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/press-releases/sanders-republican-attempts-to-overturn-election-pathetic/,Sanders: Republican Attempts to Overturn Election Pathetic,2021-01-02,2021,2021-01,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"BURLINGTON, January 2  Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) issued the following statement regarding Republican attempts to overturn the results of the November elections:
The outcome of the 2020 election is not in doubt. Let's be clear: Joe Biden resoundingly won the popular vote by more than 7 million votes, and he won an Electoral College margin that Trump called a landslide' in 2016. On January 6, the House and Senate will ratify the results of the Electoral College, as has been done for 231 years.
From the beginning of his campaign for president, Donald Trump has shown a profound disrespect for the institutions of democracy. It is pathetic that 13 of my colleagues in the Senate and 140 members of the House of Representatives are now demonstrating a similar disdain for the American people by engaging in a dead-end, unconstitutional effort to overturn the will of voters. 
Every state, including those with Republican Governors, Secretaries of State and legislatures have certified the results of this election.
In the two months since the election, more than 80 judges, including some who were appointed by the President, have rejected Donald Trump and his allies' attempts to overturn the election. There are no cases pending that will have any impact on the results. There have been numerous recounts, audits and verifications, including in the most closely contested states. Donald Trump's Department of Homeland Security even called this the most secure election in American history.'
What all of this comes down to is that Donald Trump and right wing extremists are refusing to accept the will of the people and the fact that Trump lost the election. In their contempt for democracy, they are using lies and conspiracy theories about voter fraud' in an attempt to overturn the election results. 
It will not work. Joe Biden will be President at noon on January 20. This spectacle by Republican lawmakers only demonstrates their disdain for voters, democracy and the will of the American people.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
https://www.sanders.senate.gov/press-releases/sanders-senate-republican-leadership-turned-their-backs-on-working-families-today/,Sanders: Senate Republican Leadership Turned Their Backs on Working Families Today,2021-01-01,2021,2021-01,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, January 1  Reacting to Senate Republicans' refusal to provide unanimous consent for a motion by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) seeking up-or-down votes on two bills providing $2,000 in direct economic relief to working-class families today, including Majority Leader McConnell's own proposal, Sanders issued the following statement: Over the past four days I have asked, time and time again, for the Republican leadership to allow the Senate to vote on legislation that passed the House to provide a $2,000 direct payment to working class adults and their kids.This is legislation that Trump supports, Biden supports, and over two-thirds of the U.S. House supported  including 44 Republicans.In fact, a recent poll suggests that 78% of the American people support that approach. Unfortunately, Mitch McConnell and the Republican leadership have refused to allow the Senate to vote on this bill, even when accompanied by a vote on the bill which they themselves proposed. At a time when so many Americans are facing economic desperation, it is tragic that the Republican leadership has turned their backs on the working families of this country. When the Biden Administration assumes office, the Senate must immediately take up and pass bold legislation which deals with the economic pain that so many Americans are experiencing. Watch today's floor remarks by Sandershere.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
https://www.sanders.senate.gov/press-releases/sanders-to-demand-votes-on-house-passed-2000-direct-payments-bill-and-mcconnells-bill/,"Sanders to Demand Votes on House-Passed $2,000 Direct Payments Bill and McConnells Bill",2020-12-31,2020,2020-12,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, December 31  Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) announced on Thursday that he will challenge Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to bring his own legislation to the floor, in addition to the bill passed by the House of Representatives with support from 44 Republicans and 231 Democrats to give working-class Americans $2,000 direct payments, for an up-or-down vote.
The working class of America is facing more economic desperation than at anytime since the Great Depression, Sanders said. They need our help and they need it now. I'm offering a compromise path forward to resolve our current impasse and give Americans the vote they deserve on direct payments. Tomorrow, we should vote on the McConnell bill and the House-passed bill. What objection could Leader McConnell have for not voting on his own bill?
McConnell's legislation was introduced after the Republican Leader told the Senate that he would prioritize moving a package of President Trump's priorities, including $2,000 direct payments. Packaging a repeal of Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act and a Congressional inquiry into supposed voter fraud in addition to direct payments, McConnell announced that those are the three important subjects the president has linked together. This week, the Senate will begin a process to bring these three priorities into focus.
Sanders responded: McConnell began the process on Tuesday, and he should finish that work by putting his bill on the floor of the U.S. Senate for consideration before we go home for the New Year.
Sanders will ask for unanimous consent to bring both pieces of legislation up for a vote on Friday afternoon.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
https://www.sanders.senate.gov/press-releases/vermonts-congressional-delegation-recognizes-vermont-u-s-service-academy-nominees-via-video-livestream-wednesday-december-30/,"Vermonts Congressional Delegation Recognizes Vermont U.S. Service Academy Nominees via Video Livestream  Wednesday, December 30",2020-12-31,2020,2020-12,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy, U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders, and U.S. Representative Peter Welch on Wednesday evening recognized 28 young Vermonters who received nominations to the United States Service Academies, Class of 2025. Each year the Vermont delegation hosts a reception at the Vermont State House for the nominees. However, for everyone's safety, this year's ceremony was held virtually.
The names of this year's nominees, selected by Leahy, Sanders, and Welch through a competitive vetting process, and forwarded to the Academies for final decisions, are:
Mr. Eusebio Aja IIIof Barre, Vermont (U.S. Air Force Academy, U.S. Naval Academy)
Nominated by: Leahy, Sanders, Welch
Mr. Matthew Bayardof Saint Albans, Vermont (U.S. Air Force Academy, U.S. Military Academy)
Nominated by: Leahy, Sanders, Welch
Ms. Allison Bradleyof Woodstock, Vermont(U.S. Naval Academy)
Nominated by: Leahy, Sanders, Welch
Mr. Matthew Durginof Cabot, Vermont (U.S. Military Academy)
Nominated by: Leahy, Sanders, Welch
Mr. Fletcher Footeof Newport, Vermont (U.S. Air Force Academy, U.S. Naval Academy)
Nominated by: Leahy
Ms. Pauline Garzaof Essex Junction, Vermont (U.S Naval Academy)
Nominated by: Leahy, Sanders, Welch
Mr. Aidan Geboof Vergennes, Vermont (U.S. Naval Academy)
Nominated by: Leahy, Sanders, Welch
Ms. Katherine Hawkoof Shelburne, Vermont (U.S. Military Academy, U.S. Naval Academy, U.S. Merchant Marine Academy)
Nominated by: Leahy, Sanders, Welch
Ms. Charlotte Hillof Williston, Vermont (U.S. Naval Academy)
Nominated by: Leahy, Sanders, Welch
Ms. Julia Hortonof Saint Albans, Vermont (U.S. Naval Academy)
Nominated by: Leahy, Sanders, Welch
Mr. Ethan Howellof Milton, Vermont(U.S. Air Force Academy)
Nominated by: Leahy, Sanders, Welch
Mr. Patrick Kwassof South Burlington, Vermont(U.S. Air Force Academy, U.S. Naval Academy)
Nominated by: Leahy
Mr. Joshua Lajeunesseof Montpelier, Vermont (U.S. Military Academy, U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, U.S. Naval Academy)
Nominated by: Leahy, Sanders, Welch
Ms. Wylie Lucasof Norwich, Vermont (U.S. Military Academy, U.S. Naval Academy, U.S. Air Force Academy)
Nominated by: Leahy, Sanders, Welch
Mr. Ethan Melloof West Windsor, Vermont (U.S. Naval Academy)
Nominated by: Leahy, Sanders, Welch
Mr. MacKenzie Millerof Shelburne, Vermont (U.S. Air Force Academy)
Nominated by: Leahy, Sanders, Welch
Ms. Olivia Mooreof Colchester, Vermont (U.S. Military Academy)
Nominated by: Leahy, Sanders, Welch
Ms. Elizabeth Perryof Franklin, Vermont (U.S. Naval Academy)
Nominated by: Leahy, Sanders, Welch
Mr. Jackson Porterof Franklin, Vermont (U.S. Naval Academy)
Nominated by: Leahy, Sanders, Welch
Ms. Alayna Potterof Colchester, Vermont (U.S. Air Force Academy)
Nominated by: Leahy, Sanders, Welch
Mr. Michael Puchkovof Peru, Vermont (U.S. Air Force Academy, U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, U.S. Naval Academy)
Nominated by: Leahy, Sanders, Welch
Mr. Thomas Remillardof Saint Albans, Vermont (U.S. Military Academy)
Nominated by: Leahy, Sanders, Welch
Mr. Ethan Schaalof White River Junction, Vermont (U.S. Military Academy)
Nominated by: Leahy, Sanders, Welch
Mr. Brad Stankiewiczof Milton, Vermont (U.S. Naval Academy, U.S. Merchant Marine Academy)
Nominated by: Leahy, Welch
Mr. Alexander Stefurakof West Rutland, Vermont (U.S. Military Academy, U.S. Air Force Academy)
Nominated by: Leahy, Sanders, Welch
Mr. Peter Warholdof Norwich, Vermont (U.S. Air Force Academy)
Nominated by: Welch
Mr. Aidan Whiteof Middlesex, Vermont (U.S. Military Academy)
Nominated by: Leahy, Sanders, Welch
Mr. Andrew Zuckermanof South Londonderry, Vermont (U.S. Naval Academy)
Nominated by: Sanders, Welch",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
https://www.sanders.senate.gov/press-releases/sanders-demands-mcconnell-hold-vote-on-2000-direct-payments/,"Sanders Demands McConnell Hold Vote on $2,000 Direct Payments",2020-12-28,2020,2020-12,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, December 28 Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) issued the following statement in response to the House of Representatives' overwhelming 275-134 passage of $2,000 direct payments for the working class:
The House has passed a $2,000 direct payment for working people. It is time for the Senate to act. This week on the Senate floor Mitch McConnell wants to vote to override Trump's veto of the $740 billion defense funding bill and then head home for the New Year. I'm going to object until we get a vote on legislation to provide a $2,000 direct payment to the working class. Let me be clear: If Senator McConnell doesn't agree to an up or down vote to provide the working people of our country a $2,000 direct payment, Congress will not be going home for New Year's Eve. Let's do our job.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
https://www.sanders.senate.gov/press-releases/sanders-calls-on-mitch-mcconnell-to-pass-2000-direct-payments-legislation-in-the-senate/,"Sanders Calls on Mitch McConnell to Pass $2,000 Direct Payments Legislation in the Senate",2020-12-24,2020,2020-12,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"BURLINGTON, December 23  In response to President Trump's disapproval of the $908-billion COVID-19 relief package passed by Congress on Monday, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) issued the following statement:
In America today, millions of Americans are facing economic desperation and need help now.I have been calling on Congress for months to pass legislation to provide every working class American with $2,000 a month until the pandemic ends.Now that Senator Schumer, Speaker Pelosi and President Trump have all indicated strong support for a $2,000 direct payment the ball is in Senate Majority Leader McConnell's court. I say to Senator McConnell: Let the Senate vote immediately on a stand-alone bill to provide a $2,000 direct payment for the working class and $4,000 for couples. If no Republican objects to that bill, it could pass by unanimous consent today.
Sanders is the co-author, with Senators Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) and Ed Markey (D-Mass.), of the Monthly Economic Crisis Support Act, which would provide $2,000 direct monthly payments to working-class Americans for the duration of the pandemic.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
https://www.sanders.senate.gov/press-releases/sanders-leahy-welch-applaud-dam-repair-funding-for-vermont/,"Sanders, Leahy, Welch Applaud Dam-Repair Funding for Vermont",2020-12-22,2020,2020-12,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, Dec. 22  Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Rep. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) announced that legislation passed by Congress last night will fund critical water infrastructure projects, including three aging flood-control dams.
The Vermont delegation also announced that the state of Vermont has signed an agreement with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to make much-needed repairs to the Waterbury Dam. The project will begin in early 2021, using $40 million in federal funding secured by the delegation.
The America's Water Infrastructure Act of 2020, to be signed into law today, includes language first authored by Senator Sanders in 2016 in the Water Resources Development Act. This year, the amendment authored by Sanders in the Senate and Welch in the House increases the authorization of federal funding to $60 million each for safety improvements at certain state-owned flood control dams constructed by the federal government before 1940. In Vermont, three dams  the Waterbury, East Barre and Wrightsville dams  are eligible to receive funding under this provision.
These dams are essential pieces of Vermont's infrastructure,said Sanders,who is a senior member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, which has jurisdiction over the water infrastructure legislation. Maintaining and repairing the dams  especially the Waterbury Dam  has long been a priority for our state. This bipartisan legislation is an important step toward rebuilding aging dams in Vermont and throughout the United States.
Leahy, Vice Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, said: I have been proud to secure funding for the Waterbury Dam through the appropriations process, and I'm pleased to see the increased spending authorized by this legislation at the request of Senator Sanders and Congressman Welch.Those funds may be very helpful if the cost exceeds the $40 million already appropriated for work on this critical project, and funds may also be needed for work to the other eligible Vermont dams.
I was proud to secure federal support to allow the state to begin this important, but expensive, safety and infrastructure project,said Welch, who secured authorization language in the House. With these funds, the state of Vermont will be able to complete these critical repairs with the help of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. This is a perfect example of a local project that deserves federal support to protect public safety, improve environmental quality, and enhance recreational opportunities in the area for years to come.
The Waterbury Dam Spillway Refurbishment project is a major public safety and environmental restoration priority for Vermont,said Peter Walke, Commissioner of Vermont's Department of Environmental Conservation. We are grateful for the support of Vermont's Congressional Delegation for securing a $40M federal appropriation for the project, and to the US Army Corps of Engineers for supporting this project at the national and local level. My team will be working in tight coordination with the Army Corps to get this project started early in 2021.
The federal government built the Waterbury, East Barre and Wrightsville dams in the 1930s after the devastating 1927 flood caused massive destruction and loss of life in the Winooski River basin from Central Vermont to Burlington. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers designed, and the Civilian Construction Corps built, the three flood-control dams on tributaries of the Winooski River to reduce the risk of future flooding. The federal government later transferred ownership of the dams to the state of Vermont, but did not include any provisions for the maintenance of the dams. The Waterbury Dam, in particular, now has major repair needs, due to this lack of support from the federal government.
The Vermont Congressional delegation remains committed to passing aggressive water infrastructure funding next year, including critical provisions to improve drinking water, which was passed this year by the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
https://www.sanders.senate.gov/press-releases/sanders-statement-on-passage-of-covid-19-relief-package/,Sanders Statement on Passage of COVID-19 Relief Package,2020-12-22,2020,2020-12,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, December 21  Upon the Senate's passage of the $908-billion COVID-19 spending package, Sen. Sanders (I-Vt.) issued the following statement:
Tonight, Congress passed a $908-billion COVID-19 relief bill that extends unemployment benefits through the early spring, and provides support for small businesses, schools, healthcare, nutrition, rentalassistance, child care, broadband, the Postal Service, as well as funding to help distribute vaccines.
During the last several weeks, I have been working very hard, along with Republican Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri, to provide direct payments to working families throughout the country. Our goal was to replicate what was in the CARES bill of March, which was $1200 for every working-class adult and $500 for each child. While we did not get as much as we wanted, because of opposition from the Republican leadership and too many Democrats, the bill does include a $600 direct payment for every working-class American earning less than $75,000 a year, and a $1,200 direct payment for couples making less than $150,000 a year, plus $600 for each child. That means that the average family of four will receive a direct payment of $2400.
While including these direct payments ultimately improved this bill, given the enormous economic desperation that so many working families across this country are now experiencing, there is no question but that this legislation did not go anywhere near far enough.
When President-Elect Biden assumes office next month and when the Senate comes back into session in January, I will immediately begin fighting for another relief bill to help America's working familiesincluding another round of direct payments and more relief for the unemployed, the hungry, the uninsured and those who owe back rent and are behind on their mortgage payments. In this unprecedented crisis, it is imperative that we do everything we can to protect the working families of our country, the elderly, the children and the poor.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
https://www.sanders.senate.gov/press-releases/senator-bernie-sanders-receives-covid-19-vaccine-from-u-s-capitol-physician-dr-brian-p-monahan/,"Senator Bernie Sanders Receives COVID-19 Vaccine from U.S. Capitol Physician, Dr. Brian P. Monahan",2020-12-19,2020,2020-12,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON  December 19  U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders received the COVID-19 vaccine from U.S. Capitol physician, Dr. Brian P. Monahan on Saturday.
Sanders said, Following the advice of the Office of the Attending Physician, today I received the safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine. As the vaccine is being distributed, we must all continue wearing masks and engage in social distancing. That is how we will beat this virus and end this terrible pandemic.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
https://www.sanders.senate.gov/press-releases/over-2000-vermonters-join-sanders-for-virtual-seniors-town-hall/,"Over 2,000 Vermonters Join Sanders for Virtual Seniors Town Hall",2020-12-18,2020,2020-12,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"BURLINGTON  December 18  U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders held a virtual town hall Thursday evening to provide an update from Congress and to hear the thoughts and concerns of older Vermonters.
Over 2,000 Vermont seniors joined Sanders for the town meeting which was held via phone call and streamed live on Sanders' website. Each December, Sanders hosts holiday meals for seniors throughout the state. However, for everyone's safety, this year's event was held virtually. Sanders participated by video from his Senate office in Washington, D.C. 
Our senior meals and town meetings are always a highlight of the holiday season. While we couldn't be together in person this year, I'm very pleased we had the opportunity to gather virtually, said Sanders. Especially at a time when many seniors are unable to be with friends and family, I thought it was important to continue this annual event and hear from my constituents about the issues that matter most to them, as well as the challenges they are facing.
After Sanders' introductory remarks, Vermonters asked questions on a wide range of issues. Areas of interest ranged from ways to expand and protect Medicare and Social Security, to struggles affording housing, heat, food, and prescription medications. With negotiations continuing in Congress, the COVID-19 relief package was on the minds of many who participated in the town hall. Many asked Sanders about the effort he is leading to ensure that a direct payment provision is included in the final relief bill, as well as his hope that Congress and a Biden Administration will continue to work on and pass additional, much-needed emergency relief in the new year. If approved, these direct payments to Vermonters would add about $350 million to the local economy.
It's interesting that all of the questions tonight touched on issues that millions and millions of people are struggling with. Whether it's inadequate Social Security benefits, whether it's the high cost of prescription drugs, whether it's the housing crisis, whether it is student debt. Whether it is the inability of people to afford to keep warm in the winter time, you have asked exactly the questions that are on the minds of people all over this country, said Sanders.
A few seniors on the call shared their experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic. One Vermonter expressed concerns about how the current economic crisis will affect their long-term financial stability, as well as their children's, particularly considering they all are struggling with immense student loan debt. Paul from Johnson, VT said, I'm committed to what I do for work, and I'm committed to my kids. Everything that I have surplus for savings, goes to my kids. In today's economy, my oldest is unemployed because of the pandemic. My daughter is barely working. I have a parent plus loan and my kids have student loans. The payments are suspended right now because of the pandemic. I'm just ignoring it right now. I don't need the stress.
While another Vermonter from Williamstown, VT spoke of their difficulty affording basic necessities with their current monthly Social Security and veterans benefits totaling just $1,400, saying I'm going to have to keep us going on a small check each month. It's going to raise just about $12 this year. Where does that come out being fair at all?
This is America. People should not be hungry. People should not be homeless. People should not be unable to afford the medicine they need, not be in a position where they can't afford to go to a doctor. This should not be happening, said Sanders. So the struggle that we face now is to change the priorities of this country to invest in ordinary people, so that all of us can live with dignity and enjoy life as we should be able to.
Sanders ended the event by encouraging Vermonters to call his office should they need assistance, and promising to do everything possible in Washington to ensure Vermont seniors get the help they need when the need it. I am very proud to fight in Congress on behalf of older Vermonters said Sanders. I wish everybody a very wonderful holiday season, and I'm sure that the new year is going to be a better one for all of us. I will hopefully be able to get to see you all in person in the not too distant future.
Vermonters in need of assistance can reach Senator Sanders office by phone at 800-339-9834 or online at sanders.senate.gov.
To watch the town hall, click here.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
https://www.sanders.senate.gov/press-releases/sanders-delivers-floor-speech-urging-senate-to-pass-1200-in-direct-relief-to-working-class/,"Sanders Delivers Floor Speech Urging Senate to Pass $1,200 in Direct Relief to Working Class",2020-12-18,2020,2020-12,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, December 18 Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) went to the Senate floor this afternoon to seek unanimous consent to pass legislation he had introduced earlier today to provide direct payments to working families across the United States.
Sanders' proposal provides a direct payment of $1,200 for every working-class American, $2,400 for couples, and $500 for children. He was joined on the floor by Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), who spoke in support of the legislation.
Sanders stated, If this country means anything, if the U.S. government means anything, it means that we cannot turn our backs on that suffering, and that we cannot leave Washington for the holidays to go back to our families unless we address the pain and anxiety of other families throughout this country.
Read the legislation here.
Sanders' speech can be watchedhere, and the prepared remarks can be read below:
  Mr. President, this country faces the worst set of public health and economic crises that we have faced in over a hundred years.
As a result of the pandemic more people are becoming infected than ever before. Hospitalization is higher than ever before. And more people are dying than ever before. We all hope and pray that the new vaccine will be distributed as quickly as possible and that it will put an end to this nightmare. But, today, the truth is that millions of low-income and middle class families are suffering in a way that we have not seen since the Great Depression.
Today, the reality is that over half of our workers are living paycheck to paycheck  trying to survive on $10 or $12 an hour. The reality is that millions of senior citizens all over this country are trapped in their homes, unable to see their kids or grandchildren, unable to go to a grocery store, and are trying to survive on $12 or $14,000 a year.
In addition, millions more with disabilities are also suffering.
Further, in America today, one out of four workers are either unemployed or make less than $20,000 a year. And, in the midst of this pandemic, because we are the only major country on earth not to guarantee healthcare to all, some 92 million Americans are uninsured or under-insured  unable to go to a doctor when they need to.
In addition, over 30 million of our people face eviction and the hunger rate in America is the highest it has been in decades.
Mr. President, that is where we are today economically.
And if this country means anything, if the U.S. government means anything, it means that we cannot turn our backs on that suffering, and that we cannot leave Washington for the holidays to go back to our families unless we address the pain and anxiety of other families throughout this country.
Members of Congress should also be aware that we are far behind other major countries in terms of protecting working families during this pandemic. Not only, does every other wealthy country guarantee healthcare to all, as a human right, almost all of them are providing far more generous benefits to the unemployed and the struggling in their countries than we are.
Mr. President, several months ago I introduced legislation along with Senator Kamala Harris, now our vice president-elect, and Senator Markey, that, would during the course of this economic crisis, provide $2,000 a month to every working class person in this country. And, frankly, that is exactly what we should be doing.
But, unfortunately, given the conservative nature of the Senate, I understand that is not going to happen.
Yes, at a time of massive wealth and income inequality, at a time when huge corporations were making record breaking profits, the Republican leadership in the Senate was able to provide a trillion dollars in tax breaks to the 1% and large corporations.
Yes, at a time when climate change threatens the planet, the Congress was able to provide hundreds of billions in corporate welfare to the fossil fuel industry.
Yes, just the other day, the House and the Senate were able to pass a $740 billion military budget  the largest in history and more than the next ten nations combined.
But, in the midst of the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression, Congress is somehow unable to respond effectively to the needs of working families.
Mr. President, as you know, I have recently introduced legislation to provide every working class American an emergency payment of at least $1,200, $2,400 for couples and $500 for their kids.
This is not a radical idea. This is an approach that President Trump is supporting. This is an approach that President-elect Biden is supporting. This is an approach that, according to a recent poll, is supported by 75% of all Americans, including 77% of Democrats and 72% of Republicans.
Further, importantly, this amount of direct payment is exactly what Congress passed unanimously 9 months ago as part of the $2.2 trillion CARES Act.
Let me repeat. In March, every member of the House and Senate, appropriately, voted to provide a direct payment of $1,200 for working-class adults, $2,400 for couples and $500 for their kids.
Mr. President. That was the right thing to do 9 months ago. Given that the crisis, in many ways is worse today, it is exactly what we should be doing right now.
Mr. President, as a result of the pandemic, the government told restaurants, bars, retail stores, movie theaters, schools, malls and small businesses all over this country: Shut your doors. It is too dangerous for you to be open now.
But what the government has not done, Mr. President, is to provide the workers who have lost their jobs and lost their incomes with the support they need to pay their bills.
The $600 a week in supplemental unemployment benefits that Congress passed unanimously in March expired in July  over 5 months ago.
And during that time  the Republican Senate has done nothing to help working families pay their rent, feed their families, go to a doctor or pay for their life-saving prescription drugs. And, the Senate has not done enough to provide struggling small businesses with the help they desperately need.
Further, Mr. President, as bad as the economy has been in general it has been far worse for African Americans and Latinos. During the pandemic, nearly 60% of Latino families and 55% of African American families have either experienced a job loss or a pay cut.
Mr. President, for 9 months, we asked tens of millions of working people in our country to survive on one $1,200 check  with no healthcare, no hazard pay, no rent relief. Nothing.
Meanwhile, Mr. President, I should mention that over this same 9 month period, 651 billionaires in America became over $1 trillion richer.
$1 trillion for billionaires. One $1,200 check for the working class. That is unconscionable. That is immoral and that has got to change.
Now, Mr. President, let us remember that way back in May, the House passed the $3.4 trillion HEROES Act which, among other things, included $600 a week in supplemental unemployment benefits and another direct payment of $1,200 for working class adults, $500 for their kids, and generous support for small businesses, hospitals, state and local governments and schools.
In other words, that $3.4 trillion bill was a serious effort to address the real crises facing this country.
I should also add that in July, the House passed another version of the bill  this one for $2.2 trillion.
That same month, Senate Majority Leader McConnell, proposed a $1.1 trillion bill that also provided a $1,200 direct payment for the working class and $500 for their children.
And then, in October, Secretary Mnuchin, in negotiations with Speaker Pelosi, proposed a COVID-relief plan for $1.8 trillion.
So, in the last number of months we have had major proposals of $3.4 trillion, $2.2 trillion, $1.8 trillion, and $1.1 trillion.
And yet today, after months of negotiating by the so-called gang of 8, we are now down to just a $908 billion bill that includes $560 billion in offsets in unused money from the CARES Act.
So, from an original House bill passed in May calling for $3.4 trillion in new money, we are now down to $348 billion in new money  roughly 10% of what Democrats thought we originally needed.
Mr. President, in my view, the $348 billion in new money is totally inadequate given the nature of the unprecedented crises that we face.
The American people cannot wait any longer. They need economic relief now.
Every working class American needs $1,200, $2,400 for couples and $500 for kids.
And let me be clear what I am talking about now is money that must not be taken from other important priorities like 16 weeks of supplemental unemployment benefits, aid for small business, nutrition, housing, education and the other important provisions in this bill.
Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of S. 5063, which I introduced earlier today that would provide a $1,200 direct payment to every working class adult, $2,400 for couples and $500 for their children, that the bill be considered read three times and passed, and the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
https://www.sanders.senate.gov/press-releases/sanders-helps-lead-fight-for-direct-payments/,Sanders Helps Lead Fight for Direct Payments,2020-12-16,2020,2020-12,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, December 16  Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) has been leading the fight in Washington to provide direct benefits to working families as they struggle through the pandemic and economic downturn. Sanders is fighting for $1,200 for every worker earning less than $75,000 a year, and $2,400 a couple earning less than $150,000 a year. Each child would receive a benefit of $500. This is what existed in the CARES Act passed in March.
Currently, negotiations have the benefit set at $600 per adult and $600 per child. At this level, approximately 445,000 Vermont adults and 153,000 children  roughly 93 percent of the state's population  would receive these benefits. This amounts to over $345 million in direct benefits going to Vermonters, which will be an important economic stimulus.
Sanders said: At a time when many Vermonters are struggling to put food on the table, pay their rent or mortgage, or have the necessary income to go to the doctor, it is imperative that Congress provide direct payments for working families. I am glad that we are making progress on this issue, but more has to be done, and I will continue that fight.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
https://www.sanders.senate.gov/press-releases/sanders-on-manchin-romney-deal-congress-cannot-go-home-until-working-class-receives-1200-direct-payments/,"Sanders on Manchin-Romney Deal: Congress Cannot Go Home Until Working Class Receives $1,200 Direct Payments",2020-12-14,2020,2020-12,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, December 14  Sen. Sanders (I-Vt.) issued the following statement in response to the Manchin-Romney COVID19 legislation to be released this afternoon:
As a result of the pandemic, tens of millions of Americans are facing economic desperation.They can't afford to pay their rent and face eviction, they can't afford to go to the doctor, they can't afford to feed their children and they are going deeper and deeper into debt.Congress cannot go home for the Christmas holidays until we pass legislation which provides a $1,200 direct payment to working class adults, $2,400 for couples, and a $500 payment to their children. This is what Democrats and Republicans did unanimously in March through the CARES Act.This is what we have to do today.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
https://www.sanders.senate.gov/press-releases/sanders-gillibrand-warren-merkley-markey-and-wyden-urge-colleagues-to-defend-working-class-in-covid-19-relief-proposal-2/,Sanders Demands Direct Payments for Working Families,2020-12-10,2020,2020-12,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, December 10 Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) stated today on the Senate floor that given the enormity of the current economic crisis, the Senate must pass a $1,200 direct payment for working class adults and $500 for their children as part of any COVID-19 relief package. He is filing an amendment today to the one-week Continuing Resolution to do just that.
Sanders said that it would be unacceptable for Congress to adjourn for the holidays while turning its back on the economic desperation facing tens of millions of Americans.
In a speech on the floor today, he stated: When a national emergency occurs the United States government must respond. And we are in an economic emergency today. To get out of Washington, to turn our backs on the suffering of so many of our people would be immoral, would be unconscionable, and cannot be allowed to happen.
Sanders' speech can be watchedhere, and the prepared remarks can be read below:
Mr. President: This country today faces an unprecedented crisis both in terms of the pandemic and the economic meltdown.
I understand that there are negotiations going on in terms of coming up with an economic package dealing with COVID-19 relief. I applaud the hard work that each of the negotiators are doing. But the truth is that the results up to this point are totally unsatisfactory given the economic desperation facing tens of millions of working families.
Back in March, at the beginning of the pandemic, the United States Congress unanimously  Democrats and Republicans  worked with President Trump to come up with an economic package that went a long way toward preventing absolute misery and destitution for so many of our people. Through no fault of their own, COVID-19 resulted in millions of people losing their jobs and their income. And, in response, Democrats and Republicans in the Congress came together, worked with the President of the United States and, in a very significant way, responded to that crisis.
Mr. President, what I don't understand is that at a time when, in many ways, the crisis is worse today than it was in March, why we are not responding accordingly. In March, we passed the $2.2 trillion CARES Act which included a $600 supplement to unemployment benefits for 4 months, and a $1,200 direct payment for every working class adult plus $500 for their kids.
Once again, we did this unanimously and we did it by working with President Trump.
If we could do it together in March, if we could succeed 9 months ago by working together, there is no reason why we cannot do the same thing right now. And that is why I will insist that any agreement in terms of a COVID-19 relief package must include not only strong unemployment benefits, but a $1,200 direct payment for the working families of this country similarly structured to what was included in the CARES package of March.
And I will be introducing an amendment to the 1-week Continuing Resolution to make sure that that occurs  that every working class adult in this country receives another $1,200 direct payment, plus $500 for their kids.
Mr. President, every member of this body wants to get out of Washington to get home to their families for the holiday season. And put me at the top of that list.
But at a time when so many American families are suffering, when so many people don't know how they're going to feed their kids or prevent being evicted from their homes, or how they're going to pay for a doctor's visit, we cannot leave Washington and return to our families unless we address the economic suffering that so many other families are facing.
When a national emergency occurs the United States government must respond. And we are in an economic emergency today. To get out of Washington, to turn our backs on the suffering of so many of our people would be immoral, would be unconscionable, and cannot be allowed to happen.
Again, we must make certain that every working family in this country receives a $1,200 direct payment, plus $500 for their kids.
Mr. President, let me be as clear as I can be. Today, as a result of the horrific pandemic and economic meltdown, the American working-class is hurting like they have never hurt before.
Yesterday alone, over 220,000 Americans were diagnosed with COVID-19 and, tragically, over 3,000 died from this horrific virus.
In other words, more Americans were killed by the coronavirus yesterday than were killed on 9-11.
Further, Mr. President, the working class of this country is in the worst financial shape since the Great Depression of the 1930s.
Tens of millions of our fellow citizens have lost their jobs. They have lost their incomes. They have lost their health insurance. They have depleted their life savings. They cannot afford to pay the rent. They cannot afford to put food on the table. And they are scared to death that any day now they will get a knock on the door from the sheriff evicting them from their homes and throwing them and their belongings out on the street.
In America today, over half our workers are living paycheck to paycheck while 1 out of every 4 workers in this country are either unemployed or make a starvation wage of less than $20,000 a year.
During the holiday season over one-third of Americans expect to lose income and are already having a difficult time paying for basic household expenses.
In America today, hunger is at its highest level in decades, more than 500,000 Americans are homeless and over 30 million tenants are on the brink of eviction.While 15 million Americans have tested positive for the COVID-19 virus, over 90 million Americans are uninsured or under-insured and cannot afford to go to a doctor when they get sick.
And as bad as the economy has been in general it has been far worse for African Americans and Latinos. During the pandemic, nearly 60% of Latino families and 55% of African American families have either experienced a job loss or a pay cut.
Meanwhile, Mr. President, not everyone is hurting in America. While the middle class is collapsing and poverty is growing, we are witnessing a massive increase in income and wealth inequality. Over the past 9 months, 650 billionaires have seen their wealth go up by over $1 trillion and now own over twice as much wealth as the bottom 50 percent of Americans.
That is the state of the economy in America today. The very rich get much, much richer, while tens of millions of Americans get poorer and poorer and face an unprecedented level of economic desperation.
Mr. President. This is the United States of America, the richest country in the history of the world. No one should be going hungry. No one should have to live in fear of becoming homeless. No one should be denied the health care that they need, especially during the worst public health crisis in over a hundred years.
But that is precisely what is going on all over America as we speak.
Mr. President. This is an unprecedented moment in American history and the Senate needs to take unprecedented action now to improve the lives of the American people. If we could act effectively in March through the CARES Act, we can act effectively today as we enter the holiday season.
I very much appreciate the hard work that has gone into the current $908 billion proposal being drafted by a number of Democratic and Republican Senators. But, simply stated, given the horrific extent of the current crisis and the desperation that working families all over this country are experiencing, this proposal does not go anywhere near far enough. In truth, rather than the $3.4 trillion which we Democrats called for in the HEROES Act and passed in the House, this bill only allocates $348 billion in new money. The remaining $560 billion are funds transferred from the CARES Act that have not yet been obligated.
In other words, this bill is allocating roughly 10% of what was passed in the House. That's absurd.
Unlike the CARES Act, which we passed in March, this proposal only provides a $300 supplement for unemployed workers rather than $600 a week. Further, unlike the $1,200 direct payment for every working class individual and $500 for each child, it provides absolutely no direct payment.
Moreover, this proposal does nothing to address the health care crisis impacting tens of millions of Americans who cannot afford medical care and has totally inadequate financial assistance for the most vulnerable.
The American people need help and they need help now.
We have got to make sure that every working class American receives at least $1,200 in direct payments and that we do not provide a liability shield to corporations who break the law.
We cannot continue the status quo of coming in at 5:30pm on Monday and leaving at 2pm on Thursday  while nothing gets done to help millions of Americans living in economic desperation.
We've got to be working 24 hours, 7 days a week until we pass a bill that provides emergency assistance to the American people in their time of need.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
https://www.sanders.senate.gov/press-releases/sanders-hawley-introduce-1200-direct-payments-amendment-to-attach-to-end-of-year-legislation/,"Sanders, Hawley Introduce $1,200 Direct Payments Amendment to Attach to End-of-Year Legislation",2020-12-10,2020,2020-12,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, December 10  Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) are introducing a bipartisan amendment to attach to must-pass legislation to be considered by Congress, which would provide $1,200 in direct payments to working-class adults and $500 to each of their children.This amendment, similar to what was passed in the CARES Act, would be attached to must-pass legislation to keep the government going.
In the midst of this terrible pandemic and economic crisis, this amendment would make certain that working families get the urgent, direct support they need to survive,said Sanders.A direct payment of $1,200 for adults and $500 for kids would help desperate families pay rent and heating bills, put food on the table, and be able to go to the doctor.In the midst of so much economic desperation, Congress cannot go on recess without providing this $1,200 emergency assistance to the American people in their time of need.I look forward to working across the aisle with Senator Hawley to ensure that the United States Senate passes this amendment.
It would be a dereliction of duty if Congress adjourns for Christmas without having a vote on providing working families with direct payments,said Hawley.Working people are struggling. And they should be the first people given relief, not last. The crisis of rising unemployment claims, ever-expanding food lines, evictions, and growing credit card debt has been staring us in the face for months. It's time we do something about it and provide emergency relief to Americans.
The amendment is modeled on the $1,200 direct payment for working-class adults plus $500 for their children passed by Congress unanimously in the $2.2 trillion CARES Act in March and signed into law by President Trump.
Watch Sanders' and Hawley's floor remarks on this proposalhere.
Read the text of the amendmenthere.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
https://www.sanders.senate.gov/press-releases/sanders-gillibrand-warren-merkley-markey-and-wyden-urge-colleagues-to-defend-working-class-in-covid-19-relief-proposal/,"Sanders, Gillibrand, Warren, Merkley, Markey and Wyden Urge Colleagues to Defend Working Class in COVID-19 Relief Proposal",2020-12-08,2020,2020-12,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, December 8  Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.),Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.),Ed Markey (D-Mass.) and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.)urged Senate Democrats today to recognize the enormity of the economic and public-health crisis posed by COVID-19 and join them in demanding that any new COVID-19 relief proposal includes a $1,200 direct payment to adults and $500 to their children, while rejecting provisions to give a liability shield to corporations who threaten the health and safety of workers and customers.
In a letter to their colleagues, the Senators note that COVID-19 is infecting nearly 200,000 Americans and killing 2,000 Americans daily, and argue that a bipartisan proposal under negotiation does not go anywhere near far enough, as America experiences the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. Only $348 billion in new money is currently allocated in that proposal, the Senators point out, even though the Trump Administration and a bipartisan coalition in the House supported over $1.8 trillion in COVID-19 relief that also included another $1,200 direct payment.
It would be unacceptable to take a major step backwards from those previous efforts by passing legislation that only included $348 billion in new money, the Senators wrote to their Democratic colleagues.
The lawmakers further expressed their opposition to a get-out-of-jail free card to companies that put the lives of their workers and customers at risk currently under consideration in a bipartisan COVID-19 relief measure, and cited concerns from labor groups that granting immunity would make the country less safe at the exact moment when the COVID-19 pandemic is entering a new, dangerous phase. The letter's signatories also registered their agreement with President-elect Biden that a $1,200 direct payment should be included in this proposal, as over half of American workers live paycheck to paycheck and one in four are either unemployed or make less than $20,000 a year, while millions more face eviction and hunger.
Read the letter here.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
https://www.sanders.senate.gov/press-releases/sanders-statement-on-manchin-romney-covid19-proposal/,Sanders Statement on Manchin-Romney COVID19 Proposal,2020-12-04,2020,2020-12,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"BURLINGTON, December 4  Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) issued the following statement on the Manchin-Romney COVID19 legislative proposal:
Given the enormous economic desperation facing working families in this country today, I will not be able to support the recently announced Manchin-Romney COVID proposal unless it is significantly improved.
Unfortunately, despite long-time Democratic opposition, this proposal provides 100% legal immunity to corporations whose irresponsibility has led to the deaths of hundreds of workers. It would continue to provide a get-out-of-jail free card to companies that put the lives of their workers and customers at risk. In fact, the Manchin-Romney proposal will, through this liability provision, encourage corporations to avoid implementing the common sense safety standards needed to protect workers and consumers  and make a bad situation worse.
Further, during the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, when over half of our workers are living paycheck to paycheck, when one out of four workers are either unemployed or make less than $20,000 a year, when 92 million Americans are uninsured or under-insured, when tens of millions of people face eviction and when hunger in America is exploding, it is unacceptable that the Manchin-Romney proposal does not even do what the CARES Act did and provide, at the very least, a $1,200 direct payment to working class Americans and $500 for their kids. Tens of millions of Americans living in desperation today would receive absolutely no financial help from this proposal. That is not acceptable.
Last March, with unanimous support in Congress, President Trump signed the $2 trillion CARES Act into law that provided a $600 a week supplement in unemployment benefits and a $1,200 direct payment to every working class adult, $500 per child and significant help for small businesses, states and cities. In October, as part of the negotiating process, the Trump Administration and a bi-partisan coalition in the House supported over $1.8 trillion in COVID-relief that also included another $1,200 direct payment. 
Today, however, at a time when the COVID crisis is the worst that it has ever been in the U.S. with record-breaking levels of hospitalization and death, the Manchin-Romney proposal not only provides no direct payments to working families, it does nothing to address the healthcare crisis and has totally inadequate financial assistance for the most vulnerable. That is wrong morally and it is wrong economically if we hope to rebuild the economy.
The American people need help and they need help now. In my view, we have got to make sure that every working class American receives at least $1,200 in direct payments and that we do not provide a liability shield to corporations who break the law.
I look forward to working with my colleagues in the House and Senate to significantly improve this bill.But, in its current form, I cannot support it.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
https://www.sanders.senate.gov/press-releases/taxpayers-subsidize-poverty-wages-at-walmart-mcdonalds-other-large-corporations-gao-finds/,"Taxpayers Subsidize Poverty Wages at Walmart, McDonalds, Other Large Corporations, GAO Finds",2020-11-18,2020,2020-11,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, November 18  Many full-time workers employed by some of America's largest and most profitable corporations receive wages so low that they qualify for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, or food stamps) benefits and Medicaid, according to a report released today by the Government Accountability Office (GAO).
The report,Millions of Full-time Workers Rely on Federal Health Care and Food Assistance Programs,commissioned by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), found that 5.7 million Medicaid enrollees and 4.7 million SNAP recipients who worked full-time for 50 or more weeks in 2018 earned wages so low that they qualified for these federal benefits. An estimated 12 million wage-earning adults enrolled in Medicaid and 9 million wage-earning adults living in households receiving SNAP benefits worked at some point in 2018.
At a time when huge corporations like Walmart and McDonald's are making billions in profits and giving their CEOs tens of millions of dollars a year, they're relying on corporate welfare from the federal government by paying their workers starvation wages. That is morally obscene.U.S. taxpayers should not be forced to subsidize some of the largest and most profitable corporations in America.It is time for the owners of Walmart, McDonald's and other large corporations to get off of welfare and pay their workers a living wage,said Sanders.No one in this country should live in poverty. No one should go hungry. No one should be unable to get the medical care they need. It is long past time to increase the federal minimum wage from a starvation wage of $7.25 an hour to $15, and guarantee health care to all Americans as a human right.
GAO sent questionnaires to state Medicaid and SNAP agencies and analyzed data from 15 such agencies across 11 states. Each agency reported the 25 most common employers of Medicaid enrollees and SNAP recipients. Among the 15 agencies, Walmart was in the top four employers of program beneficiaries in each and every one. McDonald's was a top-five employer of employees receiving federal benefits in 13 of the 15 agencies. GAO's analysis across the states it examined reveals that multi-billion-dollar firms employed tens of thousands of workers at wages so low, taxpayers effectively provided nutrition support and health insurance that would be unnecessary if they paid living wages.
Notoriously low-paying and dangerous dollar-store chains also appeared throughout these lists, with Dollar Tree ranking among the top 15 largest employers of employees receiving benefits in all 15 agencies, and Dollar General among the top 10 in nine different agencies.
Across nine statesArkansas, Georgia, Indiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Nebraska, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Washington  these large corporations employed the following numbers of SNAP recipients in February 2020:
Walmart  14,541  McDonald's  8,783  Dollar Tree  4,515  Dollar General  4,488  Amazon  4,218  Burger King  3,326  FedEx  2,622  Wendy's  2,237  Subway  2,231  Taco Bell  2,114  Uber  2,032  Target  1,783  Dunkin' Donuts  1,564  Home Depot  1,305  Lowe's  1,154  Family Dollar  570  CVS  545  Walgreens  355
Across six statesGeorgia, Indiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Oklahoma, and Rhode Islandthe following large corporations employed these approximate numbers of Medicaid enrollees in February 2020:
Walmart  10,350  McDonald's  4,600  Amazon  4,154  Dollar Tree  2,964  Target  2,754  Dollar General  2,625  Home Depot  2,237  CVS  1,939  Burger King  1,679  Dunkin' Donuts  1,278  Wendy's  1,059  FedEx  1,046  Walgreens  1,009  Subway  973  Taco Bell  868  Lowe's  611  Uber  591
To read the full report, clickhere.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
https://www.sanders.senate.gov/press-releases/sanders-klobuchar-issue-statement-correcting-misinformation-from-president-trump-and-justice-kavanaugh-on-voting-processes/,"Sanders, Klobuchar Issue Statement Correcting Misinformation from President Trump and Justice Kavanaugh on Voting Processes",2020-10-28,2020,2020-10,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, October 28 U.S. Senators Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) released the statement below following President Trump's recent false statement that it is inappropriate and illegal to count ballots after Election Day, and the Supreme Court's ruling inDemocratic National Committee v. Wisconsin Legislature,where Justice Kavanaugh's concurring opinion contains incorrect information regarding voting:
In America, we count the votes to determine who wins an election. Despite the incorrect assertions from President Trump and Justice Kavanaugh, election officials across the country accept ballots well after Election Day every year, and results are not certified until the votes are counted and a canvas to confirm the results is conducted.Absentee ballots counted after election day do not flip the results of an election,' as Justice Kavanaugh claimed. They are the results of the election.
More than twenty states, including states like Mississippi, Kansas, and Utah, require ballots postmarked by Election Day to be counted even if they are received after Election Day. This is critical to ensuring that those who may face hardships in voting, including members of our military serving abroad and those affected by COVID-19, are not disenfranchised by things like mail delays. These are not new rules and they do not serve any political party. It is on all of us to reject misinformation and to tell the truth. Our election systems span 50 states, five territories, and thousands of jurisdictions. State and local election officials are working around the clock, and experts have concluded that the integrity of our election system is strong. The best defense against those trying to undermine our democracy is the resolve of the American people, who are voting by the millions as we speak. Keep voting.
On October 18, Sanders and Klobuchar, along with Senators Schumer (D-N.Y.), Heinrich (D-N.M.), Murphy (D-Conn.), and Duckworth (D-Ill.), issued a report titled2020 General Election: Counting Votes & What to Expect on Election Day, which offers a guide to voting procedures in key states.
The report can be foundhere.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
https://www.sanders.senate.gov/press-releases/sanders-condemns-senate-confirmation-of-judge-barrett-to-supreme-court/,Sanders Condemns Senate Confirmation of Judge Barrett to Supreme Court,2020-10-26,2020,2020-10,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, October 26 Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) issued the following statement criticizing the Republican-controlled Senate's confirmation of Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court:
Tonight's vote to confirm Amy Coney Barrett as a Supreme Court justice is a disgrace, not only because of what she will do when she gets on the bench, but because of the entire process, which was pushed through with extraordinary hypocrisy by Senate Republicans in the last days of a president's term.
At this particular moment, over 50 million people have already cast their ballots to determine who the next President of the United States should be. Now is not the time to be voting on a Supreme Court justice. What we should be voting on instead is a major Covid-19 stimulus package to protect the working people of this country, who, by the tens of millions, have lost their jobs. They're struggling right now to pay their rent, get health insurance, and put food on the table to feed their kids.
That is the issue we should be dealing with right now, and I am committed to ensuring that the next U.S. Senate, under Democratic leadership, will make a major Covid-19 stimulus bill the first order ofpriority.
Watch Sanders' remarks on his vote against Barrett's confirmationhere.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
https://www.sanders.senate.gov/press-releases/sanders-senate-democrats-to-american-people-do-not-allow-trump-to-undermine-nov-3-election-results/,"Sanders, Senate Democrats To American People: Do Not Allow Trump To Undermine Nov. 3 Election Results",2020-10-19,2020,2020-10,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, October 18 Senate Budget Committee Ranking Member Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Senate Rules Committee Ranking Member Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), and Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) today released areportsummarizing for the American people what to expect on Election Day and reinforcing the Democrats' call to encourage everyone to vote.
The report follows the months-long effort by President Trump to undermine the election and his repeated refusal to commit to a peaceful transfer of power. With the general election already well underway in every state across the country, Sanders and Senate Democrats have a clear message for the American people: Vote and cast your ballot as early as possible. While expressing optimism that Election Day will go smoothly around the country, the jointly authored report outlines the possibility that in some states, the outcome might not be known on November 3. The last message from the report is to make absolutely clear that voter intimidation is illegal and that federal law prohibits coercing or threatening anyone in order to interfere with their right to vote.
The American people must be prepared for an election that is unprecedented in our history due to the enormous increase in mail-in ballots that have been, and will be, cast as a result of the pandemic,said Senator Sanders.No one should have to risk their health or their lives in order to vote, and that is why many millions are voting through mail-in ballots. One of the worst lies that Donald Trump is spreading is that there is a massive amount of voter fraud in this country.That is a total lie which no election official, Republican or Democrat, can support.What we are doing with this effort is ensuring that the American people understand that if American democracy means anything, it means that every vote must be countedno matter how long it takes.
President Trump has for months now been laying the foundation to undermine the election and he has repeatedly refused to commit to a peaceful transfer of power if he loses. Senate Democrats want to be clear to the American people that the most powerful defense against this type of autocratic behavior in our country is the will of the American people and that is why we are encouraging every American to vote and vote early,said Leader Schumer.
The election is well underway, and Americans are voting in droves because they know what is at stake. We must do everything we can to protect the right to vote, and uphold the integrity of the election process. That means pushing back on President Trump's lies about mail-in ballots and his efforts to sow chaos. It also means making sure that Americans know that a record number of people are voting by mail this year, which could slow the reporting in some states. We should be prepared to reject misinformation and be patient about results in places where counting ballots may take longer. Americans should keep making their voices heard at the ballot box, the earlier the better,said Senator Klobuchar.
Despite what Donald Trump wants you to believe, the integrity of our election system is strong,said Senator Murphy.Every American must voteand vote earlyin the upcoming presidential election, so we can make it clear to Trump and the world that America remains a democracy, the will of the people will always win out, and that any form of voter intimidation is illegal and will not be tolerated.
President Trump's dangerous rhetoric threatens to further divide our country and sow real potential for violence. The most important thing each of us can do to combat disinformation and fear is to vote and vote early. There is little doubt that this is the most important election we will participate in in our lives. Our elections are the foundation of American democracy. Protecting them should be the top priority for everyone who cares about the future of our country. Election officials, courts, and elected leaders must be accountable for upholding that principle,said Senator Heinrich.
Despite Donald Trump's lies and misinformation about nonexistent widespread voter fraud, the integrity of the American election systemour entire election process from voting by mail to voting in personis strong.If voting by mail is safe and effective for our troops overseas and good enough for Trump and his family to use, then it's safe, effective and good enough for the rest of America too,said Senator Duckworth.No matter what Trump saysor even what he might preferSenate Democrats will never allow the greatest democracy the world has ever known to descend into authoritarianism.We will always be a government of, by and for the people.
A copy of the report can be foundhere.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
https://www.sanders.senate.gov/press-releases/vermont-delegation-demands-postmaster-general-deliver-and-install-critical-mail-processing-machine-to-white-river-junction-facility/,Vermont Delegation Demands Postmaster General Deliver and Install Critical Mail Processing Machine to White River Junction Facility,2020-10-13,2020,2020-10,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON  Senator Bernie Sanders (I), Senator Patrick Leahy (D), and Representative Peter Welch (D) on Tuesday sent aletterto Postmaster General Louis DeJoy demanding the immediate delivery and installation of the new AFCS 200 cancellation machine at the White River Junction mail processing facility, a machine that is critical to the efficient handling of the mail.
In the letter, Leahy, Sanders, and Welch wrote, While we have been promised for months that a new AFCS 200 cancellation machine will be installed, we have just learned that this will not occur until January of 2021 at the earliest. This timing is both unacceptable and another example of this administration's attempt to sabotage the Postal Service and the 2020 election.
The cancellation machines at the White River Junction facility have been due to be replaced for several years now. USPS recently removed an AFCS (legacy system) cancellation machine from the facility, leaving the White River Junction center with justoneoperational cancellation machine. When that machine breaks down, as it did this past weekend, postal employees are forced to process mail by hand, which significantly delays the process. These employees are to be commended for their hard work and dedication and should be given every available resource to ensure the safe and timely processing of the mail, which includes a record number of mail-in ballots.
Waiting until 2021 to get this new machine to Vermont will present undue harm to the hundreds of thousands of Vermonters who have been given the ability to vote by mail by November 3rd as well as Vermont's seniors, veterans, and people with disabilities who rely on the Postal Service for the delivery of their prescriptions, concluded the Vermont delegation. It will also further harm all those who will be separated from their families this holiday season if they are unable to rely on promise of the U.S. Postal Service to receive mail from loved ones  a small but critically important way to reduce isolation, depression, and loneliness, particularly for older, more isolated Vermonters.
You can read the letterhere.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
https://www.sanders.senate.gov/press-releases/vermont-seniors-can-now-get-food-assistance-more-easily-thanks-to-the-new-3squaresvt-in-a-snap-program/,"Vermont Seniors Can Now Get Food Assistance More Easily, Thanks to the New 3SquaresVT IN A SNAP Program",2020-10-02,2020,2020-10,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"BURLINGTON, October 2 Beginning October 1st, 2020, Vermont seniors applying for 3SquaresVT are able to use a simple application and benefit renewal process as part of the new 3SquaresVT IN A SNAP program. The easy to use application is available to individuals and households age 60 or older and persons with disabilities.    3SquaresVT IN A SNAP is an improvement to the State's food assistance program,saysKaty Davis, Community Health Initiatives Director at Hunger Free Vermont. Traditional applications can be lengthy to complete, and the benefit renewal process often burdensome, leaving many Vermonters' benefits to lapse. The new program will streamline applications and allow recipients to retain benefits for up to three years without additional paperwork.     For too long, a complex application process has prevented older Vermonters from receiving benefits. With hunger on the rise as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, Congress made important changes to the SNAP program, known locally as 3SquaresVT , that make it much easier for older Vermonters to access nutritious foods. In contrast to critical emergency food distribution efforts and invaluable contributions by the charitable food system, SNAP is one of the best, most sustainable food supports Vermonters can feel confident about.    In the richest country in the history of the world, no one should ever have to worry about going to bed hungry. Period. But as so many people are struggling right now to put food on the table, I strongly urge older Vermonters to see if you qualify for 3SquaresVT,saidSenator Bernie Sanders, a long-time champion of nutrition assistance programs. We are dealing with the worst health crisis and economic crisis in our lifetimes. Today, as 29 million Americans are struggling with hunger and millions of seniors are trying to get by on fixed incomes, I want every Vermonter to know that I am continuing to fight to expand critically important anti-hunger programs, like Meals on Wheels, school nutrition, and SNAP,Sanders continued.    In addition to alleviating hunger, 3SquaresVT also plays a vital role in stimulating the local economy, generating income for grocery stores and farmers, and supporting many front-line workers through our food network.During the 2009 Recession, for every $1 increase in 3SquaresVT benefits, an estimated $1.70 was generated in economic activity*. The program is federally funded, and individual benefits do not impact benefits for others or diminish support for state-level initiatives such as education, housing, or health care. (*Moody's Analytics, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities)    To learn more about programs that can help you access food, simply call:    Helpline (Age 60+): 1-800-642-5119  All others (under 60): Dial 2-1-1    Vermonters who are having trouble with a federal program or agency can call the Office of Senator Sanders for assistance at 802-862-0697 or toll-free in state at 800-339-9834
Contact: Katy Davis, Community Health Initiatives Director  Organization: Hunger Free Vermont, Chittenden County Hunger Council  Phone: 802.231.1086  Email: kdavis@hungerfreevt.org  Website: www.hungerfreevt.org",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
https://www.sanders.senate.gov/press-releases/sanders-statement-on-supreme-court-nomination/,Sanders Statement on Supreme Court Nomination,2020-09-26,2020,2020-09,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"BURLINGTON, September 26  Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) issued the following statement on President Trump's nomination of Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court:  President Trump and Senate Republicans have badly mismanaged a deadly pandemic for months. Now, in the midst of an unprecedented public health crisis, they are willing to ram through a Supreme Court nomineewithin dayswho will vote to destroy the Affordable Care Act, kick millions of Americans off their health care, and eliminate protections for millions more who have preexisting conditions. This is an absolute outrage.The American people will not stand for this cynical effort to fill a Supreme Court vacancy, just days before an election, with someone who will roll back basic protections for women, workers, voters, people of color, the LGBT community, and our environment. I strongly oppose this nomination and we must fight as hard as we can to ensure that this nominee is not confirmed.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
https://www.sanders.senate.gov/press-releases/sanders-dos-docenas-de-legisladores-piden-responsabilidad-de-la-oea-para-garantizar-elecciones-justas-en-bolivia/,"Sanders, Dos Docenas de Legisladores Piden Responsabilidad de la OEA Para Garantizar Elecciones Justas en Bolivia",2020-09-22,2020,2020-09,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"(Read the version in Englishhere.)
WASHINGTON, 22 deseptiembreEl senador Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), la representante Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.), el representante Hank Johnson (D-Ga.) y la representante Deb Haaland (DN.M.) lideran una carta bicameral enviada hoy al Secretario de Estado Mike Pompeo. En dicha carta, junto a dos docenas de miembros del Congreso, le piden al Departamento de Estado que lleve a cabo una revisin completa e independiente de la Organizacin de Estados Americanos (OEA) con respecto a sus acciones en noviembre pasado que contribuyeron a un importante deterioro respecto a derechos humanos y democracia en Bolivia.
Los miembros del Congreso expresaron su profunda preocupacin por la falta de responsabilidad y transparencia de la OEA con respecto a lasdenunciasampliamenterefutadasde fraude electoral en Bolivia el ao pasado. El New York Timesinformque estas afirmaciones iniciales de la OEA fueron aprovechadas para intensificar las protestas, reunir apoyo internacional y expulsar al [presidente] Morales del poder con apoyo militar semanas despus. Las autoridades no electas, reconocidas rpidamente por el Secretario General de la OEA, han promovido una agenda racista, anti-indgena y desplegado militares para reprimir violentamente las protestas, resultando en la muerte y heridas de muchos civiles, escribieron los congresistas, citando uninformerealizado por la Clnica Internacional de Derechos Humanos en la Facultad de Derecho de Harvard.
Por muchos meses, la OEA se ha negado a responder preguntas bsicas de los miembros del Congreso sobre sus reclamos, a pesar del rol del Congreso en la apropiacin de la mayor parte del presupuesto de la OEA, expresaron los legisladores. Dado que la OEA est preparada para tomar una determinacin sobre la libertad, la justicia y la integridad de las prximas elecciones en Bolivia bajo un gobierno represivo y no electo, los legisladores instan a la administracin a usar su voz en la OEA para abogar por una evaluacin exhaustiva e independiente de las declaraciones de la OEA y asegurar que se tomen las medidas correctivas para asegurar que las futuras misiones de observacin electoral de la OEA desempeen sus funciones de manera independiente, imparcial y profesional .
La decisin de la Organizacin de Estados Americanos el ao pasado de declarar fraudulentas las elecciones en Bolivia usando evidencia cuestionable ayud a alimentar una crisis de democracia y derechos humanos que los bolivianos estn experimentando hasta el presente,dijo Sanders.El gobierno de facto que se instaur luego del golpe en Bolivia llev a cabo actos de violencia racistas contra los indgenas, encarcel a activistas y amenaz a los opositores polticos. Lo que ms de dos docenas de mis colegas y yo estamos exigiendo es que el gobierno de los Estados Unidos asuma la responsabilidad de lo que se haga con los dlares de nuestros constituyentes y ejerza supervisin sobre la OEA. Asegurar la rendicin de cuentas y la transparencia de la OEA es vital para unas elecciones libres y justas en Bolivia el prximo mes.
Desde el da despus de las elecciones bolivianas de 2019, la OEA ha ayudado a dirigir una narrativa falsa de que el presidente en ejercicio, Evo Morales, y su partido manipularon las elecciones,dijo la congresista Jan Schakowsky.Esta narrativa contribuy a la polarizacin poltica, un golpe militar y una violenta represin poltica en Bolivia, as como a la incertidumbre sobre el futuro de la democracia. Con las prximas elecciones acercndose rpidamente, finalmente debemos ver la rendicin de cuentas y la transparencia de la OEA, y asegurarnos de que lleve a cabo su misin de manera independiente e imparcial.
A medida que Bolivia se acerca a sus prximas elecciones, es imperativo que la votacin se administre con responsabilidad y sin interferencias,dijo Johnson.Mis colegas y yo pedimos al Departamento de Estado que se asegure de que la Organizacin de los Estados Americanos (OEA) no repita sus errores del monitoreo de las elecciones de 2019 en Bolivia y erosione an ms la democracia y los derechos humanos en el pas. Las declaraciones engaosas de la OEA arrojaron a Bolivia en picada poltica; destituir por la fuerza a Evo Morales, el primer presidente indgena de la nacin, marcar el comienzo de una administracin racista y anti-indgena y una represin violenta y militarizada de las protestas civiles que siguieron. Esto es inaceptable y Estados Unidos no debera ser cmplice de acciones que socavan la democracia.
Desde la renuncia forzada del presidente Morales, la extrema derecha de Bolivia ha impuesto una retrica anti-indgena daina y violencia sistemtica hacia manifestantes, grupos indgenas y afro bolivianos,dijo Haaland.La situacin actual es profundamente preocupante. Es un ataque a la democracia y los derechos humanos. El secretario Pompeo debe actuar ahora; si esperamos, Bolivia podra quedarse sin democracia en los prximos aos.
La carta tambin fue firmada por los representantes Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), Andy Levin (D-Mich.), Jim McGovern (D-Mass.), Ilhan Omar (D- Minn.), Nydia Velzquez (D-N.Y.), Bobby Rush (D-Ill.), Jess Chuy Garca (D-Ill.), Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-N.J .), Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.), Joe Kennedy III (D-Mass.), Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.), Alan Lowenthal (D-Calif.), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.), Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), Susan Wild (D-Pa.), Mark Pocan (D-Wis.), Frederica Wilson (D-Fla.), Maxine Waters (D-Calif.), Jared Huffman (D- Calif.), Ral Grijalva (D-Ariz.), Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) Y Ro Khanna (D-Calif.).
Lea la cartaaqu.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
https://www.sanders.senate.gov/press-releases/sanders-two-dozen-lawmakers-call-for-oas-accountability-to-ensure-fair-elections-in-bolivia/,"Sanders, Two Dozen Lawmakers Call for OAS Accountability to Ensure Fair Elections in Bolivia",2020-09-22,2020,2020-09,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"(Lase la versin en espaol aqu)
WASHINGTON, September 22  In a bicameral letter sent to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo today, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.), Rep. Hank Johnson (D-Ga.), and Rep. Deb Haaland (D-N.M.) led two dozen members of Congress in calling on the State Department to pursue a full, independent review of the Organization of American States (OAS) regarding its actions last November that contributed to a major deterioration of human rights and democracy in Bolivia.
The members of Congress expressed deep concern with the OAS's lack of accountability and transparency regarding the organization's widely refuted claims of electoral fraud in Bolivia last year. The New York Times reported that these initial OAS claims were seized on to escalate protests, gather international support, and push [President] Morales from power with military support weeks later. The unelected authorities, quickly recognized by the OAS Secretary General, have promoted a racist, anti-indigenous agenda and deployed the military to violently repress protests, resulting in the killing and injury of many civilians, wrote the lawmakers, citing a report conducted by Harvard Law School's International Human Rights Clinic.
For months, the OAS has refused to answer basic questions from legislators regarding its claims despite the role of Congress in appropriating the majority of the OAS's budget, continued the lawmakers. Given that the OAS is poised to make a determination of the freedom, fairness, and integrity of the upcoming elections in Bolivia under an unelected and repressive government, the members of Congress urge the administration to use its voice at the OAS to advocate for a thorough, independent assessment of the OAS's statements, and ensure that corrective measures are taken to ensure that future OAS electoral observation missions perform their functions in an independent, impartial and professional manner.
The Organization of American States' decision last year to declare Bolivia's election fraudulent on the basis of questionable evidence helped fuel a crisis of democracy and human rights that Bolivians are experiencing to this day, said Sanders. Bolivia's post-coup government carried out racist violence against indigenous people, imprisoned activists, and threatened political opponents. What more than two dozen of my colleagues and I are demanding is that the United States government take responsibility for what is done with our taxpayer dollars and wield oversight over the OAS. Securing accountability and transparency from the OAS is vital to a free and fair election in Bolivia next month.
Since the day after the 2019 Bolivian elections, the OAS has helped direct a false narrative that the incumbent president, Evo Morales, and his party rigged' the election, said Schakowsky. This narrative contributed to political polarization, a military coup, and violent political repression in Bolivia as well as uncertainty for the democracy's future. With the next election fast approaching, we must finally see accountability and transparency from OAS, and ensure that it carries out its mission independently and impartially.
As Bolivia approaches their next election, it is imperative that voting be administered with accountability and free from interference, said Johnson. My colleagues and I are calling on the State Department to ensure that the OAS doesn't repeat their mistakes from Bolivia's 2019 election monitoring and further erode democracy and human rights in the country. The OAS's misleading statements threw Bolivia into a political tailspin, forcibly unseating Evo Moralesthe nation's first indigenous presidentand ushering in a racist, anti-indigenous administration, and the violent, militarized repression of the civilian protests that followed. This is unacceptable, and the United States should not be abetting actions that undermine democracy.
Since President Morales' forced resignation, Bolivia's far right has levied harmful anti-Indigenous rhetoric and state violence towards protestors, Indigenous and Afro-Bolivian groups, said Haaland. This is an attack on democracy and human rights. Secretary Pompeo must act nowif we wait, Bolivia may be left without a democracy for years to come.
The letter was also signed by Representatives Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), Andy Levin (D-Mich.), Jim McGovern (D-Mass.), Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), Nydia Velzquez (D-N.Y.), Bobby Rush (D-Ill.), Jess Chuy Garca (D-Ill.), Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-N.J.), Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.), Joe Kennedy III (D-Mass.), Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.), Alan Lowenthal (D-Calif.), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.), Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), Susan Wild (D-Pa.), Mark Pocan (D-Wis.), Frederica Wilson (D-Fla.), Maxine Waters (D-Calif.), Jared Huffman (D-Calif.), Ral Grijalva (D-Ariz.), Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), and Ro Khanna (D-Calif.).
Read the letter here.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
https://www.sanders.senate.gov/press-releases/sanders-statement-on-passing-of-justice-ruth-bader-ginsburg/,Sanders Statement on Passing of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg,2020-09-18,2020,2020-09,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"BURLINGTON, September 18  Sen. Bernie Sanders issued the following statement on the passing of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg:
The passing of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is a tremendous loss to our country. She was an extraordinary champion of justice and equal rights, and will be remembered as one of the great justices in modern American history.
Unfortunately, we've already heard tonight from Sen. McConnell that he has decided to go against Justice Ginsburg's dying wishes and violate his own past statements in order to bring a judge nominated by President Trump to the floor of the United States Senate.
That's in direct contradiction of his statement in 2016, when he said Supreme Court nominees should not be voted on during a presidential election year: Our view is this: Give the people a voice in filling this vacancy,' he said. McConnell is cementing a shameful legacy of brazen hypocrisy.
Thankfully not all Senate Republicans agree.
Just today, Sen. Lisa Murkowski came out against an appointment this close to an election. I would not vote to confirm a Supreme Court nominee,' she said. We are 50 some days away from an election.' In addition, several of McConnell's other colleagues have previously stated they're against confirming a new justice this close to an election. Sen. Chuck Grassley said in May, You can't have one rule for Democratic presidents and another rule for Republican presidents.' Sen. Susan Collins said, I think that's too close, I really do,' when asked by The New York Times about appointing a justice in October.
But no one has been clearer than Judiciary Committee Chair Sen. Lindsay Graham. He promised in 2018 that if an opening comes in the last year of President Trump's term, and the primary process has started, we'll wait to the next election.'
The right thing to do here is clear. The Republicans in the Senate know it, and many of them have stated it clearer than I could. We should let voters decide. Period.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/gillibrand-sanders-reintroduce-postal-banking-act-to-fund-us-postal-service,"Gillibrand, Sanders Reintroduce Postal Banking Act to Fund U.S. Postal Service",2020-09-17,2020,2020-09,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Gillibrand, Sanders Reintroduce Postal Banking Act to Fund U.S. Postal Service
			
		
		
			Thursday, September 17, 2020
		
		
	
		
		WASHINGTON, September 17  Today, U.S. Senators Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) held a conversation on Facebook Live to announce the Postal Banking Act. The United States Postal Service (USPS) has faced repeated attacks by the Trump administration including denying emergency funding during the pandemic and putting postal workers at risk of losing their jobs, disrupting operations and services, and delaying mail delivery. The Postal Banking Act would re-establish postal banking to provide financial security to millions of Americans in low-income and rural communities and create approximately $9 billion in annual revenue and strengthen USPS. 
""It is absolutely unacceptable that communities all over America lack traditional banking services, said Senator Sanders.""During the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, we need to make sure that everyone in America is able to receive the affordable banking services that they desperately need.No one in America should have to pay a 400 percent interest rate on a $375 loan from a payday lender.The time has come toput predatory lenders out of business and provide affordable banking options to all Americans through the United States Postal Service. And that is exactly what our legislation will do."" 
""Being poor in America was expensive before the pandemic, and this unprecedented crisis has made it even harder for under-served communities to access the financial services they need. In addition, the administration's relentless attacks on the Postal Service and push for privatization is compounding the challenges faced by American families, said Senator Gillibrand. The USPS is the only institution that serves every community in the country, from inner cities to rural America. The Postal Banking Act would reinforce the Postal Service, provide critical revenue, and establish postal banking for the nearly 10 million American households who lack access to basic financial services. I'm proud to reintroduce this legislation with my friend Senator Sanders, a leader in the fight against predatory financial institutions."" 
The Postal Service employs 600,000 workers, including nearly 100,000 vets, and millions of Americans rely on it to deliver their paychecks, prescriptions, and their votes. Yet, the Trump administration has refused to consider emergency funding for the agency in coronavirus relief legislation. Furthermore, Postmaster General Louis DeJoy has imposed destructive changes that have slowed mail and compromised services for veterans, small businesses, rural communities, seniors, and families who rely on the mail for medicines, essential goods, voting, correspondence, and for income. With even more voters relying on mail in ballots for November these recent changes to USPS could increase costs for states and make it impossible for election mail to be delivered in time. ThePostal Banking Actwould strengthen the Postal Service by establishing a nonprofit bank offering low-cost checking and savings accounts, ATMs, mobile banking, and low-interest loans. According to a report from the USPS Inspector General, this proposal would create $9 billion in revenue for the Postal Service each year. The postal bank would provide financial services to Americans who have been economically devastated by the coronavirus pandemic. Predatory financial services such as prepaid debit cards, rent-to-own stores, and overdraft fees, often exploit the most vulnerable populations  including low income households, rural communities, veterans and families of active duty personnel  especially in times of economic crisis. Instead of turning to these predatory services, families would gain access to traditional basic banking services and safe financial alternatives through the postal bank. 
The legislation has been endorsed by Alliance for Retired Americans, American Family Voices, Center for Popular Democracy, Color of Change, Family Farm Defenders, Farm Aid, Indivisible, Mainers for Accountable Leadership, MoveOn, NETWORK Lobby Catholics for Social Justice, Our Revolution, Paragon Florida, People's Action, Public Citizen, Social Security Works, Stand By Your Mail: The People's Postal Rescue Campaign, Take on Wall Street, and Working Families Party.


Watch the video on Facebook here. 
Full text of the legislation can be found here.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sanders-welch-introduce-bill-to-give-states-greater-control-over-reactor-shutdown-plans,"Sanders, Welch Introduce Bill to Give States Greater Control Over Reactor Shutdown Plans",2020-09-17,2020,2020-09,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Sanders, Welch Introduce Bill to Give States Greater Control Over Reactor Shutdown Plans
			
		
		
			Thursday, September 17, 2020
		
		
	
		
		WASHINGTON  Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Representative Peter Welch (D-Vt.) introduced the Nuclear Plant Decommissioning Act of 2020 today, which gives states a meaningful role in the development and approval of reactor shutdown plans and post-shutdown license transfers.The legislation is co-led in the Senate by Sen. Duckworth (D-Ill.), Sen. Markey (D-Mass.) and Sen. Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) and cosponsored by Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Sen. Durbin (D-Ill.), Sen. King (I-Me.), Sen. Warren (D-Mass.) and Rep. Engel (D-N.Y.) in the U.S. House.
Communities experiencing the safety and economic impacts of nuclear plant decommissioning deserve dedicated economic relief and a role in shaping those decommissioning plans for nuclear reactors near them, especially in light of the coronavirus and climate change crises, Sanders said. This input is especially critical given the potential for non-operational plants to sit for decades before removal and decontamination. The Nuclear Plant Decommissioning Act of 2020 would transform a process that is weighted almost entirely toward the power plant licensees into one that strikes a reasonable balance between licensees and the impacted communities.
Vermonters know first-hand that decommissioning a nuclear power plant has enormous economic and environmental impacts on states and neighboring communities, said Welch. It is essential that state and local leaders have a seat at the table throughout the decommissioning process. This commonsense legislation ensures the decommissioning process is transparent, inclusive and collaborative.
The Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant in Vernon was shuttered at the end of 2014 and ownership of the decommissioned plant was transferred in 2019. This bill would give affected states like Vermont an opportunity to weigh in on the new shutdown plan if there is a license transfer or other significant change to the decommissioning plan. Sanders and Welch first introduced an early version of the Nuclear Decommissioning Act in 2014, shortly after the closure of Vermont Yankee was announced.
The measure would also create several new grant programs to foster communication and information exchange between licensees and communities impacted by plant decommissioning and stranded nuclear waste, and to provide economic assistance to impacted communities.
The closure of Vermont Yankee has shown us how much local communities have at stake, in both the short and long term, when a plant shuts down, and also the great value that local leaders and citizens can offer at every step of the decommissioning process, said Leahy. This legislation brings the benefits of those lessons to provide host communities across the United States a seat at the table.
Affected communities and state officials and should be able to have a meaningful role in the process of decommissioning nuclear power plants. The Nuclear Decommissioning Act would provide necessary transparency, public involvement and resources to those affected by nuclear plant decommissioningincluding communities near Pilgrim, Yankee Rowe, and Vermont Yankee in Massachusetts, Markey said. I strongly support this legislation, which would give the Commonwealth a say in the decommissioning process and ensure that surrounding communities receive the federal funding they need to address the economic and social impacts posed by the closure of these plants and the presence of stranded nuclear waste.
The legislation would require licensees to consult with the host state as well as state governments within 50 miles of the plant when drafting a proposed decommissioning plan, as well as require the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to solicit public input on the proposed decommissioning plan. The NRC would have to evaluate and formally adopt or reject the input of the affected states.
If a host state supports the proposed plan or license transfer, the licensee can secure expedited NRC approval. Otherwise, the NRC must consider amending the proposed plan based on the host state's recommendations.

To read a one page summary of the bill, click here.
To read a section by section outline of the bill, click here.
To read the full text of the bill, click here.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/video-audio/live-sens-gillibrand-and-sanders-talk-postalbanking,LIVE: Sens. Gillibrand and Sanders Talk PostalBanking,2020-09-17,2020,2020-09,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"LIVE: Sens. Gillibrand and Sanders Talk PostalBanking 
            Join me and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand as we introduce the Postal Banking Act. Together, we will guarantee basic banking services to allno outrageous fees or interest ratesall at your local post office.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
https://www.sanders.senate.gov/press-releases/gillibrand-sanders-reintroduce-postal-banking-act-to-fund-u-s-postal-service/,"Gillibrand, Sanders Reintroduce Postal Banking Act to Fund U.S. Postal Service",2020-09-17,2020,2020-09,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, September 17  Today, U.S. Senators Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) held a conversation on Facebook Live to announce the Postal Banking Act. The United States Postal Service (USPS) has faced repeated attacks by the Trump administration including denying emergency funding during the pandemic and putting postal workers at risk of losing their jobs, disrupting operations and services, and delaying mail delivery. The Postal Banking Act would re-establish postal banking to provide financial security to millions of Americans in low-income and rural communities and create approximately $9 billion in annual revenue and strengthen USPS.
It is absolutely unacceptable that communities all over America lack traditional banking services, said Senator Sanders. During the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, we need to make sure that everyone in America is able to receive the affordable banking services that they desperately need. No one in America should have to pay a 400 percent interest rate on a $375 loan from a payday lender. The time has come to put predatory lenders out of business and provide affordable banking options to all Americans through the United States Postal Service. And that is exactly what our legislation will do.
Being poor in America was expensive before the pandemic, and this unprecedented crisis has made it even harder for under-served communities to access the financial services they need. In addition, the administration's relentless attacks on the Postal Service and push for privatization is compounding the challenges faced by American families, said Senator Gillibrand. The USPS is the only institution that serves every community in the country, from inner cities to rural America. The Postal Banking Act would reinforce the Postal Service, provide critical revenue, and establish postal banking for the nearly 10 million American households who lack access to basic financial services. I'm proud to reintroduce this legislation with my friend Senator Sanders, a leader in the fight against predatory financial institutions.
The Postal Service employs 600,000 workers, including nearly 100,000 vets, and millions of Americans rely on it to deliver their paychecks, prescriptions, and their votes. Yet, the Trump administration has refused to consider emergency funding for the agency in coronavirus relief legislation. Furthermore, Postmaster General Louis DeJoy has imposed destructive changes that have slowed mail and compromised services for veterans, small businesses, rural communities, seniors, and families who rely on the mail for medicines, essential goods, voting, correspondence, and for income. With even more voters relying on mail in ballots for November these recent changes to USPS could increase costs for states and make it impossible for election mail to be delivered in time.
The Postal Banking Act would strengthen the Postal Service by establishing a nonprofit bank offering low-cost checking and savings accounts, ATMs, mobile banking, and low-interest loans. According to a report from the USPS Inspector General, this proposal would create $9 billion in revenue for the Postal Service each year. The postal bank would provide financial services to Americans who have been economically devastated by the coronavirus pandemic. Predatory financial services such as prepaid debit cards, rent-to-own stores, and overdraft fees, often exploit the most vulnerable populations  including low income households, rural communities, veterans and families of active duty personnel  especially in times of economic crisis. Instead of turning to these predatory services, families would gain access to traditional basic banking services and safe financial alternatives through the postal bank.
The legislation has been endorsed by Alliance for Retired Americans, American Family Voices, Americans for Financial Reform, Center for Popular Democracy, Color of Change, Family Farm Defenders, Farm Aid, Indivisible, Mainers for Accountable Leadership, MoveOn, NAACP, NETWORK Lobby Catholics for Social Justice, Our Revolution, Paragon Florida, People's Action, Public Citizen, Social Security Works, Stand By Your Mail: The People's Postal Rescue Campaign, Take on Wall Street, and Working Families Party.
Watch the video on Facebook here.
Full text of the legislation can be found here.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
https://www.sanders.senate.gov/press-releases/sanders-welch-introduce-bill-to-give-states-greater-control-over-reactor-shutdown-plans/,"Sanders, Welch Introduce Bill to Give States Greater Control Over Reactor Shutdown Plans",2020-09-17,2020,2020-09,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON  Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Representative Peter Welch (D-Vt.) introduced the Nuclear Plant Decommissioning Act of 2020 today, which gives states a meaningful role in the development and approval of reactor shutdown plans and post-shutdown license transfers. The legislation is co-led in the Senate by Sen. Duckworth (D-Ill.), Sen. Markey (D-Mass.) and Sen. Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) and cosponsored by Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Sen. Durbin (D-Ill.), Sen. King (I-Me.), Sen. Warren (D-Mass.) and Rep. Engel (D-N.Y.) in the U.S. House.
Communities experiencing the safety and economic impacts of nuclear plant decommissioning deserve dedicated economic relief and a role in shaping those decommissioning plans for nuclear reactors near them, especially in light of the coronavirus and climate change crises, Sanders said. This input is especially critical given the potential for non-operational plants to sit for decades before removal and decontamination. The Nuclear Plant Decommissioning Act of 2020 would transform a process that is weighted almost entirely toward the power plant licensees into one that strikes a reasonable balance between licensees and the impacted communities.
Vermonters know first-hand that decommissioning a nuclear power plant has enormous economic and environmental impacts on states and neighboring communities, said Welch. It is essential that state and local leaders have a seat at the table throughout the decommissioning process. This commonsense legislation ensures the decommissioning process is transparent, inclusive and collaborative.
The Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant in Vernon was shuttered at the end of 2014 and ownership of the decommissioned plant was transferred in 2019. This bill would give affected states like Vermont an opportunity to weigh in on the new shutdown plan if there is a license transfer or other significant change to the decommissioning plan. Sanders and Welch first introduced an early version of the Nuclear Decommissioning Act in 2014, shortly after the closure of Vermont Yankee was announced.
The measure would also create several new grant programs to foster communication and information exchange between licensees and communities impacted by plant decommissioning and stranded nuclear waste, and to provide economic assistance to impacted communities.
The closure of Vermont Yankee has shown us how much local communities have at stake, in both the short and long term, when a plant shuts down, and also the great value that local leaders and citizens can offer at every step of the decommissioning process, said Leahy. This legislation brings the benefits of those lessons to provide host communities across the United States a seat at the table.
Affected communities and state officials and should be able to have a meaningful role in the process of decommissioning nuclear power plants. The Nuclear Decommissioning Act would provide necessary transparency, public involvement and resources to those affected by nuclear plant decommissioningincluding communities near Pilgrim, Yankee Rowe, and Vermont Yankee in Massachusetts, Markey said. I strongly support this legislation, which would give the Commonwealth a say in the decommissioning process and ensure that surrounding communities receive the federal funding they need to address the economic and social impacts posed by the closure of these plants and the presence of stranded nuclear waste.
The legislation would require licensees to consult with the host state as well as state governments within 50 miles of the plant when drafting a proposed decommissioning plan, as well as require the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to solicit public input on the proposed decommissioning plan. The NRC would have to evaluate and formally adopt or reject the input of the affected states.
If a host state supports the proposed plan or license transfer, the licensee can secure expedited NRC approval. Otherwise, the NRC must consider amending the proposed plan based on the host state's recommendations.
To read a one page summary of the bill, click here.
To read a section by section outline of the bill, click here.
To read the full text of the bill, click here.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sanders-schumer-call-for-special-committee-to-ensure-election-security,"Sanders, Schumer Call for Special Committee to Ensure Election Security",2020-09-16,2020,2020-09,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Sanders, Schumer Call for Special Committee to Ensure Election Security
			
		
		
			Wednesday, September 16, 2020
		
		
	
		
		WASHINGTONIn response to the disturbing rise in attacks on the fundamental security and legitimacy of our elections, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) sent a letter to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) requesting the formation of a specialbipartisancommittee to hear testimony from state and local officials, election experts, and others to reassure the American people that the election will go smoothly and reliably. ""Nothing is more fundamental to our democracy than the integrity of our elections, Senators Schumer and Sanders wrote. Sadly, there are some who are systematically undermining public confidence in the voting process, and irresponsibly fanning suspicions and conspiracy theories about the legitimacy of election results.    ""With the election less than two months away the Senate should immediately establish a specialbipartisancommittee, with equal representation from both parties, thesenators continued.""The function of that committee must be to hold hearings about what is being done around the country to make certain that our public institutions are prepared to conduct a smooth and reliable election which will be free from voter suppression and intimidation, that every vote will be counted and that there will be confidence in the ultimate outcome."" The full lettercan be foundhere.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
https://www.sanders.senate.gov/press-releases/sanders-schumer-call-for-special-committee-to-ensure-election-security/,"Sanders, Schumer Call for Special Committee to Ensure Election Security",2020-09-16,2020,2020-09,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON  In response to the disturbing rise in attacks on the fundamental security and legitimacy of our elections, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) sent a letter to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) requesting the formation of a special bipartisan committee to hear testimony from state and local officials, election experts, and others to reassure the American people that the election will go smoothly and reliably.
Nothing is more fundamental to our democracy than the integrity of our elections, Senators Schumer and Sanders wrote. Sadly, there are some who are systematically undermining public confidence in the voting process, and irresponsibly fanning suspicions and conspiracy theories about the legitimacy of election results.
With the election less than two months away the Senate should immediately establish a special bipartisan committee, with equal representation from both parties, the senators continued. The function of that committee must be to hold hearings about what is being done around the country to make certain that our public institutions are prepared to conduct a smooth and reliable election which will be free from voter suppression and intimidation, that every vote will be counted and that there will be confidence in the ultimate outcome.
Nothing is more fundamental to our democracy than the integrity of our elections, Senators Schumer and Sanders wrote. Sadly, there are some who are systematically undermining public confidence in the voting process, and irresponsibly fanning suspicions and conspiracy theories about the legitimacy of election results.
With the election less than two months away the Senate should immediately establish a specialbipartisancommittee, with equal representation from both parties, thesenators continued.The function of that committee must be to hold hearings about what is being done around the country to make certain that our public institutions are prepared to conduct a smooth and reliable election which will be free from voter suppression and intimidation, that every vote will be counted and that there will be confidence in the ultimate outcome.
The full letter can be found here.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/recent-business/floor-speech-on-the-republican-skinny-relief-bill,"Floor Speech on the Republican ""Skinny"" Relief Bill",2020-09-10,2020,2020-09,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Floor Speech on the Republican ""Skinny"" Relief Bill
			
		
		
			Thursday, September 10, 2020
		
		
	
		
		 Statement on the Republican Skinny Relief Bill 

Mr. President: Today, as a result of the horrific pandemic and economic meltdown, the American working-class is hurting like they have never hurt before.
Tens of millions of our fellow citizens have lost their jobs. They have lost their incomes. They have lost their health insurance. They have depleted their life savings. They cannot afford to pay the rent. They cannot afford to put food on the table. And they are scared to death that any day now they will get a knock on the door from the sheriff evicting them from their homes and throwing them and their belongings out on the street.
Mr. President. This is the United States of America, the richest country in the history of the world. No one should be going hungry. No one should have to live in fear of becoming homeless. No one should be denied the health care that they need, especially during the worst public health crisis in over a hundred years.
But that is precisely what is going on all over America as we speak.
Just the other day, National Public Radio released a survey on the unprecedented economic suffering facing the American people that should shock everyone in the United States Senate into action.
And here is what that survey found:
46 percent of Americans  over 150 million people  are now experiencing serious financial problems.
41 percent of Americans  over 134 million people - have used up all or most of their savings.
33 percent of American families have had someone in their household who has either lost a job, lost a business or has been furloughed during the pandemic.
Mr. President. This is an unprecedented moment in American history and the Senate needs to take unprecedented action now to improve the lives of the American people.
And yet, in the midst of all of this pain, what has the Republican Senate done over the last 5 months to address the economic suffering of the American people? Nothing, except pass a $740 billion budget for the bloated Pentagon and take an extended vacation.
And now that the Senate is back in session, Senate Republicans have introduced a so-called skinny relief bill that is totally inadequate in terms of addressing the crisis that we are facing today.
The Senate Republican bill provides nothing for rent, nothing for mortgages, nothing for food, nothing for hazard pay, nothing for healthcare, nothing for public transportation, and nothing to prevent the mass layoffs of teachers, nurses, firefighters and construction workers.
In other words, the same Republicans who had no problem voting for a trillion dollar tax break to the top one percent and large corporations two years ago, are now telling 40 million Americans who are struggling to pay for housing that we cannot afford to help them pay their rent or their mortgage.
The same Republicans who just voted to provide $740 billion for the bloated Pentagon and military industrial complex to wage endless wars, are now telling 30 million workers who lost their jobs that we cannot afford to continue the $600 a week supplement they were receiving in unemployment benefits.
The same Republicans who slipped a $135 billion tax break for multi-millionaires and billionaires into the last coronavirus relief package, are now telling 29 million Americans who do not have enough food to eat that we cannot afford to help them feed their families.
But Mr. President, if you are an executive in the coal industry, you are in luck. The Republican Senate bill provides your industry with $161 million in corporate welfare.
That's right. The Republican Senate bill provides no money for working families. No money to feed the hungry. No money to house the homeless. No money to insure the uninsured - no money for them. But it does provide $161 million in corporate welfare for the coal industry during a climate emergency.
Well, Mr. President. That may make sense to the CEOs in the fossil fuel industry who are destroying the planet, but it makes zero sense to me.
Further, under the Senate Republican bill, if you are a rich business owner who forces employees to work in an unsafe and unhealthy workplace, you are rewarded. The Republican bill will provide you with the immunity you need from lawsuits if your workers get sick or die from the coronavirus. But if you are an essential worker during this pandemic, you get nothing. The Republican bill does not provide a nickel more for hazard pay or the personal protective equipment that you need and deserve.
Needless to say, I am strongly opposed to the Senate Republican bill and I am glad that it was defeated earlier today. Mr. President, instead of listening to the needs of fossil fuel CEOs, we need to listen to the needs of working-class Americans.
Instead of providing more corporate welfare to billionaires and large corporations, we need to provide more economic relief to the tens of millions of Americans who are hurting economically.
Mr. President, nearly 4 months ago, the House of Representatives did its job by passing the HEROES Act - a $3.5 trillion bill. In my view, the Senate has got to stand up and do its job and pass a bill that is just as good if not better than what the House did.
Now, Mr. President, I have received, many thousands of letters, emails and social media responses from my constituents in Vermont and all over this country about how the economic crisis has negatively impacted their lives and what the $600 a week in unemployment benefits that expired in July meant to them.
Let me read to you just a few of the many thousands of stories my office has received:
A constituent from North Chittenden, Vermont wrote:
I was laid off in March. Since the end of the extra $600 I've been able to eat because of the food bank. I wasn't able to get one of my prescriptions because even with insurance it was $88. I saved as much as I could during the extra $600 period but I'm almost out of money now. Literally enough to make it about 10 days. Then what? I'm 65.
An unemployed worker wrote: We can't pay our rent including car payment and car insurance, bills, feed our four kids or buy necessities. We desperately need the extra $600 to stay afloat. If we don't get our money soon, we could lose EVERYTHING!!!
Another unemployed worker recently wrote: My state benefit was $127/week (I exhausted my available state funds last week). My rent is $1,200 a month. Without further congressional action I will be unhoused within a month or two.
A constituent from Danville, Vermont wrote:
That moment the government stopped the $600 a week they closed my benefits. I never saw anything other than that $600 and it went to bills and rent. Now I'm behind on everything again.
And on and on it goes.
Clearly, in the midst of this unprecedented crisis the Senate must act and act NOW. Not with a skinny relief bill that does virtually nothing to help working families in their time of need. But with legislation that responds to the unprecedented economic pain and suffering that the American working class is experiencing.
We need to extend the extra $600 a week in unemployment benefits for the 30 million Americans who have lost their jobs  like the House passed over 3 months ago. This is absolutely essential. It would give families, during this crisis, the income they need to live with dignity.
We need to make sure that every working-class person in America receives $2,000 a month until this crisis is over so that they can pay the rent and put food on the table.
We need to expand Medicare to all of the 92 million Americans who are uninsured or under-insured.
In other words, we need a coronavirus relief bill that benefits the working class and the poor, not the wealthy and the well-connected.
Now, I know what my Republican colleagues will say: That's too expensive. We can't afford it.
Well, maybe, just maybe, if my Republican colleagues were so concerned about the deficit, they may want to ask their billionaire campaign contributors to pay more in taxes, instead of giving them massive tax breaks.
Mr. President, in the midst of the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression and the worst public health crisis in more than a hundred years, I think most Americans would be shocked to learn that 467 billionaires in our country have seen their wealth go up by $800 billion.
Let me repeat that. 467 billionaires have seen their wealth go up by $800 billion during the pandemic.
In my view, at a time of massive wealth and income inequality, when so many our people are hurting, it is morally obscene for billionaires to use a global pandemic as an opportunity to make outrageous profits.
Instead of more austerity for the working class and the poor, we need to impose austerity on the billionaire class and Wall Street.
And that is why, Mr. President, I have introduced legislation to tax the obscene wealth gains billionaires have made during the public health crisis. According to Americans for Tax Fairness, if we taxed 60 percent of the windfall gains billionaires made during the pandemic we could raise over $420 billion. That's enough revenue to allow Medicare to pay all of the out-of-pocket healthcare expenses for everyone in America over the next 12 months. Yes, Mr. President, by taxing 60 percent of the wealth gains made by just 467 billionaires during this horrific pandemic, we could guarantee healthcare as a right for an entire year. And billionaires would still be able to pocket more than $310 billion in wealth gains during the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression. At a time of enormous economic pain and suffering, we have a choice to make. We can continue to allow the very rich to get much richer while everyone else gets poorer and poorer. Or we can tax the winnings a handful of billionaires made during the pandemic to improve the health and well-being of tens of millions of Americans. Mr. President, it is time for the Senate to act on behalf of the working class who are hurting like they have never hurt before, not the billionaire class who are doing phenomenally well and have never had it so good.

You can read the prepared remarkshere.
You can watch the floor speechhere.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/video-audio/pass-the-relief-our-people-neednow,Pass The Relief Our People NeedNow,2020-09-10,2020,2020-09,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Pass The Relief Our People NeedNow 
            Instead of providing more corporate welfare to billionaires and large corporations, we need to provide more financial relief to the tens of millions of Americans who are hurting like they have never hurt before.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/recent-business/sanders-presses-health-officials-on-vaccine-availability,Sanders Presses Health Officials on Vaccine Availability,2020-09-09,2020,2020-09,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Sanders Presses Health Officials on Vaccine Availability
			
		
		
			Wednesday, September 9, 2020
		
		
	
		
		 By:WCAX News Team;WCAX 

Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders Wednesday pressed federal health officials on whether Americans will have to pay for a vaccine once one has been approved by the FDA.
The Senate Committee on Health, Education Labor and Pensions heard from advisers to the president's coronavirus response, including National Institutes of Health Director Francis Collins and U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams.
In response to a question from Sanders on the cost of a future vaccine, both said that cost would not be a barrier
This is something I'm gonna be working very hard on. Other senators will as well. Will you join us in the effort to make sure that this vaccine will be distributed free of charge to all Americans? Sanders asked U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams.
I want to give you a very direct answer. Yes. As surgeon general of the United States, I promise you we will use every federal tool that we have to make sure that cost is not an obstacle for people to receive the vaccine that is likely the most anticipated of our time, Adams responded.
Both Adams and Collins also stressed that safety will not be compromised by the vaccine's accelerated timeline. They say if it doesn't work or isn't safe, it won't be used and any doses that have been produced will be destroyed.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/must-read/vermont-pride-week-perseveres-through-pandemic,Vermont Pride Week Perseveres Through Pandemic,2020-09-08,2020,2020-09,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Vermont Pride Week Perseveres Through Pandemic
			
			
		
		
		
			 By: Kayla Martin 
		
		
			
		
		
			Tuesday, September 8, 2020
		
		
	
		
		Monday kicked off the start of Pride Week in Vermont. The Pride Center Vermont, the organizers of the annual event, says the week is all about feeling heard, feeling seen, and coming together, and they wanted to make sure that the pandemic didn't silence them.
Pride week will certainly look a lot different than it has in years past, but there is still fun to be had. Festivities range from a Women's Trivia Night Tuesday to a Rural Queer Crafternoon Wednesday and a live, drive-in drag show at a local theater.
The Pride Center's Justin Marsh says the event is especially important this year because of feelings of isolation brought on by the Coronavirus. You can't cancel pride, so we knew we had to do something, and we to come together as a community, and so it's, it's really nice to still find ways that we can all connect, he said.
Richard Elliott, whose drag name is Rhedd Rhumm, says the idea is to have a platform that enables everyone to leave their worries at the door. I want you to escape from whatever it is that you have to escape from for that 4 to 5 minutes. Because it is such a therapeutic thing to be able to watch somebody, just be enamored by them, smile, laugh, forget about the worries of the world, Elliott said.
Taking the pandemic and safety precautions into consideration,Pride Week will consist of a combination of virtual and in-person events.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/recent-business/senators-tell-trump-administration-to-stop-forcing-payroll-tax-deferral-on-federal-workers,Senators tell Trump administration to stop forcing payroll tax deferral on federal workers,2020-09-08,2020,2020-09,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Top Senators urged the Trump administration on Tuesday to halt its plans to implement a mandatory payroll tax deferral for millions of federal employees, arguing that these workers should not be treated as political pawns.

The issue stems from an order issued by President Trump in August, which allows participating employers to cease withholding their workers' payroll taxes until the end of the year. Private-sector employees may be able to opt out of the plan, but federal workersdo not appear to have a choice meaning they will see a slight boost to their pay now,then owe morein 2021.


The forced nature of the president's order drew frustration from about two dozen lawmakers led by Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), who called it a payroll tax scheme and demanded answers in a sharply critical letter sent to the Treasury Department and the Office of Management and Budget, which are overseeing the deferral's implementation.

We urge you to let federal workers and uniformed service members choose whether to defer their payroll tax obligations  rather than forcing them to participate, Van Hollen wrote, along with Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine), Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and 19 other lawmakers, all of whom are Democrats.

While some federal employees may want to defer their payroll tax payments, the lawmakers continued, unions representing federal workers have made clear that many others do not.

Spokespeople for the two federal agencies did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The bipartisan rebuke is only the latest against Trump's payroll tax order, one of a series of actions he announced in August to circumvent a congressional stalemate over another round ofcoronavirusaid. In signing the directive, Trump promised he would boost workers' take-home pay and pledged hewould terminate the taxesAmericans accrue over the next four months so that they don't have to repay them in January.

Weeks later, however, the president's vision appears to be in tatters. A wide swath of companies have signaled they may not implement Trump's order, threatening to undermine the White House's attempts to stimulate the economy. Trump's aim to absolve Americans' tax debts, meanwhile, has garnered little meaningful support among the lawmakers who would have to approve such a law.

In the meantime, the federal government has forged ahead with its own plans to implement the president's deferral for millions of federal workers. Official guidance sent to these employees in recent days has indicated they are unable to opt out of the program.

The approach has drawn opposition from unions, one of which urged Congress this month to block the government from imposing Trump's order as part of its next bill funding federal operations. Democratic lawmakers are planning to pursue that in any continuing resolution, Van Hollen said in an interview Tuesday.

The Defense Department's military and civilian employees are subject to the deferral, a payroll processor for the Pentagon confirmed over the weekend. In doing so, it specified in bold, italicized, underlined guidance posted online that they are not eligible to opt out of the deferral.


Lawmakers, including Van Hollen, said Trump had sought to sow mass confusion about a tax deferral that eventually must be repaid. The president wants them to believe they got this bonus, he said.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/recent-business/bernie-sanders-tells-mcconnell-to-stop-worrying-about-billionaire-donors-pass-stimulus-act,"Bernie Sanders Tells McConnell to 'Stop Worrying' About Billionaire Donors, Pass Stimulus Act",2020-09-07,2020,2020-09,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Bernie Sanders Tells McConnell to 'Stop Worrying' About Billionaire Donors, Pass Stimulus Act
			
		
		
			Monday, September 7, 2020
		
		
	
		
		 By: James Walker;Newsweek 

Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) told Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to ""stop worrying"" about ""billionaire campaign contributors"" and allow the upper chamber to pass the $3 trillion HEROES Act relief bill.
The former Democratic primary candidate called on the top Republican lawmaker to ""respond to the needs of working families"" and permit a vote on the bailout fund that passed the House in May this year.
Sanders issued his rebuke of the Senate majority leader as talks over the details of the next coronavirus stimulus package continued to stall.
""Today, I say to Mitch McConnell: Do your job. Let us pass the HEROES Act or legislation that is even better. But, for once in your life, stop worrying about your billionaire campaign contributors, and respond to the needs of working families.""
 Why it Matters 
Negotiations over the next stimulus package have made little headway over the past month as GOP lawmakers, the Trump administration and top Democrats have remained split on the size of the next bailout fund.
The Democratic-led House passed the $3.4 trillion HEROES Act in May, but the bill has not yet been voted on in the GOP-controlled Senate as Republican lawmakerseye a smaller fundcapped at no more than $1 trillion.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin have signaled that they are both still willing to thrash out a deal, but still appeared to be divided on the scale of the intervention needed to buoy U.S. households and the economy.
Releasing a statement after a phone call with Mnuchin last week, Pelosi said: ""Sadly, this phone call made clear that Democrats and the White House continue to have serious differences understanding the gravity of the situation that America's working families are facing.""
The speaker has indicated that her side would be willing to negotiate down the size of the HEROES Act to $2.2 trillion.
Appearing onFox News Sundayyesterday, Mnuchin said talks were stuck on the topline sum and certain policy issues.
""The speaker has refused to sit down and negotiate unless we agree to something like a $2.5 trillion deal in advance. We put $3 trillion into the economy when the economy was completely shut down, we've now reopened the economy,"" he said.
""Let's do a more targeted bill now and if we need to do more in 30 days we'll continue to do more. But let's not hold up the American workers and American businesses that need more support.""
 Counterpoint 
While Sen. Sanders has laid blame for stalled relief at McConnell's door, the Senate majority leader has argued thatpartisan splitsin the run up to election day are obstructing any deal.
""We haven't reached an agreement, and I don't know if that's going to be possible with all of the partisan juices flowing like they are some two months from the election,"" he said last week.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/video-audio/3squaresvt-can-help-your-family-put-food-on-the-table,3SquaresVT Can Help Your Family Put Food on the Table,2020-08-31,2020,2020-08,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"3SquaresVT Can Help Your Family Put Food on the Table 
            Many Vermonters struggle to put food on the table.  That has been especially true since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. The federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known in Vermont as 3SquaresVT, is the number one way Vermont families can get food help. The best part is, signing up doesn't take benefits away from others and doing so helps the local economy.  Vermonters can learn more about the program and apply by contacting 2-1-1 or visiting https://dcf.vermont.gov/benefits/3SquaresVT",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/video-audio/we-must-end-the-horrors-of-systemic-racism-and-police-brutality,We Must End the Horrors of Systemic Racism and Police Brutality,2020-08-28,2020,2020-08,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"We Must End the Horrors of Systemic Racism and Police Brutality 
            Vermonters: Racism exists here. Full stop. It is incumbent upon each of us to educate ourselves and actively work to create anti-racist communities. I thank each and every Vermonter who has shared their experience and who is doing the necessary work to truly make Vermont a welcoming place for all. 
The brutal shooting of Jacob Blake and the continued protests occurring in every corner of our country, including in Vermont, is a clear call for action. I stand with all who are demanding justice and an end to the horrors of systemic racism and police brutality. Congress must work to end the horrific violence perpetrated at alarming rates against Black Americans.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/video-audio/we-must-pass-the-john-lewis-voting-rights-act,We Must Pass The John Lewis Voting Rights Act,2020-08-26,2020,2020-08,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"We Must Pass The John Lewis Voting Rights Act 
            One hundred years ago, women fought for the right to vote, and won. Today, as we celebrate this important milestone, we also recognize that women of color were intentionally excluded from this victory, despite their heroic efforts to help achieve it. 
 
This centennial is a reminder that we must redouble our efforts to fight voter suppression that silences far too many voices in our democracy, make election day a national holiday, and ensure everyone who wants to can vote by mail. And we must pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Act to finally guarantee the right to vote to all.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/video-audio/if-you-lose-youre-leaving-office-period,"If You Lose, You're Leaving Office. Period.",2020-08-25,2020,2020-08,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"If You Lose, You're Leaving Office. Period. 
            What President Trump is saying is, ""I cannot lose this election. If I win, great. If I lose, it's rigged.
This is a major effort to undermine our democracy and our election system.
We have got to make it clear to Donald Trump: If you lose, you're leaving office. Period.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/must-read/elizabeth-warren-bernie-sanders-and-other-top-democrats-demand-usps-board-reverse-chiefs-policy-changes,"Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders and Other Top Democrats Demand USPS Board Reverse Chiefs Policy Changes",2020-08-17,2020,2020-08,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders and Other Top Democrats Demand Usps Board Reverse Chief's Policy Changes
			
			
		
		
		
			 By:  Kevin Breuninger; CNBC 
		
		
		
			Monday, August 17, 2020
		
		
	
		
		Leading Democratic senators called for the U.S. Postal Service Board of Governors on Monday to reverse sweeping operational changes implemented by new Postmaster General Louis DeJoy  and remove him if he doesn't comply.
The cost-cutting measures put in place by DeJoy, a major donor to Republicans and committees supporting PresidentDonald Trump's reelection, have been blamed for reports of widespread mail delays. They are also raising fears about the Post Office's ability to handle an expected flood of mail-in ballots in the November election.
Democrats have wondered aloud whether the changes are a political tactic to undermine USPS, a federal agency, in ways that could impact ballot-counting in the November race between Trump and presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden.
Mr. DeJoy appears to be engaged in a partisan effort, with the support of President Trump, to delay and degrade mail service and undermine the mission of the United States Postal Service, said seven senators, led by Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York,in a letter to the USPS Board of Governors.
The request ishardly the first entreaty from Congress to reverse DeJoy's overhaul of the Post Office. Members of both parties have called on the postmaster general to reel in his new policies, which reportedly include major cuts in overtime and crackdowns on making late trips to deliver mail.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.,said Sunday she is calling the House back from summer recessin order to vote on House Oversight Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney'sbillto block DeJoy's changes from taking effectuntil the coronavirus pandemic has ended.
Trump, an aggressive critic of mail-in voting, denied that he is encouraging DeJoy to slow down the mail. I have encouraged everybody, speed up the mail,' he told reporters outside the White House on Monday morning.
DeJoy said this month the USPS has ample capacity to handle election mail.
But the senators wrote that DeJoy has rapidly taken numerous actions that threaten the service and integrity of the Postal Service.
Mr. DeJoy's short tenure has endangered millions of Americans who rely on the Postal Service to keep in touch with their friends and family, obtain prescription drugs and other daily needs, and access their Social Security, Veterans Affairs, and other benefits, they wrote. And his efforts threaten the ability of Americans to vote in the 2020 elections.
A spokesman for the USPS did not respond to CNBC's request for comment.
The group of senators, which also includes Vermont's Bernie Sanders, Ron Wyden of Oregon, Gary Peters of Michigan, and Minnesota's Tina Smith and Amy Klobuchar, told the board they have the authority and responsibility to act.
Should he not cooperate with these efforts, you have the authority, under the Postal Reorganization Act, to remove the Postmaster General,' with a favorable vote of an absolute majority of the Governors in office,' the letter said.
Warren doubled down on that point in a tweet later Monday. The Postal Service Board of Governors should use their authority to reverse DeJoy's changes that sabotage USPS operations  and remove DeJoy as Postmaster General if he doesn't cooperate, she wrote.
The letter was sent to six members of the board, all of whom were appointed by Trump.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/recent-business/bernie-sanders-elizabeth-warren-and-other-top-democrats-demand-usps-board-reverse-chiefs-policy-changes,"Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren and Other Top Democrats Demand USPS Board Reverse Chiefs Policy Changes",2020-08-17,2020,2020-08,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren and Other Top Democrats Demand USPS Board Reverse Chief's Policy Changes
			
		
		
			Monday, August 17, 2020
		
		
	
		
		 By:Kevin Breuninger;CNBC 

Leading Democratic senators called for the U.S. Postal Service Board of Governors on Monday to reverse sweeping operational changes implemented by new Postmaster General Louis DeJoy  and remove him if he doesn't comply.
The cost-cutting measures put in place by DeJoy, a major donor to Republicans and committees supporting PresidentDonald Trump's reelection, have been blamed for reports of widespread mail delays. They are also raising fears about the Post Office's ability to handle an expected flood of mail-in ballots in the November election.
Democrats have wondered aloud whether the changes are a political tactic to undermine USPS, a federal agency, in ways that could impact ballot-counting in the November race between Trump and presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden.
Mr. DeJoy appears to be engaged in a partisan effort, with the support of President Trump, to delay and degrade mail service and undermine the mission of the United States Postal Service, said seven senators, led by Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York,in a letter to the USPS Board of Governors.
The request ishardly the first entreaty from Congress to reverse DeJoy's overhaul of the Post Office. Members of both parties have called on the postmaster general to reel in his new policies, which reportedly include major cuts in overtime and crackdowns on making late trips to deliver mail.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.,said Sunday she is calling the House back from summer recessin order to vote on House Oversight Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney'sbillto block DeJoy's changes from taking effectuntil the coronavirus pandemic has ended.
Trump, an aggressive critic of mail-in voting, denied that he is encouraging DeJoy to slow down the mail. I have encouraged everybody, speed up the mail,' he told reporters outside the White House on Monday morning.
DeJoy said this month the USPS has ample capacity to handle election mail.
But the senators wrote that DeJoy has rapidly taken numerous actions that threaten the service and integrity of the Postal Service.
Mr. DeJoy's short tenure has endangered millions of Americans who rely on the Postal Service to keep in touch with their friends and family, obtain prescription drugs and other daily needs, and access their Social Security, Veterans Affairs, and other benefits, they wrote. And his efforts threaten the ability of Americans to vote in the 2020 elections.
A spokesman for the USPS did not respond to CNBC's request for comment.
The group of senators, which also includes Vermont's Bernie Sanders, Ron Wyden of Oregon, Gary Peters of Michigan, and Minnesota's Tina Smith and Amy Klobuchar, told the board they have the authority and responsibility to act.
Should he not cooperate with these efforts, you have the authority, under the Postal Reorganization Act, to remove the Postmaster General,' with a favorable vote of an absolute majority of the Governors in office,' the letter said.
Warren doubled down on that point in a tweet later Monday. The Postal Service Board of Governors should use their authority to reverse DeJoy's changes that sabotage USPS operations  and remove DeJoy as Postmaster General if he doesn't cooperate, she wrote.
The letter was sent to six members of the board, all of whom were appointed by Trump.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/video-audio/the-american-people-are-hurting,The American People Are Hurting,2020-08-15,2020,2020-08,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"The American People Are Hurting 
            The American people are hurting. Millions are unemployed and cannot pay their rent or put food on the table.
 
I shouldn't have to say this, but here's a message to President Trump, Senator McConnell and my Republican colleagues: the American people desperately needed you to act months ago, before critical assistance lapsed. They cannot wait until September. Perhaps you should actually listen to the countless stories of those who are struggling in every corner of our country. But maybe you just don't give a damn.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/video-audio/vermont-summer-meals-are-still-available,Vermont Summer Meals Are Still Available,2020-08-14,2020,2020-08,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Vermont Summer Meals Are Still Available 
            When Vermont schools closed in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic, school meal programs quickly transitioned to finding new ways of providing free meals to children 18 and under.  In summer months, free and nutritious meals are still available at hundreds of locations throughout Vermont, thanks to the federally-funded Vermont Summer Meals Program. For information on times and locations of meal program sites near you, text FOOD to 877877 or call 2-1-1.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/video-audio/we-must-stand-with-the-gwichin-nation,We Must Stand With The Gwich'in Nation,2020-08-14,2020,2020-08,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"We Must Stand With The Gwich'in Nation 
            It is absurd that instead of demanding the Senate reconvene to pass a bill to provide immediate relief to millions of Americans, the Trump administration is moving forward with oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. 
 
Opening up the refuge is nothing more than a massive handout to the hugely profitable oil and gas companies at the expense of our climate and indigenous peoples. We must stand with the Gwich'in Nation and aggressively transition away from fossil fuels toward sustainable energy like wind and solar.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sanders-larson-call-for-strengthening-social-security-after-gao-study-examines-disability-wait-times,"Sanders, Larson Call for Strengthening Social Security After GAO Study Examines Disability Wait Times",2020-08-13,2020,2020-08,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Sanders, Larson Call for Strengthening Social Security After GAO Study Examines Disability Wait Times
			
		
		
			Thursday, August 13, 2020
		
		
	
		
		WASHINGTON, August 13  Today,Senate Budget Committee Ranking Member Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and House Ways and Means Social Security Subcommittee Chairman John B. Larson (D-Conn.)responded to new findings from a Government Accountability Office (GAO)studythey commissioned which found that thousands of American die or go bankrupt waiting to receive their disability benefits each year. ""It is absolutely unconscionable that thousands of Americans suffer and die every year waiting for a final decision to get the modest Social Security benefits they need to survive. People with disabilities trying to access their earned benefits are forced to wait years before they even get a hearing,said Sanders.This report shows not only how critical Social Security can be to Americans with disabilities, but how dire the backlog is. Our job now is to stop Trump's latest effort to defund Social Security. We must also increase benefits,make the filing process easier and eliminate these obscene wait lists of people trying, far too often in vain, to access their earned benefits."" ""On the eve of Social Security's 85thanniversary, people are relying on their Social Security benefits now more than ever. I appreciate GAO's efforts in conducting this study. It is unacceptable that thousands of severely disabled Americans are dying or filing for bankruptcy while waiting for their benefits. I'm proud that the House has passed a FY 2021 Labor-HHS Appropriations package that includes $50 million for the Social Security Administration to continue to reduce these harmful delays. However, Americans are now facing a new threat: President Trump is attempting to defund Social Security, by unilaterally deferring and pledging to terminate' the program's dedicated funding source if re-elected. This is a reprehensible move, especially in the midst of a pandemic. I'm proud to work with Ranking Member Sanders to strengthen the program for all Americans and fight against the Trump Administration's cruel move to undercut Social Security,said Larson. The study, Social Security Disability: Information on Wait Times, Bankruptcies, and Deaths among Applicants Who Appealed Benefit Denials, looked at people who appealed an initial denial of their application for Social Security or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits. It found: More than 100,000 people died without receiving a final decision on their appeal for Social Security or SSI disability benefits, out of approximately 9 million who filed an appeal from Fiscal Year (FY) 2008 to FY 2019. Approximately 50,000 people filed for bankruptcy while appealing for Social Security or SSI disability benefits, out of approximately 3.6 million who filed an appeal from FY 2014 to FY 2019. From FY 2008 to FY 2019, most disability applicants who appealed an initial denial waited more than a year for a final decision. Median wait times reached a peak of 839 days  more than 2 years  for claims filed in FY 2015.  Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) is critical to Americans who can no longer work because of a medical condition. Nearly 10 million disabled Americans and their dependents survive on a monthly benefit that averages only$1,124from SSDI. To claim these modest benefits, the U.S. has some of the most stringent eligibility requirements in the world. An American entering the workforce today has about a1 in 4 chanceof becoming disabled before reaching retirement age. Senator Sanders and Representative John Larson have introduced bills that would increase Social Security benefits by making the wealthiest pay their share and have called for an increase in administration funding. In contrast, the Trump Administration has sought to make it harder to qualify for disability benefits and is seeking to divert billions of dollars from the program. Read the reporthere.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
https://www.sanders.senate.gov/press-releases/sanders-larson-call-for-strengthening-social-security-after-gao-study-examines-disability-wait-times/,"Sanders, Larson Call for Strengthening Social Security After GAO Study Examines Disability Wait Times",2020-08-13,2020,2020-08,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, August 13  Today,Senate Budget Committee Ranking Member Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and House Ways and Means Social Security Subcommittee Chairman John B. Larson (D-Conn.)responded to new findings from a Government Accountability Office (GAO)studythey commissioned which found that thousands of American die or go bankrupt waiting to receive their disability benefits each year.
It is absolutely unconscionable that thousands of Americans suffer and die every year waiting for a final decision to get the modest Social Security benefits they need to survive. People with disabilities trying to access their earned benefits are forced to wait years before they even get a hearing,said Sanders.This report shows not only how critical Social Security can be to Americans with disabilities, but how dire the backlog is. Our job now is to stop Trump's latest effort to defund Social Security. We must also increase benefits,make the filing process easier and eliminate these obscene wait lists of people trying, far too often in vain, to access their earned benefits.
On the eve of Social Security's 85thanniversary, people are relying on their Social Security benefits now more than ever. I appreciate GAO's efforts in conducting this study. It is unacceptable that thousands of severely disabled Americans are dying or filing for bankruptcy while waiting for their benefits. I'm proud that the House has passed a FY 2021 Labor-HHS Appropriations package that includes $50 million for the Social Security Administration to continue to reduce these harmful delays. However, Americans are now facing a new threat: President Trump is attempting to defund Social Security, by unilaterally deferring and pledging to terminate' the program's dedicated funding source if re-elected. This is a reprehensible move, especially in the midst of a pandemic. I'm proud to work with Ranking Member Sanders to strengthen the program for all Americans and fight against the Trump Administration's cruel move to undercut Social Security,said Larson.
The study, Social Security Disability: Information on Wait Times, Bankruptcies, and Deaths among Applicants Who Appealed Benefit Denials, looked at people who appealed an initial denial of their application for Social Security or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits. It found:
More than 100,000 people died without receiving a final decision on their appeal for Social Security or SSI disability benefits, out of approximately 9 million who filed an appeal from Fiscal Year (FY) 2008 to FY 2019.
Approximately 50,000 people filed for bankruptcy while appealing for Social Security or SSI disability benefits, out of approximately 3.6 million who filed an appeal from FY 2014 to FY 2019.
From FY 2008 to FY 2019, most disability applicants who appealed an initial denial waited more than a year for a final decision. Median wait times reached a peak of 839 days  more than 2 years  for claims filed in FY 2015. 
Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) is critical to Americans who can no longer work because of a medical condition. Nearly 10 million disabled Americans and their dependents survive on a monthly benefit that averages only$1,124from SSDI. To claim these modest benefits, the U.S. has some of the most stringent eligibility requirements in the world. An American entering the workforce today has about a1 in 4 chanceof becoming disabled before reaching retirement age.
Senator Sanders and Representative John Larson have introduced bills that would increase Social Security benefits by making the wealthiest pay their share and have called for an increase in administration funding. In contrast, the Trump Administration has sought to make it harder to qualify for disability benefits and is seeking to divert billions of dollars from the program.
Read the reporthere.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/video-audio/we-must-protect-the-usps,We Must Protect the USPS,2020-08-07,2020,2020-08,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"We Must Protect the USPS 
            If we could bail out large corporations, please do not tell me that we cannot save the Postal Service.
            
                
                    
                       	
        				
                        
                            
                                
                                
                                    
                                    
                                    
                                
                                
        						
                            
                        
                        
    						
                            	
    						
    					
                    
                
            
        	
            
            
            
                
                
                
                
                    
                   	See Video on YouTube
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Copy Link",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sanders-colleagues-introduce-tax-on-billionaire-wealth-gains-to-provide-health-care-for-all-,"Sanders, Colleagues Introduce Tax on Billionaire Wealth Gains to Provide Health Care for All",2020-08-06,2020,2020-08,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Sanders, Colleagues Introduce Tax on Billionaire Wealth Gains to Provide Health Care for All 
			
		
		
			Thursday, August 6, 2020
		
		
	
		
		WASHINGTON, August 6  Today, Senators Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) introduced a 60-percent tax on the windfall wealth increases of billionaires during this pandemic in order to pay forall out-of-pocket medical expenses for every person in America for a year. The Make Billionaires Pay Act would tax the $731 billion in wealth accumulated by 467 billionairesthe richest 0.001% of Americaa from March 18th until August 5th, a period in which 5.4 million Americans recently lost their health insurance and 50 million applied for unemployment insurance. The funds from this emergency tax would be used to cover all necessary healthcare expenses of the uninsured and underinsured, including prescription drugs, for one year. ""The legislation I am introducing today willtax theobscene wealth gains billionaires have made during this extraordinary crisis to guarantee healthcare as a right to all for an entire year,said Sanders.""At a time of enormous economic pain and suffering, we have a fundamental choice to make.We can continue to allow the very rich to get much richer while everyone else gets poorer and poorer. Or we can tax the winnings a handful of billionaires made during the pandemic to improve the health and well-being of tens of millions of Americans. In my view, it is time for the Senate to act on behalf of the working class who are hurting like they have never hurt before, not the billionaire class who are doing phenomenally well and have never had it so good."" ""As more than 160,000 Americans have lost their lives and millions more have lost their jobs, it is unconscionable that the super-wealthy are getting even richer in the midst of this crisis,""said Markey.""Despite overwhelming need, Republicans continue to look for any excuse under the guise of deficit reduction to cut vital support programs like jobless aid and health insurance for the most vulnerable. The American people pay with their lives every day for the criminal negligence of the Trump administration to combat the coronavirus. It is time the country's wealthiest do the same off with their profits.""
During this unprecedented economic and public health crisis, millions of Americans are out of work and struggling to put food on the table while billionaires are getting even wealthier,said Gillibrand.Requiring billionaires to pay their fair share will help support workers and families dealing with job losses, food insecurity, housing instability and health care. Not only is this a common-sense proposal, but it's a moral one and Congress should be doing all we can to assist Americans struggling right now.
According to Americans for Tax Fairness and the Institute for Policy Studies, a tax of 60 percent on the windfall wealth gains among fewer than 500 billionaires from March until August would raise $421.7 billionenough to empower Medicare to pay all of the out-of-pocket healthcare expenses for everyone in America over the next 12 months, according to estimates from the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget. The wealth tax would remain in effect until January 1, 2021. The Make Billionaires Pay Act would still leave America'sbillionaires with more than $310.1 billion in wealth gains during the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression. However, under the legislation:  Jeff Bezos, the richest man in America, would pay a one-time wealth tax of$42.8billion.
 Elon Musk, whose wealth has nearly tripled during the pandemic, would pay a one-time wealth tax of$27.5billion. Mark Zuckerberg, the co-founder of Facebook, would pay a one-time wealth tax of$22.8billion. The Walton family, the wealthiest family in America, would pay a one-time wealth tax of$12.9billion.As a result of Trump's tax giveaway to the rich, these billionaires currently paya lower effective tax rateon average than teachers or truck drivers. ""Everyone has suffered during the pandemicfrom lost lives, lost jobs, lost chanceseveryone, that is, except America's billionaires,""said Frank Clemente, executive director of Americans for Tax Fairness.""Senator Sanders's bill recognizes that a good chunk of the obscene growth in wealth by the richest Americans during a national emergency should be used to help us all survive and recover."" ""The Covid-19 crisis further worsens inequality. While the working class struggles with job and income loss, billionaires' wealth has already fully bounced back and sometimes greatly surpassed pre-Covid levels,""said Emmanuel Saez,Professor of Economics at the University of California, Berkeley. So far, the US government has borrowed from the rich to provide relief. It is only fair to also ask for direct contributions from the richest to the Covid-19 relief effort. Senator Sanders'bill takes a bold and innovative step in this direction, paving the way to make billionaires finally pay a fair share of their enormous gains."" ""As our country faces vast economic and health needs, billionaires continue to display their appetite for greed,""said Susan Harley, Managing Director of Public Citizen's Congress Watch division. The Make Billionaires Pay Act smartly uses our tax code to take on the co-crises of COVID-19 health care disparities and the gaping income inequalities in our nation."" ""What makes nations prosperous is not the sanctification of a tiny number of ultra-wealthy individuals; it is investment in health care and education for all,said Gabriel Zucman,Professor of Economics at the University of California, Berkeley. With the wealth of billionaires at a record high, their effective tax rate at a record low, and tens of millions of Americans lacking good health care, the Make Billionaires Pay Act is a commonsense piece of legislation  a much-needed step if America is to emerge stronger from this pandemic."" Read the bill texthere. Read a fact sheet on the legislationhere. See an analysis of the top 467 billionaires' pandemic wealth gains and revenues from Sanders' taxhere.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
https://www.sanders.senate.gov/press-releases/sanders-colleagues-introduce-tax-on-billionaire-wealth-gains-to-provide-health-care-for-all/,"Sanders, Colleagues Introduce Tax on Billionaire Wealth Gains to Provide Health Care for All",2020-08-06,2020,2020-08,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, August 6  Today, Senators Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) introduced a 60-percent tax on the windfall wealth increases of billionaires during this pandemic in order to pay forall out-of-pocket medical expenses for every person in America for a year. Representative Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) introduced companion legislation in the House.
The Make Billionaires Pay Act would tax the $731 billion in wealth accumulated by 467 billionairesthe richest 0.001% of Americaa from March 18th until August 5th, a period in which 5.4 million Americans recently lost their health insurance and 50 million applied for unemployment insurance. The funds from this emergency tax would be used to cover all necessary healthcare expenses of the uninsured and underinsured, including prescription drugs, for one year.
The legislation I am introducing today willtax theobscene wealth gains billionaires have made during this extraordinary crisis to guarantee healthcare as a right to all for an entire year,said Sanders.At a time of enormous economic pain and suffering, we have a fundamental choice to make.We can continue to allow the very rich to get much richer while everyone else gets poorer and poorer. Or we can tax the winnings a handful of billionaires made during the pandemic to improve the health and well-being of tens of millions of Americans. In my view, it is time for the Senate to act on behalf of the working class who are hurting like they have never hurt before, not the billionaire class who are doing phenomenally well and have never had it so good.
As more than 160,000 Americans have lost their lives and millions more have lost their jobs, it is unconscionable that the super-wealthy are getting even richer in the midst of this crisis,said Markey.Despite overwhelming need, Republicans continue to look for any excuse under the guise of deficit reduction to cut vital support programs like jobless aid and health insurance for the most vulnerable. The American people pay with their lives every day for the criminal negligence of the Trump administration to combat the coronavirus. It is time the country's wealthiest do the same off with their profits.
During this unprecedented economic and public health crisis, millions of Americans are out of work and struggling to put food on the table while billionaires are getting even wealthier,said Gillibrand.Requiring billionaires to pay their fair share will help support workers and families dealing with job losses, food insecurity, housing instability and health care. Not only is this a common-sense proposal, but it's a moral one and Congress should be doing all we can to assist Americans struggling right now.
It is shameful that billionaires profit off the suffering of working families as the pandemic ravages the economy and kills thousands of Americans every day,said Rep. Omar.For far too long, the richest 0.001% of America, have avoided paying their fair share in taxes. This bill will go a long way towards addressing our nation's massive wealth inequality and finally guaranteeing healthcare as a human right. Nothing could be more important in the midst of a global pandemic than ensuring quality healthcare for every American.
According to Americans for Tax Fairness and the Institute for Policy Studies, a tax of 60 percent on the windfall wealth gains among fewer than 500 billionaires from March until August would raise $421.7 billionenough to empower Medicare to pay all of the out-of-pocket healthcare expenses for everyone in America over the next 12 months, according to estimates from the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget. The wealth tax would remain in effect until January 1, 2021.
The Make Billionaires Pay Act would still leave America'sbillionaires with more than $310.1 billion in wealth gains during the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression. However, under the legislation:
 Jeff Bezos, the richest man in America, would pay a one-time wealth tax of$42.8billion.
 Elon Musk, whose wealth has nearly tripled during the pandemic, would pay a one-time wealth tax of$27.5billion.
 Mark Zuckerberg, the co-founder of Facebook, would pay a one-time wealth tax of$22.8billion.
 The Walton family, the wealthiest family in America, would pay a one-time wealth tax of$12.9billion.
As a result of Trump's tax giveaway to the rich, these billionaires currently paya lower effective tax rateon average than teachers or truck drivers.
Everyone has suffered during the pandemicfrom lost lives, lost jobs, lost chanceseveryone, that is, except America's billionaires,said Frank Clemente, executive director of Americans for Tax Fairness.Senator Sanders's bill recognizes that a good chunk of the obscene growth in wealth by the richest Americans during a national emergency should be used to help us all survive and recover.
The Covid-19 crisis further worsens inequality. While the working class struggles with job and income loss, billionaires' wealth has already fully bounced back and sometimes greatly surpassed pre-Covid levels,said Emmanuel Saez,Professor of Economics at the University of California, Berkeley. So far, the US government has borrowed from the rich to provide relief. It is only fair to also ask for direct contributions from the richest to the Covid-19 relief effort. Senator Sanders'bill takes a bold and innovative step in this direction, paving the way to make billionaires finally pay a fair share of their enormous gains.
As our country faces vast economic and health needs, billionaires continue to display their appetite for greed,said Susan Harley, Managing Director of Public Citizen's Congress Watch division. The Make Billionaires Pay Act smartly uses our tax code to take on the co-crises of COVID-19 health care disparities and the gaping income inequalities in our nation.
What makes nations prosperous is not the sanctification of a tiny number of ultra-wealthy individuals; it is investment in health care and education for all,said Gabriel Zucman,Professor of Economics at the University of California, Berkeley. With the wealth of billionaires at a record high, their effective tax rate at a record low, and tens of millions of Americans lacking good health care, the Make Billionaires Pay Act is a commonsense piece of legislation  a much-needed step if America is to emerge stronger from this pandemic.
Read the bill texthere.
Read a fact sheet on the legislationhere.
See an analysis of the top 467 billionaires' pandemic wealth gains and revenues from Sanders' taxhere.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sanders-speech-do-nothing-republicans-abandon-working-class-in-pandemic_,Sanders Speech: Do-Nothing Republicans Abandon Working Class in Pandemic,2020-08-05,2020,2020-08,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Sanders Speech: Do-Nothing Republicans Abandon Working Class in Pandemic  
			
		
		
			Wednesday, August 5, 2020
		
		
	
		
		WASHINGTON  Today, on the floor of the U.S. Senate, Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) lambasted the Republican legislative response to the coronavirus crisis, and denounced the shameful inaction of the Republican-controlled Senate.
""What everybody should understand is that over two and a half months ago, the House did its job and responded to the enormous pain and suffering of the American people, by passing a $3.5 trillion economic relief package that would extend the $600 a week increase in unemployment benefits until January,said Sanders.The Republican bill slashes unemployment benefits by 43% for 30 million Americans who lost their jobs, it continues a $135 billion tax break to 43,000 millionaires  primarily in the real estate and hedge fund industry.""
""In the midst of a pandemic, in the midst of an economic meltdown for working families,""said Sanders, we are currently witnessing what is likely the greatest transfer of wealth from the middle class and the poor to the very rich in the modern history of this country.""
The statement was carried live on the Senator's social media channels and can be viewed onTwitterorFacebook.
The prepared remarks can be readhereand below:

""Mr. President, as everyone knows, this country faces an extraordinary set of crises  unprecedented in the modern history of this country. We are in the midst of the worst public health crisis in more than a hundred years. And the Senate has done nothing over the last two and a half months. Over the past four months, the coronavirus has infected nearly 5 million Americans and caused nearly 160,000 deaths. And the Senate is doing nothing. Incredibly, more Americans have been killed by the coronavirus than the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Persian Gulf War, 9-11, the Afghanistan War and the Iraq War - combined. And the Senate is doing nothing. We are in the midst of the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression. And the Senate is doing nothing. Since March, more than 30 million Americans have lost their jobs  and last week the Senate allowed a $600 a week increase in their unemployment benefits expire. Over half of the American people have seen a loss of income. And the Senate is doing nothing. 40 million Americans are in danger of being evicted from their homes, while the Senate has allowed a moratorium on evictions to expire. And the Senate is doing nothing. 26 million Americans cannot afford enough food to eat and are lining up at emergency food banks in record numbers. And the Senate is doing nothing. A record-breaking 5.4 million Americans recently lost their health insurance  leaving 92 million Americans uninsured and under-insured. And the Senate is doing nothing. In total, U.S. households have lost a staggering $6.5 trillion in wealth. And the Senate is doing nothing. Mr. President, what everybody should understand is that over two and a half months ago, the House did its job and responded to the enormous pain and suffering of the American people by passing a $3.5 trillion economic relief package. The HEROES Act passed by the House in May would extend the $600 a week increase in unemployment benefits until January. The House bill would provide over $900 billion to state and local governments to prevent the massive layoff of teachers, firefighters, nurses, construction workers and millions of other workers who are serving the public during this horrific pandemic. The House bill would provide hazard pay to essential workers and require businesses to adopt strong health and safety standards to protect their employees and customers. The House bill would provide $175 billion in rental and foreclosure assistance to make sure that millions of Americans do not lose their homes. The House bill also provides vital funding for nutrition assistance, election security, and the U.S. Postal Service. That's what the House passed two and a half months ago. Do I agree with everything that is in the house bill? No. I think most of it is excellent, but we can and should make improvements to it in the Senate. Now, Mr. President, two and a half months after the House passed its bill, Senate Republicans finally released their bill to respond to the coronavirus crisis. Unfortunately, the Republican plan is woefully inadequate for working families, the elderly, the sick and the poor, while providing even more corporate welfare to the rich and the powerful. The Senate Republican bill provides nothing for hazard pay, nothing for nutrition assistance, nothing for the 92 million Americans who are uninsured or under-insured, nothing for the Postal Service, and nothing for state and local governments on the verge of bankruptcy. But it does include another $29.4 billion for the Pentagon  on top of the $740 billion passed by the Senate a few weeks ago. It does include another tax break for the meals and entertainment of wealthy CEOs. The Republican bill does include another $1.75 billion for an FBI building, $1 billion for new surveillance planes, $636 million for F-35s, $360 million for a new missile defense system, and $283 million for Apache helicopters. Under the Republican bill, if you are a wealthy business executive you get a 100% tax deduction for a three martini lunch. But if you are one of the 26 million low-income Americans who do not have enough food to eat, you get nothing. In other words, when the Republicans talk about nutrition they talk about tax breaks for the rich who eat at fancy restaurants. But not one nickel for children in this country who are going hungry. Under the Republican bill, if you are a profitable defense contractor you will receive an additional $11 billion in corporate welfare. But if you are one of the 92 million Americans who are uninsured or under-insured you get nothing. Under the Republican bill, if you are a rich business owner who forces employees to work in an unsafe and unhealthy workplace, you are rewarded. The Republican bill will provide you with the immunity you need from lawsuits if your workers get sick or die from the coronavirus. But if you are an essential worker during this pandemic, you get nothing. The Republican bill does not make sure that you receive the hazard pay or the personal protective equipment that you need and deserve. While the Republican bill slashes unemployment benefits by 43% for 30 million Americans who lost their jobs, it continues a $135 billion tax break to 43,000 millionaires  primarily in the real estate and hedge fund industry. Needless to say, I am strongly opposed to the Senate Republican proposal. Instead of listening to the needs of the military industrial complex, we need to listen to the needs of working-class Americans. Instead of providing more tax breaks to billionaires, we need to provide more economic relief to the tens of millions of Americans who are hurting economically. Now, Mr. President, last month, I asked my constituents in Vermont and all over this country to tell me how the economic crisis has impacted their lives. Let me read to you just a few of the many thousands of stories my office has received: Dominic from Williston wrote: Without the additional $600/week benefit my benefit will automatically revert to the minimum $191/week. At that rate my wife and I will be in serious crisis within a month."" Denise from Waitsfield wrote: I lost my job due to COVID-19 on March 16 2020. The PUA program and the additional $600 per week is keeping our family out of debt and allowing us to afford our mortgage. Without PUA and the additional federal stimulus our family would not be able to survive financially."" Casey from Burlington wrote: I have been unemployed since March 20th and have no job to return to and limited options for finding a new job in a timely fashion; losing the extra $600/weekly unemployment benefit would be devastating for me. I know it would be the same for so many others including many friends and family."" Amanda from Isle La Motte who works for an unemployment office in the state of Massachusetts wrote: I have heard heart wrenching stories. I've had moms crying that they can't feed their kids, families telling me they've been evicted and are homeless. A single dad who was a self-employed musician, he cried with me saying his savings had run out, he had no money for food. This man's story will stick with me the rest of my life. I've cried so many days for all these people I can't help. I suggest the government officials work in an unemployment call center for a day. The heart wrenching stories they will hear. And on and on it goes. Mr. President, now that the $600 a week in unemployment benefits has expired, now that the moratorium on evictions has expired, the crisis is only going to get worse and worse. In my view, we need to extend the extra $600 a week in unemployment benefits for the 30 million Americans who have lost their jobs. We need to make sure that every working-class person in America receives $2,000 a month until this crisis is over so that they can afford to pay the rent and put food on the table.
  And we need to expand Medicare to all of the 92 million Americans who are uninsured or under-insured. We need a coronavirus relief bill that benefits the working class and the poor, not the wealthy and the well-connected. Now, Mr. President, what I think many people do not fully understand is that not everyone is hurting in America. Not everyone needs the Senate to act. While over 30 million Americans have seen their $600 a week in unemployment benefits expire, thanks to the emergency actions taken by the Federal Reserve to prop up the stock market, 467 billionaires in this country have seen their wealth go up by over $730 billion since the pandemic has begun. Let me repeat that. 467 billionaires have seen their wealth go up by over $730 billion during the pandemic. Meanwhile, during the last four months, while the very, very rich have become much richer, American households have seen their wealth go down by $6.5 trillion. In all likelihood, in the midst of everything else, we are currently witnessing what is likely the greatest transfer of wealth from the middle class and the poor to the very rich in the modern history of this country. In other words, in the midst of a pandemic, in the midst of an economic meltdown for working families, in the midst of a great struggle regarding systemic racism and police brutality, in the midst of the existential threat of climate change, in the midst of a president undermining democracy and moving us toward an authoritarian government, in the midst of all of that, we are seeing a massive increase in income and wealth inequality and the movement in this country toward oligarchy. Let me give you a few examples of the incredible growth in inequality that is taking place during this horrific pandemic. While Amazon is denying paid sick leave, hazard pay and personal protective equipment to 450,000 of its workers, Jeff Bezos has increased his wealth by over $70 billion. While U.S. taxpayers are subsidizing the starvation wages at Walmart, our nation's largest private employer, the Walton family has made over $20 billion during the pandemic and now has a net worth of over $200 billion. While 40 million Americans face eviction, Elon Musk has nearly tripled his wealth over the past four months and now has a net worth of more than $70 billion. While millions of Americans are lining up at emergency food banks because they don't have enough money to put food on the table, Mark Zuckerberg the founder of Facebook has increased his wealth by more than $37 billion during the pandemic and is now worth over $90 billion. At a time of massive wealth and income inequality, when so many our people are hurting, it is morally obscene for billionaires to use a global pandemic as an opportunity to make outrageous profits. And that is why, Mr. President, I will be introducing legislation tomorrow to tax the obscene wealth gains billionaires have made during the public health crisis. According to Americans for Tax Fairness, if we taxed 60 percent of the windfall gains these billionaires made from March 18th until August 3rd we could raise over $420 billion. That's enough revenue to allow Medicare to pay all of the out-of-pocket healthcare expenses for everyone in America over the next 12 months (based on an estimate from the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget). Yes, Mr. President, by taxing 60 percent of the wealth gains made by just 467 billionaires during this horrific pandemic, we could guarantee healthcare as a right for an entire year. And billionaires would still be able to pocket more than $310 billion in wealth gains during the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression. In my view, we can no longer tolerate the three wealthiest people in America owning more wealth than the bottom 50 percent, while over 30 million Americans have lost their jobs and 92 million people are either uninsured or under-insured. At a time of enormous economic pain and suffering, we have a choice to make. We can continue to allow the very rich to get much richer while everyone else gets poorer and poorer. Or we can tax the winnings a handful of billionaires made during the pandemic to improve the health and well-being of tens of millions of Americans. Mr. President, it is time for the Senate to act on behalf of the working class who are hurting like they have never hurt before, not the billionaire class who are doing phenomenally well and have never had it so good.""",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sen-sanders-announces-3-million-in-federal-funds-for-affordable-housing-in-vermont,Sen. Sanders Announces $3 Million in Federal Funds for Affordable Housing in Vermont,2020-08-05,2020,2020-08,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Sen. Sanders Announces $3 Million in Federal Funds for Affordable Housing in Vermont
			
		
		
			Wednesday, August 5, 2020
		
		
	
		
		BURLINGTON, August 5  U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) announced Wednesday that Vermont will receive $3 million from the National Housing Trust Fund to build, preserve and rehabilitate affordable rental housing for extremely low-income families. This is the fifth year in a row that Vermont will receive a $3 million allocation from the trust fund, which Sanders helped create.
Sanders first introduced legislation to create the National Housing Trust Fund in 2001, based on the success of the Vermont Housing and Conservation Trust Fund. Administered by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and funded through a small assessment on the government-sponsored housing agencies Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the trust fund is the first new federal housing resource in more than a generation. It is also the first program exclusively targeted to help build housing that is affordable to people with the lowest incomes.
""Unfortunately, it was very clear that we had an affordable housing crisis in our country before the COVID-19 pandemic, Sanders said. Now, millions of working families are struggling to pay their rent and mortgages and at risk of becoming homeless. As we respond to the current health and economic crisis, we cannot ignore the unsustainable rising cost of housing. Right now, the National Housing Trust Fund is the only federal program that provides funding to construct, preserve and rehabilitate affordable housing for our lowest-income families. It is time to substantially increase its funding to meet the enormous need in every corner of this country.""
In Vermont, the National Housing Trust Fund is administered by the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board. Executive Director Gus Seelig said, Since it was established five years ago, the National Housing Trust Fund has been instrumental in creating and rehabilitating 490 homes in 20 housing developments located in 13 towns around the state. Ten developments are complete, providing homes affordable to our most vulnerable households, including some that had been homeless or were at risk of homelessness. These trust fund dollars are so important to Vermont, especially in this very difficult economy.""
According to the National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC), 7.7 million of the poorest Americans spend at least half of their incomes on housing and utilities. When you spend half of your money on rent, that leaves very little for other necessities such as food and health care, Sanders said. Stable and affordable housing is not only essential to live with dignity, but without it, economic opportunity is simply an illusion. It makes it very difficult for families to keep up, and near impossible to get ahead or save for retirement or higher education.""
NLIH's annualOut of Reach reportranked Vermont as the 5th most expensive state in the country when comparing the cost of a modest two-bedroom apartment with wages. In Vermont, a minimum wage worker must work 85 hours each week to afford a modest two-bedroom apartment.
Nationally, the trust fund has already helped build 161 affordable housing developments, and many more are in the queue. This is a very good start, Sanders said, but it is clear we have a very long way to go. Unbelievably, President Trump has proposed zeroing out the trust fund for the past four years. To my mind, that is incredibly short-sighted and just plain wrong. During this unprecedented time, when millions of Americans are living in fear of losing their housing and are in need of a helping hand, we must make a historic investment in affordable housing. I will continue to fight to expand the program and to guarantee safe and affordable housing as a human right.""",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/video-audio/crisis-after-crisis-republicans-leave-working-classbehind,Crisis After Crisis: Republicans Leave Working ClassBehind,2020-08-05,2020,2020-08,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Crisis After Crisis: Republicans Leave Working ClassBehind 
            We are in the midst of the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression. And the Republican-led Senate is doing nothing.
Join me on the Senate floor to demand help for the working class who are hurting like they have never hurtbefore.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/video-audio/maybe-we-should-listen-to-our-teachers,Maybe We Should Listen To Our Teachers,2020-08-05,2020,2020-08,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Maybe We Should Listen To Our Teachers 
            Maybe, just maybe, Betsy DeVos and Donald Trump should listen to teachers and public health experts instead of threatening to cut funding for public schools.
            
                
                    
                       	
        				
                        
                            
                                
                                
                                    
                                    
                                    
                                
                                
        						
                            
                        
                        
    						
                            	
    						
    					
                    
                
            
        	
            
            
            
                
                
                
                
                    
                   	See Video on YouTube
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Copy Link",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
https://www.sanders.senate.gov/press-releases/sanders-speech-do-nothing-republicans-abandon-working-class-in-pandemic/,Sanders Speech: Do-Nothing Republicans Abandon Working Class in Pandemic,2020-08-05,2020,2020-08,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON  Today, on the floor of the U.S. Senate, Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) lambasted the Republican legislative response to the coronavirus crisis, and denounced the shameful inaction of the Republican-controlled Senate.
What everybody should understand is that over two and a half months ago, the House did its job and responded to the enormous pain and suffering of the American people, by passing a $3.5 trillion economic relief package that would extend the $600 a week increase in unemployment benefits until January,said Sanders.The Republican bill slashes unemployment benefits by 43% for 30 million Americans who lost their jobs, it continues a $135 billion tax break to 43,000 millionaires  primarily in the real estate and hedge fund industry.
In the midst of a pandemic, in the midst of an economic meltdown for working families,said Sanders, we are currently witnessing what is likely the greatest transfer of wealth from the middle class and the poor to the very rich in the modern history of this country.
The statement was carried live on the Senator's social media channels and can be viewed onTwitterorFacebook.
The prepared remarks can be readhereand below:
Mr. President, as everyone knows, this country faces an extraordinary set of crises  unprecedented in the modern history of this country.
We are in the midst of the worst public health crisis in more than a hundred years. And the Senate has done nothing over the last two and a half months.
Over the past four months, the coronavirus has infected nearly 5 million Americans and caused nearly 160,000 deaths. And the Senate is doing nothing.
Incredibly, more Americans have been killed by the coronavirus than the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Persian Gulf War, 9-11, the Afghanistan War and the Iraq War  combined. And the Senate is doing nothing.
We are in the midst of the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression. And the Senate is doing nothing.
Since March, more than 30 million Americans have lost their jobs  and last week the Senate allowed a $600 a week increase in their unemployment benefits expire.
Over half of the American people have seen a loss of income. And the Senate is doing nothing.
40 million Americans are in danger of being evicted from their homes, while the Senate has allowed a moratorium on evictions to expire. And the Senate is doing nothing.
26 million Americans cannot afford enough food to eat and are lining up at emergency food banks in record numbers. And the Senate is doing nothing.
A record-breaking 5.4 million Americans recently lost their health insurance  leaving 92 million Americans uninsured and under-insured. And the Senate is doing nothing.
In total, U.S. households have lost a staggering $6.5 trillion in wealth. And the Senate is doing nothing.
Mr. President, what everybody should understand is that over two and a half months ago, the House did its job and responded to the enormous pain and suffering of the American people by passing a $3.5 trillion economic relief package.
The HEROES Act passed by the House in May would extend the $600 a week increase in unemployment benefits until January.
The House bill would provide over $900 billion to state and local governments to prevent the massive layoff of teachers, firefighters, nurses, construction workers and millions of other workers who are serving the public during this horrific pandemic.
The House bill would provide hazard pay to essential workers and require businesses to adopt strong health and safety standards to protect their employees and customers.
The House bill would provide $175 billion in rental and foreclosure assistance to make sure that millions of Americans do not lose their homes.
The House bill also provides vital funding for nutrition assistance, election security, and the U.S. Postal Service.
That's what the House passed two and a half months ago. Do I agree with everything that is in the house bill? No. I think most of it is excellent, but we can and should make improvements to it in the Senate.
Now, Mr. President, two and a half months after the House passed its bill, Senate Republicans finally released their bill to respond to the coronavirus crisis.
Unfortunately, the Republican plan is woefully inadequate for working families, the elderly, the sick and the poor, while providing even more corporate welfare to the rich and the powerful.
The Senate Republican bill provides nothing for hazard pay, nothing for nutrition assistance, nothing for the 92 million Americans who are uninsured or under-insured, nothing for the Postal Service, and nothing for state and local governments on the verge of bankruptcy.
But it does include another $29.4 billion for the Pentagon  on top of the $740 billion passed by the Senate a few weeks ago.
It does include another tax break for the meals and entertainment of wealthy CEOs.
The Republican bill does include another $1.75 billion for an FBI building, $1 billion for new surveillance planes, $636 million for F-35s, $360 million for a new missile defense system, and $283 million for Apache helicopters.
Under the Republican bill, if you are a wealthy business executive you get a 100% tax deduction for a three martini lunch. But if you are one of the 26 million low-income Americans who do not have enough food to eat, you get nothing. In other words, when the Republicans talk about nutrition they talk about tax breaks for the rich who eat at fancy restaurants. But not one nickel for children in this country who are going hungry.
Under the Republican bill, if you are a profitable defense contractor you will receive an additional $11 billion in corporate welfare. But if you are one of the 92 million Americans who are uninsured or under-insured you get nothing.
Under the Republican bill, if you are a rich business owner who forces employees to work in an unsafe and unhealthy workplace, you are rewarded. The Republican bill will provide you with the immunity you need from lawsuits if your workers get sick or die from the coronavirus. But if you are an essential worker during this pandemic, you get nothing. The Republican bill does not make sure that you receive the hazard pay or the personal protective equipment that you need and deserve.
While the Republican bill slashes unemployment benefits by 43% for 30 million Americans who lost their jobs, it continues a $135 billion tax break to 43,000 millionaires  primarily in the real estate and hedge fund industry.
Needless to say, I am strongly opposed to the Senate Republican proposal.
Instead of listening to the needs of the military industrial complex, we need to listen to the needs of working-class Americans.
Instead of providing more tax breaks to billionaires, we need to provide more economic relief to the tens of millions of Americans who are hurting economically.
Now, Mr. President, last month, I asked my constituents in Vermont and all over this country to tell me how the economic crisis has impacted their lives. Let me read to you just a few of the many thousands of stories my office has received:
Dominic from Williston wrote: Without the additional $600/week benefit my benefit will automatically revert to the minimum $191/week. At that rate my wife and I will be in serious crisis within a month.
Denise from Waitsfield wrote: I lost my job due to COVID-19 on March 16 2020. The PUA program and the additional $600 per week is keeping our family out of debt and allowing us to afford our mortgage. Without PUA and the additional federal stimulus our family would not be able to survive financially.
Casey from Burlington wrote: I have been unemployed since March 20th and have no job to return to and limited options for finding a new job in a timely fashion; losing the extra $600/weekly unemployment benefit would be devastating for me. I know it would be the same for so many others including many friends and family.
Amanda from Isle La Motte who works for an unemployment office in the state of Massachusetts wrote: I have heard heart wrenching stories. I've had moms crying that they can't feed their kids, families telling me they've been evicted and are homeless. A single dad who was a self-employed musician, he cried with me saying his savings had run out, he had no money for food. This man's story will stick with me the rest of my life. I've cried so many days for all these people I can't help. I suggest the government officials work in an unemployment call center for a day. The heart wrenching stories they will hear.
And on and on it goes.
Mr. President, now that the $600 a week in unemployment benefits has expired, now that the moratorium on evictions has expired, the crisis is only going to get worse and worse.
In my view, we need to extend the extra $600 a week in unemployment benefits for the 30 million Americans who have lost their jobs.
We need to make sure that every working-class person in America receives $2,000 a month until this crisis is over so that they can afford to pay the rent and put food on the table.
And we need to expand Medicare to all of the 92 million Americans who are uninsured or under-insured.
We need a coronavirus relief bill that benefits the working class and the poor, not the wealthy and the well-connected.
Now, Mr. President, what I think many people do not fully understand is that not everyone is hurting in America. Not everyone needs the Senate to act.
While over 30 million Americans have seen their $600 a week in unemployment benefits expire, thanks to the emergency actions taken by the Federal Reserve to prop up the stock market, 467 billionaires in this country have seen their wealth go up by over $730 billion since the pandemic has begun.
Let me repeat that. 467 billionaires have seen their wealth go up by over $730 billion during the pandemic.
Meanwhile, during the last four months, while the very, very rich have become much richer, American households have seen their wealth go down by $6.5 trillion.
In all likelihood, in the midst of everything else, we are currently witnessing what is likely the greatest transfer of wealth from the middle class and the poor to the very rich in the modern history of this country.
In other words, in the midst of a pandemic, in the midst of an economic meltdown for working families, in the midst of a great struggle regarding systemic racism and police brutality, in the midst of the existential threat of climate change, in the midst of a president undermining democracy and moving us toward an authoritarian government, in the midst of all of that, we are seeing a massive increase in income and wealth inequality and the movement in this country toward oligarchy.
Let me give you a few examples of the incredible growth in inequality that is taking place during this horrific pandemic.
While Amazon is denying paid sick leave, hazard pay and personal protective equipment to 450,000 of its workers, Jeff Bezos has increased his wealth by over $70 billion.
While U.S. taxpayers are subsidizing the starvation wages at Walmart, our nation's largest private employer, the Walton family has made over $20 billion during the pandemic and now has a net worth of over $200 billion.
While 40 million Americans face eviction, Elon Musk has nearly tripled his wealth over the past four months and now has a net worth of more than $70 billion.
While millions of Americans are lining up at emergency food banks because they don't have enough money to put food on the table, Mark Zuckerberg the founder of Facebook has increased his wealth by more than $37 billion during the pandemic and is now worth over $90 billion.
At a time of massive wealth and income inequality, when so many our people are hurting, it is morally obscene for billionaires to use a global pandemic as an opportunity to make outrageous profits.
And that is why, Mr. President, I will be introducing legislation tomorrow to tax the obscene wealth gains billionaires have made during the public health crisis.
According to Americans for Tax Fairness, if we taxed 60 percent of the windfall gains these billionaires made from March 18th until August 3rd we could raise over $420 billion. That's enough revenue to allow Medicare to pay all of the out-of-pocket healthcare expenses for everyone in America over the next 12 months (based on an estimate from the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget).
Yes, Mr. President, by taxing 60 percent of the wealth gains made by just 467 billionaires during this horrific pandemic, we could guarantee healthcare as a right for an entire year. And billionaires would still be able to pocket more than $310 billion in wealth gains during the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression.
In my view, we can no longer tolerate the three wealthiest people in America owning more wealth than the bottom 50 percent, while over 30 million Americans have lost their jobs and 92 million people are either uninsured or under-insured.
At a time of enormous economic pain and suffering, we have a choice to make. We can continue to allow the very rich to get much richer while everyone else gets poorer and poorer. Or we can tax the winnings a handful of billionaires made during the pandemic to improve the health and well-being of tens of millions of Americans.
Mr. President, it is time for the Senate to act on behalf of the working class who are hurting like they have never hurt before, not the billionaire class who are doing phenomenally well and have never had it so good.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
https://www.sanders.senate.gov/press-releases/sen-sanders-announces-3-million-in-federal-funds-for-affordable-housing-in-vermont/,Sen. Sanders Announces $3 Million in Federal Funds for Affordable Housing in Vermont,2020-08-05,2020,2020-08,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"BURLINGTON, August 5  U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) announced Wednesday that Vermont will receive $3 million from the National Housing Trust Fund to build, preserve and rehabilitate affordable rental housing for extremely low-income families. This is the fifth year in a row that Vermont will receive a $3 million allocation from the trust fund, which Sanders helped create.
Sanders first introduced legislation to create the National Housing Trust Fund in 2001, based on the success of the Vermont Housing and Conservation Trust Fund. Administered by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and funded through a small assessment on the government-sponsored housing agencies Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the trust fund is the first new federal housing resource in more than a generation. It is also the first program exclusively targeted to help build housing that is affordable to people with the lowest incomes.
Unfortunately, it was very clear that we had an affordable housing crisis in our country before the COVID-19 pandemic, Sanders said. Now, millions of working families are struggling to pay their rent and mortgages and at risk of becoming homeless. As we respond to the current health and economic crisis, we cannot ignore the unsustainable rising cost of housing. Right now, the National Housing Trust Fund is the only federal program that provides funding to construct, preserve and rehabilitate affordable housing for our lowest-income families. It is time to substantially increase its funding to meet the enormous need in every corner of this country.
In Vermont, the National Housing Trust Fund is administered by the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board. Executive Director Gus Seelig said, Since it was established five years ago, the National Housing Trust Fund has been instrumental in creating and rehabilitating 490 homes in 20 housing developments located in 13 towns around the state. Ten developments are complete, providing homes affordable to our most vulnerable households, including some that had been homeless or were at risk of homelessness. These trust fund dollars are so important to Vermont, especially in this very difficult economy.
According to the National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC), 7.7 million of the poorest Americans spend at least half of their incomes on housing and utilities. When you spend half of your money on rent, that leaves very little for other necessities such as food and health care, Sanders said. Stable and affordable housing is not only essential to live with dignity, but without it, economic opportunity is simply an illusion. It makes it very difficult for families to keep up, and near impossible to get ahead or save for retirement or higher education.
NLIH's annualOut of Reach reportranked Vermont as the 5th most expensive state in the country when comparing the cost of a modest two-bedroom apartment with wages. In Vermont, a minimum wage worker must work 85 hours each week to afford a modest two-bedroom apartment.
Nationally, the trust fund has already helped build 161 affordable housing developments, and many more are in the queue. This is a very good start, Sanders said, but it is clear we have a very long way to go. Unbelievably, President Trump has proposed zeroing out the trust fund for the past four years. To my mind, that is incredibly short-sighted and just plain wrong. During this unprecedented time, when millions of Americans are living in fear of losing their housing and are in need of a helping hand, we must make a historic investment in affordable housing. I will continue to fight to expand the program and to guarantee safe and affordable housing as a human right.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sanders-supports-ending-filibuster,Sanders Supports Ending Filibuster,2020-07-30,2020,2020-07,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Sanders Supports Ending Filibuster
			
		
		
			Thursday, July 30, 2020
		
		
	
		
		WASHINGTON, July 30  Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) issued the following statement today on the filibuster:
""President Obama is absolutely right. It is an outragethat modern-day poll taxes, gerrymandering, I.D. requirements, and other forms of voter suppression still exist today. We must pass a comprehensive agenda to guarantee the rights and dignity of everyone in this country. And that means, among other things, reauthorizing and expanding the Voting Rights Act, for which Congressman John Lewis put his life on the line. As President Obama said, if that requires us to eliminate the filibuster, then that is what we must do.""",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
https://www.sanders.senate.gov/press-releases/sanders-supports-ending-filibuster/,Sanders Supports Ending Filibuster,2020-07-30,2020,2020-07,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, July 30  Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) issued the following statement today on the filibuster:
President Obama is absolutely right. It is an outragethat modern-day poll taxes, gerrymandering, I.D. requirements, and other forms of voter suppression still exist today. We must pass a comprehensive agenda to guarantee the rights and dignity of everyone in this country. And that means, among other things, reauthorizing and expanding the Voting Rights Act, for which Congressman John Lewis put his life on the line. As President Obama said, if that requires us to eliminate the filibuster, then that is what we must do.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/video-audio/masks-are-not-a-political-or-partisan-issue,Masks Are Not A Political Or Partisan Issue,2020-07-29,2020,2020-07,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Masks Are Not A Political Or Partisan Issue 
            Our public health experts are telling us universal mask wearing can bring this pandemic under control within weeks.
This is not political or partisan issue. We must provide all of our people with high-quality, reusable masks, free of charge and save lives.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sanders-leads-14-senators-in-introducing-masks-for-all-act-to-curb-deadly-coronavirus-surge,Sanders Leads 14 Senators in Introducing Masks for All Act to Curb Deadly Coronavirus Surge,2020-07-28,2020,2020-07,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Sanders Leads 14 Senators in Introducing Masks for All Act to Curb Deadly Coronavirus Surge
			
		
		
			Tuesday, July 28, 2020
		
		
	
		
		WASHINGTON, July 28  As COVID-19 infections continue to surge across America and nearly30 statesimpose public mask-wearing requirements, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and over three dozen of his Democratic colleagues in the Senate and House introduced lifesaving legislation today to manufacture and distribute high-quality, reusable masks to everyone in America. Senate co-sponsors of Sanders' Masks for All Act include Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Ranking Member Gary Peters (D-Mich.), and Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), Doug Jones (D-Ala.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Tina Smith (D-MN), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.). Representatives Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), Lori Trahan (D-Mass.), and Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-N.J.) introduced the Masks for All Act in the House, with more than two dozen cosponsors. The proposal, developed in consultation with health experts including Andy Slavitt, the former Acting Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services under President Obama, would use the United States Postal Service to distribute three free, reusable masks to every person in the country, including individuals who are experiencing homelessness or living in group settings such as prisons, shelters, college dorms, and assisted living facilities. According to oneestimate, widespread mask wearing could save over 40,000 American lives by November 1, while another analysis predicted that widespread mask wearing would save the U.S. economy$1 trillion.In questioning by Sanders at a recent Senate hearing, Dr. Anthony Faucivoicedhis support for the proposal, echoing the consensus of the medical community. There's no doubt that wearing masks protects you and gets you to be protected. So it's people protecting each other,""Fauci said. Anything that furthers the use of masks, whether it is giving out free masks or any other mechanism, I am thoroughly in favor of."" The legislation also sets up pick-up sites for additional masks at convenient community locations that are already providing essential services, such as Post Offices, pharmacies, schools, public transportation stations, and COVID-19 testing sites. Additionally, the Masks for All Act provides surgical masks and N-95 respirators to all workers in health settings. To do this, the Masks for All Act would use all available authorities, including the Defense Production Act. ""We are the only high-income country in the world where infections and deaths are skyrocketing instead of falling. Nearly 150,000 are dead and 1,000 more are dying every day. That is an absolute scandal,""said Sanders.""Dozens of my colleagues and I are proposing that we do what our public health experts and scientists say we must do. This is not a political or partisan issue. Providing all of our people with high-quality, reusable masks without cost could save tens of thousands of lives and avoid hundreds of billions of dollars in economic harm."" The bill has been endorsed by the African American Health Alliance, American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), American Federation of Teachers (AFT), Association of Flight Attendants (AFA- CWA), the Arc of the United States, the Black Women's Health Imperative (BWHI), Communications Workers of America (CWA), Democracy for America (DFA), Families USA, First Focus Campaign For Children, Indivisible, League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), Little Lobbyists, Make the Road NY, Morehouse School of Medicine, MoveOn, National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC), National Center for Transgender Equality, National Domestic Workers Alliance (NDWA), National Medical Association, National Postal Mail Handlers Union (NPHMU), People's Action, Physicians for a National Health Program (PNHP), Progressive Change Campaign Committee (PCCC), Public Citizen, the Satcher Health Leadership Institute, Social Security Works, United We Dream, and Working Families Party (WFP).

  To read a summary of the bill,clickhere. To read a section-by-section outline of the bill,clickhere.
To read the text of the bill,clickhere.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/recent-business/bernie-sanders-introduces-bill-to-provide-masks-for-all,Bernie Sanders Introduces Bill to Provide 'Masks for All',2020-07-28,2020,2020-07,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Bernie Sanders Introduces Bill to Provide 'Masks for All'
			
		
		
			Tuesday, July 28, 2020
		
		
	
		
		 By: Gregory Krieg;CNN 

Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders will introduce a bill on Tuesday that would provide high quality, reusable masks to every American.
Sanders is unveiling the legislation, which has dozens of Democratic cosponsors in the House and Senate, on the day afterDonald Trump Jr. tweetedout a video featuring what appears to be a doctor claiming a cocktail of drugs, including hydroxychloroquine, can cureCovid-19,the illness caused by the coronavirus, making masks unnecessary. Later on Monday night, PresidentDonald Trumpretweeted the same clip.
The video was taken down overnight by Twitter, which told CNN that it violated the site's misinformation policy. The claims run contrary to multiple studies on the anti-malarial drug and advice from public health officials on how to prevent the spread of the virus.
Sanders, in an interview shortly before the President began sharing it, slammed Trump Jr., who posted the clip, which has since been scrubbed by Facebook and YouTube, too, before his father.
""This mentality, this attitude has costs many, many thousands of lives. It is beyond disgraceful,"" Sanders said in a phone interview. ""There is a reason why we are doing worse than any other major country on earth in controlling this pandemic, and it is precisely because of the attitude of people like Donald Trump Jr.""
The legislation, which was written before this latest outburst from Trump, has support across the Democratic congressional caucus' ideological lines, from Alabama Sen. Doug Jones to New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, one of the cosponsors on the House side. It also has the support of an assortment of unions and progressive groups.
The bill calls on the United States Postal Service to deliver the masks, which would also be made available at pick-up sites around the country, including schools and pharmacies, and provided -- all free of charge -- to the homeless, patients in assisted living facilities, people in prison and college students in their dorms. Health care workers, who have struggled to maintain stocks of personal protective equipment, would be given surgical masks and N-95 respirators. The Defense Production Act, invoked but rarely used by Trump, would be counted on to aid in what would be a massive manufacturing project.
""If we can afford a $740 billion defense budget, we can afford to send every American a face mask,"" California Rep. Ro Khanna, the bill's lead sponsor in the House, said in a statement. ""We are the wealthiest country on earth, yet our health care workers are still facing a shortage of N-95s, our essential workers are having to purchase their own protective face masks, and far too many vulnerable Americans are being left to figure out how to procure this basic need.""
More than half of the states have implemented some form of a mask-wearing requirement in an effort to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus, but with only a few exceptions at the local level, have not taken steps to provide them to the public. A recent analysis from banking giant Goldman Sachs found that a national mask-wearing mandate could, as a substitute for ""renewed broad lockdowns,"" prevent a 5% drop in gross domestic product, saving about $1 trillion.
Sanders worked on the proposal with Andy Slavitt, President Barack Obama's acting administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and a vocal proponent of a government-backed plan to produce and distribute masks.
""What we want to do is say to the American people that masks are important and that we will provide every person in this country with three reusable masks, the highest quality that we can,"" Sanders said. ""And I think by doing that, by getting masks out to every household in the country, it sends the message, which Trump should have sent many months ago, that wearing a mask is very, very important.""
The legislation is being rolled out as the rate of coronavirus cases, hospitalizations and deaths are growing in many states. Trump issued a tweet and made comments at a news conference encouraging mask use, but he has largely ignored or pushed back against calls to more aggressively promote the usage of masks, which leading medical experts have pointed to as a simple but powerful tool in slowing the coronavirus' spread.
At a Senate hearing last month, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said he would support any program that made masks more accessible and widely worn.
""There's no doubt that wearing masks protects you and gets you to be protected. So it's people protecting each other,"" Fauci said, effectively endorsing Sanders' plan. ""Anything that furthers the use of masks, whether it is giving out free masks or any other mechanism, I am thoroughly in favor of.""
Despite the overwhelming scientific evidence pointing toward the efficacy of masks, many Americans, including those for whom they are readily available, have refused to use them. Sanders compared the ""anti-government sentiment"" behind the backlash to what fuels some of the anti-vaccination movement.
The Vermont senator and former Democratic presidential candidate also placed some of the onus on Trump, but suggested that Republican lawmakers might still come along and support his bill.
""I think what the Republicans (in Congress) now understand is that Trump's decision-making during this pandemic has been an absolute disaster,"" Sanders said. ""He downplayed the crisis, said it would go away, came up with quack cures, rejected the idea of people wearing masks, held a rally indoors where people had no social distancing. And I think Republicans understand that if they cannot convince the American people that they at least understand that it is imperative that we start listening to scientists, I think they're going to be in deep trouble.""",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
https://www.sanders.senate.gov/press-releases/sanders-leads-14-senators-in-introducing-masks-for-all-act-to-curb-deadly-coronavirus-surge/,Sanders Leads 14 Senators in Introducing Masks for All Act to Curb Deadly Coronavirus Surge,2020-07-28,2020,2020-07,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, July 28  As COVID-19 infections continue to surge across America and nearly30 statesimpose public mask-wearing requirements, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and over three dozen of his Democratic colleagues in the Senate and House introduced lifesaving legislation today to manufacture and distribute high-quality, reusable masks to everyone in America.
Senate co-sponsors of Sanders' Masks for All Act include Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Ranking Member Gary Peters (D-Mich.), and Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), Doug Jones (D-Ala.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Tina Smith (D-MN), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.). Representatives Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), Lori Trahan (D-Mass.), and Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-N.J.) introduced the Masks for All Act in the House, with more than two dozen cosponsors.
The proposal, developed in consultation with health experts including Andy Slavitt, the former Acting Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services under President Obama, would use the United States Postal Service to distribute three free, reusable masks to every person in the country, including individuals who are experiencing homelessness or living in group settings such as prisons, shelters, college dorms, and assisted living facilities.
According to oneestimate, widespread mask wearing could save over 40,000 American lives by November 1, while another analysis predicted that widespread mask wearing would save the U.S. economy$1 trillion.In questioning by Sanders at a recent Senate hearing, Dr. Anthony Faucivoicedhis support for the proposal, echoing the consensus of the medical community. There's no doubt that wearing masks protects you and gets you to be protected. So it's people protecting each other,Fauci said. Anything that furthers the use of masks, whether it is giving out free masks or any other mechanism, I am thoroughly in favor of.
The legislation also sets up pick-up sites for additional masks at convenient community locations that are already providing essential services, such as Post Offices, pharmacies, schools, public transportation stations, and COVID-19 testing sites. Additionally, the Masks for All Act provides surgical masks and N-95 respirators to all workers in health settings. To do this, the Masks for All Act would use all available authorities, including the Defense Production Act.
We are the only high-income country in the world where infections and deaths are skyrocketing instead of falling. Nearly 150,000 are dead and 1,000 more are dying every day. That is an absolute scandal,said Sanders.Dozens of my colleagues and I are proposing that we do what our public health experts and scientists say we must do. This is not a political or partisan issue. Providing all of our people with high-quality, reusable masks without cost could save tens of thousands of lives and avoid hundreds of billions of dollars in economic harm.
The fact is, this administration's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic has been a failure,said Harris.Its inaction when it comes to fully implementing the Defense Production Act and preparing our country's stockpile of protective equipment and supplies, including masks, has been disastrous and deadly. Congress must put forth solutions that can make an immediate difference and get resources to the communities most in need. I am proud to join my colleagues on this legislation to ensure every person in the United States has access to the protective gear they need to fend off this virus.
The only way we will stop the spread of the coronavirus is if every American is equipped to protect themselves,said Markey.That begins making sure everyone can follow the public health guidance to wear a mask when appropriate. Doing so will help stop the spread of this virus and protect frontline health workers and essential workers risking their lives everyday on the job and seniors in nursing and assisted living facilities. I thank Senator Sanders for his leadership on this legislation that recognizes that during a pandemic, access to a mask is a fundamental right.
Battling the coronavirus is a nationwide effort, in which each and every one of us needs to do our part to squash the rate of transmission,said Merkley.That means all Americansregardless of their income or where they liveneed access to tools, including masks, that are essential to keeping people safe and flattening the curve.
COVID-19 cases continue to rise across the United States and it's far past time we enforce a national mask wearing policy and equip communities with the proper tools to fight further spread,saidSenatorGillibrand.We have been fighting this outbreak for the better part of 2020 and President Trump has failed to protect the health and economy of our nation by addressing serious PPE shortages. As public health experts expand face mask requirements, we must ensure every person has access to a protective maskregardless of risk, background, or socioeconomic status.
We are the wealthiest country on earth, yet our health care workers are still facing a shortage of N-95s, our essential workers are having to purchase their own protective face masks, and far too many vulnerable Americans are being left to figure out how to procure this basic need,said Rep. Khanna. Congress has a responsibility to step up where the White House has abdicated its responsibility and ensure every family has the equipment they need to stay safe. If we can afford a $740 billion defense budget, we can afford to send every American a face mask. And if we're asking folks to wear a mask, which is absolutely essential, it's on us to provide one.
This Administration has taken too long playing politics while Americans continue to fall ill and die. We must embrace bold proposals like the Masks for All Act to combat COVID-19 and save lives,saidCongresswoman Trahan.If the White House refuses to take action to ensure the safety of the American people, including ensuring that each person has access to safe, reusable masks, Congress will.
The countries and states that have mandated masks have done a better job limiting the spread of coronavirus than those who have not. It's clear we need a mask mandate, but we also need to make sure that everyone has a mask,said Congresswoman Watson Coleman. If the White House won't take action to protect the American people, Congress will. This bill heeds the advice of scientists and health experts and ensures that everyone can keep their families safe without worrying about cost or adequate supply.
This bill is an example of Congress at its best: A common-sense, low-cost solution that saves American lives without introducing needless partisanship,said Slavitt. At this point I don't think there's a prominent expert in the world who doesn't think masks for all is a good and necessary idea. I am among many who believe American innovation and the Defense Production Act are critical pieces to unlock.
The bill has been endorsed by theAfrican American Health Alliance, AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), American Federation of Teachers (AFT), Association of Flight Attendants (AFA-CWA),the Arc of the United States, the Black Women's Health Imperative (BWHI), Color of Change, Communications Workers of America (CWA), Democracy for America (DFA), Democratic Attorneys General Association (DAGA), Democratic Governors Association (DGA), Economic Opportunity Institute (EOI), Indivisible, League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), Little Lobbyists, Make the Road NY, Morehouse School of Medicine, MoveOn, National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC), National Center for Transgender Equality, National Domestic Workers Alliance (NDWA), National Medical Association, National Postal Mail Handlers Union (NPHMU), People's Action, Physicians for a National Health Program (PNHP), Progressive Change Campaign Committee (PCCC), Progressive State Leaders Committee (PSLC), Public Citizen, the Satcher Health Leadership Institute, Service Employees International Union (SEIU), Social Security Works, United We Dream, and Working Families Party (WFP).
To read a summary of the bill,clickhere.
To read a section-by-section outline of the bill,clickhere.
To read the text of the bill,clickhere.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/video-audio/now-is-the-time-for-congress-to-act-boldly,Now is the Time for Congress to Act Boldly,2020-07-23,2020,2020-07,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Now is the Time for Congress to Act Boldly 
            We are in the worst economic condition since the Great Depression. People are worried about getting evicted from their homes. People can't go to the doctor because they lost their jobs and no longer have any health insurance.
Now is the time for Congress to act boldly.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sanders-initiative-to-cut-pentagon-by-10-secures-half-of-the-senate-democratic-caucus,Sanders Initiative to Cut Pentagon by 10% Secures Half of the Senate Democratic Caucus,2020-07-22,2020,2020-07,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Sanders Initiative to Cut Pentagon by 10% Secures Half of the Senate Democratic Caucus
			
		
		
			Wednesday, July 22, 2020
		
		
	
		
		WASHINGTON, July 22  Today, Sen. Bernie Sanders' (I-Vt.) amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act to cut America's $740 billion military budget by 10% to invest in jobs, health care, and education secured the support of 23 members of the Senate Democratic Caucus.  Today, almost half of the members of the Senate Democratic Caucus23 Senatorsvoted to cut Pentagon spending by 10% and invest in human needs. This is far and away the most significant step forward in recent years in addressing our bloated $740 billion military budget and changing our national priorities, said Sanders. We are going to continue building a political movement which understands that it is far more important to invest in working people, the children, the elderly and the poor than in spending more on defense than the next 11 nations combined.  In addition to Markey, Sanders' amendment was cosponsored by Sens. Warren (D-Mass.), Merkley (D-Ore.), Wyden (D-Ore.), and was endorsed by Senate Democratic Leader Schumer (D-N.Y.). In addition to the Senate vote, 93 members of the House of Representatives40% of the Democratic Caucusvoted on a companion amendment introduced by Representatives Mark Pocan (D-Wis.) and Barbara Lee (D-Calif.).  View Sanders' floor speech here.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/video-audio/cut-pentagon-spending-invest-in-our-people-here-at-home,Cut Pentagon spending. Invest in our people here at home.,2020-07-22,2020,2020-07,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Cut Pentagon spending. Invest in our people here at home. 
            Today the Senate voted on my amendment that says clearly: Cut the Pentagon budget by 10%. Invest in jobs, education, housing and healthcare here at home. #PeopleOverPentagon
            
                
                    
                       	
        				
                        
                            
                                
                                
                                    
                                    
                                    
                                
                                
        						
                            
                        
                        
    						
                            	
    						
    					
                    
                
            
        	
            
            
            
                
                
                
                
                    
                   	See Video on YouTube
							Tweet
							
								
							
                    
Copy Link",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
https://www.sanders.senate.gov/press-releases/sanders-initiative-to-cut-pentagon-by-10-secures-half-of-the-senate-democratic-caucus/,Sanders Initiative to Cut Pentagon by 10% Secures Half of the Senate Democratic Caucus,2020-07-22,2020,2020-07,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, July 22  Today, Sen. Bernie Sanders' (I-Vt.) amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act to cut America's $740 billion military budget by 10% to invest in jobs, health care, and education secured the support of 23 members of the Senate Democratic Caucus. 
 Today, almost half of the members of the Senate Democratic Caucus23 Senatorsvoted to cut Pentagon spending by 10% and invest in human needs. This is far and away the most significant step forward in recent years in addressing our bloated $740 billion military budget and changing our national priorities, said Sanders. We are going to continue building a political movement which understands that it is far more important to invest in working people, the children, the elderly, and the poor than in spending more on defense than the next 11 nations combined. 
Sanders' amendment was cosponsored by Sens. Markey and Warren (D-Mass.), Merkley and Wyden (D-Ore.), and was endorsed by Senate Democratic Leader Schumer (D-N.Y.). In addition to the Senate vote, 93 members of the House of Representatives40% of the Democratic Caucusvoted on a companion amendment introduced by Representatives Mark Pocan (D-Wis.) and Barbara Lee (D-Calif.). 
 View Sanders' floor speech here.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/video-audio/what-are-the-republicans-priorities-during-this-economic-crisis,What are the Republicans' Priorities During this Economic Crisis?,2020-07-20,2020,2020-07,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"What are the Republicans' Priorities During this Economic Crisis? 
            More than 30% of American families could not pay their July rent and 28 million people could become homeless if we don't act.
What are the Republicans' priorities during this economic crisis? Passing a $135 billion tax break for their millionaire donors.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/video-audio/we-dont-need-more-nuclear-weapons,We Don't Need More Nuclear Weapons,2020-07-18,2020,2020-07,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"We Don't Need More Nuclear Weapons 
            We don't need more nuclear weapons. We don't need more fighter jets.
We do need decent housing and health care for our people.
            
                
                    
                       	
        				
                        
                            
                                
                                
                                    
                                    
                                    
                                
                                
        						
                            
                        
                        
    						
                            	
    						
    					
                    
                
            
        	
            
            
            
                
                
                
                
                    
                   	See Video on YouTube
							Tweet
							
								
							
                    
Copy Link",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sanders-welcomes-schumers-support-for-effort-to-cut-pentagon-and-invest-in-human-needs,Sanders Welcomes Schumers Support for Effort to Cut Pentagon and Invest in Human Needs,2020-07-10,2020,2020-07,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Sanders Welcomes Schumer's Support for Effort to Cut Pentagon and Invest in Human Needs
			
		
		
			Friday, July 10, 2020
		
		
	
		
		WASHINGTON, July 8  Today, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) welcomed Senate Democratic Leader Charles Schumer's (D-N.Y.) support for his amendment to the annual National Defense Authorization Act, which has been guaranteed a floor vote during the week of July 20th. ""Let me thankSen. Schumerfor his support for my amendment to cut the bloated $740 billion Pentagon budget by 10% and invest $74 billion in communities that have been ravaged by extreme poverty and mass incarceration,""said Sanderson Twitter.This amendment will begin to change our national priorities.""


""Proud I fought alongside Sen. Sanders to ensure we vote in July on his amendment to cut $740 billion defense budget by 10% and put [money] into priorities like health care, housing, childcare in communities with 25%+ povertyincluding many communities of color,""wrote Schumer.""I proudly support the amendment."" The amendment, cosponsored by Senators Ed Markey (D-Mass.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), and Representatives Mark Pocan (D-Wis.) and Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), would take $74 billion in annual savings from the Pentagonexempting military salaries and health careto create a domestic federal grant program managed by the Treasury Department to fund health care, housing, childcare and educational opportunities for cities and towns experiencing a poverty rate of 25% or more. Sanders' amendment garnered the support of more than60 national organizationsfighting for economic, environmental, and racial justice, and peace. Sanders added, Let me also thank Sen. Schumer for securing a vote on my amendment during the week of July 20th. If there was ever a time to fundamentally change our national priorities, now is that time. Let's cut the Pentagon budget and invest in healthcare and housing here at home."" Contact:Keane_Bhatt@sanders.senate.gov",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
https://www.sanders.senate.gov/press-releases/sanders-welcomes-schumers-support-for-effort-to-cut-pentagon-and-invest-in-human-needs/,Sanders Welcomes Schumers Support for Effort to Cut Pentagon and Invest in Human Needs,2020-07-10,2020,2020-07,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, July 8  Today, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) welcomed Senate Democratic Leader Charles Schumer's (D-N.Y.) support for his amendment to the annual National Defense Authorization Act, which has been guaranteed a floor vote during the week of July 20th.
Let me thankSen. Schumerfor his support for my amendment to cut the bloated $740 billion Pentagon budget by 10% and invest $74 billion in communities that have been ravaged by extreme poverty and mass incarceration,said Sanderson Twitter.This amendment will begin to change our national priorities.
Proud I fought alongside Sen. Sanders to ensure we vote in July on his amendment to cut $740 billion defense budget by 10% and put [money] into priorities like health care, housing, childcare in communities with 25%+ povertyincluding many communities of color,wrote Schumer.I proudly support the amendment.
The amendment, cosponsored by Senators Ed Markey (D-Mass.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), and Representatives Mark Pocan (D-Wis.) and Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), would take $74 billion in annual savings from the Pentagonexempting military salaries and health careto create a domestic federal grant program managed by the Treasury Department to fund health care, housing, childcare and educational opportunities for cities and towns experiencing a poverty rate of 25% or more. Sanders' amendment garnered the support of more than60 national organizationsfighting for economic, environmental, and racial justice, and peace.
Sanders added, Let me also thank Sen. Schumer for securing a vote on my amendment during the week of July 20th. If there was ever a time to fundamentally change our national priorities, now is that time. Let's cut the Pentagon budget and invest in healthcare and housing here at home.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/cbo-report-commissioned-by-sanders-finds-wealthy-tax-cheats-the-prime-beneficiaries-of-irs-budget-cuts,CBO Report Commissioned by Sanders Finds Wealthy Tax Cheats the Prime Beneficiaries of IRS Budget Cuts,2020-07-08,2020,2020-07,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"CBO Report Commissioned by Sanders Finds Wealthy Tax Cheats the Prime Beneficiaries of IRS Budget Cuts
			
		
		
			Wednesday, July 8, 2020
		
		
	
		
		
WASHINGTON, July 8Today, at the request of Senate Budget Committee Ranking Member Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) issued a report, Trends in the Internal Revenue Service's Funding and Enforcement, examining the causes of hundreds of billions of dollars in annual tax avoidance and evasion, facilitated by budget cuts to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). CBO found that the estimated amount of taxes owed but ultimately unpaid was $381 billion on average annually from 2011 to 2013 according to the latest data from the IRS. The tax gap is almost certainly substantially higher given that the total revenue collected has gone up by more than a third since that time. A recent academic study found that roughly 70% of the gap is explained by underpayment of the top 1%.  The richest 1% is responsible for 70% of all unpaid taxes,""said Sanders. With the money that these tax cheats owe, this year alone, we could fund tuition-free college for all, eliminate child hunger, ensure clean drinking water for every American household, build half a million affordable housing units, provide masks to all, produce the protective gear and medical supplies our health workers need to combat this pandemic, and fully fund the U.S. Postal Service. That is an absolute outrage, and this report should make us take a long, hard look at what our national priorities are all about."" Despite the enormous amount of taxes going unpaid by the wealthy and large corporations, Congress has cut overall resources to the IRS by 20% in inflation-adjusted terms since 2010, which has led to the elimination of 22% of its staff during that time period. Even more strikingly, funding and staff dedicated to enforcement have declined by about 30% since 2010. While Republicans attempt to portray these cuts as a populist move against an unpopular agency, the real impact has been to open up the floodgates for the wealthy and corporations to avoid or even evade the taxes that they owe. The IRS examination rate for the largest corporations, those with $20 billion or more in assets, dropped by about half from 2010 to 2018. The wealthiest taxpayers, with more than $1 million in income, saw their audit rate cut by 63% during the same time period. ""For every dollar we invest in getting the IRS the staffing and resources it needs, we get three dollars back in unpaid taxes, said Sanders. Make no mistake: the primary beneficiaries of IRS funding cuts are wealthy tax cheats and large corporations."" The new CBO report also found that increasing IRS funding by just $20 billion over the next 10 years would actually decrease the deficit by $40 billion over the next 10 years. This estimate is conservative since it does not include the considerable indirect impact that increased funding would have on deterrence. ""Do not think for one second that the wealthiest country on Earth is unable to make critical investments to meet people's basic needs in terms of healthcare, food security, education, and unemployment,""said Sanders. Congress is leaving hundreds of billions of dollars in taxes uncollected from the wealthy. We have got to invest in a robust IRS that focuses on the biggest culprits of tax evasion so we can prioritize those resources to ensure people's basic needs."" Read the report here.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
https://www.sanders.senate.gov/press-releases/cbo-report-commissioned-by-sanders-finds-wealthy-tax-cheats-the-prime-beneficiaries-of-irs-budget-cuts/,CBO Report Commissioned by Sanders Finds Wealthy Tax Cheats the Prime Beneficiaries of IRS Budget Cuts,2020-07-08,2020,2020-07,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, July 8Today, at the request of Senate Budget Committee Ranking Member Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) issued a report, Trends in the Internal Revenue Service's Funding and Enforcement, examining the causes of hundreds of billions of dollars in annual tax avoidance and evasion, facilitated by budget cuts to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
CBO found that the estimated amount of taxes owed but ultimately unpaid was $381 billion on average annually from 2011 to 2013 according to the latest data from the IRS. The tax gap is almost certainly substantially higher given that the total revenue collected has gone up by more than a third since that time. A recent academic study found that roughly 70% of the gap is explained by underpayment of the top 1%.
The richest 1% is responsible for 70% of all unpaid taxes,said Sanders. With the money that these tax cheats owe, this year alone, we could fund tuition-free college for all, eliminate child hunger, ensure clean drinking water for every American household, build half a million affordable housing units, provide masks to all, produce the protective gear and medical supplies our health workers need to combat this pandemic, and fully fund the U.S. Postal Service. That is an absolute outrage, and this report should make us take a long, hard look at what our national priorities are all about.
Despite the enormous amount of taxes going unpaid by the wealthy and large corporations, Congress has cut overall resources to the IRS by 20% in inflation-adjusted terms since 2010, which has led to the elimination of 22% of its staff during that time period. Even more strikingly, funding and staff dedicated to enforcement have declined by about 30% since 2010.
While Republicans attempt to portray these cuts as a populist move against an unpopular agency, the real impact has been to open up the floodgates for the wealthy and corporations to avoid or even evade the taxes that they owe. The IRS examination rate for the largest corporations, those with $20 billion or more in assets, dropped by about half from 2010 to 2018. The wealthiest taxpayers, with more than $1 million in income, saw their audit rate cut by 63% during the same time period.
For every dollar we invest in getting the IRS the staffing and resources it needs, we get three dollars back in unpaid taxes, said Sanders. Make no mistake: the primary beneficiaries of IRS funding cuts are wealthy tax cheats and large corporations.
The new CBO report also found that increasing IRS funding by just $20 billion over the next 10 years would actually decrease the deficit by $40 billion over the next 10 years. This estimate is conservative since it does not include the considerable indirect impact that increased funding would have on deterrence.
Do not think for one second that the wealthiest country on Earth is unable to make critical investments to meet people's basic needs in terms of healthcare, food security, education, and unemployment,said Sanders. Congress is leaving hundreds of billions of dollars in taxes uncollected from the wealthy. We have got to invest in a robust IRS that focuses on the biggest culprits of tax evasion so we can prioritize those resources to ensure people's basic needs.
Read the report here.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/video-audio/end-mass-unemployment-by-guaranteeing-workers-paychecks,End Mass Unemployment by Guaranteeing Workers' Paychecks,2020-07-03,2020,2020-07,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"End Mass Unemployment by Guaranteeing Workers' Paychecks 
            Unemployment rate:
???? 13%
???? 4%
Why? The United Kingdom provided paychecks to its workers and kept them employed. It's about time we do the same.
            
                
                    
                       	
        				
                        
                            
                                
                                
                                    
                                    
                                    
                                
                                
        						
                            
                        
                        
    						
                            	
    						
    					
                    
                
            
        	
            
            
            
                
                
                
                
                    
                   	See Video on YouTube
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Copy Link",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sanders-demands-mandatory-federal-covid-19-protections-in-airline-industry,Sanders Demands Mandatory Federal COVID-19 Protections in Airline Industry,2020-07-02,2020,2020-07,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Sanders Demands Mandatory Federal COVID-19 Protections in Airline Industry
			
		
		
			Thursday, July 2, 2020
		
		
	
		
		WASHINGTON, July 2  In light of a stunning lack of federal government action to protect passengers, flight attendants, pilots, and other aviation workers, Sen. Sanders wrote to the heads of the Department of Transportation and the Federal Aviation Administration, demanding that they take immediate action to mandate that airlines protect passengers and employees and put safety over profit."" During a Tuesday Senate hearing, Sanders questioned National Institute of Allergy and Infectious DiseasesDirector Dr. Anthony Fauci and CDC Director Redfield regarding widespread lack of social distancing and mask-wearing on airplanes and at airports, as well as American Airlines' announcement that it would begin to fill planes to capacity. Both public health experts expressed their concern and disappointment over these developments. Sanders called on federal authorities to mandate universal mask-wearing in all airports and airplanes, limit all commercial plane flights to two-thirds capacity, and require stringent standards for disinfection, air circulation, and air filtration of planes. Read the full letter here.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/video-audio/cut-the-pentagon,Cut the Pentagon,2020-07-02,2020,2020-07,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Cut the Pentagon 
            Cut the Pentagon. Feed, shelter, educate, and employ all our people.
            
                
                    
                       	
        				
                        
                            
                                
                                
                                    
                                    
                                    
                                
                                
        						
                            
                        
                        
    						
                            	
    						
    					
                    
                
            
        	
            
            
            
                
                
                
                
                    
                   	See Video on YouTube
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Copy Link",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/video-audio/fighting-for-dc-statehood,Fighting for D.C. Statehood,2020-07-02,2020,2020-07,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Fighting for D.C. Statehood 
            I said it in 1993 and I'll say it again: D.C. statehood now!
            
                
                    
                       	
        				
                        
                            
                                
                                
                                    
                                    
                                    
                                
                                
        						
                            
                        
                        
    						
                            	
    						
    					
                    
                
            
        	
            
            
            
                
                
                
                
                    
                   	See Video on YouTube
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Copy Link",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/video-audio/walmarts-minimum-wage,Walmart's Minimum Wage,2020-07-02,2020,2020-07,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Walmart's Minimum Wage 
            Target has raised the minimum wage for its 275,000 workers to $15 an hour. 
Now is the time for Walmart to also raise their minimum wage to at least $15 an hour.
I suspect the world's richest family, the Walton family, can afford it.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/video-audio/we-must-provide-2000-a-month-to-every-working-class-person-in-america,"We Must Provide $2,000 a Month to Every Working-Class Person in America",2020-07-02,2020,2020-07,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"We Must Provide $2,000 a Month to Every Working-Class Person in America 
            Responding to the pandemic with a fierce sense of urgency means providing every working-class person in America with an emergency $2,000 payment each month until this crisis is over so that they can pay the rent, feed their families and make ends meet.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/video-audio/weapons-wont-make-us-safer,Weapons Won't Make Us Safer,2020-07-02,2020,2020-07,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Weapons Won't Make Us Safer 
            One theory is that by spending $740,000,000,000 on the most sophisticated weapons of mass destruction in world history, we'll be safer. I'm not so sure.
Maybe what makes us safer is breaking down the fear and hatred that exists around the world, so that we can get to know each other and recognize our common humanity.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
https://www.sanders.senate.gov/press-releases/sanders-demands-mandatory-federal-covid-19-protections-in-airline-industry/,Sanders Demands Mandatory Federal COVID-19 Protections in Airline Industry,2020-07-02,2020,2020-07,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, July 2  In light of a stunning lack of federal government action to protect passengers, flight attendants, pilots, and other aviation workers, Sen. Sanders wrote to the heads of the Department of Transportation and the Federal Aviation Administration, demanding that they take immediate action to mandate that airlines protect passengers and employees and put safety over profit.
During a Tuesday Senate hearing, Sanders questioned National Institute of Allergy and Infectious DiseasesDirector Dr. Anthony Fauci and CDC Director Redfield regarding widespread lack of social distancing and mask-wearing on airplanes and at airports, as well as American Airlines' announcement that it would begin to fill planes to capacity. Both public health experts expressed their concern and disappointment over these developments.
Sanders called on federal authorities to mandate universal mask-wearing in all airports and airplanes, limit all commercial plane flights to two-thirds capacity, and require stringent standards for disinfection, air circulation, and air filtration of planes.
Read the full letter here.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/video-audio/the-american-people-deserve-a-real-debate-on-pentagon-spending,The American People Deserve a Real Debate on Pentagon Spending,2020-07-01,2020,2020-07,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"The American People Deserve a Real Debate on Pentagon Spending 
            I was LIVE on the Senate floor to oppose a $740,500,000,000 Pentagon budget that could pass without votes on any amendments.
The American people deserve a real debate from their elected representatives before we build more bombs instead of schools.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sanders-calls-on-senate-to-reject-exploding-military-budget-invest-in-human-needs,"Sanders Calls on Senate to Reject Exploding Military Budget, Invest in Human Needs",2020-06-30,2020,2020-06,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Sanders Calls on Senate to Reject Exploding Military Budget, Invest in Human Needs
			
		
		
			Tuesday, June 30, 2020
		
		
	
		
		WASHINGTON, June 30  Today, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) spoke on the Senate floor to advocate for amendments he introduced to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that would fundamentally overhaul the Pentagon budget, which exceeds $740 billion this year. Military spending, now higher than the next 11 nations combined, represents more than half of all federal discretionary spending. The Pentagon budget has exploded under President Trump, increasing by more than $100 billion in annual spending compared to military budgets under President Obama. In his floor remarks, Sanders called for a 10% cut to the Pentagon budget to invest the savings in distressed communities; the production and distribution of free face masks to every American household; and an independent audit of the Defense Department.  At a time when more Americans have died from the coronavirus than were killed fighting in World War I, when over 30 million Americans have lost their jobs in recent months, when tens of millions of Americans are in danger of being evicted from their homes, when education in America from childcare to graduate school is in desperate need of reform, when over half a million Americans are homeless, and when close to 100 million people are either uninsured or under-insured now is the time to invest in our people, Sanders said. That means jobs, education, housing, healthcare, and clean air and water right here at home.  If the horrific pandemic we are now experiencing has taught us anything it is that national security means a lot more than building bombs, missiles, jet fighters, tanks, submarines, nuclear warheads and other weapons of mass destruction, Sanders added. National security also means doing everything we can to improve the lives of our people, many of whom have been abandoned by our government decade after decade."" Sanders introduced six amendments to the NDAA, which would:
 
Cut 10% of annual Pentagon spending to invest in education, health care and poverty reduction in America's most marginalized communities. The amendment, cosponsored by Senators Ed Markey (D-Mass.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), and Representatives Mark Pocan (D-Wis.) and Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), would take $74 billion in annual savings from the Pentagonexempting salaries and health careto create a domestic federal grant program to fund health care, housing, childcare and educational opportunities for cities and towns experiencing a poverty rate of 25% or more. This amendment garnered the support of more than 60 national organizations fighting for economic, environmental, and racial justice, and peace.
Require the federal government to manufacture and distribute high-quality face masks to every individual in the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic. In questioning by Sanders during today's Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) hearing, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, expressed support for the proposal. A new study found that nationwide use of face masks would not only fight the virus and save lives, but it would save the U.S. economy $1 trillion. At a time when the Trump administration has failed to respond to the dire coronavirus pandemic, which has killed nearly 130,000 Americans, the amendment would require the president to utilize the Defense Production Act and all available authorities to manufacture and procure face masks and distribute masks via the Postal Service to every household in the country.
Require the Defense Department to pass a clean audit by Fiscal Year 2025. Sanders was joined by Senators Grassley (R-Iowa), Wyden (D-Ore.), and Lee (R-Utah) on the measure, which would penalize Pentagon agencies that fail to pass an independent audit by returning a portion of their annual budgets to the Treasury. The Pentagon is the only federal department in America that hasn't been able to pass an independent audit30 years after Congress required it to do so.
Prohibit funding for military aid and logistical support for unconstitutional and unauthorized U.S. military participation in the Saudi-led war in Yemen. Senators Lee (R-Utah) and Murphy (D-Conn.) cosponsored the amendment. A bipartisan majority of the U.S. Senate has already voted three times to halt all U.S. military support for the Saudi-led war in Yemen, and in April 2019 a bipartisan, bicameral majority of Congress passed the first-ever War Powers Resolution in our American history to direct the withdrawal of unauthorized U.S. forces from a conflict. Sanders' landmark legislation, was vetoed by Trump in 2019.
Provide statutory authorization for Beyond the Yellow Ribbon programs, which are state grants provided by the Department of Defense for programs which help members of the Armed Forces and their families in preparation for deployment, during deployment and in reintegration post-deployment. These programs have helped thousands of service members, veterans and their family members cope with the challenges associated with deployments and military service.
Implement a 0.1% cut to the Pentagon budget and transfer that funding to the State Department for cultural and educational exchange programs between the people of the United States and other countries. These important programs bring young people, students, scholars, and professionals from other countries to the U.S. to see our country, experience what life is like here, meet our people, and send our people to other countries to do the same. These programs promote greater cultural awareness, understanding and cooperation between different countries and emphasizes our common humanity, while decreasing conflict.
 
   Watch Sanders' Senate floor speech here. Read Sanders' prepared remarks here. Read the amendment texts here: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. Read 60+ national advocacy groups' endorsement letter here.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/video-audio/fauci-agrees-masks-and-vaccines-for-all,Fauci Agrees: Masks and Vaccines for All,2020-06-30,2020,2020-06,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Fauci Agrees: Masks and Vaccines for All 
            Today, I asked Dr. Fauci whether we need to manufacture and distribute free, high-quality masks and guarantee free vaccines to everyone in America.
He agreed.
The Senate must listen to our public health experts and immediately pass my proposals to do exactly that.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/video-audio/we-must-move-away-from-war-and-weapons-to-focus-on-human-needs,We Must Move Away from War and Weapons to Focus on Human Needs,2020-06-30,2020,2020-06,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"We Must Move Away from War and Weapons to Focus on Human Needs 
            I urge my colleagues to stop pouring billions of dollars into wars and weapons.
It's time we listen to President Eisenhower and Dr. King. We need the courage to say NO to the military industrial complex and start focusing on real human needs.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
https://www.sanders.senate.gov/press-releases/sanders-calls-on-senate-to-reject-exploding-military-budget-invest-in-human-needs/,"Sanders Calls on Senate to Reject Exploding Military Budget, Invest in Human Needs",2020-06-30,2020,2020-06,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, June 30  Today, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) spoke on the Senate floor to advocate for amendments he introduced to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that would fundamentally overhaul the Pentagon budget, which exceeds $740 billion this year.
Military spending, now higher than the next 11 nations combined, represents more than half of all federal discretionary spending. The Pentagon budget has exploded under President Trump, increasing by more than $100 billion in annual spending compared to military budgets under President Obama. In his floor remarks, Sanders called for a 10% cut to the Pentagon budget to invest the savings in distressed communities; the production and distribution of free face masks to every American household; and an independent audit of the Defense Department.
At a time when more Americans have died from the coronavirus than were killed fighting in World War I, when over 30 million Americans have lost their jobs in recent months, when tens of millions of Americans are in danger of being evicted from their homes, when education in America from childcare to graduate school is in desperate need of reform, when over half a million Americans are homeless, and when close to 100 million people are either uninsured or under-insured now is the time to invest in our people, Sanders said. That means jobs, education, housing, healthcare, and clean air and water right here at home.
If the horrific pandemic we are now experiencing has taught us anything it is that national security means a lot more than building bombs, missiles, jet fighters, tanks, submarines, nuclear warheads and other weapons of mass destruction, Sanders added. National security also means doing everything we can to improve the lives of our people, many of whom have been abandoned by our government decade after decade.
Sanders introduced six amendments to the NDAA, which would:
 
Cut 10% of annual Pentagon spending to invest in education, health care and poverty reduction in America's most marginalized communities. The amendment, cosponsored by Senators Ed Markey (D-Mass.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), and Representatives Mark Pocan (D-Wis.) and Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), would take $74 billion in annual savings from the Pentagonexempting salaries and health careto create a domestic federal grant program to fund health care, housing, childcare and educational opportunities for cities and towns experiencing a poverty rate of 25% or more. This amendment garnered the support of more than 60 national organizations fighting for economic, environmental, and racial justice, and peace.
Require the federal government to manufacture and distribute high-quality face masks to every individual in the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic. In questioning by Sanders during today's Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) hearing, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, expressed support for the proposal. A new study found that nationwide use of face masks would not only fight the virus and save lives, but it would save the U.S. economy $1 trillion. At a time when the Trump administration has failed to respond to the dire coronavirus pandemic, which has killed nearly 130,000 Americans, the amendment would require the president to utilize the Defense Production Act and all available authorities to manufacture and procure face masks and distribute masks via the Postal Service to every household in the country.
Require the Defense Department to pass a clean audit by Fiscal Year 2025. Sanders was joined by Senators Grassley (R-Iowa), Wyden (D-Ore.), and Lee (R-Utah) on the measure, which would penalize Pentagon agencies that fail to pass an independent audit by returning a portion of their annual budgets to the Treasury. The Pentagon is the only federal department in America that hasn't been able to pass an independent audit30 years after Congress required it to do so.
Prohibit funding for military aid and logistical support for unconstitutional and unauthorized U.S. military participation in the Saudi-led war in Yemen. Senators Lee (R-Utah) and Murphy (D-Conn.) cosponsored the amendment. A bipartisan majority of the U.S. Senate has already voted three times to halt all U.S. military support for the Saudi-led war in Yemen, and in April 2019 a bipartisan, bicameral majority of Congress passed the first-ever War Powers Resolution in our American history to direct the withdrawal of unauthorized U.S. forces from a conflict. Sanders' landmark legislation, was vetoed by Trump in 2019.
Provide statutory authorization for Beyond the Yellow Ribbon programs, which are state grants provided by the Department of Defense for programs which help members of the Armed Forces and their families in preparation for deployment, during deployment and in reintegration post-deployment. These programs have helped thousands of service members, veterans and their family members cope with the challenges associated with deployments and military service.
Implement a 0.1% cut to the Pentagon budget and transfer that funding to the State Department for cultural and educational exchange programs between the people of the United States and other countries. These important programs bring young people, students, scholars, and professionals from other countries to the U.S. to see our country, experience what life is like here, meet our people, and send our people to other countries to do the same. These programs promote greater cultural awareness, understanding and cooperation between different countries and emphasizes our common humanity, while decreasing conflict.
 
Watch Sanders' Senate floor speech here. Read Sanders' prepared remarks here.
Read the amendment texts here: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.
Read 60+ national advocacy groups' endorsement letter here.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sanders-cut-the-pentagon-by-10-to-hire-more-teachers-build-more-homes-and-create-more-jobs,"Sanders: Cut the Pentagon By 10% to Hire More Teachers, Build More Homes, and Create More Jobs",2020-06-25,2020,2020-06,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Sanders: Cut the Pentagon By 10% to Hire More Teachers, Build More Homes, and Create More Jobs
			
		
		
			Thursday, June 25, 2020
		
		
	
		
		WASHINGTON, June 25  Today, ahead of the Senate's consideration of a proposed $740.5 billion military budget authorization, Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) took to the Senate floor to call for a 10% cut in annual Pentagon spending to invest in education, health care and poverty reduction in America's most marginalized communities. Sanders' amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act, cosponsored by Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.) and Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), would take the $74 billion in annual savings from Pentagon cutswhich exempt salaries and health care of military personnelto create a federal grant program to fund health care, housing, childcare and educational opportunities for cities and towns experiencing a poverty rate of 25% or more. ""At this pivotal moment in American history, said Sanders, we have to make a fundamental decision.Do we want to spend billions more on endless wars in the Middle East, or do we want to provide decent jobs to millions of unemployed Americans here at home?Do we want to spend more money on nuclear weapons or do we want to invest in decent jobs and childcare and healthcare for the American people most in need?"" The statement was carried live on the Senator's social media channels and can be viewed onTwitter orFacebook. 

The Senator's prepared remarks are as follows: ""Mr. President, if there was ever a moment in American history when we needed to fundamentally alter our national priorities, now is that time. Whether it is fighting against systemic racism and police brutality, transforming our energy system away from fossil fuel, ending a cruel and dysfunctional healthcare system or addressing the grotesque level of income and wealth inequality in our country  now is the time for change, real change. And when we talk about real change it is incredible to me the degree to which Congress continues to ignore our bloated $740 billion defense budget  which has gone up by over $100 billion since Trump has been in office. Year after year Democrats and Republicans, who disagree on almost everything, come together with minimal debate to support an exploding Pentagon budget which is now higher than the next 11 nations combined, and represents more than half of our discretionary spending. Incredibly, after adjusting for inflation, we are now spending more on the military than we did during the height of the Cold War or during the wars in Vietnam and Korea. This extraordinary level of military spending comes at a time when the Department of Defense is the only agency of our federal government that has not been able to pass an independent audit, when defense contractors are making enormous profits while paying their CEOs exorbitant compensation packages, and when the so-called War on Terror will end up costing us some $6 trillion. I believe this is a moment in history when it would be a good idea for all of my colleagues, and the American people, to remember what former Republican President Dwight D. Eisenhower said in 1953. And, as we all recall, Eisenhower was a four star general who led the allied forces to victory in Europe during World War II. Eisenhower said: Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed. This world in arms is not spending money alone. It is spending the sweat of its laborers, the genius of its scientists, the hopes of its children."" What Eisenhower said was true 67 years ago, and it is true today. If the horrific pandemic we are now experiencing has taught us anything it is that national security means a lot more than building bombs, missiles, jet fighters, tanks, submarines, nuclear warheads and other weapons of mass destruction. National security also means doing everything we can to improve the lives of our people, many of whom have been abandoned by our government decade after decade. In order to begin the process of transforming our national priorities I have filed an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act with Senator Markey to reduce the military budget by 10 percent and use the $74 billion in savings to invest in distressed communities around the country that have been ravaged by extreme poverty, mass incarceration, deindustrialization and decades of neglect. At a time when more Americans have died from the coronavirus than were killed fighting in World War I, when over 30 million Americans have lost their jobs in recent months, when tens of millions of Americans are in danger of being evicted from their homes, when education in America from childcare to graduate school is in desperate need of reform, when half a million Americans are homeless, and when close to 100 million people are either uninsured or under-insured - nowisthe time to invest in our people - in jobs, education, housing and healthcare here at home. Under this amendment, distressed cities and towns in every state in the country would be able to use these funds to create jobs by building affordable housing, schools, childcare facilities, community health centers, public hospitals, libraries, sustainable energy projects, and clean drinking water facilities. These communities would also receive federal funding to hire more public school teachers, provide nutritious meals to children and parents and offer free tuition at public colleges, universities or trade schools. Mr. President, at this pivotal moment in American history, we have to make a fundamental decision. Do we want to spend billions more on endless wars in the Middle East, or do we want to provide decent jobs to millions of unemployed Americans here at home? Do we want to spend more money on nuclear weapons or do we want to invest in decent jobs and childcare and healthcare for the American people most in need? Mr. President, when we analyze the Defense Department budget it is interesting to note that Congress has appropriated so much money for the Defense Department that the Pentagon literally does not know what to do with it. According to the Government Accountability Office (GAO), between 2013 and 2018 the Pentagon returned more than $80 billion in funding back to the Treasury. In my view, the time is long overdue for us to take a hard look not only at the size of the Pentagon budget, but at the enormous amount of waste, cost overruns, fraud, and at the financial mismanagement that has plagued the Department of Defense for decades. Mr. President, let's be clear. About half of the Pentagon's budget goes directly into the hands of private contractors, not our troops.  And, over the past two decades, virtually every major defense contractor in the United States has paid millions of dollars in fines and settlements for misconduct and fraud  all while making huge profits on those government contracts. Since 1995, Boeing, Lockheed Martin and United Technologies have paid over $3 billion in fines or related settlements for fraud or misconduct. Yet, those three companies received around $1 trillion in defense contracts over the past two decades alone. Further, Mr. President, I find it interesting that the very same defense contractors that have been found guilty or reached settlements for fraud are also paying their CEOs excessive compensation packages. Last year, the CEOs of Lockheed Martin and Northrup Grumman both made over $20 million in total compensation while around 90% of the companies' revenue came from defense contracts. In other words, these companies for all intent and purposes are governmental agencies where the CEOs make over a hundred times more than the Secretary of Defense. It's not too surprising, therefore, that we have a revolving door where our military people end up on the boards of directors of these major defense companies. Moreover, Mr. President, as the GAO has told us, there are massive cost overruns in the Defense Department's acquisition budget that we have got to address. According to GAO, the Pentagon's $1.8 trillion acquisition portfolio currently suffers from more than $628 billion in cost overruns with much of the cost growth taking place after production. GAO tells us that many DoD programs fall short of cost, schedule, and performance expectations, meaning DoD pays more than anticipated, can buy less than expected, and, in some cases, delivers less capability to the warfighter."" Mr. President, the Commission on Wartime Contracting in Iraq and Afghanistan concluded in 2011 that $31-$60 billion spent in Iraq and Afghanistan had been lost to fraud and waste. Separately, in 2015, the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction reported that the Pentagon could not account for $45 billion in funding for reconstruction projects. And more recently, an audit conducted by Ernst & Young for the Defense Logistics Agency found that it could not properly account for some $800 million in construction projects. Mr. President, that is unacceptable. I believe in a strong military. But we cannot keep giving more money to the Pentagon than it needs when millions of children in this country are food insecure and 140 million Americans can't afford the basic necessities of life without going into debt. In 1967, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. warned us that a nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual death."" The time is long overdue to listen to Dr. King. At a time when, in the richest country in the history of the world, half of our people are struggling paycheck to paycheck, when over 40 million Americans are living in poverty, and when over 500,000 Americans are homeless, we are approaching spiritual death. At a time when we have the highest rate of childhood poverty of almost any major country on earth, and when millions of Americans are in danger of going hungry, we are approaching spiritual death. At a time when over 60,000 Americans die each year because they can't afford to get to a doctor on time, and one out of five Americans can't afford the prescription drugs their doctors prescribe, we are approaching spiritual death. Now, at this moment of unprecedented national crisis, it is time to rethink what we value as a society and to fundamentally transform our national priorities. Now at this moment of unprecedented national crises  a growing pandemic, an economic meltdown, the demand to end systemic racism and police brutality, and an unstable president  it is time for us to truly focus on what we value as a society and to fundamentally transform our national priorities. Cutting the military budget by 10 percent and investing that money in human needs is a modest way to begin that process. And as President Eisenhower said as he left office in 1961: In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist.""",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/video-audio/let-us-reduce-our-bloated-military-budget-and-invest-in-communities-that-need-it-most,Let Us Reduce Our Bloated Military Budget And Invest In Communities That Need It Most,2020-06-25,2020,2020-06,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Let Us Reduce Our Bloated Military Budget And Invest In Communities That Need It Most 
            Why are we spending more on our military than the next 11 nations combined?
I have a better idea: Reduce the Pentagon budget by 10% and invest it in the fight to finally end homelessness, hunger and poverty in the richest country on Earth.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
https://www.sanders.senate.gov/press-releases/sanders-cut-the-pentagon-by-10-to-hire-more-teachers-build-more-homes-and-create-more-jobs/,"Sanders: Cut the Pentagon By 10% to Hire More Teachers, Build More Homes, and Create More Jobs",2020-06-25,2020,2020-06,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, June 25  Today, ahead of the Senate's consideration of a proposed $740.5 billion military budget authorization, Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) took to the Senate floor to call for a 10% cut in annual Pentagon spending to invest in education, health care and poverty reduction in America's most marginalized communities.
 Sanders' amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act, cosponsored by Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.) and Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), would take the $74 billion in annual savings from Pentagon cutswhich exempt salaries and health care of military personnelto create a federal grant program to fund health care, housing, childcare and educational opportunities for cities and towns experiencing a poverty rate of 25% or more.
 At this pivotal moment in American history, said Sanders, we have to make a fundamental decision.Do we want to spend billions more on endless wars in the Middle East, or do we want to provide decent jobs to millions of unemployed Americans here at home?Do we want to spend more money on nuclear weapons or do we want to invest in decent jobs and childcare and healthcare for the American people most in need?
 The statement was carried live on the Senator's social media channels and can be viewed onTwitter orFacebook. 
The Senator's prepared remarks are as follows:
 Mr. President, if there was ever a moment in American history when we needed to fundamentally alter our national priorities, now is that time.
 Whether it is fighting against systemic racism and police brutality, transforming our energy system away from fossil fuel, ending a cruel and dysfunctional healthcare system or addressing the grotesque level of income and wealth inequality in our country  now is the time for change, real change.
 And when we talk about real change it is incredible to me the degree to which Congress continues to ignore our bloated $740 billion defense budget  which has gone up by over $100 billion since Trump has been in office.
 Year after year Democrats and Republicans, who disagree on almost everything, come together with minimal debate to support an exploding Pentagon budget which is now higher than the next 11 nations combined, and represents more than half of our discretionary spending.
 Incredibly, after adjusting for inflation, we are now spending more on the military than we did during the height of the Cold War or during the wars in Vietnam and Korea.
 This extraordinary level of military spending comes at a time when the Department of Defense is the only agency of our federal government that has not been able to pass an independent audit, when defense contractors are making enormous profits while paying their CEOs exorbitant compensation packages, and when the so-called War on Terror will end up costing us some $6 trillion.
 I believe this is a moment in history when it would be a good idea for all of my colleagues, and the American people, to remember what former Republican President Dwight D. Eisenhower said in 1953. And, as we all recall, Eisenhower was a four star general who led the allied forces to victory in Europe during World War II. Eisenhower said: Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed. This world in arms is not spending money alone. It is spending the sweat of its laborers, the genius of its scientists, the hopes of its children.
 What Eisenhower said was true 67 years ago, and it is true today.
 If the horrific pandemic we are now experiencing has taught us anything it is that national security means a lot more than building bombs, missiles, jet fighters, tanks, submarines, nuclear warheads and other weapons of mass destruction. National security also means doing everything we can to improve the lives of our people, many of whom have been abandoned by our government decade after decade.
 In order to begin the process of transforming our national priorities I have filed an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act with Senator Markey to reduce the military budget by 10 percent and use the $74 billion in savings to invest in distressed communities around the country that have been ravaged by extreme poverty, mass incarceration, deindustrialization and decades of neglect.
 At a time when more Americans have died from the coronavirus than were killed fighting in World War I, when over 30 million Americans have lost their jobs in recent months, when tens of millions of Americans are in danger of being evicted from their homes, when education in America from childcare to graduate school is in desperate need of reform, when half a million Americans are homeless, and when close to 100 million people are either uninsured or under-insured  nowisthe time to invest in our people  in jobs, education, housing and healthcare here at home.
 Under this amendment, distressed cities and towns in every state in the country would be able to use these funds to create jobs by building affordable housing, schools, childcare facilities, community health centers, public hospitals, libraries, sustainable energy projects, and clean drinking water facilities.
 These communities would also receive federal funding to hire more public school teachers, provide nutritious meals to children and parents and offer free tuition at public colleges, universities or trade schools.
 Mr. President, at this pivotal moment in American history, we have to make a fundamental decision. Do we want to spend billions more on endless wars in the Middle East, or do we want to provide decent jobs to millions of unemployed Americans here at home? Do we want to spend more money on nuclear weapons or do we want to invest in decent jobs and childcare and healthcare for the American people most in need?
 Mr. President, when we analyze the Defense Department budget it is interesting to note that Congress has appropriated so much money for the Defense Department that the Pentagon literally does not know what to do with it. According to the Government Accountability Office (GAO), between 2013 and 2018 the Pentagon returned more than $80 billion in funding back to the Treasury.
 In my view, the time is long overdue for us to take a hard look not only at the size of the Pentagon budget, but at the enormous amount of waste, cost overruns, fraud, and at the financial mismanagement that has plagued the Department of Defense for decades.
 Mr. President, let's be clear. About half of the Pentagon's budget goes directly into the hands of private contractors, not our troops. 
 And, over the past two decades, virtually every major defense contractor in the United States has paid millions of dollars in fines and settlements for misconduct and fraud  all while making huge profits on those government contracts.
 Since 1995, Boeing, Lockheed Martin and United Technologies have paid over $3 billion in fines or related settlements for fraud or misconduct. Yet, those three companies received around $1 trillion in defense contracts over the past two decades alone.
 Further, Mr. President, I find it interesting that the very same defense contractors that have been found guilty or reached settlements for fraud are also paying their CEOs excessive compensation packages.
 Last year, the CEOs of Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman both made over $20 million in total compensation while around 90% of the companies' revenue came from defense contracts. In other words, these companies for all intent and purposes are governmental agencies where the CEOs make over a hundred times more than the Secretary of Defense. It's not too surprising, therefore, that we have a revolving door where our military people end up on the boards of directors of these major defense companies.
 Moreover, Mr. President, as the GAO has told us, there are massive cost overruns in the Defense Department's acquisition budget that we have got to address.
 According to GAO, the Pentagon's $1.8 trillion acquisition portfolio currently suffers from more than $628 billion in cost overruns with much of the cost growth taking place after production.
 GAO tells us that many DoD programs fall short of cost, schedule, and performance expectations, meaning DoD pays more than anticipated, can buy less than expected, and, in some cases, delivers less capability to the warfighter.
 Mr. President, the Commission on Wartime Contracting in Iraq and Afghanistan concluded in 2011 that $31-$60 billion spent in Iraq and Afghanistan had been lost to fraud and waste.
 Separately, in 2015, the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction reported that the Pentagon could not account for $45 billion in funding for reconstruction projects.
 And more recently, an audit conducted by Ernst & Young for the Defense Logistics Agency found that it could not properly account for some $800 million in construction projects.
 Mr. President, that is unacceptable.
 I believe in a strong military. But we cannot keep giving more money to the Pentagon than it needs when millions of children in this country are food insecure and 140 million Americans can't afford the basic necessities of life without going into debt.
 In 1967, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. warned us that a nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual death.
 The time is long overdue to listen to Dr. King.
 At a time when, in the richest country in the history of the world, half of our people are struggling paycheck to paycheck, when over 40 million Americans are living in poverty, and when over 500,000 Americans are homeless, we are approaching spiritual death.
 At a time when we have the highest rate of childhood poverty of almost any major country on earth, and when millions of Americans are in danger of going hungry, we are approaching spiritual death.
 At a time when over 60,000 Americans die each year because they can't afford to get to a doctor on time, and one out of five Americans can't afford the prescription drugs their doctors prescribe, we are approaching spiritual death.
 Now, at this moment of unprecedented national crisis, it is time to rethink what we value as a society and to fundamentally transform our national priorities.
 Now at this moment of unprecedented national crises  a growing pandemic, an economic meltdown, the demand to end systemic racism and police brutality, and an unstable president  it is time for us to truly focus on what we value as a society and to fundamentally transform our national priorities.
 Cutting the military budget by 10 percent and investing that money in human needs is a modest way to begin that process.
 And as President Eisenhower said as he left office in 1961: In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/video-audio/why-are-there-so-few-black-farmers-in-america,Why are there So Few Black Farmers in America?,2020-06-22,2020,2020-06,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Why are there So Few Black Farmers in America? 
            In 1910 black farmers made up 14% of all farmers. Today they make up fewer than 2% and own less than 1% land in rural America. Land access for all is a social justice issue. We need to support black farmers so that they have the resources they need to keep and grow their farms and land-based businesses.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/bernie-sanders-returns-to-floor-of-us-senate-with-urgent-call-to-action,Bernie Sanders Returns to Floor of U.S. Senate With Urgent Call to Action,2020-06-17,2020,2020-06,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Bernie Sanders Returns to Floor of U.S. Senate With Urgent Call to Action
			
		
		
			Wednesday, June 17, 2020
		
		
	
		
		WASHINGTON, June 17 Senator Bernie Sanders (I-V.t.) returned to the floor of the Senate to call for decisive and drastic action to address the crises of health, economic well-being, and police brutality that face the American people. The Republican Senate leadership is doing nothing, Sanders said, while in every state in this country our constituents are hurting and they are calling out for help. Let us hear their cries. Let us act now.""
The following are his prepared remarks, which can be viewedhere.
""Mr. President, as everyone knows, this country faces an extraordinary set of crises  unprecedented in the modern history of this country. Over the last several weeks, hundreds of thousands of Americans across the country have courageously taken to the streets to demand an end to police murder and brutality and to rethink the nature of policing in America.
And, in the midst of that, we continue to suffer from the COVID-19 pandemic which has killed over 115,000 Americans and infected over 2.1 million of our people. And, on top of all of that, we are experiencing the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression with over 32 million Americans having lost their jobs.
Mr. President, enough is enough. The United States Senate must respond to the pain and suffering of the American people. Let us begin work today, not next week, not next month, but right now on the unprecedented crises facing America.
Mr. President, if there is anything that the torture and murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police has taught us it is that we have to fundamentally rethink the nature of policing in America and reform our broken and racist criminal justice system.
Let's be clear. The murder of George Floyd is not just an isolated incident. It is the latest in an endless series of police killings of African-Americans including: Breonna Taylor, Rayshard Brooks, Eric Garner, Sandra Bland, Laquan McDonald, Tamir Rice, Alton Sterling, Freddie Gray, Rekia Boyd, Walter Scott and so many others.
Mr. President, the American people are rightly demanding justice and an end to police brutality and murder.
The Senate has got to act and it must act now.
Now, here is the good news. Thanks to a massive grassroots movement, the Senate will finally begin to debate legislation dealing with police departments. The bad news is that the Republican legislation introduced this morning goes nowhere near far enough as to where we need to go.
Now is not the time to think small, or respond with superficial, bureaucratic proposals. Now, is not the time for more studies. Now, is the time to hold racist and corrupt police officers and police departments accountable for their actions.
Now is the time to implement far-reaching reforms that will protect people and communities that have suffered police brutality, torture and murder for far too long, and to act boldly to protect the First Amendment right to protest.
Here are just some of the things the Congress must do to address our deeply corrupt system of policing: First, every police officer involved in a killing must be held accountable, and those found guilty must be punished with the full force of the law. That includes officers who stand by while these brutal acts take place.
Every single killing of a person by police or while in police custody must be investigated by the Department of Justice.
We must create a process by which police departments look like the communities they serve and be part of those communities, not be seen as invading, heavily-armed occupying forces. We must, therefore, prohibit the transfer of Department of Defense military equipment to police departments.
We need to abolish qualified immunity, so police officers are held civilly liable for abuses.
We need to strip federal funds from departments that violate civil rights.
We need to provide funding to states and municipalities to create a civilian corps of unarmed first responders to supplement law enforcement. For too long we have asked police departments to do things which they are not trained or prepared to do and have criminalized societal problems like addiction and homelessness and mental illness  severe problems that exist in every state in this country. These are not problems that are solved by incarceration.
We need to make records of police misconduct publicly available, so that an officer with a record of misconduct cannot simply move two towns over and start again.
We need to require all jurisdictions that receive federal grant funding to establish independent police conduct review boards that are broadly representative of the community and that have the authority to refer deaths that occur at the hands of police or in police custody to federal authorities for investigation.
We need to amend federal civil rights laws to allow more effective prosecution of police misconduct by changing the standard from willfulness to recklessness.
We need to ban the use of facial recognition technology by the police.
Finally, we need to legalize marijuana. In the midst of the many crises we face as a country, it is absurd that under the federal controlled substances act marijuana is at schedule 1 along with other drugs like heroin. State after state has moved to legalize marijuana and it is time for the federal government to do the same. When we talk about police department reform we must end police officers continuing to arrest, search or jail the people of our country - predominantly people of color - for using marijuana.
We need to ban the use of rubber bullets, pepper spray, and tear gas on protestors. The right to protest is a fundamental constitutional right and must be respected.
But, Mr. President, let us be clear. Police violence is not the only manifestation of the systemic racism that is taking place in America today. Take a look at what is going on with the Covid 19 pandemic.
In recent months, we have seen black and brown communities disproportionately ravaged by the virus.
We have seen workers who earn starvation wages forced to go to work -- day in and day out  in unhealthy workplace environments because without that paycheck they and their families would go hungry.
These working class families have, with enormous courage, kept our economy and society together in hospitals, meat packing plants, public transportation, supermarkets, gas stations, and elsewhere.  These workers, disproportionately black and brown, have risked infection and death so that the rest of us can continue to eat, get our medicines, or put gas in our cars. Mr. President, in the wealthiest country on earth workers should not have to choose between hunger or getting ill or dying for doing their job.
And Mr. President, when we talk about starvation wages in this country I was happy to hear that Target has raised its minimum wage for its 275,000 workers to $15 an hour. This follows a decision two year ago by Amazon to raise the minimum wage for their workers to $15 an hour, and the effort in seven states in this country to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour. Now is the time for Walmart, the largest employer in America, owned by the wealthiest family in America, to also raise their minimum wage to at least $15 an hour. I should add, Mr. President, that the Walton family can more than afford to do this because since Trump has been president their wealth has increased by about $75 billion and they are now worth some $200 billion.
And, by the way, when we talk about racial justice, please understand that about half of black workers in this country earn less than $15 hour.
Further, Mr. President, the House has done the right thing by passing legislation to raise the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour. The time is long overdue for the Senate to pass that legislation.
And Mr. President, despite what we hear from the Trump administration, the COVID-19 pandemic is far from over.
In fact, 9 states today hit record highs for new cases in a single day.
What we have seen unfold over the last several months, and continue to see unfold, is an administration that continues to ignore the recommendations from scientists and doctors. No one doubts anymore that masks can play an important role in cutting back on the transmission of the virus. We need to utilize the Defense Production Act and manufacture the hundreds of millions of high quality masks our people and our medical personnel desperately need. And, as part of the Defense Authorization Act, I will be offering an amendment to do just that.
And, Mr. President, not only do we need to act boldly and aggressively to address this horrific pandemic, not only do we need to act boldly to fix a broken and racist criminal justice system, we need to respond with a fierce sense of urgency in regards to the worst economic crisis in the modern history of our country.
Over the last three months, over 30 million Americans have lost their jobs, and because half of our people live paycheck to paycheck, many of those people are now facing economic desperation.
Today, all over this country, tens of millions of Americans are in danger of going hungry. We are seeing long lines in state after state of people who have run out of food and need governmental help to feed their families.
But it's not only food. Millions of Americans are scared to death that they will soon be evicted from their apartments or will lose their homes to foreclosure.
Further, we are in danger of losing over half of small businesses in this country within the next 6 months.
We cannot allow that to happen. The United States of America is the richest country in the history of the world.
No, Senator McConnell, the American people cannot afford to wait. They need our help now, not a month from now, not 2 months from now.
We need to respond vigorously to the enormous economic pain, suffering and anxiety of the American people.
What does that mean?
It means that the government must guarantee 100 percent of the paychecks and benefits of American workers  up to $90,000 a year - through the Paycheck Security Act that I introduced with Senators Warner, Jones and Blumenthal.
Countries in Europe that have taken this approach have not experienced the skyrocketing levels of unemployment we have seen in the U.S.
Mr. President, as a result of the economic downturn, we know that over 16 million Americans have already lost their health insurance. Further, there are estimates that that number could go as high as 43 million people. And that is on top of the 87 million Americans who were already uninsured or under-insured before the pandemic.
Responding with a fierce sense of urgency to the economic crisis means that, in the midst of this horrific pandemic, everyone in America must receive the health care they need regardless of income. That means that Medicare must be empowered to pay all of the health care bills of the uninsured and under-insured until this crisis is over. And that is why I have introduced the Health Care Emergency Guarantee Act with a half dozen of my colleagues.
If this crisis has taught us anything it is that we are only as safe as the least insured among us.
Responding with a fierce sense of urgency means providing every working-class person in America with a $2,000 emergency payment each and every month until this crisis is over so that they can pay the rent, feed their families and make ends meet. These emergency $2,000 monthly payments will also serve as a major stimulus in reviving the economy.
Responding with a fierce sense of urgency means making sure that no one in the United States of America is allowed to go hungry. That means we have got to substantially expand the Meals on Wheels program, the school meals programs, and SNAP benefits.
Responding with a fierce sense of urgency means making sure that the Postal Service receives the emergency funding that it desperately needs.
Mr. President, now more than ever, our country needs the Postal Service to ensure the timely delivery of medical supplies, to ensure that everyone in America can exercise their right to vote safely through a vote-by-mail system, and to ensure that people in rural America and inner-cities receive the packages they need to survive on a daily basis.
If we could bail out large corporations, if we could provide over a trillion dollars in tax breaks to the wealthy and the powerful, please do not tell me that we cannot save and strengthen the Postal Service  the most popular government agency in America with a 91% approval rating.
Acting with a fierce sense of urgency means extending the $600 a week in expanded unemployment benefits that expires in July. Failure to extend these benefits would slash the incomes of millions of Americans by 50, 60, even 70 percent  not something we should be doing in the midst of an economic crisis.
So, Mr. President here we are. We are in the midst of the worst public health crisis in over 100 years.
And the Republican Senate is doing nothing.
We are in the midst of the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression of the 1930s.
And the Republican Senate is doing nothing.
We continue to see African Americans brutally murdered and tortured by racist police officers.
And the Republican Senate proposes a woefully inadequate solution.
Now, I understand that not everyone is hurting in America. Not everyone needs the Senate to act.
While over 32 million Americans have lost jobs during this horrific pandemic, 630 billionaires in this country have seen their wealth go up by $565 billion.
Let me repeat that. Over the first three months of this horrific pandemic, America's 630 billionaires have seen their wealth go up by $565 billion.
In other words, at a time of massive income and wealth inequality a horrible situation is becoming even worse. During the last three months, while the very, very rich have become much richer, American households have seen their wealth go down by $6.5 trillion. In all likelihood, in the midst of everything else, we are currently witnessing what is likely the greatest transfer of wealth from the middle class and the poor to the very rich in the modern history of this country.
Mr. President, in the midst of the unprecedented crises we face it is time for the Senate to act in an unprecedented way. In every state in this country our constituents are hurting and they are calling out for help. Let us hear their cries. Let us act now.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/leahy-and-sanders-welcome-senate-passage-of-the-great-american-outdoors-act,Leahy and Sanders Welcome Senate Passage of the Great American Outdoors Act,2020-06-17,2020,2020-06,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Leahy and Sanders Welcome Senate Passage of the Great American Outdoors Act
			
		
		
			Wednesday, June 17, 2020
		
		
	
		
		WASHINGTON, June 17  Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) Wednesday welcomed the Senate passage of the Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA) to fully and permanently fund the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) and address long overdue maintenance backlogs on our public lands and waters. The bill now heads to the U.S. House of Representatives for passage before becoming law.
Since its passage in 1965, the LWCF has provided over $140 million for Vermont parks, athletic facilities, recreational areas, and other public projects, conserving more than 275,000 acres. Passage of this bill will bring an additional $7.6 million to Vermont next year alone, and will double Vermont's average annual LWCF funding going forward.
In a joint statement, Leahy and Sanders said: While we must see the Senate immediately address our country's unprecedented economic and public health crisis and pass emergency relief legislation, passage of the Great American Outdoors Act would deliver tremendous value to current and future generations of Vermonters. During this pandemic, safe recreation and outdoor exercise are more essential than ever. Vermonters would benefit from this legislation's investments in well-maintained forests, hiking trails and public lands. It would allow Vermont to create conservation jobs, greatly expand opportunities for hiking and recreation in our beautiful state, benefit our local economy through outdoor tourism, and help us combat climate change. As original cosponsors of this bill, we look forward to seeing it quickly enacted into law.
Sanders is a senior member of the Senate Natural Resources Committee that shepherded the GAOA through the Senate. And, as then-Chair of the Senate Agriculture Committee in the 1990 Farm Bill, Leahy created the Forest Legacy Program (FLP), which is funded through the LWCF. The FLP has delivered more than $39 million in federal investments to help private landowners conserve working forest lands, support timber sector jobs, and boost the forest products economy.
Over the past three years in Vermont, the LWCF funded a new Burlington waterfront city park, the Potato Hill Park Playground at Lincoln Community School, and the purchase and improvement of community recreation fields at the Mad River Park in Waitsfield.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/video-audio/crisis-after-crisis-the-senate-must-actnow,Crisis After Crisis: The Senate Must ActNow!,2020-06-17,2020,2020-06,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Crisis After Crisis: The Senate Must ActNow! 
            In every state in America, people are hurting and calling out for help. Let us hear their cries.
Let us act now to end police brutality, halt a deadly pandemic, and provide economic relief to all.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
https://www.sanders.senate.gov/press-releases/leahy-and-sanders-welcome-senate-passage-of-the-great-american-outdoors-act/,Leahy and Sanders Welcome Senate Passage of the Great American Outdoors Act,2020-06-17,2020,2020-06,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, June 17  Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) Wednesday welcomed the Senate passage of the Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA) to fully and permanently fund the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) and address long overdue maintenance backlogs on our public lands and waters. The bill now heads to the U.S. House of Representatives for passage before becoming law.
Since its passage in 1965, the LWCF has provided over $140 million for Vermont parks, athletic facilities, recreational areas, and other public projects, conserving more than 275,000 acres. Passage of this bill will bring an additional $7.6 million to Vermont next year alone, and will double Vermont's average annual LWCF funding going forward.
In a joint statement, Leahy and Sanders said: While we must see the Senate immediately address our country's unprecedented economic and public health crisis and pass emergency relief legislation, passage of the Great American Outdoors Act would deliver tremendous value to current and future generations of Vermonters. During this pandemic, safe recreation and outdoor exercise are more essential than ever. Vermonters would benefit from this legislation's investments in well-maintained forests, hiking trails and public lands. It would allow Vermont to create conservation jobs, greatly expand opportunities for hiking and recreation in our beautiful state, benefit our local economy through outdoor tourism, and help us combat climate change. As original cosponsors of this bill, we look forward to seeing it quickly enacted into law.
Sanders is a senior member of the Senate Natural Resources Committee that shepherded the GAOA through the Senate. And, as then-Chair of the Senate Agriculture Committee in the 1990 Farm Bill, Leahy created the Forest Legacy Program (FLP), which is funded through the LWCF. The FLP has delivered more than $39 million in federal investments to help private landowners conserve working forest lands, support timber sector jobs, and boost the forest products economy.
Over the past three years in Vermont, the LWCF funded a new Burlington waterfront city park, the Potato Hill Park Playground at Lincoln Community School, and the purchase and improvement of community recreation fields at the Mad River Park in Waitsfield.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/vermont-congressional-delegation-announces-41-million-in-head-start-grants-and-12-million-in-emergency-funding-to-support-early-childhood-education,"Vermont Congressional Delegation Announces $4.1 Million in Head Start Grants, and $1.2 Million in Emergency Funding to Support Early Childhood Education",2020-06-15,2020,2020-06,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Vermont Congressional Delegation Announces $4.1 Million in Head Start Grants, and $1.2 Million in Emergency Funding to Support Early Childhood Education
			
		
		
			Monday, June 15, 2020
		
		
	
		
		MONDAY, June 15, 2020  Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), and Representative Peter Welch (D-Vt.) Monday announced $4.1 million in renewal grants for three Head Start programs today  these grants represent the initial funds of a five year federal grant. The delegation also announced an additional $1.2 million in emergency federal funding from the federal stimulus bill known as the CARES Act, to support all seven Head Start programs throughout the state as they respond to the coronavirus pandemic. As vice chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Leahy played a key role in drafting the emergency supplemental funding section of the CARES Act.
Head Start provides early education and comprehensive services for low-income families. Children who participate in Head Start programs are less likely to repeat a grade and more likely to graduate from high school and college. Research also shows that these children are 12 percent less likely to live in poverty as adults.
Currently, the Vermont Head Start and Early Head Start programs serve over 1,400 children and their families. Over the last three months, many of the early childhood educators who provide this crucial service to our children have been devastated by the COVID-19 crisis. Initially, these centers closed their doors to in-person services to keep Vermont families safe. This was the right thing to do in response to the worldwide public health crisis. The programs have worked hard to continue delivering services to families in a variety of new ways, including providing home-delivered meals and educational materials and offering support via videoconference. Now in the process of reopening, these programs face new challenges to keeping families and staff safe, including strict cleaning protocols and social distancing measures. The emergency federal funds will support these important early education programs as they support Vermont's children.
In a joint statement, Leahy, Sanders and Welch said: While not nearly enough, the federal emergency funding announced today will help ensure our early educators have the critical resources they need to support Vermont families during this difficult time. We know that early childhood education programs like Head Start are instrumental in providing the intellectual and emotional nourishment that all children need. We are pleased that both the renewed grants and emergency funds will allow Vermont programs to continue their important work and we will continue to fight to ensure that all children receive the best possible start in their education.
To all early childhood educators: the pandemic has highlighted just how essential your work is. We know this is a trying time and we thank you. You are helping prepare the next generation for success. As a nation, we must do much more to support your important work.
Paul Behrman, Chair of the Vermont Head Start Association, said: The Vermont Head Start and Early Head Start programs deeply appreciate the emergency funding provided through the CARES Act, as well as the five-year renewal grants for Capstone, CVOEO, and SEVCA. Without Head Start and Early Head Start, early care and education would be out of reach for many working families, and this will help us continue to provide services to some of Vermont's most vulnerable families. We've all been greatly impacted by the current crisis and there is still plenty to do to support early care and education programs in their efforts to safely reopen. This funding will support those efforts for Vermont's network of Head Start providers and partners, and the children and families we serve. We're honored to continue this work, and we thank our congressional delegation, state and local partners for their support.
The federal renewal grants were awarded to:
 
Capstone Community Action  $1,838,352
Champlain Valley Office of Economic Opportunity  $1,469,074
Southeastern Vermont Community Action  $869,505
 
Total CARES Act emergency funding to Vermont Head Start Programs: $1,270,034",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/video-audio/the-us-senate-has-got-to-act-on-police-brutality-now,The U.S. Senate Has Got to Act on Police Brutality Now,2020-06-13,2020,2020-06,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"The U.S. Senate Has Got to Act on Police Brutality Now 
            George Floyd's murder is only the latest in an endless series of police killings.
Eric Garner, Sandra Bland, Laquan McDonald, Tamir Rice, Alton Sterling, Breonna Taylor, Freddie Gray, Rekia Boyd, Walter Scottand so many, many others.
The U.S. Senate has got to act now.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/video-audio/no-more-rubber-bullets-tear-gas-and-pepper-spray-on-protesters,"No More Rubber Bullets, Tear Gas and Pepper Spray on Protesters",2020-06-11,2020,2020-06,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"No More Rubber Bullets, Tear Gas and Pepper Spray on Protesters 
            It's time to ban the use of rubber bullets, tear gas and pepper spray on protesters across this country. No more.
            
                
                    
                       	
        				
                        
                            
                                
                                
                                    
                                    
                                    
                                
                                
        						
                            
                        
                        
    						
                            	
    						
    					
                    
                
            
        	
            
            
            
                
                
                
                
                    
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