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.leahy.senate.gov/press/123118bipartisandemlegstmt,Statement Of Appropriations Committee Vice Chairman Patrick Leahy On House Democrats Introducing Legislation To Reopen the Government,2018-12-31,2018,2018-12,Democrat,House,VT,Patrick Leahy,L000174,www.leahy.senate.gov,,,legacy,"12.31.18 Statement Of Appropriations Committee Vice Chairman Patrick Leahy On House Democrats Introducing Legislation To Reopen the Government There is one reason and one reason only that much of our federal government is shut down through the holidays and countless Americans are living with uncertainty and that reason is President Trump. For 10 days he has held the federal government hostage in an attempt to force us to pay for an ineffective and expensive wall on the southern border, a wall he promised that Mexico would pay for. It will not work. He does not have the votes. Today, House Democrats introduced a commonsense path forward to end the Trump Shutdown: six bipartisan appropriations bills and a continuing resolution for the Department of Homeland Security. Following this path, we can finish six of the seven appropriations bills this week and get the government back open and working for the American people. The six bills are the product of bipartisan compromise and provide billions of dollars in new resources to address critical needs of the American people and to protect U.S. national security. They provide much-needed funding to help combat our nation's opioid epidemic, and critical investments in infrastructure to help rebuild our nation's crumbling roads, bridges, and highways. They provide resources to protect the environment and help ensure that the water we drink and the air we breathe is safe and clean for this generation and the next. And they support key allies and national security programs that enable the United States to be a global leader. For 10 days this funding has been held hostage by the President. Which of this funding would he have cut to pay for his wall? The reality is, while the President has spent days hiding away in the White House and demanding via tweets billions from U.S. taxpayers to build his misguided wall, he has completely cut off funding for the very Department tasked with securing our border, as well as eight other federal departments and dozens of agencies. It's time this stopped. The path forward is now clear, and I strongly encourage Senate Republicans to support and pass this bipartisan compromise. Press Contact David Carle: 202-224-3693 Previous Article",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/122218trumpshutdown,Statement of Senate Appropriations Committee Vice Chairman Patrick Leahy On The Trump Shutdown,2018-12-22,2018,2018-12,Democrat,House,VT,Patrick Leahy,L000174,www.leahy.senate.gov,,,legacy,"12.22.18 Statement of Senate Appropriations Committee Vice Chairman Patrick LeahyOn The Trump Shutdown Today nine of our 15 federal departments, and several dozen agencies have shuttered their doors, denying vital services to millions of American citizens. Since midnight last night, and just a few days before Christmas, more than 800,000 public servants and their families have been told not to expect their next paycheck for the foreseeable future. There is one reason and one reason only that our federal government has shut down today and countless Americans are living with uncertainty and that reason is President Donald J. Trump. The President is holding the federal government hostage for $5 billion of American taxpayer dollars for his unnecessary, ineffective, and expensive wall on the southern bordera wall he repeatedly promised the American taxpayers Mexico would pay for. The President's irresponsible behavior is astounding. His job, like ours, is to keep the federal government operating for the hundreds of millions of Americans who depend on government services every day, from our national parks, to housing services for the elderly, disabled, and our veterans, and for assistance for our nation's farmers. Just two days ago, the President patted himself on the back for signing the Farm bill, and today he has precipitated a shutdown that shuttered the doors to USDA field offices that farmers rely on to understand this new law. The worst part of this situation is that it was completely avoidable. We have provided the President with several options to avoid this result. We offered to pass six full-year appropriations bills, and a Continuing Resolution for Homeland, or a Continuing Resolution for all the remaining bills. Either of these options would have kept the government open, and provided more than a billions dollars for border security, the very thing the President says he cares most about. After rejecting both of these offers, the Senate passed by voice vote a seven-week continuing resolution (CR) to give us more time to negotiate and avert this catastrophe, and the President had agreed to sign it. We had a path forward. But after 24 hours of Fox News and the right wing media criticizing him, the President's fragile ego was so bruised that he reversed course. And here we areexactly where the President wanted us to be, in the middle of a Trump Shutdown. For anyone doubting where responsibility lays, let's recall that the President has publicly called for a government shutdown no fewer than25 timesover the last year. Just last week, he declared he would be proud to shut down the government unless we capitulate to his demands. Proud? That is one of the most reckless statements I have ever heard uttered by a President of the United States. And now he has made good on his threat. The Trump Shutdown has begun. And how long will it last? Who knows? Yesterday, the President said it will last a long time, and then he said it would be a short shutdown. Even in this, his behavior is erratic. How did we get here? Is there a legitimate crisis precipitating this shutdown? Is the President playing games with the lives, and livelihoods of American citizens to solve some immediate problem that threatens our nation? No. Caving to the most extreme sliver of his base, President Trump is throwing a childish tantrum, because he wants money to fulfill a cynical promise he repeatedly made on the campaign trail more of a symbolic prize than a sensible policy solution. This wasteful wall which would do more to preserve the President's ego than it would to protect the American people is the natural result of the President's years-long demonization and vilification of immigrants. Years during which the President rallied his base with falsehoods and fantasies where vulnerable women and children are portrayed as hordes of gang members and terrorists invading our country. The sad reality is that many of these people coming to our country are fleeing desperate situations in their home countries looking for sanctuary they aren't coming here to perpetuate violence, they are running from it. Let me be clear. There is no crisis that requires us to build a 30-foot wall between us and our neighbors to the south. The President's hateful rhetoric about a crisis on our southern border does not reflect reality. At the end of 2017, arrests of people attempting to enter the U.S. illegally dropped to historic lows. Between 2000 and 2018, border apprehensions fell sharply from roughly 1.6 million in fiscal year2000 to approximately 400,000 in fiscal year 2018 that is a 75 percent drop. Not only do the facts on the ground not warrant spending billions of American taxpayer dollars on a big beautiful wall -- as the President likes to call it -- it is not who we are as a nation. We are country founded by immigrants, and walling ourselves off from our neighbors is not only an expensive waste of American taxpayer dollars, it is immoral, ineffective, and an affront to everything this country stands for. To build the wall the President wants to seize land from ranchers and farmers in Texas and other border states. We would need to construct walls through wildlife refuges and nature preserves. And we'd end up walling ourselves off from the Rio Grande in the process, essentially ceding the river to Mexico. And after all of that, and billions of wasted taxpayer dollars, what would it accomplish? Would it stop people from fleeing violence in their home countries and seeking sanctuary? No. Would it stop drug smugglers and human traffickers from engaging in illegal activity? Definitely no. As the expression goes, show me a 30-foot wall, and I will show you a 31-foot ladder or a tunnel. To address these complex issues, we need real solutions, not bumper sticker slogans and angry tweets. Everyone agrees that we need to keep our border safe and secure; but it must be smart border security, border security that worksnew technologies proven to work on the border and at our ports of entry, new air and marine assets, and additional personnel where needed. We do not need to build a 30-foot wall. And even if we did, what is the rush? Over the last two years, Congress has provided nearly $1.7 billion to build or replace fencing on the southern border, but the Administration has hardly spent any of that money, and the projects it has undertaken have ballooned in cost. So far, only six percent of those funds have been spent.Six. And we have recently learned that one project in the Rio Grande Valley that was supposed to cost $445 million, will now cost the American taxpayers nearly $787 million that's a 77 percent cost overrun, at a price tag of $31.5 million per mile. We can't trust this Administration to be responsible with the money we have already provided, let alone trust it to spend responsibly the additional money President Trump is demanding. We must put an end to this nonsense, once and for all. We could finish six of the seven appropriations bills right now while we continue to debate these other issues. These bills are the product of bipartisan compromise and provide billions of dollars in new resources to address critical needs of the American people and to protect U.S. national security. These six bills would provide much-needed funding to help combat our nation's opioid epidemic, and critical investments in infrastructure to help rebuild our nation's crumbling roads, bridges, and highways. They provide resources to protect the environment and help ensure that the water we drink and the air we breathe is safe and clean for this generation and the next. And they support key allies and national security programs that enable the United States to be a global leader a role that is being increasingly challenged by China and Russia. Is the President really going to hold the American people hostage over a wall that he repeatedly promised Mexico would pay for? Is he really going to force hundreds of thousands of federal employees including the very agents he depends upon to carry out his immigration enforcement policies to work without pay over the Christmas holiday? Is he really going to tell millions of Americans including his most ardent supporters that he could care less whether they are cut off from critical government services purely in service of his own vanity? The President has apparently decided that fighting a symbolic fight for his shiny object is more important than keeping our government running for the American people. It is the height of irresponsibility. Negotiations with Chairman Shelby and Leader McConnell continue in good faith, but can only succeed if President Trump decides to put the country first. He owes it to the American people. Press Contact David Carle: 202-224-3693",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/122118guatemalajusticeflrspch,Statement Of Senator Patrick Leahy On Another Setback For Justice In Guatemala,2018-12-21,2018,2018-12,Democrat,House,VT,Patrick Leahy,L000174,www.leahy.senate.gov,,,legacy,"12.21.18 Statement Of Senator Patrick Leahy On Another Setback For Justice In Guatemala Mr. President, like many Members of Congress who have long supported efforts to help build an independent judiciary and reduce public corruption and impunity in Guatemala, I have observed a pattern of alarming actions by President Morales' administration and his allies in Guatemala's Congress to thwart these efforts. In the latest development, earlier this week the Guatemalan Ministry of Foreign Affairs withdrew the diplomatic immunity of 11 investigators and other personnel of the International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG), and ordered them to leave the country. This followed an announcement by the Minister of Interior of the removal of another 15 high-ranking police officials from their posts. Over the years, the United States has invested many tens of millions of dollars to support the National Police, the Attorney General's Office, and CICIG. These actions by the Morales' administration directly undermine those investments and indicate that it cannot be trusted to keep its word, and is not serious about upholding the rule of law. Working jointly with the Attorney General's Office, CICIG has investigated cases of public corruption and other serious crimes. It has helped to strengthen the investigative capabilities of the Attorney General's Office and the police, and promoted key criminal justice reforms. For this reason CICIG, its commissioner, and the former Attorney General have been the target of acts of intimidation and a smear campaign orchestrated by the Morales' administration and its allies in the military and the media. These actions by the government threaten CICIG's independence and its ability to function effectively. According to information I have received, the professionals whose diplomatic immunity and visas were revoked include investigators and lawyers involved in some of the most sensitive cases related to alleged corruption and illicit campaign financing by top government officials. Other actions by Guatemalan authorities are equally disturbing. Since assuming office in January 2018, Minister of Interior Enrique Degenhart has, on multiple occasions, removed or relocated senior National Police officers and detectives. Most of these officers had many years of experience in criminal investigations, counter-narcotics, and other specialized areas. Most were trained by the United States. Even worse, the Minister has reportedly appointed police officials with alleged links to the military and promoted officers without transparent, merit-based processes, undermining efforts to build a professional, transparent, and accountable police force. This threatens our ability to continue working with the police which has in the past been infiltrated by organized crime to combat narcotics trafficking, money laundering, and other transnational criminal activity. In 2009, working with key Guatemalan law enforcement agencies, CICIG helped establish a wiretapping unit within the Attorney General's Office. Prior to that, wiretaps were illegal. The unit, which has been supported by the United States, has been instrumental in helping the Attorney General investigate and dismantle complex criminal networks. Reportedly, among the officers recently removed by Minister Degenhart was the director of the wiretapping unit. Mr. President, if we have learned anything over many years of trying to assist the countries of Central America build the institutions of government necessary to effectively combat corruption and impunity, it is that without partners who care at least as much about these issues as we do it is a fruitless exercise and a waste of U.S. taxpayers' money. What is happening today in Guatemala is a repeat of what we have observed many times before. New government officials take office, they profess their commitment to democratic ideals, the rule of law, and judicial independence, and then, when their own misdeeds become the focus of criminal investigations, they show their true colors. They ignore rulings by the country's highest courts. They seek to replace magistrates who cannot be intimidated, with cronies who will shield them from the law. They expel international prosecutors on grounds of sovereignty. They threaten those whose job it is to apply the law. They try to intimidate their political opponents. It is the same sad story. I recently met Constitutional Court Magistrate Gloria Patria Porras Escobar, an experienced and internationally respected jurist and former prosecutor known for her independence and courage. She, like others who have honored their professions, is an example of what Guatemala needs. Yet she is being vilified by those who seek to subvert the institutions of justice. The people of Guatemala deserve better. They have demanded an end to corruption, an end to impunity, and an end to public officials who care more about enriching and protecting themselves than they do about addressing the needs of their people. The Guatemalan people overwhelming support the Attorney General's Office and CICIG, which have, for the first time in the country's history, shown that public officials who abuse their authority are not above the law. President Morales' administration has less than a year left in office. Let us hope that he quickly reverses course, because the path he is on will jeopardize further U.S. support for his government's participation in the Alliance for Prosperity. Otherwise, we will have no choice but to wait for a government in Guatemala that has the integrity to be a credible partner of the United States. Press Contact David Carle: 202-224-3693",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/122118secondchancesigning,"Portman, Leahy Hail President's Signing Of Their Second Chance Act Into Law As Part Of Historic Criminal Justice Reform Package",2018-12-21,2018,2018-12,Democrat,House,VT,Patrick Leahy,L000174,www.leahy.senate.gov,,,legacy,"12.21.18 Portman, Leahy Hail President's Signing Of Their Second Chance Act Into Law As Part Of Historic Criminal Justice Reform Package U.S. Senators Rob Portman (R-Ohio) and Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) announced that their bipartisan Second Chance Reauthorization Act was signed into law Friday by President Trump as part of the First Step Act, bipartisan legislation to reform America's criminal justice system The legislation passed the Senate earlier this week by a margin of 87 to 12. The Second Chance Reauthorization Act reauthorizes and strengthens the Second Chance Act, a bipartisan law that supports state and local reentry programs to reduce recidivism. Then-Congressman Portman originally authored the Second Chance Act with the late-Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones in 2005, and it was later signed into law in 2008.Since 2009, more than 850 Second Chance Act grant awards have been made to government agencies and nonprofit organizations from 49 states for reentry programs serving adults and juveniles. As of June 2018, more than 164,000 individuals have participated in these programs.In total, Ohio has received more than $39 million in Second Chance Act grants since 2009, which includes funds to assist Ohioans re-entering the community with services such as job training, drug rehabilitation, case management and mental health treatment. Portman said: Renewing and strengthening the Second Chance Act is critical to our efforts to stop the revolving door of incarceration and help former inmates live up to their God-given potential, and I'm pleased the president signed it into law today. The Second Chance Act helps people be able to create their own future rather than be held back by the mistakes of their past. It has already changed thousands of lives in Ohio and across the country by helping ex-offenders turn their life around and become a productive members of society. The president's action today will make our communities safer while also saving taxpayer dollars. Leahy said: This is a welcome glimmer of bipartisanship to advance long overdue reforms that are important to thousands of individuals, their families, and their communities. It is especially timely, coming amid the other contentious issues that are churning the Congress and the nation right now. The First Step Act, while it does not go as far as I would like, will achieve the most significant reforms to our criminal justice system in a decade. Including our Second Chance Reauthorization Act is an acknowledgement that criminal justice reform is not complete without a commitment to strengthening reentry services for ex-offenders. Almost every single offender in our justice system will one day be released. We owe it to them, their families, and the communities where they will live to help ensure that they can lead productive lives. NOTE: The Second Chance Reauthorization Act will strengthen state and local grant programs to promote successful prisoner reentry and improve public safety while reducing Bureau of Prison costs and saving taxpayer dollars. Specifically, the legislation will: Continue targeted funding through 2021 for reentry programs at the state and local level that have been proven to reduce recidivism, lead to better outcomes for those released from prison, and save prison costs. Provide separate planning and implementation grants to ensure that projects are well developed at each stage and informed by research and best practices. Add nonprofit organizations as allowable grantees for grants for programs promoting family-based substance abuse treatment and career training. Repeal several provisions calling for studies that have been completed and removes support for programs for which other funding sources have been identified. It also consolidates the reentry court program into the Adult and Juvenile Offender State and Local Demonstration projects. Require new rigorous evaluation and audits of grantees to ensure that federal dollars are spent wisely. This legislation has been endorsed by the National Criminal Justice Association, the International Community Corrections Association, the Council of State Governments Justice Center, FreedomWorks, the American Bar Association, the American Correctional Association, The Prison Fellowship, the American Probation and Parole Association, the Association of State Correctional Administrators, and The Sentencing Project. Press Contact David Carle: 202-224-3693 Previous Article",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/122118sudanesediplomat,"Menendez, Leahy Call for Expulsion Of Top Sudanese Diplomat",2018-12-21,2018,2018-12,Democrat,House,VT,Patrick Leahy,L000174,www.leahy.senate.gov,,,legacy,"12.21.18 Menendez, Leahy Call for Expulsion Of Top Sudanese Diplomat Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee,and Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Vice Chairman of the Appropriations Committee, yesterday sent a letter to President Trump calling for the expulsion and potential sanctioning of the Charge D'Affaires at the Embassy of Sudan in Washington. Citing Mohamed Atta al-Moula's former role as the head of Sudan's National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS), the Senators refer to a well-documented pattern of gross human rights violations attributed to the NISS during Mr. Atta's tenure, including the killing of as many as 185 protesters in Khartoum in 2013. Allowing Mr. Atta to serve as a diplomat in the United States is an affront to our values and our national interests. We urge you to address this situation immediately, wrote the Senators. We urge you to immediately withdraw Mr. Atta's U.S. visa, require his departure from the United States, and make a determination as to whether Mr. Atta is subject to sanctions under the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act. A copy of the letter can be found HERE. Dear Mr. President: We write to express our strong objection to your acceptance of Mr. Mohamed Atta al-Moula as Charge D'Affaires at the Embassy of Sudan in Washington in light of Mr. Atta's role as the head of Sudan's National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS). We urge you to immediately withdraw Mr. Atta's U.S. visa, require his departure from the United States, and make a determination as to whether Mr. Atta is subject to sanctions under the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act (P.L. 114-328). A pattern of gross human rights violations attributed to the NISS is detailed in the State Department's annual Country Reports on Human Rights Practices and documented by human rights groups. For example, according to Amnesty International, police and NISS forces were responsible for killing as many as 185 protesters in Khartoum in September 2013. The reported torture of individuals detained by NISS in connection with the protests has been extensively documented by Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch. The most recent Country Report on Human Rights in Sudan states that as of September 2017, the government had not released any public report on the April 2016 killing by National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) of Kordofan University student Abu Baker Hashim during student elections in El Obeid, North Kordofan, nor on the April 2016 killing of al-Ahlia Omdurman University student Mohammed al-Sadig in clashes between pro-government and opposition students on campus. Reports suggest that they could be victims of a gross violation of internationally recognized human rights, which includes flagrant denial of the right to life, liberty, or the security of person. Just as troubling is the relationship between Sudan's notorious Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the NISS. According to Human Rights Watch, the RSF engaged in torture, extrajudicial killings and mass rapes against civilians during the course of military campaigns in South Darfur and North Darfur in 2014 and 2015. The RSF has also been implicated in extensive abuses against civilians in Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile. In addition, we note with concern that according to civil society and nongovernmental organizations, the NISS has been implicated in a range of violations of internationally recognized human rights abuses such as physical and psychological torture of detainees, including journalists, civil society activists, and members of the political opposition. The RSF was created and is administered by the NISS. As head of the NISS Mr. Atta is ultimately responsible for the actions of the RSF as well as NISS agents, and may well be more directly culpable for ordering and/or directing alleged crimes and gross violations of human rights, including those listed above. Allowing Mr. Atta to serve as a diplomat in the United States is an affront to our values and our national interests. We urge you to address this situation immediately. Thank you for your time and attention to this matter. ### Press Contact David Carle: 202-224-3693 Next Article Previous Article",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/122018crpassagestmt,Statement of Senate Appropriations Vice Chairman Leahy On Passage Of The Third Continuing Resolution,2018-12-20,2018,2018-12,Democrat,House,VT,Patrick Leahy,L000174,www.leahy.senate.gov,,,legacy,"12.20.18 Statement of Senate Appropriations Vice Chairman Leahy On Passage Of The Third Continuing Resolution Today we will pass a third Continuing Resolution (CR) to keep the government operating through February 8th. I support this CR because a government shutdown is never good for our country - in fact it is a terrible idea - but this whole process has been a missed opportunity. For six of the seven appropriations bills covered under today's CR, we have a clear path forward. These bills Agriculture, Commerce-Justice-Science, Interior, Financial Services, Transportation-Housing and Urban Development, and the State-Foreign Operations bill could be done by close of business today if there was the will. They are largely finished, are the product of bipartisan compromise, and provide the funds necessary to address critical needs of the American people and to protect U.S. national security. Unfortunately, the President held them hostage for $5 billion to try to wall off our southern border a wall he promised American taxpayers that Mexico would pay for. What will be lost because of the President's intransigence? These six bills provide much-needed funding to help combat our nation's opioid epidemic, and critical investments in infrastructure to help rebuild our nation's crumbling roads, bridges, and highways. They provide resources to protect the environment and help ensure that the water we drink and the air we breathe is safe and clean for this generation and the next. They provide important assistance for our nation's farmers and rural communities who have been particularly hurt this year by the President's trade policies. And they support key allies and national security programs that are what enable the United States to be a global leader a role that is being increasingly challenged by China and Russia. Unfortunately, this much-needed assistance is put on hold because the President held out for $5 billion for his wall, at the exorbitant cost of $31 million per mile straight from the American taxpayer's pocket. We also should be passing a disaster package to help families and communities devastated by Hurricanes Maria, Florence, and Michael, the Hawaii volcanoes, California wildfires, and Alaska earthquakes. We should remember that no one in this chamber is immune from disaster. Seven years ago, Tropical Storm Irene devastated my home state of Vermont. Marcelle and I observed the wreckage from that storm in Vermont large parts of communities washed away, homes and farms demolished, local landmarks and bridges destroyed. Republicans and Democrats in the Senate, from across the country, stood by Vermont's side then to help us rebuild, because that is who we are as Americans. This year, the images of flattened homes, buckled pavement, and raging flames, have been matched in horror only by the devastated lives they have left in their wake. Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Alabama, Georgia, California, Hawaii, and Alaska, they all need our help, and it is indefensible that because of the President's obsession with one issue, his wall, we are punting this disaster funding until the New Year. These communities need to know their government stands behind them in times of crisis. Why didn't we get this done? Why can't we pass the six bills that are finished, and a disaster package to help those communities in need before we adjourn? There is one clear answer to that question President Donald J. Trump. He has held all of our good work by Democrats and Republicans hostage over $5 billion for his misguided wall along the southern border. It is a travesty. My opposition to his border wall, a wall he over and over pledged to the American people that Mexico would pay for, has been clear from the start. The United States is a country founded by immigrants, and walling ourselves off from our neighbors to the south is not only impossible and an expensive waste of American taxpayer dollars, it is immoral, ineffective, and an affront to everything this country stands for. Everyone agrees that we need to keep our border safe and secure, but there are better and smarter ways to accomplish that than building a 30-foot high concrete barrier between us and Mexico. Let's not be fooled by recent White House rhetoric that President Trump was backing down from his demands on the wall. The price demanded by the White House for letting the rest of these bills advance without $5 billion for the wall was a $1 billion slush fund to fuel the President's extreme, anti-immigrant agenda. Why should we give a blank check to a President who has shown, time and time again, that he is more interested in vilifying immigrants than he is in solving our immigration problems? His immigration policies have already caused immeasurable human suffering along our southern border and tarnished our reputation around the world. Providing his administration with an additional $1 billion slush fund to enact this agenda is a non-starter. The fact is the President's wall does not have the votes to get through the House or Senate, and he is in no position to practice horse-trading of one untenable, unpopular, wasteful policy for another. Nor will Congress stand by and watch the President take funds from our men and women in the military, or their families, in order to pay for the wall.This fight will continue into the next Congress, but I do not anticipate those basic facts will change. It is long past time for President Trump to recognize that we live in a democracy. We have three co-equal branches of government. Governing effectively is not about making threats and false promises. Campaign slogans are no substitute for practical, affordable solutions. I want to thank Chairman Shelby for his steadfast partnership this year as we tried to get the appropriations process back on track. I know that he shares my disappointment that we were not able to complete our work, but I am proud of what we have accomplished this year. By working together across party lines, we moved all 12 bills out of the Committee on strong bipartisan votes. We advanced nine of the 12 bills through the Senate, also with strong bipartisan votes. And we were able to enact five of the 12 appropriations bills on time for the first time in decades. I also thank Chairman Shelby's staff and my staff for their hard work, expertise, and their commitment to accomplishing our goals this year. I ask unanimous consent to place a list of the bipartisan Committee staff in the record. I look forward to working with him and his staff, and our colleagues in the House, in the next Congress to finish our work. Press Contact David Carle: 202-224-3693",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/122018mattisresignation,Reaction Of Senator Patrick Leahy To The Resignation Of Defense Secretary Mattis,2018-12-20,2018,2018-12,Democrat,House,VT,Patrick Leahy,L000174,www.leahy.senate.gov,,,legacy,"12.20.18 Reaction Of Senator Patrick Leahy To The Resignation Of Defense Secretary Mattis I am very disappointed and concernedthat the Department of Defense will lose the exceptional leadership of Secretary Mattis. He has been an outstanding leader thereat a time when his steady hand and decades of experience were sorely needed. He and I and most Americans share the belief that the United States is stronger when we work with our allies and partners to defend an international order that protects our security and upholds our commitment to peace and respect for human rights. I deeply regret that his advice has often summarily been rejected by the President, and that he therefore felt he had no choice but to resign. Press Contact David Carle: 202-224-3693 Previous Article",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/122018snaprequirements,Reaction Of Senator Leahy To USDA's Proposed Rule On Work Requirements For SNAP Recipients,2018-12-20,2018,2018-12,Democrat,House,VT,Patrick Leahy,L000174,www.leahy.senate.gov,,,legacy,"12.20.18 Reaction Of Senator Leahy To USDA's Proposed Rule On Work Requirements For SNAP Recipients Today, on the very same day the President is signing a Farm Bill that was approved in both the House and the Senate with strong bipartisan support, USDA is proposing new rules that make an end-run around this brand new Farm Bill. This bad-faith rule change relates to work requirements in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), to make it harder for states to request waivers based on local job conditions. These rules will do nothing to restore the dignity of work,' and instead are a direct challenge to the decisions made by Congress in the bipartisan Farm Bill. Conferees to the 2018 Farm Bill considered changes like the one the administration now seeks through rulemaking and rejected them in favor of workforce training programs that actually help Americans get and keep employment. We should be looking for ways to better help Americans move out of poverty, instead of pulling the rug out from under them. Press Contact David Carle: 202-224-3693 Next Article Previous Article",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/122018usafreedomletter,Senators Patrick Leahy And Mike Lee Press Intelligence And Justice Dept. Leaders On Surveillance PowersSenators Patrick Leahy And Mike Lee Press Intelligence And Justice Dept. Leaders On Surveillance Powers,2018-12-20,2018,2018-12,Democrat,House,VT,Patrick Leahy,L000174,www.leahy.senate.gov,,,legacy,"12.20.18 Senators Patrick Leahy And Mike Lee Press Intelligence And Justice Dept. Leaders On Surveillance PowersSenators Patrick Leahy And Mike Lee Press Intelligence And Justice Dept. Leaders On Surveillance Powers Senators Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Mike Lee (R-Utah) Thursday asked the Director of National Intelligence and the Acting Attorney General to report on the government's implementation of surveillance authorities granted in the USA FREEDOM Act of 2015, which was authored by the two senators. The USA FREEDOM Act imposed substantial reforms on the government's foreign intelligence surveillance powers, including to a controversial telephone metadata program that allowed for the bulk collection of Americans' personal information. A number of these authorities are currently scheduled to expire in exactly one year from now, in December 2019. In their letter, Leahy and Lee ask the government to explain how recent changes in Supreme Court caselaw, and the National Security Agency's (NSA) report of a massive compliance problem earlier this year, have affected implementation of these powerful surveillance authorities. The senators also asked the officials to report how certain key statutory terms were being defined, and whether the government had asked the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court to rule on any related novel legal issues. Leahy and Lee also asked the officials to provide certain information about the NSA's call detail record (CDR) program, which the government has not to date provided, despite a statutory obligation to do so. The senators wrote: As you know, the law requires a good faith estimate of' this information (emphasis added), which should be possible even with these technical limitations. Without this information, it is difficult for the American people, and Congress, to evaluate how broadly the CDR program may impact privacy and civil liberties. The full text of the senators' letter is below. A PDF copy is available here. Press Contact David Carle: 202-224-3693 Previous Article",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/121918cubamlbagreement,Comment Of Senator Leahy On The Agreement Between Major League Baseball And The Cuban Baseball Federation,2018-12-19,2018,2018-12,Democrat,House,VT,Patrick Leahy,L000174,www.leahy.senate.gov,,,legacy,"12.19.18 Comment Of Senator Leahy On The Agreement Between Major League Baseball And The Cuban Baseball Federation Baseball has always been a bridge between our two nations, facilitating people-to-people connections and larger agreements that have brought our countries closer together. One of the first breakthroughs in U.S.-Cuba relations was a baseball game that I attended in Havana in 1999 between the Baltimore Orioles and the Cuban national team. I vividly remember the crowd's enthusiasm for both the American and Cuban players, an enthusiasm that was reciprocated by American fans when they played in Baltimore. I welcome Major League Baseball's work in reaching this agreement to safely and easily allow Cuban players to play for American teams. This agreement will end top players' reliance on human traffickers and offer them a legal path to fulfilling their dreams of playing baseball in America, the baseball capital of the world. This is a welcome development for players and fans, and like countless other Americans I look forward to seeing world-class Cuban players compete in the United States. Press Contact David Carle: 202-224-3693 Previous Article",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/121918firststeppassage,"Leahy Hails Senate Passage Of Sentencing Reform Pkg.; Leahy, A Leading Cosponsor, Helped Build Strong Bipartisan Consensus",2018-12-19,2018,2018-12,Democrat,House,VT,Patrick Leahy,L000174,www.leahy.senate.gov,,,legacy,"12.19.18 Leahy Hails Senate Passage Of Sentencing Reform Pkg.; Leahy, A Leading Cosponsor, Helped Build Strong Bipartisan Consensus Leahy, A Leading Cosponsor, Helped Build Momentum And Consensus For The Rare And Commonsense' Reforms Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) hails the Senate's strong bipartisan vote late Tuesday night on the First Step Act as a rare chance to reform the nation's prison and sentencing system to reduce recidivism, save tax dollars, and foster safe communities. The First Step Act is years in the making and Leahy, an original cosponsor of the bill, played a lead role in methodically forging over the past six years the bipartisan coalition that led to its passage. The bipartisan First Step Act uses evidence-based recidivism reduction programs to help inmates successfully return to society after serving their sentence. It also reduces for low-level, nonviolent offenders certain mandatory minimum sentences intended for drug kingpins and high-level managers. The bill is one of the last acts of this Congress, which ends its current session this week. It was approved by a vote of 87-12 and now goes to the House for a final vote. President Trump has indicated he will sign it. Leahy helped launch this effort six years ago, as chairman of the Judiciary Committee, when he convened hearings and then secured bipartisan committee approval of the core pieces of legislation that form the basis of the First Step Act. Leahy also is the co-author, with Senator Rob Portman (R-Ohio) of the Second Chance Reauthorization Act, which was included in the reform package. The Portman-Leahy legislation will reauthorize reentry services for ex-offenders. The package also includes another Leahy-cosponsored bill, the GRACE Act, that will improve the approval process for compassionate release of ailing or terminally ill inmates, which will also save taxpayer dollars. Leahy said: These reforms are modest but important steps to remedy some of the most troubling injustices within our sentencing laws and our prison system. It is my hope that this bill represents not just a single piece of legislation, but a turning point in how Congress views its role in advancing criminal justice. The First Step Act combines prison reform proposals that overwhelmingly passed in the House of Representatives earlier this year with sentencing reform provisions from the broadly bipartisan Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act, which was approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee in February. The comprehensive package aims to reduce crime by helping low-risk inmates prepare to successfully rejoin society through participation in proven recidivism reduction programs. It also improves fairness in prison sentences by recalibrating certain mandatory minimum sentences while expanding their application to new categories of violent felons. The bill grants greater discretion to judges in sentencing of low-level, nonviolent drug offenders who cooperate with law enforcement. It also clarifies congressional intent on sentencing enhancements for certain crimes involving firearms. The First Step Act preserves the maximum potential sentences for violent and career criminals. Finally, the legislation also allows petitions for retroactive application of theFair Sentencing Actto be considered on an individual basis to reduce sentence disparities between crack and powder cocaine offenses. Under these reforms, any savings they generate will be reinvested into law enforcement programs to further reduce crime and improve community safety. The First Step Act includes safeguards that prevent career and violent criminals from receiving earned time credits toward pre-release custody following completion of recidivism reduction programs. Under the bill, each inmate is evaluated using a data-driven risk and needs assessment tool to determine their likelihood of reoffending upon release. Only inmates found to be a low or minimum risk may benefit from earned time credits. Conviction for a number of serious offenses also disqualify inmates from earning time credits. The First Step Act is modeled after state-based reforms that have proven to reduce crime, prison populations, and taxpayer expenses. It is backed by several law enforcement groups, including the largest police organization, and by 172 former federal prosecutors, including two former Republican U.S. attorneys general, two former deputy attorneys general and a former director of the FBI, along withsheriffs from 34 states. The National Governor's Association has also praised the bill, as have the members of a broad coalition of conservative and progressive groups, business leaders, and faith-based organizations. Press Contact David Carle: 202-224-3693 Next Article Previous Article",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/121918secondchancepassage,"Leahy And Portman Praise Senate Passage Of Their Second Chance Reauthorization Act, As Part Of Criminal Justice Reform Package",2018-12-19,2018,2018-12,Democrat,House,VT,Patrick Leahy,L000174,www.leahy.senate.gov,,,legacy,"12.19.18 Leahy And Portman Praise Senate Passage Of Their Second Chance Reauthorization Act, As Part Of Criminal Justice Reform Package U.S. Senators Rob Portman (R-Ohio) and Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) announced that their bipartisan Second Chance Reauthorization Act passed the Senate as part of the First Step Act, bipartisan legislation to reform America's criminal justice system. The reform package passed the Senate late Tuesday night in a strong bipartisan vote of 87 to 12. The House is expected to pass it by the end of this week, and President Trump is expected to sign it. The Second Chance Reauthorization Act reauthorizes and amends the Second Chance Act, a law that supports state and local reentry programs to reduce recidivism. Then-Congressman Portman originally authored the Second Chance Act with the late-Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones in 2005, and it was later signed into law in 2008. Since 2009, more than 850 Second Chance Act grant awards have been made to government agencies and nonprofit organizations from 49 states for reentry programs serving adults and juveniles. As of June 2018, more than 164,000 individuals have participated in these programs. Leahy said: This strong bipartisan vote on the First Step Act brings us one step closer to achieving the most significant reforms to our criminal justice system in a decade. Including our Second Chance Reauthorization Act is an acknowledgement that criminal justice reform is not complete without a commitment to strengthening reentry services for ex-offenders. Almost every single offender in our justice system will one day be released. We owe it to them, their families, and the communities where they will live to help ensure that they can lead productive lives. The Second Chance Reauthorization Act will strengthen state and local grant programs to promote successful prisoner reentry and improve public safety while reducing Bureau of Prison costs and saving taxpayer dollars. Specifically, the legislation will: Continue targeted funding through 2021 for reentry programs at the state and local level that have been proven to reduce recidivism, lead to better outcomes for those released from prison, and save prison costs. Provide separate planning and implementation grants to ensure that projects are well developed at each stage and informed by research and best practices. Add nonprofit organizations as allowable grantees for grants for programs promoting family-based substance abuse treatment and career training. Repeal several provisions calling for studies that have been completed and removes support for programs for which other funding sources have been identified. It also consolidates the reentry court program into the Adult and Juvenile Offender State and Local Demonstration projects. Require new rigorous evaluation and audits of grantees to ensure that federal dollars are spent wisely. This legislation has been endorsed by the National Criminal Justice Association, the International Community Corrections Association, the Council of State Governments Justice Center, FreedomWorks, the American Bar Association, the American Correctional Association, The Prison Fellowship, the American Probation and Parole Association, the Association of State Correctional Administrators, and The Sentencing Project. Press Contact David Carle: 202-224-3693 Previous Article",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/121818firststepfloorspeech,"Leahy On Senate Floor Urges Approval Of The First Step Act, As Senate Begins Debate On Historic Criminal Justice Reforms",2018-12-18,2018,2018-12,Democrat,House,VT,Patrick Leahy,L000174,www.leahy.senate.gov,,,legacy,"12.18.18 Leahy On Senate Floor Urges Approval Of The First Step Act, As Senate Begins Debate On Historic Criminal Justice Reforms Today the Senate is considering perhaps the most significant bill to reform our criminal justice system in nearly a decade. The First Step Act takes modest but important steps to remedy some of the most troubling injustices within our sentencing laws and our prison system. It is my hope that this bill represents not just a single piece of legislation, but a turning point in how Congress views its role in advancing criminal justice. I have been working to bring fairness to our criminal justice system for decades. For far too long, the legislative response to any and all public safety concerns was as simple as it was flawed: No matter the perceived ill, we turned to arbitrary and inflexible mandatory minimums to cure it. That knee-jerk response, I believe, is changing. The era of mandatory minimum sentencing is coming to an end. Today there is growing recognition that one-size-fits-all sentencing is neither just nor effective. It routinely results in low level offenders spending far longer in prison than either public safety or common sense requires. And it comes at a steep human cost, especially in communities of color. It also comes at a steep fiscal cost that leaves us less safe. The United States houses more prisoners and has higher incarceration rates than any other country in the world. The cost of housing federal offenders consumes nearly one-third of the Justice Department's budget. Because public safety dollars are finite, this strips critical resources away from law enforcement strategies that have been proven to make our communities safer. By taking steps to responsibly reduce our prison population, we can both save money and reduce crime. That is a lesson states across the country have already learned: Prison rates and crime rates can fall together. It is past time for the federal criminal justice system to catch up. Five years ago, as Chairman of the Judiciary Committee, and drawing on my own experiences as a prosecutor, I convened hearings and advanced the core pieces of legislation that now form the basis of the First Step Act. Despite strong bipartisan votes in Committee, at the time some doubted that we had the support needed to ensure passage on the Senate Floor. Each year since then, an expanding group of dedicated senators and advocates have methodically built support for these reforms. Today, that support is astounding. It is not just bipartisan; it is nearly nonpartisan. And with the efforts of Senator Durbin who has been championing these efforts as long as anyone along with Senators Grassley, Whitehouse, Lee, Booker, and others, we now stand poised to pass meaningful criminal justice reform for the first time in a decade. It is true this legislation does not go as far as I would like. Far from it. I support ending mandatory minimum sentencing. I would prefer we do more to fix racially disparate treatment. I would like to see the full elimination of the existing crack-powder cocaine disparity a glaring injustice we must eventually address. I would like to see a broader judicial safety valve and additional retroactivity. Any laws that we consider unjust today were just as unjust a day ago, a year ago, or even a decade ago. But this is the nature of a compromise. You do not get everything you want. And when I look at the scope of the reforms before us today including a modest expansion of the safety valve, retroactive application of the Fair Sentencing Act, a reduction of some of the most indefensible mandatory minimums on the books, as well as reforms to add evidence-based practices to our prison system and reentry efforts I believe this is an historic achievement. The First Step Act also includes my Second Chance Reauthorization Act with Senator Portman. Our bill both extends and improves federal grant programs providing reentry services to ex-offenders. That includes employment assistance, housing, substance abuse treatment, victim support, and more. Almost every single offender in our justice system will one day be released. We owe it to both them and to the communities they will live in to ensure they can lead productive lives. In many ways, the First Step Act represents the best of the Senate. It represents what this institution is capable of when senators listen to each other, and when they come together to solve complex and contentious issues, instead of exploiting them for momentary political gain. When senators are willing to be patient, to compromise, and to persist through inevitable setbacks, real progress is possible. For the remaining members of the Senate who are not yet ready to support this legislation, I hope you will reconsider. I hope you will review the breadth of bipartisan support, both here in Congress, in the White House, and in the broader stakeholder community. I hope you will consider why even important law enforcement voices like the Fraternal Order of Police and National District Attorneys Association support this bill. For the members who do support the First Step Act, I hope that you will continue to work to reform our criminal justice system in the years ahead. Many of our laws are based on decades-old, misguided assumptions and do not reflect evidence-based practices. There is still so much work to be done, and injustices and racial disparities to address. This week we are showing what is possible. By working together, we can continue to enact meaningful legislation in the years to come that will keep us safe, save money, and prove America is a nation of fairness and second chances. I urge all members to vote no on the amendments to this carefully negotiated compromise, and vote yes on final passage. Press Contact David Carle: 202-224-3693",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/121418asylumamicusrls,BREAKING: Leahy Leads Senators In Filing Amicus Brief As Part Of Litigation Against President Trump's Illegal Asylum Ban,2018-12-14,2018,2018-12,Democrat,House,VT,Patrick Leahy,L000174,www.leahy.senate.gov,,,legacy,"12.14.18 BREAKING: Leahy Leads Senators In Filing Amicus Brief As Part Of Litigation Against President Trump's Illegal Asylum Ban On Thursday night, Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) led Senators Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), and Kamala D. Harris (D-Calif.) in filing an amicus brief as part of O.A. v. Trump, a lawsuit filed by six asylum seekers in the D.C. District Court challenging the legality of President Trump's Presidential Proclamation and rule effectively barring all asylum claims outside of ports of entry. The senators' core argument in their court filing is that President Trump's executive action contravenes unambiguously clear provisions in statute protecting the right of migrants to apply for asylum anywhere along U.S. borders. Leahy and the other senators describe how this was an unlawful attempt to override overwhelmingly bipartisan congressional intent reaffirmed repeatedly, over decades by executive fiat, and that it abandons the United States' historic role as a refuge for those fleeing violence and persecution in the face of humanitarian crises in the Northern Triangle of Central America. Senator Leahy said: President Trump's asylum ban is illegal on its face, plain and simple. President Trump cannot just undo clear provisions of the law with the stroke of his pen. That's not how our democracy works. Since the enactment of the Refugee Act of 1980 which I proudly voted for as a young senator Congress has repeatedly reaffirmed, in statute, its understanding that migrants have the right to apply for asylum anywhere along our borders. Preserving the right to file an application for asylum along our borders is a recognition of America's role indeed, America's identity as a haven for those fleeing the horrors of war, persecution, and gang violence. Our amicus brief is a clear and detailed reminder to President Trump that he cannot and will not erase our legacy and role as the humanitarian leader of the world. Senator Wyden said: My parents fled the horrors of Nazi Germany for the safety and promise of the United States. Providing refuge for huddled masses yearning to breathe free' is America's legacy, and Donald Trump's illegal asylum ban cannot wipe it away. Senator Whitehouse said: Congress put laws on the books to protect asylum-seekers, and the Founding Fathers put safeguards in the Constitution that ensure the president follows our laws. No matter how inconvenient for his cruel, un-American immigration agenda, Donald Trump doesn't have the authority to tear down asylum protections. Senator Blumenthal said: ""This policy is plainly illegal. Barring asylum seekers from receiving safety in the United States completely disregards our nation's values, national security, and laws. This needlessly cruel policy not only threatens the safety of refugees, it undermines our entire immigration system."" Senator Merkley said: The Trump Administration's efforts to deter asylum seekers from our borderby putting them in child or family prisons and blocking them from declaring asylumis un-American and inhumane. Many of these people are fleeing deadly violence in their home countries, and have the international right to seek asylum. Yet the president is making every effort to throw roadblocks in front of them. We cannot let this administration undermine our American values as a nation of freedom and hope. Senator Booker said: The law as it relates to asylum is incredibly clear migrants can apply for asylum regardless of whether they enter through a port of entry or not. President Trump can't change this by placing restrictions on who can claim asylum in the U.S. by executive fiat. That's the responsibility of the legislative branch. Congress writes the laws, not the President. Senator Harris said: This Administration's proclamation and rule cruelly targeting asylum seekers are a betrayal of well-established and unambiguous U.S. law. We should not punish those fleeing a threat of persecution. I'm proud to join with Senators Leahy, Wyden, Whitehouse, Blumenthal, Merkley, and Booker in filing this amicus brief to ask the District Court to respect the intent of Congress in establishing our asylum process for those seeking humanitarian protection within our country's borders. The full text of the senators' court filing can be found here. Press Contact David Carle: 202-224-3693 Previous Article",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://welch.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/house-passes-welch-legislation-closing-drug-company-loophole,House Passes Welch Legislation Closing Drug Company Loophole,2018-12-13,2018,2018-12,Democrat,House,VT,Peter Welch,W000800,welch.house.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, D.C. This week, the House passed legislation introduced by Rep. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) that closes a loophole in the federal Medicaid program exploited by drug companies to minimize drug discounts required for participation in the program. Earlier this year, Rep. Welch, joined by Rep. Kurt Schrader (D-Ore.), introduced theMedicaid Drug Rebate Accountability Actafter a report by the Inspector General for the Department of Health and Human Services revealed the loophole cost state and federal governments $1 billion between 2012-2016. For too long, drug companies have been ripping off the Medicaid program by misclassifying their products to limit required price discounts, said Welch. This commonsense legislation puts a stop to this unethical practice and ensures that all drugs covered by Medicaid are correctly classified. VIDEO: On House Floor, Welch Urges Colleagues to Close Billion Dollar Medicaid Loophole Under the Medicaid Drug Rebate Program, drug manufacturers seeking to have their drugs covered by Medicaid must pay drug rebates to federal and state governments. The required rebates are higher for brand name drugs and lower for generic drugs. According to the Inspector General, hundreds of brand drugs in the rebate program are being intentionally mischaracterized by drug companies as generic. Under the Welch-Schrader legislation, if a drug company knowingly misclassifies a brand drug as generic, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is authorized to asses a fine equal to a doubling of rebate amount due on that drug. The legislation also beefs up CMS and congressional oversight of the Medicaid drug rebate program. Welch is a leading advocate in the House of Representatives for cutting the price of prescription drugs and reforming the drug pricing system. He is a senior member of the powerful House Energy and Commerce Committee which has jurisdiction over the Medicaid program and the Affordable Care Act. Sens. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) have introduced companion legislation in the Senate (S. 3702). ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/121318displacedvenezuelans,"Menendez, Rubio, Durbin, Leahy Introduce Temporary Protected Status Legislation to Support Displaced Venezuelans",2018-12-13,2018,2018-12,Democrat,House,VT,Patrick Leahy,L000174,www.leahy.senate.gov,,,legacy,"12.13.18 Menendez, Rubio, Durbin, Leahy Introduce Temporary Protected Status Legislation to Support Displaced Venezuelans Today, Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, was joined by Senators Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), and Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) in introducing the Venezuela Temporary Protected Status and Asylum Assistance Act of 2018. The bipartisan legislation seeks to grant Temporary Protected Status for eligible Venezuelans fleeing the dire conditions in their home and to provide support for migration systems in the countries surrounding Venezuela. The extraordinary depth of Venezuela's political, economic, and humanitarian crisis has forced millions of Venezuelans to flee their country, creating upheaval that is now being felt throughout the region, Menendez said.Providing Temporary Protected Status for eligible individuals and supporting migration systems in the region to assist Venezuelans who are prevented from returning safely to their country is the humanitarian and morally responsible thing to do. As Venezuelans continue to face serious threats to their safety and livelihood at the hands of Maduro's narcoterrorist tyranny, it is clear in-country conditions warrant granting temporary protected status to Venezuelan nationals residing in the U.S., Rubio said. Granting this protection will provide a temporary solution to many Venezuelans who fear returning to their homeland due to the ongoing crisis and extraordinarily difficult conditions. When I traveled to Venezuela earlier this year, I found a country on the edge, facing overlapping economic, humanitarian, and political crises. The Venezuelan government under President Maduro has taken a series of repressive and undemocratic actions, including the cowardly jailing of National Assembly member Juan Requesens, that threatens its own people and has isolated it from the world,Durbin said. Venezuela faces a crisis, and the United States has a responsibility to respond in a manner that lives up to our American values. It is within our power to help keep innocent men, women, and children out of harm's way by passing theVenezuela Temporary Protected Status Act of 2018. The Venezuelan people are struggling to cope with an economy that has collapsed and a corrupt government that is overwhelmed and that relies on repression to hold onto power, Leahy said. Millions of Venezuelans have already fled to neighboring countries, which are unable to care for them without international aid. This humanitarian disaster shows no sign of diminishing. By granting TPS we can at least provide refuge to Venezuelans in this country until it is safe to return home. Established by the U.S. Congress through the Immigration Act of 1990, TPS is a temporary, renewable program that provides relief from deportation and access to a work permit for foreign nationals from certain countries who are unable to safely return to their home country due to natural disasters, armed conflicts, or other extraordinary conditions. The full text of the bill can be found here. ### Press Contact David Carle: 202-224-3693 Previous Article",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/121318jjrhyastatement,Leahy Statement On Passage Of The Juvenile Justice Reform Act And Short-Term Extension Of Runaway And Homeless Youth Programs,2018-12-13,2018,2018-12,Democrat,House,VT,Patrick Leahy,L000174,www.leahy.senate.gov,,,legacy,"12.13.18 Leahy Statement On Passage Of The Juvenile Justice Reform Act And Short-Term Extension Of Runaway And Homeless Youth Programs I have long supported Juvenile Justice programs, and I have long supported Runaway and Homeless Youth programs. During the 20 years I served as the top Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, and in my current role as the Vice Chairman of the Appropriations Committee, I have championed bipartisan reauthorizations and supported funding for these programs, overcoming the House of Representatives, which zeroes out Juvenile Justice programs in its appropriations bills year after year. These programs make a real and lasting difference in the lives of the children and teens they serve. The two programs are funded separately in separate appropriations subcommittees, and their reauthorizations have traditionally moved separately. I am pleased the Senate today passed the long-debated Juvenile Justice Reform Act. This legislation makes needed, comprehensive, and long overdue updates to the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act. It mandates research to study, identify and address disproportionate minority contact in the juvenile justice system, and separates young offenders from adult jails and prisons. It also reauthorizes funding for key juvenile justice programs. Funding for these vital programs is key to preventing youth from coming in contact with the juvenile justice system, and ensuring youth have the opportunity to get the help they need to avoid repeating the cycle. Reducing recidivism is not just the moral thing to do; it saves future state and federal dollars. The Grassley substitute amendment, which passed the Senate this evening, reauthorizes the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act at a lower level than I support, and a lower level than is supported by the providers and advocates in the field who know firsthand what the actual needs are to help these youths. It also fails to make important programmatic improvements that Senator Collins and I have been working on for years. These improvements include provisions to prevent and respond to human trafficking to which runaway and homeless youth are particularly vulnerable by requiring staff training to identify when a child entering their program has been a victim. Training program staff to identify young victims of trafficking helps ensure staff refers children and teenagers to appropriate services and takes steps to prevent their further traumatization. These young people have experienced major, unimaginable trauma, and we need to make sure they receive the right counseling and treatment to help them recover. Our reauthorization of the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act also includes important nondiscrimination language to ensure all youth who try to access programs can do so regardless of their faith, race, or sexual orientation. Unfortunately these improvements will have to wait. While we have much to celebrate with the passage of the Juvenile Justice Reform Act, I am disappointed that some members on the other side of the aisle demanded the inclusion of an extension of the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act, and lowering its authorization without the improvements contained in my legislation with Senator Collins. The House passed and the Democratic hotline cleared H.R.6964, a clean version of the Juvenile Justice Reform Act with no reference to the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act. Unfortunately, Senate Republicans on the Judiciary Committee refused to run the hotline on the Republican side. This in effect held hostage these important Juvenile Justice reforms to leverage authorization cuts to a completely unrelated program. These two pieces of legislation have not moved in the same reauthorization bill in 30 years. They are funded through different appropriations bills, administered by difference departments, and their authorizations serve different purposes. Senator Collins and I have worked for years on a comprehensive bipartisan reauthorization of the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act and expressed our concern with including a lower reauthorization with no improvements as part of Juvenile Justice Reform. Unfortunately, members on the other side were willing to hold up passage of Juvenile Justice Reform for yet another Congress, over an unrelated program. In the interest of ensuring programmatic improvements and reauthorization of Juvenile Justice programs, Senator Collins and I agreed to a two year reauthorization of Runaway and Homeless Youth programs at an eight percent reduction from its last authorized levels. Although I am disappointed that Runaway and Homeless Youth programs are reauthorized even in the short term without needed programmatic improvements, I look forward to working with members of the House and Senate to pass a bipartisan, comprehensive Runaway and Homeless Youth reauthorization in the 116th Congress. It is my understanding that the House Committee on Education and Workforce will prioritize a comprehensive reauthorization of Runaway and Homeless Youth next Congress, and I hope the Senate Judiciary Committee will do the same. If so, we have a chance to make a real difference in the lives of some of the most vulnerable children in our country. It's time we seize it. Press Contact David Carle: 202-224-3693 Previous Article",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/121318secondchancerelease,"Portman-Leahy SECOND CHANCE ACT Now Included In Crim. Justice Reform Pkg., Set For Senate Debate And Votes NEXT WEEK",2018-12-13,2018,2018-12,Democrat,House,VT,Patrick Leahy,L000174,www.leahy.senate.gov,,,legacy,"12.13.18 Portman-Leahy SECOND CHANCE ACT Now Included In Crim. Justice Reform Pkg., Set For Senate Debate And Votes NEXT WEEK U.S. Senators Rob Portman (R-OH) and Patrick Leahy (D-VT) announced that their bipartisan Second Chance Reauthorization Act this week was incorporated into the First Step Act, bipartisan legislation to reform America's criminal justice system authored by Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Senators Mike Lee (R-UT), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI). The Second Chance Reauthorization Act reauthorizes and amends the Second Chance Act, a law that supports state and local reentry programs to reduce recidivism. Then-Congressman Portman originally authored the Second Chance Act with the late-Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones in 2005, and it was later signed into law in 2008.Since 2009, more than 850 Second Chance Act grant awards have been made to government agencies and nonprofit organizations from 49 states for reentry programs serving adults and juveniles. As of June 2018, more than 164,000 individuals have participated in these programs.In total, Ohio has received more than $23 million in Second Chance Act grants since 2009, which includes funds to assist Ohioans re-entering the community with services such as job training, drug rehabilitation, case management and mental health treatment. I'm pleased that my legislation to reauthorize and strengthen the Second Chance Act has been incorporated into the bipartisan criminal justice reform bill. This important law helps break the cycle of incarceration through drug treatment and job training programs, and it helps former inmates live up to their God-given potential. It also makes our communities safer and saves taxpayer dollars, Portman said. This law has changed thousands of lives in Ohio and across the country showing that the mistakes of our past should not define the potential for our future. I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting the First Step Act so we can renew and strengthen the Second Chance Act and help more ex-offenders become productive members of our society. The First Step Act is historic legislation representing years of bipartisan work to address some of the most egregious outcomes in our criminal justice system. The inclusion of our Second Chance Reauthorization Act is an acknowledgement that a justice system that doesn't offer ex-offenders a second chance is anything but just. America is a nation of fairness, opportunity, and second chances. I'm proud to continue partnering with Senator Portman to reauthorize these critical programs which will reduce recidivism and help ex-offenders reenter society and build productive lives, said Leahy. NOTE: The Second Chance Reauthorization Act will strengthen state and local grant programs to promote successful prisoner reentry and improve public safety while reducing Bureau of Prison costs and saving taxpayer dollars. Specifically, the legislation will: Continue targeted funding through 2021 for reentry programs at the state and local level that have been proven to reduce recidivism, lead to better outcomes for those released from prison, and save prison costs. Provide separate planning and implementation grants to ensure that projects are well developed at each stage and informed by research and best practices. Add nonprofit organizations as allowable grantees for grants for programs promoting family-based substance abuse treatment and career training. Repeal several provisions calling for studies that have been completed and removes support for programs for which other funding sources have been identified. It also consolidates the reentry court program into the Adult and Juvenile Offender State and Local Demonstration projects. Require new rigorous evaluation and audits of grantees to ensure that federal dollars are spent wisely. This legislation has been endorsed by the National Criminal Justice Association, the International Community Corrections Association, the Council of State Governments Justice Center, FreedomWorks, the American Bar Association, the American Correctional Association, The Prison Fellowship, the American Probation and Parole Association, the Association of State Correctional Administrators, and The Sentencing Project. Press Contact David Carle: 202-224-3693 Previous Article",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/121318trumpshutdownfactcheck,From Appropriations Vice Chair Patrick Leahy: FACT CHECKING Pres. Trumps Manufactured Crisis Over Funding His Proposed Wall,2018-12-13,2018,2018-12,Democrat,House,VT,Patrick Leahy,L000174,www.leahy.senate.gov,,,legacy,"12.13.18 From Appropriations Vice Chair Patrick Leahy: FACT CHECKING Pres. Trump's Manufactured Crisis Over Funding His Proposed Wall Fact Checking President Trump's Manufactured Crisis With illegal border crossings declining for years, and no true crisis to point to, President Trump has spun a manufactured crisis to justify his ineffective and costly border wall. The President has relatedly made false allegations about the volume of border crossings and the threat posed by these migrants who in many cases are fleeing violence. Below are just a few examples from the last week: #FALSE: President Trump's repeated claim that we have a crisis-level surge of illegal immigration at our southern border. #FACT:At the end of 2017, arrests of people attempting to illegally enter the U.S. dropped to the lowest level since 1971. Between 2000 & 2018, border apprehensions fell sharply from roughly 1.6 million in fiscal year 2000 to approximately 400,000 in fiscal year 2018 that's a 75 percent drop. #FALSE: Pres. Trump's claim that we recently captured 10 terrorists at the southern border over a very short period of time. #FACT: Approximately 10 people with suspected terrorist ties are prevented from traveling to the U.S. every day by air, sea, or land. That does NOT mean they're entering the southern border. And a wall along our southern border does not stop a potential terrorist from flying into an airport. #FACT:A staunchly conservative organization that advocates for restricting immigration, the Center for Immigration Studies, issued a report concluding only 15 suspected terrorists have been apprehended at the U.S.-Mexico border SINCE 2001. #FALSE: President Trump's repeated claim that wall construction is under budget, and that additional funding for the wall is an urgent need. #FACT: Border fencing construction is not under budget. The largest stretch of fencing that Congress has funded, a 25 mile barrier in the Rio Grande Valley, has ballooned in cost, from $445 to $787 million a price tag of $31.5 million per mile for taxpayers. #FACT: The Trump Administration has only spent 6 percent SIX PERCENT of the $1.7 billion the Congress has appropriated over the last two years to build or replace fencing on the southern border. That does not sound like an urgent need for additional billions in funding. If there were an urgent need to construct a wall, President Trump would not have to rely on so many blatant falsehoods. His obsession with a wall is nothing more than a desperate attempt to please his base and protect his ego. Senate Appropriations Committee Vice Chairman Patrick Leahy's Full Statement Is Available HERE. Press Contact David Carle: 202-224-3693 Previous Article",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/121318yemenstatement,Leahy Floor Speech On The Senate Joint Resolution On Yemen,2018-12-13,2018,2018-12,Democrat,House,VT,Patrick Leahy,L000174,www.leahy.senate.gov,,,legacy,"12.13.18 Leahy Floor Speech On The Senate Joint Resolution On Yemen Mr. President, today we will vote on Senate Joint Resolution 54, which would remove the U.S. armed forces from hostilities in or affecting the country of Yemen, except those forces engaged in operations directed at al Qaeda or associated forces, unless and until a declaration of war or specific authorization for such use of U.S. armed forces has been enacted. I want to commend my distinguished friend from Vermont, Senator Sanders, for the leadership and perseverance he has shown on this issue. He has rightly insisted that the Congress, which alone has the power to declare war, act in response to the humanitarian catastrophe in Yemen. A catastrophe, we must acknowledge, that the United States shares responsibility for causing as a result of our support for the Saudi military, which is by any objective measure guilty of war crimes. It is long past time for us to say: enough. International outrage over this issue has been building steadily as the number of civilian casualties in Yemen one of the world's poorest countries has swollen into the thousands as a result of Saudi Arabia's intervention and ongoing aerial bombardment. We have all seen the photographs of the dead and dying; of children who are nothing but skin and bones. Some 85,000 children have starved to death. Another 13 million Yemeni civilians are at risk of starvation, according to the United Nations. Of course, the Houthis and the Iranians who support them share the blame for the death and destruction in Yemen. But we are not supporting them. We are not sharing intelligence with them or providing targeting assistance. We are not selling them weapons. That is what we are doing for the Saudis. But this Joint Resolution is about more than that. As if the kidnapping of Lebanese Prime Minister Hariri, the blockade of Qatar, the imprisonment of Saudi women's rights activists, and the carnage in Yemen were not enough, the outrage towards Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Saman finally boiled over with the horrific, premeditated murder of Jamal Khashoggi, a respected journalist who had criticized the royal family. Mr. Khashoggi's murder by Saudi government agents at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, and the blatant lies by top Saudi officials who tried to cover it up, exposed the depth of depravity of the Saudi royal family. I have spoken about that despicable crime multiple times already so I will not repeat what I have said. But there is every reason to believe that the Saudi royal family is still lying about who was involved. And we know that since long before murdering Mr. Khashoggi, the Saudi government has had a sordid history of abducting, imprisoning, and executing dissidents and others after sham trials in violation of international law. The vote today on Senate Joint Resolution 54 is the Senate's first response to the Saudi royal family, and to the Trump Administration. The disaster in Yemen is so appalling, and the murder of Jamal Khashoggi was so wicked, so repulsive, that no amount of money, no amount of oil, and no amount of lies can obscure it. The Trump Administration lobbied hard against this Resolution, warning that despite the Saudi royal family's many misdeeds the U.S. Saudi relationship is too important to risk. No one is seeking to sever relations with Saudi Arabia. But far more important is that the United States stands for the truth, for justice, for the laws of war, and that we don't stand by when a whole society of impoverished, innocent people is being destroyed, or when top officials of another government, whether ally or adversary, conspire to murder a journalist or dissident and lie about it. If the Saudi royal family hopes to salvage its tattered reputation and relations with the United States, it will need to take far more decisive action to end the war in Yemen and bring to justice all those responsible for murdering Jamal Khashoggi. Press Contact David Carle: 202-224-3693",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://welch.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/welch-vote-farm-bill-compromise-citing-benefits-vermont-agriculture-and,"Welch to Vote for Farm Bill Compromise, Citing Benefits to Vermont Agriculture and the Defeat of Draconian Cuts to Nutrition Programs",2018-12-12,2018,2018-12,Democrat,House,VT,Peter Welch,W000800,welch.house.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON This afternoon, Rep. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) spoke on the House floor in support of a five-year compromise farm bill hammered out by House and Senate negotiators over the last several weeks. Welch touted the overall benefits of the bill for Vermont, including provisions that benefit the dairy, maple, organic and hemp industries. He also applauded the jettisoning of draconian cuts to nutrition programs for children and low income Vermonters. The agreement was overwhelmingly approved by the Senate yesterday on a vote of 87-13. The House is expected to pass the bill this afternoon and send it to President Trump for his expected signature. It's absolutely no secret that farming communities from Franklin and Addison County in Vermont to the plains of Kansas and Iowa are facing a crisis. This bill contains a number of positive changes that will help in Vermont. While no one got everything they wanted, and many of the urgent reforms that are needed on the commodity side are not part of this, this will be a positive contribution to Vermont agriculture. Click image to view video of Rep. Welch's full remarks. ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.leahy.senate.gov/harwood-union-middle-school,Harwood Union Middle School,2018-12-12,2018,2018-12,Democrat,House,VT,Patrick Leahy,L000174,www.leahy.senate.gov,,,legacy,"12.12.18 Harwood Union Middle School On December 12, 2018, Senator Leahy continued his series of online chats with Vermont students this time, with Harwood Union Middle School's 7th and 8th grade classes, taught by Mr. Nicolas Gordon and Ms. Sarah Ibson. He enjoyed answering the students' questions about gun safety, environmental and pollution issues, and other topics. Senator Leahy talked about some of his most memorable votes during his time in the Senate and the importance of voter participation. This chat was Senator Leahy's last chat of the 2018 calendar year, and he looks forward to continuing this tradition in 2019. Press Contact David Carle: 202-224-3693 Previous Article",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/121218appropswallstatement,Statement Of Appropriations Vice Chair Patrick Leahy On The Fearmongering Falsehoods Fueling President Trump's Fixation On The Wall: A REALITY CHECK,2018-12-12,2018,2018-12,Democrat,House,VT,Patrick Leahy,L000174,www.leahy.senate.gov,,,legacy,"12.12.18 Statement Of Appropriations Vice Chair Patrick Leahy On The Fearmongering Falsehoods Fueling President Trump's Fixation On The Wall: A REALITY CHECK If Americans had any doubt that President Trump is fixated on wasting billions of dollars to wall off our 2,000 mile southern border, all they had to do was watch his jaw-dropping press conference yesterday, demanding another $5 billion of their hard earned tax dollars for his political pet project that he promised Mexico would pay for. Using words I never thought I would hear from a President, he boasted he would be, proud to shut down the government if Congress doesn't meet his funding demands. That is one of the most reckless statements I have ever heard uttered by a President of the United States. His job, like ours, is to keep the federal government operating for the hundreds of millions of Americans who depend on government services every day, from our national parks, to housing services for the elderly, disabled, and our veterans, and for assistance for our nation's farmers. Just yesterday, we passed the bipartisan Farm Bill. If the President shuts the government down, there will be nobody in local USDA offices to answer questions from farmers about what the law means for them just as farmers begin to make their plans for next year's planting season. When I first came to the Senate, the idea of threatening to shut down the federal government as a negotiating tactic was unheard of. Today, it seems that we go through this every year. Neither party is blameless. But before President Trump, no one bragged about it. No one seemed to relish it. No one was foolish enough to call it good for the country. No one treated shutting down the government as if it is a game, without the slightest concern for the consequences for the American people and hundreds of thousands of federal workers and their families over the holidays, or for the millions of dollars wasted as a result. President Trump's performance yesterday amounted to throwing a temper tantrum on live national television. He is either oblivious to or simply doesn't care about the real world consequences of a shutdown including hundreds of thousands of federal employees furloughed, or working without pay three days before Christmas, and millions of Americans cut off from critical government services. Instead the President eagerly offered to take the mantle for shutting down the government over his wall. What could be driving his fixation with a medieval wall along our southern border? Maybe he has actually begun to believe his own fearmongering and lies about migrants, asylees, and refugees. After years of demonizing and vilifying vulnerable migrants to rally his most ardent supporters, perhaps President Trump's own demagoguery has finally gotten to him. Only that a self-made, alternate reality where vulnerable women and children have miraculously transformed into hordes of gang members and terrorists could explain such an irrational obsession with a wasteful wall that would do next to nothing to stop actual threats to our nation's security. The President may not be able to tell fact from fiction, or he may purposefully be blurring the lines between them. But as Vice Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, it is my duty to ensure that taxpayer dollars go toward solving problems we know to exist in fact. So let's talk about the facts. It's time for a reality check. President Trump, justifying a litany of anti-immigrant policies, has repeatedly claimed that there is a crisis at our southern border, with a drastic surge of undocumented migrants attempting to flood into our country. That is false. The truth is that illegal border crossings are at historic lows. At the end of 2017, arrests of people attempting to enter the U.S. illegally dropped to the lowest level since 1971. Between 2000 and 2018, border apprehensions fell sharply from roughly 1.6 million in FY 2000 to approximately 400,000 in FY 2018 that is a 75 percent drop. While everyone agrees that illegal immigration is a serious problem we need to address, saying that we are experiencing a crisis-level surge of illegal crossings at the border is pure fiction. Without a true crisis to point to, the President has manufactured one. Ever the reality TV showman, he opted to focus Americans' attention on images and videos of a caravan of migrants marching toward our southern border. In the run-up to the recent elections, pointing at these vulnerable migrants when they were still nearly a thousand miles from our border, President Trump immediately began warning of an imminent onslaught of invaders, an assault on our country, and a national emergency. Inconveniently for the President, thousands in the migrant caravan are defenseless women and children. Most Americans just don't think of the word invaders when they see barefoot toddlers being pushed in strollers by their mothers. The sad reality is that many of these people are fleeing desperate situations in their home countries looking for sanctuary they aren't coming here to perpetuate violence, they are running from it. When the pictures on TV began to defy the President's narrative, he changed course and began making the case that hidden amongst these families were stone cold criminals and unknown Middle Easterners, as if anyone from the Middle East is inherently a danger to us. His proof? He has none. Quoting the President's own words about the composition of the migrant caravan: There's no proof of anything. Just yesterday, President Trump even claimed that we need the wall because we recently captured 10 terrorists over a very short period of time. This statement had fact-checkers and his own administration officials scratching their heads, as its provenance was entirely unclear. A Homeland Security official claimed that President Trump was referring to a government statistic indicating that 10 people suspected of terrorist ties are prevented from entering the United States every day by air, sea, or land. But a wall along our southern border would do nothing to prevent a suspected terrorist from flying into the JFK airport. President Trump does not seem to know, or care, about the difference. The conservative Center for Immigration Studies issued a report last month concluding that only 15 suspected terrorists have been apprehended at the U.S.-Mexico border since 2001, and a suspected terrorist includes anyone coming from one of a handful of specific countries, like Syria. It does not mean they are in fact terrorists or have any connection whatsoever to terrorism. President Trump's unsubstantiated vitriol against immigrants is matched only by his flamboyance about the wall. Despite his claims yesterday that wall construction is under budget, the largest component of fencing that Congress has funded, a 25 mile barrier in the Rio Grande Valley, has ballooned in cost, from $445 million to $787 million a price tag of $31.5 million per mile for American taxpayers. And despite the President's claims that additional wall funding is an urgent need, the Trump Administration has only spent six percent of the $1.7 billion the Congress has appropriated over the last two years to build or replace fencing on the southern border. Facts matter, Mr. President. The $5 billion he is clamoring for would be better spent on real homeland security such as Coast Guard boats that can save lives, grants to nonprofit churches and synagogues to secure themselves against shootings like those in Pittsburgh and Sutherland Springs, and for more Customs personnel and technology to seize the fentanyl that is fueling our nation's opioid epidemic and killing our citizens. And let's remember, fentanyl is mostly coming through our legal points of entry and our mail facilities, not between the ports where the President wants to build his wall. Perhaps in President Trump's alternate reality where illegal crossings are at historic highs, migrant caravans of hardened criminals are invading our country, and terrorists are slipping past our border patrol agents every day the need for a giant, concrete wall seems like an urgent necessity. But if you live in the real world where facts and statistics mean something his obsession with building a wall is exposed for what it is: a desperate attempt to please his base and protect his ego. As stewards of American taxpayers' hard-earned money, we in Congress have a responsibility to not throw away billions of dollars on a project that is built on a foundation of fact-free fearmongering. That is not the way we appropriate money, and that is certainly not the way we fund and run the United States government. If the President wants to shut down the government because he cannot muster the votes to fund his shiny object, as he says he does, the American people will see that he cares more about his misguided campaign promises than he does about doing his job: making the government work for the American people. Press Contact David Carle: 202-224-3693",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/leahy-statement-on-the-senates-passage-of-the-reciprocal-access-to-tibet-act,Leahy Statement On The Senate's Passage Of The Reciprocal Access To Tibet Act,2018-12-12,2018,2018-12,Democrat,House,VT,Patrick Leahy,L000174,www.leahy.senate.gov,,,legacy,"12.12.18 Leahy Statement On The Senate's Passage Of The Reciprocal Access To Tibet Act Mr. President, this evening the Senate unanimously passed the Reciprocal Access to Tibet Act of 2018. I was one of the earliest cosponsors of this bill, and I strongly support it. For far too long, the Chinese government has tightly restricted access to Tibet, preventing U.S. diplomats and journalists from reporting on the systematic human rights abuses and destruction of Tibetan culture perpetrated by the Chinese government, and arbitrarily preventing Tibetan-Americans from visiting their families. Passing this legislation today represents a strong, bipartisan step toward addressing that decades-long injustice. I would like to thank Senator Rubio and Congressman McGovern for their work on this legislation over several years. The Chinese government arbitrarily requires a special permit for a foreign diplomat, reporter, or tourist to visit Tibet a requirement China does not impose for travel to any other provincial-level jurisdiction, even Xinjiang. The Chinese government frequently denies requests for these permits to Tibet. And even when it does grant permits, it generally requires foreigners to be accompanied at all times by a government-designated guide. This arbitrary system not only makes it exceptionally difficult to report on the situation in Tibet, but it also gives the Chinese government significant leverage which it reportedly exploits in various ways over persons who hope to obtain a permit. In a 2015 white paper, the Chinese government claimed that, under Chinese rule, Tibet has been transformed from a poor and backward society to one that is advanced in both economy and culture. Setting aside that this statement would look perfectly at home among the discredited justifications for 19th Century colonialism, if it were true then one would expect China to welcome the world to witness its rule in Tibet. Yet in 2016, The Washington Post reported that Tibet is harder to visit as a journalist than North Korea. International media cannot even enter Tibet except on infrequent, tightly-controlled tours organized by the Chinese government. The situation is much the same for U.S. diplomats. And it's not just journalists and officials whose freedom of movement is restricted. Tibetan-Americans attempting to visit their homeland report undergoing a discriminatory Chinese visa process, different from what is typically required for American citizens, and often find their requests arbitrarily denied. I have heard about this problem directly from my Tibetan-American constituents in Vermont. I have spoken about it with the leader of the Tibetan government-in-exile. This issue has even touched a Tibetan-American member of my staff, Nima Binara. His 89 year-old grandmother, Kaedungkhangsar Yangchen Dolkar, was a naturalized American citizen who hoped to see her homeland and her relatives one last time before she passed away, a visit the Chinese government refused to grant. Denying a person's right to visit their homeland is a petty display of authoritarian control, and one that we should not tolerate in the 21st Century. I vividly remember visiting Tibet in 1988 and meeting its warmhearted people, appreciating its profound culture, and seeing its breathtaking landscape. With this legislation, we are now a step closer to the day when all American tourists, journalists, and diplomats can make such a trip without undue restrictions. This legislation will also make it more difficult for China to hide its atrocious human rights record in Tibet behind a cloak of isolation. It will make it easier for Tibetans inside Tibet to interact with the outside world, and more likely for the world to realize that Tibetans are a distinct people who deserve their right to self-determination. The House has already unanimously passed this bill. I urge the President to sign it into law without delay. Press Contact David Carle: 202-224-3693 Previous Article",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/projected-impacts-of-a-trump-shutdown,PROJECTED IMPACTS OF A TRUMP SHUTDOWN,2018-12-12,2018,2018-12,Democrat,House,VT,Patrick Leahy,L000174,www.leahy.senate.gov,,,legacy,"12.12.18 PROJECTED IMPACTS OF A TRUMP SHUTDOWN Prepared By Vice Chairman Leahy's Senate Appropriations Committee Staff More Than 420,000 Will Be Working Without Pay Including: More than 41,000 Federal Law Enforcement and Correctional Officers, Including: 2,614 ATF agents; 16,742 Bureau of Prisons correctional officers; 13,709 FBI agents; 3,600 deputy U.S. Marshals; and 4,399 DEA agents. Up To 88 Percent Of Department of Homeland Security Employees, Including: 53,000 TSA Employees; 54,000 Customs and Border Protection agents and customs offers; 42,000 Coast Guard employees As many as 5,000 Forest Service Firefighters 3,600 Weather Service Forecasters More Than 380,000 Will Be Furloughed, Including: 86 Percent of Department of Commerce (Approximately 41,000 Staff), 96 Percent of NASA (Approximately 16,700 Staff) More than 80 Percent of the National Park Service (Approximately16,000 Staff) At least 80 Percent of the Forest Service (Approximately 28,800 Staff) More than 30 Percent of Dept. of Transportation (Approximately 18,300 Staff) 95 Percent of HUD (Approximately 7,100 Staff) Approximately 52,000 IRS Staff Nine Out Of 15 Federal Departments And Dozens Of Agencies Will Close The government will shutter the doors of nine federal departments and dozens of agencies during the Trump Shutdown, grinding services to the American people to a halt just three days before Christmas. The Trump Shutdown Is Bad For Business: Farmers. USDA would shutter every local and state farm service center across the U.S. With the current challenges facing farmers due to the dramatic drop in commodity prices brought on by retaliatory tariffs, many farmers have had to rely on UDSA as their lender of last resort to help pay bills and stay afloat through this winter. Many farmers are already preparing for the spring planting and banks are not willing to lend to them, leaving USDA as their only hope. Additionally, with passage of the 2018 Farm Bill, farmers and ranchers will seek information on how the law will affect their operations heading into the planting year. A shutdown will mean Farm Service Agency and Natural Resources Conservation Service staff will not be able to answer those questions or assist in signing up producers for new Farm Bill programs. This is the worst time for a shutdown when producers begin to make their plans for next year's planting season. Small Businesses. More than 30 million U.S. small businesses employing 59 million employees would no longer have access to federally-assisted loans and technical assistance, as Small Business Administration guarantees to back loans would freeze. Steel and Aluminum Industries. U.S. companies can petition to avoid tariffs if certain steel and aluminum products are not produced in sufficient quantities or of sufficient quality within the U.S. A shutdown would halt the already frightfully slow exemption process for these tariffs. Homeownership. The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) would see significant delays in loan processing and approvals. Thousands of people trying to buy a new home or refinance a FHA-insured mortgage would be put on standby. Community and Economic Development. Cities, counties, and states would not be able move forward with new Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) projects, preventing important local economic investment and job creation. Local Businesses near Public Lands. A shutdown will affect the economies of local communities that depend on national parks for tourism. The National Park System sees an estimated half a million visitors per day in winter months who spend $19 million per day in nearby park communities many of those dollars are spent in small businesses such as restaurants, shops, lodges and local outfitters. Energy Permitting. Lease sales and permits for oil, gas, coal and other minerals on Federal lands and waters will be suspended. Energy development from Federal lands generated nearly $9 billion in FY 2018 for the U.S., states and tribes. Justice Delayed. Civil litigation, payments to victims, and training for state and local law enforcement stop during a shutdown. The Trump Shutdown Is Bad For Your Health: Hungry Kids and Families. With the trade mitigation, USDA plans to distribute $1.2 billion in commodities through The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP), which provides supplemental food to soup kitchens, food banks, and pantries. Help is needed to mitigate this influx of commodities, but a shutdown would really hamper this program. The Food and Nutrition Service would not be able to purchase commodities or provide the funding for transportation, distribution, or storage. This could be especially harmful to food banks that receive these commodities at a time when more families rely on their services the winter and holiday months. Clean Drinking Water and Waste Disposal Infrastructure. Small, remote rural communities would be unable to obtain assistance to construct or expand clean water and sanitary waste disposal systems. Small rural communities often lack adequate clean drinking water, leading to health and safety issues for residents. Keeping Roofs over Families' Heads. Payments to roughly 3,000 public housing agencies, which help manage the country's HUD-assisted housing and supportive services programs for more than 3 million low-income households, would be delayed, reducing critical operations, and delaying routine capital maintenance and emergency repairs. Failure to maintain this critical affordable housing stock could leave thousands of veterans, elderly, disabled, and working poor Section 8 and public housing residents vulnerable to harmful living conditions, including exposure to lead-based paint hazards and mold. This would also slow the selection of any new tenants from the thousands of low-income families and individuals currently on Section 8 and public housing waitlists nationwide, many of whom are currently living on the streets or in temporary shelters. Press Contact David Carle: 202-224-3693 Previous Article",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/senate-and-house-lawmakers-release-updated-first-step-act,Senate & House Lawmakers Release Updated First Step Act,2018-12-12,2018,2018-12,Democrat,House,VT,Patrick Leahy,L000174,www.leahy.senate.gov,,,legacy,"12.12.18 Senate & House Lawmakers Release Updated First Step Act Majority Leader, House Speaker pledge to consider criminal justice reform package this year A bipartisan, bicameral group of lawmakers today released revised text of the First Step Act to continue building support for criminal justice reform. This update was brokered by the White House and a bipartisan group of lawmakers in both chambers of Congress. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Speaker Paul Ryan have pledged to take up the revised package before the end of the year. Over the last several years, we've expanded support for comprehensive criminal justice reform by listening to stakeholders and lawmakers to strike a balance that reduces crime and recidivism, and the associated taxpayer burden, while ensuring that dangerous and career criminals face steep consequences for their actions. Today's update represents the latest in our effort to achieve this goal. I appreciate the engagement from many of my colleagues to fine tune the most significant criminal justice reform in a generation, and I applaud President Trump and the White House for bringing everyone to the table to make this happen. Following these changes and the growing demonstration of support for this bill, Leader McConnell is keeping his word by pledging to hold a vote this year, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley said. The bipartisan First Step Act is a once in a political lifetime aligning of the stars. Republicans, Democrats, President Trump, Fraternal Order of Police, and ACLU have all thrown their support behind our bill. This bipartisan compromise could be one of the most important things we do when it comes to criminal justice not only this year but for a long time. I commend my colleagues for their spirit of cooperation on this important piece of legislation and I look forward to getting this job done in the closing weeks of this session, Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin said. After listening to many of our colleagues, this updated First Step Act addresses each of the concerns we've heard from stakeholders across the country. It is solid common-sense reform that will make our families stronger and our communities safer and I look forward to debating it on the Senate floor, Senator Mike Lee said. Our broken criminal justice system is a cancer on the soul of our nation that's disproportionately preyed upon low-income Americans, the addicted, and people of color. This bill is a meaningful step in the right direction that will help correct the ills of the failedWar onDrugs. It will have a profound effect on thousands of families suffering under the burden of our broken system, Senator Cory Booker said. This bill does two important things: lowers the recidivism rate and reduces sentences for nonviolent offenders which allows us to direct resources towards truly dangerous criminals. For a nonviolent offender to be released early, the offender has to acquire a necessary skill-set to be more productive once released. The bill also gives more latitude to judges to make sure lengthy sentences are not mandated for multiple nonviolent offenses. This has produced a great burden on the system and has taken a lot of people out of the workforce that could be productive. Finally, I very much appreciate Jared Kushner's tenacity when it comes to making sure the criminal justice reform legislation becomes law. I also appreciate President Trump's bold and energetic leadership on this issue.It was also an honor working side by side with Senator Tim Scott on another important reform. Senator McConnell's announcement that the Senate will take up criminal justice reform was music to my ears. Now, let's pass it into law, said Senator Graham. We know the reforms in this bill can yield real improvement in our criminal justice system because they've worked in states like Rhode Island and Texas. Now, we are poised to pass those reforms into law across the federal system. I am proud of the bipartisan work that has led us to this moment, and grateful to all the people law enforcement, civil rights groups, former inmates, state and local officials, community leaders, and so many more who helped us get here, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse said. As an original co-sponsor of the First Step Act, I want to thank each and every person who has played an instrumental role in getting this once-in-a-generation bill to the Senate floor. This has been a team effort that has spanned the political spectrum; and for that, we should all celebrate. Meaningful criminal justice reform is just one step in ensuring that the scales of justice are balancedfor every American a core principle of our nation. I am thrilled that President Trump, Chairman Grassley, various Senators, and advocacy groups worked side by side to prove to the American public that Congress still works. I look forward to ushering the First Step Act through the finish line and to the President's desk, Senator Tim Scott said. The First Step Act represents years of bipartisan work to address some of the most egregious and unjust outcomes in our criminal justice system. While our work is not done, these reforms, and how senators came together to produce them, represent the best of the Senate, and it will make a real difference in the lives of so many. I am proud to cosponsor the First Step Act and believe now is the time to pass this historic legislation, Senator Patrick Leahy said. During my chairmanship of the House Judiciary Committee, I have made reform of our federal criminal justice system a top priority. It is clear that reforms are necessary to protect Americans from crime, to help ensure that offenders become productive members of society after they serve their time, and to adjust some sentences that are currently excessive. I am extremely pleased that we have reached a bipartisan, bicameral agreement on legislation to accomplish these goals, and I urge immediate consideration of this legislation so that we can send it to President Trump to sign into law, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte said. I am pleased to join with my colleagues in introducing the First Step Act, an important bill that will advance criminal justice reform. This bill includes critical changes to our sentencing laws that will reduce the impact of some mandatory minimum sentences, notably with retroactive application of the reduced crack cocaine sentences under the Fair Sentencing Act of 2010. The bill's reauthorization of the Second Chance Act is also a measure that is long overdue. We will continue to work in Congress to oversee the implementation of these reforms as well as the new system to allow some federal prisoners to earn early entry into pre-release custody. There is still more work to be done to ensure our criminal justice system is equally fair and just for every American; however, this bill is its namesake: a positive first step, House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Jerry Nadler said. Seventeen months ago, the People's House partnered with the White House to improve public safety by lowering recidivism and prioritizing evidence-based rehabilitation, and we've continued moving forward with the Senate since the House passed this bill 360-59 last May. Lawmakers across both chambers and both parties agree that the time to act is now, and we agree on what that action looks like. Today, I stand with my colleagues in the House and Senate as we take strides that move the First Step Act closer to the president's desk,"" Congressman Doug Collins said. The First Step Act is a historic piece of legislation that strikes a forceful blow against the mass incarceration epidemic in America. This bill will meaningfully reform our broken criminal justice system, enact fairer sentencing laws, reduce recidivism and save taxpayer dollars. It is a significant step toward redemption for thousands of non-violent drug offenders harshly treated by unjust crack-cocaine laws. The FIRST STEP Act represents the beginning of the end of over-criminalization in America, Congressman Hakeem Jeffries said. Criminal justice reform has been a top priority of the House Judiciary Committee for the last three and a half years, and I'm glad to help move it forward. I'm also pleased that this comprehensive package includes my reauthorization of the Second Chance Act, which has been widely successful in helping former inmates transition back to society, Congressman Jim Sensenbrenner said. I am pleased that our diligent efforts in the House allowed a fruitful yield in the inclusion of sentencing reform to the First Step Act. I am also pleased that my amendment to create an Independent Review Committee that will oversee the implementation of the risk assessment tools and the bill generally, was also included in the final version of this bill. I look forward, in the next Congress, to expanding upon this preliminary progress, Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee said. This bill is a good first step to address the issue of mass incarceration. I am pleased to work with my colleagues in both chambers to include a provision that addresses the egregious practice of shackling women who are pregnant, especially during labor and delivery. I'm excited that Congress will be coming together in a bipartisan fashion on this important issue and I look forward to continuing to work on criminal justice reform in the upcoming Congress, Congresswoman Karen Bass said. The revised legislation further clarifies eligibility for earned time credits following successful completion of evidence-based recidivism reduction programs, and expands on the existing list of disqualifying offenses. The changes address points raised by some law enforcement groups and provides for additional transparency in the Bureau of Prisons' risk assessment framework. A summary of the update can be found HERE. Text is available HERE. The First Step Act is endorsed by President Trump and cosponsored by more than a third of the Senate, evenly balanced among Democrats and Republicans. The recent updates to the bill have garnered the support of additional senators in recent days, including Senators Thom Tillis, Ted Cruz, David Perdue and John Cornyn. Here's a complete list of current cosponsors: Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) Mike Lee (R-Utah) Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) Cory Booker (D-N.J.) Tim Scott (R-S.C.) Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) Chris Coons (D-Del.) Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) Pat Roberts (R-Kan.) Doug Jones (D-Ala.) Susan Collins (R-Maine) Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) Rand Paul (R-Ky.) Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) Rob Portman (R-Ohio) Angus King (I-Maine) Todd Young (R-Ind.) Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) Bill Cassidy (R-La.) Ben Cardin (D-Md.) Steve Daines (R-Mont.) Tina Smith (D-Minn.) Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) Ted Cruz (R-Texas) Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) The First Step Act is backed by a number of law enforcement groups, including thenation's largest police group. It's alsosupported by 172 former federal prosecutorsincluding two former Republican U.S. attorneys general, two former deputy attorneys general and a former director of the FBI along withsheriffs from 34 statesacross the country. The National Governor's Association, which represents the governors of all 50 states,praised the bill. A broad coalition of conservative and progressive groups along with a host of business leaders and faith-based organizations also support theFirst Step Act. More information on the revised First Step Act Press Contact David Carle: 202-224-3693",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/leahy-hails-senate-passage-of-five-year-farm-bill,Leahy Hails Senate Passage Of Five-Year Farm Bill,2018-12-11,2018,2018-12,Democrat,House,VT,Patrick Leahy,L000174,www.leahy.senate.gov,,,legacy,"12.11.18 Leahy Hails Senate Passage Of Five-Year Farm Bill . . . Final Leahy-Negotiated Farm Bill Includes Significant Vermont Win The U.S. Senate late Tuesday passed a new five-year Farm Bill that includes significant wins for Vermont families, dairy, organic and hemp farms, and the state's rural communities. As a member of the conference committee that negotiated the bill, Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) played a central role in shaping the final provisions that are vital to Vermont's economy, farmers, working landscape, the food and nutrition of Vermont's families, and the economic vitality of rural communities throughout the state. Leahy also is a former chairman of the Agriculture Committee and is the panel's most senior member. The Senate passed the bill in a strong bipartisan vote of 87 to 13, coming only a day after a final Farm Bill compromise was concluded, signed by Leahy and other conferees, and filed in the Senate and House. The 2018 Farm Bill, titled the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018, closely mirrors the bipartisan Senate-passed bill and is the result of months of challenging negotiations. The conference agreement does not include the controversial provisions conditioning nutrition assistance on new work requirements and provisions changing SNAP eligibility that would have cut off benefits to millions. The bill next must be passed by the House and then signed by the President, who has signaled that he will sign it. Leahy said: After months of hard fought and often contentious negotiations, the Senate and House have come together and done what we rarely see in Washington these days. We've resolved our differences and reached a compromise. This is a Farm Bill that will provide certainty to the nation's struggling farmers; maintain food security for millions of American families; provide for cleaner waterways, better soils, protected open space, healthier forests, and the preservation of family farms; make our drinking water safer; and give communities across rural America a much needed economic boost. Leahy continued: I thank Chairman Roberts and Ranking Member Stabenow, and all of their staff, who have worked day and night on this bipartisan effort. I know from negotiating the 1990 Farm Bill as chairman that it is no easy task to balance the needs of various regions and commodities, and the sometimes conflicting priorities among senators as we are working within a fixed budget. A summary of Leahy-negotiated Vermont highlights in the final Farm Bill is BELOW: Vermont Highlights In The 2018 Farm Bill (The Agriculture Improvement Act Of 2018) Office Of Senator Patrick Leahy (Senator Leahy Is A Farm Bill Conferee) December 11, 2018 Dairy and Commodity Programs Dairy Risk Coverage In February 2018, Senator Leahy led improvements to the Margin Protection Program (MPP) that were included in the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018. These improvements included an immediate reopening of the MPP signup to allow farmers to take advantage of the new and meaningful levels of risk protection at far more affordable rates. The initial improvements that Senator Leahy was able to make to the MPP earlier this year required the USDA to perform the program calculations and potential payments on a monthly basis, which improved accuracy and timeliness in support to farmers. Premium costs for Tier I enrollment were cut by nearly 70 percent and the Tier I threshold for lower premium costs now apply to the first 5 million pounds of production, up from the previous level of 4 million pounds, which better aligned the program with the median U.S. dairy farm size. As dairy farmers continued to face difficulties this year, Senator Leahy sought additional improvements to the dairy safety net and fought hard to ensure that the final 2018 Farm Bill includes further enhancements including: higher coverage level thresholds at $8.50, $9.00, and $9.50 margin, lower premium costs for a farm's first 5 million pounds of milk, and allowing overlap of the dairy margin protection and other USDA supported insurance programs. These improvements should make the newly named Dairy Margin Coverage program better and more affordable for Vermont's family farmers. In addition, after hearing concerns from Vermont dairy farmers, Senator Leahy fought to ensure that the Farm Bill will finally help those farmers who were initially blocked by USDA from enrolling in the improved MPP due to their participation in the Livestock Gross Margin Insurance for Dairy (LGM-Dairy). The bill allows them to retroactively sign up for MPP and take advantage of the critical benefits they were unfairly blocked from accessing this spring. The bill also provides an option for dairy farmers to receive a 75 percent credit or 50 percent refund of the net premiums they paid from 2015-2017 in MPP, when the program did not provide the much needed support that farmers had anticipated. As farmers continue to struggle with this current dairy crisis and while many are being paid less for their milk than it costs them to produce that milk, this refund and credit option will help farmers struggling to stay afloat. Dairy Product Donation Program A new program to incentivize milk donation is another change in the bill coming as a direct result of ideas that Senator Leahy heard from Vermont dairy farmers and their cooperatives. According to data from the Federal Milk Marketing Order, last year in just the Northeast Marketing Area over a million gallons of milk were dumped and in recent years over 40 million gallons worth of milk nationwide have been dumped in manure lagoons, fields, or into animal feed when cooperatives can't find a market for milk. The new Milk Donation Program will allow dairy processors and producers to partner with charitable organizations to donate milk to people in need and reduce food waste. Targeting Farm Safety Net Programs The final bill rejects the excessive loopholes that the House had initially included for the wealthiest agribusiness operations that would have allowed an exemption for partnerships, joint ventures, LLCs, and Subchapter S corporations from the adjusted gross income means-testing provision that makes any person or legal entity with an average adjusted gross income exceeding $900,000 (effectively $1.8 million for many couples) ineligible for commodity or conservation payments. The final bill also rejected the House's proposal that would have allowed most corporate farms to receive multiple payments, rather than being limited to a single payment under a single payment cap, which is currently the case. Dairy Business Innovation Initiatives Another dairy win in the Farm Bill is a new authorization to promote dairy business innovation activities and provide resources to help dairy farmers, cheesemakers, and other dairy businesses to get their start, develop new innovative products, and expand markets. Vermont's dairy farmers will benefit from the new markets and innovations this new program can help to develop. Fluid Milk Incentives Recognizing that milk is the number one source of nine essential nutrients in many young Americans' diets and provides many significant health benefits, the Farm Bill authorizes new Healthy Fluid Milk Incentives Projects. These incentives will help to increase fluid milk consumption and encourage Americans to gain nutrients essential to good health that many are missing in their diets. Conservation Environmental Quality Incentives Program The final Farm Bill includes several improvements to the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) led by Senator Leahy that will help the program better serve Vermont famers. EQIP helps farmers address nitrogen and phosphorus runoff, which has affected water quality in Lake Champlain. The program is extended through Fiscal Year 2023 and includes changes that will help improve EQIP practices, make it easier for organic farmers to participate, and provide better understanding for how those practices lead to quality conservation outcomes. Agricultural Lands Easement Program Senator Leahy led changes in the 2018 Farm Bill in the Senate and throughout conference to increase the flexibility and mandatory funding to the Agricultural Lands Easement (ALE) Program. The 2014 Farm Bill combined the Farmland Protection Program and the Grassland Reserve Program to create the ALE Program. ALE operates through state and local partners, including the Vermont Land Trust and the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board, to provide permanent protection for working agricultural lands and to promote agricultural viability for future generations because farmers are not just under threat from trade wars and extreme weather, but also loss of prime farmland to development. The changes made to ALE will improve the program and make it work better in Vermont and across the country to preserve family farms and help make farmland more affordable to beginning farmers. Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) Through Senator Leahy's work the Farm Bill addresses a problem that recently cropped up with the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) in Vermont. Due to a new interpretation of the program's authorization, the USDA was about to block states like Vermont, Minnesota, and those in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, from using the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) on farms that are required to implement stronger water quality measures and requirements. In Vermont's case USDA cited a conflict with the state's new Required Agricultural Practices (RAPs). Senator Leahy was able to address this problem in the final Farm Bill and ensure that the Vermont CREP, with its unique partnership between USDA and the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, can continue to protect and improve water quality in Vermont. Regional Equity The final Farm Bill maintains the Regional Equity Program which Senator Leahy first initiated in the 2002 Farm Bill. This program brings greater conservation resources to Vermont and other northeastern states. In the 2014 Farm Bill, changes engineered by Leahy were made to ensure that Vermont and other smaller states received a fair distribution of USDA conservation funds. The House had sought to eliminate this provision, but the final bill rejected that proposal and the Regional Equity Program was maintained in the 2018 Farm Bill. Conservation Compliance for Crop Insurance The final Farm Bill maintains important conservation compliance requirements for commodity producers who receive crop insurance. These requirements ensure that environmentally sensitive land such as highly erodible cropland, wetlands, and vulnerable land that has never been farmed, are protected. Most producers are already required to follow these compliance rules because of other USDA benefits they receive. In Vermont, dairy farmers receiving support have long complied with conservation programs, leading to improved water quality and a reduction in environmental damage. The final bill also rejects provisions in the House Farm Bill that would have weakened a host of environmental protections provided by the Endangered Species Act and Clean Water Act. Regional Conservation Partnership Program The final Farm Bill increases the mandatory funding for the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) and makes critical reforms to focus on conservation outcomes, allow organizations to receive funding for outreach and technical assistance, and increase the allocation of funds going to state-level and local conservation projects. The final bill requires that 50 percent of all RCPP funds be used to support state and multistate projects that address national or state resource concerns. This program was first created in the 2014 Farm Bill and has offered important support to Vermont farmers and the Lake Champlain cleanup effort, with more than $18 million in grants to provide both financial and technical assistance to farmers and forest landowners for the development and implementation of water quality improvement projects in the Lake Champlain Basin. RCPP has also brought together traditional and nontraditional partners, from state and federal agencies to dairy cooperatives and lenders, which have collectively contributed more than $20 million in match to the Vermont RCPP project, enabling greater participation in the Lake Champlain, Connecticut River, and Lake Memphremagog clean-up efforts. Farm Viability A change that Senator Leahy requested to the Education and Risk Management Assistance provision will allow USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) to provide grants for educating and providing technical assistance to farmers and forest landowners on a full range of farm viability and risk management activities, including business planning, enterprise analysis, transfer and succession planning, management coaching, market assessment, cash flow analysis. Senator Leahy had heard firsthand from Vermonters about the importance of business advising for not only farmers, but also agriculturally-related businesses, forest products enterprises, and forest landowners, which is why he worked hard to expand an existing NIFA program to support these critical services and needs in Vermont and across the country. This expanded authorization will allow USDA to support ongoing work in Vermont where business advisors are matched to agricultural entrepreneurs in order to provide them with assistance with business management skills, feasibility studies, and marketing. Hunger Safety Net Supplemental Nutrition Assistance ProgramEven as the economy has improved, toomany Americans still struggle to put food on their tables. For these families, nutrition assistance such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and emergency assistance programs are crucial. The Farm Bill conferees agreed to maintain strong support for critical nutrition programs such as SNAP (renamed 3SquaresVT in Vermont) and rejected the harmful cuts to benefits and eligibility in the partisan House Farm Bill draft, which would have cut millions of Americans off nutrition assistance. The final agreement also includes mandatory funding the Food Insecurity Nutrition Incentive (FINI) program, which helps improve access to fresh fruit and vegetables for SNAP participants. The conference agreement maintains a provision that was a priority for Senator Leahy to make it easier for farmer's markets to accept SNAP benefits. Finally, the bill builds upon successful workforce training programs particularly for those who are suffering from addiction, includes funding for The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) that supports our local food banks, and includes a new grant program to help those with chronic health conditions related to diet access fresh fruit and vegetables. Organics and Local Food Organic ResearchThe final Farm Bill reauthorizes the Organic Agriculture Research and Extension Initiative and provides mandatory funding for the program that will gradually increase each year. By fiscal year 2023, the program will receive $50 million in mandatory funding which will continue for each year after. This vital change will guarantee baseline funding in future Farm Bill debates, ensuring an expansion of the important research being done to help organic producers increase their production and reduce costs. Organic Certification Cost-Share Program Senator Leahy is pleased that this Farm Bill renews funding for the National Organic Certification Cost Share Program after the House version of the bill had sought to eliminate the program completely. This program is critical in helping beginning organic farmers afford organic certification through USDA by providing producers with 75 percent, or up to $750, of the total certification cost. Organic food is one of the fastest growing sectors of the agricultural economy. This program will keep it that way, Leahy said. Protecting the Organic Label As the father' of the national organic standards and labeling program and author of the 1990 Organic Farm Bill, Senator Leahy continues to lead the way on making this burgeoning sector secure, trustworthy and economically viable. Senator Leahy led efforts to increase the authorization for the National Organic Program to $16.5 million in fiscal year 2019 with increases each year up to $24 million in fiscal year 2023. This Farm Bill includes improvements to ensuring the integrity of the USDA organic seal by adding a documentation and traceability enhancement measure to help prevent fraudulent organic imports.The Farm Bill also establishes the Organic Agricultural Product Imports Interagency Working Group which will allow USDA and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection to work together to inspect organic imports and prevent the import of fraudulent organic products. Organic Data Initiatives Program The final Farm Bill reauthorizes the Organic Production and Market Data Initiatives and provides $10 million in mandatory one-time funding. This critical funding will allow for continued organic data collection and distribution of organic market information, including data on production, handling, distribution, retail and consumer purchasing patterns that will benefit Vermont farmers and food entrepreneurs alike. Local Agriculture Market Program (LAMP) The final bill rejects the House proposal to eliminate the increasingly popular Value-added Producer Grants Program and the Farmers Market and Local Food Promotion Program, and instead the final bill merges the two programs into the new Local Agriculture Market Program (LAMP). Grants administered through this new program will support partnerships in planning and developing local and regional food systems that can make a big impact in Vermont. With the bill providing the new LAMP account with $50 million in Fiscal Year 2023, the Farm Bill strategically guarantees baseline funding in future Farm Bills for this important work. The new LAMP funding continues to build on the steady growth of consumer interest in local and regional foods that is transforming the farm to plate food system efforts into a serious economic driver. Senator Leahy fought hard to maintain these programs and ensure they had strong funding because he has seen firsthand in Vermont with the Farm to Plate' food system plan how increased production of local foods leads to more jobs for Vermonters and a stronger economy for our rural communities, while also improving access to healthy local food for all Vermonters. Specialty Crop Block Grants The Farm Bill reauthorizes the Specialty Crop Block Grants which enhance the competitiveness of specialty products by promoting local and regional farm and food system specialty crop development. These grants can be used to enhance state and regional marketing programs, direct to consumer and direct to store marketing, access to specialty crops for low-income consumers, food hubs and new farmer specialty crop development. Promoting Maple Syrup Research and MarketingThe ACER Access and Development Program which provides grant money to support the domestic maple syrup industry was established in the 2014 Farm Bill and is now extended to 2023 in the final Farm Bill. This program promotes research and education related to maple syrup production, natural resources sustainability in the maple syrup industry, market production of maple syrup and maple-sap products, and encourages private land owners to initiate or expand maple-sugaring. The House had sought to eliminate this important program supporting the maple industry of Vermont. Addressing Maple's Added-Sugar Concerns The bill also takes an important step to help the Vermont maple industry by exempting pure maple syrup from the Food and Drug Administration's Added Sugar Label Rule that has caused an uproar in Vermont. Maple producers feared that the labeling requirement would give a misleading impression for consumers on single ingredient maple and honey products as it would signal to consumers that these pure products may contain added sweeteners such as table sugar or high-fructose corn syrup, which is patently false. While Senator Leahy is very supportive of the FDA's work to ensure that nutrition labels remain scientifically valid and helpful to consumers, he was also very concerned by the confusion it could create if applied to pure maple syrup and honey. Rural Communities REAP Zones Senator Leahy championed creation of the Rural Economic Area Partnership (REAP) Zone program that has been so successful in Vermont's Northeast Kingdom, and he has ensured that the REAP Zone program would be renewed under the final Farm Bill. REAP Zones set up collaborative and citizen-led efforts to enhance economic development. This effort is a vibrant model for building a new rural economy that other rural areas are beginning to emulate. In 2016, the REAP Zone designation secured the Northeast Kingdom $6.7 million, which helped leverage an additional $12 million in general allocation funds, for a total of $18.7 million to promote business, community development, affordable housing and investments in infrastructure. In FY17, the REAP Zone secured $5.5 million in federal investment in the Northeast Kingdom. Reauthorization of the Northern Border Regional Commission The Northern Border Regional Commission (NBRC) was first created in the 2008 Farm Bill with the advocacy of Senator Leahy. Since 2010, Vermont organizations have received more than $7.8 million to spur economic development and job growth in Vermont's six northern-most counties and leveraged more than $10.5 million in matching funds for a total of $18 million in economic development and infrastructure projects. The Farm Bill reauthorizes the Commission for five more years and includes administrative changes that will promote efficiency and expands the NBRC's work in all fourteen counties in Vermont. The reauthorization also establishes a capacity building grant to help states better support business retention and expansion, encourage job creation and workforce development, expand access to high-speed broadband and encourage initiatives that drive investments in transportation and other infrastructure. In his role as Vice Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Senator Leahy has advocated for increased funding for the NBRC, including $20 million in the final Fiscal Year 2019 Energy & Water Appropriation bill. Under Secretary of Agriculture for Rural Development The final bill requires USDA to reestablish the position of Under Secretary for Rural Development that Secretary Perdue had abolished and replaced with an Assistant to the Secretary for Rural Development in his May 2017 reorganization. State Rural Development CouncilsSenator Leahy's amendment to continue the authorization for State Rural Development Councils (SRDCs) was included in the final Farm Bill, which will ensure that these councils will be able to continue their important work of strengthening rural communities in Vermont and across the country. The Vermont Council on Rural Development has a 26 year history of working with communities to identify unique challenges and craft innovative solutions to break down barriers to growth. This reauthorization will renew for five years the statutory authority, functions and authorization of appropriations for State Rural Development Councils. While SRDCs have not received funding in recent history, this Farm Bill authorizes $10 million in annual funding for that National Rural Development Partnership. Business and Innovation ServicesThe final Farm Bill ensures that theUSDA Community Facilities Program will be able to better support growing rural businesses in Vermont.Emerging rural businesses face unique challenges, which can be addressed by investing in business incubators, makerspaces, and job training centers that provide much neededresources for Vermont communities to support their entrepreneurs.It also improves the Rural Business Investment Program to promote investment funds that serve rural entrepreneurs and creates a new program, the Rural Innovation Stronger Economy Grant program, to invest in rural job accelerator initiatives like job training, mentorship and access to affordable financial capital.These new initiatives will help minimize barriers faced by Vermont's rural entrepreneurs and small and growing businesses. Investments to Strengthen Rural Water InfrastructureThe Senate bill will help Vermont families and businesses gain improved access to clean drinking water and the bill provides for targeted support to addresses harmful contaminantslike PFOA that has contaminated drinking water wells in Bennington and North Bennington, Vermont. National Oilheat Research Alliance After a great deal of contentious negotiations with the House, Senator Leahy's work with a bipartisan group of Senators and House members was able to secure a much needed ten year reauthorization of the National Oilheat Research Alliance (NORA). NORA supports oil heating companies and rural customers in Vermont by working with manufacturers to do research and development of efficient heating technology, educating technicians and communicating with the public about the benefits of oil heat. In a state like Vermont, where the winters are beautiful but cold, providing efficient, affordable heating options is critically important and NORA helps the more than 40 percent of Vermont homeowners who rely on oil to heat their homes. NORA also supports the Vermont Fuel Dealers Association with research, training and efficiency upgrades at locations across the state. In reauthorizing NORA, this Farm Bill helps Vermonters heat their homes in less expensive and more environmentally friendly ways. Other Hemp Farming The final Farm Bill improved upon the original Senate provisions that sought to fully clarify that hemp is an agricultural commodity and removing it from the federal list of controlled substances. The Farm Bill allows states to regulate industrial hemp and ensures that hemp growers can apply for grants from the USDA, they will be eligible for crop insurance, and agricultural and academic research relating to industrial hemp. Vermont had nearly 300 registered hemp producers this year, who planted nearly 2,000 acres of hemp. This Farm Bill will be very important to the many Vermont farmers hoping to diversify and remain viable, while removing the terrible uncertainty of federal prosecution that this crop has had for far too long. The final bill also addressed the concerns that had been raised about the initial Senate language on hemp that would have banned individuals with drug-related felony convictions on their records from participating in the hemp industry. Thankfully a compromise was been reached on that matter, which addresses the concerns raised by criminal justice advocates. Study for Land Grant Universities and Cooperative Extension --The Farm Bill directs the Secretary of Agriculture to complete a much needed study to determine how, through Cooperative Extension, to best to serve the changing needs in rural America. This will help support the University of Vermont a federal Land Grant college in providing adequate services for the growth and development of rural communities based on their changing demographics. The required report to Congress will focus on the need to carry out activities related to small and diverse farms, veteran farmers, value-added agriculture, direct-to-consumer sales, and specialty crops. Supports Agricultural Trade The Farm Bill consolidates the Market Access Program with a few other trade programs to create the new Priority Trade Promotion, Development, and Assistance Program in order to access, develop, maintain, and expand markets for U.S. agricultural goods. Vermont producers benefit greatly from more and improved export markets. McGovern-Dole The McGovernDole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program facilitates distribution of food commodities through schools in developing countries through partner organizations to improve food security, reduce hunger, and improve literacy in low income and food deficit countries. The program has projects all over the world and has fed more than 40 million children from some of the poorest countries. The Farm Bill reauthorizes this important program fighting hunger worldwide. Food for Peace The largest food aid program under the Agriculture Committee's jurisdiction, Food for Peace provides for emergency aid and non-emergency development projects. This notable program enables the U.S. to donate food overseas to promote food security, and the Farm Bill reauthorizes the program and makes important reforms that will improve the U.S. response to crises. Timber Innovation The final Farm Bill clarifies that the Forest Service can do research and offer technical assistance to assist with those hoping to use innovative wood products. A new wood innovation grant program is created to promote research and development of wood products, and improve the sustainability and environmental impact of using wood for construction. Community Wood Energy Program The Farm Bill reauthorizes the program and makes improvements to the competitive grant program that is designed to help state and local governments pay for the installation of high-efficiency, biomass-fueled energy systems, such as combined heat and power. The changes made to the program are designed to promote energy security, support rural economies, and help keep private forests intact at a time when Vermont forest landowners are under constant pressure to develop their forestlands. Protections for Pets and Domestic Violence Survivors Senator Leahy is a cosponsor of the Pet and Women Safety Act which would increase the punishments for domestic abusers who threaten or harm the pets of a domestic violence survivor. This bill was included in the final Farm Bill and will help to increase the peace of mind and security when survivors make the difficult decision to leave an abusive environment. # # # # # Press Contact David Carle: 202-224-3693",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/12718sauditiesrls,"Following Washington Post Report, Leahy And Other Senators Reiterate Calls For Full Disclosure Of Trump-Saudi Business Ties",2018-12-07,2018,2018-12,Democrat,House,VT,Patrick Leahy,L000174,www.leahy.senate.gov,,,legacy,"12.07.18 Following Washington Post Report, Leahy And Other Senators Reiterate Calls For Full Disclosure Of Trump-Saudi Business Ties A group of 11 Democratic senators, including Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Friday renewed their call for President Donald Trump and the Trump Organization to disclose any financial ties between the Trump Organization and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, following aWashington Post reportthat lobbyists representing the Saudi government paid for 500 rooms at the Trump D.C. hotel shortly after President Trump's election. Last month, after the Saudi-led killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi,U.S. Senators Tom Udall (D-N.M.), Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Richard J. Durbin (D-Ill.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Cory A. Booker (D-N.J.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), and Jeffrey A. Merkley (D-Ore.)wroteto President Donald Trump and to the Trump Organization seeking a full accounting of any financial ties between the Trump Organization and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, but the senators never received a response to their inquiry. The administration's refusal to hold the Saudi Kingdom accountable for its murder of Jamal Khashoggi is a stain on our values as a nation,the senators said on Friday. The latest report that the Saudi government spent hundreds of thousands of dollars at President Trump's hotel shortly after his election, duping veterans in the process may offer insight into why the Trump administration is going to such great lengths to protect the crown prince. We need a full accounting of President Trump and the Trump Organization's business ties to the Saudi government, and the administration must not continue to ignore congressional oversight. The American people need answers and they will get them, one way or another. The senators previously joined nearly 200 members of Congress infiling suit against President Trump for violations of the Foreign Emoluments Clause, which prohibits government officials, including the president, from accepting foreign government payments or benefits. The full text of the senators' October letters are availableHEREandHERE. Press Contact David Carle: 202-224-3693 Previous Article",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://welch.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/stefanik-welch-announce-2018-congressional-app-challenge-winners,"Stefanik, Welch Announce 2018 Congressional App Challenge Winners",2018-12-06,2018,2018-12,Democrat,House,VT,Peter Welch,W000800,welch.house.gov,,,legacy,"Washington, D.C. Today, Representatives Elise Stefanik (R-NY-21) and Peter Welch (D-VT), announced that VT residents Seth Albertus and Dalton Benjamin students at Northeastern Clinton Central School in Champlain, NY have been named the winners of the 2018 Congressional App Challenge in NY-21. I am excited to announce that Seth and Dalton's hard work and innovation has earned them the honor of showcasing their winning app in the U.S. Capitol for visitors from around the world to see, said Congresswoman Stefanik, Co-Chair of the Congressional STEAM Caucus. Training in STEAM is essential for preparing students for the high-skilled careers of tomorrow, and this great achievement is proof of the valuable work being done by the teachers at Northeastern Clinton Central School. I am confident that Seth and Dalton's accomplishment will inspire other students to pursue education in computer science. I am so impressed with the talent and creativity of young people across Vermont, who are learning important skills to prepare them for tomorrow's economy, said Congressman Welch. Congratulations to Seth and Dalton, and I look forward to seeing their wonderful innovation in the Capitol. Seth and Dalton's application, My Augmented Life, uses augmented reality technology to bring 3-D objects to real-world environments. This application can be used by a variety of industries, such as interior design, which would utilize the application's augmented reality technology to place 3-D modeled furniture into various interiors. Their winning application will not only be displayed in the U.S. Capitol building but will also be featured on the Congressional App Challenge website. A video demonstration of their application can be viewed here ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/12061820mbenningtonrail,Leahy Helps Vermont Score A Major $20 Million Investment In Rail Infrastructure,2018-12-06,2018,2018-12,Democrat,House,VT,Patrick Leahy,L000174,www.leahy.senate.gov,,,legacy,"12.06.18 Leahy Helps Vermont Score A Major $20 Million Investment In Rail Infrastructure . . . Federal Grant Will Fund Replacement Of Rail Bridges Between Rutland And Bennington U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) announced Thursday that the Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans) will receive a $20 million federal award from the U.S. Department of Transportation's Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD) grant program. The funding will support the rehabilitation or replacement of 31 rail bridges along 53 miles of the Vermont Railway. The work will be done on the southern section of the state-owned rail line that runs in Vermont between Rutland and Bennington, continuing on to Hoosick, N.Y. Leahy hailed the award as significant for the impact it will have in bolstering the state's economic development and climate change goals. Leahy, the Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, has made BUILD and other infrastructure investment programs high priorities in the annual Appropriations bills that fund the Department of Transportation. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao called Leahy Thursday to inform him of the Vermont award. Leahy said: This investment in Vermont's rail infrastructure is a win-win for business and the environment. By increasing the capacity of the VT Railway, Vermont businesses will have better access to rail shipping, which in turn will lead to fewer trucks on our roads. As a country and a state we need to prioritize these types of infrastructure investments that will lessen the transportation sector's reliance on fossil fuels. It has been one of my priorities to ensure that rural states like Vermont have access to these programs, and I'm pleased that this project will be funded through that work. The federal funds address a top priority in the 2015 Vermont State Rail Plan, increasing the capacity of rail bridges to carry more freight. The work funded through the grant will increase the weight ratings for rail bridges to support the industry standard for freight car loads of 286,000 pounds. Most of the rail lines in Vermont can support weight loads of only 263,000 pounds. Because the rail line cannot currently accept heavier traffic, some shippers opt to use costlier, inefficient freight options that increase truck traffic on Vermont roads. Vermont Rail Systems, which operates the Vermont Railway, reports that the company is often forced to turn away traffic because railcars that would otherwise be shipped on the company's railroads have been loaded heavier than can be accommodated on state-owned rail lines. Increasing the bridge capacity to the industry carload standard will allow the railway to connect businesses in Vermont's most populous city of Burlington and towns all along the western side of Vermont, to the PanAm junction in Hoosick. This connection will open access to major Class I railroads in the northeastern United States and offer shipper savings to businesses in Vermont and New York. This project also will serve local businesses which require cost-effective shipping for bulk commodities and agricultural and natural resource products that are crucial to rural economies. As Vice Chairman of the Appropriations Committee, Leahy fought to include $1.5 billion in funding for the BUILD program in the FY18 Omnibus Appropriations Bill, an increase of $1 billion over the previous year. The Trump administration's budget requests for both FY18 and FY19 sought to eliminate the program. Particularly important for Vermont, Leahy included language in the bill ensuring that 30 percent of the funding for the BUILD Program would be prioritized for rural areas. Press Contact David Carle: 202-224-3693 Previous Article",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/120618ngsmallbizrls,Shaheen & Leahy Bill To Support Small Businesses With National Guard And Military Reservists Passes Senate,2018-12-06,2018,2018-12,Democrat,House,VT,Patrick Leahy,L000174,www.leahy.senate.gov,,,legacy,"12.06.18 Shaheen & Leahy Bill To Support Small Businesses With National Guard And Military Reservists Passes Senate U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) and Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) issued the following statements after their legislation to support small businesses with National Guard and Military Reservists unanimously passed the Senate on Thursday. TheNational Guard and Reserve Entrepreneurship Act will assist small businesses when essential employees, including small business owners, are called up as part of National Guard or Reservist duties, by improving existing loan and deferral programs of the Small Business Administration (SBA) and making them more accessible. These programs include the Military Reservist Economic Injury Disaster Loan (MREIDL), a direct loan program that provides emergency working capital to small businesses to meet their obligations until operations return to normal after the essential employee is released from active duty military, and the Repayment Deferral for Active Duty Reservists (Repayment Deferral), which authorizes the SBA to work with private lenders to defer interest or loan repayment for small businesses facing similar situations. Leahy, Co-Chair of the Senate National Guard Caucus, said: The citizen-soldiers of the National Guard, and the small businesses that employ them, are vital to the close-knit communities that make Vermont such a special place. Our legislation will enable entrepreneurs and small businesses affected by deployments to better take advantage of every opportunity. With Vermont National Guard soldiers currently deployed, this bill is needed now more than ever. Shaheen said: The civilian men and women serving in our National Guard have committed to serve our country, and we need to have their backs. I'm very pleased that this legislation passed the Senate with bipartisan support, because it will provide much-needed assistance to entrepreneurs and small business employees who are deployed. I will continue to work across the aisle and with SBA to support these critical programs and I urge the House to pass this legislation to support our National Guard. Press Contact David Carle: 202-224-3693 Next Article Previous Article",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/12418whitakerdojconflicts,"Senators Press Justice Department on Whitaker, Benczkowski Conflicts of Interest",2018-12-04,2018,2018-12,Democrat,House,VT,Patrick Leahy,L000174,www.leahy.senate.gov,,,legacy,"12.04.18 Senators Press Justice Department on Whitaker, Benczkowski Conflicts of Interest Whitaker's $1.2 million in salary from dark money group and Benczkowski's close ties to Russian Alfa Bank are serious ethical red flags, senators write Washington, DC Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Chris Coons (D-DE), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Cory Booker (D-NJ), and Kamala Harris (D-CA) asked the Department of Justice today to detail its handling of the serious financial, professional, and political conflicts of interest of Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker and Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division, Brian Benczkowski. The two officials' activities before arriving at the Justice Department present ethical concerns that agency ethics officials have not yet fully resolved and memorialized. Despite repeated requests for ethics records by members of Congress, and growing concern with the influence Whitaker and Benczkowski have over highly sensitive Justice Department work like Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation, the Department has not been forthcoming. To maintain the public's trust in an impartial DOJ, we urge you to provide prompt, complete, and public responses to the issues we raise, the senators write to the Justice Department's Assistant Attorney General for Administration and Designated Agency Ethics Official and Professional Responsibility Advisory Office. The impartiality and credibility of DOJ's leadership are of national importance. According to financial disclosures, Whitaker has accepted over $1.2 million in compensation as executive director of the Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust (FACT), an organization that filed at least 14 complaints in recent years against Democratic politicians, and has spent thousands of dollars on contracts with conservative political attack groups. FACT has received at least $2.45 million from the secretive DonorsTrust, which has been described as the dark-money ATM for the right. Whitaker also allegedly accepted campaign donations this year while serving as a senior Justice Department official to a campaign committee he used for a 2014 run for U.S. Senate. In response to complaints by Senator Whitehouse and others, the United States Office of Special Counsel has opened an independent investigation into whether this conduct violated the Hatch Act. Benczkowski, while serving in private legal practice, represented Alfa Bank, a Russian bank implicated in possible coordination between the Trump campaign and the Russian government during the 2016 presidential campaign. As head of the Criminal Division, Benczkowski is in position to learn details about numerous highly sensitive Justice Department investigations and prosecutions access that is particularly troubling given his political connections in the Trump administration. The Justice Department has written to senators that Benczkowski is recused from matters involving previous clients, but has not provided details of his recusals. In July, Whitehouse and Dick Durbin (D-IL) led 14 Democratic members of the Senate in asking the Justice Department to detail Benczkowski's ethical agreements. Among the senators' concerns was the potential for Benczkowski to access information on Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation. They also raised Benczkowski's commitment to recuse himself from matters related to Alfa Banka recusal that does not encompass the bank's parent company, Alfa Group Consortium. Full text of the senators' letter is below. A PDF copy is available here. December 4, 2018 Mr. Lee Lofthus Assistant Attorney General for Administration and Designated Agency Ethics Official U.S. Department of Justice 950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20530-0001 Ms. Stacy Ludwig Director Professional Responsibility Advisory Office U.S. Department of Justice 950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20530-0001 Dear Mr. Lofthus and Ms. Ludwig: We write to request an update on, and additional information about, how the Department of Justice (DOJ) is assessing potential conflicts of interestfinancial, professional, and political of Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker and Assistant Attorney General Brian Benczkowski. For background, some of these are renewed requests because DOJ has either failed to respond or has provided incomplete responses to prior requests from Congress. We appreciate the efforts your offices are making to ensure these individuals have been properly vetted. To maintain the public's trust in an impartial DOJ, we urge you to provide prompt, complete, and public responses to the issues we raise below. Matthew Whitaker Matthew Whitaker was appointed Acting Attorney General on November 7, 2018. Mr. Whitaker had previously been appointed to the position of Chief of Staff and Senior Counselor on October 4, 2017. On November 11, 2018, Democratic leaders from the House and Senate wrote to Mr. Lofthus asking, among other things, whether any ethics officials at the Justice Department have advised Mr. Whitaker to recuse from supervision of the Special Counsel investigation, the basis for that recommendation, [and] all ethics guidance the Department has provided to Mr. Whitaker to date. Compliance with the Ethics in Government Act would have required Mr. Whitaker to file financial disclosures with the Department's designated agency ethics officials on two separate occasions: when he joined the Department in 2017 and again by May 15, 2018. The Department is legally required to have these disclosures certified and made available to public requestors within 30 days of their filing.[1] When the Department finally released Mr. Whitaker's financial disclosures on November 20, 2018, it was revealed that DOJ did not certify these disclosures until after Mr. Whitaker had had the opportunity to revise them on five separate occasions (November 7, 8, 16, 19 and 20 of 2018)nearly six months after the deadline for submission, and only after he had been named as Acting Attorney General.[2] These delays only became apparent after Mr. Whitaker was appointed Acting Attorney General outside the line of succession established under 28 U.S.C. 508. Had that law been followed, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who has been confirmed by the Senate and whose financial disclosures and confidential background information have already been fully vetted by it, would now be serving at the nation's chief law enforcement officer. Instead, that role, which is among the most sensitive and consequential in the federal government, is being filled by someone about whom the Senate, DOJ, and the general public know very little. To date, the Department has not produced prior versions of Mr. Whitaker's financial disclosures, any ethics agreements he entered into with the Department, or any other ethics-related counseling he has receivedall of which have been requested and should be made available. Information we have learned about Mr. Whitaker from DOJ and through media reports demonstrates why your offices must complete a prompt and thorough assessment of Mr. Whitaker's financial, professional, and political conflicts of interest, and make public that assessment, as well as any related recusals, waivers, and authorizations. Former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales has argued this is appropriate for Mr. Whitaker's potential involvement overseeing Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation, making the sensible observation that Mr. Whitaker's is not a normal appointment and that public assurances might ease concerns about the president's motives in choosing Whitaker for this important position at this particular moment.[3] Attorney General Gonzales's point is well taken with respect to any issue in Mr. Whitaker's background that may raise concerns under the Ethics in Government Act (5. U.S.C. app. 4 and 5 C.F.R. 2635.501-503), the Hatch Act (5 U.S.C. 1501 et seq.), DOJ rules requiring disqualification because of a prior personal or political relationship (28 C.F.R. 45.2), and applicable bar rules and standards of professional conduct (including Model Rules of Professional Conduct R. 1.11). For example: Since 2015, Mr. Whitaker has received more than $1.2 million in compensation from the Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust (FACT), a 501(c)(3) organization promoting accountability from public officials.[4] Between 2014 and 2016, FACT received virtually all of its fundingapproximately $2.45 millionfrom a donor-advised fund called DonorsTrust.[5] DonorsTrust has been described as the dark-money ATM for the right, which allows wealthy contributors who want to donate millions to the most important causes on the right to do so anonymously, essentially scrubbing the identity of those underwriting conservative and libertarian organizations.[6] Given Mr. Whitaker's activities at FACT, discussed below, a necessary part of any conflict of interest review by your offices will be to determine the real parties that funded Mr. Whitaker's activities. The tax laws that limit transparency about dark money in IRS filings should not be treated as impediments to obtaining necessary ethics disclosures now that Mr. Whitaker is a public official. The information is not privileged. Mr. Whitaker served as FACT's executive director until joining the Justice Department in 2017. During and after his tenure at FACT, the organization has filed at least fourteen complaints and requests for investigations with the Department of Justice, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), and the Federal Election Commission (FEC) against Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, various Democratic members of Congress, Democratic Party leaders, and Democratic candidates. (See Appendix A for the complete list.) Many of these actions could be or are related to specific matters before DOJ or FBI, and as such raise serious conflict of interest and professional responsibility concerns. From 2015 to 2017, FACT paid America Rising LLC at least $500,000 for research.[7] America Rising describes itself as an opposition research and communications firm whose mission is to help its clients defeat Democrats.[8] FACT also paid $500,000 to Creative Response Concepts, a conservative public relations consulting firm. Creative Response Concepts is perhaps best known for orchestrating the swift boat ads against Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry in 2004.[9] Mr. Whitaker's relationship with these political attack organizations is damaging enough to DOJ's reputation. It also casts serious doubt in the mind of any reasonable person as to his fitness to be impartial overseeing any Criminal Division or Civil Rights Division investigations or prosecutions into voter fraud or suppression.[10] FACT's record of attacking Democratic politicians, its close ties with American Rising, and its funding relationship with DonorsTrust all suggest FACT may have been involved in partisan political activities that violate tax code rules on 501(c)(3) organizations.[11] This casts doubt on Mr. Whitaker's fitness to impartially oversee certain activities of DOJ's Tax Division. During Mr. Whitaker's tenure at FACT, Neil Corkery served on its board of directors. Until 2014, Mr. Corkery also served as the treasurer of the Judicial Crisis Network, a 501(c)(4) organization, and the Judicial Education Project, a 501(c)(3), which together have spent millions of dollars to prevent Chief Judge Merrick Garland from receiving a hearing on his nomination to the Supreme Court and on political campaigns in support of the nominations of Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh.[12] Mr. Whitaker's relationship with Mr. Corkery is plainly relevant to determining whether Mr. Whitaker has a conflict of interest, or can be viewed as impartial in overseeing any of DOJ's work vetting and preparing President Trump's nominees to the federal bench. Pursuant to Ethics in Government Act regulations (5 C.F.R. 2635.501-503), an employee should seek advice from an ethics official before participating in any matter in which the employee's impartiality could be questioned, and if a conflict exists, a determination must be made as to whether the interest of the government in the employee's participation outweighs the concern a reasonable person may question the Department's integrity. This determination must be made in writing. We hope that Mr. Whitaker raised the above facts with ethics officials at DOJ and that DOJ has made determinations regarding conflicts of interest and impartiality when Mr. Whitaker was appointed to his former position. If it did not, there should be no greater priority in your offices than to conduct a thorough assessment that at a minimum addresses the facts above. Brian Benczkowski On July 24, 2018, fourteen Senators requested information concerning Mr. Benczkowski's ethics agreement with the Department, the scope of his recusals, any waivers he has been granted, and any other information relevant to the Department's review of Mr. Benczkowski's prior work as it relates to his compliance with the Ethics in Government Act, associated regulations, Department policy, and the Trump Ethics Pledge, Executive Order 13770.[13] On October 18, 2018, Assistant Attorney General Stephen Boyd provided a cover letter and three documents: a February 26, 2018, review of Mr. Benczkowski's financial disclosure report (which had already been made available to the Senate Judiciary Committee), a Certification of Ethics Agreement Compliance (which is available publicly through the Office of Government Ethics (OGE) website), and a signed copy of the Trump Ethics Pledge (also available through OGE). In response to that letter, staff from Senator Whitehouse's office requested two additional pieces of information: A post-confirmation recusal statement documenting Mr. Benczkowski's specific recusal obligations pursuant to 5 C.F.R. 2634.804. Such statements typically list and describe the specific matters or subjects to which the recusal applies, a statement of the method by which the agency will enforce the recusal, and a list of the positions of those agency employees involved in the enforcement. 5 C.F.R. 2634.804(b)(1). These statements are regularly disclosed by other federal agencies upon request. Further information about the notation in section 7(c) of the Certification of Ethics Agreement Compliance, which indicates Mr. Benczkowski received a 502(d) authorization for a former client on August 21, 2018. Section 502(d) authorizations are regularly made public by the White House,[14] though none have been made public since July 16, 2018. After repeated requests at a staff level, today DOJ provided heavily redacted information about Mr. Benczkowski's 502(d) authorization, and no further information about his recusals. As was noted in the Senators' July 24 correspondence with DOJ, the information we have requested does not address speculative or hypothetical concerns. In private practice, Mr. Benczkowski represented Alfa Bank, a member of the Alfa Group Consortium. Three individuals with ownership interests in Alfa Group ConsortiumMikhail Fridman, Pyotr Aven, and German Khanhave been identified to Congress by the United States Department of Treasury as among senior foreign officials and oligarchs in the Russian Federation, as determined by their closeness to the Russian regime and their net worth.[15] A son-in-law of Mr. Khan, Alex Van der Zwaan, pleaded guilty to lying to federal investigators.[16] Mr. Benczkowski's recusal from the Special Counsel investigation does not address his involvement in any of these matters. The impartiality and credibility of DOJ's leadership are of national importance. By conducting thorough and transparent reviews of Mr. Whitaker and Mr. Benczkowski, your offices play a critical role in ensuring compliance with the high standards DOJ officials historically have sought to maintain. To that end, we request the following: Prompt disclosure of all prior versions of Mr. Whitaker's financial disclosures, any ethics agreements he entered into with the Department, and any other ethics-related counseling he has received, including waivers and authorizations. Prompt disclosure of all written ethics instruments governing Mr. Whitaker during his tenure as Chief of Staff and Senior Counselor to the Attorney General. Prompt disclosure of the additional information about Mr. Benczkowski's conflicts of interest described above. Assurances that the issues raised in this letter about Mr. Whitaker's background will be fully examined by career ethics officials. A commitment that all determinations about Mr. Whitaker's conflicts of interest, including any waivers or authorizations he receives, will be made public. We respectfully request a response to this letter not later than December 11, 2018. cc: The Honorable Charles E. Grassley The Honorable Jerrold Nadler Assistant Attorney General Stephen E. Boyd Appendix A In February 2015, Mr. Whitaker, on behalf of FACT, filed a complaint with the FEC alleging a Democratic data firm made illegal contributions to the Democratic Party and various democratic committees.[17] In March 2015, Mr. Whitaker, on behalf of FACT, wrote a letter to Attorney General Holder requesting the Attorney General's office initiate an action to recover all of Secretary Clinton's email correspondence from her private account during the time she served as Secretary of State.[18] In April 2015, Mr. Whitaker, on behalf of FACT, wrote to Attorney General Holder requesting that he initiate an investigation into Sidney Blumenthal for failing to register under the Foreign Agents Registration Act.[19] In April 2015, Mr. Whitaker, on behalf of FACT, filed a complaint with the FEC against Secretary of State Clinton, alleging that she was conducting campaign activities before officially announcing her candidacy.[20] FACT filed a supplemental complaint in June 2015.[21] In May 2015, Mr. Whitaker, on behalf of FACT, filed complaints with the FEC against the NextGen Climate Action Committee and the Correct the Record PAC, alleging illegal contributions and improper coordination.[22] In October 2015, FACT filed a complaint with the Internal Revenue Service against the Clinton Foundation for payments it made to the 2008 Clinton campaign.[23] In December 2015 and January 2016, Mr. Whitaker, on behalf of FACT, filed a complaint with the Office of Government Ethics alleging that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton gave a private company improper access to the State Department based on her personal relationship with the company.[24] In January 2016, Mr. Whitaker called for a special counsel to investigate Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's emails.[25] In October 2016, Mr. Whitaker, on behalf of FACT, filed an FEC complaint against the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee alleging illegal contributions to the Clinton Campaign and to other Democratic congressional candidates.[26] In April 2017, Mr. Whitaker, on behalf of FACT, wrote a letter to Democratic Congressman Joaquin Castro, calling on him to recuse himself from the U.S. House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence Russian Active Measures investigation for comments made during a television interview.[27] In August 2017, Mr. Whitaker, on behalf of FACT, filed a complaint with the FEC alleging the Democratic National Committee solicited and accepted illegal contributions from the government of the Ukraine.[28] In April 2018, FACT filed a complaint with the Office of Government Ethics and the Office of the Inspector General of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) against then-CFPB Deputy Director Leandra English, alleging Ms. English misused government funds to bring a lawsuit against President Trump and purported CFPB acting Director Mick Mulvaney.[29] In September 2018, FACT asked DOJ to investigate three outside political groups for allegedly illegally running a crowdfunding website meant to bribe Senator Susan Collins (R-Maine) over her upcoming vote on the confirmation of United States Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh.[30] During and after Mr. Whitaker's tenure at FACT, FACT is on record stating it has filed numerous complaints with the FEC and congressional ethics committees regarding various Democratic Senators, members of Congress, federal candidates, and Democratic Party officials alleging campaign finance violations. [31] ### [1] 5 U.S.C. app. 105(b)(1). [2] Public Financial Disclosure Report for Matthew Whitaker, OGE Form 278e (Nov. 20, 2018). This delay echoes concerns with DOJ's ethics review process that have been raised previously, including as recently as in 2017, when the Office of Government Ethics' review of DOJ's ethics program found that, among other deficiencies, only 45 percent of public financial disclosure reports were being certified in a timely manner and specifically recommended that this be corrected. See Office of Government Ethics, Ethics Program Review: Department of Justice (Sept. 2017). [7] Robert O'Harrow Jr., supra note 4. [15] Report to Congress Pursuant to Section 241 of the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act of 2017 Regarding Senior Foreign Political Figures and Oligarchs in the Russian Federation and Russian Parastatal Entities, January 29, 2018. [16] The Special Counsel referenced Mr. Khan in his sentencing memorandum for Mr. Van der Zwaan: Van der Zwaan is a person of ample financial meansboth personally and through his father-in-law, a prominent Russian oligarch, who has paid substantial sums to the defendant and his wife. He can pay any fine imposed. Government's Sentencing Memorandum, Crim. No. 18-31 (D.D.C) filed Mar. 27, 2018. [24] Letter from Matthew Whitaker, Executive Director, FACT, to Walter M. Schaub, Director, U.S. Office of Government Ethics (Dec. 11, 2015), available at https://docs.wixstatic.com/ugd/65db76_058c199460714689b1679e22d380b6b3.pdf; Letter from Matthew Whitaker, Executive Director, FACT, to Walter M. Schaub, Director, U.S. Office of Government Ethics (Jan. 8, 2016), available at https://docs.wixstatic.com/ugd/65db76_6bf1f2c904d24632b505bd676cbf0884.pdf. [31]E.g., Letter from Matthew Whitaker, Executive Director, FACT, to Federal Election Commission (May 31, 2016), available at https://docs.wixstatic.com/ugd/65db76_309348f96edf43aeabac981cfdad2eca.pdf; Press Release, FACT, FACT Files FEC Complaint Against Congressional Candidate Michael Eggman (July 27, 2016), available at https://www.factdc.org/single-post/2016/07/27/FACT-Files-FEC-Complaint-Against-Congressional-Candidate-Michael-Eggman; Press Release, FACT, FACT Files Complaint Against McCaskill After McCaskill Brags About Her Own Election Law Violation (Aug. 14, 2015), available at https://www.factdc.org/single-post/2015/08/14/FACT-Files-Complaint-Against-McCaskill-After-McCaskill-Brags-About-Her-Own-Election-Law-Violation; Press Release, FACT, FACT Calls for FEC Investigation into Katie McGinty's Campaign (Aug. 9, 2016), available at https://www.factdc.org/single-post/2016/08/09/FACT-Files-FEC-Complaint-Against-Senate-Candidate-Katie-McGinty; Letter and Complaint from Kendra Arnold, Executive Director, FACT, to Federal Election Commission (Oct. 16, 2017), available at https://docs.wixstatic.com/ugd/65db76_997c51a31dcf4ade93a0ce564f696008.pdf; Press Release, FACT, FACT Calls for Probe of Joe Manchin (Feb. 6, 2018), available at https://www.factdc.org/single-post/2018/02/06/FACT-Calls-for-Probe-of-Joe-Manchin. Press Contact David Carle: 202-224-3693",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/comments-of-senator-patrick-leahy-d-vt-on-the-passing-of-former-president-george-hw-bush,Comments Of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) On The Passing Of Former President George H.W. Bush,2018-12-01,2018,2018-12,Democrat,House,VT,Patrick Leahy,L000174,www.leahy.senate.gov,,,legacy,"12.01.18 Comments Of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) On The Passing Of Former President George H.W. Bush He was the last President of the Greatest Generation, and he leaves a lasting legacy of true and meaningful public service. While we had our share of differences over policy, his decency, his civility and his humility have never been a more important example to the nation than they are today. He skillfully steered our country after the collapse of the Soviet Union. His legacy includes working with many of us in enacting the Americans With Disabilities Act, a far-reaching civil rights achievement that has and will enrich the lives of millions of Americans, and the nation. I worked with him on a breakthrough in U.S.-Vietnam relations that involved assisting landmine victims through the Leahy War Victims Fund. But I came to know him best years earlier. My clearest insights into his character and his personality including his sense of humor came from our many interactions when he was President of the Senate, as Vice President, as Marcelle and I enjoyed getting to know George and Barbara. Those are fond and lasting memories that will always be with us. We extend our heartfelt condolences to the Bush family. Press Contact David Carle: 202-224-3693 Previous Article",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/113018cacerestrialverdict,Reaction Of Senator Patrick Leahy To The Verdicts In The First Berta Caceres Murder Trial,2018-11-30,2018,2018-11,Democrat,House,VT,Patrick Leahy,L000174,www.leahy.senate.gov,,,legacy,"11.30.18 Reaction Of Senator Patrick Leahy To The Verdicts In The First Berta Caceres Murder Trial Berta Caceres, a widely known and respected Honduran indigenous environmental activist, was disparaged, threatened, targeted, and ultimately murdered in her home by assassins more than two and a half years ago. Since then, we have witnessed an attempted cover-up by the Honduran police, an investigation fraught with irregularities, including reports of cell phone and ballistics evidence not analyzed, and a trial laden with delays involving eight defendants who almost certainly do not include the intellectual authors of this despicable crime. The murder of Berta Caceres was one of scores of killings of Honduran environmental and social activists and journalists in recent years. No one has been prosecuted or punished for any of those crimes or countless others in a country where corruption seems to permeate practically every crevice of society and government. These verdicts in the Caceres case, in which seven of the defendants were convicted and top officials of the hydroelectric company DESA were implicated, is one step, but only one step. Only when all those responsible are held to account those who conceived of the crime and gave the orders, those who paid the assassins, and those who participated in the cover-up will justice have been served for Berta Caceres. Press Contact David Carle: 202-224-3693 Previous Article",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/113018mbsargentinainvestigation,Statement Of Senator Patrick Leahy On The Probe In Argentina Of Mohammed bin Salman,2018-11-30,2018,2018-11,Democrat,House,VT,Patrick Leahy,L000174,www.leahy.senate.gov,,,legacy,"11.30.18 Statement Of Senator Patrick Leahy On The Probe In Argentina Of Mohammed bin Salman The ongoing probe by Argentine authorities into the criminal responsibility of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for alleged war crimes in Yemen and the torture of Saudi citizens sends a powerful message to victims that justice is possible, and that those responsible for the gravest crimes may eventually be held accountable. On November 26th, Human Rights Watch filed a petition before an Argentine federal prosecutor with information on several cases of Saudi citizens tortured in government custody and violations of international humanitarian law in Yemen, including indiscriminate and disproportionate airstrikes that have killed thousands of civilians and maintaining a naval and air blockade that has contributed to the world's worst humanitarian crisis. An estimated 85,000 children have already starved to death or died in airstrikes, and according to the United Nations, millions of Yemenis face starvation. The petition also includes information on the horrific, premeditated murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi by Saudi agents at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. Argentine judicial authorities have requested information from foreign governments on ongoing investigations elsewhere, and from Argentina's foreign ministry on Mohammed bin Salman's diplomatic status in Argentina. The White House should provide any relevant information. I hope the Argentine judicial authorities move forward expeditiously with their investigation, and that world leaders gathering in Buenos Aires today for the G-20 Summit discuss these serious issues, including the Crown Prince's alleged responsibility for these egregious crimes. Press Contact David Carle: 202-224-3693 Previous Article",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://welch.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/welch-introduces-bipartisan-legislation-improve-recreational-trails,Welch Introduces Bipartisan Legislation to Improve the Recreational Trails Program,2018-11-29,2018,2018-11,Democrat,House,VT,Peter Welch,W000800,welch.house.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON Rep. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) and Rep. Mike Simpson (R-Idaho) today introduced bipartisan legislation to improve the Recreational Trails Program (RTP) by increasing the transparency and ensuring the accountability of its funding program. Since 1991, the Recreational Trails Program has provided funding to states to develop and maintain outdoor recreational trails, allowing millions of Americans and their families to enjoy activities such as hiking, bicycling, cross-country skiing, snowmobiling and 4-wheel driving. The RTP Full Funding Actwhich is supported by recreational groups from snowmobilers to cyclists and hikers to off-highway power sport vehicle groupswill ensure that federal funds collected for this program are maximized to support more trail projects in the future. Vermont has unparalleled natural beauty that provides Vermonters and tourists year-round opportunities to enjoy the great outdoors by trail, said Welch. By prioritizing funding for the Recreational Trail Program, this bipartisan legislation will ensure that future generations of Vermonters can explore and appreciate the great outdoors for many years to come. The RTP Full Funding Act will increase the accuracy and transparency of RTP funding by: Requiring a study to determine the total amount of funds collected; Improving reporting on expenditures from the RTP to improve accountability and oversight; and Streamlining RTP funding distribution to the states by reducing unnecessary paperwork. The legislation was introduced in the Senate by Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), James Risch (R-Idaho), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), and Richard Burr (R-N.C.). ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/112918defendingpressfreedom,"Senate Floor Address Of Sen. Patrick Leahy, On Threats To Journalists, And Defending Press Freedom",2018-11-29,2018,2018-11,Democrat,House,VT,Patrick Leahy,L000174,www.leahy.senate.gov,,,legacy,"11.29.18 Senate Floor Address Of Sen. Patrick Leahy, On Threats To Journalists, And Defending Press Freedom Mr. President, in the 44 years I have served in the United States Senate I have never been more concerned about the state of press freedom around the world including, I deeply regret to say, in our own country. The pre-meditated murder and dismemberment of Jamal Khashoggi by Saudi authorities, and their transparent attempt to cover it up, have shocked the consciences of people everywhere. Yesterday, by voting to discharge Senate Joint Resolution 54, the Senate showed that the Saudi royal family needs to hold accountable all those responsible for that horrific crime if it wants to salvage relations with the United States. Just a few days after Mr. Khashoggi's murder, the body of Bulgarian journalist Viktoria Marinova was discovered, and preliminary investigations suggest she was raped, beaten, and strangled. She had spent the past year reporting on corruption. At least 43 journalists have been killed for their work so far in 2018, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists. Fifteen other journalists have also been killed, although their deaths have not at least not yet been officially linked to their work. According to data compiled by Freedom House, the muzzling of journalists and independent news media is at its worst point in 13 years. Similarly, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists, the number of reporters jailed for their work is at a level not seen since the 1990s. Strongmen around the world are cracking down with impunity. Perhaps we should not be surprised. At home, President Trump regularly demonizes the news media as the enemy of the people, hoping that his acidic outbursts and threats will dissuade journalists from accurately reporting on his administration. With the eyes of the world upon him, he makes a mockery of the entire notion of an independent press, branding all who challenge him as liars or worse, while holding hands with those willing to sing his praises. He even went so far as to rescind the credentials of one reporter who persisted in asking questions the President didn't like something I don't recall ever witnessing before. A few days ago he publicly denigrated the decorated, retired U.S. admiral who led the raid that killed Osama bin Laden, and who had criticized the President's attacks against the press as a grave threat to our democracy, which it is. As Americans who cherish the First Amendment, and who rely on a free press for sustaining our democratic form of government, we should be appalled. The words of a President matter. They always have. This President's rhetoric gives comfort to autocrats the world over who are emboldened to clamp down on dissent, confident that they have a powerful defender in the White House. We have seen despots quote our President about this. We have seen countries pass laws outlawing so-called fake news, which their leaders use to justify dismissing and castigating reporting with which they disagree, and to persecute political opponents. We should fear the day when a free press is seen as unimportant, or a luxury as something no longer synonymous with this country and our values. We must, all of us, recommit ourselves to defending press freedom and elevating and celebrating our free press as one of the cornerstones of our democracy. In this challenging time for press freedom around the world, the Committee to Protect Journalists honored four exceptional journalists at the 2018 International Press Freedom Awards in New York City. I want to briefly share the accomplishments of each of these talented and courageous individuals. Amal Khalifa Idris Habbani is the co-founder of the Sudanese Journalists Network, which has covered protests and official wrongdoing in Sudan, whose leader President al-Bashir has been indicted by the International Criminal Court. Because of her reporting she has been harassed, detained, and physically abused by Sudanese authorities. Still, she continues to do her job at great personal peril. Anastasiya Stanko is an independent broadcast journalist who was taken hostage by an armed group while reporting on the conflict in eastern Ukraine. Since her release, she has continued to risk her safety by reporting on the war and on other human rights violations by Ukraine's Security Service in conflict-torn areas. Luz Mely Reyes is an investigative reporter who founded an independent news website to bring attention to the political situation in her country of Venezuela. In 2017, while covering protests against President Nicolas Maduro, members of her team were attacked and threatened. She continued her work unabated and has since emerged as one of Venezuela's most recognizable champions for independent journalism. Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh, one of Vietnam's most prominent independent bloggers, has devotedher life to calling attention to human rights violations in Vietnam. In October 2016, she was sentenced to 10 years in prison on charges of propagandizing against the state. After her health began to deteriorate, she was released from prison but only on condition of exile. We often speak out about the abuses of repressive governments around the world. We must also speak out against the increasing attempts to demean and intimidate the press here at home. The lives of these four brave individuals should remind us of what is at stake, of the slippery slope we are on, and to stand up for what is right even when our President will not. Press Contact David Carle: 202-224-3693",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/112918sjres54,"Full Congressional Record Statement Thursday Of Sen. Patrick Leahy, On The Senate Resolution On Yemen And Saudi Arabia",2018-11-29,2018,2018-11,Democrat,House,VT,Patrick Leahy,L000174,www.leahy.senate.gov,,,legacy,"11.29.18 Full Congressional Record Statement Thursday Of Sen. Patrick Leahy, On The Senate Resolution On Yemen And Saudi Arabia Mr. President, I hope the Saudi royal family was paying attention to yesterday's debate in the United States Senate. The bipartisan vote on Senate Joint Resolution 54, introduced by Senators Bernie Sanders, Mike Lee, and Chris Murphy, of which I am a cosponsor, was significant for multiple reasons, but most of all for what it says about the potency of the outrage and disgust in this country and in the Congress about the conduct of Mohammed bin Salman, the Saudi Crown Prince. That outrage has been building over time, as the number of civilian casualties since Saudi Arabia's intervention and ongoing aerial bombardment of Yemen one of the world's poorest countries has swollen into the thousands. We have all seen the photographs of the dead and dying, and of children who are just skin and bones. It is said that 85,000 children already have starved to death. The United Nations warns that 13 million Yemeni civilians could starve to death by the end of this year, if the war does not end. Of course, the Houthis and their Iranian benefactors share much of the blame for the death and destruction in Yemen. But we are not supporting them. Rather, until recently we were providing aerial refueling for the Saudi warplanes, and we continue to provide the Saudis with intelligence and targeting assistance. As if the kidnapping of Lebanese Prime Minister Hariri, the blockade of Qatar, the imprisonment of women's rights activists, and the carnage in Yemen were not enough, the outrage toward the Crown Prince finally boiled over with the horrific, premeditated murder of Jamal Khashoggi, a respected journalist, Saudi citizen, and American resident, who had criticized the royal family. Mr. Khashoggi's murder and dismemberment by Saudi government agents at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul triggered an international outcry, and it exposed the depth of depravity of the Saudi royal family. That an ally of the United States would so brazenly commit such a crime, and then so blatantly attempt to cover it up, speaks volumes. After a string of lies by the Saudi authorities, it is only due to the Turkish government and independent investigative journalists that we know that Mr. Khashoggi was murdered a crime punishable by death in Saudi Arabia and many other countries. In fact, far lesser crimes even some nonviolent crimes are punishable by death in Saudi Arabia. While we owe thanks to the Turkish government for exposing the facts about Mr. Khashoggi's case, we cannot ignore that Turkey's President Erdogan is also responsible for widespread repression, including the arbitrary arrests and imprisonment of journalists, civil servants, and thousands of other critics who have been convicted and locked away after unfair trials. Torture is rampant in Turkey's jails, as it is in Saudi Arabia. We know that multiple Saudi officials, including the Foreign Minister, Minister of Interior, Ambassador to the United States, and others all members of the royal family lied to the world, including on international television, repeatedly changing their story about what happened to Mr. Khashoggi. Perhaps most revealing was how cavalierly and shamelessly they lied, clearly assuming that their lies would be accepted at face value. According to press reports the impulsive Crown Prince, while disclaiming any involvement in or knowledge of the crime, shortly after Mr. Khashoggi's disappearance referred to him as a dangerous jihadist, which was also false. The Saudis have yet to say what happened to Khashoggi's remains, except that they were turned over to a local collaborator. Who and where is that person? What more are they hiding? Reports indicate that the Saudis sent a team to Istanbul to destroy evidence of the crime, during the very period when the White House and State Department were insisting that the Saudi government deserved more time to determine the facts. Instead, the Saudis were trying to cover their tracks. There is every reason to believe that the Saudi royal family is still lying about who was involved. We also know that before murdering Mr. Khashoggi, the Saudi government has had a long history of abducting, imprisoning, and executing dissidents and others after sham trials in violation of international law. In the United States, the media's attention, for a time, was diverted by President Trump's racist rants about a so-called migrant invasion, his made up claims of voter fraud, his partisan lies about Democrats, his steady stream of vitriolic and divisive rhetoric that has incited others to violence here and abroad, pre-midterm election frenzy, and now its aftermath. I mention this because for the past few weeks, the murder of Mr. Khashoggi had been eclipsed by other headlines. No longer. The vote on Senate Joint Resolution 54 is the Senate's initial answer to the Saudi royal family, and to the Trump Administration. This crime, on top of everything else, was so wicked, so repulsive, that no amount of money, no amount of oil, and no amount of lies can obscure it. The Trump Administration lobbied hard against the Resolution, warning that despite the Saudi royal family's many transgressions the U.S.-Saudi relationship is too important to risk. No one is seeking to sever relations with Saudi Arabia. But far more important is that the United States stands for the truth, for justice, for the laws of war, and that we don't stand by when top officials of another government, whether ally or adversary, conspire to murder a journalist or dissident and lie about it. As of today, the Saudi authorities continue to ignore appeals to reveal what happened to Khashoggi's remains. And after so many lies, they insist that the 18 men under arrest are the only ones involved in Mr. Khashoggi's murder. No one who knows anything about the Saudi royal family, which controls the Saudi government with an iron fist, believes that. President Trump, who has been loath to say anything that might implicate the Saudi royal family, at one point said there would be very severe consequences if investigations conclude that the Saudis are responsible. Since then, even as it has become obvious that the Saudis including the Crown Prince are responsible, he has said nothing further about what those consequences would be. To the contrary, he said maybe he was, maybe he wasn't, but either way it doesn't matter to President Trump. Secretary Pompeo has said that Saudi Arabia has made a serious commitment to hold senior leaders and officials accountable for the murder of Mr. Khashoggi. Yet so far, no senior Saudi leader or official has been arrested, and the Saudis appear to have rejected the Turkish government's demand that the 18 individuals who have been arrested be turned over to face justice where the crime occurred. According to press reports, the conclusion of U.S. intelligence experts is that such a heinous, premeditated crime by Saudi agents inside the Saudi consulate could not have taken place without the Crown Prince's knowledge and support. Does anyone seriously believe otherwise? Yet yesterday, the CIA Director was barred by the White House from meeting with Senators to answer questions about this. Knowing what we do about this White House, the inescapable conclusion is that whatever she would have told us would have contradicted the President's defense of the Saudi government. Despite all the Saudis' phony denials, the President appears disposed to ignore his own intelligence experts and rely instead on the Saudi royal family to investigate itself. Why? To protect billions of dollars in contracts for U.S. weapons purchased by the Saudis for use in Yemen. The White House has apparently concluded that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman will ride out this storm and remain in power for years to come. Journalists the world over face unprecedented dangers. Those who criticize corrupt, repressive governments do so at great risk to their own safety and the safety of their families. They are regularly the targets of harassment, threats, and assassination for nothing more than doing their job. If the Saudi royal family can escape punishment for the premeditated murder of a Washington Post journalist, what does that say to journalists everywhere? What does it say about the United States, if we are willing to accept that? Yesterday, the vote on Senate Joint Resolution 54 showed that we do not and will not accept it. If the Saudi royal family hopes to salvage its tattered reputation and relations with the United States, it will need to take far more decisive action to end the mayhem in Yemen and bring to justice all those responsible for murdering Jamal Khashoggi. Press Contact David Carle: 202-224-3693",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://welch.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/welch-statement-house-speaker-vote,Welch Statement on House Speaker Vote,2018-11-28,2018,2018-11,Democrat,House,VT,Peter Welch,W000800,welch.house.gov,,,legacy,"Rep. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) issued the following statement concerning his vote for Speaker of the House of Representatives for the 116th Congress: Earlier this month, the American people voted overwhelmingly to entrust Democrats with the responsibility of governing the House of Representatives. After eight years of Republican rule, the institution is broken, dysfunctional, and incapable of solving the many challenges facing our country. Under Republican leadership, major legislation from tax reform to health care was too often writtenby lobbyists behind closed doors in the Speaker's office.Committees were denied the right to hold public hearings, and members were given no time to read billslet alone amend them. Last year, in the Energy and Commerce Committee on which I serve, the majority's comprehensive health care reform bill would have drastically changed the way health care is delivered in this country had it become law.Yet it was written in secret and rammed through the committee during an all-night marathon meeting and with no public hearings. This hijacking and perversion of the legislative process cannot stand if we are to deliver real results for the American people. In my conversations with each of my colleagues seeking leadership positions within our Caucus, I have made clear that it matters more to me how we are led than who leads us. If we take seriously our commitment to cutting the cost of prescription drugs, investing in our infrastructure, and tackling climate change, our leaders must first commit to reforming the way Congress does business. This afternoon, I will vote for Nancy Pelosi to be our next speaker because she has personally committed to me that she will reform the legislative process, make it more transparent, and allow the diverse ideas of all members to be considered.Specifically, she shares my view that committees must be empowered to do the hard and important work of writing legislation in the light of day and ideally in a bipartisan fashion. Leader Pelosi is an extraordinary and historic leader whose legendary legislative skills are well-matched to these tumultuous times. I am confident that she will work with all of us to restore the effectiveness of this institution and deliver real results for the American people. ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.leahy.senate.gov/112819spaulding-high-school,Spaulding High School,2018-11-28,2018,2018-11,Democrat,House,VT,Patrick Leahy,L000174,www.leahy.senate.gov,,,legacy,"11.28.18 Spaulding High School On November 28, 2018, Senator Leahy continued his series of online chats with Vermont students this time, with Spaulding High School's 11th and 12th grade AP U.S. Government class, taught by Ms. Katie Saint Raymond. He enjoyed answering their questions about Vermont's priorities and communities and what he expects the Senate to do during the 116th Congress. Senator Leahy also discussed the important role that bipartisanship plays in the passage of pieces of legislations and appropriations bills, and about his experiences working with past President during his tenure in the Senate. Press Contact David Carle: 202-224-3693 Next Article Previous Article",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/statement-of-senator-patrick-leahy-on-the-confirmation-vote-of-thomas-alvin-farr-to-the-eastern-district-of-north-carolina-,Statement of Senator Patrick Leahy On the Confirmation Vote of Thomas Alvin Farr To the Eastern District of North Carolina,2018-11-28,2018,2018-11,Democrat,House,VT,Patrick Leahy,L000174,www.leahy.senate.gov,,,legacy,"11.28.18 Statement of Senator Patrick Leahy On the Confirmation Vote of Thomas Alvin Farr To the Eastern District of North Carolina Senate Floor Our constitutional obligation as Senators is to provide advice and informed consent to a President's nominees. I do my best to scrutinize each nominee on the merits, regardless of party, and decide whether they deserve a lifetime appointment to our esteemed federal bench. And during my 44 years in the Senate, I have voted for more Republican nominated judges than almost all Republican Senators in this body today. The simple fact is, given his track record of working to systematically dismantle the franchise for thousands of African American voters, Thomas Farr is one of the most controversial nominees I have ever encountered. Someone who has made a career out of attacking a sacred, constitutional right indeed, the right that gives democracy its name simply does not belong on the federal bench. Let's begin with his role on Jesse Helms' Senate campaign in 1990. The Department of Justice alleged that Senator Helms' campaign sent thousands of postcards to heavily African American precincts falsely telling voters that they were ineligible to vote and threatening prosecution against those who did. Mr. Farr served as a top lawyer to Senator Helms at the time, and he appears to have misled Congress about his role in this brazen voter suppression scheme. When Senate Judiciary Committee members asked Mr. Farr whether he knew about or had provided any counsel on the decision to send these postcards, Mr. Farr said he hadn't learned about their existence until after they were mailed out. But a former DOJ official has stated the Mr. Farr definitely knew about the postcards before they were sent out, and that his responses to Congress were contrary to the facts. Setting aside this outrageous attempt at voter suppression, each Senator in this chamber should care whether a President's nominee tells them the truth. If a nominee won't tell us the truth under oath, they are unfit to take the oath of judicial office. Mr. Farr's embrace of voter suppression appears only to have grown after his work on the Helms campaign. In 2013, he chose to defend North Carolina's racially restrictive voting law a law that the Fourth Circuit struck down because it target[ed] African Americans with almost surgical precision. Undeterred, between 2014 and 2017, Mr. Farr again defended the North Carolina legislature in numerous lawsuits alleging that it had racially gerrymandered its State House and Senate map. In each of these cases, higher courts found North Carolina's gerrymandering to be unconstitutional. There is a pattern here. And it is deeply troubling. Mr. Farr has dedicated his skills as a lawyer to suppressing the right to vote for minorities. His refusal to acknowledge under oath his involvement in disenfranchisement operations makes him doubly unqualified for the federal bench. I urge all Senators who care about the right to vote and who care about the right of this body to hear the whole truth from a President's nominees to vote no on Mr. Farr's nomination. Press Contact David Carle: 202-224-3693 Previous Article",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://welch.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/statement-vermont-s-congressional-delegation-response-swanton-sector,Statement of Vermont’s Congressional Delegation In Response to Swanton Sector Border Patrol’s Planned Immigration Checkpoints,2018-11-27,2018,2018-11,Democrat,House,VT,Peter Welch,W000800,welch.house.gov,,,legacy,"In a joint statement, Senator Patrick Leahy (D), Senator Bernie Sanders (I) and Representative Peter Welch (D) said: While we sincerely appreciate the work of the U.S. Border Patrol in keeping our country safe along the Northern Border through their actions to interdict dangerous criminal behavior such as human trafficking, we are concerned to learn of the U.S. Border Patrol's plans to operate a number of immigration checkpoints in the interior of Vermont. While these checkpoints will cause needless delays for travelers and hinder commerce between Vermont and Canada, we are not convinced that they will make Vermont or the United States any safer. Rather, they appear to be another escalation of the Trump Administration's aggressive yet wasteful use of immigration enforcement resources. Moreover, we are concerned these interior checkpoints may result in warrantless searches that violate the constitutionally protected Fourth Amendment right to privacy for everyone in our country and will instill fear in our immigrant communities -- regardless of an individual's immigration status. We believe that inside our country the phrase show me your papers' does not belong in the United States of America. [Background: The three members of the Vermont delegation have introduced or cosponsored the Border Zone Reasonableness Restoration Act of 2018 (S.3162 H.R.6462), which would reduce the border zone in which DHS officers can stop vehicles to search for aliens from 100 miles down to 25 miles, and would reduce the zone in which DHS officers may enter onto private property (except houses) from 25 miles down to 10 miles. It would also prohibit DHS from stopping a vehicle at dragnet-style immigration checkpoints further than 10 miles from the border, without reasonable suspicion that an occupant is in the U.S. illegally.] # # # # #",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/112718cbpcheckpoints,Statement of Vermonts Congressional Delegation In Response to Swanton Sector Border Patrols Planned Immigration Checkpoints,2018-11-27,2018,2018-11,Democrat,House,VT,Patrick Leahy,L000174,www.leahy.senate.gov,,,legacy,"11.27.18 Statement of Vermont's Congressional Delegation In Response to Swanton Sector Border Patrol's Planned Immigration Checkpoints In a joint statement, Senator Patrick Leahy (D), Senator Bernie Sanders (I) and Representative Peter Welch (D) said: While we sincerely appreciate the work of the U.S. Border Patrol in keeping our country safe along the Northern Border through their actions to interdict dangerous criminal behavior such as human trafficking, we are concerned to learn of the U.S. Border Patrol's plans to operate a number of immigration checkpoints in the interior of Vermont. While these checkpoints will cause needless delays for travelers and hinder commerce between Vermont and Canada, we are not convinced that they will make Vermont or the United States any safer. Rather, they appear to be another escalation of the Trump Administration's aggressive yet wasteful use of immigration enforcement resources. Moreover, we are concerned these interior checkpoints may result in warrantless searches that violate the constitutionally protected Fourth Amendment right to privacy for everyone in our country and will instill fear in our immigrant communities -- regardless of an individual's immigration status. We believe that inside our country the phrase show me your papers' does not belong in the United States of America. [Background: The three members of the Vermont delegation have introduced or cosponsored the Border Zone Reasonableness Restoration Act of 2018 (S.3162 H.R.6462), which would reduce the border zone in which DHS officers can stop vehicles to search for aliens from 100 miles down to 25 miles, and would reduce the zone in which DHS officers may enter onto private property (except houses) from 25 miles down to 10 miles. It would also prohibit DHS from stopping a vehicle at dragnet-style immigration checkpoints further than 10 miles from the border, without reasonable suspicion that an occupant is in the U.S. illegally.] Press Contact David Carle: 202-224-3693 Previous Article",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/112118forestrytitlerelease,"Leahy Statement On Forest Management Provisions In The Farm Bill, And The California Wildfires",2018-11-21,2018,2018-11,Democrat,House,VT,Patrick Leahy,L000174,www.leahy.senate.gov,,,legacy,"11.21.18 Leahy Statement On Forest Management Provisions In The Farm Bill, And The California Wildfires ""It is outrageous that House Republicans and the Trump Administration are continuing to hold up the Farm Bill negotiations over harmful and extreme forestry provisions. Secretaries Perdue and Zinke shockingly are tryingto co-opt the terrible tragedies in California to push for the Trump Administration's crass, cynical and unaccountable logging of the public's national forests. Both have failed to mention that Congress, in March of this year, a mere eight months ago, already provided both of their agencies with historic fire prevention toolsthat the Appropriations Committee enacted as part of the bipartisan Fiscal Year 2018 Omnibus Appropriations Act. That bipartisan bill already cleared the way for them to perform expedited forest management practices and fuels reduction work on wildfire-prone forests. Insteadof pushing for these extremely partisan provisions on behalf a small minority in the timber lobby, House Republicans and the Administration should be joining the Senate Farm Bill conferees to discuss bipartisan forestry solutions. That is how the Forestry Title has always worked, going back to the very first one I authored in the 1990 Farm Bill. I strongly urge Secretary Perdue and Secretary Zinke tostart using the new fire prevention tools already at their disposal, instead of holding baseless press conferences to rake and stir up the coals of this ongoing tragedy to try to push for additional extreme logging authority. Press Contact David Carle: 202-224-3693 Previous Article",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/portman-and-leahy-introduce-second-chance-reauthorization-act-to-reduce-recidivism-and-help-ex-offenders-as-congress-considers-criminal-justice-reform,"Portman And Leahy Introduce Second Chance Reauthorization Act To Reduce Recidivism And Help Ex-Offenders, As Congress Considers Criminal Justice Reform",2018-11-16,2018,2018-11,Democrat,House,VT,Patrick Leahy,L000174,www.leahy.senate.gov,,,legacy,"11.16.18 Portman And Leahy Introduce Second Chance Reauthorization Act To Reduce Recidivism And Help Ex-Offenders, As Congress Considers Criminal Justice Reform As Sentencing Reform Moves To Congress's Front Burner In The Post-Election Lame Duck Session Portman And Leahy Introduce Second Chance Reauthorization Act To Reduce Recidivism And Help Ex-Offenders, As Congress Considers Criminal Justice Reform Program Has Helped Vermont Achieve A Steady And Dramatic Reduction In Incarceration Numbers WASHINGTON (FRIDAY, Nov. 16, 2018) U.S. Senators Rob Portman (R-Ohio) and Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) on Thursday introduced their Second Chance Reauthorization Act, bipartisan legislation to reauthorize and amend the Second Chance Act, a law that supports state and local reentry programs to reduce recidivism. Then-Congressman Portman originally authored the Second Chance Act with the late-Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones, and it was signed into law in 2008. Since 2009, more than 850 Second Chance Act grant awards have been made to government agencies and nonprofit organizations from 49 states for reentry programs serving adults and juveniles. As of June 2018, more than 164,000 individuals have participated in these programs. Leahy and Portman introduced their bill at the same time that Congress is poised to consider criminal justice reform legislation, which has quickly emerged this week as a front-burner issue for congressional action in this post-election lame duck session. Leahy is an original cosponsor of the bipartisan sentencing reform bill, the First Step Act, which was also introduced Thursday in the Senate. President Trump this week lent his support to that effort. Leahy said: I began my career as a prosecutor on the front lines of our justice system. I saw the challenges inmates face, many of them seemingly insurmountable, when they are released from custody. That's not good for them, for their families, for their communities, for any of us. The Second Chance Act supports state and local efforts to reduce recidivism by helping ex-offenders reenter society and build stable and productive lives. We are seeing it work in Vermont. America is a nation of fairness, opportunity, and second chances. I'm proud to again partner with Senator Portman on this legislation to reauthorize these critical programs. Leahy noted that with the help of Second Chance Act funding, Vermont has seen a steady and dramatic decrease in the state's incarceration numbers, dropping from an annual average population of 2,103 a day in 2012, down to 1,796 this year. The Vermont Department of Corrections has reported: The Second Chance Act has provided support for a variety of important projects in Vermont. The Adult Demonstration Grant, run by Derek Miodownik and the Restorative Justice Unit, provided the funds to develop and grow the Circles of Support and Accountability (COSA) program which has received national attention. It also helped support the creation of programming in the state that supports restorative justice and reentry. The State Recidivism Reduction Grant (SRR) has been instrumental in supporting a shift to use validated risk assessments, develop policies that reflect evidence based practices, and train and support staff to use those tools and practice in their interactions with our clients. Although the grants come from the SCA and have a goal to reduce recidivism, they are different in their approach. Portman said: The Second Chance Act helps break the cycle of incarceration through drug treatment and job training programs and makes our community safer, saves taxpayer dollars, and most importantly, helps former inmates live up to their God-given potential. This law has changed thousands of lives in Ohio and across the country showing that the mistakes of our past should not define the potential for our future. I am proud to continue my bipartisan efforts to renew and strengthen this law. As the House and Senate work to pass criminal justice reform, which I support, we should reauthorize the Second Chance Act as part of that process so we can help more ex-offenders become productive members of our society. NOTE: The Second Chance Reauthorization Act will strengthen state and local grant programs to promote successful prisoner reentry and improve public safety while reducing Bureau of Prison costs and saving taxpayer dollars. Specifically, the legislation will: Continue targeted funding through 2021 for reentry programs at the state and local level that have been proven to reduce recidivism, lead to better outcomes for those released from prison, and save prison costs. Provide separate planning and implementation grants to ensure that projects are well developed at each stage and informed by research and best practices. Add nonprofit organizations as allowable grantees for grants for programs promoting family-based substance abuse treatment and career training. Repeal several provisions calling for studies that have been completed and removes support for programs for which other funding sources have been identified. It also consolidates the reentry court program into the Adult and Juvenile Offender State and Local Demonstration projects. Require new rigorous evaluation and audits of grantees to ensure that federal dollars are spent wisely. This legislation has been endorsed by the National Criminal Justice Association, the International Community Corrections Association, the Council of State Governments Justice Center, FreedomWorks, the American Bar Association, the American Correctional Association, The Prison Fellowship, the American Probation and Parole Association, the Association of State Correctional Administrators, and The Sentencing Project. # # # # # Press Contact David Carle (Leahy): 202-224-3693 Kevin Smith/Emily Benavides (Portman): 202-224-5190 Previous Article",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://welch.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/welch-wyden-introduce-legislation-improve-child-nutrition,"Welch, Wyden Introduce Legislation to Improve Child Nutrition",2018-11-15,2018,2018-11,Democrat,House,VT,Peter Welch,W000800,welch.house.gov,,,legacy,"Washington, D.C. Rep. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) and Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) today introduced the Local School Foods Expansion Act, legislation to improve child nutrition by expanding access to locally-grown, unprocessed fruits and vegetables for school meal programs. Farm-to-school programs effectively support our family farmers, reduce energy use, help maintain open land, and provide healthy food and educational opportunities for our students, said Welch. This commonsense legislation will expand access to locally-grown, fresh fruits and vegetables to even more schools and communities. No child should be hungry in schoolit's devastating to their health and ability to learn. This bill will help address hunger and improve child nutrition in communities across America, all while supporting local farmers,said Wyden. The legislation builds on the success of the Pilot Project for the Procurement of Unprocessed Fruits and Vegetables, which was authored by Welch and Wyden and passed in the 2014 Farm Bill. The pilot project has allowed local schools in eight states to increase the use of fresh, unprocessed fruits and vegetables in their school meal programs and made it easier for these schools to source fresh foods from local vendors. The Local School Foods Expansion Act establishes this pilot project as a permanent program and allows participating states and school food authorities to purchase locally-grown, fresh fruits and vegetables with existing National School Lunch Program funds. The legislation also directs the U.S. Department of Agriculture to expand the program in at least 15 states and provides additional funding for its implementation. ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/111518bradlarosemarshalreported,Senate Judiciary Committee Advances Nom. Of Retired Essex Police Chief Brad LaRose To Be Vermonts Next U.S. Marshal,2018-11-15,2018,2018-11,Democrat,House,VT,Patrick Leahy,L000174,www.leahy.senate.gov,,,legacy,"11.15.18 Senate Judiciary Committee Advances Nom. Of Retired Essex Police Chief Brad LaRose To Be Vermont's Next U.S. Marshal The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee Thursday advanced the nomination of retired Essex Police Chief Brad LaRose to be Vermont's next U.S. Marshal. Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Governor Phil Scott (R) had jointly recommended LaRose to President Trump in January to fill the vacancy, and the President nominated him in June. The nomination now goes to the full Senate for a confirmation vote. Once confirmed by the full Senate, LaRose will oversee all U.S. Marshals Service operations in Vermont. With offices in Burlington and Rutland, the Marshals Service plays a crucial role in protecting public safety in Vermont and is responsible for apprehending fugitives and sex offenders as well as managing federal prisoners and protecting federal courthouses. Leahy is a leading member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, which considered and approved the nomination. Chief LaRose served Essex as a police officer for more than 36 years, including more than five years as Chief of Police. In their letter to the President, Leahy and Scott cited his experience in teaching recruits and officers at the Vermont Police Academy for 25 years, and the fact that he is a graduate of the Federal Bureau of Investigation National Academy. In a joint statement after the Judiciary Committee's action on Thursday, Leahy and Scott said: Brad is a dedicated public servant whose decades of law enforcement experience and support from the community made him exceedingly qualified for this position. His integrity, character and leadership throughout his years of service will serve the people of Vermont well. Scott and Leahy emphasized the importance to Vermont of the federal partnership role in combatting the addiction to heroin and other opioids, and Chief LaRose's valuable experience in that effort. As our state continues to lead on addressing the opioid epidemic, Brad has a demonstrated understanding of the seriousness of this issue and the ability to work with partners across federal, state and local levels, they said. Scott and Leahy concluded: We were proud to join together to recommend Brad for this important vacancy, and we greatly appreciate the President's nomination and the members of the Senate Judiciary Committee today unanimously approving his nomination. The Marshals Service, created in 1789, is the nation's oldest federal law enforcement agency. The Marshals Service takes the lead in security of the courts and the entire judicial system and is involved in virtually every federal law enforcement initiative, working with federal prosecutors and federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. For reference, their January 9 letter to the President follows, BELOW. # # # # # January 9, 2018 The Honorable Donald J. Trump The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington D.C., 20500 Dear Mr. President: We write to recommend Brad LaRose of Richmond, Vermont, for the position of United States Marshal for the District of Vermont. Similar to the process we used to recommend Christina Nolan for the position of United States Attorney, we worked together, as the senior Senator from Vermont and the Governor of Vermont, in a bipartisan fashion to identify and interview a range of highly qualified and well-respected candidates to serve as United States Marshal for our state. We have agreed that Brad has the experience, leadership credentials, and character to serve in this important role. He is well regarded in his home community, and in the community of Essex, Vermont (Vermont's second largest community), where he has served as a police officer for more than 36 years, including more than five years as Chief of Police. As we have noted previously, Vermont, like so many states, has been combating the addiction to heroin and other opioids. Brad understands the challenges of this epidemic and the value of interagency coordination between federal, state, and local law enforcement partners. As a police chief, Brad has contributed personnel to the joint drug task force and helped his officers transition into, and out of, undercover work. He has also taught both basic recruits and experienced officers at the Vermont Police Academy for 25 years. In addition, he is a graduate of the Federal Bureau of Investigation National Academy and has an associate degree in Law Enforcement and a bachelor's degree in Professional Studies. Over his 37-year law enforcement career, Brad has earned reputation as a leader of integrity and high standards who gets results. We are confident that Brad would make an excellent United States Marshal for the State of Vermont. We are proud to join together to recommend Brad for this important vacancy and ask that you consider him for nomination. Thank you for your consideration. We look forward to working with you. (SENATOR PATRICK LEAHY and GOVERNOR PHIL SCOTT) Press Contact David Carle: 202-224-3693",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/111418zerotoleranceletter,"Leahy And Shaheen Ask Acting Attorney General Whitaker Whether ""Zero Tolerance"" Policy Has Drained Resources From Drug-Trafficking Prosecutions",2018-11-14,2018,2018-11,Democrat,House,VT,Patrick Leahy,L000174,www.leahy.senate.gov,,,legacy,"11.14.18 Leahy And Shaheen Ask Acting Attorney General Whitaker Whether ""Zero Tolerance"" Policy Has Drained Resources From Drug-Trafficking Prosecutions Senate Appropriations Committee Vice Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), the Ranking Member of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies, are asking Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker about reports that the Justice Department's resources for serious drug-trafficking prosecutions are being drained by the resources required to prosecute minor immigration offenses under President Trump's zero tolerance policy. As part of the Appropriations Committee's oversight responsibilities in funding the Justice Department, they point out that committee needs answers about whether taxpayer dollars are being used responsibly and effectively to address the nation's most serious problems. In their oversight letter, Leahy and Shaheen wrote: We write to express our concerns about reports that the Trump Administration's zero tolerance policy may have diverted significant public safety resources away from prosecuting serious drug-trafficking offenses along the southern border. As the Vice Chairman of the Appropriations Committee and the Ranking Member of the Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Subcommittee, responsible for funding the Justice Department, we need to understand whether the Department's finite resources to prosecute drug trafficking offenders along our border are being funneled toward a policy that has failed to have its intended deterrent effect of reducing illegal border crossings. A full copy of their letter is available here: https://www.appropriations.senate.gov/download/111418-leahy-and-shaheen-zero-tolerance-letter. Press Contact David Carle: 202-224-3693 Previous Article",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.leahy.senate.gov/sheldon-elementary,Sheldon Elementary,2018-11-14,2018,2018-11,Democrat,House,VT,Patrick Leahy,L000174,www.leahy.senate.gov,,,legacy,"11.14.18 Sheldon Elementary On November 14, 2018, Senator Leahy continued his series of online chats with Vermont students this time, with Sheldon Elementary School's 8th grade class, taught by Mr. Edward Kolnaski. He was very impressed by the students' questions about the legislative process, and other topics such as religious freedom. Senator Leahy also discussed his life experiences, work for Vermont in the Senate and the importance of reading in his life. Press Contact David Carle: 202-224-3693 Previous Article",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/111318victimservicefunding,Leahy Announces A Record $13.4 Million In Federal Funding For Vermont Organizations Supporting Victim Service Programs,2018-11-13,2018,2018-11,Democrat,House,VT,Patrick Leahy,L000174,www.leahy.senate.gov,,,legacy,"11.13.18 Leahy Announces A Record $13.4 Million In Federal Funding For Vermont Organizations Supporting Victim Service Programs U.S.Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) announced Tuesday that Vermont organizations will receive 15 grants totaling nearly $13.4 million from the U.S. Department of Justice to support crime victims and to strengthen services for survivors of domestic and sexual violence. The $13.4 million in fiscal year 2018 funding represents a $6 million increase in funding for crime victims, including survivors of domestic and sexual violence, over fiscal year 2017 levels. As Vice Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Leahy negotiated substantial increases for key domestic priorities in the fiscal year 2018 omnibus appropriations package. A former prosecutor, Leahy has long championed victims through his efforts to protect funding for the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) and the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA), the two federal programs that provide direct support to victims. Leahy led the Senate as the chief author and sponsor of legislation reauthorizing VAWA in 2013, which for the first time extended domestic violence protections to LGBT and tribal victims and made other improvements to the law. In 2015 he helped raise the cap on the Crime Victims Fund to make states eligible for more funding. Leahy said: Many of the most tragic crime scenes that I responded to as a State's Attorney were domestic violence cases. The extra funding that I secured to support victims will allow the highly effective network of organizations in Vermont to expand their services. The disturbing reality is that half of all homicides in Vermont are related to domestic violence. We must move beyond just words and continue to funnel real resources to support victims of crime and to help end the violence that tears at the fabric of all our communities. This summer Leahy guided the fiscal year 2019 Senate Commerce, Justice and Science Appropriations bill through the Senate Appropriations Committee, and it now awaits action on the Senate floor. The bill includes $497.5 million for the Violence Against Women Act, a $5.5 million increase over FY18 levels and the highest level of funding ever provided for VAWA programs administered by the Department of Justice. That bill also includes a $2 million increase for a Leahy-authored rural grants program that delivers funds specifically to rural states such as Vermont. FY 2018 U.S. Department of Justice Grants to Vermont: Vermont Department of Public Safety FY 18 Enhanced Collaborative Model to Combat Human Trafficking Program $ 535,000.00 Hope Works, Inc. Burlington FY 2018 Specialized Services for Victims of Human Trafficking $ 500,000.00 Vermont Center for Crime Victim Services FY 2018 Enhanced Collaborative Model Task Force to Combat Human Trafficking $ 664,632.00 Vermont Office of the Attorney General FY 18 Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force Invited Applicants $ 256,140.00 Vermont Center for Crime Victim Services FY 2018 Discretionary Training and Technical Assistance Program for VOCA Victim Assistance Grantees $ 70,473.00 Champlain Valley OEO/Voices Against Violence St. Albans Transitional Housing Assistance Program $ 415,243.00 Womensafe, Inc. Middlebury Rural Sexual Assault, Domestic Violence, Dating Violence and Stalking Program $ 746,132.00 Vermont Center for Crime Victim Services STOP Violence Against Women Formula Grant Program $ 834,433.00 Vermont Center for Crime Victim Services SASP Formula Program $ 368,817.00 Vermont Network Against Domestic and Sexual Violence Legal Assistance for Victims Grant Program $ 800,000.00 Circle, Inc. Barre Improving Criminal Justice Responses Program $ 449,568.00 Hope Works, Inc. Burlington Improving Criminal Justice Responses Program $ 450,000.00 Vermont Center for Crime Victim Services FY 18 VOCA Victim Assistance $ 6,748,807.00 Vermont Center for Crime Victim Services FY 18 VOCA Victim Compensation $ 154,000.00 CVOEO/Voices Against Violence St. Albans Justice for Families Program $ 361,565.00 Total awarded amount: $ 13,354,810.00 Press Contact David Carle: 202-224-3693 Previous Article",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://welch.house.gov/media-center/in-the-news/hill-dem-overtures-trump-drug-pricing-worry-pharma,The Hill: Dem Overtures to Trump on Drug Pricing Worry Pharma,2018-11-08,2018,2018-11,Democrat,House,VT,Peter Welch,W000800,welch.house.gov,,,legacy,"The Democratic takeover of the House is giving new life to efforts to fight high drug prices with bipartisan action, a worrying prospect for the pharmaceutical industry. It's a top priority for House Democrats, who now have powers to press the issue and put the drug industry on the hot seat. It's also an issue where Democrats believe there is potential to reach a deal with President Trump. Democrats say the issue of health care powered their House victory in Tuesday's midterms and at the top of their agenda is lowering health-care costs by targeting prescription drug prices. Trump has also made fighting high drug prices a priority and his administration is moving on a new proposal to improve transparency about costs. David Mitchell, founder of the advocacy group Patients for Affordable Drugs, said Tuesday was a really good night for drug pricing. We think the stage is set for bipartisan action, he said. House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi (Calif.) told PBS in an interview Tuesday that she thinks there could be common ground with Trump on drug pricing, and has touted the issue as a centerpiece of the party's agenda. Trump likewise on Wednesday during a press conference listed lowering the cost of prescription drugs as an area where he thinks he could work with Pelosi. Any major action undoubtedly faces an uphill climb. Dealing with drug prices is an immensely controversial area, and drugmakers are a famously powerful industry in Washington. The Senate also remains in Republican control, another challenge to bringing legislation to Trump's desk. But backers of bold moves on drug pricing are hopeful. I think we can, and number two, I think we must, said Rep. Peter Welch (D-Vt.), one of the House Democrats most vocal about taking on the issue of drug costs. I think it can be bipartisan. Democrats have made it clear they intend to hammer away at the issue. In the majority, they will be now able to conduct investigations into industry pricing practices and haul drug company executives in to testify. But ultimately, those moves won't be as impactful as passing major legislation. Many House Democrats have already introduced a number of bills on the issue. Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.), who is expected to get the gavel on the powerful House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, has a bill to allow drug importation, a measure strongly opposed by the drug industry. Democrats say that if they can get Trump on board with some of their proposals that could ease the path for moving legislation through the Senate. Trump has previously endorsed Democratic-leaning ideas like having Medicare negotiate drug prices or importing drugs from abroad, but has not kept up support for those ideas while in office. Democrats hope they can win Trump's support back on Medicare negotiation, in particular. Whether this legislation becomes law is very much in the president's hands, said Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas), sponsor of a Medicare negotiation bill in the House along with Welch. He said presidential leadership would be needed to get through drug company lobbying and resistance in the Senate. Senate Republicans may already be feeling some pressure. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has expressed some openness to addressing drug pricing next year, though he did not offer specifics. I can't imagine that that won't be on the agenda, McConnell said at a press conference Wednesday. It's also possible that smaller drug pricing actions could be attached to larger bills, such as must-pass spending legislation. Drug-pricing advocates have long pushed for the Creates Act, which seeks to crack down on delay tactics against approval of cheaper generic drugs, and that measure has bipartisan support. The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), the main drug industry trade group, though, will be on high alert over any moves on pricing. In a statement Wednesday, Holly Campbell, a spokeswoman for PhRMA, reiterated the group's message that blame should fall on other actors in the supply chain, like pharmacy benefit managers and insurers, who often do not pass along discounts to patients. We can't speculate on what Congress may or may not do, but we remain focused on advancing market-based reforms that address misaligned incentives in the biopharmaceutical supply chain and lower out-of-pocket costs, Campbell wrote in an email to The Hill. Democratic hopes of working with Trump on major legislation on issues like immigration and gun control have fallen through before after showing some signs of promise. Trump warned Wednesday that if House Democrats open investigations into his administration he would shut down bipartisan cooperation on legislation and government comes to a halt. But by controlling the House, Democrats can ramp up the pressure. If they struggle to get Trump or Republicans on board, Dems can still line up votes on pricing measures that prove popular with the public, sending them to the upper chamber to embarrass McConnell or even drive a wedge between him and Trump on the issue. It's still unclear where Democrats and Trump might find common ground. Trump has recently taken some actions on his own to try to lower drug prices, evoking mixed reactions from Democrats who praised him but also urged him to go further. Democrats offered praise for a proposal that would force drug companies to disclose their prices in television ads, but said more must be done. The specifics of any legislation House Democrats will push for on drug pricing are also not yet clear. But several key Democrats pointed to allowing Medicare to negotiate drug prices on Wednesday, long a goal of the party. Both Welch and Doggett said they thought at least some House Republicans would end up voting for a Medicare negotiation bill if it were brought to the floor. Doggett said he expects there could be revisions to his current bill on the subject. Lawmakers will discuss the issue further after they return to Washington, starting next week. Welch said he hopes any legislation goes through the standard committee process. Pelosi noted that Democrats ran on allowing Medicare to negotiate in 2006, but were unable to get it into law. We hope to get that done now because that is a big impact on America's families' budget, Pelosi said Wednesday.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://welch.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/welch-message-vermonters-participating-nobody-above-law-protests,"Welch Message to Vermonters Participating in ""Nobody is Above the Law"" Protests",2018-11-08,2018,2018-11,Democrat,House,VT,Peter Welch,W000800,welch.house.gov,,,legacy,"Rep. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) issued the following message to Vermonters participating in the Nobody Is Above the Law protests across the state: Thank you all for gathering today to express our mutual and deep concern that the guardrails of our democracy are at risk. I regret that I could not be here with you. The firing of Jeff Sessions is cause for alarm, but not because he was a great attorney general. From his role in developing and implementing the Muslim ban to the despicable policy of separating migrant children from their parents, he will go down as one of the worst attorney generals in history. While I am glad to see him go, his departure further jeopardizes the credible investigation by Robert Mueller into efforts during the 2016 election to undermine our democracy. It is vital that this investigation reach its conclusion without political influence or intimidation. A core principle of our democracy is that no one is above the law, especially the President of the United States. The American people have a right to know what happened and a right to expect that anyone who violated the law is held accountable. Yesterday, I called for the new Acting Attorney General to immediately recuse himself from the investigation and for Congress to open an investigation into the circumstances of Mr. Session's departure. And I have introduced bipartisan legislation to protect the Mueller investigation. Congress should take it up and pass it immediately. On Tuesday, the American people spoke loudly and clearly with a record voter turnout. Among other things, you and voters across the country removed Paul Ryan and Devin Nunes from positions of influence over the Mueller investigation. I am confident that the new majority will use its subpoena power to shine the light of day on Mueller's findings and any effort to block the investigation or obstruct justice. Martin Luther King once said, Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.' These are difficult times for our country. But I am confident that we will prevail and that our democracy will endure. It is essential that all Americans pay attention to what is happening in Washington and speak up as you are today. Your voice matters. Your actions matter. And your passion for our democracy matters. Thank you for all you are doing to stand up for our democracy and our democratic norms of free speech, a free press, and the rule of law. ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/statement-on-the-nobody-is-above-the-law-protest,Statement On The Nobody Is Above The Law Protest,2018-11-08,2018,2018-11,Democrat,House,VT,Patrick Leahy,L000174,www.leahy.senate.gov,,,legacy,"11.08.18 Statement On The Nobody Is Above The Law Protest Statement Of Senator Patrick Leahy On The Nobody Is Above The Law Protest [Delivered On Senator Leahy's Behalf By Leahy Vermont Director John Tracy] Burlington, Vermont Thursday, November 8, 2018 I am so proud of the Vermonters here today and across our state, and across our country, who are speaking out in support of the rule of law. You are doing your country a great service, and your collective voice may very well prevent a constitutional crisis. We all owe you our sincere thanks and appreciation. President Trump has wanted to hobble the Russia investigation from its inception. The only reason why he demanded Attorney General Jeff Sessions' resignation and the only reason why he has regularly disparaged and belittled his Attorney General for the last 18 months is that he was unhappy that Jeff Sessions followed mandatory Department of Justice regulations and recused himself from the Russia investigation. And the President has now attempted, under questionable legal authority, to install a close ally of the White House in charge of this investigation. Matthew Whitaker has spent years as a partisan political operative. He has heavily criticized the Special Counsel's investigation. He has publicly discussed defunding it. He is also friends with and a former campaign chair for a critical grand jury witness in this very investigation. That prompts recusal requirements under Justice Department regulations. For all of these reasons, Mr. Whitaker needs to recuse himself from the Russia investigation. And do so immediately. If Mr. Whitaker fails to recuse himself, he will prove exactly why he was selected: to undermine the Special Counsel's investigation. Mr. Whitaker should also immediately be called to testify before the Senate and House Judiciary Committees. He must be asked about what communications he has already had with President Trump about the Russia investigation; what career Justice Department officials have said about his obligation to recuse; and what commitments he will make to recuse himself and protect the investigation. Last night, the ranking members of the Senate Judiciary Committee and relevant House committees sent preservation letters to the Justice Department, demanding that all documents related to this investigation be preserved. Now Democrats will be in the majority in the House starting in January, which will provide them with subpoena power to obtain executive documents in case it's necessary. The truth will come out, one way or another. In the Senate Judiciary Committee, we have already approved, with a strong bipartisan vote of 14 to 7, legislation to protect the Special Counsel's investigation. Majority Leader McConnell has refused to allow a vote in the full Senate, claiming it's not needed. Last night proved just how wrong he is. And it's time for the full Senate to have its say. No matter what happens, I will do everything within my power as both the Vice Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, and the most senior member of the Senate Judiciary Committee to ensure that Special Counsel Mueller is permitted to continue this most critical national security investigation, without any interference. # # # # # Press Contact David Carle: 202-224-3693 Previous Article",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://welch.house.gov/media-center/in-the-news/washington-post-health-202-house-democrats-must-decide-whether-work-gop,The Washington Post: The Health 202: House Democrats Must Decide Whether to Work with GOP on Drug Prices,2018-11-07,2018,2018-11,Democrat,House,VT,Peter Welch,W000800,welch.house.gov,,,legacy,"Democrats celebratingtheir new-but-narrow control House majority are confronting ahard decision: Whether to work with the Trump administration and the GOP-led Senate to lower drug costs. House Republicans grappled with exactly this kind of question for six years under then-President Obama, as the president and Democrats urged them to help improve the Affordable Care Act. Republicans refused to cooperate on bills that might have bettered its marketplaces and its other benefits, all because the law's shortcomings were too good a political weapon with which to keep bludgeoning Democrats. Democrats, whogainedat least 26 seats in the House with a handful of races yet to be declared, could very well make a similar political calculation when it comes to drug prices under President Trump. The issue is a top concern to voters, and it's likely to come up in 2020when Democrats are seeking to defeat Trump to win the White House. They've got to make a decision, which is: How far are they willing to go to show they're willing to work with Republicans and the Donald Trump administration?""Rodney Whitlock, a former health-policy staffer to Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and now a vice president at ML Strategies, told me. Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), who is expected to reclaim the House speakership, has said going after the high cost of prescription drugs is a task Democrats plan to take on right away.In July, Pelosi personally visited the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America to threaten some specific legislative actions, according to Stat News. Last night she told PBS's Judy Woodruff it's hopefully something we can do in a bipartisan way. I think that we could find common ground on reducing the of prescription drugs if the president is serious about his saying that he wants to do that, Pelosi said, referring to the administration's surprisingly bold proposal last month to lower the government's spending on certain Medicare drugs administered in doctors offices. But Pelosi, who has given little credit to the administration for the proposal, added a jab to Trump: He has pulled his punch on it so far, she said. Pelosi was referring to a campaign promise by Trump to buck conservative norms and push for allowing Medicare to directly negotiate lower prices with pharmaceutical companies -- a policy with huge potential to move the needle on drug prices that would give the government much more influence over the industry.The president has since backed off that pledgeas it's an idea that alienates many in his own party. Democrats are certainly poised for one type of action: Launching multiple investigations of Trump and scrutinizing his policies on immigration, education, Russia -- and health care, as my colleague Karoun Demirjianwrites. But if anything is to get done legislativelyin the next two years on drug prices -- which are much higher in the U.S. than in other developed countries -- it would take House Democrats and Senate Republicans working in tandem with the administration, which has spent the last six months pushing drug costs as a top priority. Any feasible, bipartisan legislation would likely take the shape of tweaks to Medicare or changes to the laws surrounding the rebates drugmakers give to pharmacy benefit managers, whoare widely blamed for putting upwards pressure on list prices. Some House Democrats have introduced more aggressive bills aimed at the drug industry. Reps. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) and Lloyd Doggett (D-Tex.) have been especially active on the issue. So has Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.), who is poised to become chairman of the House Oversight Committee. Cummings has proposed legislation allowing Americans to import drugs from Canada and permitting direct Medicare negotiations. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar didn't back either of those ideas in the drug pricing blueprint HHS and the White House released last spring. But the administration did propose an unusually aggressive idea last month, announcing it would experiment with pegging Medicare drugs dispensed by doctors to an index based on drug prices in other countries. It's an idea you'd expect Democrats to support since the Obama administrationattempted something similar. But as we've noted, Pelosi and other leading Democrats expressed only tepid support, appearing unwilling to give any ground to the administration just weeks before the election. Now, on the other side of the midterms and with the House majority firmly in hand, Democrats will be seriously considering how to engage onthe issue over the next two years. Nonetheless, lobbyists are skeptical there will be muchbipartisan action on drug prices. Unlikely, one GOP lobbyist wrote to me. Other lobbyistspointed to Grassley the most likely senator to assume chairmanship of the powerful Senate Finance Committee from retiring Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah_ and his longtime, bipartisan work on prescription drugs. A key architect of Medicare's Part D prescription drug program, Grassley teamed up with Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) three years ago to investigate steep prices for the hepatitis C drug Solvadi. One could imagine Grassley teaming up with Democratic colleagues on pharmaceutical legislation assuming, that is, that either party is willing to take actions that would raise the powerful industry's ire.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/comment-on-the-resignation-of-jeff-sessions-as-us-attorney-general,Comment On The Resignation Of Jeff Sessions As U.S. Attorney General,2018-11-07,2018,2018-11,Democrat,House,VT,Patrick Leahy,L000174,www.leahy.senate.gov,,,legacy,"11.07.18 Comment On The Resignation Of Jeff Sessions As U.S. Attorney General Comment Of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) On The Resignation Of Jeff Sessions As U.S. Attorney General November 7, 2018 President Trump has wanted to hobble the Russia investigation from its inception. The only reason why he regularly disparaged and belittled Attorney General Jeff Sessions, and ultimately asked for his resignation, is that he was unhappy that his Attorney General followed mandatory Department of Justice regulations and recused himself from the Russia investigation. And the President has now attempted to install a close ally of the White House in charge of this investigation. Matthew Whitaker has heavily criticized and publicly discussed defunding the Special Counsel's investigation. He needs to recuse himself immediately. It is not clear when the President will nominate a new Attorney General. The American people deserve to know whether that nominee will commit to take no action whatsoever, public or private, through restrictions in scope or budget or personnel or otherwise, to impede the Special Counsel's investigation in any way. And in the meantime Special Counsel Mueller must be permitted to continue this most critical national security investigation without any interference. # # # # # Press Contact David Carle: 202-224-3693 Previous Article",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/comment-on-prevailing-over-voter-suppression-efforts,Comment On Prevailing Over Voter Suppression Efforts,2018-11-05,2018,2018-11,Democrat,House,VT,Patrick Leahy,L000174,www.leahy.senate.gov,,,legacy,"11.05.18 Comment On Prevailing Over Voter Suppression Efforts Comment of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) On Prevailing Over Voter Suppression Efforts November 5, 2018 The right to vote in the United States has never come easy. For minorities, for women, and for marginalized communities across the country, first gaining and then exercising the right to vote has required endless sacrifice and relentless perseverance. Just one day away from an election that will shape the foreseeable trajectory of our democracy, that foundational right the franchise requires our constant vigilance as much as it ever has. Susan B. Anthony was arrested after she cast her vote for president on this very day, November 5, in 1872. Full women's suffrage didn't arrive until nearly a half century later. Even after African Americans gained suffrage in 1870, they faced a century of rampant, and racist, government-sanctioned voter suppression. Poll taxes, literacy tests, and other thinly-veiled attempts to keep African Americans from casting their ballots made the right to vote effectively meaningless. Those who led the efforts for voting rights in the 1960s, like my good friend Congressman John Lewis, were often met with more arrests and brutal displays of force sometimes lethal that were broadcast to televisions everywhere and transfixed our nation. Their heroic struggle led to the passage of the Voting Rights Act, which finally ushered in strong protections against racial discrimination in voting. Yet the struggle for equality in voting is ongoing. In fact, it is perhaps more at risk today than any time since the passage of the Voting Rights Act in 1965. When five justices on the Supreme Court gutted the landmark law in the Shelby County decision in 2013, several states raced to limit access to the voting booth, passing sweeping laws that would disproportionately suppress the voting rights of minorities. In many states, the intent was clear: create rigid restrictions on the ability to exercise the vote; foment fear by threatening to punish anyone who fails to meet the requirements; and, to the extent the courts would let them get away with it, target these restrictions to disproportionately impact African Americans and other minorities with surgical precision. These laws were often justified by wild, unsubstantiated claims of voter fraud. Today this trend continues. In Georgia, the very official who controls the state's voting system is also running for governor, a glaring conflict of interest. He has used his position as Secretary of State to aggressively promote his interests as a gubernatorial candidate, including by suspending more than 53,000 voter applications 70 percent of them filed by African Americans. In North Dakota, under a new voter ID law, thousands of Native Americans cannot vote because they do not have residential addresses; many use Post Office boxes. Senator Heidi Heitkamp won North Dakota by fewer than 3,000 votes in 2012. Just this morning, President Trump is attempting to intimidate voters by tweeting that illegal voting will be subject to maximum criminal penalties. He apparently has not let go his belief in the conspiracy theory that he would have won the popular vote, which he lost by three million votes, had it not been for illegal voting. I have asked numerous Trump administration officials to point to any evidence of such widespread illegal voting all have come up empty. The President's handpicked voter fraud expert, Kris Kobach, found only 14 instances of fraud out of 84 million ballots cast in previous elections. In typical fashion, President Trump is trying to distract Americans away from the very real threat of systematic voter suppression with the invented specter of mass voter fraud. But on the eve of Election Day perhaps the most consequential mid-term elections of our lifetime there is reason to hope. Millions of Americans are paying attention, and are seeing the desperation of those who seek to maintain their power by suppressing the vote. They are witnessing the impact of this suppression on Americans across the country who simply want to exercise their most basic right to participate in our democracy. If the American people care about this issue and demand progress, Congress will follow. The Supreme Court has made clear that Congress has the power to restore Voting Rights Act protections. It is only a matter of whether Congress has the will. Earlier this Congress, I led nearly half the Senate 47 Senators in writing and introducing the Voting Rights Advancement Act, which would restore key protections of the Voting Rights Act that were gutted by the Shelby County decision. I also introduced, following the lead of Vermont, the Automatic Voter Registration Act to require states to automatically register eligible voters when they turn 18. Vermont's new law already has achieved 92.5 percent registrations of eligible Vermonters. Voter suppression is by definition undemocratic. I believe it is un-American. By exercising their right to vote tomorrow, Americans have an opportunity to resoundingly defeat these tactics. Perhaps then over half of the Senate will support the Voting Rights Advancement Act to restore protections against discrimination in voting. Perhaps then we can finally place the dark chapters of voter suppression and intimidation behind us as a nation. As my friend Congressman John Lewis has stated, voting is the most powerful, nonviolent tool we have to create a more perfect union. Similarly, in 1962, Martin Luther King Jr. delivered a speech at the Mother Emanuel Church in Charleston the scene of the horrific tragedy a few short years ago where he noted that voting rights was the key to achieving the American dream for all. Their statements ring as true today as they did fifty years ago. # # # # # Press Contact David Carle: 202-224-3693 Previous Article",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/comments-of-senator-patrick-leahy-about-the-presidents-vitriolic-remarks-on-thursday-about-immigration-and-asylum-policy,Comments Of Senator Patrick Leahy About The President's Vitriolic Remarks On Thursday About Immigration And Asylum Policy,2018-11-01,2018,2018-11,Democrat,House,VT,Patrick Leahy,L000174,www.leahy.senate.gov,,,legacy,"11.01.18 Comments Of Senator Patrick Leahy About The President's Vitriolic Remarks On Thursday About Immigration And Asylum Policy The President's fact-free vitriol today on immigration was yet another transparent descent into fear-mongering politics just days before national elections that could place a check on his presidency. It wasn't about a new crisis at our Southwest Border. It wasn't about public safety. Instead this was another cynical ploy to divert attention from his party's efforts to take away coverage of preexisting conditions and cut Social Security and Medicare to plug part of the gaping hole they caused by their tax cuts for corporations and the wealthy. Now, and always, he resorts to the tactic of stoking fear when he believes it benefits him politically. The last thing he wants to do is defend his party's relentless efforts demonstrated by more than 50 votes and now a coordinated Republican-led lawsuit to put affordable healthcare out of reach for millions of Americans with preexisting conditions. The policy that President Trump appeared to announce today suffers from countless fatal flaws. First, and most obvious, it is blatantly illegal. Our law is crystal clear that migrants who arrive at any point on our borders have the right to claim although not the right to obtain asylum. Second, President Trump's empty claim that he encourages migrants to apply for asylum at ports of entry is betrayed by the fact that asylum seekers are regularly and systematically turned away at these ports every day. And finally, it will inflict serious damage on our identity as the world's greatest and most powerful humanitarian leader. I didn't think I'd live to see the day when an American president threatens lethal military force against individuals who are throwing rocks. The professionals in our military are among the best in the world, and have invested countless hours and tax dollars in training about the lawful use of force to accomplish their mission. The illegal and immoral practice the President endorsed is beneath their and our country's dignity. If the President were serious about fixing our immigration system there's still a bipartisan blueprint for how to do it: comprehensive immigration reform passed the Senate with an overwhelming, bipartisan vote in 2013. But President Trump is not seeking serious solutions he's trafficking in fact-free fearmongering. America is better than that. Read my full statement about President Trump's descent into diversion and demagoguery HERE: The President Doubles Down On Diversion, Demagoguery And Demonization By Patrick Leahy Oct. 31, 2018 Unable to credibly defend his corporate tax giveaways or Republicans' unending zeal to strip healthcare and coverage of pre-existing conditions from millions of Americans, President Trump, one week ahead of an election that could place a check on his presidency, is returning to a familiar playbook: deploying demagoguery to distract and divide us. This time by using a caravan of vulnerable migrants and asylum seekers a thousand miles from our border as scapegoats to foment irrational fears and rally his most ardent believers. Now, in an interview betraying his casual disregard for or ignorance of our Constitution, he has even vowed to sign an executive order to end birthright citizenship for children of non-citizens born in the U.S. This form of citizenship is explicitly enshrined in the 14th Amendment and cannot be undone by presidential fiat. But President Trump doesn't understand that, or care to, as he has apparently decided that flippantly threatening to upend the Constitution to exploit anti-immigrant sentiment is good politics. And this constitutionally suspect proposal came just after President Trump began implementing another legally suspect and wasteful policy: sending an additional 5,000 active-duty military personnel, some of them armed, as part of a force of more than 7,000 troops at our southern border. This is despite a century-old U.S. law that prevents using our military to directly enforce our domestic laws. This deployment which comes at the expense of millions of taxpayer dollars, and an uncertain impact on our military readiness might satisfy the President's ego but not much else, given all the restrictions on what the military can legally do in support of our law enforcement authorities at the border. So what is motivating the President to casually disregard the Constitution and misuse and waste military resources with a symbolic and inappropriate deployment of soldiers with weapons? According to him, all it took was a few thousand desperate families, forming a makeshift caravan, traveling on foot with little more than the clothes on their backs, hoping to file asylum claims in our country. These men, women, and children whose numbers have dwindled are still nearly a thousand miles and several weeks away from our border, if they ever reach the border at all. Their struggle would be unrecognizable to our President. Since the day he was born, President Trump has lived a life of luxury and extravagance. He has never been hungry or had to worry that he could not feed his children. He has never feared that a gang member wielding a machete or gun might threaten to kill him if he did not hand over one of his daughters. He has never remotely been faced with the wrenching decision to abandon his home and country in search of refuge from gang violence and persecution. His response to the caravan has been predictable utterly devoid of empathy, logic, and facts. Demonize them. Without even the pretense of evidence, call them gang members and criminals. Without an iota of proof, label them Middle Easterners, as though anyone born there is automatically a threat to us. Warn of an imminent onslaught, invaders, an assault on our country, and a national emergency, even though many of them are mothers with infants and toddlers. Exploit them for political gain by embracing far-right conspiracy theories and, as he always does, blame the Democrats even though his party controls all branches of government. If President Trump were serious about finding solutions instead of scapegoats, he would increase aid to Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador to address the chief causes of emigration from these countries aid that Republicans and Democrats in Congress provided not threaten to cut it, as he has done. If he were serious about finding answers, he would work with the Mexican government to provide food and shelter to these migrants where they are not demand billions of U.S. taxpayer dollars for the costly stunt of symbolically walling off our southern border, which would take years and do nothing to address the causes of migration. And he would work with Mexico and Central American governments to greatly expand their capacity to process these migrants' asylum claims within those countries to prevent them from making the arduous journey north not threaten to jettison our landmark asylum laws that have protected religious, ethnic and other persecuted refugees for generations, as he has done. But President Trump, true to character, is not interested in serious solutions. He is cynically determined to foment hysteria and wield fear to change the subject away from issues that Americans truly care about in their daily lives. Such as protecting current coverage of pre-existing conditions in their health insurance plans. Such as their opposition to Republican plans to cut Medicare and Social Security. Such as ending a self-inflicted trade war that in a matter of weeks has erased this year's stock market gains. He seemingly will stop at nothing to change the subject away from the fact that his administration is doing great harm to the policies and values that Americans actually care deeply about. Americans should not be frightened or fooled. We should not allow President Trump's fact-free fearmongering to distract us. For the sake of protecting the rule of law that defines us, for the sake of safeguarding our identity as a nation of immigrants and refugees, and for the sake of preserving our dignity as the most powerful democracy in the world, we must reject President Trump's desperate demagoguery. We are the United States of America. Let's act like it, even if our President will not. # # # # # [Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) is the Vice Chair of the Appropriations Committee and a leading member of the Judiciary Committee.] Press Contact David Carle: 202-224-3693",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.leahy.senate.gov/ludlow-elementary,Ludlow Elementary,2018-10-31,2018,2018-10,Democrat,House,VT,Patrick Leahy,L000174,www.leahy.senate.gov,,,legacy,"10.31.18 Ludlow Elementary On October 31, 2018, Senator Leahy continued his series of online chats with Vermont students this time, with Ludlow Elementary School's 6th grade class, taught by Ms. Heidi Baitz. He enjoyed answering their questions about environmental issues facing Lake Champlain, and about what being a senator entails. Senator Leahy also discussed the important role that immigrants have played in shaping the United States, and about what students can do to lead healthy and active lives. Press Contact David Carle: 202-224-3693 Next Article Previous Article",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/appropriations-vice-chair-patrick-leahy-on-secy-of-state-pompeos-call-for-an-end-to-fighting-in-yemen,"Appropriations Vice Chair Patrick Leahy, On Secy. Of State Pompeos Call For An End To Fighting In Yemen",2018-10-31,2018,2018-10,Democrat,House,VT,Patrick Leahy,L000174,www.leahy.senate.gov,,,legacy,"10.31.18 Appropriations Vice Chair Patrick Leahy, On Secy. Of State Pompeo's Call For An End To Fighting In Yemen Comment Of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt., Vice Chairman Of The Senate Appropriations Committee, And Ranking Member Of The State Department And Foreign Operations Subcommittee) On Secretary Of State Pompeo's Call For An End To Fighting In Yemen For two years the Trump Administration has wasted countless millions of U.S. taxpayer dollars to support an ill-conceived, poorly executed air war instigated by the impulsive Saudi Crown Prince, that has caused immense civilian suffering. After repeatedly opposing efforts by Democrats and some Republicans in Congress to stop it, the Secretary of State has finally called for an end to the fighting. I hope that means the Administration will no longer provide the bombs, jet fuel and other support to the Saudi military without which they never could have carried on the war in the first place. The Saudis' atrocities in Yemen have been enabled by the Trump Administration. The Saudis' atrocity against Jamal Khashoggi is another. The White House has largely sat on its hands instead of insisting on a full accounting of his murder. That tacit accommodation, too, must end. # # # # # Press Contact David Carle: 202-224-3693 Previous Article",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/commentary/statement-of-sen-patrick-leahy-on-the-caravan/birthright-citizenship/troops-to-southern-border,Commentary/Statement Of Sen. Patrick Leahy On The Caravan/Birthright Citizenship/Troops To Southern Border,2018-10-31,2018,2018-10,Democrat,House,VT,Patrick Leahy,L000174,www.leahy.senate.gov,,,legacy,"10.31.18 Commentary/Statement Of Sen. Patrick Leahy On The Caravan/Birthright Citizenship/Troops To Southern Border The President Doubles Down On Diversion, Demagoguery And Demonization By Patrick Leahy Unable to credibly defend his corporate tax giveaways or Republicans' unending zeal to strip healthcare and coverage of pre-existing conditions from millions of Americans, President Trump, one week ahead of an election that could place a check on his presidency, is returning to a familiar playbook: deploying demagoguery to distract and divide us. This time by using a caravan of vulnerable migrants and asylum seekers a thousand miles from our border as scapegoats to foment irrational fears and rally his most ardent believers. Now, in an interview betraying his casual disregard for or ignorance of our Constitution, he has even vowed to sign an executive order to end birthright citizenship for children of non-citizens born in the U.S. This form of citizenship is explicitly enshrined in the 14th Amendment and cannot be undone by presidential fiat. But President Trump doesn't understand that, or care to, as he has apparently decided that flippantly threatening to upend the Constitution to exploit anti-immigrant sentiment is good politics. And this constitutionally suspect proposal came just after President Trump began implementing another legally suspect and wasteful policy: sending an additional 5,000 active-duty military personnel, some of them armed, as part of a force of more than 7,000 troops at our southern border. This is despite a century-old U.S. law that prevents using our military to directly enforce our domestic laws. This deployment which comes at the expense of millions of taxpayer dollars, and an uncertain impact on our military readiness might satisfy the President's ego but not much else, given all the restrictions on what the military can legally do in support of our law enforcement authorities at the border. So what is motivating the President to casually disregard the Constitution and misuse and waste military resources with a symbolic and inappropriate deployment of soldiers with weapons? According to him, all it took was a few thousand desperate families, forming a makeshift caravan, traveling on foot with little more than the clothes on their backs, hoping to file asylum claims in our country. These men, women, and children whose numbers have dwindled are still nearly a thousand miles and several weeks away from our border, if they ever reach the border at all. Their struggle would be unrecognizable to our President. Since the day he was born, President Trump has lived a life of luxury and extravagance. He has never been hungry or had to worry that he could not feed his children. He has never feared that a gang member wielding a machete or gun might threaten to kill him if he did not hand over one of his daughters. He has never remotely been faced with the wrenching decision to abandon his home and country in search of refuge from gang violence and persecution. His response to the caravan has been predictable utterly devoid of empathy, logic, and facts. Demonize them. Without even the pretense of evidence, call them gang members and criminals. Without an iota of proof, label them Middle Easterners, as though anyone born there is automatically a threat to us. Warn of an imminent onslaught, invaders, an assault on our country, and a national emergency, even though many of them are mothers with infants and toddlers. Exploit them for political gain by embracing far-right conspiracy theories and, as he always does, blame the Democrats even though his party controls all branches of government. If President Trump were serious about finding solutions instead of scapegoats, he would increase aid to Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador to address the chief causes of emigration from these countries aid that Republicans and Democrats in Congress provided not threaten to cut it, as he has done. If he were serious about finding answers, he would work with the Mexican government to provide food and shelter to these migrants where they are not demand billions of U.S. taxpayer dollars for the costly stunt of symbolically walling off our southern border, which would take years and do nothing to address the causes of migration. And he would work with Mexico and Central American governments to greatly expand their capacity to process these migrants' asylum claims within those countries to prevent them from making the arduous journey north not threaten to jettison our landmark asylum laws that have protected religious, ethnic and other persecuted refugees for generations, as he has done. But President Trump, true to character, is not interested in serious solutions. He is cynically determined to foment hysteria and wield fear to change the subject away from issues that Americans truly care about in their daily lives. Such as protecting current coverage of pre-existing conditions in their health insurance plans. Such as their opposition to Republican plans to cut Medicare and Social Security. Such as ending a self-inflicted trade war that in a matter of weeks has erased this year's stock market gains. He seemingly will stop at nothing to change the subject away from the fact that his administration is doing great harm to the policies and values that Americans actually care deeply about. Americans should not be frightened or fooled. We should not allow President Trump's fact-free fearmongering to distract us. For the sake of protecting the rule of law that defines us, for the sake of safeguarding our identity as a nation of immigrants and refugees, and for the sake of preserving our dignity as the most powerful democracy in the world, we must reject President Trump's desperate demagoguery. We are the United States of America. Let's act like it, even if our President will not. # # # # # [Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) is the Vice Chair of the Appropriations Committee and a leading member of the Judiciary Committee.] Press Contact David Carle: 202-224-3693 Previous Article",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/102618bombsuspectarrest,Comment Of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) About The Arrest Of A Terror-Bomb Suspect,2018-10-26,2018,2018-10,Democrat,House,VT,Patrick Leahy,L000174,www.leahy.senate.gov,,,legacy,"10.26.18 Comment Of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) About The Arrest Of A Terror-Bomb Suspect We're proud, again, of the men and women of law enforcement at every level for their grit, their courage and their professionalism in investigating these bombs that were intended to incite terror and chaos. We thank them for their service in defending our democracy, pursuing justice and keeping Americans safe. Press Contact David Carle: 202-224-3693 Previous Article",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://welch.house.gov/media-center/in-the-news/new-york-times-trump-proposes-lower-drug-prices-basing-them-other-countries,New York Times: Trump Proposes to Lower Drug Prices by Basing Them on Other Countries Costs,2018-10-25,2018,2018-10,Democrat,House,VT,Peter Welch,W000800,welch.house.gov,,,legacy,"The current international drug-pricing system has put America in last place, Alex M. Azar II, the secretary of health and human services, said in unveiling the report. Mr. Trump cited the government's international drug-pricing report in his speech on Thursday, saying he was taking aim at global free riding that forces Americans to subsidize drug prices in other countries. Americans pay more so that other countries can pay less, Mr. Trump said. The report compares prices charged by drug manufacturers in the United States and 16 other countries for 27 drugs that are covered by Part B of Medicare. Over all, the report said, prices and reimbursement rates for Part B drugs are significantly higher for U.S. providers than purchasers outside the U.S. Medicare could achieve significant savings, it added, if prices in the U.S. were similar to those of other large market-based economies. In a Twitter post, Mr. Azar said, Medicare was found to be paying the highest price for 19 out of the 27 drugs studied. In only one case was Medicare paying less than the international average, he said. Medicare beneficiaries are generally responsible for 20 percent of the cost of drugs covered by Part B of the program. So if Medicare reduces its payment, the cost to beneficiaries will be similarly proportionately reduced, the administration said. However, most beneficiaries now have supplemental insurance, such as a Medigap policy or retiree health benefits, to help pay their share of the bill for drugs covered under Part B of Medicare. The new method of payment proposed by the Trump administration would be phased in from 2020 to 2025. Overall savings for American taxpayers and patients are projected to total $17.2 billion over five years, Mr. Azar said. Among the drugs included in the study were Aranesp, for patients with anemia caused by chemotherapy or chronic kidney disease; several cancer medicines, such as Avastin, Herceptin and Keytruda; Lucentis, for eye conditions that can cause vision loss; and Rituxan, for rheumatoid arthritis and certain types of cancer. The list prices for Keytruda and many other new cancer medicines are substantially more than $100,000 a year. As an example, Mr. Trump said: One common cancer drug is nearly seven times as expensive for Medicare as it is for other countries. This is a highly used and very effective drug. The president was apparently referring to Treanda, a cancer treatment sold by Teva Pharmaceutical Industries. The report was notable for several reasons. It uses foreign drug prices as a reference or benchmark to judge prices in the United States. In many foreign countries, officials negotiate prices with drug manufacturers. While Democrats have long pushed for such negotiations, Republicans in this country have blocked them, fearing Medicare could eventually dictate prices or restrict access to drugs deemed to be too expensive. Mr. Trump campaigned for president on the promise of allowing the government to negotiate drug prices, but then backed away from that position when he unveiled his first drug-price proposals last spring. The new proposal moves back toward that plan, not by having the federal government negotiate drug prices directly, but by piggybacking on price negotiations in other countries. Foreign countries use their national health systems to negotiate lower prices in exchange for market access, the Trump administration said in its report. Democrats were still pushing a more direct route. On the eve of the midterm elections, the president is proposing a small step on drug price relief when a giant leap is urgently needed, said Representative Peter Welch, Democrat of Vermont. Instead of nibbling around the edges, he should demand in his State of the Union speech that Congress send to his desk within 30 days a broad price negotiation bill that applies to all drugs in the Medicare program. Medicare has historically paid 106 percent of the average sales price for drugs that patients receive by infusion or injection in doctors' offices. Medicare drug spending has been growing rapidly at an average rate of about 9.5 percent a year since 2009, according to the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission, an independent agency that advises Congress. The Trump administration said the current payment formula could provide financial incentives for some doctors and hospitals to use the highest-priced clinically beneficial product. The new report acknowledged many limitations in the data used for its international price comparisons. The formulation of drugs, their dosage and their strength may differ from country to country, it said. Prices cited in the study may not accurately reflect the actual amount paid in the U.S. or abroad, because they generally do not show the effects of rebates offered by drug manufacturers, the report said. Obama administration officials were also troubled by the rapid growth of spending for drugs covered by Part B of Medicare. In March 2016, they proposed a nationwide experiment to reduce payments for many of these drugs. But they scrapped the plan nine months later after it was criticized by pharmaceutical companies, doctors, patients and members of Congress from both parties, who said it could jeopardize access to important medicines. Mr. Azar said the Trump administration proposal was more radical than Mr. Obama's. About two-thirds of Part B drug spending is for biotechnology drugs known as biologics. Countries included in the Trump administration's drug price comparisons, besides the United States, were Austria, Belgium, Canada, the Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://welch.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/welch-legislation-eliminate-major-barriers-employment-disabled-seniors,Welch Legislation to Eliminate Major Barriers to Employment for Disabled Seniors,2018-10-25,2018,2018-10,Democrat,House,VT,Peter Welch,W000800,welch.house.gov,,,legacy,"BURLINGTON, Vt. This morning at Gardener's Supply, Rep. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) unveiled his legislation to remove two major impediments to older disabled Americans remaining in the workforce past the age of 65. It simply doesn't make sense to penalize disabled seniors who want to remain in the workforce beyond the traditional retirement age, said Welch. This legislation eliminates two arbitrary barriers that discourage disabled seniors from working. And it ensures employers have dedicated workers ready, willing and able to get the job done. Under current law, qualified disabled adults receive an average monthly payment of $845.17 under the Social Security Disability Insurance program (SSDI). Beneficiaries are permitted to work but lose their disability benefit at the age of 65 if they choose to remain in the workforce. Welch's legislation eliminates this barrier subject to state approval. Also under current law, qualified disabled workers receiving disability benefits can buy into the state Medicaid program in most states to receive assistance with health care premiums. When these beneficiaries reach the age of 65, they can no longer buy into the Medicaid program if they choose to continue working. Welch's bill also eliminates this barrier subject to state approval. In Vermont and across the country, people with disabilities face significant barriers to employment, said Sam Liss, Chair of the Vermont Center for Independent Living (VCIL) Board of Directors. We appreciate the leadership from Congressman Welch to remove these barriers and shed light on this important problem. Cindy Turcot, President of Gardener's Supply Company said, We at Gardener's Supply are encouraged to hear about this legislation. We value the experience and wisdom of our mature workers and know how much they contribute to our business. This change will allow people the freedom to decide how long they want to work and eliminates the barriers for older workers with disabilities. Thank you to Congressman Welch. Gardener's Supply is a 100 percent employee owned company with three Vermont locations. Recognized for their leadership in hiring Mature Workers, about 35 percent of the company's employees are over the age of 55. Welch's legislation would enhance their 65+ hiring program by allowing disabled seniors to continue working and receiving benefits. ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://welch.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/welch-statement-trump-drug-pricing-announcement,Welch Statement on Trump Drug Pricing Announcement,2018-10-25,2018,2018-10,Democrat,House,VT,Peter Welch,W000800,welch.house.gov,,,legacy,"Rep. Peter Welch (D-Vt.), a lead sponsor of legislation in the House to mandate Medicare price negotiation, issued the following statement in reaction to President Trump's announcement this afternoon on prescription drug pricing: The American people should not be fooled by this October health care surprise. It falls far short of the significant and urgent relief from price gouging President Trump promised during his campaign when he railed against drug companies for getting away with murder.' At the time, he enthusiastically embraced the use of the federal government's bargaining power to negotiate a better deal on drugs for seniors. And in our Oval Office meeting three months after his inauguration, he doubled down on his support for Medicare price negotiation as well as the safe importation of prescription drugs. That was then, this is now. Twenty-one months later, and on the eve of the mid-term elections, the president is proposing a small step on drug price relief when a giant leap is urgently needed.Instead of nibbling around the edges, he should demand in his State of the Union speech that Congress send to his desk within 30 days a broad price negotiation bill that applies to all drugs in the Medicare program. Doing so would break the grip of Big PHARMA on Congress and provide real price relief for millions of consumers. If he does so, I am confident it would pass with strong bipartisan support. Rep. Welch and Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) met with President Trump in the Oval Office on March 8, 2017 to discuss their price negotiation bill. Welch is a senior member of the Energy and Commerce Committee and the Oversight and Government Reform Committee. ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://welch.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/president-trump-signs-opioid-packages-including-four-welch-bills,"President Trump Signs Opioid Packages, Including Four Welch Bills",2018-10-24,2018,2018-10,Democrat,House,VT,Peter Welch,W000800,welch.house.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON In a White House ceremony this afternoon, President Trump signed into law a bipartisan package of opioid legislation, including four bills co-authored by Rep. Peter Welch (D-Vt.). While supporting the package, Welch decried the lack of a more comprehensive approach to combatting the opioid public health epidemic ravaging communities in Vermont and across the country. If the first principle of legislation is to do no harm, we have succeeded, said Welch. But if the goal of legislation is to solve a problem, we have failed. What we need, in addition to these good bills, is a full-scale opioids Marshall Plan that provides significant resources to those working on the front lines of this public health epidemic. Rep. Welch is a cosponsor of theComprehensive Addiction Resources Emergency Act of 2018(H.R. 5545), a full-scale Marshall Plan to combat the opioid crisis by providing states and communities with $100 billion in funding over 10 years. The Welch co-authored bills included in the package will: Increase funding for the Medicaid Health Homes program, which funds state wrap-around substance abuse services, includingVermont's Hub and Spoke program (H.R. 5810). Attack the root cause of overprescribing by requiring both Medicare and state administered Medicaid programs to identify and educate outlier providers writing an excessive number of opioid prescriptions (H.R. 5716). Educate seniors on alternatives to opioids (H.R. 5685). Establish a new large-scale initiative at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to research opioid misuse, the understanding of pain, and the discovery of non-addictive, non-opioid alternatives to treat pain (H.R. 5002). Welch is a member of the Bipartisan Task Force to Combat the Heroin Epidemic and a senior member of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://welch.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/governor-phil-scott-and-congressman-peter-welch-bring-vermonters-uss,GOVERNOR PHIL SCOTT AND CONGRESSMAN PETER WELCH TO BRING VERMONTERS TO USS VERMONT CHRISTENING,2018-10-19,2018,2018-10,Democrat,House,VT,Peter Welch,W000800,welch.house.gov,,,legacy,"Montpelier, Vt. Governor Phil Scott and Congressman Peter Welch will represent Vermont at the christening of the USS Vermont on Saturday, October 20 in Groton, Connecticut. The Virginia-class submarine will commemorate the history between the U.S. Navy and the State of Vermont. It will be the third vessel named after the state in the history of the U.S. Navy. Space at the event was limited, but to mark the occasion and honor Vermont's Navy veterans, Scott and Welch collaborated to secure invitations for more than two dozen Vermont veterans and their families to attend the christening ceremony. Scott and Welch noted they would have liked to include more Vermonters but appreciated the opportunity to share this experience with a number of veterans and their families, stating, Our long-standing partnership with the Navy is an important part of Vermont's history and the USS Vermont continues that proud tradition. We thank the many Vermonters who have served, or are currently serving, in the U.S. Navy. We appreciate this opportunity to honor that service in celebration of this new vessel. ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/101918saudiaccountikhashoggideath,Reaction Of Senator Patrick Leahy To The Saudi Account Of The Death Of Jamal Khashoggi,2018-10-19,2018,2018-10,Democrat,House,VT,Patrick Leahy,L000174,www.leahy.senate.gov,,,legacy,"10.19.18 Reaction Of Senator Patrick Leahy To The Saudi Account Of The Death Of Jamal Khashoggi If ever a story reeked of a coverup, it is this one. It has been unraveling since it began. It's taken nearly three weeks for the Saudis to even admit that an American resident and journalist died in the Saudis' own consulate. And throughout this ordeal, the only urgency apparent in our President's handling of this crisis has been a compulsion to buy time for the Saudis to construct a story to protect the royal family. The American people need and deserve to know what the White House and our intelligence professionals know. Our country must not be complicit in this coverup. Press Contact David Carle: 202-224-3693 Previous Article",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://welch.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/welch-house-colleagues-introduce-legislation-halt-military-aid-and-arms,"Welch, House Colleagues Introduce Legislation to Halt Military Aid and Arms Sales to Saudi Arabia",2018-10-17,2018,2018-10,Democrat,House,VT,Peter Welch,W000800,welch.house.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, D.C. As the world awaits the response from the Saudi government on the disappearance and apparent murder of Jamal Khashoggi, Rep. Peter Welch (D.-Vt.) yesterday joined Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Ma.) and seven House colleagues in introducing legislation to halt military aid and the future sale of arms to Saudi Arabia. For too long the United States has blindly supported a Saudi Government engaged in a horrific campaign against the people of Yemen, said Welch. And now we learn that the Saudis were, at a minimum, complicit in the murder of a journalist who was critical of the Saudi regime.It is long past time to stop military assistance and the sale of arms to this brutal dictatorship. The legislation would prohibit U.S. military aid and arms sales to the Government of Saudi Arabia until the U.S. Secretary of State determines that Jamal Khashoggi is alive and free. If the Secretary of State determines that Mr. Khashoggi was killed by agents of the Saudi government, military aid and arms sales would remain prohibited pending congressional approval of further aid or sales. ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.leahy.senate.gov/101718colchesterhschat,Colchester High School,2018-10-17,2018,2018-10,Democrat,House,VT,Patrick Leahy,L000174,www.leahy.senate.gov,,,legacy,"10.17.18 Colchester High School On October 17, 2018, Senator Leahy hosted an online chat with Colchester High School's Senior Seminar Civics class. He regularly holds these live chats with Vermont students, and this was his first of the new school year. Senator Leahy was impressed by the students' questions on how things have changed in his four decades in the Senate. He also enjoyed answering their questions about his thoughts on current issues of interest including climate change to school safety. Press Contact David Carle: 202-224-3693 Previous Article",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/101718khashoggistatement,Statement Of Senator Patrick leahy On Jamal Khashoggi,2018-10-17,2018,2018-10,Democrat,House,VT,Patrick Leahy,L000174,www.leahy.senate.gov,,,legacy,"10.17.18 Statement Of Senator Patrick leahy On Jamal Khashoggi Credible, detailed reports from the Turkish government and the international press that Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi was tortured and murdered after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2nd have shocked the world. While we do not yet have definitive proof, neither is there any other plausible explanation. Saudi authorities first insisted that Mr. Khashoggi left the consulate unharmed, without offering any evidence of that. No video footage, nothing. After no one believed it, they concocted a completely different story. King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman denied any knowledge of what happened self-serving denials that President Trump and Secretary of State Pompeo seemed eager to accept at face value and the Saudi government suggested it was an interrogation gone wrong by rogue agents. That story is becoming increasingly implausible by the hour. The world should take note that it is the free press, not the Saudi government or the White House, that has doggedly searched for the truth about what happened to Mr. Khashoggi. It reminds us, once again, that a free press is an essential check against tyranny, dishonesty, and impunity. If the reports are true, that Mr. Khashoggi was tortured and murdered with the knowledge of the Saudi royal family, it is an outrageous crime for which those responsible in the Saudi government at the highest level must be held accountable. The Saudi government that is, the Saudi royal family has long acted with near total impunity for corruption and repression, to which the United States has too often turned a blind eye. In fact, the extrajudicial killing of a critic of the regime would not be an aberration in Saudi Arabia. Our government's willingness to ignore and to even tacitly encourage the abusive and reckless policies of the Saudi government most recently its war crimes in Yemen is again being tested. That history of excuses is exacerbated by the fact that the first foreign country President Trump visited was Saudi Arabia, with whom he and his family have conducted business deals totaling many tens if not hundreds of millions of dollars. That speaks volumes. In March, the Saudi Crown Prince, despite his dubious label as a reformer, was received here by President Trump and others, including American corporate executives, like a global celebrity. Why? Because of the vast petro-chemical wealth that he and his family control. There is no other reason. That is why the arrogance and crimes of the Saudi government, including since Mohammed Bin Salman's ascension to Crown Prince, have been tolerated. The case of Mr. Khashoggi illustrates once again not only the ruthlessness of the Saudi government. It highlights the threats posed to journalists around the world. Journalists are regularly targeted with harassment, threats, and assassination because they expose the corruption and other crimes of despotic governments. It also illustrates the corrosive threats to longstanding international norms and laws that are essential to diplomacy and global stability. Democracies cannot survive without a free press, which is why autocratic governments resort to arbitrary arrest, torture, and murder to silence the press. Yet President Trump has demonized the press, calling it the enemy. He has belittled reporters who are guilty of nothing more than doing their jobs, calling any criticism of him fake news. His attacks on the press are a threat to our democracy, and they have provided an excuse to the world's dictators like the Saudi royal family to crack down on the press. Being a journalist is now one of the most dangerous jobs in the world, and it is the responsibility of all of us to defend freedom of the press. I have long called for an end to U.S. support for Saudi Arabia's war in Yemen, and for an end to U.S. military assistance for Saudi Arabia. I opposed the recent decision by the Trump Administration to sell billions of dollars in U.S. military equipment to Saudi Arabia, for use in its war in Yemen. If Mr. Khashoggi was tortured and murdered by, or with the knowledge of, the Saudi government, it will be long past time to treat the Saudi royal family as the criminal enterprise that it is. Press Contact David Carle: 202-224-3693 Previous Article",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/101718trumpbusinesstiesksa,Leahy And 8 Other Senators Press For Full Disclosure Of Trump Family Business Ties To Saudi Arabia,2018-10-17,2018,2018-10,Democrat,House,VT,Patrick Leahy,L000174,www.leahy.senate.gov,,,legacy,"10.17.18 Leahy And 8 Other Senators Press For Full Disclosure Of Trump Family Business Ties To Saudi Arabia . . . Letters to Trump and Trump Organization cite tens of millions in known Trump-Saudi transactions, seek business freeze during Khashoggi investigation, and termination in event of Saudi government responsibility Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and eight other senators Wednesdaywrote to President Donald Trump and to the Trump Organization seeking a full accounting of any financial ties between the Trump Organization and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The senators' letters follow the disappearance and reported killing of Jamal Khashoggi, a resident of the United States and Washington Post journalist, whose whereabouts have been unknown since he entered a Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey on October 2nd. Others signing the letter are Senators Tom Udall (D-N.M.), Richard J. Durbin (D-Ill.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Cory A. Booker (D-N.J.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.)andSheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.). A bipartisan group of 22 senators, also including Leahy, recently triggered an investigation and a Global Magnitsky Act determination relating to the circumstances surrounding Mr. Khashoggi's disappearance and possible murder. Leahy is the ranking member of one of the Senate's two committees with jurisdiction over U.S. foreign affairs, the Appropriations Subcommittee on the State Department and Foreign Operations. Leahy joined the Republican chairs of both committees in signing the Magnitsky Act trigger letter. He also is the vice chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee and a leading member of the Judiciary Committee. In their letter to the president, the nine senators wrote: It is imperative that this sanctions determination, and U.S. policy towards Saudi Arabia generally, are not influenced by any conflicts of interest that may exist because of your or your family's deep financial ties to Saudi Arabia. The senators seek responses to a series of questions and requests for documents by Nov. 17, 2018, including: documents pertaining to financial transfers from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to the Trump Organization over the last 10 years; information about discussions surrounding potential business deals involving Saudi Arabia and the Trump Organization; and information about any potential gifts provided to the president by Saudi nationals. The senators asked the president to commit to suspending ongoing business relationships with Saudi Arabia until the Magnitsky investigation is complete, and to terminate any business relationships if the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is found to have murdered or abducted Mr. Khashoggi. On Tuesday, President Trumptweeted: For the record, I have no financial interests in Saudi Arabia (or Russia, for that matter). But as the senators note in their letter, According to public reports, the Trump Organization for decades has maintained business relationships with the government of Saudi Arabia and members of the Saudi royal family. Such ties are significant because, as the senators write, Saudi Arabia is one of the world's few remaining absolute monarchies, and the source of immense petro-wealth. The wealth acquired from oil and gas is frequently used abroad in pursuit of its political interests. The Democratic senators outlined the many public reports indicating longstanding business relationships between the government of Saudi Arabia and the Trump Organization. For instance, in 1995, a Saudi prince led a group of investors that acquired the Trump Plaza Hotel in a deal to pay off debts on the property for $325 million. The senators stated that the president's recent statements, as well as public reports of increased spending by the Saudi government at Trump properties, raise significant concerns about financial conflicts of interest. At a rally in Mobile, Alabama on Aug. 21, 2015, then candidate-Trump stated: Saudi Arabia. I get along with all of them. They buy apartments from me. They spend $40 million. $50 million. The Saudi government has spent substantial sums at three Trump branded hotels in the last two years, since Trump was elected president. The full text of the letter to the president is available HERE. The letter to Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump at the Trump Organization is available HERE. Press Contact David Carle: 202-224-3693 Previous Article",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/leahy-and-others-introduce-bipartisan-resolution-marking-todays-world-food-day,Leahy And Others Introduce Bipartisan Resolution Marking Todays WORLD FOOD DAY,2018-10-16,2018,2018-10,Democrat,House,VT,Patrick Leahy,L000174,www.leahy.senate.gov,,,legacy,"10.16.18 Leahy And Others Introduce Bipartisan Resolution Marking Today's WORLD FOOD DAY Leahy And Others Introduce Bipartisan Resolution Marking Tuesday's World Food Day (TUESDAY, Oct. 16, 2918) Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) is one of four senators who have joined across the aisle to introduce a resolution marking Tuesday's World Food Day. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) is chief sponsor, and the other cosponsors with Leahy are Senators Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) and John Boozman (R-Ark.). Global hunger has been on the rise for the last three years, and an estimated 821 million people were undernourished in 2017. Each year, the United States joins 130 other nations and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in celebrating World Food Day to promote global awareness and action for those who suffer from chronic hunger and for the need to ensure food security and good nutrition for all. World Food Day also commemorates the founding of FAO on October 16, 1945. The text of the resolution is available here. America has the talent, the bounty and the economic vitality to lead in ending hunger and malnutrition here and abroad. It's woven into our values, said Senator Leahy, vice chairman of the Appropriations Committee and a leading member of the Agriculture Committee. I'm proud to celebrate World Food Day by continuing to work for the expansion and improvement of international food aid, nutrition and local food access programs. The McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition program, Food for Progress, and Farm Bill nutrition and international food aid programs are some of the many ways we should build upon to address hunger and food access as we face protracted humanitarian crises across multiple continents. With global hunger on the rise, World Food Day is an important reminder of why the United States needs to sustain its investments in food security both at home and abroad. Congress recently affirmed the United States' commitment to reducing hunger by reauthorizing the Global Food Security Act, which has led to increased agricultural productivity, efficiencies in our food aid program, and nutrition education, said Senator Coons, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. I am pleased to work with this bipartisan group of colleagues to recognize World Food Day and the work that still needs to be done to ensure that all people have access to quality food. Vimlendra Sharan, the Director of the FAO Liaison Office in North America, said, The United States and FAO share a vision for a hunger-free and healthy world that can be achieved together. The United States' robust partnership with FAO is essential to achieving global hunger targets, alleviating rural poverty, and provides an invaluable return on investment for the U.S. We are grateful to see leaders in Congress continually striving for policies that effectively reduce hunger; and today I am pleased to join these members in highlighting the everyday actions that Americans can take and continue to take in order to eradicate hunger. U.S. Representatives Chellie Pingree (D-Maine), Lynn Jenkins (R-Kan.), Jim McGovern (D-Mass.), and David Young (R-Iowa) introduced a similar resolution in the U.S. House of Representatives. To find out more ways you can take action to achieve a hunger-free world and celebrate World Food Day on October 16 and all year long, please visit http://www.fao.org/world-food-day. # # # # # Press Contact David Carle: 202-224-3693 Previous Article",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/101518howardcentergrant,"Leahy Announces $525,000 Federal Grant To Boost Howard Centers Safe Recovery Program To Fight Opioid Abuse",2018-10-15,2018,2018-10,Democrat,House,VT,Patrick Leahy,L000174,www.leahy.senate.gov,,,legacy,"10.15.18 Leahy Announces $525,000 Federal Grant To Boost Howard Center's Safe Recovery Program To Fight Opioid Abuse Senator Patrick Leahy Monday announced that a $525,000 federal grant will be awarded to the Howard Center's Safe Recovery Program, so that those in immediate need of Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) for opioid use disorder will have access to buprenorphine on the same day they request it. Leahy was joined for the announcement by Bob Bick, Howard Center's Chief Executive Officer; Vermont Attorney General T.J. Donovan;Burlington Mayor Miro Weinberger and Safe Recovery Program Coordinator Grace Keller. Leahy, Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, played a crucial role in supporting federal funding for the project and in making the opioid crisis a high priority in several Appropriations bills. Leahy was a lead negotiator in the bipartisan budget agreement reached in February, which set aside $6 billion in new funding over two years to fund the fight againstthe opioid crisis and support mental health initiatives, making the funding announced Monday possible. Leahy's efforts also made possible other Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) grants to Vermont. With the grant, the Safe Recovery Program will expand services to provide clients with buprenorphine (also known by its brand name Suboxone) until they are successfully integrated into the traditional hub and spoke method pioneered in Vermont. Same-day treatment is critical to stemming the opioid epidemic, as there may only be a short window when someone who is struggling is receptive to beginning treatment. The Safe Recovery Program also provides a variety of other important services, including HIV and Hepatitis C testing, syringe exchange, free Narcan overdose reversal kits, fentanyl testing strips and drug treatment counseling. Leahy said: This grant will fulfill a critical need, putting essential treatment medication in the hands of those who need it most and when they need it most. We often only have one chance to break the cycle of addiction and get people the treatment that they need. Every Vermont family and every Vermont community has felt the scourge of this disease and I pledge to continue to secure resources that Vermont needs for real solutions to this problem. Howard CEO Bick said: Howard Center is so very pleased to have the continuing support of Senator Leahy, and that SAMHSA has seen the value of our proposal to accelerate access to treatment as another important initiative in Vermont's efforts to reduce the pain and suffering for those who are struggling with an addiction to opiates. With over 5,000 clients, Safe Recovery has access to the largest population of active drug users in the state, reaching the highest risk and hardest-to-serve individuals. Press Contact David Carle: 202-224-3693 Previous Article",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/10131822ndannualweoc,Senator Leahy Saturday Hosts 22nd Annual Womens Economic Conference,2018-10-13,2018,2018-10,Democrat,House,VT,Patrick Leahy,L000174,www.leahy.senate.gov,,,legacy,"10.13.18 Senator Leahy Saturday Hosts 22nd Annual Women's Economic Conference Senator Patrick Leahy Saturday hosted the 22nd Annual Vermont Women's Economic Conference at Vermont Technical College. This year's conference, which was presented in partnership with Change the Story Vermont for the second year in a row, featured keynote speaker Corinne Prevot and more than 24 workshops on topics as diverse as effective communication in the workplace, to the impact of the #MeToo movement. More than 400 women attended. Leahy has organized and hosted the Women's Economic Opportunity Conference since 1996 to bring together Vermont women for workshops and networking activities to further their careers or launch small businesses. Past conferences have featured keynotes such as equal pay advocate Lilly Ledbetter, former Attorney General Loretta Lynch, Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor and many other Vermont and national figures. Senator Leahy said: I'm honored to host the 22nd annual Women's Economic Opportunity Conference. This year we are lucky to have an impressive Vermont speaker, Corinne Prevot, to share her experiences as a successfully young entrepreneur and interesting seminars that are sure to entertain and educate. Since I began hosting this conference in 1996, we've made progress toward equality for all, but if the last few years have shown us anything, it is that there is still so much more to do. Corinne Prevot is the founder and CEO of Skida Headwear and Accessories. She made the first Skida hats while still a student at Burke Mountain Academy, and continued making them while attending Middlebury College. She has launched Skida Plus One, a donation program that provides hats to cancer patients, and sources cashmere for her hats from a localized source in Kathmandu, Nepal. Today Skida Headwear and Accessories products are sold through nearly 300 retailers and Skida employs seven people in Burlington. Last year, Corinne was named to the Forbes' 2018 30 Under 30 List that recognizes the best young makers and industrial innovators in manufacturing under the age of 30. Change the Story Vermont is a nonprofit that seeks to improve women's economic status in Vermont. They compile reports on the economic impact of gender inequality in Vermont and host events and initiatives to close the gender gap in Vermont. Press Contact David Carle: 202-224-3693 Previous Article",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://welch.house.gov/media-center/in-the-news/vtdigger-vermont-seeks-federal-funds-aging-flood-control-dams,VTDigger: Vermont Seeks Federal Funds for Aging Flood Control Dams,2018-10-12,2018,2018-10,Democrat,House,VT,Peter Welch,W000800,welch.house.gov,,,legacy,"Vermont will soon be able to apply for up to $40 million in federal funding for projects to repair three aging flood control dams, after the Senate passed the America's Water Infrastructure Act of 2018 overwhelmingly on Wednesday. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., in the Senate, and Rep. Peter Welch, D-Vt., in the House, authored an amendment that raised funding for dam repair from $10 million to $40 million in the new bill. The provision authorizes 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. Vermont will be competing with all the other states for the funds. These dams are essential pieces of Vermont's infrastructure, said Sanders in a statement, maintaining and repairing the dams especially the Waterbury Dam has long been a priority for the state. This bipartisan legislation is an important step toward rebuilding aging dams in Vermont and throughout the United States. In a statement Welch said this legislation is necessary for communities to prepare for and mitigate damage done by large storms hitting Vermont and the Northeast. In 2011, Waterbury suffered a devastating flood during Tropical Storm Irene. More catastrophic damage was prevented due to the existence of the aging Waterbury Dam, Welch said. This important legislation will increase funding to refurbish outdated and hazardous flood control dams in Vermont and across the country. The bill also has a provision that authorizes the Army Corps of Engineers to repair bridges in Vermont that are part of New England's evacuation routes during extreme weather events. In addition to infrastructure maintenance for bridges and dams, the bill includes funding for lead testing in schools and testing for unregulated contaminants including PFOA which has been found in Bennington County. The bill, which allows states to apply for $5 million a year in grants and $25 million a year for technical assistance for lead testing could potentially assist Richford Elementary School, which the Health Department found had lead levels equal to or above the EPA recommended limit in 33 percent of the water samples in the school. After final congressional approval on Wednesday, the bill will go to President Donald Trump, who is expected to sign it.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/leahy-joins-durbin-boozman-and-others-in-pressing-president-trump-on-decision-to-continue-providing-assistance-to-countries-that-use-child-soldiers,"Leahy Joins Durbin, Boozman And Others In Pressing President Trump On Decision To Continue Providing Assistance To Countries That Use Child Soldiers",2018-10-12,2018,2018-10,Democrat,House,VT,Patrick Leahy,L000174,www.leahy.senate.gov,,,legacy,"10.12.18 Leahy Joins Durbin, Boozman And Others In Pressing President Trump On Decision To Continue Providing Assistance To Countries That Use Child Soldiers Still today, there are estimated tens of thousands of children fighting in active conflicts around the world WASHINGTON (FRIDAY, Oct. 12, 2018) Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) is among the senators who Friday pressed President Trump for information regarding his recent decision to invoke troublingly broad waivers for continued United States military assistance to countries that use child soldiers assistance prohibited under the Child Soldier Prevention Act of 2008, which was originally introduced by Durbin and former-Senator Sam Brownback (R-KS). The letter was sent by Leahy and Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), John Boozman (R-AR), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Patty Murray (D-WA), Ben Cardin (D-MD) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI). The Child Soldier Prevention Act of 2008 bans the U.S. from providing military assistance or arms sales to governments that use children in combat, but the president may waive the application of the law for specific countries if it is deemed to be in the national interest. In his September 28, 2018, memorandum, President Trump waived Iraq, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan, and Yemen. While we recognize there are challenging and important security interests in many of these nations, the United States and its allies should be doing everything possible to end military support for governments that engage in the abhorrent practice of using child soldiers and to also help reintegrate such children back into their families and society. Using sweeping waivers to continue such assistance undermines such efforts and the spirit of the law, the senators wrote. Full text of the letter is available here and below: October 12, 2018 Dear President Trump: We write to request greater clarification on your decision to invoke a waiver for continued United States military assistance to countries that use child soldiersassistance prohibited under the Child Soldier Prevention Act of 2008 (Public Law 110-457). This law was amended in 2013 (Public Law 113-4) to include similar restrictions on U.S. funding for international peacekeeping missions. We helped draft the original Child Soldier Prevention Act out of concern that the use of child soldiers around the world remains far too common. Still today, there are estimated tens of thousands of children fighting in active conflicts around the world. These young boys and girls fight on front lines of combat, serve as human mine detectors, participate in suicide missions, carry supplies, and act as spies, messengers, lookouts, and sex slavesendangering their health and their lives. They are stigmatized and traumatized by their experiences and left with neither family connections nor skills to allow them to transition successfully into productive adult lives. Not only are they robbed of their childhoods, but the lasting effects remain with them for years if not entire lifetimes. While we recognize there are challenging and important security interests in many of these nations, the United States and its allies should be doing everything possible to end military support for governments that engage in the abhorrent practice of using child soldiers and to also help reintegrate such children back into their families and society. Using sweeping waivers to continue such assistance undermines such efforts and the spirit of the law. Sincerely, cc: Secretary of State Mike Pompeo # # # # # Press Contact David Carle: 202-224-3693 Previous Article",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/101118f35grounding,"Comment Of Senator Patrick Leahy, Senator Bernie Sanders, And Representative Peter Welch, On The Grounding Of F-35s For Safety Inspections",2018-10-11,2018,2018-10,Democrat,House,VT,Patrick Leahy,L000174,www.leahy.senate.gov,,,legacy,"10.11.18 Comment Of Senator Patrick Leahy, Senator Bernie Sanders, And Representative Peter Welch, On The Grounding Of F-35s For Safety Inspections For every aircraft, including every new aircraft, safety must always be the top priority. This plane is no different. The Pentagon has said that it will inspect every aircraft for the suspected part. They must continue to thoroughly investigate this issue until they have corrected the problem. Press Contact David Carle: 202-224-3693 Previous Article",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/101118ngsmallbizrelease,Leahy & Shaheen Legislation to Support Small Businesses with National Guard and Military Reservists Clears Key Committee Hurdle,2018-10-11,2018,2018-10,Democrat,House,VT,Patrick Leahy,L000174,www.leahy.senate.gov,,,legacy,"10.11.18 Leahy & Shaheen Legislation to Support Small Businesses with National Guard and Military Reservists Clears Key Committee Hurdle U.S. Senators Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) Thursday issued the following statements after their legislation to support small businesses with National Guard and Military Reservists unanimously passed the Senate Small Business Committee. The National Guard and Reserve Entrepreneurship Act will assist small businesses when essential employees, including small business owners, are called up as part of National Guard or Reservist duties by improving existing loan and deferral programs of the Small Business Administration (SBA) and making them more accessible. These programs include the Military Reservist Economic Injury Disaster Loan (MREIDL), a direct loan program that provides emergency working capital to small businesses to meet their obligations until operations return to normal after the essential employee is released from active duty military, and the Repayment Deferral for Active Duty Reservists (Repayment Deferral), which authorizes the SBA to work with private lenders to defer interest or loan repayment for small businesses facing similar situations. The National Guard and our small businesses are foundational threads in the fabric of Vermont, said Senator Leahy, the original sponsor of the legislation and Co-Chair of the Senate National Guard Caucus. I'm pleased to support them with this legislation that makes it easier for veterans and service members to turn their ideas into reality. Empowering the entrepreneurial spirit in this and other ways makes a real difference for Vermonters and for our communities. Citizen soldiers are a fundamental part of our nation's military, and we need to do everything we can to support their service, said Senator Shaheen. This bill will do just that by improving access to support programs offered by the SBA to entrepreneurs and small businesses affected by deployments, and I am pleased to see it moving forward with broad bipartisan support. ""On behalf of the more than 45,000 members of the National Guard Association of the United States (NGAUS), we greatly appreciate Senator Shaheen's legislation to support small businesses owned by Guardsmen and Reservists, said BG (Retired) J. Roy Robinson, NGAUS President. This commonsense bill not only assists our citizen-soldiers who run small businesses, but also encourages future entrepreneurship by increasing the eligibility and utilization of the Military Reservists Economic Injury Disaster Loan program and the Repayment Deferral for Activity Duty Reservists. We also thank the Senate Small Business Committee for their support and urge the Senate to adopt this vitally important bill."" Press Contact David Carle: 202-224-3693 Previous Article",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://welch.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/house-rfs-leaders-respond-trump-s-decision-lift-ban-e15-summer-sales,House RFS Leaders Respond to Trump’s Decision to Lift Ban on E15 Summer Sales,2018-10-10,2018,2018-10,Democrat,House,VT,Peter Welch,W000800,welch.house.gov,,,legacy,"Reps. Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), and Steve Womack (R-Ark) released the following statement on President Trump's proposal to lift a federal ban on summer sales of gasoline containing 15 percent ethanol: Efforts to prop up the ethanol industry have been a well-intentioned flop, and today's announcement from the current administration will profoundly impact consumers. By proposing to allow the sale of high-level ethanol blends during summer months, the administration has chosen to support a one-sided solution that further helps ethanol producers while punishing hardworking Americans. U.S. families, food producers, businesses, and livestock farmers stand to experience the harmful impacts of more ethanol forced on the market through detrimental effects on vehicles, small engines, feed prices, and energy sustainability.Our coalition has worked to develop an array of bipartisan initiatives to reform the Renewable Fuel Standard in a comprehensive manner. We urge the administration to reconsider this proposal and to allow Congress the opportunity to advance legislative solutions that truly work for all stakeholders. ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://welch.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/leahy-sanders-welch-vermont-community-lenders-net-12-million-federal,"Leahy, Sanders, Welch: Vermont Community Lenders Net $1.2 Million In Federal Funds",2018-10-10,2018,2018-10,Democrat,House,VT,Peter Welch,W000800,welch.house.gov,,,legacy,"(TUESDAY, Oct. 9, 2018) Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Rep. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) announced Tuesday that two Vermont organizations have received $1.2 million in federal funds from the U.S. Treasury Department's Community Development Financial Institutions Fund. The CDFI Fund awarded $184 million in grants and loans to 264 community credit unions and loan funds across the country that provide affordable financial products and services in economically distressed areas. Two Vermont programs received funds through these awards: NeighborWorks of Western Vermont received $500,000 Vermont Community Loan Fund Inc. in Montpelier received $700,000 These awards will advance community based initiatives in Vermont that are focused on alleviating poverty and advancing social justice, Leahy, Sanders and Welch said in a joint statement. Both VCLF and NeighborWorks of Western Vermont have a proven track record of using these federal funds to improve the lives of Vermonters. Because of these initiatives more Vermonters will have access to safe affordable housing, childcare and small business capital. Leahy, the Vice Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, has long been an advocate for the CDFI program. The program has played an important role in Vermont's economy by investing in small businesses, families and neighborhoods that would not have access to the capital they need from conventional lenders. Established in 1987, VCLF grows business and creates jobs by providing loans, grants, financial consulting and business development services to hundreds of Vermonters. With this funding, VCLF will use resources to help with the construction or rehabilitation of affordable homes for lower-income Vermonters; offer financing to small businesses and provide resources to child care businesses that will ensure quality care and education for Vermont children. The CDFI Fund has again recognized the importance of the Loan Fund's work to provide all Vermonters with equal opportunity and access to important financial resources, said VCLF Executive Director Will Belongia. We're so grateful for this latest award which allows us to continue our mission-driven lending that will help grow our state's economy, and support Vermonters' financial stability and quality of life, especially for struggling families. NeighborWorks of Western Vermont, based in West Rutland, works to strengthen the development of a regional economy by promoting safe, efficient and stable housing, and community projects through education, technical assistance, and financial services. Ludy Biddle, Executive Director of NeighborWorks of Western Vermont, said: This CDFI award will help us make the dream of safe, secure, efficient homeownership come true for many Vermonters. For example, we are able to provide down payment assistance to some who don't have large cash reserves; we are able to lend at affordable rates for health, safety and efficiency improvements when a commercial bank loan might be out of sight, all thanks to the CDFI grant. The federal CDFI Program invests in and builds the capacity of community credit unions, banks, loan funds and other financial institutions serving rural and urban communities across the nation that lack adequate access to affordable financial products and services. Since its inception in 1994, the CDFI Fund has awarded more than $1.96 billion, helping build a nationwide network of CDFIs located in every state, all focused on economically empowering the communities they serve. # # # # #",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://welch.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/sanders-and-welch-announce-passage-legislation-repair-aging-flood,Sanders and Welch Announce Passage of Legislation to Repair Aging Flood Control Dams,2018-10-10,2018,2018-10,Democrat,House,VT,Peter Welch,W000800,welch.house.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, Oct. 10 Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Rep. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) announced Wednesday that Congress passed legislation that opens the door for Vermont to receive federal funds to repair three aging flood control dams. The America's Water Infrastructure Act of 2018 includes an amendment authored by Sanders in the Senate and Welch in the House that authorizes 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. Maintaining and repairing the dams especially the Waterbury Dam has long been a priority for the state. This bi-partisan legislation is an important step toward rebuilding aging dams in Vermont and throughout the United States. Welch said, In 2011, Waterbury suffered a devastating flood during Tropical Storm Irene. More catastrophic damage was prevented due to the existence of the aging Waterbury Dam. This important legislation will increase funding to refurbish outdated and hazardous flood control dams in Vermont and across the country. 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 upkeep of the dams. The Waterbury Dam, in particular, now has major repair needs. The Sanders-Welch amendment authorizes up to $40 million to study, design and construct control gates, spillways and other dam safety improvements for each of the flood control dams constructed by the federal government before 1940, but currently owned by state governments. America's Water Infrastructure Act of 2018, which has been sent to the president for his signature, also includes other important provisions: Authorizes $5 million a year in grants and $25 million year for technical assistance for lead testing in schools, which will help towns from Flint, Michigan to Richford, Vermont; Authorizes $15 million a year to test small drinking water systems for 30 unregulated contaminants, including PFAS chemicals like PFOA that has been found in Bennington County. It also protects small public water systems from penalty for any inability to comply with sampled monitoring; Authorizes $100 million through 2020 in disaster aid to repair drinking water systems or to connect areas to public water systems to obtain potable drinking water; Requires projects funded through the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund to use iron and steel manufactured in the U.S.; Requires the Army Corps of Engineers to consider natural infrastructure alternatives to reduce damage from floods; Expresses the Sense of Congress that the Army Corps should advance the Cano Martin Pea project in Puerto Rico, an important environmental restoration and affordable housing project supported by several Vermont organizations; Directs the Army Corps to study and report on Alaska Native community relocation efforts; Establishes the WaterSense program at EPA to promote more efficient water use; Authorizes $10 million each year for grants and technical assistance to small- and medium-sized public water utilities to help meet Clean Water Act requirements; Allows states to use State Revolving Funds on source water protection to prevent drinking water contamination; Authorizes $225 million each year for grants to states for stormwater management; Authorizes the Army Corps of Engineers to develop solutions that reduce the occurrence of harmful algal blooms; and Authorizes $1 million each year to assist with workforce development and career opportunities in the water utility sector. ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://welch.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/welch-legislation-lowering-consumer-cost-prescription-drugs-signed-law,Welch Legislation Lowering Consumer Cost of Prescription Drugs Signed Into Law,2018-10-10,2018,2018-10,Democrat,House,VT,Peter Welch,W000800,welch.house.gov,,,legacy,"Washington, DC This afternoon, President Trump signed into law legislation co-authored by Rep. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) that eliminates so-called gag rules imposed on pharmacists that prevent them from steering their customers to the lowest cost option when filling a prescription. Currently, contractual requirements imposed on pharmacists by pharmacy benefit managers forbid them from informing customers that their cost would be lower if they paid out of pocket rather than using their insurance plan. Pharmacists violating these rules have been subjected to significant penalties. In a time of skyrocketing prescription drug prices, it defies common sense that pharmacists are prohibited from helping customers save money on their medications, said Welch. This new law empowers pharmacists to steer customers to the lowest cost option when filling a prescription. Welch's legislation, the Know the Cost Act (H.R. 6733), is the House version of two bills signed into law this afternoon that collectively prohibit gag clauses imposed on pharmacists: The Patient Right to Know Drug Prices Act prohibits an insurer or pharmacy benefit manager from restricting a pharmacy's ability to provide drug price information to a plan enrollee when there is a difference between the cost of the drug under the plan and the cost of the drug when purchased without insurance. This bill will apply to plans offered in the individual market, including through exchanges, and plans sponsored by private employers. The Know the Lowest Price Act provides this same protection for individuals who are covered by Medicare Advantage and Medicare Part D plans. Welch co-authored the House bill with Reps. Buddy Carter (R-Ga.), Michael Burgess (R-Texas), Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.), Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas), Anna Eshoo (D-Calif.), Gene Green (D-Texas), Morgan Griffith (R-Va.), Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.), and Erik Paulsen (R-Minn.). The legislation passed the House on September 25th, and the Senate versions of both bills passed the Senate earlier that month. Rep. Welch is a senior member on the House Energy & Commerce Committee and co-chair of the House Affordable Prescription Drug Task Force. He is the lead House sponsor of legislation to mandate Medicare Part D price negotiation and author of legislation to allow for the importation of safe prescription drugs from Canada. ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/101018cdfirelease,"Leahy, Sanders, Welch: Vermont Community Lenders Net $1.2 Million In Federal Funds",2018-10-10,2018,2018-10,Democrat,House,VT,Patrick Leahy,L000174,www.leahy.senate.gov,,,legacy,"10.10.18 Leahy, Sanders, Welch: Vermont Community Lenders Net $1.2 Million In Federal Funds Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Rep. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) announced Tuesday that two Vermont organizations have received $1.2 million in federal funds from the U.S. Treasury Department's Community Development Financial Institutions Fund. The CDFI Fund awarded $184 million in grants and loans to 264 community credit unions and loan funds across the country that provide affordable financial products and services in economically distressed areas. Two Vermont programs received funds through these awards: NeighborWorks of Western Vermont received $500,000 Vermont Community Loan Fund Inc. in Montpelier received $700,000 These awards will advance community based initiatives in Vermont that are focused on alleviating poverty and advancing social justice, Leahy, Sanders and Welch said in a joint statement. Both VCLF and NeighborWorks of Western Vermont have a proven track record of using these federal funds to improve the lives of Vermonters. Because of these initiatives more Vermonters will have access to safe affordable housing, childcare and small business capital. Leahy, the Vice Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, has long been an advocate for the CDFI program. The program has played an important role in Vermont's economy by investing in small businesses, families and neighborhoods that would not have access to the capital they need from conventional lenders. Established in 1987, VCLF grows business and creates jobs by providing loans, grants, financial consulting and business development services to hundreds of Vermonters. With this funding, VCLF will use resources to help with the construction or rehabilitation of affordable homes for lower-income Vermonters; offer financing to small businesses and provide resources to child care businesses that will ensure quality care and education for Vermont children. The CDFI Fund has again recognized the importance of the Loan Fund's work to provide all Vermonters with equal opportunity and access to important financial resources, said VCLF Executive Director Will Belongia. We're so grateful for this latest award which allows us to continue our mission-driven lending that will help grow our state's economy, and support Vermonters' financial stability and quality of life, especially for struggling families. NeighborWorks of Western Vermont, based in West Rutland, works to strengthen the development of a regional economy by promoting safe, efficient and stable housing, and community projects through education, technical assistance, and financial services. Ludy Biddle, Executive Director of NeighborWorks of Western Vermont, said: This CDFI award will help us make the dream of safe, secure, efficient homeownership come true for many Vermonters. For example, we are able to provide down payment assistance to some who don't have large cash reserves; we are able to lend at affordable rates for health, safety and efficiency improvements when a commercial bank loan might be out of sight, all thanks to the CDFI grant. The federal CDFI Program invests in and builds the capacity of community credit unions, banks, loan funds and other financial institutions serving rural and urban communities across the nation that lack adequate access to affordable financial products and services. Since its inception in 1994, the CDFI Fund has awarded more than $1.96 billion, helping build a nationwide network of CDFIs located in every state, all focused on economically empowering the communities they serve. Press Contact David Carle: 202-224-3693 Previous Article",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/101018junkinsurancecra,"Leahy Comment On The Failure Of The CRA Resolution To Nullify The Trump Administration's ""Junk Insurance"" Rule",2018-10-10,2018,2018-10,Democrat,House,VT,Patrick Leahy,L000174,www.leahy.senate.gov,,,legacy,"10.10.18 Leahy Comment On The Failure Of The CRA Resolution To Nullify The Trump Administration's ""Junk Insurance"" Rule The Trump Administration's junk insurance' rule, and the Senate's failure to nullify the rule, is yet another effort by Republicans in Congress and the White House to undermine the protections of Affordable Care Act. This harmful and cynical rule will expand the sale of short-term junk' plans that can deny coverage to people with pre-existing conditions, and that do not have to cover essential services like prescription drugs, emergency room visits, substance abuse, and maternity care. We should be working together on ways to stabilize the insurance market and lower prices, instead of sabotaging health insurance protections that millions of Americans need and want. Press Contact David Carle: 202-224-3693 Previous Article",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/101018khashoggisanctionsletter,Corker/Menendez/Graham/Leahy Letter Triggers Global Magnitsky Investigation Into Disappearance Of Journalist Jamal Khashoggi,2018-10-10,2018,2018-10,Democrat,House,VT,Patrick Leahy,L000174,www.leahy.senate.gov,,,legacy,"10.10.18 Corker/Menendez/Graham/Leahy Letter Triggers Global Magnitsky Investigation Into Disappearance Of Journalist Jamal Khashoggi In a letter to President Donald Trump, U.S. Senators Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) and Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), chairman and ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), chairman and ranking member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs, Wednesday triggered an investigation and Global Magnitsky sanctions determination regarding the disappearance of Jamal Khashoggi, a Saudi journalist and columnist for The Washington Post. Khashoggi has not been heard from since he entered a Saudi consulate in Istanbul last Tuesday afternoon. The letter was also signed by Senators Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Ben Cardin (D-Md.), John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Cory Gardner (R-Colo.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Todd Young (R-Ind.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Rob Portman (R-Ohio), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Jim Risch (R-Idaho), and Tom Udall (D-N.M). Text of the letter is included below. Dear Mr. President: The Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act requires the President, upon receipt of a request from the Chairman and Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, to determine whether a foreign person is responsible for an extrajudicial killing, torture, or other gross violation of internationally recognized human rights against an individual exercising freedom of expression, and report to the Committee within 120 days with a determination and a decision on the imposition of sanctions on that foreign person or persons. The recent disappearance of Saudi journalist and Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi suggests that he could be a victim of a gross violation of internationally recognized human rights, which includes torture or cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment, prolonged detention without charges and trial, causing the disappearance of persons by the abduction and clandestine detention of those persons, and other flagrant denial of the right to life, liberty, or the security of person. Therefore, we request that you make a determination on the imposition of sanctions pursuant to the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act with respect to any foreign person responsible for such a violation related to Mr. Khashoggi. Our expectation is that in making your determination you will consider any relevant information, including with respect to the highest ranking officials in the Government of Saudi Arabia. BACKGROUND Under the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act, the president, upon receipt of a letter from the chairman and ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, must make a determination and is authorized to impose sanctions with respect to a foreign person responsible for extrajudicial killings, torture, or other gross violations of internationally recognized human rights violations against individuals who seek to obtain, exercise, defend, or promote human rights and freedoms, including freedom of expression. Press Contact David Carle: 202-224-3693 Previous Article",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/100618kavanaughconfirmationspeech,Senate Floor Statement Of Senator Leahy On The Confirmation Vote On The Nomination Of Judge Kavanaugh To The U.S. Supreme Court,2018-10-06,2018,2018-10,Democrat,House,VT,Patrick Leahy,L000174,www.leahy.senate.gov,,,legacy,"10.06.18 Senate Floor Statement Of Senator Leahy On The Confirmation Vote On The Nomination Of Judge Kavanaugh To The U.S. Supreme Court This is not a normal confirmation vote. I have now served in the Senate for 19 Supreme Court nominations, more than any other senator. I have never seen so much at stake with a single seat. And I have never seen this much at stake precisely because this is about so much more than one seat. Indeed, the integrity of two of the three coequal branches of our republic is at stake. This vote will decide whether the United States Senate which, at its best, can serve as the conscience of the nation causes the Supreme Court to be indelibly tainted in the eyes of millions of Americans, perhaps more than half of the country. To be clear, my opposition to Judge Kavanaugh is not due to him being nominated by a Republican president. In my 44 years in the Senate, I have voted for more Republican-appointed judges than almost every single Republican senator serving today. That includes voting to confirm Chief Justice John Roberts. But Judge Kavanaugh is not a typical conservative nominee. My opposition is driven by my firm belief that his confirmation will bring great harm to the Court, to this body, and to millions of hardworking Americans. Judge Kavanaugh has been relentlessly dishonest under oath. I'm not just referring to the fact that he was not telling the truth about his high school drinking, or the obvious misogyny in his yearbook, or whether he's Bart O'Kavanaugh who passed out from drunkenness. All of that indeed does speak to his credibility, as he concocted far-fetched story after far-fetched story, all to avoid conceding facts that would corroborate the Brett Kavanaugh as described by Dr. Ford and Ms. Ramirez. But it's much more than that. Much, much more than that. Every single time Judge Kavanaugh has testified before the Senate in 2004, 2006, and twice in 2018 he has misled and dissembled. On issues big and small, anytime he has been faced with questions that are incriminating, or would place him in the middle of controversy, he has shown that he cannot be trusted to tell the truth. He misled the Senate about his role in a hacking scandal, in confirming several controversial judicial nominees, in shaping the legal justifications for some of the Bush administration's most extreme and discredited policies. I have never seen a nominee so casually willing to evade and deny the truth in service of his own raw ambition. And the truth is we are just beginning to learn about Judge Kavanaugh's dishonesty under oath. His false testimony during his 2004 and 2006 confirmation hearings only came to light as the Judiciary Committee obtained some of his White House emails. Yet Senate Republicans blocked access to 90 percent of his White House record. That is, everything we have learned about his prior dishonesty came from just 10 percent of his record. Many more of these records will eventually become public. In fact I joined a lawsuit, led by Senator Blumenthal, to force the National Archives to release these records. The chance that these records do not contain additional evidence of Judge Kavanaugh's dishonesty under oath? Approximately zero. It is not just Judge Kavanaugh's veracity that is disqualifying; it is also his temperament and partisan zeal. When Brett Kavanaugh was nominated to the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals in 2004, he was known only as a hyper-partisan political operative. Indeed that is why it took him two years to get confirmed. Since Judge Kavanaugh's nomination to the Supreme Court, I had wondered whether his earlier partisan zeal remained. That was confirmed last week. I have never seen a nominee so consumed by partisan rancor. In testimony that veered into a tirade, he angrily attacked senators and dismissed Dr. Ford's testimony as part of a smear campaign to ruin his name and sink his nomination. His conspiratorial ramblings attributing the allegations to revenge on behalf of the Clintons were an insult to Dr. Ford and to survivors of sexual violence everywhere. Former Justice John Paul Stevens, a Republican appointee, declared that Judge Kavanaugh's unhinged performance last week demonstrates potential bias. He stated that [f]or the good of the Court Judge Kavanaugh's confirmation ought not to proceed. Just yesterday, the American Bar Association announced that it is re-opening its evaluation of Judge Kavanaugh's fitness to serve as a judge. These developments both unprecedented should serve as flashing red warning signs to any senator inclined to vote yes at this time. And there are many more flashing red warning signs. Dr. Ford's credible and compelling testimony captivated the nation and inspired survivors of sexual violence across the country. Every minute of her testimony was credible. She disclosed the abuse long before Judge Kavanaugh was a household name. She remembered vivid details of that night. She expressed 100 percent certainty that Judge Kavanaugh was her abuser. In a moment that I will never forget, when I asked her for her strongest memory, something from the incident she couldn't forget, she testified: Indelible in the hippocampus is the laughter, the uproarious laughter between the two as a teenage Brett Kavanaugh drunkenly assaulted Dr. Ford. Dr. Ford had nothing to gain by coming forward. I believe her, just as I believed Anita Hill. In my view, no one who truly believes Dr. Ford can credibly justify voting yes. Unfortunately, the Senate appears to be on the brink of failing Dr. Ford, just as it will fail Ms. Ramirez. And just as it failed Anita Hill. The FBI investigation completed over the last few days falls short of any standard. And it fell short by design. We've already heard about its deficiencies from Dr. Ford, Ms. Ramirez, and numerous other witnesses who attempted, unsuccessfully, to share relevant information with the FBI. Senate Republican leadership and the White House did everything in their power to ensure that this investigation was not a search for truth but rather a search for cover. Even a basic search for the truth would have allowed the FBI to interview Judge Kavanaugh and Dr. Ford, as well as her husband and her therapist. A search for truth would have allowed the FBI to interview numerous high school and college classmates who have come forward saying they could provide information about Judge Kavanaugh's conduct during those years that was consistent with the allegations. A search for the truth would have allowed the FBI to interview a man who wrote a sworn statement asserting that he could corroborate Ms. Ramirez's allegations, or two women who contacted authorities with evidence that Judge Kavanaugh tried to head off Ms. Ramirez's story before it became public, in clear contradiction with his testimony before the Judiciary Committee. A search for the truth would have allowed the FBI to at least speak with Julie Swetnick, a third accuser. Instead of calling on the FBI to take these basic investigatory steps, inexplicably, the Republican-controlled Judiciary Committee has solely tried to discredit these women. The Committee released a statement from a former acquaintance of Ms. Swetnick. This individual had no knowledge of the alleged incident but instead salaciously described the alleged sexual preferences of Ms. Swetnick. According to the National Task Force to End Sexual and Domestic Violenceone of the most nonpartisan and respected voices on Capitol Hillthis shameless attempt to smear a victim violates the intent of the Rape Shield law. Ms. Swetnick was never even interviewed by the FBI. She was ignored. She was silenced. Then she was shamed. It's outrageous that she's been treated this way. Republicans have also claimed that the other individuals Dr. Ford identified at the gathering where she was assaulted have refuted her testimony. That's just false. Those individuals stated publicly that they do not recall the event. As Dr. Ford told the Judiciary Committee, this is not surprising, as it was a very unremarkable party because nothing remarkable happened to them that evening. One of these individuals has said publicly that she believes Dr. Ford. Republicans have claimed the investigation failed to reveal corroborating evidence for any of these allegations. Despite the numerous restrictions placed on this investigation, that claim is simply not true. But a predicate fact for developing thorough corroborating evidence is a thorough investigation. And the investigation fell far short. It is a disservice to Dr. Ford, Ms. Ramirez, Ms. Swetnick, and survivors everywhere. The manic rush to place Judge Kavanaugh on the bench was more important to the Senate than these women. Pushing toward confirmation while so many leads remain unexamined will forever taint a Justice Kavanaugh, and, unfortunately, the Supreme Court itself. Yet, truth can be dogged. It has a way of coming out, eventually. For any senator who votes yes while troubling new developments on this nominee are occurring in real-time, it will be on their conscience when more disqualifying information later emerges. I urge them to think carefully about what a yes vote would mean to the legitimacy of the Supreme Court, to the integrity of the Senate, and to the increasing divisiveness in our nation. As partisan as this process has been, this is not a partisan dilemma. Many prominent conservatives would make a fine Supreme Court Justice. They would not cast a shadow over the Supreme Court, and this body along with it. Judge Kavanaugh is not that choice. To avoid risking permanent damage to the integrity of our institutions of government, I urge Senators to join me in voting no on Judge Kavanaugh's nomination. Press Contact David Carle: 202-224-3693",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/100518kavanaughcloturecomment,Comment Of Senator Leahy On The Cloture Vote On Judge Brett Kavanaugh's Nomination To The U.S. Supreme Court,2018-10-05,2018,2018-10,Democrat,House,VT,Patrick Leahy,L000174,www.leahy.senate.gov,,,legacy,"10.05.18 Comment Of Senator Leahy On The Cloture Vote On Judge Brett Kavanaugh's Nomination To The U.S. Supreme Court I am disappointed that the Senate, by the narrowest margin, has voted to end debate on Judge Kavanaugh's nomination, which sets up a confirmation vote over the weekend. Judge Kavanaugh is not fit to serve on our nation's highest court. His relentless dishonesty under oath is disqualifying, as is his temperament and partisan zeal. And still-developing and credible allegations of sexual assault cannot be ignored in a manic rush to fill this seat. I will continue to talk to any senator willing to listen about why he or she should vote no' on his final confirmation. Press Contact David Carle: 202-224-3693 Previous Article",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/100518nekreapinvestment,Leahy Announces $2.5 Million Investment In Northeast Kingdom Affordable Housing,2018-10-05,2018,2018-10,Democrat,House,VT,Patrick Leahy,L000174,www.leahy.senate.gov,,,legacy,"10.05.18 Leahy Announces $2.5 Million Investment In Northeast Kingdom Affordable Housing Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) announced Friday that RuralEdge, a regional housing nonprofit based in Lyndon, will receive a $2.5 million loan package from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to preserve and rehabilitate three housing properties in Newport, West Burke and Ryegate. The projects received funding as part of the USDA's Northeast Kingdom Rural Economic Area Partnership (REAP) Zone and will provide quality affordable homes for 46 families. Leahy was instrumental in enacting the REAP Zone program and Northeast Kingdom's designation as a leading member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, and in continuing these annual investments through his role as Vice Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee. Leahy said: I congratulate RuralEdge for taking on three bold projects that address the local need for affordable housing and spark economic development. These federal loans will allow them to expand the great work that they do, and this is an example of how important REAP Zone funding is to our rural northern communities. I worked hard to create the REAP Zone and to make this on ongoing priority for the Appropriations Committee because these are direct investments in the vitality of Northeast Kingdom communities and in the Vermonters who call the Kingdom home. The USDA awarded three loans totaling $2.5 million to RuralEdge, a Lyndon based nonprofit housing developer that oversees a portfolio of more than 500 units across the Essex, Orleans and Caledonia counties. With these funds, we will be able to renovate and restore three properties including 39 apartment units and 7 single family homes, housing that is so needed in the Northeast Kingdom, said RuralEdge Interim Executive Director Patrick Flood. We are very grateful that Senator Leahy and USDA have worked to obtain this funding and help so many Vermonters. The federal funding comes through the USDA Rural Development Multi-Family Housing Program that provides low interest loans for up to 30 years for the preservation of multi-family housing properties in rural areas. The USDA loans will support the following projects: Governor Prouty -- Newport, Vermont: $1,300,000 loan to complete renovation on a 24 unit property in Newport and to refinance existing debt to ensure the future affordability for residents. West Burke Housing -- Burke, Vermont: $900,000 loan to purchase a 15 unit property. By guaranteeing continued affordability, RuralEdge will maintain the property's associated Department of Housing and Urban Development subsidy through the acquisition. Lind Homes -- Ryegate, Vermont: $300,000 loan to rehabilitate seven single family homes to help increase housing options for local families and invest in community development. The Northeast Kingdom REAP Zone, which was reauthorized through Leahy's work in the 2014 Farm Bill -- and which he made sure is also in the Senate's 2018 Farm Bill -- awards additional USDA Rural Development funding to community development initiatives in Vermont's Northeast Kingdom. In fiscal year 2017, REAP Zone funding brought an additional $5.5 million in grants and loans to housing, community and business projects in the Kingdom. On the Appropriations Committee, Leahy led in preserving REAP Zone funding, including funding for rural affordable housing. Press Contact David Carle: 202-224-3693 Previous Article",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://welch.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/congress-reauthorizes-key-federal-program-ensures-passenger-air-service,Congress Reauthorizes Key Federal Program that Ensures Passenger Air Service at Rutland Regional Airport,2018-10-04,2018,2018-10,Democrat,House,VT,Peter Welch,W000800,welch.house.gov,,,legacy,"(THURSDAY, Oct. 4, 2018) -- Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), and Rep. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) today announced that Congress has renewed a federal program that provides federal funding for passenger air service at rural airports across the country, including Rutland Southern Vermont Regional airport. The Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization Act of 2018 included a provision reauthorizing the Essential Air Service (EAS) program, which subsidizes commercial air service at small, rural airports. The EAS program currently provides $1.6 million annually to Cape Air Service to operate flights between Rutland Southern Vermont Regional Airport and Logan airport in Boston. In a joint statement, Leahy, Sanders and Welch said: ""This is great news for the airport and for the Rutland region. The Rutland airport is a vital component of the region's transportation system and maintaining commercial passenger service is important for the regional economy. We are pleased Congress overwhelmingly rejected the misguided proposal by President Trump to eliminate this program which is essential to rural communities around the country. The FAA bill authorizes a total of $158 million in EAS funding in fiscal year 2019, increasing annually over five years to $172 million in fiscal year 2023. President Trump had proposed eliminating the program in his fiscal year 2018 budget request, and slashing it by 40 percent in his fiscal year 2019 budget request. The bill also requires the FAA to report to Congress on the program's economic impact in communities with subsidized air service. The bill passed the House on Sept. 26th and the Senate yesterday. President Trump is expected to sign the bill into law. ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/100418kavanaughstatement,Leahy Addresses The Senate On The Kavanaugh Nomination And The FBI Report,2018-10-04,2018,2018-10,Democrat,House,VT,Patrick Leahy,L000174,www.leahy.senate.gov,,,legacy,"10.04.18 Leahy Addresses The Senate On The Kavanaugh Nomination And The FBI Report It is extraordinary where we find ourselves today. We are on the verge of a cloture vote, and possibly a confirmation vote, for Judge Kavanaugh to join the Supreme Court while credible allegations of sexual assault against the nominee are not just lingering, they're developing. The FBI investigation that we hoped would be full and fair has turned out to be neither, after the Trump White House and Senate Republicans appear to have successfully imposed so many restrictions to render it almost meaningless. From the very beginning of this nomination, the vetting of Judge Kavanaugh has never been a genuine effort to discover the truth. Instead, at every turn, it has been a transparent and partisan attempt to keep the American people in the dark about the vulnerabilities of a controversial nominee who, if confirmed, will shape their lives for a generation. From start to finish, at every step, this has been a unilateral effort by the White House and Senate Republicans to protect their nominee, not to protect the American people or the Supreme Court. They have been driven by the impulse to rush and to conceal. I want to commend my friends, Senators Jeff Flake and Chris Coons, for working together in good faith to demand more from this process. An investigation into the serious allegations of sexual misconduct by Judge Kavanaugh is a first step and should have happened weeks ago. Until now, such investigations have been routine any time new derogatory information surfaces about a nominee. Unfortunately, the investigation completed over the last few days falls short of any reasonable standard. And it fell short by design. We've already heard about many of its deficiencies from Dr. Ford, Ms. Ramirez, and numerous other witnesses who attempted, unsuccessfully, to share relevant information with the FBI. Senate Republican leadership and the White House did everything in their power to ensure that this investigation was not a search for truth but rather a search for cover. A search for the truth would have allowed the FBI to interview Dr. Ford's husband and her therapist both of whom have stated that Dr. Ford mentioned Kavanaugh as her assaulter years ago. A search for truth would have allowed the FBI to interview numerous high school and college classmates who have come forward saying they could provide information about Judge Kavanaugh's conduct during those years that was consistent with the allegations, and which contradict Judge Kavanaugh's sworn testimony. A search for the truth would have allowed the FBI to interview a man who wrote a sworn statement asserting that he could help corroborate Ms. Ramirez's allegations, or two women who contacted authorities with evidence that Judge Kavanaugh tried to head off Ms. Ramirez's story before it became public, in apparent contradiction with his testimony before the Judiciary Committee. A search for the truth would have allowed the FBI to at least speak with Julie Swetnick, a third accuser. A search for the truth would have allowed the FBI to speak with Mark Judge's ex-girlfriend who recalled that Judge told her ashamedly about a sexual incident that eerily mirrors both Dr. Ford's and Ms. Swetnick's allegations. Make no mistake, this investigation was rigged by the White House and Senate Republicans. Instead of calling on the FBI to take these basic investigatory steps, inexplicably, the Republican-controlled Judiciary Committee has solely tried to discredit these women. The Committee released a statement from a former acquaintance of Ms. Swetnick. This individual had no knowledge of the alleged incident but instead salaciously described the alleged sexual interests of Ms. Swetnick. According to the National Task Force to End Sexual and Domestic Violence one of the most nonpartisan and respected voices on Capitol Hill this shameless attempt to smear a victim violates the intent of the Rape Shield law. Ms. Swetnick was never even interviewed by the FBI. She was ignored. She was silenced. Then she was shamed. It's outrageous that she's been treated this way. Republicans have also claimed that the other individuals Dr. Ford identified at the gathering where she was assaulted have refuted her testimony. That's just false. Those individuals stated publicly that they do not recall the event. As Dr. Ford told the Judiciary Committee, this is not surprising, as it was a very unremarkable party because nothing remarkable happened to them that evening. One of these individuals has said publicly that she believes Dr. Ford. After reviewing the FBI's report this morning, within minutes, Republican Senators claimed there is a lack of corroborating evidence for any of these allegations. Despite the numerous restrictions placed on this investigation, that claim is simply not true. But a predicate fact for developing thorough corroborating evidence is a thorough investigation. And this investigation falls far short. It is a disservice to Dr. Ford, Ms. Ramirez, Ms. Swetnick, and survivors everywhere. Dr. Ford's credible and compelling testimony captivated the nation and inspired survivors of sexual violence across the country. In a moment that I will never forget, when I asked her for her strongest memory, something from the incident she couldn't forget, she testified: Indelible in the hippocampus is the laughter, the uproarious laughter between the two as a teenage Brett Kavanaugh drunkenly pinned Dr. Ford down to the bed and attempted to sexually assault her. The reason that a thorough, independent investigation is so critical is not because we need additional proof that Judge Kavanaugh was not telling the truth about his high school drinking, or the obvious misogyny in his yearbook, or whether he's Bart O'Kavanaugh who passed out from drunkenness. All of us here knows he wasn't telling the truth in his testimony about that. The reason we needed a thorough investigation is that these women have offered credible accusations, and have identified potential corroborating witnesses and evidence, and the Senate needs to know all the facts before it can place the accused on the nation's highest court for a lifetime appointment. A thorough investigation is essential because we simply cannot take Judge Kavanaugh at his word. On issues big and small, anytime Judge Kavanaugh has been faced with questions that would place him in the middle of controversy, he has shown that he cannot be trusted to tell the truth. Every single time he has testified before the Senate, he has misled and dissembled. He misled the Senate about his role in a hacking scandal, in confirming controversial judicial nominees, in shaping the legal justifications for some of the Bush administration's most extreme and discredited policies. And his appearance before us last week was no different. In testimony that veered into a tirade, he angrily dismissed Dr. Ford's testimony as part of a smear campaign to ruin his name and sink his nomination. His conspiratorial ramblings attributing the allegations to revenge on behalf of the Clintons were an insult to Dr. Ford and to survivors of sexual violence across the country. And he evaded, as he always has when under oath, basic factual questions, choosing instead to disrespect members of the Committee who had the audacity to ask him about his behavior during the time of the allegations. In my 44 years in the Senate, I have voted for more Republican-appointed judges than almost all serving Republican Senators. That includes voting for Chief Justice Roberts. But I have never seen such a partisan performance by a nominee of either party to the Supreme Court, or any other court. And I have never seen a nominee so casually willing to evade and deny the truth in service of his own raw ambition. If truth under oath means anything at all, Judge Kavanaugh has disqualified himself over and over again. He has neither the veracity nor the temperament for a lifetime appointment to the highest court in our nation. The truth has an odd way of coming out one way or another. To avoid risking permanent damage to the integrity and legitimacy of our nation's highest court, I urge Senators to join me in voting no on Judge Kavanaugh's nomination. Press Contact David Carle: 202-224-3693",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/100418kavanaughtweetthread,"NEW: Leahy Compiles Comprehensive, Point-By-Point Summary Of The Many Times That Judge Kavanaugh Misled The Senate Under Oath; (includes documents and descriptions)",2018-10-04,2018,2018-10,Democrat,House,VT,Patrick Leahy,L000174,www.leahy.senate.gov,,,legacy,"10.04.18 NEW: Leahy Compiles Comprehensive, Point-By-Point Summary Of The Many Times That Judge Kavanaugh Misled The Senate Under Oath; (includes documents and descriptions) Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) has compiled and released a comprehensive, point-by-point summary of several times Judge Kavanaugh has misled the Senate under oath. He first published this list one of the most thorough available on Wednesday night. In topical threads, each with several entries and revealing documents, he shows how Judge Kavanaugh was not truthful in his sworn testimony about his involvement in the Manny Miranda Memogate cyber-theft scandal (here), his work on the controversial Pryor (here) and Pickering (here) nominations, his knowledge of a controversial warrantless wiretapping program (here), and his work on Bush administration detention and interrogation policies (here). Leahy led in questioning Kavanaugh under oath on several of these and other subjects during these confirmation hearings, and also during Kavanaugh's sworn testimony in his previous confirmation hearings. Leahy concluded: It's not just about Bart O'Kavanaugh,' or minimizing his contemporaneous drinking or misogyny in his yearbook. On issues big and small, anytime Judge Kavanaugh is faced with an incriminating or difficult question under oath, he cannot be trusted to tell the truth. Each thread includes incriminating documents from the documents that Republicans have allowed to be released in this rushed and incomplete confirmation process. More than 90 percent of Judge Kavanaugh's White House record remains hidden from the Senate and the American people, which if public would likely reveal much more evidence relevant to issues. Links to every thread are BELOW: Introduction: https://twitter.com/SenatorLeahy/status/1047610460734967808 Manny Miranda thread: https://twitter.com/SenatorLeahy/status/1047610549100580869 Pryor thread: https://twitter.com/SenatorLeahy/status/1047610909995225089 Pickering thread: https://twitter.com/SenatorLeahy/status/1047611074688823298 Warrantless wiretapping thread: https://twitter.com/SenatorLeahy/status/1047611258533568512 Detention and interrogation policies thread: https://twitter.com/SenatorLeahy/status/1047611420555325441 Conclusions thread: https://twitter.com/SenatorLeahy/status/1047611572342988800 Press Contact David Carle: 202-224-3693 Previous Article",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/100318trumpattacklies,Comment Of Senator Patrick Leahy About President Trump's Attack In His Campaign Rally In Mississippi,2018-10-03,2018,2018-10,Democrat,House,VT,Patrick Leahy,L000174,www.leahy.senate.gov,,,legacy,"10.03.18 Comment Of Senator Patrick Leahy About President Trump's Attack In His Campaign Rally In Mississippi By now just about everyone who stands up to this president has been targeted for his bogus attacks and smears. Curiously, everyone except Putin. I must be doing something right. His shameful mocking of a sexual assault victim is by far the biggest outrage. He has no idea the damage he's doing to sexual assault survivors everywhere, or he just doesn't care. The President and his nominee lie constantly. The truth is that Brett Kavanaugh is unfit to serve on the nation's highest court. Press Contact David Carle: 202-224-3693 Previous Article",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://welch.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/reps-price-welch-smith-and-over-100-house-democrats-urge-trump,"Reps. Price, Welch, Smith and Over 100 House Democrats Urge Trump Administration to Reverse Decision To Slash Critical Aid for Regional Stability in the Middle East",2018-10-02,2018,2018-10,Democrat,House,VT,Peter Welch,W000800,welch.house.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, D.C. On Friday, September 28, 2018, Congressman David Price (D-NC), Congressman Peter Welch (D-VT), and Congressman Adam Smith (D-WA) were joined by 109 House Democrats in a letter to Secretary Pompeo urging the Trump administration to reverse its decision to end vital U.S. contributions to the United Nations Relief Works Agency (UNRWA) and to reprogram bilateral foreign aid away from the West Bank, Gaza, and East Jerusalem. Recently, the Trump State Department announced it would reprogram more than $230 million in bilateral assistance, which provides emergency food security, health care, education, and clean water, among other vital life-saving programs, for Palestinians in the West Bank, Gaza, and East Jerusalem. Additionally, on August 31, 2018, the Trump administration announced it would end longstanding contributions to the United Nations Relief Works Agency (UNRWA), a UN relief and development agency that provides essential services to more than 5 million Palestinian refugees in Gaza and throughout the region. These steps not only threaten the stability of the region; they also undercut the U.S.'s ability to facilitate negotiations that will result in a viable two-state solution to the conflict, the members wrote. While Hamas continues to act in complete disregard for the safety and freedom of the people of Gaza, the administration's steps will aggravate tensions in the region and further erode prospects for a lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians. The members highlight that bilateral foreign assistance to the West Bank, Gaza, and East Jerusalem, as well as contributions to UNRWA, were appropriated by Congress on a bipartisan basis, and unilaterally refusing to disburse this funding disregards Congress' constitutionally given power of the purse and the will of the American people, whom Congress was elected to represent. The letter continues, As we reflect on the 25 years since the Oslo Accords, we believe it is imperative that both sides of this conflict resume negotiations. However, the administration's decisions, whether or not intended to pressure Palestinian leadership back to the negotiating table, are counterproductive to facilitating negotiations or pursuing peace, stability, and security. The full text of the letter can be found online here and below: *** September 28, 2018 The Honorable Mike Pompeo Secretary U.S. Department of State 2201 C Street NW Washington, DC 20520 Dear Secretary Pompeo: As strong supporters of the United States' commitment to the dignity and security of Israelis and Palestinians, we write to urge the administration to reverse its decisions to end vital United States contributions to the United Nations Relief Works Agency (UNRWA) and to reprogram bilateral foreign aid away from the West Bank and Gaza. While Hamas continues to act in complete disregard for the safety and freedom of the people of Gaza, the administration's steps will aggravate tensions in the region and further erode prospects for a lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians. These steps not only threaten the stability of the region; they also undercut the U.S.'s ability to facilitate negotiations that will result in a viable two-state solution to the conflict. As we reflect on the 25 years since the Oslo Accords, we believe it is imperative that both sides of this conflict resume negotiations. However, the administration's decisions, whether or not intended to pressure Palestinian leadership back to the negotiating table, are counterproductive to facilitating negotiations or pursuing peace, stability, and security. As you know, bilateral foreign assistance to the West Bank and Gaza and UNRWA contributions were appropriated by Congress on a bipartisan basis following extensive deliberation and debate. Unilaterally refusing to disburse this funding disregards Congress' constitutionally given power of the purse and the will of the American people, whom Congress was elected to represent. We, therefore, urge the administration to reverse its Fiscal Year (FY) 2017 funding decision and to obligate the FY 2018 aid as intended by Congress. Bilateral assistance to the West Bank and Gaza improves Palestinians' quality of life and bolsters security in the region, which supports U.S. interests in a negotiated peace agreement. An August 2018 Government Accountability Office (GAO) study found that the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), which is responsible for administrating this assistance, was conducting the necessary vetting to ensure this funding was being spent for its intended purposes. But the administration's decision to reprogram $230.1 million in assistance will cut funding for emergency food security to vulnerable families, including the elderly, the disabled, orphans, and women-headed households; education services; emergency healthcare preparedness; positive youth engagement; and urgent water and sanitation needs, among other vital programs, which undercuts U.S. interests in the region. Further, thousands of jobs will be lost as U.S. implementing partners on the ground will be forced to lay off employees, making a bad situation worse. Included in the termination of FY 2017 bilateral aid was $25 million for the East Jerusalem Hospital Network, which has consistently enjoyed bipartisan support. The East Jerusalem Hospital Network provides critical specialized care and is the backbone of tertiary referral care for Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza. This network of hospitals, including the Lutheran World Federation owned and operated Augusta Victoria Hospital, provides life-saving services such as cancer treatment, pediatric hemodialysis, and bone marrow transplants, as well as vocational training for thousands of students. Without FY 2017 assistance, these hospitals will have to curtail or cut services, leading to the interruption of current treatments, a reduction in future treatments, and a severe disruption to the health care system in the region. Further, the administration most recently announced that it would exclude projects involving Palestinians from receiving any of the funds from the $10 million USAID Conflict Management and Mitigation (CMM) grants program. CMM programs support people-to-people organizations that serve thousands of Israelis and Palestinians by building resilience against violence and strengthening the human capital for the next generation of leaders, laying the groundwork for a viable peace agreement. Eliminating these funds only serves to undercut the very forces for peace that we should be supporting. Additionally, we are disturbed by the administration's decision to indefinitely withhold contributions to UNRWA, which will lead to disastrous consequences for Palestinians, Israelis, and others in the region. The administration's decision will exacerbate the already dire humanitarian crisis in Gaza, where one million people half the population depend on UNRWA for food assistance. We have heard from the humanitarian community that there is no entity with the capacity to replace UNRWA in Gaza, the West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria, where it operates more than 700 schools for 500,000 children and 142 health clinics that served nine million patients in 2017. According to reports in the Israeli media, top Israeli military and intelligence officials have repeatedly warned that weakening UNRWA risks strengthening Hamas and endangering Israel's security. The administration's decisions also threaten to destabilize countries hosting refugee camps served by UNRWA, including our ally Jordan. We urge you to reverse your decision and obligate appropriated FY 2017 funds intended for UNRWA and bilateral assistance to support Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza. Furthermore, it is imperative that the FY 2018 funds, for the same purposes, are obligated prior to September 30, 2019. We look forward to your prompt reply. Sincerely, _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ DAVID E. PRICE PETER WELCH ADAM SMITH Member of Congress Member of Congress Member of Congress CC: Jared Kushner, Senior Advisor to the President Jason Greenblatt, Assistant to the President Mark Green, USAID Administrator Nikki Haley, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Karen Sasahara, U.S. Consul General David Friedman, U.S. Ambassador to Israel ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/100218statedeptdeportation,"Menendez, Leahy Blast Pompeo for Trying to Pay Mexico to Deport Migrants with State Dept. Funds",2018-10-02,2018,2018-10,Democrat,House,VT,Patrick Leahy,L000174,www.leahy.senate.gov,,,legacy,"10.02.18 Menendez, Leahy Blast Pompeo for Trying to Pay Mexico to Deport Migrants with State Dept. Funds Missive comes after Trump administration announced it would ignore Congressional objections and provide Mexico with $20 Million to pay for plane and bus fares to deport up to 17,000 people Senators Bob Menendez (D-N.J.),Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee,and Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Vice Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Tuesday sent a letter to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo expressing their deep opposition to the Trump Administration's decision to divert $20 million dollars allocated for foreign assistance to advance its anti-immigration agenda by paying for the deportation of up to 17,000 migrants from Mexico to third countries. The decision redirects scarce departmental resources needed to address critical humanitarian crises, support democracy and the rule of law, and address development needs that are important to U.S. national security and prosperity, to support a short-sighted approach to the migrant problem that will likely fail to achieve even its own ostensible goals while potentially running afoul of international law, wrote Menendez and Leahy. The proposal, which was publicly rejected by the Government of Mexico, seeks to provide millions of U.S. taxpayer dollars to Mexico to pay for plane and bus fare deportations for thousands of immigrants, many of which are trying to reach the United States via Mexico. In asking for a reconsideration, the senators raised additional concerns regarding the manner in which Secretary Pompeo decided to upend decades of practice where the Chair and Ranking Members of Congressional committees of jurisdiction have the ability to intervene and delay such transfers to exercise effective oversight and prevent misuse of congressionally allocated funds. You have decided to act contrary to years of practice and precedent, and in a manner that threatens to upend long-standing norms of comity between the Department of State and its oversight committees in Congress, added the senators, who had placed an informal hold on the proposed transfer when it was first notified to Congress last month. Without further clarification and appropriate action by you to resolve this matter, the decision you have made will leave us with no alternative but to consider all of our legislative and oversight options to assure that Congress is able to fulfill its constitutionally-mandated responsibilities. A copy of their letter can be found HERE and below. Dear Mr. Secretary: We write to express our profound disappointment with your decision to obligate and transfer State Department funds to the Department of Homeland Security to pay for the deportation of up to 17,000 migrants from Mexico to third countries, despite multiple congressional objections. We find this use of FY 2017 funds to be unnecessary, strategically ill-advised, and contrary to long established practice. We have seen the Government of Mexico's September 13th statement that it has not agreed to carry out the Trump Administration's proposed deportation program, and we suspect that President-elect Lopez Obrador is unlikely to be more amenable to cooperating with the United States on this initiative. We were also troubled by the late submission of, and lack of clarity and specificity in, the congressional notification of the proposed transfer, which was submitted without prior consultation despite the unprecedented nature of the proposal, and the State Department's inability to answer basic factual questions about the notification during meetings with our staff. The decision redirects scarce departmental resources needed to address critical humanitarian crises, support democracy and the rule of law, and address development needs that are important to U.S. national security and prosperity, to support a short-sighted approach to the migrant problem that will likely fail to achieve even its own ostensible goals while potentially running afoul of international law. In addition to our concerns regarding the substance of the proposed transfer, we are deeply troubled that in obligating these funds without first resolving congressional objections you have decided to act contrary to years of practice and precedent, and in a manner that threatens to upend long-standing norms of comity between the Department of State and its oversight committees in Congress. Although these practices can, in rare instances, create friction between the executive and the legislative branches, they have served both branches of government well for decades under Republican and Democratic control, resulting in more effective outcomes for U.S. foreign policy. Without further clarification and appropriate action by you to resolve this matter, the decision you have made will leave us with no alternative but to consider all of our legislative and oversight options to assure that Congress is able to fulfill its constitutionally-mandated responsibilities. We look forward to hearing from you without delay, and to finding common ground on a way forward. Sincerely, ROBERT MENENDEZ PATRICK LEAHY Ranking Member Vice Chairman Committee on Foreign Relations Committee on Appropriations Press Contact David Carle: 202-224-3693 Previous Article",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/100118fbiinvestigationletterjuddemrelease,Democratic Senators (Including Leahy): FBI Must Investigate All 3 Credible Allegations Of Sexual Assault Against Judge Brett Kavanaugh,2018-10-01,2018,2018-10,Democrat,House,VT,Patrick Leahy,L000174,www.leahy.senate.gov,,,legacy,"10.01.18 Democratic Senators (Including Leahy): FBI Must Investigate All 3 Credible Allegations Of Sexual Assault Against Judge Brett Kavanaugh Following reports that the White House is limiting the scope of the investigation into sexual assault allegations against Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh, U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Kamala Harris (D-CA), and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) wrote White House Counsel Don McGahn and FBI Director Christopher Wray Monday demanding that the investigation include all three allegations received by the Senate Judiciary Committee, including claims brought forward by Julie Swetnick. The senators provided a list of individuals who must, at a minimum, be interviewed by the FBI based on facts that are already known. Today's letter follows Senate Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Dianne Feinstein's (D-CA) request that the White House and FBI provide the written directive regarding the supplemental background investigation of Brett Kavanaugh so the scope of the investigation can be understood. The list of witnesses who should be interviewed by the FBI is copied below. Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, Palo Alto, CA; professor of psychology at Palo Alto University and a research psychologist at the Stanford University School of Medicine; graduate of the Holton-Arms School. Lynne Brookes, Philadelphia, PA; Chief Operating Officer at Synchrony Group; Kavanaugh's friend from Yale College. Russell Ford, Palo Alto, CA; Mechanical Engineer; Dr. Blasey Ford's husband. Christopher Garrett, Atlanta, GA. Timothy Gaudette, Centennial, CO; Colorado Outreach Manager, Small Business Majority; Kavanagh's friend and Georgetown Prep classmate. Adela Gildo-Mazzon, Palo Alto, CA; real estate agent; friend of Dr. Blasey Ford. Sean Hagan, Bethesda, MD; Senior Cybersecurity Advisor with the Social Security Administration; Kavanaugh's Georgetown Prep classmate. Jeremiah P. Hanafin, D.C.-area polygraph examiner; Former FBI Special Agent; conducted a polygraph examination of Dr. Ford; found that her responses to questions about the assault were not indicative of deception.' Mark Judge, Current residence unknown; conservative author; Kavanaugh's friend and Georgetown Prep classmate. Thomas Kane, D.C. Metro Area; Marketing Manager, Non-Profit Organization. Judge Brett Kavanaugh Leland Keyser, Former golf coach; Dr. Blasey Ford's high school friend. Keith Koegler, Palo Alto, CA; Attorney; close friend of Dr. Blasey Ford and Russell Ford. Dr. Mark Krasberg, Albuquerque, NM; Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery at the University of New Mexico. Bernie McCarthy, Bethesda, MD; Managing Director, Jones Lang LaSalle. Dr. Richard Oh, Santa Clara, CA; emergency room physician; Kavanaugh's classmate at Yale College. Potomac Village Safeway, Potomac, MD; examine the employment records for this store to verify Dr. Blasey Ford's claims and to determine the relevant time period. Deborah Ramirez, Boulder, Co; Volunteer Coordinator, Boulder County Department of Housing & Human Services. Elizabeth Rasor, Ex-girlfriend and college classmate of Judge. James Roche, San Francisco, CA; Chief Executive Officer, HELIX RE, Inc.; Kavanaugh's freshman roommate at Yale College. Patrick J. Smyth, Potomac, MD; Managing Director at PwC (PricewaterhouseCoopers); Kavanaugh's friend and Georgetown Prep classmate. Julie Swetnick, Washington, D.C.; grew up in Montgomery County, MD; graduate of Gaithersburg High School in Gaithersburg, MD. Dr. Elizabeth Swisher, Seattle, WA; physician and professor of gynecologic oncology, University of Washington School of Medicine; Kavanaugh's friend from Yale College. Rebecca White, CA; Friend of Dr. Blasey Ford. Possible Witnesses: Unnamed Declaration Witness 1 and 2, residence and profession unknown; in Ms. Swetnick's declaration, she wrote that she shared what had transpired with at least two people. A woman who asked to remain unnamed for fear of political retribution sent a letter to Dr. Blasey Ford's lawyers saying that she had witnessed boys at parties that included Georgetown Prep students engaging in sexual misconduct. A copy of today's letter is available here and copied below. October 1, 2018 Dear Mr. McGahn and Director Wray: The Senate Judiciary Committee announced last Friday that it would request that the White House instruct the FBI to conduct a supplemental background investigation with respect to the nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court. Because of the importance of this investigation to the Senate's consideration of this nomination, we are writing to request that you provide an explanation of the scope of the investigation. On September 12, Ranking Member Feinstein referred Christine Blasey Ford's allegation of sexual assault to the FBI. Since then, the Committee has received serious allegations from two other women Deborah Ramirez and Julie Swetnick. These three women have come forward at great personal risk, identified themselves by name, submitted written allegations to the Committee, and requested an FBI investigation. We believe that all three allegations should be included in the supplemental investigation. We are providing a list of individuals who we believe should be interviewed at a minimum as part of this investigation, along with any others identified by witnesses or the Bureau in the course of its investigation. We ask that you confirm that the FBI background investigation will include the allegations of Christine Blasey Ford, Deborah Ramirez and Julie Swetnick and that the FBI will perform all logical steps related to these allegations, including interviewing other individuals who might have relevant information and gathering evidence related to the truthfulness of statements made in relation to these allegations. We ask that you notify us of the scope of the investigation and what the White House directed the FBI to investigate, as well as what steps the FBI will be taking. We also ask that, upon completion of your work, you provide copies of all witness interviews, a list of all witnesses who refused to cooperate in the Bureau's investigation, and a full report to each member of the Senate. We believe that providing this important information to the Senate and American people is the best way to ensure public confidence in the results. Press Contact David Carle: 202-224-3693",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/senator-patrick-leahys-statement-on-the-kavanaugh-nomination-at-the-senate-judiciary-committee-voting-session,"Senator Patrick Leahys Statement On The Kavanaugh Nomination, At The Senate Judiciary Committee Voting Session",2018-09-28,2018,2018-09,Democrat,House,VT,Patrick Leahy,L000174,www.leahy.senate.gov,,,legacy,"09.28.18 Senator Patrick Leahy's Statement On The Kavanaugh Nomination, At The Senate Judiciary Committee Voting Session Statement of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) On the Confirmation of Supreme Court Nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh Executive Business Meeting Senate Judiciary Committee September 28, 2018 It is unbelievable where we are today, almost surreal. This Committee, after months of breaking precedent after precedent in a manic rush to fill a Supreme Court seat, is now on the verge of voting on a nominee who has been credibly accused of sexual assault without even having conducted any meaningful investigation. Yesterday we heard the powerful and courageous testimony of Dr. Christine Blasey Ford. Following her testimony, I suspect not one of us left the Committee room doubting her credibility. Judge Kavanaugh then angrily denied the allegation, and I'll get to that shortly. But we should all agree that a credible allegation of sexual assault against a nominee to our nation's highest court demands that we proceed with utmost caution. Our constitutional obligation, at the very least, is to investigate these allegations properly. This isn't about delaying a nomination until after the election. That, in fact, is what Republicans did with Merrick Garland. This is about doing our jobs. The first step is an FBI investigation. That's always been the first step when new derogatory information comes to light about a nominee even when the information is as minor as decades-old marijuana use. Why is Judge Kavanaugh, who is facing much more serious allegations, being held to a lower standard than all nominees before him? A proper investigation also means hearing from all the witnesses. That includes the four witnesses who signed sworn affidavits offered by Dr. Ford. Most stunningly, this Committee has refused to call the sole eye-witness to the alleged assault, Mark Judge. Instead, all we have is a brief letter from Mr. Judge vaguely asserting that he has no memory of this alleged incident. He has effectively mailed us a do not disturb sign and apparently the Republicans on this Committee are satisfied, as if oral testimony and an opportunity to question witnesses is unnecessary. Whether you believe Judge Kavanaugh or you believe Dr. Ford, the fact that we are not allowed to hear from the sole eye-witness is outrageous and everyone here knows it. I said yesterday that the Senate failed Anita Hill. Today we are doing even worse. We had an FBI investigation then. We had almost two dozen witnesses. Here Republicans are not willing to do either, even if it would delay this nomination just a matter of a week or two, far short of the November election. I am at a loss how Republicans could think that they have heard enough about Dr. Ford's allegations and are ready to move on. Dr. Ford captivated the nation yesterday with her horrifying story of sexual assault. Every minute of her testimony was credible. She knew Brett Kavanaugh. She knew Mark Judge. This was not a case of mistaken identity. In a moment that I will never forget, when I asked her for her strongest memory, something from the incident she couldn't escape, she testified: Indelible in the hippocampus is the laughter, the uproarious laughter between the two as a teenage Judge Kavanaugh drunkenly pinned Dr. Ford down to the bed and attempted to sexually assault her. I found Dr. Ford's testimony to be wholly credible, and not one member of this Committee has suggested she was not. The same cannot be said of Judge Kavanaugh. Judge Kavanaugh's veracity has been an issue every single time he's ever testified before the Senate. Whether it's repeatedly telling senators that he had no role in vetting or working on various controversial Bush-era judicial nominees. Or whether it's testifying in response to more than 100 different questions from a half dozen bipartisan senators that he never received or believed he received obviously stolen materials from Democratic servers. We could not depend on Judge Kavanaugh to tell the truth under oath. We only learned the truth years later, after reviewing the small portion of his White House record that Chairman Grassley was willing to request for this nomination. Time and again, when confronted under oath with questions about his involvement in Bush-era scandals or controversial matters, Judge Kavanaugh misled the Senate. This fact alone does not make him guilty of sexual assault as a 17 year-old. Nor does the fact that he minimized the heavy drinking in his youth and misrepresented the misogyny in his yearbook. But it does go to the heart of Judge Kavanaugh's truthfulness any time he's faced with potentially incriminating questions. Yesterday, Judge Kavanaugh falsely claimed over and over again that every other person Dr. Ford placed in that house said the assault didn't happen. That's just not true. The only person who has claimed this incident didn't happen is Brett Kavanaugh. The others said they had no knowledge or memory of it. Just as Dr. Ford assumed they would say given that it was, for them, an ordinary night. And one of them even stated that she believed Dr. Ford, which Judge Kavanaugh conveniently failed to acknowledge. Judge Kavanaugh's defiance and evasiveness, and his vehement, partisan attacks against members of this Committee, in the face of powerful incriminating testimony surpassed that of even Clarence Thomas. He tried to portray Dr. Ford's allegation as part of a calculated and orchestrated political hit. He angrily asserted baseless political tirades. He was all-too-eager to promote the false Republican talking point that Senator Feinstein was lying in wait with this allegation. He even claimed the allegations were driven by [r]evenge on behalf of the Clintons. That amounts to conspiratorial madness. In my time in the Senate, I have never seen such volatility, partisanship, and a lack of judicial temperament from any nominee, for any court. It is no secret that I have deep concerns about what a Justice Kavanaugh would mean for the rights of women, for workers, for our healthcare, for unchecked presidential power, and other important issues. I also believe he is unfit to serve on our nation's highest court because of his history of misleading the Senate under oath. But as serious as those concerns are, this is different. Voting to advance and ultimately confirm Judge Kavanaugh while he is under this dark cloud of suspicion will forever change both the Senate and our nation's highest court. For victims and survivors of sexual violence struggling with whether to come forward, the consequences may be even worse. How this Committee handles this nomination will be viewed as a reflection of how seriously our society views credible claims of sexual misconduct. During Dr. Ford's testimony, the National Sexual Assault Hotline saw an unprecedented 147 percent increase in calls. When survivors see us taking sexual assault seriously, they are empowered to come forward. If they see us callously sweeping it under the rug, I fear it will have disastrous consequences. If victims think they will never be believed, or it will not matter even if they are believed, then why come forward at all? Dr. Ford deserves to be heard. And that must mean more than just checking a box. It is important to remember that Dr. Ford did not spend her entire life preparing for this moment. She is not backed by the most powerful officials in our nation's government. She did not come here with a political agenda. She did not testify with a job promotion on the line. She did not evade our questions or demean our motives. She instead, plainly, with grace, and at times emotionally, recounted the trauma that she experienced as a 15 year-old girl. Trauma that has been haunting her for the 36 years since. She had nothing to gain and everything to lose by coming forward. I listened closely to both her and Judge Kavanaugh. And I believe her. I will be voting no on Judge Kavanaugh's nomination. He does not have the veracity nor temperament for a lifetime appointment to the highest court in our nation. And no such nominee should be confirmed in the face of such serious, credible, and unresolved allegations of sexual assault. # # # # # Press Contact David Carle: 202-224-3693",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/statement-of-senate-appropriations-committee-vice-chairman-patrick-leahy-on-president-trump-signing-the-defense-/-labor-hhs-education-minibus-appropriations-bill,"Statement of Senate Appropriations Committee Vice Chairman Patrick Leahy On President Trump Signing The Defense / Labor-HHS-Education ""Minibus"" Appropriations Bill",2018-09-28,2018,2018-09,Democrat,House,VT,Patrick Leahy,L000174,www.leahy.senate.gov,,,legacy,"09.28.18 Statement of Senate Appropriations Committee Vice Chairman Patrick Leahy On President Trump Signing The Defense / Labor-HHS-Education ""Minibus"" Appropriations Bill Statement of Senate Appropriations Committee Vice Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) On President Trump Signing The Defense/Labor-HHS-Education Minibus Appropriations Bill Friday, Sept. 28, 2018 For the first time in 22 years, Congress passed and the President now has signed a bill including Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations on time by the beginning of the fiscal year. This appropriations package also invests in the men and women of the armed forces and their families, and it ensures the government of the American people will remain open through December 7 for those agencies not yet funded. This was only possible because of the bipartisan framework reached among Chairman Shelby, Leader McConnell, Leader Schumer and myself. It is free of poison pill policy riders, has broad bipartisan support, and it complies with the bipartisan budget agreement reached by Congress in February. This is a proven path forward for the appropriations process, and it is the only path forward for the remaining appropriations bills. I am hopeful that House Republicans will drop their remaining poison pills from the third minibus, so that we can complete nine of the 12 appropriations bills by the end of the fiscal year. Leahy's Statement From Senate Passage Available HERE: https://www.appropriations.senate.gov/news/minority/leahy-statement-on-the-defense-labor-health-and-human-services-and-education-conference-report # # # # # Press Contact Jay Tilton: 202-224-2667 Previous Article",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/cardin-leads-colleagues-including-leahy-in-urging-greater-us-leadership-to-combat-guatemalan-corruption-support-cicig,"Cardin Leads Colleagues, Including Leahy, In Urging Greater U.S. Leadership To Combat Guatemalan Corruption, Support CICIG",2018-09-27,2018,2018-09,Democrat,House,VT,Patrick Leahy,L000174,www.leahy.senate.gov,,,legacy,"09.27.18 Cardin Leads Colleagues, Including Leahy, In Urging Greater U.S. Leadership To Combat Guatemalan Corruption, Support CICIG Lawmakers tell Pompeo the United Statesmust counter President Morales' efforts to unravel years of progress in anti-corruption in Guatemala. WASHINGTON (THURSDAY, Sept. 27, 2018) -- U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere and an anti-corruption champion in the Senate, led nearly two dozen of his bicameral colleagues Thursday in a letter to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo regarding the president of Guatemala's efforts to shut down the internationally-supported anti-corruption investigative body in that country. The International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala, commonly known by its Spanish acronym CICIG, aims to investigate illegal security groups and clandestine security organizations criminal groups believed to have infiltrated state institutions, fostering impunity and undermining democratic gains in Guatemala since the end of the country's armed conflict in the 1990s, according to the United Nations, which spearheaded its creation. President Morales' decision not to renew CICIG's mandate and to bar [CICIG leader] Mr. Velsquez' entry is a dangerous setback for anti-corruption, transparency, and accountability efforts in Guatemala, the lawmakers wrote to the Secretary of State. It is more important than ever that the United States demonstrate leadership and effective engagement with the Guatemalan government to reverse these decisions. Joining Senator Cardin on the letter to Secretary Pompeo are U.S. Senators Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.); Dick Durbin (D-Ill.); Bernie Sanders (D-Vt.); Tim Kaine (D-Va.); Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.); Jack Reed (D-R.I.); Ed Markey (D-Mass.); Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.); Cory Booker (D-N.J.); Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.); and U.S. Reps. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.); Norma Torres (D-Calif.); Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.); Mark Pocan (D-Wis.); Ral Grijalva (D-Ariz.); Ro Khanna (D-Calif.); David Cicilline (D-R.I.); Joaquin Castro (D-Texas); Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.); Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.); Hank Johnson (D-Ga.); and Nita Lowey (D-N.Y.). The United States as a global leader in promoting transparency, rule of law, and democratic institutions must counter President Morales' efforts to unravel years of progress in anti-corruption in Guatemala, the lawmakers added. The text of the letter follows and is available at this link: Dear Secretary Pompeo: We write to express our grave concern about Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales' recent efforts to undermine and shut down the United Nations-backed International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG). The United States as a global leader in promoting transparency, rule of law, and democratic institutions must counter President Morales' efforts to unravel years of progress in anti-corruption in Guatemala. President Morales' campaign against CICIG has escalated in recent months. Earlier this year, the Guatemalan government cut CICIG's security personnel in half, removing 25 police from CICIG's protection detail and leaving CICIG lawyers, investigators, and support staff increasingly vulnerable to attack by the Commission's opponents. On August 31, President Morales announced that he would not renew CICIG's mandate, which expires in September 2019. That same day, a convoy of U.S.-donated military vehicles operated by Guatemalan law enforcement was observed nearby CICIG and the U.S. Embassy in Guatemala City, ostensibly as a political message of intimidation and in contravention of the purposes for which the United States donated the vehicles. On September 4, President Morales declared CICIG Commissioner and lead prosecutor Ivn Velsquez a threat to public security, denying him re-entry into Guatemala. In our view, Commissioner Velsquez has carried out his responsibilities admirably and, as appropriate, in close consultation with the Guatemalan Attorney General. These events threaten the independence and effectiveness of CICIG, which has been the most effective example for anti-corruption, counter-trafficking, and accountability efforts in the region. While we were encouraged by the Guatemalan constitutional court's September 16 reversal of the entry ban, subsequent statements by high-ranking Guatemalan officials caused renewed uncertainty. Now that UN Secretary General Guterres has reaffirmed Mr. Velsquez as Commissioner, we believe the United States must play a stronger role in supporting CICIG. We understand that on September 6, you spoke by phone with President Morales, affirmed the importance of combating corruption and impunity in Guatemala, and expressed commitment and cooperation in reforming CICIG for the coming year. While we appreciate your engagement and recognize the need for institutional reforms to increase oversight and transparency of CICIG, the apparent lack of discussion on CICIG's mandate expiration and Mr. Velsquez' expulsion raises serious concerns about the Administration's intentions. CICIG has enjoyed widespread bicameral and bipartisan support since its establishment in 2007, and United States support for CICIG is a core element of U.S. engagement with Guatemala. The Guatemalan people have recognized CICIG as the most trusted institution in Guatemala, with one recent poll concluding that 69 percent of the Guatemalan public views CICIG favorably. The long-term stability of Guatemala's institutions and democracy are inextricably linked to CICIG's autonomy and success. This Congress has substantively weighed in on the need for robust U.S. support for anti-corruption efforts in Guatemala. Section 1287 of the National Defense Authorization Act of 2019 requires the Secretary of State, in coordination with the Secretary of Defense, to provide Congress with a list of officials from Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador that may be subject to U.S. sanctions under the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act (Public Law 114-328). Furthermore, Section 7045 (a)(3)(B)(vii) of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2018 (P.L. 115-141) conditions 50 percent of United States assistance to Guatemala until the State Department can certify that the government of Guatemala is cooperating with commissions against corruption and impunity."" We believe that President Morales' recent actions do not meet the congressional conditions required for assistance for the Guatemalan government, including security assistance. The incident regarding the convoy of U.S.-donated vehicles is of particular concern to us, and we request that you investigate the incident for any possible violations of United States security assistance laws or policies. Finally, we emphasize that the Global Magnitsky Act has equipped the State Department with the necessary tools to support CICIG's efforts, should the Guatemalan government fail to ensure accountability for significant acts of corruption. President Morales' decision not to renew CICIG's mandate and to bar Mr. Velsquez' entry is a dangerous setback for anti-corruption, transparency, and accountability efforts in Guatemala. It is more important than ever that the United States demonstrate leadership and effective engagement with the Guatemalan government to reverse these decisions. We look forward to working with you to continue United States support for anti-corruption, rule of law, and accountability in Guatemala. ### Press Contact David Carle: 202-224-3693",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://welch.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/welch-statement-latest-kavanaugh-allegations,Welch Statement on the Latest Kavanaugh Allegations,2018-09-26,2018,2018-09,Democrat,House,VT,Peter Welch,W000800,welch.house.gov,,,legacy,"Rep. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) issued the following statement regarding the latest allegations against Judge Brett Kavanaugh: The behavior described by Julie Swetnick is despicable. If President Trump and Judge Kavanaugh refuse to ask for an FBI investigation of these serious and credible allegations, his nomination should be immediately withdrawn. He simply cannot serve on the highest court in America. ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/judiciary-committee-democrats-to-chairman-grassley-postpone-hearing-support-fbi-investigation,"Judiciary Committee Democrats To Chairman Grassley: Postpone Hearing, Support FBI Investigation",2018-09-26,2018,2018-09,Democrat,House,VT,Patrick Leahy,L000174,www.leahy.senate.gov,,,legacy,"09.26.18 Judiciary Committee Democrats To Chairman Grassley: Postpone Hearing, Support FBI Investigation WashingtonFollowing the release of a sworn affidavit from Julie Swetnick detailing new allegations of sexual assault against Brett Kavanaugh, all 10 Democratic members of the Senate Judiciary Committee today urged Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) to postpone tomorrow's hearing and Friday's vote and support an FBI investigation of all allegations. The senators wrote: The Senate Judiciary Committee is not a court of law. Our job is not to determine whether Brett Kavanaugh is guilty of a crime. Our job is to determine whether Brett Kavanaugh has the character and qualifications to be promoted to the most prestigious and powerful court in the country. It would be an unprecedented abuse of power and abdication of our constitutional responsibilities to move forward with this nomination given the concerns about Brett Kavanaugh's character and actions. We ask that you immediately request an FBI investigation or support the withdrawal of this nominee, but at a minimum the vote that has been scheduled for Friday must be canceled. Full text of the letter follows: September 26, 2018 Honorable Charles Grassley Chairman Committee on the Judiciary United States Senate Washington, D.C. 20510 Dear Chairman Grassley: In light of shocking new allegations detailed by Julie Swetnick in a sworn affidavit, we write to request that the Committee vote on Brett Kavanaugh be immediately canceled and that you support the reopening of the FBI investigation to examine all of the allegations against Kavanaugh or withdrawal of his nomination. Under penalty of perjury, which would cause Ms. Swetnick to be subject to criminal prosecution, she states that she witnessed Brett Kavanaugh engage in abusive and physically aggressive behavior toward girls, including pressing girls against him without their consent, grinding against girls,' and attempting to remove or shift girls' clothing to expose private body parts as well as make crude sexual comments that were designed to demean, humiliate and embarrass them. The Senate Judiciary Committee is not a court of law. Our job is not to determine whether Brett Kavanaugh is guilty of a crime. Our job is to determine whether Brett Kavanaugh has the character and qualifications to be promoted to the most prestigious and powerful court in the country. It would be an unprecedented abuse of power and abdication of our constitutional responsibilities to move forward with this nomination given the concerns about Brett Kavanaugh's character and actions. We ask that you immediately request an FBI investigation or support the withdrawal of this nominee, but at a minimum the vote that has been scheduled for Friday must be canceled. Sincerely, Dianne Feinstein Ranking Member Patrick J. Leahy United States Senator Richard J. Durbin United States Senator Sheldon Whitehouse United States Senator Amy Klobuchar United States Senator Christopher A. Coons United States Senator Richard Blumenthal United States Senator Mazie K. Hirono United States Senator Cory A. Booker United States Senator Kamala D. Harris United States Senator ### Press Contact David Carle: 202-224-3693 Previous Article",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z