House with Vermont Public Radio's Vermont Edition. LINK Sanders Opposes Treasury Nominee Sen. Sanders intends to vote against confirmation of Antonio Weiss to be a top Treasury Department official. “We need an economic team at the White House which will hold Wall Street accountable and fight for the needs of working families, not more Wall Street executives,” Sanders said in a statement on Sunday. He urged President Barack Obama to withdraw his nomination of the Wall Street investment banker whose firm he said has helped clients avoid U.S. taxes by sheltering profits in other countries, The Nation and The Hill reported. LINK, LINK Sanders praises firing of Phoenix VA chief Sen. Sanders, chairman of the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs praised the VA for firing the director of its scandal-plagued Phoenix VA Health Care System. “Firing Sharon Helman is the latest action by the VA to remove high-ranking officials who have acted dishonorably,” Sanders said in a statement, The Hill reported. LINK Low Voter Turnout With voter turnout at historic lows in Vermont, Sen. Bernie Sanders told WCAX-TV Tuesday that voters were sending a message that government is not doing enough to help ordinary people with their lives. "I think it is a message that says, yeah, the economy is better than it was six years ago, but we're really hurting. We're struggling. And we don't see... the kinds of action that are needed," said Sanders. VIDEO USDA Grant Connects Schools The U.S. Department of Agriculture is investing almost $500,000 in a distance learning project in four Vermont school districts that will use Marlboro Graduate Center as a training hub for the technology. “As the rising costs of education continue to be a barrier for many in rural Ve… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sanders-opposes-proposed-tax-cut-deal | Sanders Opposes Proposed Tax Cut Deal | 2014-11-26 | 2014 | 2014-11 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | Sanders Opposes Proposed Tax Cut Deal Wednesday, November 26, 2014 BURLINGTON, Vt., Nov. 26 – U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) issued the following statement in response to a proposed deal negotiated between House and Senate leadership to permanently extend and expand tax breaks that benefit large corporations. "This tax cut agreement does exactly the wrong things. At a time of massive wealth and income inequality, it extends huge tax cuts to the rich and large corporations while threatening programs that help low-income children. At a time when we need to reverse climate change and aggressively move to sustainable energy, this agreement fails to eliminate tax benefits for the fossil fuel industry but phases out tax credits for wind and solar. This is pretty crazy stuff. I strongly support the president's decision to veto it. " | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/recent-business/sanders-opposes-proposed-tax-cut-deal | Sanders Opposes Proposed Tax Cut Deal | 2014-11-26 | 2014 | 2014-11 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | Sanders Opposes Proposed Tax Cut Deal Wednesday, November 26, 2014 "This tax cut agreement does exactly the wrong things,” said Sen. Bernie Sanders when responding to a proposed deal negotiated between House and Senate leadership to permanently extend and expand tax breaks that benefit large corporations saying. “At a time of massive wealth and income inequality, it extends huge tax cuts to the rich and large corporations while threatening programs that help low-income children. At a time when we need to reverse climate change and aggressively move to sustainable energy, this agreement fails to eliminate tax benefits for the fossil fuel industry but phases out tax credits for wind and solar. This is pretty crazy stuff. I strongly support the president's decision to veto it." | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z |
Advanced export
JSON shape: default, array, newline-delimited, object
CREATE TABLE [releases] (
[url] TEXT PRIMARY KEY,
[title] TEXT,
[date] TEXT,
[year] TEXT,
[month] TEXT,
[party] TEXT,
[chamber] TEXT,
[state] TEXT,
[member_name] TEXT,
[bioguide_id] TEXT,
[domain] TEXT,
[scraper] TEXT,
[source] TEXT,
[date_source] TEXT,
[text] TEXT,
[has_text] INTEGER,
[collected_at] TEXT,
[updated_at] TEXT
);
CREATE INDEX [idx_releases_date]
ON [releases] ([date]);
CREATE INDEX [idx_releases_year]
ON [releases] ([year]);
CREATE INDEX [idx_releases_party]
ON [releases] ([party]);
CREATE INDEX [idx_releases_chamber]
ON [releases] ([chamber]);
CREATE INDEX [idx_releases_state]
ON [releases] ([state]);
CREATE INDEX [idx_releases_bioguide_id]
ON [releases] ([bioguide_id]);
CREATE INDEX [idx_releases_has_text]
ON [releases] ([has_text]);