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
257 rows where party = "Independent", state = "VT" and year = 2016 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/must-read/sanders-va-must-not-be-privatized | Sanders: VA Must Not Be Privatized | 2016-12-30 | 2016 | 2016-12 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | Sanders: VA Must Not Be Privatized Friday, December 30, 2016 WASHINGTON, Dec. 30 – Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), a former chairman of the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, issued the following statement Friday in response to reports that President-elect Donald Trump is considering privatizing the Department of Veterans Affairs: “Privatizing the VA would be an insult to the more than 22 million veterans who risked their lives to defend our country and it would significantly lower the quality of health care they receive. Our goal, shared by The American Legion and other major veterans’ organizations, must be to improve the VA, not destroy it. When men and women put their lives on the line to defend us, the president must listen to them, not to the Koch brothers and their extreme right-wing, anti-government ideology. We will vigorously oppose any and all efforts to privatize the VA. “The president-elect should listen to American Legion Executive Director Verna Jones, who recently said the nation’s largest veterans’ organization ‘would like the Trump administration to know that we value our Department of Veterans Affairs’ because ‘dollar-for-dollar, there is no better care or value available anywhere in the United States – period.’ “The president-elect should listen to the Veterans of Foreign Wars. ‘Politicians, pundits and politically-motivated organizations are using the national crisis in access to care at the Department of Veterans Affairs as justification to dismantle and privatize the VA health care system, with some even proposing that veterans be charged for their service-connected care. The VFW says no! Veterans must not stand idle as politicians who never served or use the VA health care system dictate when and where veterans can receive care.’ “The president-elect should listen to Paul Rieckhoff of the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America who said, ‘The worst case scenario within the vets community is a total dismantling of everything they worked generati… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sanders-statement-on-va | Sanders Statement on VA | 2016-12-30 | 2016 | 2016-12 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | Sanders Statement on VA Friday, December 30, 2016 WASHINGTON, Dec. 30 – Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), a former chairman of the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, issued the following statement Friday in response to reports that President-elect Donald Trump is considering privatizing the Department of Veterans Affairs: “Privatizing the VA would be an insult to the more than 22 million veterans who risked their lives to defend our country and it would significantly lower the quality of health care they receive. Our goal, shared by The American Legion and other major veterans’ organizations, must be to improve the VA, not destroy it. When men and women put their lives on the line to defend us, the president must listen to them, not to the Koch brothers and their extreme right-wing, anti-government ideology. We will vigorously oppose any and all efforts to privatize the VA.“The president-elect should listen to American Legion Executive Director Verna Jones, who recently said the nation’s largest veterans’ organization ‘would like the Trump administration to know that we value our Department of Veterans Affairs’ because ‘dollar-for-dollar, there is no better care or value available anywhere in the United States – period.’“The president-elect should listen to the Veterans of Foreign Wars. ‘Politicians, pundits and politically-motivated organizations are using the national crisis in access to care at the Department of Veterans Affairs as justification to dismantle and privatize the VA health care system, with some even proposing that veterans be charged for their service-connected care. The VFW says no! Veterans must not stand idle as politicians who never served or use the VA health care system dictate when and where veterans can receive care.’“The president-elect should listen to Paul Rieckhoff of the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America who said, ‘The worst case scenario within the vets community is a total dismantling of everything they worked generations to create. There i… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/must-read/senators-ask-trump-epa-chief-pick-to-disclose-energy-industry-ties | Senators Ask Trump EPA Chief Pick to Disclose Energy Industry Ties | 2016-12-29 | 2016 | 2016-12 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | Senators Ask Trump EPA Chief Pick to Disclose Energy Industry Ties Thursday, December 29, 2016 Democrats on the U.S. Senate's environment panel on Wednesday asked President-elect Donald Trump's choice to head the Environmental Protection Agency to disclose his ties to the energy industry ahead of his confirmation hearing early next year. The six senators sent a letter to Scott Pruitt, who as Oklahoma Attorney General led several lawsuits against the Obama administration's EPA to block its environmental rules. They asked him to list his connections to energy companies, to weigh whether these will influence his ability to run the agency. "What that conduct says about your ability to lead EPA in a manner that is not beholden to special or secret interests is a subject that we expect will receive a full airing during your confirmation hearing," the senators wrote in the letter. The senators raised concerns about a 2014 New York Times report, which found that Pruitt's policy positions as Oklahoma's top attorney reflected his close ties to Devon Energy Corp. Continue reading here | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/vermont/vermonts-snowmobiling-season-underway_as-new-lvrt-sections-open | Vermonts Snowmobiling Season Underway, As New LVRT Sections Open | 2016-12-23 | 2016 | 2016-12 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | Vermont’s Snowmobiling Season Underway, As New LVRT Sections Open Friday, December 23, 2016 Vermont’s snowmobile season has begun. This year, Vermonters and visitors to our state will be able to enjoy newly opened sections of the Lamoille Valley Rail Trail (LVRT). When complete, the LVRT will be a 93-mile long, multi-use, four-season recreational trail that traverses northern Vermont from Swanton to St. Johnsbury. The rail trail will be longest of its kind in New England. So far, about one-third of the project is complete, said Cindy Locke, the executive director the Vermont Association of Snow Travelers (VAST). The most recent trail sections completed are the 13-mile section from West Danville to St. Johnsbury and the 17-mile leg from Morrisville to Jeffersonville, Locke said. The next section to be created will be from Sheldon to Swanton. In addition to significantly expanding VAST’s roughly 500-mile trail network throughout Vermont, the LVRT is providing new opportunities for walkers, runners, bicyclists, horse-riders, dog mushers, snowshoers and cross-country skiers. Sen. Bernie Sanders secured $5.2 million for the project in 2006. Another $10 million to $12 million will be needed to finish the trail, Locke said, adding that the goal is to complete the project in the next six years. VAST has launched a fundraising effort to help raise resources which could include additional state and federal funds. Locke said it is hard to underestimate the value of the project for the region’s economy. “We have seen businesses growing -- businesses being born -- because of this trail,” she said. “This is like the best story in the world. It is going to do so much for the economy of northern Vermont.” Since the LVRT is a four-season trail, the economic benefit is not limited to winter. Restaurants and biking tour companies, for example, have been given a major boost from the increased tourism along the sections of the trail that have been completed, Locke said. “I se… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/vermont/u-32s-mccann-is-vt-teacher-of-the-year | U-32s McCann is Vt. Teacher of the Year | 2016-12-21 | 2016 | 2016-12 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | U-32’s McCann is Vt. Teacher of the Year By: Eric Blaisdell Times Argus Wednesday, December 21, 2016 EAST MONTPELIER — A mathematics teacher at U-32 Middle & High School has been named Vermont’s Teacher of the Year for 2017. Katherine McCann, who is in the middle of her 11th year at the school, was chosen for the honor by the Agency of Education. The alternate Teacher of the Year is Rachael Potts, a special education and transition specialist at Harwood Union High School in Duxbury, and a finalist was Corey Smith, a fourth-grade teacher at Proctor Elementary School. McCann is now Vermont’s candidate for the National Teacher of the Year award, which is sponsored by the Council of Chief State School Officers. She will travel this spring to the White House in Washington for a reception where she will meet President Donald Trump. McCann was told the news at a surprise assembly at the East Montpelier school Tuesday. She said in an interview that it was “very overwhelming” to be picked and she wasn’t sure what it entailed. “I hope that I can do a good job speaking for teachers throughout the state,” McCann said. Continue reading here | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/must-read/social-security-checks-are-being-reduced-for-unpaid-student-debt | Social Security Checks Are Being Reduced for Unpaid Student Debt | 2016-12-20 | 2016 | 2016-12 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | Social Security Checks Are Being Reduced for Unpaid Student Debt By: Josh Mitchell Tuesday, December 20, 2016 The federal government is increasingly taking money out of recipients’ Social Security checks to recover millions in unpaid student debt, leaving thousands of retired and disabled Americans with below-poverty incomes, according to a report set to be released Tuesday. The government has collected about $1.1 billion since 2001 from Social Security recipients of all ages over unpaid student loans, the Government Accountability Office reported. That includes $171 million in Social Security benefits in fiscal 2015 alone. In the year through September 2015, about 114,000 Americans age 50 and older had their Social Security benefits reduced to offset defaulted student loans. That figure—which includes 38,000 people age 65 or older—has risen 440% since 2002. The report highlights the growing number of baby boomers who are entering retirement with student debt, many of them in default on loans from decades ago. About 4 in 10 borrowers whose Social Security checks were garnished have held the debt for at least 20 years, the report said. Most of the borrowers took out the loans to pay for their own educations, though a big share borrowed to help pay for their children’s schooling. Continue reading here. | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/must-read/study-largest-us-banks-still-charge-high-overdraft-fees | Study: Largest U.S. banks still charge high overdraft fees | 2016-12-20 | 2016 | 2016-12 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | Study: Largest U.S. banks still charge high overdraft fees By: Kevin McCoy Tuesday, December 20, 2016 Most major U.S. banks continue to charge high fees when customers overdraft their accounts, according to a new report issued Tuesday. More than two out of five banks also rearrange their processing of account holders' transactions with a procedure that maximizes overdraft fees, said the report by The Pew Charitable Trusts, an independent, non-profit organization. A separate review of overdraft programs at a selection of smaller U.S. banks found many practices are largely comparable to those of larger banks, the report also concluded. Some of the findings echo previous studies of the issue, including a 2008 analysis by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp and a Consumer Financial Protection Bureau study in 2013. The new results show a need for banks to institute new policies that prevent their widely-offered "courtesy" overdraft programs "from being costly and unsustainable forms of short-term credit for many financially vulnerable consumers, said Nick Bourke, director of Pew's consumer finance project. Continue reading here. | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/vermont/as-vermonts-ag-donovan-to-focus-on-criminal-justice-reform | As Vermonts AG, Donovan to Focus on Criminal Justice Reform | 2016-12-20 | 2016 | 2016-12 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | As Vermont’s AG, Donovan to Focus on Criminal Justice Reform Tuesday, December 20, 2016 Last month, Vermonters elected T.J. Donovan, 42, to serve as Vermont’s next attorney general. He will replace Attorney General Bill Sorrell, who has held the office since 1997. Donovan has served as Chittenden County’s state’s attorney for the last decade and is planning an ambitious agenda as Vermont’s attorney general, including significant criminal justice reform on the state level. In an interview last week, Donovan outlined some of that agenda: QUESTION: What are your major goals as Vermont’s attorney general? DONOVAN: My biggest goal is to simply help Vermonters, wherever they are, whomever they are, and with whatever they need. The Attorney General’s Office has a broad portfolio that touches many different areas. But what I feel passionately about is just helping regular folks with issues that are preventing them from getting ahead or getting by. That could mean helping a small business figure out what the rules and regs are in order for compliance. It could mean making sure that we continue to reform our criminal justice system so we don’t keep people out of upward mobility. It could mean making sure that we’re protecting our environment so we have clean water and clean air. Just being engaged at a really local level -- at a grassroots level -- and helping Vermonters get ahead. What I believe in is in common sense. I believe in the goodness of people. I believe most people want to do the right thing. And I’m excited to be an Attorney General who, hopefully, responds in a way that helps regular folks get ahead. QUESTION: In Chittenden County, you developed the Rapid Intervention Community Court. Can you speak a little about that? Is that the model for a statewide approach to criminal justice reform? [Note: The Rapid Intervention Community Court is an award-winning pre-charge diversion program started by Donovan in 2010 for non-violent offenders whose crimes were driven … | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/must-read/credit-card-rates-are-going-up-and-may-keep-rising | Credit-Card Rates Are Going Up and May Keep Rising | 2016-12-16 | 2016 | 2016-12 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | Credit-Card Rates Are Going Up and May Keep Rising By: By PETER RUDEGEAIR and ANNAMARIA ANDRIOTIS Friday, December 16, 2016 Credit-card companies have been spending huge sums to woo consumers with perks and rewards. Now, cardholders are about to be reminded that lenders can dish out higher costs, too. The annual percentage rates on millions of credit-card accounts are set to rise following the Federal Reserve’s decision on Wednesday toincrease its target short-term interest rate. Borrowers can expect the quarter-point rate increase to pass through to their card balances within the next two billing cycles, saidGreg McBride, chief financial analyst at Bankrate.com, a firm that tracks credit-card rates. Continue reading here. | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/must-read/employers-nationwide-gave-raises-to-avoid-paying-overtime-now-theyre-taking-them-back | Employers nationwide gave raises to avoid paying overtime. Now they're taking them back. | 2016-12-16 | 2016 | 2016-12 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | Employers nationwide gave raises to avoid paying overtime. Now they're taking them back. By: Jack Smith IV Friday, December 16, 2016 Garrett Hutcheson, a supervisor at a catering supply company in the southwest, was told he was getting an enormous raise: a $7,000 bump to his salary of around $40,000. The extra cash meant he could move his youngfamily out of his girlfriend's parents' house. Instead, he'll be staying there, working long night shifts without overtime pay. "This would've gotten us on our feet," Hutcheson said. "I've still got hope, but I'm not optimistic." Pay increases like the one Hutcheson got, the result of a regulatory rule change by the Obama administration, were set to help more than 4 million workers. Just the expectation of the new rule triggered raises for workers across the country, including managers at Walmart, . Now, as a result of the ongoing tussle between the administration and federal courts regarding overtime pay that began in 2014, an injunction against the rule means a victory for big business interests — and rescinding of raises for Hutcheson and an unclear number of fellow workers. Continue reading here. | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/cummings-and-sanders-raise-concerns-about-assertions-to-congress-by-heritage-pharmaceuticals-while-company-engaged-in-alleged-price-fixing | Cummings and Sanders Raise Concerns about Assertions to Congress by Heritage Pharmaceuticals While Company Engaged in Alleged Price Fixing | 2016-12-16 | 2016 | 2016-12 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | Cummings and Sanders Raise Concerns about Assertions to Congress by Heritage Pharmaceuticals While Company Engaged in Alleged Price Fixing Friday, December 16, 2016 WASHINGTON, Dec. 16 — Today, Rep. Elijah E. Cummings, Ranking Member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, and Senator Bernie Sanders, Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Primary Health and Aging, Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, sent a letter to Heritage Pharmaceuticals requesting information about the company’s assertions to Congress in 2014 while the company was engaged in alleged price fixing of certain drugs, according to the Department of Justice and Attorneys General from 20 different states. Cummings and Sanders first began investigating Heritage’s pricing practices in 2014 when they sent a letter to the company’s former CEO, Jeffrey Glazer, raising concerns and requesting documents about the sales and pricing of doxycycline hyclate. In response, Heritage’s counsel sent a letter on October 23, 2014, asserting that “Heritage has not seen any significant price increases for its Doxycycline Hyclate DR product in the United States market.” Heritage declined to provide any of the documents or information the Members requested. The individual who signed the letter making these assertions is Gary Ruckelshaus, who served at the time at an outside firm, but now appears to have joined Heritage as Vice President and General Counsel. This week, the Department of Justice filed charges against Mr. Glazer and former Heritage President Jason Malek for engaging in price fixing with doxycycline hyclate and another drug. Attorneys General from 20 states followed with their own complaint yesterday. “In light of these new criminal allegations against Mr. Glazer and Mr. Malek, we are very concerned that your company made these assertions to Congress during the exact time period that your executives were engaged in a price fixing scheme to prevent competition from driving dow… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/recent-business/cummings-and-sanders-raise-concerns-about-assertions-to-congress-by-heritage-pharmaceuticals-while-company-engaged-in-alleged-price-fixing | Cummings and Sanders Raise Concerns about Assertions to Congress by Heritage Pharmaceuticals While Company Engaged in Alleged Price Fixing | 2016-12-16 | 2016 | 2016-12 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | Cummings and Sanders Raise Concerns about Assertions to Congress by Heritage Pharmaceuticals While Company Engaged in Alleged Price Fixing Friday, December 16, 2016 WASHINGTON, Dec. 16 — Today, Rep. Elijah E. Cummings, Ranking Member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, and Senator Bernie Sanders, Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Primary Health and Aging, Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, sent a letter to Heritage Pharmaceuticals requesting information about the company’s assertions to Congress in 2014 while the company was engaged in alleged price fixing of certain drugs, according to the Department of Justice and Attorneys General from 20 different states. Cummings and Sanders first began investigating Heritage’s pricing practices in 2014 when they sent a letter to the company’s former CEO, Jeffrey Glazer, raising concerns and requesting documents about the sales and pricing of doxycycline hyclate. In response, Heritage’s counsel sent a letter on October 23, 2014, asserting that “Heritage has not seen any significant price increases for its Doxycycline Hyclate DR product in the United States market.” Heritage declined to provide any of the documents or information the Members requested. The individual who signed the letter making these assertions is Gary Ruckelshaus, who served at the time at an outside firm, but now appears to have joined Heritage as Vice President and General Counsel. This week, the Department of Justice filed charges against Mr. Glazer and former Heritage President Jason Malek for engaging in price fixing with doxycycline hyclate and another drug. Attorneys General from 20 states followed with their own complaint yesterday. “In light of these new criminal allegations against Mr. Glazer and Mr. Malek, we are very concerned that your company made these assertions to Congress during the exact time period that your executives were engaged in a price fixing scheme to prevent competition from driving dow… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sanders-outpatient-procedure-is-successful | Sanders' Outpatient Procedure is Successful | 2016-12-15 | 2016 | 2016-12 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | Sanders' Outpatient Procedure is Successful Thursday, December 15, 2016 BETHESDA, Md., Dec. 15 – U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) had an outpatient procedure today to remove a small basal-cell carcinoma from his cheek. The procedure, which lasted about an hour, was completed successfully. Sanders returned to work after the procedure and, later, took a plane home to Vermont. | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/democratic-senators-call-on-trump-education-secretary-nominee-devos-to-pay-53-million-in-unpaid-fines-for-election-violations | Democratic Senators Call on Trump Education Secretary Nominee DeVos to Pay $5.3 Million in Unpaid Fines for Election Violations | 2016-12-14 | 2016 | 2016-12 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | Democratic Senators Call on Trump Education Secretary Nominee DeVos to Pay $5.3 Million in Unpaid Fines for Election Violations Wednesday, December 14, 2016 WASHINGTON — Today, U.S. Senators Tom Udall (D-N.M.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) announced that they are calling on President-elect Trump's nominee for Secretary of Education, Betsy DeVos, to ensure payment of the $5.3 million in fines and penalties owed by DeVos’ All Children Matter Political Action Committee (PAC) for campaign finance violations dating back to 2008. All Children Matter broke Ohio election law by illegally funneling $870,000 in contributions from its nationwide PAC to its Ohio affiliate – and accordingly, the state of Ohio levied a record fine of more than $5 million against DeVos’ group. Yet nearly a decade later, the PAC has not paid the debts for its illegal activities. In a letter to DeVos, the senators expressed their deep concern at the willingness of DeVos’ PAC to both brazenly disregard election law and blatantly refuse to take responsibility and pay its fines. The senators noted that, as Secretary of Education, DeVos would be responsible for seeing to the timely repayment of debt from student loan borrowers – even as the PAC she chaired refused to pay fines that are nearly a decade old. Roughly 44 million Americans owe nearly $1.3 trillion in federal student loans, creating a crushing debt burden for individuals struggling to make their payments. But when All Children Matter broke election law and was fined a record $5.3 million, DeVos’ group chose to simply cease operations and disband, rather than taking responsibility for its debts. "The blatant disregard for the law that your PAC demonstrated is deeply troubling. However, when the organization’s violations of law were punished by the Ohio Elections Commission, the PAC’s refusal to take responsibility and pay the fines is unconscionable,” the senators wrote. “If confir… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sanders-welch-call-for-reversal-of-fairpoint-layoffs- | Sanders, Welch Call For Reversal of FairPoint Layoffs | 2016-12-14 | 2016 | 2016-12 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | Sanders, Welch Call For Reversal of FairPoint Layoffs Wednesday, December 14, 2016 BURLINGTON, Vt., Dec. 14 – U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and U.S. Rep. Peter Welch, D-Vt., Tuesday called upon the CEOs of FairPoint Communications and the Illinois company that is set to purchase it, Consolidated Communications Holdings, to reverse the planned layoff of nearly 10 percent of FairPoint’s workforce. “It is particularly callous to destroy the livelihoods of loyal FairPoint workers just as the cold weather approaches and as families prepare to celebrate the holiday season,” Sanders and Welch wrote to FairPoint CEO Paul Sunu. “These workers helped build the company’s value, yet they are being discarded as collateral damage of a sale designed to maximize profits for a tiny group of Wall Street hedge fund investors.” In their letter to the CEO of Consolidated Communications, which is in the process of purchasing FairPoint, Sanders and Welch outlined FairPoint’s checkered history in dealing with its Vermont workforce, stating “FairPoint’s relationship with its workforce was unnecessarily antagonist.” The Charlotte, N.C.-based phone company purchased Verizon Communication’s landline phone operations in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont in 2007. “Instead of negotiating a reasonable labor agreement, [FairPoint] pursued drastic cuts to pay and benefits that led to a four-month strike in 2014-15,” Sanders and Welch wrote. “Just three months after the strike ended, FairPoint closed its South Burlington call center and laid-off more than 70 unionized workers. Most recently, FairPoint announced last month that it was laying off nearly 10 percent of its remaining workforce, presumably to make the company more attractive for the sale to Consolidated.” Sanders and Welch said reversing the layoffs would “be a significant demonstration of good faith” on Consolidated’s part. “We urge you to reverse FairPoint’s decision and send the clear message that Consolidated values its workers and the … | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sanders-statement-on-trumps-secretary-of-state-nominee | Sanders Statement on Trump's Secretary of State Nominee | 2016-12-13 | 2016 | 2016-12 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | Sanders Statement on Trump's Secretary of State Nominee Tuesday, December 13, 2016 WASHINGTON, Dec. 13 – Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) issued the following statement after President-elect Donald Trump announced he will nominate Exxon Mobil CEO Rex Tillerson to be secretary of state: “Mr. Trump's nomination of Rex Tillerson for secretary of state is sending a very troubling message to the international community. Not only is Mr. Tillerson a pal of Russia's authoritarian leader, Vladimir Putin, but he is the head of one of the largest oil companies in the world. In this appointment, Mr. Trump is making it abundantly clear that the short-term profits of the fossil fuel industry are more important than climate change and the future of the planet. Very sad. Very dangerous. Mr. Tillerson must be opposed.” | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/recent-business/sanders-statement-on-trumps-secretary-of-state-nominee | Sanders Statement on Trump's Secretary of State Nominee | 2016-12-13 | 2016 | 2016-12 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | Sanders Statement on Trump's Secretary of State Nominee Tuesday, December 13, 2016 WASHINGTON, Dec. 13 – Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) issued the following statement after President-elect Donald Trump announced he will nominate Exxon Mobil CEO Rex Tillerson to be secretary of state: “Mr. Trump's nomination of Rex Tillerson for secretary of state is sending a very troubling message to the international community. Not only is Mr. Tillerson a pal of Russia's authoritarian leader, Vladimir Putin, but he is the head of one of the largest oil companies in the world. In this appointment, Mr. Trump is making it abundantly clear that the short-term profits of the fossil fuel industry are more important than climate change and the future of the planet. Very sad. Very dangerous. Mr. Tillerson must be opposed.” Press Contact | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sanders-trump-should-pledge-to-veto-social-security-medicare-medicaid-cuts | Sanders: Trump Should Pledge to Veto Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid Cuts | 2016-12-11 | 2016 | 2016-12 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | Sanders: Trump Should Pledge to Veto Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid Cuts Sunday, December 11, 2016 BURLINGTON, Vt., Dec. 11 – U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) challenged President-elect Donald Trump Sunday to keep the campaign promises he made not to cut Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. Trump should pledge to veto legislation cutting those programs that Republicans in Congress plan to pass in the new session of Congress, Sanders said on the CBS News program Face the Nation. “I challenge Mr. Trump today: tell the American people you are going to keep your campaign promises. Tell the Republicans to back off. No cuts for Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and go forward with your campaign promise to lower the cost of prescription drugs,” Sanders said. During the campaign, Trump said, “I am not going to cut Social Security like every other Republican. And I’m not going to cut Medicare or Medicaid. Every other Republican is going to cut [them].” On May 7, 2015, Trump sent out a tweet stating: "I was the first & only potential GOP candidate to state there will be no cuts to Social Security, Medicare & Medicaid." On another occasion speaking at the New Hampshire Republican Leadership Summit, Trump scolded Republicans for trying to cut Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. But as president-elect, Trump has picked Rep. Tom Price (R-Ga.), who advocated steep cuts in Medicare and Social Security, to lead the Department of Health and Human Services. “All that Mr. Trump has got to do today is tell his Republican colleagues in the House and the Senate, ‘Back off. It ain't going to go anywhere. I will veto any legislation that will cut Social Security because I promised the American people that I would not do that.’” Sanders supports expanding Social Security benefits by lifting the cap on all income above $250,000 a year. “If we do that we can extend Social Security for 50 years. The top 1.5 percent of people in this country will pay more in taxes. That's the ri… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://web.archive.org/web/20161209120704/http://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/photos/the-fight-for-15 | The Fight For $15 | 2016-12-09 | 2016 | 2016-12 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | web.archive.org | legacy | Pursuant to Senate Policy, petitions, opinion polls and unsolicited mass electronic communications cannot be initiated by this office for the 60-day period immediately before the date of a primary or general election. Subscribers currently receiving electronic communications from this office who wish to unsubscribe may do so here. | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/video-audio/converting-methane-gas-to-electricity | Converting Methane Gas to Electricity | 2016-12-09 | 2016 | 2016-12 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | Converting Methane Gas to Electricity The Washington Electric Co-op is one of two Vermont electric utilities with a 100 percent renewable energy portfolio, thanks in large part to its 8-megawatt generator fired by waste methane on Vermont’s only operating landfill. Washington Electric’s Coventry landfill facility produces enough electricity from waste methane to power approximately 6,000 homes and generates more than half of Washington Electric’s electricity. | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/vermont/tapping-vermonts-largest-landfill-for-renewable-energy | Tapping Vermonts Largest Landfill for Renewable Energy | 2016-12-09 | 2016 | 2016-12 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | Tapping Vermont’s Largest Landfill for Renewable Energy Friday, December 9, 2016 COVENTRY, Vt.—The Washington Electric Co-op is one of two Vermont electric utilities with a 100 percent renewable energy portfolio, thanks in large part to its 8-megawatt generator fired by waste methane on Vermont’s only operating landfill. Washington Electric’s Coventry landfill facility produces enough electricity from waste methane to power approximately 6,000 homes and generates more than half of Washington Electric’s electricity. As organic landfill waste decomposes, it naturally produces methane. Unless captured and converted to energy, the powerful greenhouse gas either would be released into the atmosphere, or burned off by the landfill operators. “If no generator was here, the landfill would burn it off in a flare,” said Patricia Richards, general manager for Washington Electric, comparing it to “a great big candlestick literally burning the gas. No electricity is produced and it’s just wasted into the atmosphere.”“We’re a small cooperative, we’re not-for-profit. We have roughly 11,000 member-customers and the Coventry Landfill project is our anchor power supply resource that serves our membership,” said Richards. “The power plant serves over half of the energy needs of our membership.”The idea for this methane generator emerged when Washington Electric Co-op set out to replace the electricity it was buying from the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant. “We said, ‘Hey, we want to do renewable power. What about a landfill? Could we build a power plant like this in Vermont and produce renewable power instead of taking power from a Vermont Yankee type resource?’ In 2002, the contract ended with Vermont Yankee and, in 2005, this project came online,” Richards said.Vermont Yankee, which was built in 1972, stopped producing electricity in December 2014. The Coventry generator first came on line with three engines in 2005. Since then, two more engines have been added.The $14.2 million landfil… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://web.archive.org/web/20161209142425/http://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/video-audio/holding-trump-accountable-on-medicare-and-social-security | Holding Trump Accountable on Medicare and Social Security | 2016-12-08 | 2016 | 2016-12 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | web.archive.org | legacy | Pursuant to Senate Policy, petitions, opinion polls and unsolicited mass electronic communications cannot be initiated by this office for the 60-day period immediately before the date of a primary or general election. Subscribers currently receiving electronic communications from this office who wish to unsubscribe may do so here. | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/must-read/-us-life-expectancy-declines-for-the-first-time-since-1993 | U.S. life expectancy declines for the first time since 1993 | 2016-12-08 | 2016 | 2016-12 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | U.S. life expectancy declines for the first time since 1993 By: By Lenny Bernstein Thursday, December 8, 2016 For the first time in more than two decades, life expectancy for Americans declined last year — a troubling development linked to a panoply of worsening health problems in the United States. Rising fatalities from heart disease and stroke, diabetes, drug overdoses, accidents and other conditions caused the lower life expectancy revealed in a report released Thursday by the National Center for Health Statistics. In all, death rates rose for eight of the top 10 leading causes of death. “I think we should be very concerned,” said Princeton economist Anne Case, who called for thorough research on the increase in deaths from heart disease, the No. 1 killer in the United States. “This is singular. This doesn’t happen.” A year ago, research by Case and Angus Deaton, also an economist at Princeton, brought worldwide attention to the unexpected jump in mortality rates among white middle-aged Americans. That trend was blamed on what are sometimes called diseases of despair: overdoses, alcoholism and suicide. The new report raises the possibility that major illnesses may be eroding prospects for an even wider group of Americans. Continue reading here. | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://web.archive.org/web/20161208070656/http://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/video-audio/national-strike-for-15-rally-in-washington | National Strike for $15 Rally in Washington | 2016-12-07 | 2016 | 2016-12 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | web.archive.org | legacy | Pursuant to Senate Policy, petitions, opinion polls and unsolicited mass electronic communications cannot be initiated by this office for the 60-day period immediately before the date of a primary or general election. Subscribers currently receiving electronic communications from this office who wish to unsubscribe may do so here. | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://web.archive.org/web/20161209135021/http://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/photos/hands-off-medicare | Hands Off Medicare | 2016-12-07 | 2016 | 2016-12 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | web.archive.org | legacy | Pursuant to Senate Policy, petitions, opinion polls and unsolicited mass electronic communications cannot be initiated by this office for the 60-day period immediately before the date of a primary or general election. Subscribers currently receiving electronic communications from this office who wish to unsubscribe may do so here. | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/-sanders-says-protest-critical-in-trump-era | Sanders Says Protest Critical in Trump Era | 2016-12-07 | 2016 | 2016-12 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | Sanders Says Protest Critical in Trump Era Wednesday, December 7, 2016 WASHINGTON, Dec. 7 – Citing several recent victories, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) thanked striking workers Wednesday for proving the power of protest to make progress under President-elect Donald Trump. “Five years ago, if anybody in America said that folks would be talking and cities would be passing a $15 an hour minimum wage, people would have said you’re crazy, it can’t be done,” Sanders said. “But you did it.” Marches led by workers played a critical role in minimum wage increases in Seattle, Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York City and Washington. Over the past four years, 19 million workers nationwide received a stunning $61.5 billion in pay – 12 times as much as the last time Congress increased the federal minimum wage in 2007. “Millions of workers have received significant pay increases because of your efforts. Thank you for what you’ve done. Today we tell the United States Congress that we have got to go further. We want every worker in this country to earn at least $15 an hour and have a union.” Recent direct action also halted construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline and protests stopped one of the biggest trade deals in history. “We’re telling Mr. Trump and anybody else that when millions of us stand together we are going to win. Nobody is going to stop us,” Sanders said. | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/-sanders-statement-on-trumps-epa-nominee | Sanders Statement on Trumps EPA Nominee | 2016-12-07 | 2016 | 2016-12 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | Sanders Statement on Trump’s EPA Nominee Wednesday, December 7, 2016 WASHINGTON, Dec. 7 – Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) issued the following statement Wednesday after President-elect Donald Trump selected Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt to run the Environmental Protection Agency: "At a time when climate change is the great environmental threat to the entire planet, it is sad and dangerous that Mr. Trump has nominated Scott Pruitt to lead the EPA. Mr. Pruitt’s record is not only that of being a climate change denier, but also someone who has worked closely with the fossil fuel industry to make this country more dependent, not less, on fossil fuels. The American people must demand leaders who are willing to transform our energy system away from fossil fuels. I will vigorously oppose this nomination." | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sanders-tells-trump-to-keep-his-promise-to-protect-medicare-and-social-security | Sanders Tells Trump to Keep His Promise to Protect Medicare and Social Security | 2016-12-07 | 2016 | 2016-12 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | Sanders Tells Trump to Keep His Promise to Protect Medicare and Social Security Wednesday, December 7, 2016 WASHINGTON, Dec. 7 – Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), incoming Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) called Wednesday on President-elect Donald Trump to keep his promise to protect Medicare and Social Security. “Mr. Trump, we are going to hold you accountable,” Sanders said. “You told the seniors of this country and you told working people you were on their side. Millions of us are going to demand that you keep your promise. We’re going to tell the Republican leadership in the House and the Senate to forget about all their plans to 'voucherize' and privatize Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.” During his campaign for president, Trump repeatedly promised to protect Medicare. But he nominated Rep. Tom Price (R-Ga.), who has a long history of supporting cuts to Medicare, to run the Department of Health and Human Services. In March, the president-elect said he would “do everything within my power not to touch Social Security, to leave it the way it is; to make this country rich again.” But the aides in charge of staffing Trump’s Social Security Administration expressed doubts about the viability of the program. Sanders was joined by grassroots organizations delivering a petition to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.). The petition, which calls on the Republican leaders to follow through on Trump’s campaign promises, garnered more than 1 million signatures. | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/recent-business/sanders-statement-on-trumps-epa-nominee | Sanders Statement on Trumps EPA Nominee | 2016-12-07 | 2016 | 2016-12 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | Sanders Statement on Trump’s EPA Nominee Wednesday, December 7, 2016 Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) issued the following statement Wednesday after President-elect Donald Trump selected Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt to run the Environmental Protection Agency: "At a time when climate change is the great environmental threat to the entire planet, it is sad and dangerous that Mr. Trump has nominated Scott Pruitt to lead the EPA. Mr. Pruitt’s record is not only that of being a climate change denier, but also someone who has worked closely with the fossil fuel industry to make this country more dependent, not less, on fossil fuels. The American people must demand leaders who are willing to transform our energy system away from fossil fuels. I will vigorously oppose this nomination." | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/must-read/pentagon-buries-evidence-of-125-billion-in-bureaucratic-waste | Pentagon buries evidence of $125 billion in bureaucratic waste | 2016-12-06 | 2016 | 2016-12 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | Pentagon buries evidence of $125 billion in bureaucratic waste By: By Craig Whitlock and Bob Woodward Tuesday, December 6, 2016 The Pentagon has buried an internal study that exposed $125 billion in administrative waste in its business operations amid fears Congress would use the findings as an excuse to slash the defense budget, according to interviews and confidential memos obtained by The Washington Post. Pentagon leaders had requested the study to help make their enormous back-office bureaucracy more efficient and reinvest any savings in combat power. But after the project documented far more wasteful spending than expected, senior defense officials moved swiftly to kill it by discrediting and suppressing the results. The report, issued in January 2015, identified “a clear path” for the Defense Department to save $125 billion over five years. The plan would not have required layoffs of civil servants or reductions in military personnel. Instead, it would have streamlined the bureaucracy through attrition and early retirements, curtailed high-priced contractors and made better use of information technology. The study was produced last year by the Defense Business Board, a federal advisory panel of corporate executives, and consultants from McKinsey and Company. Based on reams of personnel and cost data, their report revealed for the first time that the Pentagon was spending almost a quarter of its $580 billion budget on overhead and core business operations such as accounting, human resources, logistics and property management. Continue reading here. | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/senate-republicans-block-trump-proposal-to-lower-prescription-drug-prices | Senate Republicans Block Trump Proposal to Lower Prescription Drug Prices | 2016-12-06 | 2016 | 2016-12 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | Senate Republicans Block Trump Proposal to Lower Prescription Drug Prices Tuesday, December 6, 2016 WASHINGTON, Dec. 6 – Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) proposed an amendment Tuesday to lower the cost of prescription drugs by letting Medicare negotiate drug prices and allowing for the importation from other countries of low-cost prescription drugs – both proposals advocated by President-elect Donald Trump. Republicans blocked the Sanders amendment. During his run for the White House, Trump called for requiring Medicare to negotiate with drug companies to lower prices. In a speech in New Hampshire last Feb. 7, Trump criticized current U.S. law that forbids Medicare from negotiating prices with pharmaceutical companies. Trump said: “We are not allowed to negotiate drug prices. Can you believe it? We pay about $300 billion more than we are supposed to, than if we negotiated the price. So there’s $300 billion on day one we solve.” Trump’s campaign platform also advocated making it legal to reimport cheaper drugs from other countries. Sanders offered an amendment to implement Trump’s campaign promises. “I am sure that all of my Republican colleagues will support an amendment in my hands that will do exactly what Mr. Trump said he would accomplish as president,” Sanders told Senate colleagues. But Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) objected to holding a vote on the amendment. Without those changes in a bill now before Congress, Sanders said he could not support the overall legislation because it caves to the demands of the pharmaceutical industry and cuts Medicare and Medicaid by $1 billion. “It is incomprehensible to me that we have a major bill dealing with prescription drugs and yet we are running from the most important issue and that is the greed of the pharmaceutical industry,” Sanders said. “The prescription drug industry, along with Wall Street, is the most powerful political force in America. I have been fighting the greed of the prescription drug industry for decades. And, as far as … | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/recent-business/senate-republicans-block-trump-proposal-to-lower-prescription-drug-prices | Senate Republicans Block Trump Proposal to Lower Prescription Drug Prices | 2016-12-06 | 2016 | 2016-12 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | Senate Republicans Block Trump Proposal to Lower Prescription Drug Prices Tuesday, December 6, 2016 Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) proposed an amendment Tuesday to lower the cost of prescription drugs by letting Medicare negotiate drug prices and allowing for the importation from other countries of low-cost prescription drugs – both proposals advocated by President-elect Donald Trump. Republicans blocked the Sanders amendment. During his run for the White House, Trump called for requiring Medicare to negotiate with drug companies to lower prices. In a speech in New Hampshire last Feb. 7, Trump criticized current U.S. law that forbids Medicare from negotiating prices with pharmaceutical companies. Trump said: “We are not allowed to negotiate drug prices. Can you believe it? We pay about $300 billion more than we are supposed to, than if we negotiated the price. So there’s $300 billion on day one we solve.” Trump’s campaign platform also advocated making it legal to reimport cheaper drugs from other countries. Sanders offered an amendment to implement Trump’s campaign promises. “I am sure that all of my Republican colleagues will support an amendment in my hands that will do exactly what Mr. Trump said he would accomplish as president,” Sanders told Senate colleagues. But Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) objected to holding a vote on the amendment. Without those changes in a bill now before Congress, Sanders said he could not support the overall legislation because it caves to the demands of the pharmaceutical industry and cuts Medicare and Medicaid by $1 billion. “It is incomprehensible to me that we have a major bill dealing with prescription drugs and yet we are running from the most important issue and that is the greed of the pharmaceutical industry,” Sanders said. “The prescription drug industry, along with Wall Street, is the most powerful political force in America. I have been fighting the greed of the prescription drug industry for decades. And, as far as I can tell, the pre… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sanders-statement-on-dakota-access-pipeline-decision | Sanders Statement on Dakota Access Pipeline Decision | 2016-12-04 | 2016 | 2016-12 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | Sanders Statement on Dakota Access Pipeline Decision Sunday, December 4, 2016 BURLINGTON, Vt., Dec. 4 – U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) congratulated President Barack Obama Sunday after the Army Corps of Engineers announced it will deny a federal permit needed for the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline. "I appreciate very much President Obama listening to the Native American people and millions of others who believe this pipeline should not be built. In the year 2016, we should not continue to trample on Native American sovereignty. We should not endanger the water supply of millions of people. We should not become more dependent on fossil fuel and accelerate the planetary crisis of climate change. Our job now is to transform our energy system away from fossil fuels, not to produce more greenhouse gas emissions." | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/must-read/the-really-rich-got-richer-according-to-irss-top-400 | The Really Rich Got Richer, According to IRSs Top 400 | 2016-12-01 | 2016 | 2016-12 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | The Really Rich Got Richer, According to IRS’s Top 400 Total income reported on the top 400 individual tax returns rose 20% in 2014 By: Richard Rubin Thursday, December 1, 2016 The total income reported on the top 400 individual tax returns rose 20% in 2014, according to Internal Revenue Service data released Thursday. The figures reveal the concentration of earnings at the pinnacle of the income distribution, in a club that required $126.8 million of adjusted gross income to enter. That group, out of nearly 150 million tax returns in 2014, received 1.3% of income and 10% of capital gains that get preferential rates. The same 400 households also made 6.9% of all charitable contributions. Continue reading here. | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sanders-carrier-just-showed-corporations-how-to-beat-donald-trump | Sanders: Carrier just showed corporations how to beat Donald Trump | 2016-12-01 | 2016 | 2016-12 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | Sanders: Carrier just showed corporations how to beat Donald Trump Thursday, December 1, 2016 The Washington Post: Carrier just showed corporations how to beat Donald Trump By Sen. Bernie Sanders Today, about 1,000 Carrier workers and their families should be rejoicing. But the rest of our nation’s workers should be very nervous. President-elect Donald Trump will reportedly announce a deal with United Technologies, the corporation that owns Carrier, that keeps less than 1,000 of the 2100 jobs in America that were previously scheduled to be transferred to Mexico. Let’s be clear: It is not good enough to save some of these jobs. Trump made a promise that he would save all of these jobs, and we cannot rest until an ironclad contract is signed to ensure that all of these workers are able to continue working in Indiana without having their pay or benefits slashed. In exchange for allowing United Technologies to continue to offshore more than 1,000 jobs, Trump will reportedly give the company tax and regulatory favors that the corporation has sought. Just a short few months ago, Trump was pledging to force United Technologies to “pay a damn tax.” He was insisting on very steep tariffs for companies like Carrier that left the United States and wanted to sell their foreign-made products back in the United States. Instead of a damn tax, the company will be rewarded with a damn tax cut. Wow! How’s that for standing up to corporate greed? How’s that for punishing corporations that shut down in the United States and move abroad? In essence, United Technologies took Trump hostage and won. And that should send a shock wave of fear through all workers across the country. Trump has endangered the jobs of workers who were previously safe in the United States. Why? Because he has signaled to every corporation in America that they can threaten to offshore jobs in exchange for business-friendly tax benefits and incentives. Even corporations that weren’t thinking of offshoring jobs will most p… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sanders-warren-joint-statement-on-trumps-treasury-nominee | Sanders, Warren Joint Statement on Trump's Treasury Nominee | 2016-11-30 | 2016 | 2016-11 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | Sanders, Warren Joint Statement on Trump's Treasury Nominee Wednesday, November 30, 2016 WASHINGTON, Nov. 30 – Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) released the following statement Wednesday after it was reported that President-elect Donald Trump will nominate Steve Mnuchin to serve as Treasury secretary: "During the campaign, Donald Trump told the American people that he was going to change Washington by taking on Wall Street. Donald Trump’s choice for Treasury secretary, Steve Mnuchin, is just another Wall Street insider. That is not the type of change that Donald Trump promised to bring to Washington – that is hypocrisy at its worst. After his bank pocketed billions in taxpayer dollars from the bailout, Mnuchin moved on to make a fortune running another bank that aggressively foreclosed on families still reeling from the crisis. This pick makes clear that Donald Trump wants to cater to the same Wall Street executives that have hurt working families time and again." | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sanders-statement-on-the-21st-century-cures-act | Sanders Statement on the 21st Century Cures Act | 2016-11-29 | 2016 | 2016-11 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | Sanders Statement on the 21st Century Cures Act Tuesday, November 29, 2016 WASHINGTON, Nov. 29 – Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) issued the following statement Tuesday on the 21st Century Cures Act: "At a time when Americans pay, by far, the highest prices in the world for prescription drugs, this bill provides absolutely no relief for soaring drug prices. The greed of the pharmaceutical industry has no limit, and this bill includes numerous corporate giveaways that will make drug companies even richer. Further, this bill cuts Medicare and Medicaid by $1 billion, while not even guaranteeing funding for medical research or substance abuse treatment. "This is a bad bill which should not be passed in its current form. It's time for Congress to stand up to the world's biggest pharmaceutical companies, not give them more handouts." | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sanders-statement-on-trumps-hhs-pick | Sanders Statement on Trump's HHS Pick | 2016-11-29 | 2016 | 2016-11 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, Nov. 29 – Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) issued the following statement Tuesday after it was reported that President-elect Donald Trump will name Rep. Tom Price (R-Ga.) to serve as secretary of health and human services: “Donald Trump asked workers and seniors to vote for him because he was the only Republican candidate who would not cut Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid – programs that are of life-and-death importance for millions of Americans. Now, he has nominated a person for secretary of Health and Human Services, Rep. Tom Price, who has a long history of wanting to do exactly the opposite of what Trump campaigned on. Rep. Price has a long history of wanting to cut Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. What hypocrisy! Mr. Trump needs to tell the American people that what he said during the campaign were just lies, or else appoint an HHS secretary who will protect these programs and do what Trump said he would do.” | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/video-audio/trump-vows-to-protect-social-security-medicare-and-medicaid | Trump Vows To Protect Social Security, Medicare Medicaid | 2016-11-29 | 2016 | 2016-11 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | Trump Vows To Protect Social Security, Medicare & Medicaid Speaking at the New Hampshire Republican Leadership Summit, Donald Trump scolded Republicans for trying to cut Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. See Video on YouTube Tweet Copy Link | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sanders-republicans-are-threatening-american-democracy | Sanders: Republicans Are Threatening American Democracy | 2016-11-28 | 2016 | 2016-11 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | Sanders: Republicans Are Threatening American Democracy Monday, November 28, 2016 BURLINGTON, Vt., Nov. 28 – U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) issued the following statement Monday after Donald Trump claimed "millions of people...voted illegally" and made unfounded allegations of "serious voter fraud in Virginia, New Hampshire and California": "The threat to American democracy under Republican control is two-fold. First, they will likely move to go beyond the disastrous Citizens United Supreme Court decision and end all campaign finance limitations. Right now, the Koch brothers and the billionaire class can spend as much as they want only on independent expenditures. The Republican leadership wants more. They want billionaires to be able to contribute directly to the candidate and, in essence, make the candidate a full-fledged employee of wealthy contributors. "Secondly, the Republicans will likely move aggressively to expand their current voter suppression efforts. When Trump talks his disgraceful and unfounded nonsense about millions of people voting illegally, he is sending a very clear signal that the Republicans will move to make it harder for people of color, the elderly, immigrants, young people and poor people to participate in elections. "Our job: State by state and at the federal level, resist all efforts at voter suppression. We must do everything we can to make it easier for people to participate in the political process, not harder. States like California, Vermont and others have already moved effectively in that direction. Others must follow. "For many Republicans leaders, 'democracy' means billionaires buying elections and poor and working people being disenfranchised. Too many Americans have fought and died to defend American democracy. The Republican anti-democratic vision is not a future we will allow to happen." | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/-sanders-statement-on-carrier-and-outsourcing | Sanders Statement on Carrier and Outsourcing | 2016-11-26 | 2016 | 2016-11 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | Sanders Statement on Carrier and Outsourcing Saturday, November 26, 2016 BURLINGTON, Vt., Nov. 26 – U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) issued the following statement Saturday: “During the campaign, Donald Trump made a 100 percent commitment to prevent United Technologies from shipping 2,100 jobs from Indiana to Mexico. All of us need to hold Mr. Trump accountable to make sure that he keeps this promise. “Let’s be clear: it is not good enough to save some of these jobs. We cannot rest until United Technologies signs a firm contract to keep all of these good-paying jobs in Indiana without slashing the salaries or benefits workers have earned. “United Technologies is not going broke. Last year, it made a profit of $7.6 billion and received over $6 billion in defense contracts. It has also received more than $50 million in corporate welfare from the Export-Import Bank and very generous tax breaks. “In 2014, United Technologies gave its former CEO Louis Chenevert a golden parachute worth over $172 million. Last year, the company’s five highest paid executives made over $50 million. The firm also spent $12 billion to inflate its stock price instead of using that money to invest in new plants and workers. “I call on Mr. Trump to make it clear to the CEO of United Technologies that if his firm wants to receive another defense contract from the taxpayers of this country, it must not move these plants to Mexico. “We need to send a very loud and very clear message to corporate America: the era of outsourcing is over. Instead of offshoring jobs, the time has come for you to start bringing good-paying jobs back to the United States of America. “If United Technologies or any other company wants to keep outsourcing decent-paying American jobs, those companies must pay an outsourcing tax equal to the amount of money it expects to save by moving factories to Mexico or other low-wage countries. They must pay back all of the tax breaks and other corporate welfare they have received from the … | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sanders-slams-court-ruling-against-overtime-pay | Sanders Slams Court Ruling Against Overtime Pay | 2016-11-23 | 2016 | 2016-11 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | Sanders Slams Court Ruling Against Overtime Pay Wednesday, November 23, 2016 BURLINGTON, Vt., Nov. 23 – U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) on Wednesday criticized a federal court injunction against a new overtime rule that would have made millions of workers eligible for time-and-a-half pay. “The disastrous district court decision will unfairly harm millions of workers who are working longer hours for lower wages and have gone far too long without a raise. No employer should be allowed to deny overtime pay to Americans, many of whom are working 50 or 60 hours a week by labeling workers earning as little as $24,000-a-year as 'supervisors.' If we are serious about expanding the middle class, we must ensure that workers are paid fairly for all the work they do,” Sander said. “The Obama administration did the right thing by updating labor rules to make sure that anyone who makes less than $47,476 a year will receive time-and-a-half pay for working overtime. This is not without precedent. Since 1938, 10 different presidents – Democrats and Republicans – have exercised the authority their administrations have to update our nation’s overtime rules,” Sanders added. A preliminary injunction issued Tuesday blocks a new U.S. Labor Department rule, set to take effect next week, which would have required employers to pay overtime to workers earning less than $47,476 a year. The previous cutoff for workers to qualify for overtime pay, set in 2004, was $23,660. “Anyone who claims to be a champion of working families should be outraged by the misguided and irresponsible court decision. I urge the Obama administration and President-elect Trump to do everything they can to vigorously defend this rule,” Sanders said. “During this time of Thanksgiving we must fight to make sure that all Americans receive the pay they have earned and deserve.” Sanders this year led a push in the Senate to extend overtime pay. To read Sanders’ Feb. 29 letter, signed by 23 Senate colleagues, to Labor Se… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sanders-statement-on-vermont-air-national-guard-deployment | Sanders Statement on Vermont Air National Guard Deployment | 2016-11-22 | 2016 | 2016-11 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | Sanders Statement on Vermont Air National Guard Deployment Tuesday, November 22, 2016 BURLINGTON, Vt., Nov. 22 – U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) released the following statement Tuesday after the Vermont Air National Guard announced it would be deploying overseas: "The Vermont Air Guard has been recognized for its high degree of training and readiness. As is the case with any deployment, my thoughts are with the service members being sent overseas and their families. In Vermont, I am confident that we will all do everything we can to support those families in their time of need, as we look forward to the safe and speedy return of the Guard members." | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sanders-calls-on-trump-to-keep-his-promise-to-defend-social-security | Sanders Calls on Trump to Keep His Promise to Defend Social Security | 2016-11-21 | 2016 | 2016-11 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | Sanders Calls on Trump to Keep His Promise to Defend Social Security Monday, November 21, 2016 WASHINGTON, Nov. 21 – Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) issued the following statement Monday on President-elect Donald Trump’s promise to protect Social Security: “There are many seniors, disabled vets and people with disabilities who are very nervous about Republican proposals to cut Social Security. In my view we should be expanding Social Security, not cutting it. But, at the very least, now is the time for Mr. Trump to reassure the American people that he will keep the campaign promise he made when he said, ‘I was the first & only potential GOP candidate to state there will be no cuts to Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.’ Mr. Trump, keep your promise.” | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sanders-statement-on-trumps-reactionary-agenda | Sanders Statement on Trump's Reactionary Agenda | 2016-11-18 | 2016 | 2016-11 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | Sanders Statement on Trump's Reactionary Agenda Friday, November 18, 2016 WASHINGTON, Nov. 18 – Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) released the following statement Friday: “Here is the simple truth. Trump’s reactionary agenda will not be defeated in the halls of Congress. It will be defeated when millions of Americans, at the grassroots level, come together to oppose xenophobia and attacks on the immigrant community. It will be defeated when we stand together against racism, sexism, homophobia and Islamophobia. It will be defeated when working people throughout our country – black, white, Latino, Asian-American and Native American – demand a government and economy which works for all, and not just the one percent. Our political task now is to educate, organize and mobilize.” | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/video-audio/vermont-viewpoint | Vermont Viewpoint | 2016-11-18 | 2016 | 2016-11 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | Vermont Viewpoint Torin Kearns, 22, of Lincoln, Vermont, said considering the cost of college is stressful. "When you get out of college -- having all this debt pile up and a job that might not necessarily make you back all that money in a decent amount of time -- it’s scary," he said. "If kids want education, they should be able to have it." | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://web.archive.org/web/20161208092713/http://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/video-audio/the-peoples-rally-in-washington | The People's Rally in Washington | 2016-11-17 | 2016 | 2016-11 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | web.archive.org | legacy | Pursuant to Senate Policy, petitions, opinion polls and unsolicited mass electronic communications cannot be initiated by this office for the 60-day period immediately before the date of a primary or general election. Subscribers currently receiving electronic communications from this office who wish to unsubscribe may do so here. | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sanders-joins-senate-democratic-leadership- | Sanders Joins Senate Democratic Leadership | 2016-11-16 | 2016 | 2016-11 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | Sanders Joins Senate Democratic Leadership Wednesday, November 16, 2016 WASHINGTON, Nov. 16 – Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) released the following statement Wednesday after he was named chair of outreach for Senate Democrats and ranking member of the Senate Budget Committee: “Real change doesn’t take place on Capitol Hill. It takes place in grassroots America. It takes place when millions of working people, young people and senior citizens come together to demand that our government works for all of us and not just the 1 percent. When the people lead, the leaders follow. “Serving as ranking member of the Budget Committee is a heavy responsibility. It helps shape the priorities of the United States government, and I am going to do everything I can to make sure the budget that leaves the United States Congress is a budget that represents the needs of working families and a shrinking middle class, not billionaires.” | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sanders-statement-on-steve-bannon | Sanders Statement on Steve Bannon | 2016-11-16 | 2016 | 2016-11 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | Sanders Statement on Steve Bannon Wednesday, November 16, 2016 WASHINGTON, Nov. 16 – Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) issued the following statement Wednesday on the appointment of Steve Bannon to serve as chief strategist and senior counsel in President-elect Donald Trump’s White House: “This country, since its inception, has struggled to overcome discrimination of all forms: racism, sexism, xenophobia and homophobia. Over the years we have made progress in becoming a less discriminatory and more tolerant society – and we are not going backward. The appointment by President-elect Trump of a racist individual like Mr. Bannon to a position of authority is totally unacceptable. In a democratic society we can disagree all we want over issues, but racism and bigotry cannot be part of any public policy. The appointment of Mr. Bannon by Mr. Trump must be rescinded." | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/video-audio/heating-our-cities-with-renewable-energy | Heating Our Cities With Renewable Energy | 2016-11-10 | 2016 | 2016-11 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | Heating Our Cities With Renewable Energy A wood-chip fired heating plant in Montpelier, Vermont, known as District Heat Montpelier, is part of Vermont’s effort to move its energy system from fossil fuels to renewable energy. Thanks to $8 million in federal stimulus funds in 2010, this renewable energy powered heat plant prevents 300,000 gallons of oil from being burned each year. | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/vermont/-heating-cities-with-renewables- | Heating Cities with Renewables | 2016-11-10 | 2016 | 2016-11 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | Heating Cities with Renewables Thursday, November 10, 2016 MONTPELIER, Vt. -- With a significant boost from federal stimulus funds, District Heat Montpelier is up and running, heating dozens of state, municipal and private buildings in Vermont’s capital city. Fueled by an innovative wood-chip fired boiler, the project is part of Vermont’s efforts to transform our energy system away from fossil fuels and toward sustainable sources of energy. “It’s been a tremendous success,” Montpelier Mayor John Hollar said. “The real launch of the program started when the city received an $8 million stimulus grant in 2010. At that point, the project really began in earnest. It was constructed in 2013, operational in the fall of 2014.” When the US Department of Energy originally announced the funds, Sen. Bernie Sanders praised the project, stating “this district energy project will make Vermont more energy independent, lower greenhouse gas emissions and create local jobs.” The district heating plant is doing just that, as the project replaces approximately 300,000 gallons of oil that would have been burned each year to heat 19 state-owned buildings including the Pavilion Office Building, the Supreme Court and the State House. The project also heats Montpelier’s city hall, police and fire stations, an elementary school, municipal library, a federal building, the county courthouse and sheriff’s office, two churches and several private buildings. Montpelier’s heating plant is helping Vermont take strides toward reaching its ambitious statewide renewable energy goals. “Our department keeps track of and sets goals for energy use in Vermont, including renewable energy. One of our responsibilities is to produce the state’s Comprehensive Energy Plan,” said Asa Hopkins, who serves as the director of the Vermont Department of Public Service’s Planning and Energy Resources Division. That plan, Hopkins said, builds on the state's goal of getting 25 percent of our energy from renewable sources by … | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sanders-statement-on-trump | Sanders Statement on Trump | 2016-11-09 | 2016 | 2016-11 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | Sanders Statement on Trump Wednesday, November 9, 2016 BURLINGTON, Vt., Nov. 9 – U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) issued the following statement Wednesday after Donald Trump was elected president of the United States: “Donald Trump tapped into the anger of a declining middle class that is sick and tired of establishment economics, establishment politics and the establishment media. People are tired of working longer hours for lower wages, of seeing decent paying jobs go to China and other low-wage countries, of billionaires not paying any federal income taxes and of not being able to afford a college education for their kids - all while the very rich become much richer. “To the degree that Mr. Trump is serious about pursuing policies that improve the lives of working families in this country, I and other progressives are prepared to work with him. To the degree that he pursues racist, sexist, xenophobic and anti-environment policies, we will vigorously oppose him.” | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sanders-cummings-request-doj-and-ftc-investigate-cost-of-diabetes-products | Sanders, Cummings Request DOJ and FTC Investigate Cost of Diabetes Products | 2016-11-04 | 2016 | 2016-11 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | Sanders, Cummings Request DOJ and FTC Investigate Cost of Diabetes Products Friday, November 4, 2016 WASHINGTON, Nov. 4 – Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) sent a letter Thursday asking the Justice Department and the Federal Trade Commission to investigate potential collusion among pharmaceutical companies that manufacture diabetes products. The prices of insulin medications, which are used by about 6 million Americans to treat diabetes, have skyrocketed in recent years. The cost of insulin more than tripled between 2002 and 2013, from $231 to $736 per year per patient. “Not only have these pharmaceutical companies raised insulin prices significantly – sometimes by double digits overnight – in many instances the prices have increased in tandem,” Sanders and Cummings wrote in the letter to Attorney General Loretta Lynch and Federal Trade Commission Chairwoman Edith Ramirez. “We are concerned that the potential coordination by these drug makers may not simply be a case of ‘shadow pricing’ but may indicate possible collusion.” Three diabetes drug makers have continuously raised their prices over the years, and in numerous instances the price increases have mirrored one another precisely. In May 2014, Sanofi and Novo Nordisk each raised their prices for a vial of diabetes medication by 16.1 percent within a day of each other. Six months later, the companies both raised the medication price by 11.9 percent. There have been 13 reported instances of such tandem price increases between those two companies since 2009. Eli Lilly has also on several occasions matched price increases of its insulin products with Novo Nordisk. Eli Lilly and other companies have previously been fined in Mexico for colluding on insulin pricing. “We believe this egregious behavior warrants a thorough investigation,” the members wrote. To read the letter, click here. | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sanders-welcomes-obama-step-on-dakota-access-pipeline | Sanders Welcomes Obama Step on Dakota Access Pipeline | 2016-11-02 | 2016 | 2016-11 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | Sanders Welcomes Obama Step on Dakota Access Pipeline Wednesday, November 2, 2016 WASHINGTON, Nov. 2 – Sen. Bernie Sanders applauded President Barack Obama for saying Tuesday that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is examining ways to reroute the Dakota Access Pipeline to avoid culturally sensitive lands of the Standing Rock Sioux tribe. “I am very grateful to President Obama for listening to the voices of Native Americans and their many allies who have been protesting the Dakota Access Pipeline,” Sanders said. Sanders sent a letter to the White House last week urging the president to halt the pipeline construction. Sanders again on Wednesday urged the president to suspend all federal permits for the Dakota Access Pipeline until the Corps of Engineers completes a full cultural and environmental review. “The protesters at Standing Rock have insisted all along that in addition to encroaching on their sacred lands, the Dakota Access Pipeline will also threaten our most important natural resource, water,” Sanders said. If completed, the pipeline would transport nearly 20 million gallons of crude oil every day, potentially threatening dozens of bodies of water, including the Missouri River, which provides drinking water for 10 states and 28 tribes. Moreover, Sanders again questioned whether it makes sense to build new oil pipelines at a time when we should be focusing on building a clean energy infrastructure. “We are already seeing the consequences of global climate change, including rising sea levels, drought, wildfires and extreme weather. We should be transforming our energy system away from fossil fuels and toward sustainable sources of energy. This pipeline, if completed, will do the exact opposite. It will lock us into burning more and more fossil fuels for generations to come,” Sanders said. Read Sanders’ letter to President Obama here. | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/recent-business/sanders-welcomes-obama-step-on-dakota-access-pipeline | Sanders Welcomes Obama Step on Dakota Access Pipeline | 2016-11-02 | 2016 | 2016-11 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | Sanders Welcomes Obama Step on Dakota Access Pipeline Wednesday, November 2, 2016 Sen. Bernie Sanders applauded President Barack Obama for saying Tuesday that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is examining ways to reroute the Dakota Access Pipeline to avoid culturally sensitive lands of the Standing Rock Sioux tribe. “I am very grateful to President Obama for listening to the voices of Native Americans and their many allies who have been protesting the Dakota Access Pipeline,” Sanders said. Sanders sent a letter to the White House last week urging the president to halt the pipeline construction. Sanders again on Wednesday urged the president to suspend all federal permits for the Dakota Access Pipeline until the Corps of Engineers completes a full cultural and environmental review. “The protesters at Standing Rock have insisted all along that in addition to encroaching on their sacred lands, the Dakota Access Pipeline will also threaten our most important natural resource, water,” Sanders said. If completed, the pipeline would transport nearly 20 million gallons of crude oil every day, potentially threatening dozens of bodies of water, including the Missouri River, which provides drinking water for 10 states and 28 tribes. Moreover, Sanders again questioned whether it makes sense to build new oil pipelines at a time when we should be focusing on building a clean energy infrastructure. “We are already seeing the consequences of global climate change, including rising sea levels, drought, wildfires and extreme weather. We should be transforming our energy system away from fossil fuels and toward sustainable sources of energy. This pipeline, if completed, will do the exact opposite. It will lock us into burning more and more fossil fuels for generations to come,” Sanders said. Read Sanders’ letter to President Obama here. | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/vermont/an-industry-in-crisis-regional-foresters-struggle-to-survive | An industry in crisis: Regional foresters struggle to survive | 2016-11-01 | 2016 | 2016-11 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | An industry in crisis: Regional foresters struggle to survive By: Robert Audette Brattleboro Reformer Tuesday, November 1, 2016 Brattleboro - Despite the importance of the forestry industry to Vermont's economy, fundamental shifts in the market for low-grade wood threaten the survival of many small businesses and the viability of the state's forests. "We manage our forests for all kinds of things including durable wood products," said Michael Snyder, Commissioner of Vermont Forests, Parks and Recreation. "We specialize in high-grade, high-value-added wood products. In fact, they are world renowned. But in order to grow that high-quality product, we need to manage the woods." And managing the woods entails - just like cultivating a garden - pulling the weeds, said Paul Frederick, Wood Utilization and Wood Energy Project Leader for the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation. "We need to weed out the garden to let the healthier trees utilize the space. If we don't have the markets for the soft wood, that work is very difficult." According to the National Forest Service, there are 88 different tree and shrub species in Vermont, the most common of which are beech, birch, maple, ash, aspen, oak, fir, spruce, hemlock, brambles, raspberry hobblebush, viburnum, and spirea. Hemlock is the leading softwood species, often found growing with eastern white pine. Balsam fir and spruce are the primary species used in the manufacture of wood fiber. Of the hardwood species, sugar maple is the most prevalent, followed by American beech, red maple, yellow and paper birch, and white ash. "Forest products are an economic engine in Vermont and are responsible for $1.4 billion every year," said Snyder. To read the full article, click here | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/newswatch/103116 | News October 31 | 2016-10-31 | 2016 | 2016-10 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | News October 31 Monday, October 31, 2016 Column: AT&T-Time Warner Deal “In a letter to the Justice Department calling for the rejection of the AT&T-Time Warner deal, Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont said AT&T was already violating net neutrality principles by allowing customers to stream its DirecTV programming onto their mobile devices without having to pay the data-use charges that would normally apply,” Jim Rutenberg wrote for The New York Times. “That would appear to give the company’s own television service a price advantage.” World Italy Hit By Another Earthquake An earthquake, believed to be the strongest to hit Italy since 1980, struck the center of the country on Sunday, four days after two back-to-back quakes severely damaged buildings and left thousands homeless in the area, The New York Times reported. The temblor on Sunday also caused fresh damage to the towns destroyed by a quake that killed nearly 300 people in August. National DAPL After another round of tense standoffs between activists and law enforcement over the Dakota Access Pipeline, an uneasy peace settled over this region of North Dakota that has become ground zero for opposition to a $3.7 billion project that would move domestic crude oil across four states, CNN reported. Vermont Water For much of the summer, Vermont escaped the drought that shriveled up crops and depleted some drinking water wells in parts of southern New England. Despite recent rain and snow, much of Vermont is now in a drought and the state is encouraging residents to conserve water when possible and report shortages, The Burlington Free Press reported. | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/vermont/vt-warming-up-to-heat-pumps | Vermont warming up to heat pumps | 2016-10-30 | 2016 | 2016-10 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | Vermont warming up to heat pumps By: Gareth Henderson Business Vermont Sunday, October 30, 2016 Godnick’s Grand Furniture in Rutland is now home to Green Mountain Power’s largest installation of heat pumps, which have helped boost energy savings for a number of customers in recent years. GMP recently installed 20 of these hyper-efficient, ductless heat pump heads at Godnick’s, where they’re estimated to reduce fuel usage by 40 percent during the heating season. The heat pumps are also expected to save the business about 30 percent in electricity consumed by air conditioning in the summer. The heat pumps transfer air from the outdoors to heat the building, and in the summer, they transfer heat out to cool the building — making them far more cost-effective than traditional heating and AC systems. Brian Godnick, owner of Godnick’s Grand Furniture, said the business had a 40-year-old air conditioning system which it hadn’t used in a few years, since it is highly inefficient. To read full article, click here | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/newswatch/102916 | News October 29 | 2016-10-29 | 2016 | 2016-10 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | News October 29 Saturday, October 29, 2016 Dakota Access Pipeline Sanders called on President Barack Obama to intervene in the construction of the Dakota Access pipeline on Friday. In a letter, Sanders implored the president to reevaluate the environmental impact of the oil pipeline, The Bismarck Tribune, Los Angeles Times, ATTN and Portland Press Herald reported. Sanders called on President Barack Obama to send Department of Justice personnel to guarantee safety and First Amendment rights for protesters, The Associated Press and The Huffington Post reported. What’s Next Sen. Sanders makes clear in a Boston Globe op-ed published Friday that he’s ready to go head to head with the next administration, the day after the election, if it ignores the progressive causes he holds dear — from taking on powerful special interests to appointing cabinet officials who will “fight for working people,” USA Today and TIME reported. Sanders, Warren Call Out KPMG Senators Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders fired off a letter on Thursday to KPMG, calling the accounting firm out for failing to discover the widespread illegal behavior at Wells Fargo, CNN reported. Biotech Stocks Down Political jitters have fueled a sell-off in biotechnology shares in recent weeks as investors weigh the growing prospects of a Democratic sweep. One biotech analyst contended a Democratic sweep would strengthen the hand of activist lawmakers such as senators Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, The Boston Globe reported. Column: Corporate America on the Defensive “Let's be blunt. Corporate America is in delusional denial about how much the ground in Washington has shifted against it. The rise of Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, both inside the halls of Congress and throughout the country, is more than just a passing fad. Just ask Wells Fargo CEO John Stumpf,” Jake Novak wrote for CNBC. World E.U. Trade Deal A group of dairy farmers in the Wallonia region single-hande… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/newswatch/102816 | News October 28 | 2016-10-28 | 2016 | 2016-10 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | News October 28 Friday, October 28, 2016 Sanders: Here’s What I’ll Do After the Election “This is a historic and pivotal moment in American history,” Sen. Bernie Sanders wrote in The Boston Globe. “Now is the time for our next president to rally the American people against Wall Street and corporate greed and stand up vigorously for the declining middle class.” AT&T-Time Warner Sanders laid out his disapproval of the merger between AT&T Inc. and Time Warner Inc. in a feisty letter addressed to Acting Assistant Attorney General Renata B. Hesse on Wednesday. The deal has major consequences for democracy, Sanders said, since one company will now have control over a wide range of brands, The Huffington Post, The Street, Arab American News and Los Angeles Times, The Atlantic reported. A Judiciary Committee hearing on the merger has been set for Dec. 7, reported The Associated Press and The Wall Street Journal. Cabinet Blacklists Leading liberal lawmakers — including Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Sanders — have started conveying, privately and publicly, guidance on top Clinton appointees and legislative priorities, The Washington Post reported. The assembly of a Clinton administration would be the first major test of power for progressives since Sanders’s unsuccessful presidential run. Wall Street’s Wake Up Call If Hillary Clinton is elected president, Warren will most likely shape the future of financial services in the U.S., CBS News reported. At a Colorado rally in mid-October, the appearance of both Warren and Sanders, whose grassroots movement brought national attention to Wall Street “greed,” underlined that message. Column: Why Bernie Sanders Matters “Bernie Sanders has been as big a mensch as any politician ever has been. He has been a far bigger mensch than a lot of his supporters on and off your social media feeds and in and out of the actual media itself,” Charles P. Pierce wrote for Esquire. “Sanders' formal party allegiance doesn't matter a damn. He is a man w… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sanders-calls-on-president-to-intervene-in-dakota-access-pipeline-dispute | Sanders Calls on President to Intervene in Dakota Access Pipeline Dispute | 2016-10-28 | 2016 | 2016-10 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | Sanders Calls on President to Intervene in Dakota Access Pipeline Dispute Friday, October 28, 2016 BURLINGTON, Vt., Oct. 28 — U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) sent a letter to President Barack Obama Friday requesting he intervene to protect Native Americans peacefully protesting the Dakota Access Pipeline. At least 140 people were arrested at the construction site in Cannon Ball, N.D., Wednesday after militarized police moved in with tanks and riot gear, using sound cannons, pepper spray and rubber bullets. Hundreds of Native American protectors have gathered at the site since April to protest the pipeline’s construction on land they claim is tribal under the 1851 Treaty of Fort Laramie. "I urge you to take all appropriate measures to protect the safety of the Native Americans protesters and their supporters who have gathered peacefully to oppose the construction of the pipeline," Sanders wrote in the letter. Sanders asks that President Obama direct the Justice Department to send observers to the site to protect protestors’ safety and First Amendment rights; call North Dakota Governor Jack Dalrymple to remove the National Guard from the protest camp; and direct the Army Corps of Engineers to issue an order to stop work on construction of the pipeline near the protest site to reduce tensions while awaiting judicial action. Sanders again called on the president to suspend construction of the pipeline until the Army Corps of Engineers completes a full cultural and environmental review. "It is deeply distressing to me that the federal government is putting the profits of the oil industry ahead of the treaty and sovereign rights of Native American communities," Sanders wrote. "Mr. President, you took a bold and principled stand against the Keystone pipeline – I ask you to take a similar stand against the Dakota Access Pipeline." Sanders previously called on the president to block construction of the pipeline during a rally outside the White House with leaders of the Standing Ro… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/newswatch/102716 | News October 27 | 2016-10-27 | 2016 | 2016-10 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | News October 27 Thursday, October 27, 2016 AT&T-Time Warner Merger Sen. Bernie Sanders called on the Justice Department Wednesday to block the $85 billion AT&T-Time Warner merger. Sanders warned in a letter to the department's antitrust division that the combination could result in a "gross concentration of power" in news media, and suggested that blocking the deal would help "preserve our democratic discourse,” CNBC and The Associated Press reported. Fears of Growing Progressive Power Hillary Clinton’s lead in presidential-election polls has Wall Street increasingly focused on the battle for control of Congress—and bracing for a less friendly environment if Democrats retake the Senate and give new clout to the party’s left wing led by Sanders and Sen. Elizabeth Warren, The Wall Street Journal reported. Republicans in Congress are also worried about the power of progressives, The New York Times reported. Liberal Priorities Buoyed by the strength of Sanders in the primary and the enduring star power of Warren, liberal Democrats are expected to push hard for new curbs on Wall Street and dig in on policy issues including trade, health care, taxes and college tuition, The Wall Street Journal reported. Liberal Democrats are already looking past Election Day — and relying on arren to become the thorn in chief in Mrs. Clinton’s side, scrutinizing her appointments and agenda, The New York Times reported. HELP Committee Sanders, who is wielding newfound influence that he gained during his presidential bid, continues to signal interest in the HELP gavel, though he is in line to become chairman of the Senate Budget Committee should Democrats come back into power, Politico reported. Executive Action on Drug Prices A group of progressive Democratic lawmakers, including Sanders and Warren, agree that under a thirty-six-year-old law, the Bayh-Dole Act, the executive branch is empowered to get pharmaceutical companies to reduce prices on drugs invented with the help of federal … | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/vermont/upward-bound-an-education-success-story | Upward Bound: An Education Success Story | 2016-10-27 | 2016 | 2016-10 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | Upward Bound: An Education Success Story Thursday, October 27, 2016 This fall, Krysta Gingue, 20, became a junior at the University of New Hampshire. The Lyndonville, Vermont, college student credits Upward Bound for helping her get there. “I can absolutely say that it is the best thing that has happened, academically and socially, in my life,” she said. Gingue, who is a first-generation college student, was one of hundreds of students who gathered in Castleton this summer to recognize what they have been able to achieve, thanks to Upward Bound. Students from Vermont, New Hampshire and New York met to celebrate their achievements made possible through federal TRIO program, which helps low-income students who are hoping to be the first generation in their families attend college. Gingue become involved in Upward Bound as a freshman in high school at Lyndon Institute. “I was encouraged to apply to Upward Bound by my math teacher who saw my potential and, correctly, believed that the program would benefit me,” she said. The following summer she grew “into a more engaged and active student” through the Upward Bound program. “For five weeks in the summer I lived on a college campus surrounded by gifted students who pushed me to achieve greatness in all aspects of my life. Participating in this program showed me the importance of putting effort into all my work and continuing to push myself to do my absolute best in a variety of situations. I went from a passive, average student my freshman year, to the top 1 percent of my graduating class,” she said. In her senior year of high school, “Upward Bound was the helping hand that many students unfamiliar with the college process need,” she said. “I learned how to balance my academics, extracurriculars, and college application process with ease because of the preparation I received.” Although she is now in her third year of college, she continues to tap the resources of Upward Bound. “I have continued to use the skills that Upwa… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/must-read/drug-maker-thwarted-plan-to-limit-oxycontin-prescriptions-at-dawn-of-opioid-epidemic | Drug maker thwarted plan to limit OxyContin prescriptions at dawn of opioid epidemic | 2016-10-26 | 2016 | 2016-10 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | Drug maker thwarted plan to limit OxyContin prescriptions at dawn of opioid epidemic Wednesday, October 26, 2016 WELCH, W.Va. — The warning signs of what would become a deadly opioid epidemic emerged in early 2001. That’s when officials of the state employee health plan in West Virginia noticed a surge in deaths attributed to oxycodone, the active ingredient in the painkiller OxyContin. They quickly decided to do something about it: OxyContin prescriptions would require prior authorization. It was a way to ensure that only people who genuinely needed the painkiller could get it and that people abusing opioids could not. But an investigation by STAT has found that Purdue Pharma, the manufacturer of OxyContin, thwarted the state’s plan by paying a middleman, known as a pharmacy benefits manager, to prevent insurers from limiting prescriptions of the drug. The financial quid pro quo between the painkiller maker and the pharmacy benefits manager, Merck Medco, came to light in West Virginia court records unsealed by a state judge at the request of STAT, and in interviews with people familiar with the arrangement. “We were screaming at the wall,” said Tom Susman, who headed the state’s public employee insurance agency in the early 2000s and led the push to limit OxyContin prescribing in West Virginia. “We saw it coming,” he said of the opioid epidemic, which today causes 28,000 overdose deaths a year in the United States. “Now to see the aftermath is the most frustrating thing I have ever seen.” Continue reading here. | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/newswatch/102616 | News October 26 | 2016-10-26 | 2016 | 2016-10 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | News October 26 Wednesday, October 26, 2016 AT&T-Time Warner Merger If AT&T figures out a way to use its control over major broadband networks to give HBO and Warner Bros. content a leg up over content from other companies, that’s going to put independent content companies at a systematic disadvantage in the marketplace. That, say critics like Sen. Bernie Sanders, would be bad news for consumers, Vox reported. “We must reject the AT&T-Time Warner merger,” Sanders told The Washington Post. “We need more diverse media ownership, not less.” Drug Industry Sanders took another swing at the pharmaceutical industry on Tuesday, calling out drug companies for spending more on marketing and sales than research and development, ATTN reported. Tom Hayden Tom Hayden’s image, as that of a 1960s radical and ringleader of the antiwar protests at the 1968 Democratic National Convention, comes from an era that for many Americans feels like ancient history. Hayden’s legacy is one that is still felt today in the activism of liberal groups from Occupy Wall Street to the insurgent campaign of Sanders, The Boston Globe reported. Editorial: Accountability for Obamacare ”So now the liberal line is that ObamaCare has a few problems, but don’t worry: The same geniuses who wrote the law know how to fix it,” The Wall Street Journal Editorial Board wrote. “The Bernie Sanders-Elizabeth Warren left wants a new “public option,” higher subsidies, more price controls and even more intrusive regulatory control. Hillary Clinton has endorsed all of this.” Column: The Center Left and Right ”In truth, Bernie Sanders’s movement fractured the Democratic Party almost as much as Trump did the G.O.P., but that fissure has been temporarily plastered over by the overriding need to defeat Trump,” Thomas Friedman wrote in The New York Times. “If Clinton wins, that fissure will quickly reopen and some basic questions will have to be answered.” Column: AT&T Faces Political Opposition “AT&T is runnin… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/-sanders-urges-justice-department-to-block-atandt-time-warner-merger | Sanders Urges Justice Department to Block AT Warner Merger | 2016-10-26 | 2016 | 2016-10 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | Sanders Urges Justice Department to Block AT&T-Time Warner Merger Wednesday, October 26, 2016 BURLINGTON, Vt., Oct. 26 – Warning of a “gross concentration of power” in the news media, U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) sent a letter Wednesday urging the U.S. Department of Justice to block a proposed merger of AT&T and Time Warner, Inc. “This proposed merger is just the latest effort to shrink our media landscape, stifle competition and diversity of content, and provide consumers with less while charging them more,” Sanders wrote in a letter to the head of the department’s antitrust division. “This merger represents a gross concentration of power that runs counter to the public good and should be blocked.” AT&T announced Saturday that it had agreed to an $85.4 billion acquisition of Time Warner, a move which must be approved first by federal regulators. “The diversity of programing would be further diminished by truncating the relationship of content and distribution. When one giant company owns both the content and the means of distribution, there is a clear disincentive to provide additional choices to consumers,” Sanders wrote. Consumers have seen negative outcomes from companies who use their scale and power to raise prices in the past. After AT&T acquired DirecTV in 2015, AT&T raised prices for DirecTV services. AT&T also exempted DirecTV streaming video from data caps on AT&T's mobile Internet service. “The media and telecommunications landscape is changing. It is important that public policy concerns guide these changes, so that we may preserve our democratic discourse and open competitive markets for speech and commerce,” Sanders wrote. To read the letter, click here. | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/must-read/drug-lobby-adds-100m-to-war-chest-ahead-of-pricing-battle | Drug lobby adds $100M to war chest ahead of pricing battle | 2016-10-25 | 2016 | 2016-10 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | Drug lobby adds $100M to war chest ahead of pricing battle By: Sarah Karlin and Anna Palmer Tuesday, October 25, 2016 The pharmaceutical lobby is requiring member companies to fork over an additional $100 million per year as the industry gears up for a bruising post-election battle over drug prices, POLITICO has learned. PhRMA's decision to hike membership dues 50 percent will increase the trade group's considerable coffers to more than $300 million per year — a financial advantage it hasn’t enjoyed since 2009, when drug makers came out largely unscathed in Obamacare negotiations. PhRMA is bolstering its war chest as it gears up to spend hundreds of millions on ads pushing back against politicians from both parties who have attacked its members over pricing. Recent high-profile price increases of life-saving treatments, including EpiPens, have crystallized voter anger over drug costs. Both Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump have called for allowing the government to negotiate drug prices for Medicare beneficiaries and allowing drug importation from other countries. Recent polling shows a majority of Republican and Democratic voters favor both ideas. PhRMA’s board voted to raise dues at a meeting this summer, POLITICO reported in August, but it wasn’t clear by how much at the time. To help build its war chest, the board also voted to add new members, including Teva, the world’s largest generic drug manufacturer. Continue reading here. | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/newswatch/102516 | News October 25 | 2016-10-25 | 2016 | 2016-10 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | News October 25 Tuesday, October 25, 2016 A Thorn in Hillary’s Side Sen. Bernie Sanders, a loyal soldier for Hillary Clinton since he conceded the Democratic presidential nomination in July, plans to push liberal legislation with like-minded senators with or without Clinton’s support if she is elected— and to aggressively oppose appointments that do not pass muster with the party’s left wing, The Washington Post reported. AT&T-Time Warner Shares in AT&T and Time Warner fell on Monday as Wall Street investors expressed concerns that political and regulatory roadblocks may thwart AT&T’s $85bn takeover of the Hollywood movie studio and owner of CNN and HBO, The Guardian and Minnesota Public Radio reported. Sanders said the government should “kill” the deal as it would lead to higher prices and less choice for customers, NBC News reported. Complicated Future If Clinton wins the election and Democrats also carry the Senate, she would have more leeway in getting through nominees for top jobs. Liberals with ties to Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Sander have already started outlining specific people they're hoping end up in senior posts at the White House and agencies, The Associated Press, The New York Times, The Boston Globe and Vanity Fair reported. Sanders and Warren have both crisscrossed the country for Clinton. World Aleppo Syrian government forces and their allies on Monday captured strategic high ground in embattled Aleppo as Russia — a key ally of Syrian President Bashar Assad — said it was not planning more “humanitarian pauses” in the fighting in the city’s eastern, rebel-held districts, The Associated Press reported. National Cost of Health Plans to Rise Premiums for midlevel health plans under the Affordable Care Act will increase by an average of 25 percent next year, while consumers in some states will find significantly fewer insurance companies offering coverage, the federal government said Monday, The New York Times reported. But the Obama administr… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/newswatch/102416 | News October 24 | 2016-10-24 | 2016 | 2016-10 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | News October 24 Monday, October 24, 2016 AT&T-Time Warner Deal AT&T Inc's proposed $85 billion takeover of Time Warner Inc. generated skepticism among both Democrats and Republicans on Sunday, making it more likely that regulators will closely scrutinize the effort to create a new telecommunications and media giant, The Associated Press, The New York Times, MarketWatch, Deutsche Welle, Reuters, BuzzFeed and The Wall Street Journal reported. Sen. Bernie Sanders said on Twitter that the administration should "kill" the Time Warner takeover because it would mean higher prices and fewer choices for consumers. This Week “Donald Trump is pointing at the moon which is a very frustrated working class part of the country, the same thing that Bernie Sanders pointed at in the Democratic primary,” Matthew Dowd said on ABC’s This Week. “That's not going away. That's been growing and building for 30 years.” Meet the Press The roundtable during NBC’s Meet the Press discussed the role Sanders played in the primary. “I think the primary between Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton really showed that Hillary Clinton is where the head of the Democratic party is, but the people really are with Bernie Sanders, particularly on trade,” Eliana Johnson said. “I think Bernie Sanders kind of blew up the Democratic party, but it was patched over because of the urgency of defeating Donald Trump who was a much greater threat,” Thomas Friedman babbled. Job Training Sanders has announced a $4.3 million federal grant to a St. Albans-based nonprofit to allow it to expand job training for low-income seniors, The Burlington Free Press reported. The money will help Vermont Associates for Training and Development expand job training efforts in Vermont, Maine and large parts of New York and Pennsylvania. Column: Millennials “Sanders' movement, still alive despite his primary loss, has persuaded many young people that traditional politics can be used to further their goals,” Leonid Bershidsky wrote for B… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/vermont/blue-ribbon-child-care | Blue Ribbon Child Care | 2016-10-24 | 2016 | 2016-10 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | Blue Ribbon Child Care By: Emerson Lynn St. Albans Messenger Monday, October 24, 2016 The need to find affordable, high-quality child care is routinely listed as one of the challenges that retards the state’s ability to prosper, and one that is a compounding force on the effects of poverty and neglect in our communities. On Nov. 1, the Blue Ribbon Commission on Financing High Quality, Accordable Child Care is scheduled to issue its report on how Vermont can address the issue, including estimates as to what it would cost and how we might proceed. It’s a critical issue, and what the commission advocates will be crucial in how the public and our elected leaders respond. It’s a critical issue forced by demographics. The percentage of our population over 65 has increased 12.5 percent from 2010-2013, those between 55-64 grew by almost six percent. In those same years the two age groups that saw the biggest decline were those between 35-54 and 0-4. Clearly, we are short of workers, with the trend going forward being even more dire. If we are to have an economy that prospers we will need to have a workforce free from the worry of not being able to find suitable child care. It’s just that clear. But our worry is this: It’s relatively easy to put a figure on what it would cost to provide good child care. And it’s relatively easy to make the case that providing suitable child care is fundamental to Vermont’s economic and social future. We need more than that. If the commission reports out a cost figure without the context of how it could be most efficiently delivered, then it will hobble the conversation before it’s had a change to begin. What the commission should not do is to present our child care needs as a financial and social challenge over and above what we already have on our plates. If the commission produces a per-child estimate as to what it would cost to provide adequate care, and suggests it’s the responsibility of the state and it… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/vermont/st-albans-nonprofit-gets-federal-job-training-grant | St. Albans nonprofit gets federal job-training grant | 2016-10-24 | 2016 | 2016-10 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | St. Albans nonprofit gets federal job-training grant Monday, October 24, 2016 ST. ALBANS — U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders has announced a $4.3 million federal grant to a St. Albans-based nonprofit to allow it to expand job training for low-income seniors. The money will help Vermont Associates for Training and Development expand job training efforts in Vermont, Maine and large parts of New York and Pennsylvania. The funding announced this week is part of the Older Americans Act, which provides social and nutrition services for seniors in Vermont and throughout the country. Sanders has called for significantly increasing funding for Older Americans Act programs and helped lead congressional efforts to reauthorize the law earlier this year. Read here | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sanders-announces-43-million-to-vermont-nonprofit-to-boost-job-training-for-low-income-seniors | Sanders Announces $4.3 million to Vermont Nonprofit to Boost Job Training for Low-Income Seniors | 2016-10-20 | 2016 | 2016-10 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | Sanders Announces $4.3 million to Vermont Nonprofit to Boost Job Training for Low-Income Seniors Thursday, October 20, 2016 BURLINGTON, Vt., Oct. 20 – U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) announced Thursday that the U.S. Department of Labor awarded $4.3 million to a St. Albans-based nonprofit, Vermont Associates for Training and Development, to expand their efforts to provide job training and employment services for low-income seniors. In addition to helping Vermonters, the boost in federal funding will allow Vermont Associates for Training and Development to replicate their employment services program in Maine and throughout large swaths of New York and Pennsylvania. The funding announced Thursday was authorized as part of the Older Americans Act, which provides critical social and nutrition services for seniors in Vermont and throughout the United States. Sanders has called for significantly increasing funding for Older Americans Act programs and helped lead congressional efforts to reauthorize the law earlier this year. “A nation is judged by how it cares for its most vulnerable,” Sanders said. “Seniors should have the support available to them to remain in their homes and communities. They deserve to live with dignity and with a sense of security. The Older Americans Act helps to provide that.” Vermont Associates for Training and Development, which has provided training and employment services to nearly 2,000 low-income seniors since 2012, partners with organizations such as Leading Age and the Visiting Nurse Association, as well as educational institutions, transportation agencies, medical facilities and private sector employers. “Through job training, this program helps provide seniors with much needed income and adds millions of dollars to the economy in Vermont and across the country. I am pleased Vermont Associates for Training and Development received this award and I will continue to fight for increased funding for all Older Americans Act programs,” Sanders said. … | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sanders-cummings-send-letter-on-ariads-staggering-price-increases | Sanders, Cummings Send Letter on ARIAD's Staggering Price Increases | 2016-10-20 | 2016 | 2016-10 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | Sanders, Cummings Send Letter on ARIAD's Staggering Price Increases Thursday, October 20, 2016 WASHINGTON, Oct. 20 — Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) sent a letter to ARIAD Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Thursday requesting information about why the company has increased the price of leukemia drug Iclusig four times in 2016 to $199,000 a year. ARIAD has raised the price of the drug by more than $80,000 over the last several years. Sanders and Cummings are also investigating whether the company took additional steps to boost profits by discontinuing sales of certain dosages and quantities in order to charge patients and insurers more in exchange for less medicine. “These outrageous sales tactics indicate that ARIAD is more concerned with its profit than with its patients,” Sanders and Cummings wrote. ARIAD received approval to market Iclusig in December 2012 for patients who did not respond to available therapies for chronic myeloid leukemia. Within a year, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration requested sales and clinical trials of the drug be suspended due to reports of serious side effects. FDA allowed ARIAD to resume selling Iclusig in December 2013, but only to a smaller subset of patients who are resistant to other treatments. “Despite this new evidence showing the drug posed a far greater safety risk to patients than was known when the drug came on the market, ARIAD nonetheless raised the price of Iclusig several times over the subsequent four years,” Sanders and Cummings wrote. “In the interest of patients and taxpayers, we are interested in learning more about the impact that the escalating price and restrictions on product availability have had.” To read the letter here, click here. | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/must-read/lobbyists-campaign-cash-help-drug-industry-stymie-bid-to-restrain-medicare-prescription-costs | Lobbyists, campaign cash help drug industry stymie bid to restrain Medicare prescription costs | 2016-10-19 | 2016 | 2016-10 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | Lobbyists, campaign cash help drug industry stymie bid to restrain Medicare prescription costs By: Stuart Silverstein Wednesday, October 19, 2016 When the Republican-controlled Congress approved a landmark program in 2003 to help seniors buy prescription drugs, it slapped on an unusual restriction: The federal government was barred from negotiating cheaper prices for those medicines. Instead, the job of holding down costs was outsourced to the insurance companies delivering the subsidized new coverage, known as Medicare Part D. The ban on government price bargaining, justified by supporters on free market grounds, has been derided by critics as a giant gift to the drug industry. Democratic lawmakers began introducing bills to free the government to use its vast purchasing power to negotiate better deals even before former President George W. Bush signed the Part D law, known as the Medicare Modernization Act. All of those measures over the last 13 years have failed, almost always without ever even getting a hearing, much less being brought up for a vote. That’s happened even though surveys have shown broad public support for the idea. For example, a Kaiser Family Foundation poll found last year that 93 percent of Democrats, and 74 percent of Republicans, favor letting the government negotiate Part D prescription drug prices. It seems an anomaly in a democracy that an idea that is immensely popular — and calculated to save money for seniors, people with disabilities and taxpayers — gets no traction. But critics say it’s no mystery, given the enormous financial influence of the drug industry, which rivals the insurance industry as the top-spending lobbying machine in Washington. It has funneled $1.96 billion into lobbying in the nation’s capital since the beginning of 2003 and, in just 2015 and the first half of 2016, it has spent $468,108 per member of Congress. The industry also is a major contributor to House and Senate campaigns. Continue reading here. | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sanders-benefit-increase-too-small-for-americans-relying-on-social-security | Sanders: Benefit Increase Too Small for Americans Relying on Social Security | 2016-10-18 | 2016 | 2016-10 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | Sanders: Benefit Increase Too Small for Americans Relying on Social Security Tuesday, October 18, 2016 WASHINGTON, Oct. 18 – Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) issued the following statement Tuesday after the Social Security Administration announced a 0.3 percent increase, between $2 and $6, for Americans who receive Social Security benefits: “Seniors and disabled veterans need more help than a few extra dollars in their monthly checks. These are the people who built this country – our parents, our grandparents and our soldiers. At a time when senior poverty is going up and more than two-thirds of the elderly population rely on Social Security for more than half of their income, we must do everything we can to expand Social Security. Seniors and disabled veterans deserve a fair cost-of-living adjustment to keep up with the skyrocketing cost of prescription drugs and health care. Unfortunately, the increase announced today doesn’t come close to doing that.” Sanders has proposed legislation to boost yearly cost-of-living adjustments by making the consumer price index better reflect rising costs for health care and prescription medicine. Sanders has also cosponsored legislation to give Social Security beneficiaries a one-time, 3.9 percent benefit increase. | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/newswatch/101516 | News October 15 | 2016-10-15 | 2016 | 2016-10 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | News October 15 Saturday, October 15, 2016 Pharma Giant Stock Falls Shares of ARIAD Pharmaceuticals plunged as much as 15 percent after Sanders criticized the price of the company's leukemia drug on Twitter, Bloomberg, The Hill, ATTN and CNBC reported. Speaker Ryan During a speech in Wisconsin, Speaker Paul Ryan took a shot at Sanders, whose focus on income inequality was extremely popular on campuses like UW Madison, Roll Call and Talking Points Memo reported. “If we lose the Senate, do you know who becomes the chairman of the Senate Budget Committee? A guy named Bernie Sanders, you ever heard of him?" Ryan warned. "That's what we’re dealing with in a divided government if we lose control of the Senate." World UNESCO Israel announced Friday that it would suspend cooperation with the top U.N. cultural agency, charging that the international body ignored Jewish ties to its holiest site, The Washington Post reported. Israeli officials had reacted angrily to a UNESCO draft resolution approved Thursday that criticizes Israel’s actions in and around Jerusalem’s holiest site and fails to explicitly refer to the Jewish connection to the place. National Trump Attacks Accusers Donald J. Trump wielded his presidential candidacy on Friday as a weapon for score-settling and venting personal grievances, using a campaign speech in North Carolina to attack the women who have accused him of sexual assault and unwelcome advances, and portraying himself as the victim of a vast conspiracy by the news media and Hillary Clinton’s campaign, The New York Times reported. Vermont Vermont Teachers The roughly 400 members of the Burlington Education Association voted “overwhelmingly” to go on strike if negotiations next week with the city’s school board don’t yield a negotiated settlement, Vermont Public Radio reported. “We can no longer sit still and let the board make a mockery of the collective bargaining process,” said Fran Brock, a Burlington High School history teacher who serves as the … | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/newswatch/101416 | News October 14 | 2016-10-14 | 2016 | 2016-10 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | News October 14 Friday, October 14, 2016 Dakota Access Pipeline Sen. Bernie Sanders and four other Democratic senators are asking President Barack Obama to halt construction of the four-state Dakota Access pipeline until a full environmental review can be complete, The Associated Press, Reuters, NBC, Mason City Globe Gazette, The Cedar Rapids Gazette, Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier, Sioux City Journal, Bismarck Tribune, Mother Jones, Grand Forks Herald, The Dickinson Press, Grist, Brainerd Dispatch and WCAX-TV in Burlington reported. Neither Hillary Clinton nor Donald Trump will say whether they support the pipeline, Mother Jones reported. Valeant Prices Valeant Pharmaceuticals came under intense congressional scrutiny around this time last year for gouging prices on two life-saving heart drugs, Nitropress and Isuprel. Now it has caught the ire of Sanders for jacking up the price of a lead-poison treatment it purchased in 2013. When Valeant bought the drug, a package of vials cost $950, but it now costs about $27,000, Business Insider reported. World Yemen American cruise missile strikes against rebel-held radar sites in Yemen sparked heated verbal exchanges Thursday, as the country’s Houthi rebel leaders condemned the U.S. action and defended their right to sovereignty while denying claims that the group had targeted U.S. vessels in the Red Sea, The Wall Street Journal reported. National Two Speeches in Two Hours In back-to-back appearances, in what might be the two most compelling hours of the entire election, Michelle Obama in New Hampshire and Donald Trump in Florida delivered the fiercest, most provocative and hardest-hitting speeches of an election cycle that has been without precedent in hot rhetoric, The Washington Post reported. Hurricane Matthew Despite the start of state and federal aid after Hurricane Matthew, poor residents in North Carolina shelters faced grim prospects as the water crept higher, The New York Times reported. Vermont Vermont Wind Projec… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/newswatch/101316 | News October 13 | 2016-10-13 | 2016 | 2016-10 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | News October 13 Thursday, October 13, 2016 Wells Fargo CEO Steps Down Wells Fargo announced Wednesday that its longtime chief executive and chairman, John G. Stumpf, is stepping down, the latest turn for the embattled megabank after it admitted that thousands of low-level employees had set up sham accounts to meet sales quotas. Wall Street’s well-honed playbook for surviving public scandals appears to have been torn to pieces, upended by the type of populist anger that has fueled the rise of Sanders on this year’s presidential campaign trail, The Washington Post reported. World Yemen The U.S. military launched Tomahawk cruise missiles against radar sites in Yemen early Thursday, a senior defense official said, NBC News reported. The strikes followed two incidents this week in which missiles were fired at a U.S. Navy ship from a rebel-controlled area of the country. National Women Accuse Trump Four women accused Donald Trump of groping or kissing them without their consent in news reports published Wednesday, just days after the Republican presidential nominee insisted in a debate that he had never engaged in such behavior, The Washington Post reported. Vermont I-89 Crash A Burlington mental health organization that was asked to screen Steven Bourgoin — the man who, according to police, later caused a quintuple-fatal car crash, stole a police cruiser and slammed into numerous other vehicles — is commenting publicly on the incident for the first time, The Burlington Free Press reported. | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/senators-ask-president-to-halt-construction-of-dakota-access-pipeline | Senators Ask President to Halt Construction of Dakota Access Pipeline | 2016-10-13 | 2016 | 2016-10 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | Senators Ask President to Halt Construction of Dakota Access Pipeline Thursday, October 13, 2016 WASHINGTON, Oct. 13 – Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Ben Cardin (D-Md.) and Ed Markey (D-Mass.) sent a letter to President Barack Obama Thursday requesting the administration halt construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline until affected tribes are consulted and a full environmental review is conducted. “In light of the decision of the Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit to reject the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe's request for a temporary halt to construction, the project’s current permits should be suspended and all construction stopped until a complete environmental and cultural review has been completed for the entire project,” the senators wrote. Over the past several weeks, hundreds of Native American tribes have mobilized to draw attention to the pipeline’s encroachment on sacred lands, bringing about a groundswell of opposition to the project. “Until there has been full and meaningful tribal consultation, all pipeline permits and easements should be revoked or denied,” the members wrote. The Department of Justice, Department of the Interior and Army Corps of Engineers previously requested that the pipeline company, Energy Transfer Partners, halt construction while an environmental and cultural impact review was conducted. The pipeline company declined to stop the project, and a federal circuit court gave a partial emergency injunction to halt construction. After hearing the full injunction argument, the court denied the Standing Rock Sioux tribe’s request to halt the project, a ruling that was affirmed Saturday by a federal appeals court. The president can order the Army Corps to conduct a full review of the pipeline. “If there is one profound lesson that indigenous people have taught us, it is that all of us as human beings are part of nature,” the senators wrote. “We will not survive if we continue to destroy nature.” … | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/recent-business/senators-ask-president-to-halt-construction-of-dakota-access-pipeline | Senators Ask President to Halt Construction of Dakota Access Pipeline | 2016-10-13 | 2016 | 2016-10 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | Senators Ask President to Halt Construction of Dakota Access Pipeline Thursday, October 13, 2016 Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Ben Cardin (D-Md.) and Ed Markey (D-Mass.) sent a letter to President Barack Obama Thursday requesting the administration halt construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline until affected tribes are consulted and a full environmental review is conducted. “In light of the decision of the Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit to reject the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe's request for a temporary halt to construction, the project’s current permits should be suspended and all construction stopped until a complete environmental and cultural review has been completed for the entire project,” the senators wrote. Over the past several weeks, hundreds of Native American tribes have mobilized to draw attention to the pipeline’s encroachment on sacred lands, bringing about a groundswell of opposition to the project. “Until there has been full and meaningful tribal consultation, all pipeline permits and easements should be revoked or denied,” the members wrote. The Department of Justice, Department of the Interior and Army Corps of Engineers previously requested that the pipeline company, Energy Transfer Partners, halt construction while an environmental and cultural impact review was conducted. The pipeline company declined to stop the project, and a federal circuit court gave a partial emergency injunction to halt construction. After hearing the full injunction argument, the court denied the Standing Rock Sioux tribe’s request to halt the project, a ruling that was affirmed Saturday by a federal appeals court. The president can order the Army Corps to conduct a full review of the pipeline. “If there is one profound lesson that indigenous people have taught us, it is that all of us as human beings are part of nature,” the senators wrote. “We will not survive if we continue to destroy nature.” To read the letter, c… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/newswatch/101216 | News October 12 | 2016-10-12 | 2016 | 2016-10 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | News October 12 Wednesday, October 12, 2016 GMO Labeling A new federal law on GMO labeling passed by Congress this summer has activists frustrated, In These Times reported. The law, opposed by Sanders and the Vermont delegation, barred states including Vermont from setting their own labeling requirements. President Obama signed the federal measure into law on July 29. Column: We Can Fight Climate Change “One year ago this week, I was sitting in a cramped hotel room with 15 other staffers in Las Vegas for Bernie Sanders’ first debate for the presidential nomination. The question came from CNN: “What is the greatest national security threat?” Pundits criticized and mocked him for weeks after he answered “climate change”. But he was right,” Kenneth Pennington wrote in The Guardian. World The Battle for Mosul The battle plans to oust the Islamic State from the city of Mosul are in place, but an uneasy mix of forces fighting against the militants could delay the fight or ignite separate conflicts, The Washington Post reported. National GOP Civil War Donald Trump declared war on the Republican establishment Tuesday, lashing out at House Speaker Paul D. Ryan, Sen. John McCain and other GOP elected officials as his supporters geared up to join the fight amid extraordinary turmoil within the party just four weeks before Election Day, The Washington Post reported. Vermont Green Mountain Power Green Mountain Power will collect millions of dollars from customers over the next year as reimbursement for costs that the company didn’t properly document for regulators, records show, Vermont Public Radio reported. State officials have warned GMP for years about its failure to document expenses, but are not consistently enforcing the rules that were explicitly designed to prevent such costs from being passed on to customers. | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sanders-statement-on-fatal-accident | Sanders Statement on Fatal Accident | 2016-10-11 | 2016 | 2016-10 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | BURLINGTON, Vt. Oct. 11 – U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) issued the following statement Tuesday after the fatal traffic accident in Vermont this weekend: “Five young Vermonters were taken from us in a senseless tragedy this weekend. Eli Brookens, Janie Cozzi, Liam Hale, Mary Harris and Cyrus Zschau – just 15 and 16 years old – had just started their lives and were robbed of their futures. The pain, shock and sadness of their families is beyond comprehension. Jane and I are deeply saddened by this tragic event and offer our condolences to the families and the entire Harwood Union High School community.” | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/newswatch/100816 | News October 8 | 2016-10-08 | 2016 | 2016-10 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | News October 8 Saturday, October 8, 2016 Wells Fargo Wells Fargo is catching serious heat from Sens. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren over its treatment of the military after the bank got caught illegally repossessing service members' cars. Warren fired off another letter to Wells Fargo CEO John Stumpf this week rattling off a series of pointed questions about the bank's military lending, including whether it even deserves to have branches on U.S. military bases at all, CNN reported. Trump’s Tax Loopholes Earlier this week, Sanders promised to introduce legislation in the next session of Congress that would change a number of things in the tax code, including the exemption that the real estate industry carved out for itself from rules regarding passive losses, Think Progress reported. Democrats for Change leader Lisa McCormick is applauding Sanders’s proposed legislation, NJ Today reported. World Nobel Peace Prize Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday for his dogged, but unfulfilled, effort to end a half-century civil war. The Norwegian Nobel Committee said it made the decision because of Santos’s landmark attempt to stamp out one of the world’s longest-running conflicts, which has killed more than 220,000 and driven at least 7 million from their homes since 1964, The Washington Post reported. National Lewd Trump Conversation Uncovered Donald Trump bragged in vulgar terms about kissing, groping and trying to have sex with women during a 2005 conversation caught on a hot microphone — saying that “when you’re a star, they let you do it” — according to a video obtained by The Washington Post. Mylan to Pay Settlement Mylan agreed to pay $465 million to settle allegations that it overcharged the government for its EpiPen products, the latest move by the embattled pharmaceuticals firm to quell the furor over its pricing practices. The settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice comes after senators and federal health offici… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/newswatch/100716 | News October 7 | 2016-10-07 | 2016 | 2016-10 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | News October 7 Friday, October 7, 2016 Obamacare As health-insurance premiums rise and problems with the law become more acute, Democrats have become increasingly comfortable criticizing President Obama’s landmark health care law, TIME reported. Throughout the Democratic primary, Clinton and Sanders often clashed on health care policy, with the Vermont Senator arguing for a single-payer system and Clinton advocating a more moderate approach that involved “building” on Obamacare and improving it. Tax Loopholes Sanders plans to introduce a bill in the new Congress next year that will address some of the very loopholes that allow people in the real-estate industry to take such great advantage of the tax code. While the bill hasn’t been fully written yet, Sanders’s office outlined four areas the bill plans to address, The Nation reported. World Secretary General The Security Council on Thursday formally recommended António Guterres, a former prime minister of Portugal, to be the next Secretary General of the United Nations. The envoys representing the 15 members of the Council, including the five veto-wielding permanent members, decided by acclamation in a closed-door session to send Mr. Guterres’s name to the General Assembly for final approval, The New York Times reported. National Hurricane Matthew Taking aim at Central Florida’s Atlantic coast, Hurricane Matthew intensified Thursday into a Category 4 storm with winds of at least 140 miles per hour and strengthening. The storm was blamed for the deaths of more than 280 people in Haiti, The New York Times reported. Vermont Field Testing Narcotics In response to warnings from the federal Drug Enforcement Administration about the dangers of field testing potent narcotics, Colchester police have suspended the practice on powder or crystalline substances. Other police agencies said they are taking more precautions because of the risk but stopped short of requiring lab tests and potentially delaying investigations, VTDigger … | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/newswatch/100616 | News October 6 | 2016-10-06 | 2016 | 2016-10 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | News October 6 Thursday, October 6, 2016 Wells Fargo Letter Sanders, Sen. Elizabeth Warren and their colleagues urged Attorney General Loretta Lynch in a new letter to "thoroughly investigate the culpability of senior executives" at Wells Fargo in the fake account scandal that shocked America. The 14 U.S. Senators warned Lynch on Monday that Wells Fargo is a "critical test" of the DOJ's recent push to pursue bad behavior of individual executives, CNN reported. Tax Breaks Sanders isn't just blaming Donald Trump for not paying taxes for decades. He's pointing out the corrupt tax system that allows the wealthy to dodge taxes so easily, and proposing a bill to fix it, The Young Turks reported. World Matthew Hits Haiti Emergency teams in Haiti struggled Wednesday to reach hurricane-ravaged areas cut off by washed-out bridges and mudslides after Hurricane Matthew roared over the nation’s western tip and began a devastating island-hopping path that arcs toward the U.S. coast, The Washington Post reported. National Mega-Donors Just 10 mega-donor individuals and couples contributed nearly 20 percent of the $1.1 billion raised by super PACs by the end of August, according to a Washington Post analysis of federal campaign finance reports. The total exceeds the $853 million that super PACs collected in the entire 2012 cycle. Vermont Domestic Violence Victim Support Vermont will receive more than $9 million in federal funding to support victims of domestic violence and other violent crime in some of the state’s most underserved areas, Sen. Patrick Leahy announced Tuesday in Middlebury. Raising a cap on the Crime Victims Fund, which Leahy pushed as the ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, has led to a threefold annual increase in the funding available for such programs, VTDigger reported. | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/newswatch/100516 | News October 5 | 2016-10-05 | 2016 | 2016-10 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | News October 5 Wednesday, October 5, 2016 Tax Breaks Sanders said Tuesday he will introduce legislation in the next Congress to crack down on the tax breaks Donald Trump used to possibly avoid paying federal taxes for nearly two decades. Sanders is targeting four provisions in the tax code, mainly focused on how real estate losses are deducted, that he says the Republican nominee employed to skirt paying taxes, reported The Hill and RT. Column: Wells Fargo “Finally, Wells Fargo’s abuse of its customers should give a boost to postal banking, a sensible reform championed by Warren, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and now part of the Democratic Party’s 2016 platform,” Katrina Vanden Huevel wrote for The Washington Post. World Hungary Border Hundreds of migrants stranded in Serbia set off on foot from Belgrade toward the border with Hungary on Tuesday to protest its closure for most people trying to reach the European Union, The Associated Press reported. National V.P. Debate Senator Tim Kaine and Gov. Mike Pence repeatedly threw each other on the defensive over their running mates’ policies and character at the vice-presidential debate on Tuesday night, with Mr. Pence making little effort to directly rebut the near-constant attacks on Donald J. Trump’s fitness for the presidency, The New York Times reported. Flint Residents of Flint, Mich., affected by the contaminated-water crisis have added a new complication to their lives: an outbreak of Shigellosis, a bacterial illness that is easily transmitted when people do not wash their hands, The New York Times reported. Vermont Opioid Treatment Doctors in Vermont and across the country are being introduced to a new tool for treating opioid addiction. It’s an implant: four tiny plastic rods, inserted into a patient’s arm, deliver a steady dose of buprenorphine. The drug counters the craving for heroin or other opioids, Vermont Public Radio reported. | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sanders-senate-democrats-call-for-justice-department-to-hold-wells-fargo-executives-accountable- | Sanders, Senate Democrats Call for Justice Department to Hold Wells Fargo Executives Accountable | 2016-10-05 | 2016 | 2016-10 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | Sanders, Senate Democrats Call for Justice Department to Hold Wells Fargo Executives Accountable Wednesday, October 5, 2016 WASHINGTON, Oct. 5 – Sen. Bernie Sanders joined Sen. Mazie K. Hirono and a coalition of senators Wednesday to urge the Justice Department to investigate and, if appropriate, prosecute individual wrongdoing at Wells Fargo after revelations that the bank’s employees had opened millions of accounts without customer approval. In September, the federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau issued its largest penalty to date of over $100 million to the bank as a result of this multi-year, multi-state fraud. The senators urged Attorney General Loretta Lynch not only to hold Wells Fargo accountable as a corporation, but also prosecute individual executives who may have broken the law. “A bank teller that takes a handful of bills from the cash drawer is likely to face charges for theft and prison time. She can’t hide behind an army of lawyers and corporate policies that diffuse accountability for those at the top. Meanwhile, an executive who oversees a massive fraud that implicates thousands of bank employees and costs customers millions of dollars can walk away with a hefty retirement package and millions in the bank," the senators wrote. “Every time the Department of Justice settles a case of corporate fraud without holding individuals accountable, it reinforces the notion that the wealthy and powerful have purchased a higher class of justice for themselves.” The letter was also signed by Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Richard Durbin (D-IL), Al Franken (D-MN), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Angus King (I-ME), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Ed Markey (D-MA), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), and Ron Wyden (D-OR). The full letter is printed below: Dear Attorney General Lynch: According to public filings, the Department of Justice is investigating whether Wells Fargo violated federal laws when its employees open… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/must-read/former-wells-fargo-employees-describe-toxic-sales-culture-even-at-hq | Former Wells Fargo Employees Describe Toxic Sales Culture, Even At HQ | 2016-10-04 | 2016 | 2016-10 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | Former Wells Fargo Employees Describe Toxic Sales Culture, Even At HQ By: Chris Arnold Tuesday, October 4, 2016 Former employees of Wells Fargo tell NPR that a toxic high-pressure sales culture at the bank drove some workers to deceive customers and open unauthorized accounts — even in the banks own headquarters building in San Francisco. Wells Fargo is embroiled in a scandal for taking advantage of customers by opening as many as 2 million accounts without their consent. The bank fired 5,300 mostly lower-level workers over the wrongdoing. But Wells Fargo says those workers represent a tiny fraction of employees. The bank basically says they were bad apples who have been fired and who are not representative of the broader culture and practices at the company. Continue reading here. | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/must-read/planet-at-its-hottest-in-115000-years-thanks-to-climate-change-experts-say | Planet at its hottest in 115,000 years thanks to climate change, experts say | 2016-10-04 | 2016 | 2016-10 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | Planet at its hottest in 115,000 years thanks to climate change, experts say Global warming is said to be bringing temperatures last seen during an interglacial era, when sea level was 6-9 meters (20-30ft) higher than today By: Oliver Milman Tuesday, October 4, 2016 The global temperature has increased to a level not seen for 115,000 years, requiring daunting technological advances that will cost the coming generations hundreds of trillions of dollars, according to the scientist widely credited with bringing climate change to the public’s attention. A new paper submitted by James Hansen, a former senior Nasa climate scientist, and 11 other experts states that the 2016 temperature is likely to be 1.25C above pre-industrial times, following a warming trend where the world has heated up at a rate of 0.18C per decade over the past 45 years. Continue reading here. | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sanders-announces-bill-to-close-tax-loopholes-used-by-trump | Sanders Announces Bill to Close Tax Loopholes Used by Trump | 2016-10-04 | 2016 | 2016-10 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | Sanders Announces Bill to Close Tax Loopholes Used by Trump Tuesday, October 4, 2016 WASHINGTON, Oct. 4 – Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) announced Tuesday he would introduce legislation in the next session of Congress to fix our rigged tax system and close loopholes Donald Trump used to possibly avoid paying federal income taxes for nearly two decades. “Special tax breaks and loopholes in a corrupt tax code enable billionaires and powerful corporations to avoid paying their fair share of taxes while sticking the burden on the middle class,” Sanders said. “It's time to create a tax system which is fair and which asks the wealthy and powerful to start paying their fair share of taxes.” Special breaks and loopholes in the tax code favor wealthy real estate investors like Trump and do nothing to boost the economy. These breaks likely made it easier for him to claim losses of $916 million in the 1990s and avoid paying income taxes in subsequent years. “I will be introducing comprehensive legislation at the beginning of the next session of Congress to do just that,” Sanders said. For a factsheet on the tax loopholes Sanders’ bill would close click here. | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/must-read/death-penalty-loses-majority-support-for-first-time-in-45-years | Death Penalty Loses Majority Support for First Time in 45 Years | 2016-10-03 | 2016 | 2016-10 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | Death Penalty Loses Majority Support for First Time in 45 Years By: Niraj Chokshi Monday, October 3, 2016 For the first time in almost half a century, support for the death penalty has dipped below 50 percent in the United States. Just 49 percent of Americans say they support capital punishment,according to a Pew Research Center poll conducted from late August to early September. That represents a seven-point decline in about a year and a half. Support peaked at 80 percent in 1994. The death penalty has had majority support among Americans for 45 years. The last time support was as low as it now stands was in 1971. Pew has surveyed Americans on the subject for the past two decades and relies on the polling organization Gallup for older data. Continue reading here. | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/newswatch/100316 | News October 3 | 2016-10-03 | 2016 | 2016-10 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | News October 3 Monday, October 3, 2016 Sanders on Obama Sanders talked to New York Magazine about the failures and successes of Obama’s Wall Street legacy for a special issue on the president. “This country is a lot better as a result of Obama and he had to do that against fierce opposition,” the senator said. “On the other hand, the great issue of our time is the movement toward oligarchy. And that means the power of Wall Street, the power of corporate America, the power of the billionaire class to own the politics of this country.” Sunday Shows Sanders on Sunday joined CNN’s State of the Union (One, Two) with Jake Tapper and ABC’s This Week with George Stephanopoulos. Trump’s Taxes Sanders responded to the report that Donald Trump possibly avoided paying any federal income tax for up to 18 years, saying it's an example of the "corrupt" system that disgusts voters, The Associated Press, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Boston Globe, Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, The Washington Post, Politico, Politico, The Huffington Post, The Daily Beast, The Hill reported. Sanders told ABC's This Week that "billionaires like Donald Trump are able to manipulate the tax system so that they avoid paying federal income tax," USA TODAY reported. Obamacare Seeing a lack of competition in many of the health law’s online insurance marketplaces, Hillary Clinton, President Obama and much of the Democratic Party are calling for more government, not less, The New York Times reported. A significant number of Democrats, for whom Sanders spoke in the primaries, favor a single-payer arrangement, which could take the form of Medicare for all. Column: A Moral Economy “Despite the recent urging of high-profile figures like Pope Francis and Senator Bernie Sanders to establish a “moral economy,” we have not,” Nathaniel B. Davis wrote in The New York Times. “Free-market advocates hold fast to justifications that amount to variations on the ‘invisible hand’ theory of Adam Smith —… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/newswatch/100216 | News October 2 | 2016-10-02 | 2016 | 2016-10 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | News October 2 Sunday, October 2, 2016 Saturday Night Live On the season premiere of Saturday Night Live, Larry David came back as Sen. Sanders for the Family Feud sketch. “Senator Clinton is the prune juice of this election,” David said. “She might not seem that appetizing, but if you don’t take her now than you’re going to be backed up with crap for years.” World Colombia Votes on Peace Deal The guns have been silenced, the agreement signed and a historic handshake between former enemies made in front of the entire world. Now it's time for Colombians to decide whether or not to support a peace deal with the country's largest rebel movement, The Associated Press reported. National Trump Avoided Paying Taxes Donald J. Trump declared a $916 million loss on his 1995 income tax returns, a tax deduction so substantial it could have allowed him to legally avoid paying any federal income taxes for up to 18 years, records obtained by The New York Times show. No Plumbing About one in five American homes are not on city sewer lines — the legacy of rural poverty has left its imprint: Many people have failing septic tanks and are too poor to fix them, The New York Times reported. Vermont Struggle to Reduce Truancy Vermont law allows parents to be fined and taken to court when a child is truant from school. Many say that’s counterproductive, but even at schools that take a more hands-on approach, truancy remains a difficult problem to solve, VPR reported. | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/must-read/how-the-irs-helps-the-rich-get-richer | How the IRS Helps the Rich Get Richer | 2016-09-30 | 2016 | 2016-09 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | How the IRS Helps the Rich Get Richer The top 1 percent gets the most from federal tax breaks, a new report shows, fueling election-year outrage over income inequality By: Suzanne Woolley Friday, September 30, 2016 This U.S. presidential campaign, and particularly that of Democratic Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, moved the issue of income inequality front and center. Now there are some new numbers in that department, and they won’t make many people happy. At best, maybe just 1 out of 100. The top 1 percent of Americans as measured by income rake in 17 percent of all U.S. income on an annual basis—before taxes, of course. And that caveat is important, according to a new analysis by the Tax Policy Center (TPC), because that select group of citizens gets 27 percent of the tax breaks doled out by the federal government. The TPC’s calculations show an estimated $1.17 trillion in federal revenue last year going to individual tax expenditures (a fancy way of saying taxes we didn’t have to pay because of deductions, like for giving old clothes to the Salvation Army—or, in this case, collections to the Metropolitan Museum of Art). While the wealthy see an outsize benefit compared with their share, the lowest-income households get just about 4 percent of federal tax breaks, close to their portion of all pretax income. That same trend holds for taxpayers in middle- and upper-middle-income households. Continue reading here. | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/newswatch/093016 | News September 30 | 2016-09-30 | 2016 | 2016-09 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | News September 30 Friday, September 30, 2016 Tavis Smiley Sen. Sanders sat down with Tavis Smiley on PBS to talk about his takeaways from the debate. One Two Pacific Trade Deal A dozen senators including Sens. Bernie Sanders, Sherrrod Brown and Elizabeth Warren urged President Obama to remove the global super court known as investor-state dispute settlement from the Trans-Pacific Partnership, BuzzFeed reported. McConnell: Trade Deal Is Dead The Senate’s top Republican said Thursday that the sweeping 12-nation Pacific Rim trade deal championed by President Obama will remain on ice until another president revives it. McConell was in favor of the deal before trade became a major issue in the presidential race, pushed front and center by candidates such as Trump and Sen. Bernie Sanders, The Washington Post reported. Pressure to Appoint Wall Street Sheriffs Sanders and Democratic Party progressives intent on reining in Wall Street are pushing Hillary Clinton to choose people to head the Treasury, SEC and other agencies who will crack down on big banks, Reuters reported. IRS Helps Wealthiest Americans This U.S. presidential campaign, and particularly that of Democratic Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, moved the issue of income inequality front and center. Now new numbers show the top 1 percent gets 27 percent of the tax breaks doled out by the federal government, Bloomberg reported. Rutland Refugees The State Department has approved the resettlement of Syrian refugees in Rutland, according to the Vermont Refugee Resettlement Program. Vermont's congressional delegation — Sen. Patrick Leahy, Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Peter Welch — issued a joint statement praising the decision and hailing the news that a separate federal grant of $150,000 will be used to help the refugees find jobs and "achieve self-sufficiency,” Seven Days reported. 9/11 Bill Barack Obama suffered a unique political blow on Wednesday, when the US Congress overturned his veto of a bill that would allow… | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/newswatch/092916 | News September 29 | 2016-09-29 | 2016 | 2016-09 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | News September 29 Thursday, September 29, 2016 Break Up Wells Fargo During a hearing in the House of Representatives with Federal Reserve chairwoman Janet Yellen, Rep. Brad Sherman echoed Sanders when he asked if it was time to break up Wells Fargo, The New York Times reported. In response, Yellen emphasized that regulators will hold financial institutions to “exceptionally high standards of risk management, internal controls, consumer protection.” “We believe it is possible, even though it’s extremely challenging, for organizations to comply,” she added. World Aleppo The bombings at night are the worst. There is no electricity in the rebel-held portion of eastern Aleppo, and the warplanes flying overhead target any light piercing the blackness beneath. So families huddle together in the dark, gathered in one room so that they don’t die alone, listening to the roar of the jets and waiting for the bombs to fall, The Washington Post reported. National Congress Overrides Veto Congress on Wednesday voted overwhelmingly to override President Obama’s veto of legislation that would allow 9/11 victims’ families to sue the Saudi Arabian government over its alleged support for the terrorists who carried out the attacks. It is the first override of Obama’s presidency, The Washington Post reported. Vermont Refugees The U.S. Department of State confirmed on Wednesday it had approved a plan to bring up to 100 refugees from war-torn Syria and Iraq to the city of Rutland, The Burlington Free Press reported. The director of the Vermont Refugee Resettlement Program, Amila Merdzanovic, wrote an email to Rutland’s mayor and state officials “to share the news that the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants proposal to resettle refugees in Rutland, Vermont, has been accepted.” | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sanders-senators-send-letter-to-president-on-pacific-trade-pact | Sanders, Senators Send Letter to President on Pacific Trade Pact | 2016-09-29 | 2016 | 2016-09 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | Sanders, Senators Send Letter to President on Pacific Trade Pact Thursday, September 29, 2016 WASHINGTON, Sept. 29 — U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) told the Obama Administration on Thursday that a 12-nation trade deal should not be considered by Congress until it is renegotiated. In a letter to the president, Sanders and his colleagues outlined the Trans Pacific Parternship's fundamental flaws and the need to fix them before Congress votes on the agreement, which is the biggest trade agreement ever negotiated. "It is simply not accurate to call an agreement progressive if it does not require trading partners to ban trade in goods made with forced labor or includes a special court for corporations to challenge legitimate, democratically developed public policies," the senators wrote. "Passing TPP before these and other provisions are fixed will hasten the erosion of U.S. manufacturing and middle class jobs, and accelerate the corporate race to the bottom." The letter was led by Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) and signed by Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Bob Casey (D-Pa.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), and Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Al Franken (D-Minn.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.). To read the letter, click here. | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/newswatch/092816 | News September 28 | 2016-09-28 | 2016 | 2016-09 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | News September 28 Wednesday, September 28, 2016 Meet the Press During an appearance on MSNBC’s Meet the Press Daily, Sen. Bernie Sanders said he believed Hillary Clinton’s change of heart on trade was real. “Because she senses right now that most working people in this country do understand that our trade policies have been a disaster,” he said. Sanders told The Washington Post that Clinton's opening answers at the debate were the start of a promising, populist case against Trump, the kind he had tried to make throughout the Democratic primaries. Nuclear Industry Rep. Peter Welch and 14 other federal lawmakers — including Sens. Sanders and Patrick Leahy — have sent a letter to the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission expressing their concerns about the industry’s recent lobbying, VTDigger reported. Climate Change Some polling evidence also suggests ways that the issue of climate change could favor Clinton over Trump. Moreover, there is reason to think it helps her reach those who worry most about the issue, whether millennials or Sanders supporters now flirting with voting for Green Party nominee Jill Stein, The Washington Post reported. Editorial: Jeremy Corbyn “Established Labourites, including a horrified majority of Labour members of Parliament, tried to oust Mr. Corbyn, but in the ensuing contest he only increased his strength,” The New York Times Editorial Board wrote. This has put Mr. Corbyn in the company of left-wing politicians like Bernie Sanders in the United States, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras in Greece and Pablo Iglesias of the Podemos party in Spain, who have risen on a wave of dissatisfaction over inequality, unemployment and economic malaise. A raft of right-wing politicians has capitalized on the same dissatisfaction, but has used it in a different way to stoke nationalism and isolationism.” | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/leahy-sanders-welch-statement-on-refugee-resettlement-in-rutland | Leahy, Sanders, Welch Statement on Refugee Resettlement in Rutland | 2016-09-28 | 2016 | 2016-09 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | Leahy, Sanders, Welch Statement on Refugee Resettlement in Rutland Wednesday, September 28, 2016 WASHINGTON, Sept. 28 – Sens. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Rep. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) issued the following statement Wednesday after the U.S. Department of State confirmed on Wednesday it had approved a plan to bring up to 100 refugees from war-torn Syria and Iraq to the city of Rutland: “We learned this morning that the city of Rutland will receive refugees who have fled the relentless violence in Syria and Iraq, sometimes with just the clothes on their backs. The vast majority of refugees admitted from Syria have been women and children, and when we see the photographs of children fleeing this awful tragedy, we see our own children and are called to do our part to help. We know the good people of Rutland and Vermont will welcome these newcomers into the community. Struggling families, fleeing peril and motivated to start their lives anew, always have and always will enrich America and contribute immeasurably to our state. We are also very pleased that in a separate announcement, the Department of Health and Human Service has awarded Vermont a $150,000 grant to help the newly resettled refugees obtain employment and achieve self-sufficiency.” | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | ||
| https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/newswatch/092716 | News September 27 | 2016-09-27 | 2016 | 2016-09 | Independent | House | VT | Bernard Sanders | S000033 | www.sanders.senate.gov | legacy | News September 27 Tuesday, September 27, 2016 Not ‘A Night of Entertainment’ During pre-debate appearances on CNN and MSNBC, Sanders on Monday night warned that the heavily hyped debate between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton was "not a night of entertainment," Politico, CNN and Los Angeles Times reported. “I think you have to put him on the defensive with regard to the issues that impact ordinary Americans' lives,” Sanders said when asked what Clinton should do on stage. “And when you do that, I think that people will see that he is way off in another world unto himself, not dealing with the reality of the American people.” World Colombia Conflict Resolution World leaders gathered in Colombia on Monday for the official signing of an agreement that will end a 52-year-long war between the government and the country’s main guerrilla group. As a binding document, though, the agreement will matter little unless Colombian voters approve it in a crucial referendum on Sunday, The Washington Post reported. National The Debate In a relentlessly antagonistic debate, Donald J. Trump and Hillary Clinton clashed over trade, the Iraq war, his refusal to release his tax returns and her use of a private email server, with Trump frequently showing impatience and political inexperience as Clinton pushed him to defend his past denigration of women and President Obama, The New York Times reported. Vermont Black Lives Matter A Black Lives Matter flag was stolen Saturday night from the University of Vermont campus, and campus police are investigating the theft. The UVM Student Government Association had sponsored the Black Lives Matter flag to be flown for a few days in recognition of recent police shootings in Tulsa and Charlotte, the Burlington Free Press reported. | 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]);