url,title,date,year,month,party,chamber,state,member_name,bioguide_id,domain,scraper,source,date_source,text,has_text,collected_at,updated_at https://www.sanders.senate.gov/press-releases/sanders-to-demand-votes-on-house-passed-2000-direct-payments-bill-and-mcconnells-bill/,"Sanders to Demand Votes on House-Passed $2,000 Direct Payments Bill and McConnells Bill",2020-12-31,2020,2020-12,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, December 31 Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) announced on Thursday that he will challenge Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to bring his own legislation to the floor, in addition to the bill passed by the House of Representatives with support from 44 Republicans and 231 Democrats to give working-class Americans $2,000 direct payments, for an up-or-down vote. The working class of America is facing more economic desperation than at anytime since the Great Depression, Sanders said. They need our help and they need it now. I'm offering a compromise path forward to resolve our current impasse and give Americans the vote they deserve on direct payments. Tomorrow, we should vote on the McConnell bill and the House-passed bill. What objection could Leader McConnell have for not voting on his own bill? McConnell's legislation was introduced after the Republican Leader told the Senate that he would prioritize moving a package of President Trump's priorities, including $2,000 direct payments. Packaging a repeal of Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act and a Congressional inquiry into supposed voter fraud in addition to direct payments, McConnell announced that those are the three important subjects the president has linked together. This week, the Senate will begin a process to bring these three priorities into focus. Sanders responded: McConnell began the process on Tuesday, and he should finish that work by putting his bill on the floor of the U.S. Senate for consideration before we go home for the New Year. Sanders will ask for unanimous consent to bring both pieces of legislation up for a vote on Friday afternoon.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.sanders.senate.gov/press-releases/vermonts-congressional-delegation-recognizes-vermont-u-s-service-academy-nominees-via-video-livestream-wednesday-december-30/,"Vermonts Congressional Delegation Recognizes Vermont U.S. Service Academy Nominees via Video Livestream Wednesday, December 30",2020-12-31,2020,2020-12,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy, U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders, and U.S. Representative Peter Welch on Wednesday evening recognized 28 young Vermonters who received nominations to the United States Service Academies, Class of 2025. Each year the Vermont delegation hosts a reception at the Vermont State House for the nominees. However, for everyone's safety, this year's ceremony was held virtually. The names of this year's nominees, selected by Leahy, Sanders, and Welch through a competitive vetting process, and forwarded to the Academies for final decisions, are: Mr. Eusebio Aja IIIof Barre, Vermont (U.S. Air Force Academy, U.S. Naval Academy) Nominated by: Leahy, Sanders, Welch Mr. Matthew Bayardof Saint Albans, Vermont (U.S. Air Force Academy, U.S. Military Academy) Nominated by: Leahy, Sanders, Welch Ms. Allison Bradleyof Woodstock, Vermont(U.S. Naval Academy) Nominated by: Leahy, Sanders, Welch Mr. Matthew Durginof Cabot, Vermont (U.S. Military Academy) Nominated by: Leahy, Sanders, Welch Mr. Fletcher Footeof Newport, Vermont (U.S. Air Force Academy, U.S. Naval Academy) Nominated by: Leahy Ms. Pauline Garzaof Essex Junction, Vermont (U.S Naval Academy) Nominated by: Leahy, Sanders, Welch Mr. Aidan Geboof Vergennes, Vermont (U.S. Naval Academy) Nominated by: Leahy, Sanders, Welch Ms. Katherine Hawkoof Shelburne, Vermont (U.S. Military Academy, U.S. Naval Academy, U.S. Merchant Marine Academy) Nominated by: Leahy, Sanders, Welch Ms. Charlotte Hillof Williston, Vermont (U.S. Naval Academy) Nominated by: Leahy, Sanders, Welch Ms. Julia Hortonof Saint Albans, Vermont (U.S. Naval Academy) Nominated by: Leahy, Sanders, Welch Mr. Ethan Howellof Milton, Vermont(U.S. Air Force Academy) Nominated by: Leahy, Sanders, Welch Mr. Patrick Kwassof South Burlington, Vermont(U.S. Air Force Academy, U.S. Naval Academy) Nominated by: Leahy Mr. Joshua Lajeunesseof Montpelier, Vermont (U.S. Military Academy, U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, U.S. Naval Academy) Nominated by: Leahy, Sanders, Welch Ms. Wylie Lucasof Norwich, Vermont (U.S. Military Academy, U.S. Naval Academy, U.S. Air Force Academy) Nominated by: Leahy, Sanders, Welch Mr. Ethan Melloof West Windsor, Vermont (U.S. Naval Academy) Nominated by: Leahy, Sanders, Welch Mr. MacKenzie Millerof Shelburne, Vermont (U.S. Air Force Academy) Nominated by: Leahy, Sanders, Welch Ms. Olivia Mooreof Colchester, Vermont (U.S. Military Academy) Nominated by: Leahy, Sanders, Welch Ms. Elizabeth Perryof Franklin, Vermont (U.S. Naval Academy) Nominated by: Leahy, Sanders, Welch Mr. Jackson Porterof Franklin, Vermont (U.S. Naval Academy) Nominated by: Leahy, Sanders, Welch Ms. Alayna Potterof Colchester, Vermont (U.S. Air Force Academy) Nominated by: Leahy, Sanders, Welch Mr. Michael Puchkovof Peru, Vermont (U.S. Air Force Academy, U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, U.S. Naval Academy) Nominated by: Leahy, Sanders, Welch Mr. Thomas Remillardof Saint Albans, Vermont (U.S. Military Academy) Nominated by: Leahy, Sanders, Welch Mr. Ethan Schaalof White River Junction, Vermont (U.S. Military Academy) Nominated by: Leahy, Sanders, Welch Mr. Brad Stankiewiczof Milton, Vermont (U.S. Naval Academy, U.S. Merchant Marine Academy) Nominated by: Leahy, Welch Mr. Alexander Stefurakof West Rutland, Vermont (U.S. Military Academy, U.S. Air Force Academy) Nominated by: Leahy, Sanders, Welch Mr. Peter Warholdof Norwich, Vermont (U.S. Air Force Academy) Nominated by: Welch Mr. Aidan Whiteof Middlesex, Vermont (U.S. Military Academy) Nominated by: Leahy, Sanders, Welch Mr. Andrew Zuckermanof South Londonderry, Vermont (U.S. Naval Academy) Nominated by: Sanders, Welch",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://welch.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/welch-priorities-signed-law-part-omnibus-government-funding-bill,Welch Priorities Signed Into Law As Part Of Omnibus Government Funding Bill,2020-12-28,2020,2020-12,Democrat,Senate,VT,Peter Welch,W000800,welch.house.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON President Donald Trump signed into law on Sunday night a government funding bill that included energy efficiency provisions championed by Representative Peter Welch, and an important Medicaid fraud bill that he introduced this Congress. The bill also funds the government for the remainder of fiscal year 2021. The legislation includes several provisions Welch led during the 116th Congress that are now law. Specifically, it includes the following Welch-led energy efficiency initiatives: Provisions from the Biomass Thermal Utilization (BTU) Act (H.R. 1479) to incentivize the use of energy efficient wood boilers, stoves and heaters through tax credits for capital costs incurred in residential installations. Provisions to provide rebates for energy efficient motors and transformers, streamline energy efficiency programs and financing for schools, and reduce energy usage at data centers. These provisions come from the Energy Savings and Industrial Competitiveness Act (H.R. 3962) introduced by Welch this Congress. The Energy Savings Through Public Private Partnership Act (H.R. 3079) to require federal agencies to implement previously identified energy efficiency upgrades and to use performance contracting to ensure energy savings and save taxpayer dollars. Core parts of the Federal Energy and Water Management Performance Act (H.R. 5650), which authorizes, for the first time, the Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP) at $36 million through fiscal year 2025. The Small Building Acceleration Act (H.R. 2044) to facilitate the transition to energy-saving smart buildings by supporting research and documenting the costs and benefits of emerging technologies in private and federal government buildings. Provisions to develop a national plan for smart manufacturing technology development and deployment to improve domestic manufacturing sector productivity and efficiency. This is similar to parts of The Smart Manufacturing Leadership Act (H.R. 1633), introduced by Welch this Congress. The Combined Heat and Power Support Act (H.R. 1480), which creates a Combined Heat and Power Technical Assistance Partnership Program and encourages the deployment of CHP, waste heat to power, and efficient district energy. In addition, the spending legislation included a Welch bill to combat Medicaid fraud and abuse and protect those served by the program from being exploited. The legislation, H.R. 3891, would fix a loophole that prohibited state Medicaid Fraud Control Units to pursue waste and abuse in non-institutional settings, like home health care. The bill is strongly supported by Vermont State Attorney General T.J. Donovan. ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.sanders.senate.gov/press-releases/sanders-demands-mcconnell-hold-vote-on-2000-direct-payments/,"Sanders Demands McConnell Hold Vote on $2,000 Direct Payments",2020-12-28,2020,2020-12,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, December 28 Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) issued the following statement in response to the House of Representatives' overwhelming 275-134 passage of $2,000 direct payments for the working class: The House has passed a $2,000 direct payment for working people. It is time for the Senate to act. This week on the Senate floor Mitch McConnell wants to vote to override Trump's veto of the $740 billion defense funding bill and then head home for the New Year. I'm going to object until we get a vote on legislation to provide a $2,000 direct payment to the working class. Let me be clear: If Senator McConnell doesn't agree to an up or down vote to provide the working people of our country a $2,000 direct payment, Congress will not be going home for New Year's Eve. Let's do our job.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.sanders.senate.gov/press-releases/sanders-calls-on-mitch-mcconnell-to-pass-2000-direct-payments-legislation-in-the-senate/,"Sanders Calls on Mitch McConnell to Pass $2,000 Direct Payments Legislation in the Senate",2020-12-24,2020,2020-12,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"BURLINGTON, December 23 In response to President Trump's disapproval of the $908-billion COVID-19 relief package passed by Congress on Monday, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) issued the following statement: In America today, millions of Americans are facing economic desperation and need help now.I have been calling on Congress for months to pass legislation to provide every working class American with $2,000 a month until the pandemic ends.Now that Senator Schumer, Speaker Pelosi and President Trump have all indicated strong support for a $2,000 direct payment the ball is in Senate Majority Leader McConnell's court. I say to Senator McConnell: Let the Senate vote immediately on a stand-alone bill to provide a $2,000 direct payment for the working class and $4,000 for couples. If no Republican objects to that bill, it could pass by unanimous consent today. Sanders is the co-author, with Senators Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) and Ed Markey (D-Mass.), of the Monthly Economic Crisis Support Act, which would provide $2,000 direct monthly payments to working-class Americans for the duration of the pandemic.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://welch.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/sen-warren-and-rep-welch-lead-letter-trump-administration-failure,Sen. Warren and Rep. Welch Lead Letter on Trump Administration Failure to Address Millions of Orphan Oil and Gas Wells That Continue to Emit Methane and Toxic Chemicals,2020-12-23,2020,2020-12,Democrat,Senate,VT,Peter Welch,W000800,welch.house.gov,,,legacy,"Text of Letter (PDF) Washington, DC -- United States Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Representative Peter Welch (D-Vt.) led a letter to Secretary of the Interior (DOI) David Bernhardt about the Bureau of Land Management's failure to hold the oil and gas industry accountable for plugging millions of abandoned oil and gas wells on public lands, which continue to leak dangerous chemicals like methane and endanger both the environment and public health. The letter is also signed by Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) and Representative Alan Lowenthal (D-Calif.). The federal government estimates that there are more than three million abandoned oil and gas wells across the United States, two million of which are unplugged and are releasing ""the methane equivalent of the annual emissions from more than 1.5 million cars."" These abandoned wells can contaminate groundwater and emit volatile and hazardous compounds, posing significant environmental and public health risks. Leaking methane is particularly dangerous, since methane ""pound for pound can warm the planet more than 80 times as much as carbon dioxide over a 20-year period."" In 2018 and 2019, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) laid out recommendations for how the Bureau of Land Management can track and manage the wells. But the Trump administration largely ignored and even hampered efforts to hold Big Oil and franking firms accountable by weakening environmental laws like the Methane Rule, which would have helped the government compel oil and gas companies to plug their wells, but instead freed these companies from the need to detect and repair methane leaks. ""Implementing the GAO recommendations is a bare minimum action that the Interior Department and its agencies can take to address the growing number of orphan and abandoned wells and their associated environmental health and safety risks. Congress and the American public deserve an explanation as to why your agency has refused to do so in a timely manner,"" wrote Senator Warren and Representative Welch. Their letter notes that the Trump administration's inaction paired with oil companies' financial strain during the pandemic have exacerbated the problem, making it unlikely that bankrupt or struggling companies will pay to plug these abandoned wells that threaten the lives and livelihoods of surrounding communities. This shunts the financial responsibility of hundreds of millions of dollars to states and represents a lost opportunity to create good-paying jobs -- paid for by oil companies -- to close the wells while also boosting the economy. ""Plugging these orphan and abandoned wells would reduce the threats that they pose to human health and the environment, and could create thousands of new jobs during the pandemic-caused recession,"" the lawmakers wrote. Their letter to DOI requests updated information about the DOI's plans to implement the recommendations from the GAO and the steps it is taking to assist states in addressing these dangerous orphan and abandoned oil and gas wells before the impending end of the Trump administration. ""The American public deserves an Interior Department that will resolve problems that fall under its jurisdiction,"" wrote the lawmakers. ""Without decisive action, the number of oil and gas wells... will only continue to grow."" Senator Warren has called for an outright ban on fossil fuel extraction in public lands and waters and has previously raised concerns about abandoned industry sites that pose serious threats to local communities and exacerbate the climate crisis. ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://welch.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/sanders-leahy-welch-applaud-dam-repair-funding-vermont,"Sanders, Leahy, Welch Applaud Dam-Repair Funding for Vermont",2020-12-22,2020,2020-12,Democrat,Senate,VT,Peter Welch,W000800,welch.house.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, Dec. 22 Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Rep. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) announced that legislation passed by Congress last night will fund critical water infrastructure projects, including three aging flood-control dams. The Vermont delegation also announced that the state of Vermont has signed an agreement with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to make much-needed repairs to the Waterbury Dam. The project will begin in early 2021, using $40 million in federal funding secured by the delegation. The America's Water Infrastructure Act of 2020, to be signed into law today, includes language first authored by Senator Sanders in 2016 in the Water Resources Development Act. This year, the amendment authored by Sanders in the Senate and Welch in the House increases the authorization of federal funding to $60 million each for safety improvements at certain state-owned flood control dams constructed by the federal government before 1940. In Vermont, three dams the Waterbury, East Barre and Wrightsville dams are eligible to receive funding under this provision. These dams are essential pieces of Vermont's infrastructure, said Sanders, who is a senior member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, which has jurisdiction over the water infrastructure legislation. Maintaining and repairing the dams especially the Waterbury Dam has long been a priority for our state. This bipartisan legislation is an important step toward rebuilding aging dams in Vermont and throughout the United States. Leahy, Vice Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, said: I have been proud to secure funding for the Waterbury Dam through the appropriations process, and I'm pleased to see the increased spending authorized by this legislation at the request of Senator Sanders and Congressman Welch.Those funds may be very helpful if the cost exceeds the $40 million already appropriated for work on this critical project, and funds may also be needed for work to the other eligible Vermont dams. I was proud to secure federal support to allow the state to begin this important, but expensive, safety and infrastructure project, said Welch, who secured authorization language in the House. With these funds, the state of Vermont will be able to complete these critical repairs with the help of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. This is a perfect example of a local project that deserves federal support to protect public safety, improve environmental quality, and enhance recreational opportunities in the area for years to come. The Waterbury Dam Spillway Refurbishment project is a major public safety and environmental restoration priority for Vermont, said Peter Walke, Commissioner of Vermont's Department of Environmental Conservation. We are grateful for the support of Vermont's Congressional Delegation for securing a $40M federal appropriation for the project, and to the US Army Corps of Engineers for supporting this project at the national and local level. My team will be working in tight coordination with the Army Corps to get this project started early in 2021. The federal government built the Waterbury, East Barre and Wrightsville dams in the 1930s after the devastating 1927 flood caused massive destruction and loss of life in the Winooski River basin from Central Vermont to Burlington. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers designed, and the Civilian Construction Corps built, the three flood-control dams on tributaries of the Winooski River to reduce the risk of future flooding. The federal government later transferred ownership of the dams to the state of Vermont, but did not include any provisions for the maintenance of the dams. The Waterbury Dam, in particular, now has major repair needs, due to this lack of support from the federal government. The Vermont Congressional delegation remains committed to passing aggressive water infrastructure funding next year, including critical provisions to improve drinking water, which was passed this year by the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/daines-leahy-bipartisan-bill-promoting-affordable-health-insurance-passes-senate-heads-to-presidents-desk-,"Daines, Leahy Bipartisan Bill Promoting Affordable Health Insurance Passes Senate, Heads to Presidents Desk",2020-12-22,2020,2020-12,Democrat,House,VT,Patrick Leahy,L000174,www.leahy.senate.gov,,,legacy,"12.22.20 Daines, Leahy Bipartisan Bill Promoting Affordable Health Insurance Passes Senate, Heads to President's Desk . . . . Bill prevents health insurance companies from price fixing, collusion U.S. SENATE U.S.Senators Steve Daines (Mont.) and Patrick Leahy (Vt.) announced that their bipartisan bill promoting access to affordable health care by increasing transparency and enhancing consumer protections in the health insurance passed the U.S. Senate and will be headed to the President's desk to be signed into law. The Competitive Health Insurance Reform Act willensure that health insurance issuers are subject to the same federal antitrust laws prohibiting unfair trade practices, such as price fixing and collusion, as virtually every other industry in our economy. Our bipartisan bill will allow for greater transparency and oversight into the health insurance industry and help make health insurance more affordable for Montanans and Americans across the country. I look forward to this commonsense bill being signed into law, Daines said. While ordinary Americans are suffering through an unprecedented, deadly pandemic, multi-billion dollar health insurance companies are boasting record-high profits. It makes little sense that these powerful actors should also benefit from an antiquated exemption in the law shielding them from all scrutiny and oversight by our federal antitrust authorities. Our overwhelmingly bipartisan bill would simply subject health insurance providers to our federal antitrust laws just like every other major sector of the American economy. This is a commonsense bill that promotes competition and protects consumers, and I hope President Trumpswiftly signs it into law.Leahy said. The bipartisan billamends the McCarran-Ferguson Act to restore the application of federal antitrust laws to the health insurance industry, but does not otherwise interfere with or impact the authority of state authorities to regulate health insurance provided under the act. This bill will help address instances of artificially higher premiums, unfair insurance restrictions, and harmful policy exclusions. Background: On February 19th, 2019, Senators Steve Daines and Patrick Leahyintroduced the bipartisanlegislation. ### Next Article Previous Article",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/sanders-leahy-welch-applaud-dam-repair-funding-for-vermont,"Sanders, Leahy, Welch Applaud Dam-Repair Funding For Vermont",2020-12-22,2020,2020-12,Democrat,House,VT,Patrick Leahy,L000174,www.leahy.senate.gov,,,legacy,"12.22.20 Sanders, Leahy, Welch Applaud Dam-Repair Funding For Vermont WASHINGTON, Dec. 22 Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Rep. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) announced that legislation passed by Congress last night will fund critical water infrastructure projects, including three aging flood-control dams. The Vermont delegation also announced that the state of Vermont has signed an agreement with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to make much-needed repairs to the Waterbury Dam. The project will begin in early 2021, using $40 million in federal funding secured by the delegation. The America's Water Infrastructure Act of 2020, to be signed into law today, includes language first authored by Senator Sanders in 2016 in the Water Resources Development Act. This year, the amendment authored by Sanders in the Senate and Welch in the House increases the authorization of federal funding to $60 million each for safety improvements at certain state-owned flood control dams constructed by the federal government before 1940. In Vermont, three dams the Waterbury, East Barre and Wrightsville dams are eligible to receive funding under this provision. These dams are essential pieces of Vermont's infrastructure, said Sanders, who is a senior member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, which has jurisdiction over the water infrastructure legislation. Maintaining and repairing the dams especially the Waterbury Dam has long been a priority for our state. This bipartisan legislation is an important step toward rebuilding aging dams in Vermont and throughout the United States. Leahy, Vice Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, said: I have been proud to secure funding for the Waterbury Dam through the appropriations process, and I'm pleased to see the increased spending authorized by this legislation at the request of Senator Sanders and Congressman Welch.Those funds may be very helpful if the cost exceeds the $40 million already appropriated for work on this critical project, and funds may also be needed for work to the other eligible Vermont dams. I was proud to secure federal support to allow the state to begin this important, but expensive, safety and infrastructure project, said Welch, who secured authorization language in the House. With these funds, the state of Vermont will be able to complete these critical repairs with the help of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. This is a perfect example of a local project that deserves federal support to protect public safety, improve environmental quality, and enhance recreational opportunities in the area for years to come. The Waterbury Dam Spillway Refurbishment project is a major public safety and environmental restoration priority for Vermont, said Peter Walke, Commissioner of Vermont's Department of Environmental Conservation. We are grateful for the support of Vermont's Congressional Delegation for securing a $40M federal appropriation for the project, and to the US Army Corps of Engineers for supporting this project at the national and local level. My team will be working in tight coordination with the Army Corps to get this project started early in 2021. The federal government built the Waterbury, East Barre and Wrightsville dams in the 1930s after the devastating 1927 flood caused massive destruction and loss of life in the Winooski River basin from Central Vermont to Burlington. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers designed, and the Civilian Construction Corps built, the three flood-control dams on tributaries of the Winooski River to reduce the risk of future flooding. The federal government later transferred ownership of the dams to the state of Vermont, but did not include any provisions for the maintenance of the dams. The Waterbury Dam, in particular, now has major repair needs, due to this lack of support from the federal government. The Vermont Congressional delegation remains committed to passing aggressive water infrastructure funding next year, including critical provisions to improve drinking water, which was passed this year by the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works. Previous Article",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.sanders.senate.gov/press-releases/sanders-leahy-welch-applaud-dam-repair-funding-for-vermont/,"Sanders, Leahy, Welch Applaud Dam-Repair Funding for Vermont",2020-12-22,2020,2020-12,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, Dec. 22 Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Rep. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) announced that legislation passed by Congress last night will fund critical water infrastructure projects, including three aging flood-control dams. The Vermont delegation also announced that the state of Vermont has signed an agreement with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to make much-needed repairs to the Waterbury Dam. The project will begin in early 2021, using $40 million in federal funding secured by the delegation. The America's Water Infrastructure Act of 2020, to be signed into law today, includes language first authored by Senator Sanders in 2016 in the Water Resources Development Act. This year, the amendment authored by Sanders in the Senate and Welch in the House increases the authorization of federal funding to $60 million each for safety improvements at certain state-owned flood control dams constructed by the federal government before 1940. In Vermont, three dams the Waterbury, East Barre and Wrightsville dams are eligible to receive funding under this provision. These dams are essential pieces of Vermont's infrastructure,said Sanders,who is a senior member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, which has jurisdiction over the water infrastructure legislation. Maintaining and repairing the dams especially the Waterbury Dam has long been a priority for our state. This bipartisan legislation is an important step toward rebuilding aging dams in Vermont and throughout the United States. Leahy, Vice Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, said: I have been proud to secure funding for the Waterbury Dam through the appropriations process, and I'm pleased to see the increased spending authorized by this legislation at the request of Senator Sanders and Congressman Welch.Those funds may be very helpful if the cost exceeds the $40 million already appropriated for work on this critical project, and funds may also be needed for work to the other eligible Vermont dams. I was proud to secure federal support to allow the state to begin this important, but expensive, safety and infrastructure project,said Welch, who secured authorization language in the House. With these funds, the state of Vermont will be able to complete these critical repairs with the help of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. This is a perfect example of a local project that deserves federal support to protect public safety, improve environmental quality, and enhance recreational opportunities in the area for years to come. The Waterbury Dam Spillway Refurbishment project is a major public safety and environmental restoration priority for Vermont,said Peter Walke, Commissioner of Vermont's Department of Environmental Conservation. We are grateful for the support of Vermont's Congressional Delegation for securing a $40M federal appropriation for the project, and to the US Army Corps of Engineers for supporting this project at the national and local level. My team will be working in tight coordination with the Army Corps to get this project started early in 2021. The federal government built the Waterbury, East Barre and Wrightsville dams in the 1930s after the devastating 1927 flood caused massive destruction and loss of life in the Winooski River basin from Central Vermont to Burlington. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers designed, and the Civilian Construction Corps built, the three flood-control dams on tributaries of the Winooski River to reduce the risk of future flooding. The federal government later transferred ownership of the dams to the state of Vermont, but did not include any provisions for the maintenance of the dams. The Waterbury Dam, in particular, now has major repair needs, due to this lack of support from the federal government. The Vermont Congressional delegation remains committed to passing aggressive water infrastructure funding next year, including critical provisions to improve drinking water, which was passed this year by the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.sanders.senate.gov/press-releases/sanders-statement-on-passage-of-covid-19-relief-package/,Sanders Statement on Passage of COVID-19 Relief Package,2020-12-22,2020,2020-12,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, December 21 Upon the Senate's passage of the $908-billion COVID-19 spending package, Sen. Sanders (I-Vt.) issued the following statement: Tonight, Congress passed a $908-billion COVID-19 relief bill that extends unemployment benefits through the early spring, and provides support for small businesses, schools, healthcare, nutrition, rentalassistance, child care, broadband, the Postal Service, as well as funding to help distribute vaccines. During the last several weeks, I have been working very hard, along with Republican Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri, to provide direct payments to working families throughout the country. Our goal was to replicate what was in the CARES bill of March, which was $1200 for every working-class adult and $500 for each child. While we did not get as much as we wanted, because of opposition from the Republican leadership and too many Democrats, the bill does include a $600 direct payment for every working-class American earning less than $75,000 a year, and a $1,200 direct payment for couples making less than $150,000 a year, plus $600 for each child. That means that the average family of four will receive a direct payment of $2400. While including these direct payments ultimately improved this bill, given the enormous economic desperation that so many working families across this country are now experiencing, there is no question but that this legislation did not go anywhere near far enough. When President-Elect Biden assumes office next month and when the Senate comes back into session in January, I will immediately begin fighting for another relief bill to help America's working familiesincluding another round of direct payments and more relief for the unemployed, the hungry, the uninsured and those who owe back rent and are behind on their mortgage payments. In this unprecedented crisis, it is imperative that we do everything we can to protect the working families of our country, the elderly, the children and the poor.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://welch.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/welch-supports-passage-900-billion-covid-relief-compromise,Welch Supports Passage of $900 Billion COVID Relief Compromise,2020-12-21,2020,2020-12,Democrat,Senate,VT,Peter Welch,W000800,welch.house.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON Rep. Peter Welch voted on Monday to pass a $900 billion bipartisan bill to deliver immediate relief to Americans suffering because of the coronavirus pandemic. The bill includes significant relief for families, individuals, small businesses, schools, and healthcare providers. It also includes robust funding for vaccine distribution and COVID testing and tracing. This compromise is not the perfect bill, but it's critical and long overdue. I supported this relief bill because it will provide a lifeline to individuals, families, and small businesses who have been devastated by the coronavirus pandemic going into a brutal winter, said Welch. Though this bill does not go nearly far enough, the relief is immediate and necessary, including additional unemployment benefits for those who have lost their jobs, direct payments to help keep Americans afloat during this difficult time, increased food benefits for hungry families and additional aid for our small businesses. Vermonters need significantly more aid to get through this pandemic, while we wait for vaccines to be widely available. I will continue to fight for more resources for Vermont in the new Congress to help us get back on our feet and build back better. The relief package includes the Save Our Stages (SOS) Act, authored and championed by Welch, which will create a $15 billion grant program for independent performance venues that have been forced to close due to the pandemic. In addition, the $900 billion bill includes: $300 a week expanded federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation for 10 weeks for those who have lost their jobs. $600 direct payments for every individual making up to $75,000 a year or $1,200 for couples making up to $150,000 per year plus $600 per child. For example, a family of four would receive $2,400. A 15% increase in individual Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, known as 3SquaresVT in Vermont. $284 billion in additional PPP funds for small businesses devastated by the pandemic. $25 billion in rental assistance and an extension of the eviction moratorium through January 2021. $20 billion to purchase additional vaccine doses and $9 billion for vaccine distribution. $22 billion for states to institute rigorous testing, tracing and mitigation practices. $54.3 billion for K-12 public schools to implement additional safety improvements during the pandemic. $22 billion for non-profit public and private colleges and universities. $10 billion for child care assistance. $7 billion in total broadband funding: $3.2 billion for low income families to access broadband, $300 million to fund rural broadband buildout, $250 million for telehealth services, and $65 million to properly map broadband service across the country. More than $11 billion in direct aid for agricultural producers. $3 billion to support healthcare organizations providing care on the frontlines of the pandemic. $4.5 billion for mental health services. An extension allowing CARES Act funds to be used through December 2021, a provision championed by Welch. ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/appropriations-vice-chair-leahy-announces-vermont-highlights-of-govt-funding-bill,Appropriations Vice Chair Leahy Announces **VERMONT HIGHLIGHTS** Of Govt. Funding Bill,2020-12-21,2020,2020-12,Democrat,House,VT,Patrick Leahy,L000174,www.leahy.senate.gov,,,legacy,"12.21.20 Appropriations Vice Chair Leahy Announces **VERMONT HIGHLIGHTS** Of Govt. Funding Bill WASHINGTON (MONDAY, Dec. 21, 2020) Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) Monday evening announced key Vermont highlights of the bipartisan agreement to fund the government for the remainder of fiscal year 2021, which includes the COVID relief package to provide relief to the thousands of Vermonters suffering during an unprecedented health and economic crisis. As the Vice Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Leahy secured several key priorities for Vermont in the fiscal year 2021 spending package. The overall bill which includes the 12 annual Appropriations bills that fund the federal government totals more than $2.3 trillion in funding for programs across the federal government and efforts to combat the pandemic and provide relief to the American people. Leahy said: The Omnibus Appropriations Bill is the product of hard work and compromise, and Vermonters can be proud of what is in this package. From expanding broadband access and stimulating economic development and job creation, to investing in our great Lake Champlain and Vermont's dairy industry, to providing help for those who continue struggling with the scourge of opioids, it will provide desperately needed relief to Vermonters and invests in our communities. In terms of COVID relief, the direct payments included in this package are a fraction of what they should be after months of obstruction and delay by Republican leadership, but it is a start, and I will continue to fight for the help that Vermonters need and deserve. The agreement includes significant investments across Vermont and the nation in education and early childhood programs, substance abuse and mental health services, food and nutrition programs, and increases for housing and homeless services to help those who are the most vulnerable. The relief package to address the ongoing pandemic includes extensions of pandemic unemployment programs through March, direct payments to qualifying individuals and families of $600, and makes critical investments in education, transit and the nation's health systems. It invests $325 billion in small businesses, including allowing many small businesses to access a second draw from the popular Payroll Protection Program. The package also provides billions of dollars to support vaccine production and distribution, as well as contact tracing. It also makes investments in broadband expansion. It provides billions for schools so that when kids and teachers return to school they can do it safely. A full summary of the Fiscal Year 2021 Omnibus Appropriations Bill is available HERE. Leahy's full statement is available HERE. Vermont Highlights Of The Omnibus Appropriations Package Since becoming the Vice Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Leahy has placed Vermont at the center of negotiations on the annual government funding bills. His efforts have significantly increased the resources available to and investments in Vermont, including a 241 percent increase in funding for the Lake Champlain Program. Key priorities secured by Leahy in this package include: Broadband: Nearly 20 percent of Vermont households lack access to modern broadband connection speeds. Broadband access can grow rural economies and connect our communities. The coronavirus pandemic has brought to light major gaps in access, from sustaining and building small businesses to allowing citizens their day in court. Leahy secured new language in the bill to allow Vermont communities that were not previously eligible to apply for ReConnect loans and grants. The bill includes $635 million for the ReConnect program to expand access to high-speed broadband to unserved and under-served rural areas. This is especially important as our country faces an unprecedented health and economic crisis when many families rely on broadband for work, school, and access to justice. Lake Champlain: Lake Champlain is the crown jewel of Vermont's rich environmental treasures. It has world-class warm and cold water fisheries and spectacular scenery, provides drinking water for more than 200,000 people, and is the economic engine that drives the region. Since becoming Vice Chairman, Leahy has increased funding for the Lake Champlain Basin Program and the Leahy Center for Lake Champlain by 241 percent. The bill includes $15 million for these programs, which is $1.5 million more than fiscal year 2020. Food Systems Center: Leahy worked closely with the University of Vermont to establish a Food Systems Center in collaboration with the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) Centers to research how local, regional, and global food systems can provide nutritious and culturally appropriate food, regardless of individual life circumstances. The bill includes $11 million for this center, which is a $6 million increase over fiscal year 2020. Dairy Business Innovation Center: Vermont hosts one of three dairy innovation centers that Leahy helped to establish in the 2018 Farm Bill. Vermont's center provides technical and financial assistance that helps dairy producers diversify their products, demonstrate innovative on-farm production practices, and adapt to emerging market trends with the overall goal of improving dairy farm viability. The Dairy Business Innovation Initiative is funded at $22 million, which is a $2 million increase over fiscal year 2020. Farm to School: The Farm to School grant program was authored by Leahy in the 2010 Healthy and Hunger-Free Kids Act and modeled after Vermont's successful farm to school program. The bill includes $12 million for the program, which has now reached more than 33,000 schools across the country. This is a $3 million increase over fiscal year 2020. These grants will help Vermont farms increase their sales to local schools and promote lifelong healthy eating habits among Vermont's students. Rural Centers of Excellence On Substance Use Disorders: Rural areas like those in Vermont face unique challenges in confronting addiction, including a higher rate of lethal overdoses. In 2019, Leahy authored language in the Labor-HHS Appropriations Act to establish three Rural Centers of Excellence on Substance Use Disorders, including the center hosted by the University of Vermont and the University of Vermont Medical Center. The center supports Hub and Spoke, Community Reinforcement Approach, technical assistance, education and outreach, and other evidence-based methods to address the opioid epidemic in rural communities. The bill includes $10 million for the centers. Noise Abatement: The bill includes new funds to help mitigate noise caused by military aircraft and language secured by Leahy to ensure that the communities surrounding Burlington International Airport have access to these funds. The bill includes $50 million for the program. Innovation eVTOL: Electric Vertical Take-off and Landing (eVTOL) technology is an expanding field with the potential to provide inexpensive and efficient transportation. The bill includes $25 million in new funding to support the Air Force Agility Prime innovative acquisition program in developing this new technology, which companies like Burlington's BETA Technologies can access. # # # # #",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/merkley-colleagues-push-22-financial-services-companies-to-prioritize-american-health-safety-economic-security-by-not-insuring-arctic-drilling-,"Merkley, Colleagues Push 22 Financial Services Companies to Prioritize American Health, Safety, Economic Security by Not Insuring Arctic Drilling",2020-12-21,2020,2020-12,Democrat,House,VT,Patrick Leahy,L000174,www.leahy.senate.gov,,,legacy,"12.21.20 Merkley, Colleagues Push 22 Financial Services Companies to Prioritize American Health, Safety, Economic Security by Not Insuring Arctic Drilling WASHINGTON, D.C. Oregon's U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley teamed up with U.S. Senators Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Cory Booker (D-NJ), and Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) to press executives of 22 financial services companies to not insure any oil and gas developments in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, citing significant financial risk, catastrophic damage to one of the world's most delicate ecosystems, and the acceleration of climate chaos. The senators' letterswhich were sent to AIG, Allianz, Aviva, AXIS, Chubb, CNA, Generali, Liberty Mutual, Lloyd's, Markel, Munich Re, QBE, RLI, SCOR, Sompo, Swiss Re, Talanx, The Hartford, Tokio Marine, Travelers, WR Berkley, and Zurich Cantonal Bankfollow a series of efforts by the Trump administration to auction off Arctic Refuge oil and gas leases in the coming weeks before the Biden administration is sworn in. The Arctic is on the frontline of climate crisis, warming at three times the rate of the rest of the world. Fossil fuel extraction in these areas risks exacerbating climate chaos and irreparably damaging the local environment, the lawmakers wrote. In addition to highlighting the detrimental impacts of boosting the use of fossil fuels on the future of our planet, the senators emphasized the financial risks of investing in Arctic oil extractionrisks that have led 27 major financial institutions, including five major American banks, to decide not to invest in Arctic oil and gas development projects. Oil and gas development in the Arctic is increasingly financially risky. Arctic drilling operations would face extreme and treacherous conditions with severely limited access to respond to an oil spill or an accident. The environmental, social, and governance factors linked with these developments will likely expose your company to unnecessary reputation, legal, and financial risk, they continued. In light of their grave concerns, the senators requested that the companies not insure the exploration, production, or transportation of oil and gas in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge; implement a formal policy prohibiting new insurance products or the extension of existing insurance productssuch as surety bonds, commercial multiple peril insurance, and reinsuranceto cover Arctic oil and gas projects; and rule out investments in companies involved in Arctic Refuge development. The lawmakers requested that these new policies and announcements be made publicly, and that the executives inform the lawmakers of the actions they take regarding the requests by December 31. The full text of the letter is available here and follows below. ### As you may be aware, the Trump Administration recently finalized plans to sell oil leases in the Coastal Plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in the final days of their administration. Any companies interested in leasing in the Arctic Refuge will be looking for new insurance coverage for their planned developments. Exploring drilling in the Arctic Refuge is financially risky given the historic low of oil prices and the transition away from fossil fuels happening around the world. We ask that you put the health and safety of the planet and the people dependent upon the Arctic Refuge first and not insure any oil and gas developments in the Arctic Refuge. The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is one of the world's most delicate ecosystems. It is a sacred space to the Gwich'in people and has supported the lives and livelihoods of Indigenous populations and subsistence hunters for thousands of years. It is also home to endangered species such as bowhead whales, polar bears, and ringed seals and it supports critically important fisheries and migratory birds. The Arctic is on the frontline of climate crisis, warming at three times the rate of the rest of the world. Fossil fuel extraction in these areas risks exacerbating climate chaos and irreparably damaging the local environment. Oil and gas development in the Arctic is increasingly financially risky. Arctic drilling operations would face extreme and treacherous conditions with severely limited access to respond to an oil spill or an accident. The environmental, social, and governance factors linked with these developments will likely expose your company to unnecessary reputation, legal, and financial risk. In light of this financial risk 27 major financial institutions,[1] including five major American banks, have already decided not to invest in oil and gas development in the Arctic. In addition, this development is fraught with legal challenges. There are four active lawsuits challenging the Arctic Refuge leasing program including multiple complaints filed by several tribal communities who depend on the Arctic Refuge and its natural resources to sustain their communities, cultures, and ways of life. We ask that your company: Not insure the exploration, production, or transportation of oil and gas in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge; Implement a formal policy prohibiting new insurance products or the extension of existing insurance contracts to cover the exploration, production, or transportation of oil and gas in the Arctic Refuge, including surety bonds, commercial multiple peril insurance, and reinsurance; Rule out investments in companies involved in Arctic Refuge development and those that do not have policies prohibiting their own involvement in the Arctic Refuge; and Make these new policies and announcements open to the public. We request that you consider the policy changes listed above regarding oil and gas development for the protection of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and the health and safety of the communities it serves. Please respond to inform us about the actions you take regarding our requests by December 31st. Thank you for your attention to this important matter. Sincerely, [1] https://www.banktrack.org/campaign/banks_and_arctic_oil_and_gas",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/statement-on-fy-2021-omnibus-appropriations-bills-and-covid-relief-package,Statement On FY 2021 Omnibus Appropriations Bills And COVID Relief Package,2020-12-21,2020,2020-12,Democrat,House,VT,Patrick Leahy,L000174,www.leahy.senate.gov,,,legacy,"12.21.20 Statement On FY 2021 Omnibus Appropriations Bills And COVID Relief Package . . . . Senate Floor After months of delay and painstaking negotiation, this afternoon we will have before us a spending package that includes all 12 appropriations bills for fiscal year 2021, and a vitally important COVID relief package. It provides funding for programs that are critically important to the American people, and I urge its swift passage. We are already 2 months and 20 days into the fiscal year. We cannot delay further. As Vice Chairman of the Appropriations Committee, I worked hard to reach agreement on this omnibus appropriations bill that will fund the federal government through the remainder of the fiscal year, without relying on a long-term continuing resolution. This was no easy task. The budget caps were very lean this year, providing a less than one percent increase in non-defense discretionary spending to meet the needs of a nation reeling from the worst public health pandemic in a century. This would have been difficult under ordinary circumstances, but was made even more difficult given the global health and economic crisis we face. Yet, within this tight topline, we have produced a bill that provides important increases in programs that serve the American people and invest in our economy. Importantly, this bill drives the final stake through the heart of the Trump Administration's effort to substantially diminish the role of government in helping Americans in need and promoting economic growth. President Trump's first budget proposed to substantially diminish the role of government, proposing to cut non-defense spending by 9 percent in fiscal year 2018, and 18 percent by 2021. He proposed to completely eliminate programs millions of Americans rely on every day, such as Low Income Home Energy Assistance (LIHEAP), Community Development Block Grants (CDBG), HOME, Legal Services Corporation, Food for Peace, Community Services Block Grant, and Community Development Banks. He proposed deep cuts for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), environmental programs, nutrition programs, rental assistance, and foreign assistance. Notwithstanding the President's promises to invest in infrastructure, he proposed deep cuts in transit, Amtrak, Essential Air Service, and Clean and Safe Drinking Water grants. For four years, Congress, on a bipartisan basis, rightly rejected these ill-conceived, arbitrary, and reckless cuts. And this year we do the same. This agreement is the product of weeks of hard work and compromise. This is not the bill I would have written on my own. It includes things I support and things I oppose. But on balance, passage of this bill is unquestionably in the interest of the American people. The omnibus spending bill includes increases for education and early childhood programs. It provides more funding for substance abuse and mental health services, services that are of the utmost importance in these extremely difficult times. It provides more for food assistance programs both at home and abroad, assistance that is desperately needed as many families struggle to survive during this pandemic. And it includes increases for housing and homelessness services to help those who are the most vulnerable. These are all programs that Democrats fought hard to include. Every member in this chamber has something in this omnibus that they can take home to their constituents. Vermonters can be proud of what is in this package, too. At long last, this bill will expand access to critical broadband funding for Vermont, which, since the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act was passed in 2009, has been unable to tap critical federal resources to help bring reliable Internet access to the entire State. Never more than now has the lack of reliable, high-speed Internet been felt more starkly in the rural corners of Vermont. There's much more. Like other industries, the dairy industry across the country is struggling. This bill makes many investments in dairy innovation centers, one of which is established in Vermont, to improve the economic viability and resilience of dairy producers. It invests in the continued cleanup of Lake Champlain, the crown jewel of Vermont. It supports the Northern Border Regional Commission, which spurs economic development and job creation, and, thanks to dedicated funding, this year, will support broadband initiatives in Vermont, and neighboring New York, New Hampshire and Maine. And we continue to provide the tools needed by so many communities in Vermont and across the nation as they grapple with a worsening opioid epidemic and record fatal drug overdoses. These are just a few of the important federal programs included in the omnibus spending bill that will support Vermont, our economy, and our communities. While I support this agreement, I am deeply disappointed that the Congress is so unforgivably late in completing our work. There is absolutely no reason why this bill could not have been finished months ago. The Senate Appropriations Committee failed to mark up a single Appropriations bill this year, and the Senate never considered a single appropriations bill on the floor. This is unacceptable. Members of this body want and deserve a voice in what goes into these bills on behalf of their constituents and we must give them that opportunity. We must do better in the 117th Congress. I thank Chairman Shelby, Chairwoman Lowey, and Ranking Member Granger for their cooperation and partnership as we worked through our differences on the omnibus spending bill, and I urge all members to support it. Also before us today is a much-delayed COVID relief package. It, too, is the product of bipartisan compromise, and while it falls short in some critical areas, I support the agreement. This package is also long overdue. The American people have been waiting for help for far too long as the Republican leadership took a wait and see approach. For 270 days, Leader McConnell and Senate Republicans have blocked every reasonable attempt to provide desperately needed relief. Instead, they focused their time and energy on packing the Federal courts with far-right extremist judges. In the meantime, millions of American families have suffered needlessly. This package is far from perfect, but time is not on our side and we cannot let the perfect be the enemy of the good. This bill provides much-needed investments in our economy with support for small businesses. It provides relief for unemployed workers by extending unemployment benefits into March. It makes investments in vaccine production and distribution. It supports health providers, educators, farmers and transportation providers. It provides critical investments to expand broadband in rural and low-income areas, access which is vitally important in these difficult times when many schools and businesses are only operating remotely. It also includes another round of direct payments to millions of Americans still struggling to pay their mortgage or rent, feed their families, heat their homes, and meet their monthly obligations. At my urging this bill also includes $4 billion in emergency funding for The GAVI Alliance, for the procurement and delivery of vaccines to countries around the world whose rudimentary public health systems are being overwhelmed by COVID-19, and whose economies are in free fall due to the virus. Global health experts say more is needed, but this is a welcome and good first step. This significant infusion of funds will enable GAVI to immediately begin ratcheting up its response in Latin America, Africa, and Asia. We cannot defeat this global pandemic, and international travel and commerce will not recover, without fighting the virus overseas. Millions of Americans are living, traveling, and working abroad. If the virus is spreading anywhere, it threatens people everywhere. I support this package. But let me be clear this COVID bill is only a first step. We must do more. Vermonters, and the American people, need more. The direct payments included in this package are but a fraction of what we should have provided given the dire financial situation of millions of people across this nation. People are hungry. Unemployment continues to plague our economies. Families are struggling to pay their rent and put food on the table. I will continue to fight for more. State and local governments have laid off over 1.3 million teachers, first responders and other employees since March. They need our help. Tragically, rates of spousal abuse and child abuse have increased during the crisis and we should be providing funds for Violence Against Women Act and child abuse prevention grants. Vermonters are facing the coldest, darkest months of winter and are struggling to heat their homes, and families need help paying their utility bills through the LIHEAP program. We are making progress in delivering a vaccine to the American people, but this pandemic is far from over. I will be the first at the negotiating table to work with President Biden in the 117th Congress to address the many needs that remain unmet in this bill. I urge all members of this chamber to vote aye when the bill comes over from the house today. And I yield the floor. # # # # #",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/vice-chairman-leahy-releases-fiscal-year-2021-omnibus-appropriations-bill,Vice Chairman Leahy Releases Fiscal Year 2021 Omnibus Appropriations Bill,2020-12-21,2020,2020-12,Democrat,House,VT,Patrick Leahy,L000174,www.leahy.senate.gov,,,legacy,"12.21.20 Vice Chairman Leahy Releases Fiscal Year 2021 Omnibus Appropriations Bill WASHINGTON (Monday, Dec. 21, 2020) Senate Appropriations Committee Vice Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) Monday released the $1.4 trillion fiscal year 2021 Omnibus Appropriations bill. Leahy said: This agreement is the product of weeks of hard work and compromise. This is not the bill I would have written on my own. It includes things I support and things I oppose. But on balance, passage of this bill is unquestionably in the interest of the American people, and both the House and the Senate should act on it quickly. Leahy's full statement is available HERE. The bill includes critical funding for programs that help grow our economy and support working families. Importantly, it includes increased funding for education, early childhood programs, mental health services, and desperately needed food assistance programs to help families struggling in this unprecedented health and economic crisis. It provides increases for affordable housing and homelessness services to help those who are most vulnerable, especially in these uncertain times. Democrats fought for these increases and they would not be available under a continuing resolution. A full summary of the bill is available HERE. Bill text is available HERE. A breakdown by Appropriations Subcommittee is available below: Agriculture Commerce, Justice, Science Defense Energy and Water Financial Services and General Government Homeland Security Interior and Environment Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Programs Legislative Branch Military Construction and VA State, Foreign Operations and Related Agencies Transportation, Housing and Urban Development A summary of the much needed COVID Relief Package, as produced by the Senate Minority Leader's office, is available HERE. # # # # # Next Article Previous Article",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/statement-on-attorney-general-william-barr-and-the-future-of-the-department-of-justice-senate-floor,Statement On Attorney General William Barr And The Future Of The Department Of Justice Senate Floor,2020-12-19,2020,2020-12,Democrat,House,VT,Patrick Leahy,L000174,www.leahy.senate.gov,,,legacy,"12.19.20 Statement On Attorney General William Barr And The Future Of The Department Of Justice Senate Floor As William Barr's second tenure as Attorney General is coming to an end, it is important for the Senate to reflect upon his legacy, and upon the challenges now facing the Department of Justice. The Office of Attorney General fills a unique role within our system of government. Created by the Judiciary Act of 1789, an Attorney General is not a traditional member of the President's cabinet. As Supreme Court Justice James Iredell observed in 1792, the position is not called the Attorney General of the President, but Attorney General of the United States. This is because an Attorney General's client is not the president, but the American people. An Attorney General's duty is not to defend the president, but to uphold the rule of law and do so with integrity and independence. President Trump has a very different view. He views the Office of Attorney General as an extension of his political power, to be wielded like a weapon to further his agenda. He believes it exists to benefit him personally, to target his opponents and protect him and his friends. His view stands in stark contrast to everything the Attorney General is supposed to represent. It came as no surprise, then, that during his nomination hearing Mr. Barr was questioned about which type of Attorney General he would be: the president's lawyer, or an impartial pursuer of justice. He was adamant that while he may sympathize with the President's policy choices, his role as a policy advisor would be distinct from that of the nation's chief law enforcement officer. If confirmed, he assured us, his job would not be to protect the President. Thirty years ago I voted for Mr. Barr to serve as Attorney General to then-President George H.W. Bush. I had my disagreements with him then, several in fact. But when I heard in late 2018 that President Trump intended to nominate him for a second tenure as Attorney General, I was hopeful. After the short, yet disastrous tenure of an unqualified Acting Attorney General who eagerly bent to the will of President Trump, I was hopeful that Mr. Barr would restore some independence to the office. After careful consideration, however, I voted no on his confirmation. Mr. Barr has long-held, expansive views of executive power. Prior to his nomination, he shared those views with the President in a bizarre, 19-page memorandum making the case that a president can obstruct a criminal investigation with near impunity. It was clear to me that Mr. Barr's views would be weaponized by President Trump, a man who derides any limits on his authority. The President, I said at the time, needed a much tighter leash. By any measure, the last two years have been worse than I feared. Time and again, Attorney General Barr has acted in the best interests of Donald Trump, not the country. He has intervened and overruled career prosecutors only in cases to benefit the President and his friends. He has departed from Department norms, misrepresented the Department's work, and eroded public trust in the Department as a result. I will speak to just a handful of examples. United States v. Roger Stone In late 2019, a jury convicted former Trump campaign advisor Roger Stone for obstructing a bipartisan congressional investigation, lying under oath, and witness tampering. Consistent with sentencing guidelines, prosecutors recommended a seven to nine-year sentence. President Trump immediately took to Twitter to criticize the prosecution. Attorney General Barr intervened just hours later, overruling the prosecutors and disregarding the sentencing guidelines. What happened next reminded me of something Judge Michael Mukasey said when testifying in support of Mr. Barr at his confirmation hearing. Judge Mukasey said if Mr. Barr ever failed to serve with independence, he would find a mound of resignations on his desk. Well, in this instance, all four career prosecutors withdrew from the case. Two resigned from the Justice Department altogether. At sentencing, Judge Amy Berman Jackson took the rare step of defending both the career prosecutors and their sentencing recommendation, stating that it was true to the record and in accordance with law and DOJ policy. Attorney General Barr's intervention left me with one question: Could anyone other than the President's close friend a man who, according to Judge Jackson, was prosecuted for covering up for the President receive such leniency from the Attorney General? United States v. Flynn Then there is former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn. The Attorney General's intervention in the Flynn case went a step further: Despite the fact that Flynn had twice pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI, Barr's Justice Department moved to dismiss the case altogether, prompting the lead prosecutor to withdraw. The sentencing judge, Emmet Sullivan, ordered a review of the motion to drop the charges, and appointed a former federal judge, John Gleeson, to serve as an amicus curiae. Judge Gleeson did not mince words: He advised the court that Barr's grounds for seeking dismissal were conclusively disproven and amounted to an unconvincing effort to disguise as legitimate a decision to dismiss that is based solely on the fact that Flynn is a political ally of President Trump. Not long after President Trump fully pardoned Flynn. The Mueller Report Many of Attorney General Barr's departures from Department norms originated with his now-infamous handling of the Special Counsel's report on Russian interference. The Mueller report amounted to a 448 page presentment of misconduct that reached the highest levels of the Trump campaign and administration. Yet the Attorney General's summary of the report the only information he allowed the public to see for weeks left Americans with the opposite impression: that the report effectively exonerated the President. Special Counsel Mueller wrote to the Attorney General at the time, concerned that the Attorney General failed to capture his conclusions and created confusion that undermined public confidence in the investigation. Indeed, that appears to have been the Attorney General's intent. Many others agree. Federal Judge Reggie Walton wrote that the inconsistencies between his statements and the report cause the Court to seriously question whether Attorney General Barr made a calculated attempt to influence public discourse about the Mueller Report in favor of President Trump despite certain findings in the redacted version of the Mueller Report to the contrary. That statement, from a sitting federal judge about a sitting Attorney General, is as damning as it gets. Soon after, the Attorney General began falsely claiming that the investigation was started without any basis and was politically motivated. This is despite the fact that an exhaustive Inspector General's report refuted both claims. The Attorney General was not content with simply mischaracterizing the Russia investigation. He launched counter-investigations into the Justice Department's own investigators. He personally travelled to Italy in a desperate attempt to dig up exculpatory evidence. Ignoring Department policies, he regularly commented on the ongoing investigation led by U.S. Attorney John Durham. Documents from the Durham investigation were even shared with the White House, according to the President's chief of staff. Then Durham's top aide abruptly resigned, reportedly due to pressure to release their findings before the election. The Attorney General did all of this while ignoring a subpoena from the House of Representatives to obtain an unredacted copy of the Mueller report. Impeding Congressional Oversight In fact, Attorney General Barr has evaded transparency and impeded once-standard congressional oversight no matter the topic. He refused to testify before the House. He was held in contempt for refusing to respond to House subpoenas related to the administration's pretextual justification for adding a citizenship question to the Census. He supported efforts to cover-up the President's Ukraine scandal, for which the President was impeached. He supported the unprecedented purging of multiple inspectors general. And he rebuffed congressional oversight at every turn. This may not bother my Republican friends now. But the political winds have already shifted. And it harms all of us when congressional prerogatives are so blatantly disregarded. Defending Trump Personally While Attorney General Barr has defended President Trump at seemingly every turn, he went a step further in September by attempting to literally defend the President's personal interests. The Attorney General moved to intervene and dismiss a civil defamation case that alleged that the President lied about a decades-old sexual assault. A federal court flatly rejected the attempt. Lafayette Square Protestors Attorney General Barr's interventions on behalf of the President extended beyond legal issues, to PR issues as well. At the height of a national reckoning on issues of racial injustice, the White House stated that it was the Attorney General who ordered the clearing of peaceful protestors at Lafayette Square. Barr denied he gave the order, but did not deny that he encouraged it. Peaceful protestors were cleared with rubber bullets and tear gas so that the President could stage a photo-op in front of St. John's Church. It was a grotesque display of unnecessary force. Sowing Doubt About the Election Most recently, the Attorney General's obedience to the President resulted in him falsely claiming that mail-in ballots used since the Civil War and relied upon by millions of Americans during this pandemic opened the floodgates to widespread fraud. Voting experts described his claims as farcical. In echoing the President's conspiracy theories, the Attorney General revealed how little he knew about basic election laws and the safeguards in place. His apparent intent was not to inform the public, but to sow doubt among the public in the integrity of their vote. Attorney General Barr then re-wrote the Department's policy on election-related investigations, prompting the head of the Department's Election Crimes Branch to resign his post in protest. Need For New Leadership For each of these actions, Attorney General Barr was publicly badgered by President Trump to act. It may be that Attorney General Barr believes he withstood the pressure. There may be some lines that he declined to cross such as fabricating evidence of widespread voter fraud. But we must never excuse the many lines that he did cross. Critically, when a President pressures an Attorney General to serve their personal interests, it is all the more incumbent on the nation's top law enforcement officer to avoid any appearance of impropriety, and to refuse the request not meet him half way. It brings me no joy to say this. I have known Attorney General Barr for a long time. But he has failed in his duty to impartially and equally uphold the rule of law. The Attorney General represents the United States, and all of its 330 million Americans. Too often, Attorney General Barr represented the interests of just one. By serving as a yes man when the law, the country, and the Department needed him to say no, Attorney General Barr has damaged the hallowed office he has temporarily occupied. Now the hard work to repair the damage must begin. In November, the American people elected to take the country in a different direction. I served alongside President-Elect Biden for decades in the Senate and on the Judiciary Committee. He understands the unique role of the Justice Department. He will not rely on it to do his personal bidding. No matter who the President-Elect chooses as the next Attorney General, I have no doubt that he or she will operate with the utmost integrity, guided by the law and the facts. As we begin to close the book on this dark chapter in our nation's history with a pandemic that has left more than 310,000 Americans dead, and with the outgoing President's relentless attacks on the foundations of our democracy I am hopeful that brighter days are ahead. I am confident we will have leaders focused on following the evidence, adhering to the rule of law, pursuing equal justice, and acting in the best interests of the nation, not just of one man. The thousands of hardworking and dedicated men and women of the Justice Department deserve at least this much. As do all Americans. And indeed the founding principles and traditions of the 230 year-old Office of the Attorney General demand nothing less. # # # # #",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.sanders.senate.gov/press-releases/senator-bernie-sanders-receives-covid-19-vaccine-from-u-s-capitol-physician-dr-brian-p-monahan/,"Senator Bernie Sanders Receives COVID-19 Vaccine from U.S. Capitol Physician, Dr. Brian P. Monahan",2020-12-19,2020,2020-12,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON December 19 U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders received the COVID-19 vaccine from U.S. Capitol physician, Dr. Brian P. Monahan on Saturday. Sanders said, Following the advice of the Office of the Attending Physician, today I received the safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine. As the vaccine is being distributed, we must all continue wearing masks and engage in social distancing. That is how we will beat this virus and end this terrible pandemic.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://welch.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/welch-clarke-introduce-national-renewable-energy-and-efficiency-standard,"Welch, Clarke Introduce National Renewable Energy and Efficiency Standard Legislation",2020-12-18,2020,2020-12,Democrat,Senate,VT,Peter Welch,W000800,welch.house.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON Rep. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) and Rep. Yvette D. Clarke (D-N.Y.) today introduced legislation creating a national renewable energy and energy efficiency standard that aims to reduce carbon emissions and drive the deployment of clean energy resources around the country. As Members of the powerful Energy and Commerce Committee, which oversees energy and environment policy, Welch and Clarke will be pushing for this legislation to be a central component of any climate legislation in the upcoming Congress. We are in a climate emergency, yet the United States is lagging behind on energy efficiency and renewable energy resources.These resources will be critical to facing this crisis head on guaranteeing the next generation sustainable energy production, Welch said. This legislation charts a new energy future where energy efficiency and renewable technologies are put to work creating jobs, saving money and combating the climate crisis. I'm proud to be co-leading this critically important legislation with Congressman Welch that sets nation-wide mandates for renewable energy deployment and energy-efficiency measures, Clarke said. It's past time for the federal government to step up and lead the nation in the fight against climate change, and that is exactly what our legislation sets out to do by setting clear and aggressive renewable energy targets as we move towards a zero-emission electricity sector. In addition to tackling the climate crisis, our legislation will also trigger much needed investments in clean energy jobs and infrastructure, particularly in disadvantaged communities and areas that are transitioning away from dirty sources of energy. The American Renewable Energy and Efficiency Act would require electric utilities, by 2030, to obtain at least 55 percent of their electricity supply from renewable sources, achieve a 22 percent reduction in electricity use and a 14 percent reduction in natural gas use by 2035. Supporters of the legislation include American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE), E4TheFuture, Building Performance Association, Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI), and the U.S. Green Buildings Council (USGBC). A technical factsheet on the bill is here. ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.sanders.senate.gov/press-releases/over-2000-vermonters-join-sanders-for-virtual-seniors-town-hall/,"Over 2,000 Vermonters Join Sanders for Virtual Seniors Town Hall",2020-12-18,2020,2020-12,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"BURLINGTON December 18 U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders held a virtual town hall Thursday evening to provide an update from Congress and to hear the thoughts and concerns of older Vermonters. Over 2,000 Vermont seniors joined Sanders for the town meeting which was held via phone call and streamed live on Sanders' website. Each December, Sanders hosts holiday meals for seniors throughout the state. However, for everyone's safety, this year's event was held virtually. Sanders participated by video from his Senate office in Washington, D.C. Our senior meals and town meetings are always a highlight of the holiday season. While we couldn't be together in person this year, I'm very pleased we had the opportunity to gather virtually, said Sanders. Especially at a time when many seniors are unable to be with friends and family, I thought it was important to continue this annual event and hear from my constituents about the issues that matter most to them, as well as the challenges they are facing. After Sanders' introductory remarks, Vermonters asked questions on a wide range of issues. Areas of interest ranged from ways to expand and protect Medicare and Social Security, to struggles affording housing, heat, food, and prescription medications. With negotiations continuing in Congress, the COVID-19 relief package was on the minds of many who participated in the town hall. Many asked Sanders about the effort he is leading to ensure that a direct payment provision is included in the final relief bill, as well as his hope that Congress and a Biden Administration will continue to work on and pass additional, much-needed emergency relief in the new year. If approved, these direct payments to Vermonters would add about $350 million to the local economy. It's interesting that all of the questions tonight touched on issues that millions and millions of people are struggling with. Whether it's inadequate Social Security benefits, whether it's the high cost of prescription drugs, whether it's the housing crisis, whether it is student debt. Whether it is the inability of people to afford to keep warm in the winter time, you have asked exactly the questions that are on the minds of people all over this country, said Sanders. A few seniors on the call shared their experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic. One Vermonter expressed concerns about how the current economic crisis will affect their long-term financial stability, as well as their children's, particularly considering they all are struggling with immense student loan debt. Paul from Johnson, VT said, I'm committed to what I do for work, and I'm committed to my kids. Everything that I have surplus for savings, goes to my kids. In today's economy, my oldest is unemployed because of the pandemic. My daughter is barely working. I have a parent plus loan and my kids have student loans. The payments are suspended right now because of the pandemic. I'm just ignoring it right now. I don't need the stress. While another Vermonter from Williamstown, VT spoke of their difficulty affording basic necessities with their current monthly Social Security and veterans benefits totaling just $1,400, saying I'm going to have to keep us going on a small check each month. It's going to raise just about $12 this year. Where does that come out being fair at all? This is America. People should not be hungry. People should not be homeless. People should not be unable to afford the medicine they need, not be in a position where they can't afford to go to a doctor. This should not be happening, said Sanders. So the struggle that we face now is to change the priorities of this country to invest in ordinary people, so that all of us can live with dignity and enjoy life as we should be able to. Sanders ended the event by encouraging Vermonters to call his office should they need assistance, and promising to do everything possible in Washington to ensure Vermont seniors get the help they need when the need it. I am very proud to fight in Congress on behalf of older Vermonters said Sanders. I wish everybody a very wonderful holiday season, and I'm sure that the new year is going to be a better one for all of us. I will hopefully be able to get to see you all in person in the not too distant future. Vermonters in need of assistance can reach Senator Sanders office by phone at 800-339-9834 or online at sanders.senate.gov. To watch the town hall, click here.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.sanders.senate.gov/press-releases/sanders-delivers-floor-speech-urging-senate-to-pass-1200-in-direct-relief-to-working-class/,"Sanders Delivers Floor Speech Urging Senate to Pass $1,200 in Direct Relief to Working Class",2020-12-18,2020,2020-12,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, December 18 Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) went to the Senate floor this afternoon to seek unanimous consent to pass legislation he had introduced earlier today to provide direct payments to working families across the United States. Sanders' proposal provides a direct payment of $1,200 for every working-class American, $2,400 for couples, and $500 for children. He was joined on the floor by Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), who spoke in support of the legislation. Sanders stated, If this country means anything, if the U.S. government means anything, it means that we cannot turn our backs on that suffering, and that we cannot leave Washington for the holidays to go back to our families unless we address the pain and anxiety of other families throughout this country. Read the legislation here. Sanders' speech can be watchedhere, and the prepared remarks can be read below: Mr. President, this country faces the worst set of public health and economic crises that we have faced in over a hundred years. As a result of the pandemic more people are becoming infected than ever before. Hospitalization is higher than ever before. And more people are dying than ever before. We all hope and pray that the new vaccine will be distributed as quickly as possible and that it will put an end to this nightmare. But, today, the truth is that millions of low-income and middle class families are suffering in a way that we have not seen since the Great Depression. Today, the reality is that over half of our workers are living paycheck to paycheck trying to survive on $10 or $12 an hour. The reality is that millions of senior citizens all over this country are trapped in their homes, unable to see their kids or grandchildren, unable to go to a grocery store, and are trying to survive on $12 or $14,000 a year. In addition, millions more with disabilities are also suffering. Further, in America today, one out of four workers are either unemployed or make less than $20,000 a year. And, in the midst of this pandemic, because we are the only major country on earth not to guarantee healthcare to all, some 92 million Americans are uninsured or under-insured unable to go to a doctor when they need to. In addition, over 30 million of our people face eviction and the hunger rate in America is the highest it has been in decades. Mr. President, that is where we are today economically. And if this country means anything, if the U.S. government means anything, it means that we cannot turn our backs on that suffering, and that we cannot leave Washington for the holidays to go back to our families unless we address the pain and anxiety of other families throughout this country. Members of Congress should also be aware that we are far behind other major countries in terms of protecting working families during this pandemic. Not only, does every other wealthy country guarantee healthcare to all, as a human right, almost all of them are providing far more generous benefits to the unemployed and the struggling in their countries than we are. Mr. President, several months ago I introduced legislation along with Senator Kamala Harris, now our vice president-elect, and Senator Markey, that, would during the course of this economic crisis, provide $2,000 a month to every working class person in this country. And, frankly, that is exactly what we should be doing. But, unfortunately, given the conservative nature of the Senate, I understand that is not going to happen. Yes, at a time of massive wealth and income inequality, at a time when huge corporations were making record breaking profits, the Republican leadership in the Senate was able to provide a trillion dollars in tax breaks to the 1% and large corporations. Yes, at a time when climate change threatens the planet, the Congress was able to provide hundreds of billions in corporate welfare to the fossil fuel industry. Yes, just the other day, the House and the Senate were able to pass a $740 billion military budget the largest in history and more than the next ten nations combined. But, in the midst of the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression, Congress is somehow unable to respond effectively to the needs of working families. Mr. President, as you know, I have recently introduced legislation to provide every working class American an emergency payment of at least $1,200, $2,400 for couples and $500 for their kids. This is not a radical idea. This is an approach that President Trump is supporting. This is an approach that President-elect Biden is supporting. This is an approach that, according to a recent poll, is supported by 75% of all Americans, including 77% of Democrats and 72% of Republicans. Further, importantly, this amount of direct payment is exactly what Congress passed unanimously 9 months ago as part of the $2.2 trillion CARES Act. Let me repeat. In March, every member of the House and Senate, appropriately, voted to provide a direct payment of $1,200 for working-class adults, $2,400 for couples and $500 for their kids. Mr. President. That was the right thing to do 9 months ago. Given that the crisis, in many ways is worse today, it is exactly what we should be doing right now. Mr. President, as a result of the pandemic, the government told restaurants, bars, retail stores, movie theaters, schools, malls and small businesses all over this country: Shut your doors. It is too dangerous for you to be open now. But what the government has not done, Mr. President, is to provide the workers who have lost their jobs and lost their incomes with the support they need to pay their bills. The $600 a week in supplemental unemployment benefits that Congress passed unanimously in March expired in July over 5 months ago. And during that time the Republican Senate has done nothing to help working families pay their rent, feed their families, go to a doctor or pay for their life-saving prescription drugs. And, the Senate has not done enough to provide struggling small businesses with the help they desperately need. Further, Mr. President, as bad as the economy has been in general it has been far worse for African Americans and Latinos. During the pandemic, nearly 60% of Latino families and 55% of African American families have either experienced a job loss or a pay cut. Mr. President, for 9 months, we asked tens of millions of working people in our country to survive on one $1,200 check with no healthcare, no hazard pay, no rent relief. Nothing. Meanwhile, Mr. President, I should mention that over this same 9 month period, 651 billionaires in America became over $1 trillion richer. $1 trillion for billionaires. One $1,200 check for the working class. That is unconscionable. That is immoral and that has got to change. Now, Mr. President, let us remember that way back in May, the House passed the $3.4 trillion HEROES Act which, among other things, included $600 a week in supplemental unemployment benefits and another direct payment of $1,200 for working class adults, $500 for their kids, and generous support for small businesses, hospitals, state and local governments and schools. In other words, that $3.4 trillion bill was a serious effort to address the real crises facing this country. I should also add that in July, the House passed another version of the bill this one for $2.2 trillion. That same month, Senate Majority Leader McConnell, proposed a $1.1 trillion bill that also provided a $1,200 direct payment for the working class and $500 for their children. And then, in October, Secretary Mnuchin, in negotiations with Speaker Pelosi, proposed a COVID-relief plan for $1.8 trillion. So, in the last number of months we have had major proposals of $3.4 trillion, $2.2 trillion, $1.8 trillion, and $1.1 trillion. And yet today, after months of negotiating by the so-called gang of 8, we are now down to just a $908 billion bill that includes $560 billion in offsets in unused money from the CARES Act. So, from an original House bill passed in May calling for $3.4 trillion in new money, we are now down to $348 billion in new money roughly 10% of what Democrats thought we originally needed. Mr. President, in my view, the $348 billion in new money is totally inadequate given the nature of the unprecedented crises that we face. The American people cannot wait any longer. They need economic relief now. Every working class American needs $1,200, $2,400 for couples and $500 for kids. And let me be clear what I am talking about now is money that must not be taken from other important priorities like 16 weeks of supplemental unemployment benefits, aid for small business, nutrition, housing, education and the other important provisions in this bill. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of S. 5063, which I introduced earlier today that would provide a $1,200 direct payment to every working class adult, $2,400 for couples and $500 for their children, that the bill be considered read three times and passed, and the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/patents-for-humanity-legislation-championed-by-leahy-and-grassley-passes-senate-unanimously-and-heads-to-presidents-desk-for-signature,"Patents For Humanity Legislation, Championed By Leahy And Grassley, Passes Senate Unanimously And Heads To Presidents Desk For Signature",2020-12-16,2020,2020-12,Democrat,House,VT,Patrick Leahy,L000174,www.leahy.senate.gov,,,legacy,"12.16.20 Patents For Humanity Legislation, Championed By Leahy And Grassley, Passes Senate Unanimously And Heads To President's Desk For Signature . . . Bill Would Codify Program That Encourages And Rewards Use Of Patented Technology To Tackle Humanitarian Needs WASHINGTON (WEDNESDAY, Dec. 16, 2020) -- The Patents for Humanity Program Improvement Act, authored and long championed by Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Senator Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), passed the Senate unanimously on Tuesday night. This bipartisan bill encourages and rewards the use of patented technology to address humanitarian needs. Patents for Humanity is the United States Patent and Trademark Office's (USPTO) awards competition which recognizes innovators who use game-changing technology to meet global humanitarian challenges. Winners of the program receive a certificate to accelerate certain processes at the USPTO; for example, accelerated review of another application or reexamination request. This legislation would codify the program and allow winners to transfer these certificates to a third party, which the USPTO and small start-up companies have long said will help this vital program grow and even attract small inventors who might not use the certificates themselves. The Patents for Humanity program has already made a critical difference across the world. Winners have worked to improve nutrition, provide clean drinking water and sanitation, fix broken bones in remote hospitals that lack x-ray technology, bring solar-powered energy to villages that are off the power grid, and combat the problem of dangerous counterfeit drugs, among other achievements. Leahy and Grassley both spoke at the virtual 2020 awards ceremony. Details on the 2020 award winners can be found here. Leahy and Grassley have introduced similar legislation in the past, and in the 114th Congress the bill passed the Senate unanimously. In this Congress, for the first time, an identical bill was introduced in the House of Representatives, led by Rep. Lucy McBath (D-Ga.), which passed the House by voice vote in June. This legislation passed the Senate by unanimous consent Tuesday night, and the bill will now make its way to President Trump to be signed into law. Leahy said: We are now one step closer to codifying and improving the Patents for Humanity program, which has a proven track record of addressing some of the most pressing global needs. The program illuminates our commitment to be the example for the world in intellectual property, and I'm hopeful the President will quickly sign this legislation into law. Leahy added, I am also thankful for Senator Grassley's partnership on this issue over the years, and I also want to also thank Congresswoman Lucy McBath for leading the House companion legislation, as well as USPTO Director Andre Iancu for his support for the legislation and his commitment to this program. Grassley said: American innovators are not only a driving force behind our economy, their work product often helps to make the world a better place. By enhancing the Patent and Trademark Office's Patents for Humanity program, this legislation will incentivize and reward innovators for using their talents to help individuals and communities in need across the globe. Having passed the House and now the Senate, I look forward to this bill's quick enactment into law. Additional background on the USPTO Patents for Humanity Program is available online. Text of the Leahy-Grassley bill is also available online. # # # # # Press Contact David Carle (w/Leahy), 301-872-0665 Taylor Foy (w/Grassley), 202-224-6708 Next Article Previous Article",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.sanders.senate.gov/press-releases/sanders-helps-lead-fight-for-direct-payments/,Sanders Helps Lead Fight for Direct Payments,2020-12-16,2020,2020-12,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, December 16 Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) has been leading the fight in Washington to provide direct benefits to working families as they struggle through the pandemic and economic downturn. Sanders is fighting for $1,200 for every worker earning less than $75,000 a year, and $2,400 a couple earning less than $150,000 a year. Each child would receive a benefit of $500. This is what existed in the CARES Act passed in March. Currently, negotiations have the benefit set at $600 per adult and $600 per child. At this level, approximately 445,000 Vermont adults and 153,000 children roughly 93 percent of the state's population would receive these benefits. This amounts to over $345 million in direct benefits going to Vermonters, which will be an important economic stimulus. Sanders said: At a time when many Vermonters are struggling to put food on the table, pay their rent or mortgage, or have the necessary income to go to the doctor, it is imperative that Congress provide direct payments for working families. I am glad that we are making progress on this issue, but more has to be done, and I will continue that fight.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z http://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sanders-on-manchin-romney-deal-congress-cannot-go-home-until-working-class-receives-1200-direct-payments,"Sanders on Manchin-Romney Deal: Congress Cannot Go Home Until Working Class Receives $1,200 Direct Payments",2020-12-14,2020,2020-12,Independent,Senate,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Sanders on Manchin-Romney Deal: Congress Cannot Go Home Until Working Class Receives $1,200 Direct Payments Monday, December 14, 2020 WASHINGTON, December 14 Sen. Sanders (I-Vt.) issued the following statement in response to the Manchin-Romney COVID19 legislation to be released this afternoon: As a result of the pandemic, tens of millions of Americans are facing economic desperation.They can't afford to pay their rent and face eviction, they can't afford to go to the doctor, they can't afford to feed their children and they are going deeper and deeper into debt.Congress cannot go home for the Christmas holidays until we pass legislation which provides a $1,200 direct payment to working class adults, $2,400 for couples, and a $500 payment to their children. This is what Democrats and Republicans did unanimously in March through the CARES Act.This is what we have to do today.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.sanders.senate.gov/press-releases/sanders-on-manchin-romney-deal-congress-cannot-go-home-until-working-class-receives-1200-direct-payments/,"Sanders on Manchin-Romney Deal: Congress Cannot Go Home Until Working Class Receives $1,200 Direct Payments",2020-12-14,2020,2020-12,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, December 14 Sen. Sanders (I-Vt.) issued the following statement in response to the Manchin-Romney COVID19 legislation to be released this afternoon: As a result of the pandemic, tens of millions of Americans are facing economic desperation.They can't afford to pay their rent and face eviction, they can't afford to go to the doctor, they can't afford to feed their children and they are going deeper and deeper into debt.Congress cannot go home for the Christmas holidays until we pass legislation which provides a $1,200 direct payment to working class adults, $2,400 for couples, and a $500 payment to their children. This is what Democrats and Republicans did unanimously in March through the CARES Act.This is what we have to do today.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z http://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/video-audio/we-must-get-1200-direct-checks-to-the-working-class-of-america,"We Must Get $1,200 Direct Checks To The Working Class Of America",2020-12-11,2020,2020-12,Independent,Senate,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"We Must Get $1,200 Direct Checks To The Working Class Of America Members of Congress cannot go back to our families for the holidays when children in the richest country on Earth are going hungry and millions are scared to death of eviction. We must pass my amendment with Republican Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri to get $1,200 direct checks to the working class ofAmerica.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/statement-on-the-fy2021-national-defense-authorization-actconference-report,Statement On The FY2021 National Defense Authorization Act Conference Report,2020-12-11,2020,2020-12,Democrat,House,VT,Patrick Leahy,L000174,www.leahy.senate.gov,,,legacy,"12.11.20 Statement On The FY2021 National Defense Authorization Act Conference Report . . . . Congressional Record Mr. President, the Senate has before it today the result of a compromise. The conference report that will result in the adoption of the National Defense Authorization Act NDAAfor fiscal year 2021 is neither the bill the Senate approved, nor the one the House passed. I am pleased that this conference report cures many of the problems that led to my vote to oppose the Senate bill. Specifically, the conference report is void of the authority for funds to support testing of a new nuclear device, which was included in the Senate bill. This sends an important message to the world about Congress's support for U.S. leadership in armed control. Further, the conference report advances the progress we have made with regard to Vietnam. This NDAA sends a clear message that Congress believes in the importance of cooperation with Vietnam, both to advance our shared security interests and to address some of the worst consequences of that war. The conference report will extend the authorization for the Department of Defense to help decontaminate the Bien Hoa Airbase from the lingering poison of dioxin, and it includes new authorization to help the Government of Vietnam locate and identify some of its hundreds of thousands of MIAs, as they have helped us locate our own MIAs over so many years. The bill will also help the veterans of that war who were exposed to dioxin. The expansion of presumption of exposure included in this bill will mean that Americans suffering from a number of linked ailments can spend their time seeking treatment, rather than jumping through bureaucratic and legal hoops. For many veterans exposed to airborne toxic substances through burn pits, this bill also includes a number of provisions to make it easier to identify their exposure and for them to make connections needed while seeking medical care. It continues the march towards rectifying the Department of Defense's PFOS/ PFOA usage. While there is much to be done in both these areas, this is a positive step forward. This bill is imperfect, but of particular concern to me is the addition in conference, without proper vetting or evaluation, of several provisions that undermine the Freedom of Information Act, our Nation's premier transparency law. Many of these provisions were in neither the Senate nor the House bill. For a number of years, I have worked in a bipartisan manner with other members of the Judiciary Committee to consult with the Senate Armed Services Committee to provide the feedback and expertise in FOIA matters, as it relates to proposals within the NDAA. That inclusive process, where committees of jurisdiction are consulted on their areas of expertise, has ensured that the NDAA does not become a vehicle for unwise or harmful policies. This time, however, a number of provisions needlessly piercing holes in FOIA were inserted during conference negotiations without any consultation with the Judiciary Committee. Unsurprisingly, a process that took place behind closed doors resulted in policies undermining the American people's ability to know what their government is doing. Unfortunately, this is slowly becoming a routine practice, and it must not happen again. I want to put everyone on notice: I will insist that the Judiciary Committee and those of us who worked for many years on these matters are consulted on provisions that fall within the purview of our committee before they are included in the NDAA. That consultation process has produced good outcomes for the American people for years. Let's not change it now. With these concerns in mind, on balance, this is a defense authorization bill that I will support. It advances our efforts to reconcile with our history and address the naming of our military bases after Confederate generals, something over which the President inexplicably threatened to veto the bill. It rejects the President's demands to repeal section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, something that advances his personal war, but which demands careful consideration and should not be used as hostage bait. This conference report authorizes over $740 billion in spending. The defense of our Nation and our international role in providing security and promoting stability demand significant investments. I hope, however, that in future years, Congress will thoughtfully consider the skewed balance of our defense investments against other critical domestic needs. These are difficult questions, but ones that demand debate and honest review. ### Next Article Previous Article",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z http://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sanders-demands-direct-payments-for-working-families,Sanders Demands Direct Payments for Working Families,2020-12-10,2020,2020-12,Independent,Senate,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Sanders Demands Direct Payments for Working Families Thursday, December 10, 2020 WASHINGTONSenator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) stated today on the Senate floor that given the enormity of the current economic crisis, the Senate must pass a $1,200 direct payment for working class adults and $500 for their children as part of any COVID-19 relief package. He is filing an amendment today to the one-week Continuing Resolution to do just that. Sanders said that it would be unacceptable for Congress to adjourn for the holidays while turning its back on the economic desperation facing tens of millions of Americans. In a speech on the floor today, he stated: When a national emergency occurs the United States government must respond. And we are in an economic emergency today. To get out of Washington, to turn our backs on the suffering of so many of our people would be immoral, would be unconscionable, and cannot be allowed to happen. Sanders' speech can be watched here, and the prepared remarks can be read below: ""Mr. President: This country today faces an unprecedented crisis both in terms of the pandemic and the economic meltdown. I understand that there are negotiations going on in terms of coming up with an economic package dealing with COVID-19 relief. I applaud the hard work that each of the negotiators are doing. But the truth is that the results up to this point are totally unsatisfactory given the economic desperation facing tens of millions of working families. Back in March, at the beginning of the pandemic, the United States Congress unanimously Democrats and Republicans worked with President Trump to come up with an economic package that went a long way toward preventing absolute misery and destitution for so many of our people. Through no fault of their own, COVID-19 resulted in millions of people losing their jobs and their income. And, in response, Democrats and Republicans in the Congress came together, worked with the President of the United States and, in a very significant way, responded to that crisis. Mr. President, what I don't understand is that at a time when, in many ways, the crisis is worse today than it was in March, why we are not responding accordingly. In March, we passed the $2.2 trillion CARES Act which included a $600 supplement to unemployment benefits for 4 months, and a $1,200 direct payment for every working class adult plus $500 for their kids. Once again, we did this unanimously and we did it by working with President Trump. If we could do it together in March, if we could succeed 9 months ago by working together, there is no reason why we cannot do the same thing right now. And that is why I will insist that any agreement in terms of a COVID-19 relief package must include not only strong unemployment benefits, but a $1,200 direct payment for the working families of this country similarly structured to what was included in the CARES package of March. And I will be introducing an amendment to the 1-week Continuing Resolution to make sure that that occurs - that every working class adult in this country receives another $1,200 direct payment, plus $500 for their kids. Mr. President, every member of this body wants to get out of Washington to get home to their families for the holiday season. And put me at the top of that list. But at a time when so many American families are suffering, when so many people don't know how they're going to feed their kids or prevent being evicted from their homes, or how they're going to pay for a doctor's visit, we cannot leave Washington and return to our families unless we address the economic suffering that so many other families are facing. When a national emergency occurs the United States government must respond. And we are in an economic emergency today. To get out of Washington, to turn our backs on the suffering of so many of our people would be immoral, would be unconscionable, and cannot be allowed to happen. Again, we must make certain that every working family in this country receives a $1,200 direct payment, plus $500 for their kids. Mr. President, let me be as clear as I can be. Today, as a result of the horrific pandemic and economic meltdown, the American working-class is hurting like they have never hurt before. Yesterday alone, over 220,000 Americans were diagnosed with COVID-19 and, tragically, over 3,000 died from this horrific virus. In other words, more Americans were killed by the coronavirus yesterday than were killed on 9-11. Further, Mr. President, the working class of this country is in the worst financial shape since the Great Depression of the 1930s. Tens of millions of our fellow citizens have lost their jobs. They have lost their incomes. They have lost their health insurance. They have depleted their life savings. They cannot afford to pay the rent. They cannot afford to put food on the table. And they are scared to death that any day now they will get a knock on the door from the sheriff evicting them from their homes and throwing them and their belongings out on the street. In America today, over half our workers are living paycheck to paycheck while 1 out of every 4 workers in this country are either unemployed or make a starvation wage of less than $20,000 a year. During the holiday season over one-third of Americans expect to lose income and are already having a difficult time paying for basic household expenses. In America today, hunger is at its highest level in decades, more than 500,000 Americans are homeless and over 30 million tenants are on the brink of eviction.While 15 million Americans have tested positive for the COVID-19 virus, over 90 million Americans are uninsured or under-insured and cannot afford to go to a doctor when they get sick. And as bad as the economy has been in general it has been far worse for African Americans and Latinos. During the pandemic, nearly 60% of Latino families and 55% of African American families have either experienced a job loss or a pay cut. Meanwhile, Mr. President, not everyone is hurting in America. While the middle class is collapsing and poverty is growing, we are witnessing a massive increase in income and wealth inequality. Over the past 9 months, 650 billionaires have seen their wealth go up by over $1 trillion and now own over twice as much wealth as the bottom 50 percent of Americans. That is the state of the economy in America today. The very rich get much, much richer, while tens of millions of Americans get poorer and poorer and face an unprecedented level of economic desperation. Mr. President. This is the United States of America, the richest country in the history of the world. No one should be going hungry. No one should have to live in fear of becoming homeless. No one should be denied the health care that they need, especially during the worst public health crisis in over a hundred years. But that is precisely what is going on all over America as we speak. Mr. President. This is an unprecedented moment in American history and the Senate needs to take unprecedented action now to improve the lives of the American people. If we could act effectively in March through the CARES Act, we can act effectively today as we enter the holiday season. I very much appreciate the hard work that has gone into the current $908 billion proposal being drafted by a number of Democratic and Republican Senators. But, simply stated, given the horrific extent of the current crisis and the desperation that working families all over this country are experiencing, this proposal does not go anywhere near far enough. In truth, rather than the $3.4 trillion which we Democrats called for in the HEROES Act and passed in the House, this bill only allocates $348 billion in new money. The remaining $560 billion are funds transferred from the CARES Act that have not yet been obligated. In other words, this bill is allocating roughly 10% of what was passed in the House. That's absurd. Unlike the CARES Act, which we passed in March, this proposal only provides a $300 supplement for unemployed workers rather than $600 a week. Further, unlike the $1,200 direct payment for every working class individual and $500 for each child, it provides absolutely no direct payment. Moreover, this proposal does nothing to address the health care crisis impacting tens of millions of Americans who cannot afford medical care and has totally inadequate financial assistance for the most vulnerable. The American people need help and they need help now. We have got to make sure that every working class American receives at least $1,200 in direct payments and that we do not provide a liability shield to corporations who break the law. We cannot continue the status quo of coming in at 5:30pm on Monday and leaving at 2pm on Thursday while nothing gets done to help millions of Americans living in economic desperation. We've got to be working 24 hours, 7 days a week until we pass a bill that provides emergency assistance to the American people in their time of need.""",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z http://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sanders-hawley-introduce-1200-direct-payments-amendment-to-attach-to-end-of-year-legislation,"Sanders, Hawley Introduce $1,200 Direct Payments Amendment to Attach to End-of-Year Legislation",2020-12-10,2020,2020-12,Independent,Senate,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Sanders, Hawley Introduce $1,200 Direct Payments Amendment to Attach to End-of-Year Legislation Thursday, December 10, 2020 WASHINGTON, December 10 Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) are introducing a bipartisan amendment to attach to must-pass legislation to be considered by Congress, which would provide $1,200 in direct payments to working-class adults and $500 to each of their children.This amendment, similar to what was passed in the CARES Act, would be attached to must-pass legislation to keep the government going. In the midst of this terrible pandemic and economic crisis, this amendment would make certain that working families get the urgent, direct support they need to survive, said Sanders. A direct payment of $1,200 for adults and $500 for kids would help desperate families pay rent and heating bills, put food on the table, and be able to go to the doctor.In the midst of so much economic desperation, Congress cannot go on recess without providing this $1,200 emergency assistance to the American people in their time of need.I look forward to working across the aisle with Senator Hawley to ensure that the United States Senate passes this amendment. It would be a dereliction of duty if Congress adjourns for Christmas without having a vote on providing working families with direct payments, said Hawley. Working people are struggling. And they should be the first people given relief, not last. The crisis of rising unemployment claims, ever-expanding food lines, evictions, and growing credit card debt has been staring us in the face for months. It's time we do something about it and provide emergency relief to Americans. The amendment is modeled on the $1,200 direct payment for working-class adults plus $500 for their children passed by Congress unanimously in the $2.2 trillion CARES Act in March and signed into law by President Trump. Watch Sanders' and Hawley's floor remarks on this proposal here. Read the text of the amendment here.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z http://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/video-audio/responding-to-the-needs-of-the-americanpeople,Responding to the needs of the AmericanPeople,2020-12-10,2020,2020-12,Independent,Senate,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Responding to the needs of the AmericanPeople Yesterday alone, over 3,000 died from this horrific virus. The working class of this country is in the worst financial shape since the Great Depression of the 1930s. The American people need help and they need help NOW!",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/klobuchar-leahy-introduce-jamal-khashoggi-press-freedom-accountability-act-,"Klobuchar, Leahy Introduce Jamal Khashoggi Press Freedom Accountability Act",2020-12-10,2020,2020-12,Democrat,House,VT,Patrick Leahy,L000174,www.leahy.senate.gov,,,legacy,"12.10.20 Klobuchar, Leahy Introduce Jamal Khashoggi Press Freedom Accountability Act . . . . Honoring the memory of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, legislation would ensure governments that commit human rights abuses against journalists are held accountable by the United States WASHINGTON U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Patrick Leahy (D-VT) introduced legislation to ensure governments that commit human rights against journalists abuses are held accountable by the United States. It is widely believed that Jamal Khashoggi, a Washington Post journalist and resident of the U.S., was murdered in Saudi Arabia's consulate in Istanbul under orders from the Saudi government because of his writings in opposition to Saudi government policies. To help protect journalists across the world, the Jamal Khashoggi Press Freedom Accountability Act would place targeted sanctions, restrict foreign aid, and increase reporting on human rights abuses committed against journalists by foreign governments. We must ensure that journalists in the United States and around the world are able to do their jobs without fear of harm, Klobuchar said. It is unacceptable to suppress, imprison, and violently target the press, and the Jamal Khashoggi Act would ensure that the United States holds foreign governments who attempt to do so accountable. It is shocking that journalists today in many countries are increasingly the targets of harassment, threats, wrongful imprisonment, and assassination, Leahy said. Jamal Khashoggi's gruesome murder shined a spotlight on the peril journalists face every day. It is why the United States, where a free press is the cornerstone of our democracy, should do everything possible to defend the rights and safety of journalists and ensure that those who seek to intimidate and silence the press are held accountable. Representative Adam Schiff (D-CA) leads companion legislation in the House of Representatives. This legislation, named in honor of the late Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi, would build upon the Daniel Pearl Freedom of the Press Act to strengthen the United States' commitment to hold to account those who would target journalists for violence and persecution, said Rep. Adam Schiff. A free and independent media is essential for a free society, and the United States must stand with journalists around the world who risk their lives to expose corruption, to give expression to independent and critical voices, and to tell the difficult stories that must be told. I thank Senator Klobuchar for leading this important effort in the Senate. Senator Klobuchar's bill is an important step to expand accountability for those who commit violence against journalists worldwide, providing a measure of protection for the reporters who risk imprisonment, torture, and even death for the work they do every day discerning and reporting the facts, said Thomas O. Melia, Washington Director of PEN America. Enacting this bill will not only shore up the free press as a bulwark of global security and democracy; it will enhance accountability for those responsible for gross human rights violations against journalists."" The Jamal Khashoggi Press Freedom Accountability Act is endorsed by Reporters Without Borders; PEN America; Project on Middle East Democracy (POMED), Freedom House and the Committee to Protect Journalists. The Jamal Khashoggi Press Freedom Accountability Act will: Build upon the Daniel Pearl Freedom of the Press Act by requiring the Department of State to document electronic surveillance and online harassment against journalists in its annual human rights reports. Require the US government to place targeted sanctions against a foreign person if they commit a gross violation of human rights against a journalist. Restrict foreign aid to government entities in the event that a senior official commits a gross violation of human rights against a journalist. In October, Klobuchar and Leahy led a group of 10 senators in a letter to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo urging the Administration to increase its efforts to protect journalists around the world and hold foreign leaders accountable for suppressing freedom of the press. ### Next Article Previous Article",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/murphy-leahy-menendez-van-hollen-wyden-statement-on-sentencing-of-walid-fitaihi-in-saudi-arabia,"Murphy, Leahy, Menendez, Van Hollen, Wyden Statement On Sentencing Of Walid Fitaihi In Saudi Arabia",2020-12-10,2020,2020-12,Democrat,House,VT,Patrick Leahy,L000174,www.leahy.senate.gov,,,legacy,"12.10.20 Murphy, Leahy, Menendez, Van Hollen, Wyden Statement On Sentencing Of Walid Fitaihi In Saudi Arabia WASHINGTONU.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), along with U.S. Senators Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), on Thursday released the following statement on the sentencing of an American citizen, Walid Fitaihi, in Saudi Arabia: We are appalled that Walid Fitaihi has been sentenced to six years in prison by a Saudi court on politically motivated charges. We have repeatedly called for the release of Dr. Fitaihi since his arrest in 2017, and supported Secretary Pompeo's direct appeals to Saudi authorities to resolve his case. Unfortunately, the Saudi government has ignored these bipartisan appeals, despite clear implications for the U.S.-Saudi relationship, the senators said. The senators continued: Fitaihi is a dual American-Saudi citizen who was sentenced, in part, for the supposed crime of obtaining U.S. citizenship without permission from the Saudi government. He was also sentenced for offending foreign countries' with his peaceful speech on Twitter, where he posted messages in support of democratic protests across the Arab world in 2011. The Saudi government should immediately release Dr. Fitaihi, lift the travel ban on his family, and drop these baseless and politically motivated charges. The persecution of American citizens, which also includes the ongoing detention of Salah al Haidar and Bader al Ibrahim, is unacceptable. ### Next Article Previous Article",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.sanders.senate.gov/press-releases/sanders-gillibrand-warren-merkley-markey-and-wyden-urge-colleagues-to-defend-working-class-in-covid-19-relief-proposal-2/,Sanders Demands Direct Payments for Working Families,2020-12-10,2020,2020-12,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, December 10 Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) stated today on the Senate floor that given the enormity of the current economic crisis, the Senate must pass a $1,200 direct payment for working class adults and $500 for their children as part of any COVID-19 relief package. He is filing an amendment today to the one-week Continuing Resolution to do just that. Sanders said that it would be unacceptable for Congress to adjourn for the holidays while turning its back on the economic desperation facing tens of millions of Americans. In a speech on the floor today, he stated: When a national emergency occurs the United States government must respond. And we are in an economic emergency today. To get out of Washington, to turn our backs on the suffering of so many of our people would be immoral, would be unconscionable, and cannot be allowed to happen. Sanders' speech can be watchedhere, and the prepared remarks can be read below: Mr. President: This country today faces an unprecedented crisis both in terms of the pandemic and the economic meltdown. I understand that there are negotiations going on in terms of coming up with an economic package dealing with COVID-19 relief. I applaud the hard work that each of the negotiators are doing. But the truth is that the results up to this point are totally unsatisfactory given the economic desperation facing tens of millions of working families. Back in March, at the beginning of the pandemic, the United States Congress unanimously Democrats and Republicans worked with President Trump to come up with an economic package that went a long way toward preventing absolute misery and destitution for so many of our people. Through no fault of their own, COVID-19 resulted in millions of people losing their jobs and their income. And, in response, Democrats and Republicans in the Congress came together, worked with the President of the United States and, in a very significant way, responded to that crisis. Mr. President, what I don't understand is that at a time when, in many ways, the crisis is worse today than it was in March, why we are not responding accordingly. In March, we passed the $2.2 trillion CARES Act which included a $600 supplement to unemployment benefits for 4 months, and a $1,200 direct payment for every working class adult plus $500 for their kids. Once again, we did this unanimously and we did it by working with President Trump. If we could do it together in March, if we could succeed 9 months ago by working together, there is no reason why we cannot do the same thing right now. And that is why I will insist that any agreement in terms of a COVID-19 relief package must include not only strong unemployment benefits, but a $1,200 direct payment for the working families of this country similarly structured to what was included in the CARES package of March. And I will be introducing an amendment to the 1-week Continuing Resolution to make sure that that occurs that every working class adult in this country receives another $1,200 direct payment, plus $500 for their kids. Mr. President, every member of this body wants to get out of Washington to get home to their families for the holiday season. And put me at the top of that list. But at a time when so many American families are suffering, when so many people don't know how they're going to feed their kids or prevent being evicted from their homes, or how they're going to pay for a doctor's visit, we cannot leave Washington and return to our families unless we address the economic suffering that so many other families are facing. When a national emergency occurs the United States government must respond. And we are in an economic emergency today. To get out of Washington, to turn our backs on the suffering of so many of our people would be immoral, would be unconscionable, and cannot be allowed to happen. Again, we must make certain that every working family in this country receives a $1,200 direct payment, plus $500 for their kids. Mr. President, let me be as clear as I can be. Today, as a result of the horrific pandemic and economic meltdown, the American working-class is hurting like they have never hurt before. Yesterday alone, over 220,000 Americans were diagnosed with COVID-19 and, tragically, over 3,000 died from this horrific virus. In other words, more Americans were killed by the coronavirus yesterday than were killed on 9-11. Further, Mr. President, the working class of this country is in the worst financial shape since the Great Depression of the 1930s. Tens of millions of our fellow citizens have lost their jobs. They have lost their incomes. They have lost their health insurance. They have depleted their life savings. They cannot afford to pay the rent. They cannot afford to put food on the table. And they are scared to death that any day now they will get a knock on the door from the sheriff evicting them from their homes and throwing them and their belongings out on the street. In America today, over half our workers are living paycheck to paycheck while 1 out of every 4 workers in this country are either unemployed or make a starvation wage of less than $20,000 a year. During the holiday season over one-third of Americans expect to lose income and are already having a difficult time paying for basic household expenses. In America today, hunger is at its highest level in decades, more than 500,000 Americans are homeless and over 30 million tenants are on the brink of eviction.While 15 million Americans have tested positive for the COVID-19 virus, over 90 million Americans are uninsured or under-insured and cannot afford to go to a doctor when they get sick. And as bad as the economy has been in general it has been far worse for African Americans and Latinos. During the pandemic, nearly 60% of Latino families and 55% of African American families have either experienced a job loss or a pay cut. Meanwhile, Mr. President, not everyone is hurting in America. While the middle class is collapsing and poverty is growing, we are witnessing a massive increase in income and wealth inequality. Over the past 9 months, 650 billionaires have seen their wealth go up by over $1 trillion and now own over twice as much wealth as the bottom 50 percent of Americans. That is the state of the economy in America today. The very rich get much, much richer, while tens of millions of Americans get poorer and poorer and face an unprecedented level of economic desperation. Mr. President. This is the United States of America, the richest country in the history of the world. No one should be going hungry. No one should have to live in fear of becoming homeless. No one should be denied the health care that they need, especially during the worst public health crisis in over a hundred years. But that is precisely what is going on all over America as we speak. Mr. President. This is an unprecedented moment in American history and the Senate needs to take unprecedented action now to improve the lives of the American people. If we could act effectively in March through the CARES Act, we can act effectively today as we enter the holiday season. I very much appreciate the hard work that has gone into the current $908 billion proposal being drafted by a number of Democratic and Republican Senators. But, simply stated, given the horrific extent of the current crisis and the desperation that working families all over this country are experiencing, this proposal does not go anywhere near far enough. In truth, rather than the $3.4 trillion which we Democrats called for in the HEROES Act and passed in the House, this bill only allocates $348 billion in new money. The remaining $560 billion are funds transferred from the CARES Act that have not yet been obligated. In other words, this bill is allocating roughly 10% of what was passed in the House. That's absurd. Unlike the CARES Act, which we passed in March, this proposal only provides a $300 supplement for unemployed workers rather than $600 a week. Further, unlike the $1,200 direct payment for every working class individual and $500 for each child, it provides absolutely no direct payment. Moreover, this proposal does nothing to address the health care crisis impacting tens of millions of Americans who cannot afford medical care and has totally inadequate financial assistance for the most vulnerable. The American people need help and they need help now. We have got to make sure that every working class American receives at least $1,200 in direct payments and that we do not provide a liability shield to corporations who break the law. We cannot continue the status quo of coming in at 5:30pm on Monday and leaving at 2pm on Thursday while nothing gets done to help millions of Americans living in economic desperation. We've got to be working 24 hours, 7 days a week until we pass a bill that provides emergency assistance to the American people in their time of need.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.sanders.senate.gov/press-releases/sanders-hawley-introduce-1200-direct-payments-amendment-to-attach-to-end-of-year-legislation/,"Sanders, Hawley Introduce $1,200 Direct Payments Amendment to Attach to End-of-Year Legislation",2020-12-10,2020,2020-12,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, December 10 Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) are introducing a bipartisan amendment to attach to must-pass legislation to be considered by Congress, which would provide $1,200 in direct payments to working-class adults and $500 to each of their children.This amendment, similar to what was passed in the CARES Act, would be attached to must-pass legislation to keep the government going. In the midst of this terrible pandemic and economic crisis, this amendment would make certain that working families get the urgent, direct support they need to survive,said Sanders.A direct payment of $1,200 for adults and $500 for kids would help desperate families pay rent and heating bills, put food on the table, and be able to go to the doctor.In the midst of so much economic desperation, Congress cannot go on recess without providing this $1,200 emergency assistance to the American people in their time of need.I look forward to working across the aisle with Senator Hawley to ensure that the United States Senate passes this amendment. It would be a dereliction of duty if Congress adjourns for Christmas without having a vote on providing working families with direct payments,said Hawley.Working people are struggling. And they should be the first people given relief, not last. The crisis of rising unemployment claims, ever-expanding food lines, evictions, and growing credit card debt has been staring us in the face for months. It's time we do something about it and provide emergency relief to Americans. The amendment is modeled on the $1,200 direct payment for working-class adults plus $500 for their children passed by Congress unanimously in the $2.2 trillion CARES Act in March and signed into law by President Trump. Watch Sanders' and Hawley's floor remarks on this proposalhere. Read the text of the amendmenthere.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/statement-on-house-passage-of-a-one-week-continuing-resolution,Statement On House Passage Of A One Week Continuing Resolution,2020-12-09,2020,2020-12,Democrat,House,VT,Patrick Leahy,L000174,www.leahy.senate.gov,,,legacy,"12.09.20 Statement On House Passage Of A One Week Continuing Resolution I am glad that the House passed a one week continuing resolution that will allow us the time we need to complete our work on full year appropriations bills, and I urge the Senate to take up and pass it as soon as possible. We cannot and will not allow government funding to lapse in the midst of an unprecedented health and economic crisis. Chairwoman Lowey, Ranking Member Granger, Chairman Shelby, myself, and our staff, have been tirelessly working through the nights and the weekend to reach an agreement, and we will continue to do so. Time and again, appropriators have shown that we can reach a bipartisan compromise that funds the government and addresses the nation's priorities. I believe we are very close to reaching that compromise once again, and I look forward to continuing this work on behalf of my home state of Vermont and the American people. # # # # Next Article Previous Article",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z http://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sanders-gillibrand-warren-merkley-markey-and-wyden-urge-colleagues-to-defend-working-class-in-covid-19-relief-proposal,"Sanders, Gillibrand, Warren, Merkley, Markey and Wyden Urge Colleagues to Defend Working Class in COVID-19 Relief Proposal",2020-12-08,2020,2020-12,Independent,Senate,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Sanders, Gillibrand, Warren, Merkley, Markey and Wyden Urge Colleagues to Defend Working Class in COVID-19 Relief Proposal Tuesday, December 8, 2020 WASHINGTON, December 8 Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.),Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.),Ed Markey (D-Mass.) and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.)urged Senate Democrats today to recognize the enormity of the economic and public-health crisis posed by COVID-19 and join them in demanding that any new COVID-19 relief proposal includes a $1,200 direct payment to adults and $500 to their children, while rejecting provisions to give a liability shield to corporations who threaten the health and safety of workers and customers. In aletterto their colleagues, the Senators note that COVID-19 is infecting nearly 200,000 Americans and killing 2,000 Americans daily, and argue that a bipartisan proposal under negotiation does not go anywhere near far enough, as America experiences the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. Only $348 billion in new money is currently allocated in that proposal, the Senators point out, even though the Trump Administration and a bipartisan coalition in the House supported over $1.8 trillion in COVID-19 relief that also included another $1,200 direct payment. It would be unacceptable to take a major step backwards from those previous efforts by passing legislation that only included $348 billion in new money, the Senators wrote to their Democratic colleagues. The lawmakers further expressed their opposition to a get-out-of-jail free card to companies that put the lives of their workers and customers at risk currently under consideration in a bipartisan COVID-19 relief measure, and cited concerns from labor groups that granting immunity would make the country less safe at the exact moment when the COVID-19 pandemic is entering a new, dangerous phase. The letter's signatories also registered their agreement with President-elect Biden that a $1,200 direct payment should be included in this proposal, as over half of American workers live paycheck to paycheck and one in four are either unemployed or make less than $20,000 a year, while millions more face eviction and hunger. Read the letterhere.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/house-passes-antitrust-whistleblower-protections-authored-by-grassley-leahy-,"House Passes Antitrust Whistleblower Protections Authored by Grassley, Leahy",2020-12-08,2020,2020-12,Democrat,House,VT,Patrick Leahy,L000174,www.leahy.senate.gov,,,legacy,"12.08.20 House Passes Antitrust Whistleblower Protections Authored by Grassley, Leahy WASHINGTON(Tuesday, Dec. 8, 2020) The U.S. House of Representatives Tuesday passed legislation by Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) granting protections to whistleblowers who shine a light on violations of antitrust laws. The Criminal Antitrust Anti-Retaliation Act, which unanimously passed the Senate last year, must now be signed by the President to become law. Competition is essential for a thriving, affordable and innovative marketplace. When our antitrust laws are violated, consumers are often left paying the price. The Criminal Antitrust Anti-Retaliation Act encourages and shields from reprisal private sector employees to shine a light on activities that violate our antitrust laws. This bipartisan bill is an important step to safeguarding fair marketplaces as well as the whistleblowers who support them. It's earned broad support in both chambers of Congress, and I urge President Trump to sign it into law without delay, Grassley said. Our country has a proud history of protecting whistleblowers who expose wrongdoing, beginning when the Continental Congress unanimously passed the first whistleblower law 242 years ago. Today, Congress honors that longstanding tradition by unanimously passing the bipartisan Criminal Antitrust Anti-Retaliation Act that I co-authored with Senator Grassley. In an era where dominant corporations aggressively seek to expand their profits and quash competitors, our laws should protect whistleblowers who take significant risks to report criminal antitrust violations like price fixing that undermine free and fair competition. That's exactly what our legislation would do. I urge President Trump to sign this commonsense, bipartisan bill into law without delay, Leahy said. The Criminal Antitrust Anti-Retaliation Act extends whistleblower protections for employees who provide information to the Department of Justice related to criminal antitrust violations. The Senate unanimously passed a similar version of the legislation in 2013, 2015 and 2017. The Grassley-Leahy bill is based on recommendations from aGovernment Accountability Office reportreleased in July 2011. The bill allows an employee who believes he or she is the victim of retaliation to file a complaint with the Secretary of Labor, and provides for that employee to be reinstated to their former status if the Secretary finds in their favor. Grassley and Leahy authored similar whistleblower statutes as part of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act in 2002. Additional original cosponsors of this bill include Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-Ct.), John Kennedy (R-La.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.). Text of theCriminal Antitrust Anti-Retaliation Actis availablehere. # # # # # Next Article Previous Article",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.sanders.senate.gov/press-releases/sanders-gillibrand-warren-merkley-markey-and-wyden-urge-colleagues-to-defend-working-class-in-covid-19-relief-proposal/,"Sanders, Gillibrand, Warren, Merkley, Markey and Wyden Urge Colleagues to Defend Working Class in COVID-19 Relief Proposal",2020-12-08,2020,2020-12,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, December 8 Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.),Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.),Ed Markey (D-Mass.) and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.)urged Senate Democrats today to recognize the enormity of the economic and public-health crisis posed by COVID-19 and join them in demanding that any new COVID-19 relief proposal includes a $1,200 direct payment to adults and $500 to their children, while rejecting provisions to give a liability shield to corporations who threaten the health and safety of workers and customers. In a letter to their colleagues, the Senators note that COVID-19 is infecting nearly 200,000 Americans and killing 2,000 Americans daily, and argue that a bipartisan proposal under negotiation does not go anywhere near far enough, as America experiences the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. Only $348 billion in new money is currently allocated in that proposal, the Senators point out, even though the Trump Administration and a bipartisan coalition in the House supported over $1.8 trillion in COVID-19 relief that also included another $1,200 direct payment. It would be unacceptable to take a major step backwards from those previous efforts by passing legislation that only included $348 billion in new money, the Senators wrote to their Democratic colleagues. The lawmakers further expressed their opposition to a get-out-of-jail free card to companies that put the lives of their workers and customers at risk currently under consideration in a bipartisan COVID-19 relief measure, and cited concerns from labor groups that granting immunity would make the country less safe at the exact moment when the COVID-19 pandemic is entering a new, dangerous phase. The letter's signatories also registered their agreement with President-elect Biden that a $1,200 direct payment should be included in this proposal, as over half of American workers live paycheck to paycheck and one in four are either unemployed or make less than $20,000 a year, while millions more face eviction and hunger. Read the letter here.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/statement-on-the-urgent-need-for-covid-relief,Statement On The Urgent Need For COVID Relief,2020-12-07,2020,2020-12,Democrat,House,VT,Patrick Leahy,L000174,www.leahy.senate.gov,,,legacy,"12.07.20 Statement On The Urgent Need For COVID Relief . . . . Senate Floor It's been 321 days since the first COVID-19 case was reported in the United States. It's been 282 days since the first COVID-19 death was reported in the United States. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the unemployment rate in November was 6.7 percent, nearly double the rate in November of last year. Hundreds of thousands of small businesses across the country have closed, permanently, due to COVID. As of today, there are more than 14.8 million reported cases of COVID-19 in the United States one million more than just a week ago. More than 282,000 Americans have died. And it has been 256 days since the Senate passed the CARES Act. Two hundred and fifty-six days since the Senate acted in a comprehensive, meaningful way to address the real and mounting concerns and needs of our constituents. Healthcare workers and caregivers, business owners and employees, teachers and students all in need of support in these difficult and uncertain times. Families wrestling with heightened food insecurity, and the threat of eviction hanging over them. States strapped by budget shortfalls, forced to lay off thousands of employees. It's been 205 days since the House first passed the HEROES Act. And it's been 65 days since they stepped forward to offer a substantial compromise on the HEROES Act, and pass it again. And where does it sit? On the Republican Leader's desk, collecting dust, as the largest, and most significant bill in the McConnell legislative graveyard. Like millions of Americans, I am encouraged by the news in recent weeks that pharmaceutical companies are making significant progress in vaccine development. I am encouraged that some of those vaccines may be available as early as later this month. But let's not forget why we were able to develop vaccines so quickly it is because of long-standing federal investments in cutting edge research at the National Institutes of Health. NIH-funded research in genetic and genomic sequencing enabled the rapid and efficient pivot to COVID-19 research that led to the vaccine. This is the power of federal dollars, targeted to solve a national problem. And this is what we need more of now. The development of several promise vaccines is great news. But without a comprehensive plan in place and the resources to implement it how can we ensure vaccination is safe, effective, widely available, and free? It is a complete abdication of our responsibility as elected representatives that we have simply failed to act. Now, I know that my friends across the aisle will rush to the Floor, and blame Democrats for stalling their inadequate face-saving proposal that they went through the motions to bring forward before the elections. Sure, that proposal made some investments in small businesses, and provided some unemployment relief, albeit at significantly reduced levels. But it also tied educational relief to forcing kids back into the classroom, even when conditions were not safe to accommodate it. It failed to deliver on relief to state and local governments, which are continuing to try to provide essential services to their communities. It included nothing for Low Income Home Energy Assistance (LIHEAP), no funding for mental health service, no funding for nutrition assistance, not a dime for NIH research, and it failed to put forward a vigorous plan or investment in vaccination production and distribution. So what did it do? Create a shield for corporate misconduct. Republicans are more keen to shield corporate cronies than to work on behalf of the American people. It's a sham. And it's a shame. In my home state of Vermont, the Governor and state legislature, and mayors and town leaders across the state have taken bold moves to slow the spread of COVID. These moves which have resulted in lower instances of the virus than elsewhere in the country have not come without cost. Unemployment remains, and small businesses continue to struggle. And that says nothing of the personal hardships families are facing across our small state. One elderly woman called my office, expressing frustration with the President. She also told my staff that she's only been able to visit her husband, who is in a medical rehab facility, a couple of times during this pandemic, due to COVID restrictions. This isn't an anecdote it's a tragedy. In Vermont, the state and local governments are worrying about how to clear the roads this winter if COVID hits the plow crews. Snow removal isn't a luxury in Vermont in the winter it's a necessity. My staff has spoken with one Vermont mother who is raising a son with autism. With school systems strained to their limits, special education services have been sharply reduced. This will have lasting impacts on these students, both educationally and socially. And, for those facing challenges like addiction, depression, or mental health issues, or who were simply down on their luck before COVID hit earlier this year, access to vital resources like counseling or intervention has been made more complicated by COVID restrictions, often with tragic results. I have heard of one Vermonter who passed away, alone, in a motel room in Rutland in October. Battling mental health issues, he'd become homeless just as COVID struck earlier this year, and due to the risks of the virus, family and friends were unable to take him into their homes. This isn't just a story; it's a man's life. And there are so many more people out there facing the same struggles. We are seeing images of car lines at food banks stretching for miles as an unprecedented wave of food insecurity is washing over our country. In my state alone, one in every four Vermonters are now food insecure. Before this pandemic, it was already an unacceptable one in 10. We are asking children to learn without providing the necessary resources to their teachers, families to pay rent without their jobs, and people to deal with their chronic illnesses while our hospitals are all stretched to capacity. All of this while an unacceptable amount of people are unsure how they will put food on the table through the end of the week. It is unconscionable. And the leadership across the aisle here in the Senate says we only need a targeted approach, and they point to the stock market as proof? Nonsense. The economy will not recover until we vanquish the virus. It is that simple, and that basic. And people are suffering now. This is the cost of inaction. Inaction on real, comprehensive, bold COVID relief legislation. Now, with our backs against the wall with a funding deadline looming, we are racing to accomplish what should have been done months ago: annual appropriations bills to keep our government running. We must pass these bills before Congress adjourns this year so there are no disruptions in government services during this difficult time in our country. That would only exacerbate the growing problems facing many Americans today. But our annual appropriations bills are no substitute for the significant investment we need to confront this national and international emergency. We need a comprehensive COVID relief bill. It's time to get serious. Time is wasting. How many hours have we spent racing to confirm nomination after nomination, at the expense of everything else, including dealing with the emergency of this pandemic, while COVID cases soar and more and more people succumb to this virus? How much more time will the Senate waste, while American families and communities suffer? It's time for us to do our job. The American people are suffering enough. We shouldn't be adding to that strain by playing politics with these essential priorities. I am hearing from Vermonters, every day, worried about unemployment benefits, their children's education, their health or that of their loved ones, about food security, and about keeping their homes and paying their bills. The Senate, at its best, is the conscience of the nation. It's long past time we start acting like it. Two hundred and fifty-six days since the Senate took meaningful action. We shouldn't wait one day longer. # # # # #",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/reaction-of-senator-patrick-leahy-to-the-national-academies-of-sciences-report_assessment-of-illness-in-us-government-employees-and-their-families-at-overseas-embassies,"Reaction Of Senator Patrick Leahy To The National Academies Of Sciences Report, Assessment Of Illness In U.S. Government Employees And Their Families At Overseas Embassies",2020-12-06,2020,2020-12,Democrat,House,VT,Patrick Leahy,L000174,www.leahy.senate.gov,,,legacy,"12.06.20 Reaction Of Senator Patrick Leahy To The National Academies Of Science's Report, Assessment Of Illness In U.S. Government Employees And Their Families At Overseas Embassies This report, long awaited, was finally released because I and other Members of Congress insisted that the public, and especially the families of those afflicted, be able to read it. I thank the members of the NAS Standing Committee for the considerable time and effort they devoted to this vexing issue. Their report leads to several conclusions, including: Several Members of Congress, among others, who rushed to judgment when these illnesses were first reported and publicly accused the Cuban Government, did so without any evidence or factual basis. None of the investigations and studies that have occurred since then, including by the FBI and the NAS, produced evidence implicating the Cubans, yet they have never retracted those accusations. Secretary Pompeo slashed our Embassy staff in Havana to a skeleton crew, and kicked out most of the Cubans at their Embassy in Washington, while U.S. Embassies in China and elsewhere, despite similar incidents, have remained fully operational and no punitive action was taken. These incidents were exploited by the Trump Administration to buttress its punitive and cynical isolationist policy toward Cuba that has failed to achieve any of its objectives. The Trump Administration's handling of these incidents has been sluggish, superficial, disjointed, overly secretive, and infected by politics. They even denied the NAS Standing Committee access to relevant information. It is a textbook case of how not to respond to such a challenge, and it compounded the anguish of the afflicted U.S. Embassy personnel and their families. There are reasons to be seriously concerned with the safety of our Embassy personnel, wherever they are posted overseas, based on the findings and conclusions of this report. The Biden Administration should promptly consult with Congress on how to implement the NAS's recommendations, to ensure that our diplomats can carry out their essential functions in a manner that maximizes their safety and ensures that if incidents like this occur in the future they are responded to immediately, effectively, and in a coordinated manner. # # # # # Next Article Previous Article",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z http://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sanders-statement-on-manchin-romney-covid19-proposal,Sanders Statement on Manchin-Romney COVID19 Proposal,2020-12-04,2020,2020-12,Independent,Senate,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Sanders Statement on Manchin-Romney COVID19 Proposal Friday, December 4, 2020 BURLINGTON, December 4 Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) issued the following statement on the Manchin-Romney COVID19 legislative proposal: Given the enormous economic desperation facing working families in this country today, I will not be able to support the recently announced Manchin-Romney COVID proposal unless it is significantly improved. Unfortunately, despite long-time Democratic opposition, this proposal provides 100% legal immunity to corporations whose irresponsibility has led to the deaths of hundreds of workers. It would continue to provide a get-out-of-jail free card to companies that put the lives of their workers and customers at risk. In fact, the Manchin-Romney proposal will, through this liability provision, encourage corporations to avoid implementing the common sense safety standards needed to protect workers and consumers - and make a bad situation worse. Further, during the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, when over half of our workers are living paycheck to paycheck, when one out of four workers are either unemployed or make less than $20,000 a year, when 92 million Americans are uninsured or under-insured, when tens of millions of people face eviction and when hunger in America is exploding, it is unacceptable that the Manchin-Romney proposal does not even do what the CARES Act did and provide, at the very least, a $1,200 direct payment to working class Americans and $500 for their kids. Tens of millions of Americans living in desperation today would receive absolutely no financial help from this proposal. That is not acceptable. Last March, with unanimous support in Congress, President Trump signed the $2 trillion CARES Act into law that provided a $600 a week supplement in unemployment benefits and a $1,200 direct payment to every working class adult, $500 per child and significant help for small businesses, states and cities. In October, as part of the negotiating process, the Trump Administration and a bi-partisan coalition in the House supported over $1.8 trillion in COVID-relief that also included another $1,200 direct payment. Today, however, at a time when the COVID crisis is the worst that it has ever been in the U.S. with record-breaking levels of hospitalization and death, the Manchin-Romney proposal not only provides no direct payments to working families, it does nothing to address the healthcare crisis and has totally inadequate financial assistance for the most vulnerable. That is wrong morally and it is wrong economically if we hope to rebuild the economy. The American people need help and they need help now. In my view, we have got to make sure that every working class American receives at least $1,200 in direct payments and that we do not provide a liability shield to corporations who break the law. I look forward to working with my colleagues in the House and Senate to significantly improve this bill.But, in its current form, I cannot support it.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.sanders.senate.gov/press-releases/sanders-statement-on-manchin-romney-covid19-proposal/,Sanders Statement on Manchin-Romney COVID19 Proposal,2020-12-04,2020,2020-12,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"BURLINGTON, December 4 Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) issued the following statement on the Manchin-Romney COVID19 legislative proposal: Given the enormous economic desperation facing working families in this country today, I will not be able to support the recently announced Manchin-Romney COVID proposal unless it is significantly improved. Unfortunately, despite long-time Democratic opposition, this proposal provides 100% legal immunity to corporations whose irresponsibility has led to the deaths of hundreds of workers. It would continue to provide a get-out-of-jail free card to companies that put the lives of their workers and customers at risk. In fact, the Manchin-Romney proposal will, through this liability provision, encourage corporations to avoid implementing the common sense safety standards needed to protect workers and consumers and make a bad situation worse. Further, during the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, when over half of our workers are living paycheck to paycheck, when one out of four workers are either unemployed or make less than $20,000 a year, when 92 million Americans are uninsured or under-insured, when tens of millions of people face eviction and when hunger in America is exploding, it is unacceptable that the Manchin-Romney proposal does not even do what the CARES Act did and provide, at the very least, a $1,200 direct payment to working class Americans and $500 for their kids. Tens of millions of Americans living in desperation today would receive absolutely no financial help from this proposal. That is not acceptable. Last March, with unanimous support in Congress, President Trump signed the $2 trillion CARES Act into law that provided a $600 a week supplement in unemployment benefits and a $1,200 direct payment to every working class adult, $500 per child and significant help for small businesses, states and cities. In October, as part of the negotiating process, the Trump Administration and a bi-partisan coalition in the House supported over $1.8 trillion in COVID-relief that also included another $1,200 direct payment. Today, however, at a time when the COVID crisis is the worst that it has ever been in the U.S. with record-breaking levels of hospitalization and death, the Manchin-Romney proposal not only provides no direct payments to working families, it does nothing to address the healthcare crisis and has totally inadequate financial assistance for the most vulnerable. That is wrong morally and it is wrong economically if we hope to rebuild the economy. The American people need help and they need help now. In my view, we have got to make sure that every working class American receives at least $1,200 in direct payments and that we do not provide a liability shield to corporations who break the law. I look forward to working with my colleagues in the House and Senate to significantly improve this bill.But, in its current form, I cannot support it.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/leahy-sanders-and-welch-encourage-vermont-dairy-farmers_to-enroll-in-safety-net-program-ahead-of-friday-dec-11-deadline,"Leahy, Sanders And Welch Encourage Vermont Dairy Farmers To Enroll In Safety-Net Program Ahead Of Friday, Dec. 11, Deadline",2020-12-03,2020,2020-12,Democrat,House,VT,Patrick Leahy,L000174,www.leahy.senate.gov,,,legacy,"12.03.20 Leahy, Sanders And Welch Encourage Vermont Dairy Farmers To Enroll In Safety-Net Program Ahead Of Friday, Dec. 11, Deadline (THURSDAY, Dec. 3, 2020) -- Vermont's congressional delegation Senator Patrick Leahy (D), Senator Bernie Sanders (I), and Representative Peter Welch (D) are encouraging Vermont dairy farmers to consider enrolling in theDairy Margin Coverage (DMC) program, a voluntary safety net program created in the 2018 Farm Bill to help producers manage volatile milk prices and feed costs. The enrollment period for 2021 closes on Friday, December 11. In a joint statement, Leahy, Sanders, and Welch said: Dairy farms are foundational to Vermont's rural economy and our producers have faced unprecedented challenges this year. The COVID-19 pandemic has constrained supply chains, disrupted markets, and injected significant volatility and uncertainty into dairy prices. As we have worked hard to secure urgent federal assistance for farmers to weather this storm, the importance of safety net programs like Dairy Margin Coverage cannot be overstated. Current dairy future prices are forecasting another challenging year in 2021 as the market continues to stabilize, and margins are expected to trigger DMC payments throughout much of the year. We encourage all Vermont dairy producers to talk to their cooperatives, contact their Farm Service Agency field offices, and to strongly consider enrolling in DMC by the December 11 deadline. To enroll in the DMC program for 2021, farmers must contact their county Farm Service Agency (FSA) office by Friday, Dec. 11, 2020. Contact information is available from the FSA State Office at 356 Mountain View Drive, Colchester, (802) 658-2803,https://www.fsa.usda.gov/state-offices/Vermont. Farmers can also find more information about DMC, including a decision tool, at FSA's Dairy Margin Coverage website. # # # # # Next Article Previous Article",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/leahy-is-among-bipartisan-group-of-members-of-congress-to-file-supreme-court-amicus-brief-in-support-of-human-trafficking-victims,Leahy Is Among Bipartisan Group Of Members Of Congress To File Supreme Court Amicus Brief In Support Of Human Trafficking Victims,2020-12-01,2020,2020-12,Democrat,House,VT,Patrick Leahy,L000174,www.leahy.senate.gov,,,legacy,"12.01.20 Leahy Is Among Bipartisan Group Of Members Of Congress To File Supreme Court Amicus Brief In Support Of Human Trafficking Victims WASHINGTON (TUESDAY, Dec. 1, 2020) U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and U.S. Representative Chris Smith (R-NJ) led a bipartisan group of 21 members of Congress, including Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT), in filing an amicus brief supporting victims of human trafficking in their case against two corporations Nestl USA and Cargill alleged to have knowingly aided and abetted the abuse of child slaves trafficked to work on cacao farms in Cte d'Ivoire. The Supreme Court heard oral arguments on the case today. In addition to Leahy, the brief was joined by U.S. Senators Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Ben Cardin (D-MD), Chris Coons (D-DE), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Robert Menendez (D-NJ), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Ron Wyden (D-OR), and U.S. Representatives Joaquin Castro (D-TX), David Cicilline (D-RI), Steve Cohen (D-TN), Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), Tom Malinowski (D-NJ), Tony Crdenas (D-CA), Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), Gregory Meeks (D-NY), Jerry Nadler (D-NY), Bobby Scott (D-VA), and Nydia Velzquez (D-NY). The members of Congress's amicus brief focuses on the extensive and bipartisan efforts by Congress to eradicate human trafficking, forced labor, and all forms of modern day slavery, most notably through the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPRA), authored by Rep. Smith. The legislation, passed by Congress in 2000 and strengthened through subsequent reauthorizations, criminalizes sex and labor trafficking, creates a federal civil remedy for victims of human trafficking, and expands the law to allow for civil and criminal liability for forced labor committed internationally. The amicus brief argues that the TVPRA is the correct guidepost to determine Congress' views on human trafficking and that the law does not preclude trafficking victims from bringing a lawsuit in the U.S. under the Alien Tort Statue (ATS), emphasizing that Congress intends the liability for those who benefit from trafficking and forced labor, explicitly including corporations, to be extensive. Any consideration of congressional policy must begin with the [Trafficking Victims Protection Act] the culmination of longstanding, bi-partisan congressional efforts to eradicate human trafficking and forced labor. The statute underscores Congress' determination that the prohibition of these crimes is specific, universal, and obligatory, the members of Congress wrote in their brief. [T]here is nothing in the TVPRA that would preclude recognition of a civil action for aiding and abetting child slavery under the ATS. The TVPRA's broad civil liability provision is one of Congress' many chosen tools in its battle against the global scourge of human trafficking, which Congress has zealously sought to combat. The amicus brief was filed in support of human trafficking victims in two ongoing lawsuits brought under the ATS, which enables federal courts to hear lawsuits filed by non-U.S. citizens for wrongs violating international law. In the original cases filed against Nestl USA and Cargill, former child slaves allege that they were trafficked from Mali to Cte d'Ivoire, forced to work without pay for twelve to fourteen hours a day, given minimal food and shelter, and subjected to physical abuse. Those who tried to escape say they were beaten and tortured. The full text of the amicus brief is available here. # # # # # Next Article Previous Article",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z http://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/video-audio/vermont-students-share-what-you-think-our-national-priorities-should-be,Vermont Students: Share What You Think Our National Priorities Should Be,2020-11-25,2020,2020-11,Independent,Senate,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Vermont Students: Share What You Think Our National Priorities Should Be The deadline for my annual State of the Union Essay contest is approaching. This contest is a great opportunity for high school students to be actively engaged in our democratic process and think about solutions to the major problems facing our country. If you're a Vermont High school student, join us for the 11th year of the contest and submit your essay by January 12th.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z http://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sanders-announces-eleventh-annual-state-of-the-union-essay-contest,Sanders Announces Eleventh Annual State of the Union Essay Contest,2020-11-24,2020,2020-11,Independent,Senate,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Sanders Announces Eleventh Annual State of the Union Essay Contest Tuesday, November 24, 2020 BURLINGTON, November 24 Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) has launched his eleventh annual State of the Union essay contest. Each January, the President of the United States delivers the State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress, which outlines priorities for the coming year. Because Senator Sanders knows that great ideas can come from everyone not just those in power and wants to encourage young people to become engaged in the political process, he created the State of the Union Essay Contest. The contest is an opportunity for Vermont high school students to describe a major issue facing our country and propose what they would do to solve it. The 250-500 word essays can be on any issue of national importance. A volunteer panel of Vermont teachers will judge the essays on the students' ability to articulate an issue and propose a solution, without regard to the students' political views. Senator Sanders will enter the essays of the ten finalists into the Congressional Record the official archive of the U.S. Congress. I started this essay contest 11 years ago to help our students be actively engaged, no matter where they stand on the issues, said Sanders, who serves on the Senate education committee. This year, our state and nation face a health and economic crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, coupled with a renewed fight for racial justice. Many of you have seen family members struggle because of lost wages or health concerns, you have been asked to learn online, and you face a future that may feel uncertain. To my mind, the unprecedented nature of this time makes it more important than ever to hear perspectives and innovative ideas from you, our young people. More than 4,600 students from high schools throughout Vermont have written essays in the past ten years about critically important issues, including climate change, access to mental health care, the rising cost of college, and much, much more. Last year, Isabelle Hiller from Woodstock Union High School was selected as the winner from 536 submissions for her essay on criminal justice reform. The deadline for student essay submissions is Jan. 12, 2021. More information can be found on Sanders' Senate webpage at https://www.sanders.senate.gov/stateoftheunion or by calling (800) 339-9834.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z http://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/taxpayers-subsidize-poverty-wages-at-walmart-mcdonalds-other-large-corporations-gao-finds,"Taxpayers Subsidize Poverty Wages at Walmart, McDonalds, Other Large Corporations, GAO Finds",2020-11-18,2020,2020-11,Independent,Senate,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Taxpayers Subsidize Poverty Wages at Walmart, McDonald's, Other Large Corporations, GAO Finds Wednesday, November 18, 2020 WASHINGTON, November 18 Many full-time workers employed by some of America's largest and most profitable corporations receive wages so low that they qualify for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, or food stamps) benefits and Medicaid, according to a report released today by the Government Accountability Office (GAO). The report,Millions of Full-time Workers Rely on Federal Health Care and Food Assistance Programs,commissioned by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), found that 5.7 million Medicaid enrollees and 4.7 million SNAP recipients who worked full-time for 50 or more weeks in 2018 earned wages so low that they qualified for these federal benefits. An estimated 12 million wage-earning adults enrolled in Medicaid and 9 million wage-earning adults living in households receiving SNAP benefits worked at some point in 2018. At a time when huge corporations like Walmart and McDonald's are making billions in profits and giving their CEOs tens of millions of dollars a year, they're relying on corporate welfare from the federal government by paying their workers starvation wages. That is morally obscene.U.S. taxpayers should not be forced to subsidize some of the largest and most profitable corporations in America.It is time for the owners of Walmart, McDonald's and other large corporations to get off of welfare and pay their workers a living wage,said Sanders.No one in this country should live in poverty. No one should go hungry. No one should be unable to get the medical care they need. It is long past time to increase the federal minimum wage from a starvation wage of $7.25 an hour to $15, and guarantee health care to all Americans as a human right. GAO sent questionnaires to state Medicaid and SNAP agencies and analyzed data from 15 such agencies across 11 states. Each agency reported the 25 most common employers of Medicaid enrollees and SNAP recipients. Among the 15 agencies, Walmart was in the top four employers of program beneficiaries in each and every one. McDonald's was a top-five employer of employees receiving federal benefits in 13 of the 15 agencies. GAO's analysis across the states it examined reveals that multi-billion-dollar firms employed tens of thousands of workers at wages so low, taxpayers effectively provided nutrition support and health insurance that would be unnecessary if they paid living wages. Notoriously low-paying and dangerous dollar-store chains also appeared throughout these lists, with Dollar Tree ranking among the top 15 largest employers of employees receiving benefits in all 15 agencies, and Dollar General among the top 10 in nine different agencies. Across nine statesArkansas, Georgia, Indiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Nebraska, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Washington these large corporations employed the following numbers of SNAP recipients in February 2020: Walmart 14,541 McDonald's 8,783 Dollar Tree 4,515 Dollar General 4,488 Amazon 4,218 Burger King 3,326 FedEx 2,622 Wendy's 2,237 Subway 2,231 Taco Bell 2,114 Uber 2,032 Target 1,783 Dunkin' Donuts 1,564 Home Depot 1,305 Lowe's 1,154 Family Dollar 570 CVS 545 Walgreens 355 Across six statesGeorgia, Indiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Oklahoma, and Rhode Islandthe following large corporations employed these approximate numbers of Medicaid enrollees in February 2020: Walmart 10,350 McDonald's 4,600 Amazon 4,154 Dollar Tree 2,964 Target 2,754 Dollar General 2,625 Home Depot 2,237 CVS 1,939 Burger King 1,679 Dunkin' Donuts 1,278 Wendy's 1,059 FedEx 1,046 Walgreens 1,009 Subway 973 Taco Bell 868 Lowe's 611 Uber 591 To read the full report, clickhere.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.sanders.senate.gov/press-releases/taxpayers-subsidize-poverty-wages-at-walmart-mcdonalds-other-large-corporations-gao-finds/,"Taxpayers Subsidize Poverty Wages at Walmart, McDonalds, Other Large Corporations, GAO Finds",2020-11-18,2020,2020-11,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, November 18 Many full-time workers employed by some of America's largest and most profitable corporations receive wages so low that they qualify for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, or food stamps) benefits and Medicaid, according to a report released today by the Government Accountability Office (GAO). The report,Millions of Full-time Workers Rely on Federal Health Care and Food Assistance Programs,commissioned by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), found that 5.7 million Medicaid enrollees and 4.7 million SNAP recipients who worked full-time for 50 or more weeks in 2018 earned wages so low that they qualified for these federal benefits. An estimated 12 million wage-earning adults enrolled in Medicaid and 9 million wage-earning adults living in households receiving SNAP benefits worked at some point in 2018. At a time when huge corporations like Walmart and McDonald's are making billions in profits and giving their CEOs tens of millions of dollars a year, they're relying on corporate welfare from the federal government by paying their workers starvation wages. That is morally obscene.U.S. taxpayers should not be forced to subsidize some of the largest and most profitable corporations in America.It is time for the owners of Walmart, McDonald's and other large corporations to get off of welfare and pay their workers a living wage,said Sanders.No one in this country should live in poverty. No one should go hungry. No one should be unable to get the medical care they need. It is long past time to increase the federal minimum wage from a starvation wage of $7.25 an hour to $15, and guarantee health care to all Americans as a human right. GAO sent questionnaires to state Medicaid and SNAP agencies and analyzed data from 15 such agencies across 11 states. Each agency reported the 25 most common employers of Medicaid enrollees and SNAP recipients. Among the 15 agencies, Walmart was in the top four employers of program beneficiaries in each and every one. McDonald's was a top-five employer of employees receiving federal benefits in 13 of the 15 agencies. GAO's analysis across the states it examined reveals that multi-billion-dollar firms employed tens of thousands of workers at wages so low, taxpayers effectively provided nutrition support and health insurance that would be unnecessary if they paid living wages. Notoriously low-paying and dangerous dollar-store chains also appeared throughout these lists, with Dollar Tree ranking among the top 15 largest employers of employees receiving benefits in all 15 agencies, and Dollar General among the top 10 in nine different agencies. Across nine statesArkansas, Georgia, Indiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Nebraska, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Washington these large corporations employed the following numbers of SNAP recipients in February 2020: Walmart 14,541 McDonald's 8,783 Dollar Tree 4,515 Dollar General 4,488 Amazon 4,218 Burger King 3,326 FedEx 2,622 Wendy's 2,237 Subway 2,231 Taco Bell 2,114 Uber 2,032 Target 1,783 Dunkin' Donuts 1,564 Home Depot 1,305 Lowe's 1,154 Family Dollar 570 CVS 545 Walgreens 355 Across six statesGeorgia, Indiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Oklahoma, and Rhode Islandthe following large corporations employed these approximate numbers of Medicaid enrollees in February 2020: Walmart 10,350 McDonald's 4,600 Amazon 4,154 Dollar Tree 2,964 Target 2,754 Dollar General 2,625 Home Depot 2,237 CVS 1,939 Burger King 1,679 Dunkin' Donuts 1,278 Wendy's 1,059 FedEx 1,046 Walgreens 1,009 Subway 973 Taco Bell 868 Lowe's 611 Uber 591 To read the full report, clickhere.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/statement-on-the-eighteenth-meeting-of-states-parties-to-the-mine-ban-treaty,Statement On The Eighteenth Meeting Of States Parties To The Mine Ban Treaty,2020-11-16,2020,2020-11,Democrat,House,VT,Patrick Leahy,L000174,www.leahy.senate.gov,,,legacy,"11.16.20 Statement On The Eighteenth Meeting Of States Parties To The Mine Ban Treaty I remember the sense of hope I felt on September 26, 1994, when President Bill Clinton, in a speech at the United Nations, called for ridding the world of anti-personnel landmines. It was heralded as a bold challenge by the world's only military superpower in response to the increasing global outrage about the carnage these inherently indiscriminate weapons were causing in dozens of countries, including landmines left by our own soldiers in wars long past. In furtherance of that goal, President Clinton announced that the Department of Defense would seek alternatives to anti-personnel mines that are triggered by the victim, often an innocent civilian. In the 26 years since that speech, 164 governments have joined the international treaty banning the production, use, export, and stockpiling of anti-personnel mines, and the number of mine casualties has plummeted. Billions of dollars have been spent largely by the United States to locate and destroy unexploded mines, and that costly, dangerous work continues in many countries. But despite this progress, each year thousands of people lose life or limb from these weapons which continue to be used in some armed conflicts today, mostly by irregular armed groups rather than government forces. The 18th Meeting of states parties to what is commonly called the Mine Ban Treaty begins today, but, regrettably, the United States which spends more on its armed forces than China, Russia, India, Germany, France, the UK, Japan and the next half dozen largest militaries combined may not be among the governments participating since it has not joined the treaty. In fact, under the Trump administration, the progress made under the Clinton, Bush, and Obama administrations to align our policy with the treaty was summarily reversed in February, with no prior consultation with other governments, humanitarian organizations, or Congress. That was done despite the fact that the United States has not used anti-personnel mines since 1992, has not exported them since 1992, and has not produced them since 1997. Not only that, the Defense Department never carried out President Clinton's directive to develop alternatives. In the past 26 years, they have invested trillions of dollars to build and procure weapons and delivery systems of astounding complexity, precision, and destructive power. NASA has operated robots on Mars and asteroids. Yet despite our extraordinary technological capabilities, the Pentagon has yet to field alternatives to anti-personnel landmines that are activated by a soldier against enemy combatants, rather than triggered by an unsuspecting child. It is long past time to put the United States on an irreversible path to join our NATO allies and scores of other governments and become a party to the Mine Ban Treaty. The incoming Biden-Harris administration can do that by reinstating the policy that was in place at the end of the Obama-Biden administration, which prohibits the use of anti-personnel mines except on the Korean Peninsula. At the same time, it should direct the Pentagon to modify its strategies and tactics to eliminate the use of anti-personnel mines within three years so the United States can join the treaty no later than September 26, 2023, twenty-nine years after President Clinton's speech. By doing so, we and the world will take a giant step towards meeting his challenge and stigmatizing a weapon that, like IEDs and other booby traps, does not belong in the arsenals of civilized nations. # # # # # Previous Article",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://welch.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/welch-urges-house-leadership-extend-deadline-state-and-local-governments,Welch Urges House Leadership to Extend Deadline for State and Local Governments to Use CARES Act Funds,2020-11-13,2020,2020-11,Democrat,Senate,VT,Peter Welch,W000800,welch.house.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON Rep. Peter Welch on Friday sent a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) urging them to immediately extend the deadline for state and local governments to use funds appropriated by the CARES Act. Currently, the state and local relief funds from the CARES Act must be used, or forfeited, by December 30th, making it impossible to complete long-term recovery projects. In the letter, Welch encouraged leadership to consider a new deadline of December 31, 2021 as an immediate step Congress could take to provide critical relief to state and local governments. When the CARES Act became law on March 27th, 2020, we had hope that by the end of this year the worst of the pandemic would be behind us, said Welch in the letter. It isn't, unfortunately. And the needs we addressed in the CARES Act continue. By extending the date for use of the authorized funds, all states will have more flexibility and time to use them to meet the impacts of COVID-19. It would be extremely helpful to Vermont, where our Republican governor and Democratic legislature are working together to use those funds to help Vermonters through this crisis. In the letter, Welch notes that failing to extend the deadline to use these funds will halt broadband connectivity for more than 1,000 homes across Vermont, force the Vermont State College System to pay for $500,000 worth of testing equipment out of its own pocket and jeopardize safe housing this winter for those who may be homeless. In addition to these specific programs, Rep. Welch has heard of many more areas that will benefit from extending the CARES Act deadline during more than 100 calls with Vermont organizations and stakeholders across the state since the start of the pandemic. Full text of the letter ishere. ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/leahy-and-others-ask-trump-administration-to-suspend-all-federal-executions-during-transition-period,Leahy And Others Ask Trump Administration To Suspend All Federal Executions During Transition Period,2020-11-13,2020,2020-11,Democrat,House,VT,Patrick Leahy,L000174,www.leahy.senate.gov,,,legacy,"11.13.20 Leahy And Others Ask Trump Administration To Suspend All Federal Executions During Transition Period In less than three months, Trump Administration executed seven people more than the total number executed over the previous six decades; DOJ has scheduled another execution for November 19, and two more in December 2020. Leahy, Durbin, and Booker last year also introduced legislation to ban the use of the federal death penalty. (FRIDAY, Nov. 13, 2020) -- U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), and Cory Booker (D-NJ), along with U.S. Representative Ayanna Pressley (D-MA-07), Friday called on the Trump Administration to suspend all federal executions so the incoming Biden-Harris Administration can evaluate and determine the future use of the death penalty by the federal government. For more than 17 years, no federal death sentence was carried out. Then, in July 2020, Attorney General Bill Barr recklessly restarted federal executions. In less than three months, the Administration executed seven peoplemore than the total number executed over the previous six decades. The Department of Justice has scheduled another execution for November 19, and two more in December 2020. President-Elect Biden's plan for strengthening America's commitment to justice includes the elimination of the federal death penalty and Vice-President-Elect Harris is an original cosponsor of legislation we have introduced to eliminate the federal death penalty. A record number of Americans voted in favor of President-Elect Biden and Vice-President Elect Harris and they deserve an opportunity to implement their policy agenda without the Trump Administration rushing to take preemptive and irreversible steps, the lawmakers wrote in a letter to AG Barr. While you will remain in office for a few more weeks, going forward with executions in the weeks before the new administration takes office would be a grave injustice. Last year, Leahy, Durbin, Pressley and Booker introduced bicameral legislation to immediately ban the use of the death penalty by the federal government after AG Barr announced that federal executions will resume for the first time in more than 16 years. The death penalty is outlawed in 21 states, including Vermont, Illinois, Massachusetts and New Jersey. Full text of today's letter is available here and below: November 13, 2020 Dear Attorney General Barr: We urge you to suspend all federal executions so the incoming Biden-Harris administration can evaluate and determine the future use of the death penalty by the federal government. The failure to do so will cause irrevocable injustice. For more than 17 years, no federal death sentence was carried out.[1] Then, in July 2020, you recklessly restarted federal executions.[2] In less than three months, the Administration executed seven peoplemore than the total number executed over the previous six decades.[3] The Department of Justice has scheduled another execution for November 19, and two more in December 2020.[4] The death penalty in America is disproportionately imposed on Black and brown people and low income people,[5] and at least 172 people sentenced to death have reportedly been exonerated after languishing for years on death row.[6] Despite clear flaws in the system, the Administration has aggressively pushed forward over objections from family members of victims and despite Eighth Amendment objections to the manner of execution.[7] President-Elect Biden's plan for strengthening America's commitment to justice includes the elimination of the federal death penalty and Vice-President-Elect Harris is an original cosponsor of legislation we have introduced to eliminate the federal death penalty.[8] A record number of Americans voted in favor of President-Elect Biden and Vice-President Elect Harris and they deserve an opportunity to implement their policy agenda without the Trump Administration rushing to take preemptive and irreversible steps. While you will remain in office for a few more weeks, going forward with executions in the weeks before the new administration takes office would be a grave injustice. We look forward to your prompt response. Sincerely, # # # # # Previous Article",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/comment-on-the-release-of-the-fy-2021-senate-appropriations-bills-,Comment On The Release Of The FY 2021 Senate Appropriations Bills,2020-11-10,2020,2020-11,Democrat,House,VT,Patrick Leahy,L000174,www.leahy.senate.gov,,,legacy,"11.10.20 Comment On The Release Of The FY 2021 Senate Appropriations Bills Today, Chairman Shelby released draft bills and explanatory statements for each of the twelve FY 2021 appropriations bills. Chairman Shelby and I agree on the importance of completing our work on the twelve bills before the continuing resolution expires on December 11. I am very disappointed that the majority chose to cancel Committee mark ups of the FY 2021 bills and that the bills were not considered by the full Senate, eliminating the ability of members to offer amendments. This is an important part of the process when developing legislation. It would have given all members a chance to weigh in and publicly debate these bills. That is our job as Senators. That is how a democracy is supposed to function, regardless of which party is in the majority. We should not be running away from the tough issues. However, our goal is to work with the House to conference all twelve appropriations bills and avert a government shutdown. We only have four weeks to do it. In order to accomplish our work, we need Senate bills to work from. The twelve bills being released by the Chairman on Tuesday will help us move forward in this process. Many of the bills were the result of bipartisan work, and I appreciate those areas where we were able to come to agreement. However, there are significant issues that we will want to address in negotiations with the House. The first is the need to address the coronavirus crisis in this country. This country is headed for a deadly winter and it is long past time for us to provide the resources the country needs to get this virus under control and our economy back open. These bills do not provide any such relief. It is imperative that we do what is necessary to stop this pandemic from spreading. Whether this takes the form of separate legislation, or additional emergency titles added onto these bills, I remain ready to do what is necessary to help a country in crisis. Secondly, there are a number of issues where I look forward to improving the draft bills in negotiations with the House, such as: The Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education bill is woefully inadequate to meet today's challenges, even if we were not in a global pandemic. It underfunds education for our nation's students, eliminates or flat-funds critical safety net programs, and provides inadequate funding for child care programs. It fails to invest in our nation's outdated public health infrastructure, at a time when this funding is desperately needed to address the current pandemic and prepare for future public health crises. It also fails to protect women's health by leaving in place the Administration's gag order and ban on grant eligibility for Planned Parenthood and other similar health clinics that offer the full range of reproductive health services. The State and Foreign Operations bill cuts USAID international family planning even below last year's Senate levels, provides nothing for the United Nation's Population Fund, and includes the restrictive Mexico City Policy, this at a time when women's health is facing heightened threats due to COVID and access to modern family planning services is lacking in many countries. The Interior Appropriations bill provides inadequate funding for conservation and environmental protection programs at the Department of the Interior and the Environmental Protection Agency, including critical work to address climate change and implement and enforce bedrock environmental laws such as the Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act. More funding is also needed to expand Tribal health care services and other programs that benefit American Indians and Alaska Natives whose communities are among the hardest hit by the coronavirus. The Homeland Security Appropriations bill again includes nearly $2 billion in wasteful spending on the President's wall at the Southern border. This additional funding is on top of the $15 billion American taxpayers have already paid toward a useless border wall money that could have been better invested elsewhere to address real homeland security needs, health care, infrastructure, and COVID-19 requirements. And the bills do nothing to rein in the President's ability to take money meant to support our troops and their families and divert it to the wall. The Homeland Security bill also funds ICE detention at a level that is simply unwarranted. Because the bill fails to accurately reflect ICE's detained population, which has decreased amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, the agency is essentially provided a slush fund for this administration's extreme enforcement and removal activities. The status quo is simply unacceptable for an agency that has continually failed in its responsibility to appropriately manage resources provided by Congress and failed to establish sensible priorities regarding which immigrants it should detain and remove. I look forward to working with Senate Republicans and our House counterparts to draft responsible bills that address the needs of our nation. # # # # # Previous Article",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z http://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/video-audio/fafsa-helping-students-afford-college-2020-11-06,FAFSA: Helping Students Afford College,2020-11-06,2020,2020-11,Independent,Senate,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"FAFSA: Helping Students Afford College Are you looking to pursue further education after high school, but are worried about the cost? If you are considering college, technical, or vocational education, you can now fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (the FAFSA), to help you secure federal, state, and college-specific financial assistance. Now, more than ever, we must keep fighting to make College for All a reality. But until then, students and families deserve to know what resources are available to help pay for continued education. If you have questions, or need help filling out the FAFSA, contact the Vermont Student Assistance Corporation at www.vsac.org or 800-642-3177.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/the-thin-red-white-and-blue-line-thanks-to-the-election-workers-who-are-showing-the-resilience-of-our-democracy,"The Thin Red, White And Blue Line: Thanks To The Election Workers Who Are Showing The Resilience Of Our Democracy",2020-11-06,2020,2020-11,Democrat,House,VT,Patrick Leahy,L000174,www.leahy.senate.gov,,,legacy,"11.06.20 The Thin Red, White And Blue Line: Thanks To The Election Workers Who Are Showing The Resilience Of Our Democracy By Patrick Leahy The 2020 presidential election may be nearing an end but it is not yet over, and it will be months before we know the final results of some U.S. Senate races. But at a time of heightened divisiveness and disillusionment in our country, and in the midst of a worsening public health crisis unlike any the world has faced in more than 100 years, we should all take pride in the way that the thousands of poll workers, vote counters, and state officials have conducted themselves over these long days and nights. We have seen the best of America, as they have carried out their responsibilities with the utmost seriousness and care. They have not been intimidated by threats or baseless claims of fraud, even from the White House podium. They have not succumbed to impatience or pressure. They have followed their procedures methodically and meticulously, day after day, hour after hour. It is the best evidence that, at its core, our democracy is strong, despite relentless attempts by some, including President Trump and members of his family, to sow division and doubt, and even to incite violence.It is the American people, and only the people, who ultimately choose their leaders, by the simple act of voting. It is not rocket science. It requires marking a box, and, for mail-in ballots, sealing an envelope and dropping it in the mail. These procedures have been in place for decades. President Trump won in 2016 with the support of votes that were mailed in by absentee Republican voters, and in some states he won by the slimmest of margins. He voted in this election by mailing in his ballot, so it is ludicrous to impugn the integrity of others who mailed in their ballots. Each state counts those votes according to its own procedures, which vary from state to state. And that is what they are doing, as their laws require. There are multiple checks and redundancies in the processing of each ballot to minimize the chance of error. We can be proud that Vermont's Secretary of State Jim Condos has emerged as a national leader in providing clear guidance and strong leadership in defending the right to vote. One thing is clear: President Trump will again lose the popular vote by a decisive margin. And the reason for so many mail-in votes is obvious: the Covid pandemic. Unlike any time in U.S. history, President Trump has called for the vote counting to stop before all the votes are counted. This is what dictators do. They stop the count when they see they are losing. Thankfully, our president does not have that power. He is not a dictator and he is not above the law. Yet he has repeatedly insisted that only legal ballots should be counted. What is he talking about? If he has credible evidence of illegality, or even of significant, widespread errors in the counting, why hasn't the White House produced the evidence? If such evidence existed, they would be the first to produce it. They haven't, and that speaks volumes. The campaign for president lasted well over a year. The accurate counting of tens of millions of votes takes time. That time is nearing its conclusion, and we owe an immense debt of gratitude to the poll workers, election officials and ballot processors across the country for their dedication and vigilance. They are among democracy's foot soldiers our thin red, white, and blue line who are demonstrating the resilience of our democracy. # # # # # [Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) is Vermont's senior U.S. senator.] Previous Article",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z http://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/video-audio/healthcare-must-no-longer-be-a-privilege,Healthcare Must No Longer Be A Privilege,2020-10-30,2020,2020-10,Independent,Senate,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Healthcare Must No Longer Be A Privilege While 12 million Americans recently lost their health insurance, the private health insurance companies are making record profits during this horrific pandemic. Healthcare must no longer be a privilege or an employee benefit in America. It must be a human right. #MedicareForAll",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/leahy-vermonts-dream-program-receives-125-million_to-mentor-youth-affected-by-opioid-and-drug-addiction,Leahy: Vermonts DREAM Program Receives $1.25 Million To Mentor Youth Affected By Opioid and Drug Addiction,2020-10-30,2020,2020-10,Democrat,House,VT,Patrick Leahy,L000174,www.leahy.senate.gov,,,legacy,"10.30.20 Leahy: Vermont's DREAM Program Receives $1.25 Million To Mentor Youth Affected By Opioid and Drug Addiction . . . . Dept. of Justice Funding Will Expand Reach in Rural Communities (FRIDAY, Oct. 30, 2020) -- Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) Friday announced that Vermont's DREAM program will receive a three-year, $1.25 million grant from the Department of Justice (DOJ) to support peer mentoring for elementary-aged youths in rural communities whose lives have been affected by the opioid epidemic. This is the second such award made to Vermont mentoring programs since Leahy, as Vice Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, worked to expand the program's eligibility to include rural states that have been hard hit by drug addiction. The change was first made in the fiscal year 2019 Consolidated Appropriations Act. Leahy said: We know mentoring works, it can literally change lives. For a young person whose family life has been upended by the opioid epidemic, this kind of one-on-one connection can be a lifeline. It's even more critical now, as we see the increase in rural isolation brought on by the COVID pandemic. The Youth Initiative grant, administered by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), will help match high school mentors and elementary-aged mentees from rural communities across Vermont. DREAM, which works to close the opportunity gap that exists for many of Vermont's young people, seeks to boost educational expectations, grow personal aspirations and build trusting relationships through its mentor pairings. The program also works to provide supportive social environments that will reduce the likelihood of youths engaging in high-risk behaviors, including substance misuse. Through inequitable and often racialized systems, there is a growing socio-economic chasm in resources, life experiences and access to adult mentors for youth in low-income households, said Michael Foote, DREAM's executive director. We're thrilled to have this opportunity to reach more youth around Vermont and to help grow the mentoring movement, and we are incredibly grateful to our many partners who have helped us further develop this part of our mentoring work. Leahy, a longtime champion of youth mentoring programs, credited Vermont's strong network of mentor providers for the state's success in capturing these highly competitive grants. Last year, Vermont's Department of Children and Families, in partnership with MENTOR Vermont, was also awarded a three-year, $1.25 million DOJ grant to support mentoring in communities challenged by opioid use disorders. Leahy continued: These programs are reaching our most vulnerable young people, who are often living in underserved rural communities. I'm proud of the work being done in Vermont. We know how critical these social connections are during normal times, but they are even more critical now as our country, and the world, faces down a deadly pandemic. # # # # # Previous Article",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/bipartisan-due-process-act-by-leahy-and-others-aims-to-protect-americans-from-asset-forfeiture_abuse,Bipartisan DUE PROCESS Act By Leahy And Others Aims To Protect Americans From Asset Forfeiture Abuse,2020-10-29,2020,2020-10,Democrat,House,VT,Patrick Leahy,L000174,www.leahy.senate.gov,,,legacy,"10.29.20 Bipartisan DUE PROCESS Act By Leahy And Others Aims To Protect Americans From Asset Forfeiture Abuse WASHINGTON (THURSDAY, Oct. 29, 2020) A bipartisan group of senators this week introduced legislation to protect property owners whose assets are seized by the federal government. The DUE PROCESS Act is sponsored by Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) and Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) all members of the Senate Judiciary Committee. Asset forfeiture laws are important and valuable tools for law enforcement to gain control over assets used to further terrorism and the drug trade, but as we've seen, they can also be abused. This bill is designed to protect the rights of people whose property has been seized without any judicial finding of wrongdoing. It's a step in the right direction to ensure that seizures happen in accordance with the law and that constitutional rights are protected, Grassley said. Asset forfeiture authorities are effective tools for law enforcement, but we have seen time and again these tools are ripe for abuse. Too often Americans do not receive notice that their property was seized, or the civil seizure is never connected to any charged criminal conduct. This legislation would affirm our commitment to Americans' most fundamental constitutional rights, ensuring that due process never takes a back seat to expediency, Leahy said. Requiring Americans to prove the government took their property improperly, rather than the government proving guilt, undermines our system of justice. Commonsense restraints on civil asset forfeiture are necessary for protecting the rights of law-abiding Americans. This legislation will provide needed safeguards for those whose assets have been unjustifiably seized without due cause or conviction, Crapo said. Due process is one of the pillars of our democracy. Seizing property without convicting or even charging the owners with a crime runs contrary to our principles. Our bill would ensure that property rights are respected and that law enforcement cannot abuse the tools used to combat terrorism and organized crime, Feinstein said. An earlier version of the bill was introduced in 2016, following a Judiciary Committee hearing that examined several concerns associated with law enforcement asset seizure policies and practices. The hearing identified gaps in procedural protections for property owners whose assets were seized despite the absence of criminal charges or convictions. Additionally, many individuals whose assets are seized don't know their rights and don't know how to proceed to challenge the seizure. To address these issues, the DUE PROCESS Act: Creates a right to a hearing in which the court must explain to the person whose property was seized what their rights are; Provides that property owners challenging seizure of assets who cannot afford lawyers will have them provided; Extends time periods to make a challenge to property seizures; Codifies a new IRS practice restricting asset forfeiture in structuring cases by ensuring that forfeiture is available in structuring cases only where the failure to report large cash transfers to a bank is done in furtherance of another crime; Overturns a Supreme Court decision in Kaley v. United States, which concerns criminal forfeiture, where assets are frozen prior to trial in order to be subject to forfeiture upon conviction. Under the DUE PROCESS Act, defendants will be able to seek a hearing to show that assets they are using to hire an attorney of their choice that would otherwise be frozen pending trial were not derived from the proceeds of the charged criminal activities. Legislative text of the DUE PROCESS Act is available HERE. # # # # # Previous Article",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z http://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sanders-klobuchar-issue-statement-correcting-misinformation-from-president-trump-and-justice-kavanaugh-on-voting-processes,"Sanders, Klobuchar Issue Statement Correcting Misinformation from President Trump and Justice Kavanaugh on Voting Processes",2020-10-28,2020,2020-10,Independent,Senate,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Sanders, Klobuchar Issue Statement Correcting Misinformation from President Trump and Justice Kavanaugh on Voting Processes Wednesday, October 28, 2020 WASHINGTON, October 28- U.S. Senators Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) released the statement below following President Trump's recent false statement that it is inappropriate and illegal to count ballots after Election Day, and the Supreme Court's ruling inDemocratic National Committee v. Wisconsin Legislature,where Justice Kavanaugh's concurring opinion contains incorrect information regarding voting: ""In America, we count the votes to determine who wins an election. Despite the incorrect assertions from President Trump and Justice Kavanaugh, election officials across the country accept ballots well after Election Day every year, and results are not certified until the votes are counted and a canvas to confirm the results is conducted.Absentee ballots counted after election day do not flip the results of an election,' as Justice Kavanaugh claimed. They are the results of the election. More than twenty states, including states like Mississippi, Kansas, and Utah, require ballots postmarked by Election Day to be counted even if they are received after Election Day. This is critical to ensuring that those who may face hardships in voting, including members of our military serving abroad and those affected by COVID-19, are not disenfranchised by things like mail delays. These are not new rules and they do not serve any political party. It is on all of us to reject misinformation and to tell the truth. Our election systems span 50 states, five territories, and thousands of jurisdictions. State and local election officials are working around the clock, and experts have concluded that the integrity of our election system is strong. The best defense against those trying to undermine our democracy is the resolve of the American people, who are voting by the millions as we speak. Keep voting. On October 18, Sanders and Klobuchar, along with Senators Schumer (D-N.Y.), Heinrich (D-N.M.), Murphy (D-Conn.), and Duckworth (D-Ill.), issued a report titled2020 General Election: Counting Votes & What to Expect on Election Day, which offers a guide to voting procedures in key states. The report can be found here.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z http://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/recent-business/sanders-and-klobuchar-explain-to-trump-in-america-we-count-the-votes-to-determine-who-wins,"Sanders and Klobuchar Explain to Trump: 'In America, We Count the Votes to Determine Who Wins'",2020-10-28,2020,2020-10,Independent,Senate,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Sanders and Klobuchar Explain to Trump: 'In America, We Count the Votes to Determine Who Wins' Wednesday, October 28, 2020 Sens. Bernie Sanders and Amy Klobucharreleaseda joint statement Wednesday in response to two recent developments that have amplified fears about next week's general election: President Donald Trump's falsesuggestionthat counting votes after Election Day is unlawful and an ominous concurringopinionfrom U.S. Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. Trump, who has repeatedlyrefusedto commit to a peaceful transition of power if he loses reelection,saidTuesday that ""it would be very, very proper and very nice if a winner were declared on November 3rd, instead of counting ballots for two weeks, which is totally inappropriate and I don't believe that that's by our laws. I don't believe that. So we'll see what happens."" Those widely rebuked remarks came a day after Kavanaugh, a Trump appointee,issuedan opinion parroting the president's lies about mail-in voting fraud. In a 5-3 decision along ideological lines, the high court rejected an attempt by Wisconsin Democrats and rights groups to extend the state's deadline for receiving mailed ballots that are postmarked by Election Day. ""In America, we count the votes to determine who wins an election,"" declared Sanders (I-Vt.) and Klobuchar (D-Minn.), both ex-Democratic presidential primary candidates who have since endorsed the party's nominee, former Vice President Joe Biden. ""Despite the incorrect assertions from President Trump and Justice Kavanaugh, election officials across the country accept ballots well after Election Day every year, and results are not certified until the votes are counted and a canvas to confirm the results is conducted,"" the senators said. ""Absentee ballots counted after Election Day do not 'flip the results of an election,' as Justice Kavanaugh claimed. They are the results of the election."" ""More than 20 states, including states like Mississippi, Kansas, and Utah, require ballots postmarked by Election Day to be counted even if they are received after Election Day,"" the pair pointed out. ""This is critical to ensuring that those who may face hardships in voting, including members of our military serving abroad and those affected by Covid-19, are not disenfranchised by things like mail delays."" Noting that ""these are not new rules and they do not serve any political party,"" the lawmakers said, ""It is on all of us to reject misinformation and to tell the truth."" ""Our election systems span 50 states, five territories, and thousands of jurisdictions,"" they added. ""State and local election officials are working around the clock, and experts have concluded that the integrity of our election system is strong. The best defense against those trying to undermine our democracy is the resolve of the American people, who are voting by the millions as we speak. Keep voting."" That message to vote was a crucial piece of areport(pdf) published last week by Sanders, Klobuchar, and handful of other senators that set out to not only reinforce Democrats' call to encourage Americans to vote but also summarize what they should expect on Election Day. The report's main messages are: Vote, and vote early. In some states, we may not know the winner on election night. That's OK. Voter intimidation is illegal. Sens. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), and Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.)the chamber's minority leaderjoined Sanders and Klobuchar in releasing the report, which also features a section on election procedures in presidential and Senate battleground states. ""The American people must be prepared for an election that is unprecedented in our history due to the enormous increase in mail-in ballots that have been, and will be, cast as a result of the pandemic,"" Sanderssaidin a statement last week. ""No one should have to risk their health or their lives in order to vote, and that is why many millions are voting through mail-in ballots."" ""One of the worst lies that Donald Trump is spreading is that there is a massive amount of voter fraud in this country,"" he added. ""That is a total lie which no election official, Republican or Democrat, can support. What we are doing with this effort is ensuring that the American people understand that if American democracy means anything, it means that every vote must be countedno matter how long it takes."" As of Wednesday, an estimated 75 million Americans had already voted,according toMichael McDonald, a political science professor at the University of Florida who runs the U.S. Elections Project. The number of ballots cast early by mail or in person this year so farexceeds50% of the number of votes cast in 2016 presidential election. Meanwhile, the coronavirus pandemic rages on. The United States alone had nearly 8.85 million confirmed Covid-19 cases and over 227,600 related deaths as of Wednesday evening,according toJohns Hopkins University's global tracker. Despite the public health crisis, ""we're looking at a very high-turnout election,"" McDonaldtoldPBS NewsHourTuesday. ""Perhaps 150 million people or so will vote, and that could be the highest turnout that we will see in a modern election since 1908, so truly remarkable numbers in terms of the people voting.""",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.sanders.senate.gov/press-releases/sanders-klobuchar-issue-statement-correcting-misinformation-from-president-trump-and-justice-kavanaugh-on-voting-processes/,"Sanders, Klobuchar Issue Statement Correcting Misinformation from President Trump and Justice Kavanaugh on Voting Processes",2020-10-28,2020,2020-10,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, October 28 U.S. Senators Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) released the statement below following President Trump's recent false statement that it is inappropriate and illegal to count ballots after Election Day, and the Supreme Court's ruling inDemocratic National Committee v. Wisconsin Legislature,where Justice Kavanaugh's concurring opinion contains incorrect information regarding voting: In America, we count the votes to determine who wins an election. Despite the incorrect assertions from President Trump and Justice Kavanaugh, election officials across the country accept ballots well after Election Day every year, and results are not certified until the votes are counted and a canvas to confirm the results is conducted.Absentee ballots counted after election day do not flip the results of an election,' as Justice Kavanaugh claimed. They are the results of the election. More than twenty states, including states like Mississippi, Kansas, and Utah, require ballots postmarked by Election Day to be counted even if they are received after Election Day. This is critical to ensuring that those who may face hardships in voting, including members of our military serving abroad and those affected by COVID-19, are not disenfranchised by things like mail delays. These are not new rules and they do not serve any political party. It is on all of us to reject misinformation and to tell the truth. Our election systems span 50 states, five territories, and thousands of jurisdictions. State and local election officials are working around the clock, and experts have concluded that the integrity of our election system is strong. The best defense against those trying to undermine our democracy is the resolve of the American people, who are voting by the millions as we speak. Keep voting. On October 18, Sanders and Klobuchar, along with Senators Schumer (D-N.Y.), Heinrich (D-N.M.), Murphy (D-Conn.), and Duckworth (D-Ill.), issued a report titled2020 General Election: Counting Votes & What to Expect on Election Day, which offers a guide to voting procedures in key states. The report can be foundhere.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z http://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sanders-condemns-senate-confirmation-of-judge-barrett-to-supreme-court,Sanders Condemns Senate Confirmation of Judge Barrett to Supreme Court,2020-10-26,2020,2020-10,Independent,Senate,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Sanders Condemns Senate Confirmation of Judge Barrett to Supreme Court Monday, October 26, 2020 WASHINGTON, October 26 Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) issued the following statement criticizing the Republican-controlled Senate's confirmation of Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court: Tonight's vote to confirm Amy Coney Barrett as a Supreme Court justice is a disgrace, not only because of what she will do when she gets on the bench, but because of the entire process, which was pushed through with extraordinary hypocrisy by Senate Republicans in the last days of a president's term. At this particular moment, over 50 million people have already cast their ballots to determine who the next President of the United States should be. Now is not the time to be voting on a Supreme Court justice. What we should be voting on instead is a major Covid-19 stimulus package to protect the working people of this country, who, by the tens of millions, have lost their jobs. They're struggling right now to pay their rent, get health insurance, and put food on the table to feed their kids. That is the issue we should be dealing with right now, and I am committed to ensuring that the next U.S. Senate, under Democratic leadership, will make a major Covid-19 stimulus bill the first order ofpriority. Watch Sanders' remarks on his vote against Barrett's confirmation here.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z http://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/recent-business/https//vtdiggerorg/2020/10/26/leahy-sanders-say-theyll-vote-against-barrett-nomination-to-supreme-court/,"Leahy, Sanders vote against Barrett nomination to Supreme Court",2020-10-26,2020,2020-10,Independent,Senate,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,,0,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z http://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/video-audio/we-should-not-be-voting-on-a-supreme-court-justice,We Should Not Be Voting On A Supreme Court Justice,2020-10-26,2020,2020-10,Independent,Senate,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"We Should Not Be Voting On A Supreme Court Justice I am going down to the Senate floor to vote AGAINST the nomination of Amy Coney Barrett. We should not be voting on a Supreme Court justicewe should be voting on major COVID19 relief to protect working families. We will make this the top priority of a Democratic Senate.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.sanders.senate.gov/press-releases/sanders-condemns-senate-confirmation-of-judge-barrett-to-supreme-court/,Sanders Condemns Senate Confirmation of Judge Barrett to Supreme Court,2020-10-26,2020,2020-10,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, October 26 Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) issued the following statement criticizing the Republican-controlled Senate's confirmation of Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court: Tonight's vote to confirm Amy Coney Barrett as a Supreme Court justice is a disgrace, not only because of what she will do when she gets on the bench, but because of the entire process, which was pushed through with extraordinary hypocrisy by Senate Republicans in the last days of a president's term. At this particular moment, over 50 million people have already cast their ballots to determine who the next President of the United States should be. Now is not the time to be voting on a Supreme Court justice. What we should be voting on instead is a major Covid-19 stimulus package to protect the working people of this country, who, by the tens of millions, have lost their jobs. They're struggling right now to pay their rent, get health insurance, and put food on the table to feed their kids. That is the issue we should be dealing with right now, and I am committed to ensuring that the next U.S. Senate, under Democratic leadership, will make a major Covid-19 stimulus bill the first order ofpriority. Watch Sanders' remarks on his vote against Barrett's confirmationhere.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/statement-on-confirmation-vote-of-to-be-justice-amy-barrett-the-masks-are-off,"Statement On Confirmation Vote Of To Be Justice Amy Barrett ""The Masks Are Off""",2020-10-25,2020,2020-10,Democrat,House,VT,Patrick Leahy,L000174,www.leahy.senate.gov,,,legacy,"10.25.20 Statement On Confirmation Vote Of To Be Justice Amy Barrett ""The Masks Are Off"" . . . . Senate Floor Just four weeks ago members of the Senate gathered just down the hallway in Statuary Hall. We gathered to honor Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the first woman to lie in state at the U.S. Capitol. Justice Ginsburg was a trailblazer, a woman who may have stood at just over five feet tall but was nonetheless a giant of the law. The nation grieved for her, not simply because she was a brilliant lawyer and justice, but because she was a fighter. And she fought for those who needed fighting for most Americans for whom the promise of America was still just a promise. I have spoken at length about what Justice Ginsburg meant to the struggle for equality for millions of Americans. I will not repeat those words today, except to say that Justice Ginsburg's life's work left our nation a more perfect union. We will forever be in her debt. A day after we gathered in Statuary Hall, with the nation in mourning and days before Justice Ginsburg was laid to rest with her husband in Arlington Cemetery the President held a celebratory ceremony to nominate her replacement. The masks were off at that Rose Garden ceremony, in more ways than one. Republicans made it clear they would stop at nothing to confirm Justice Ginsburg's replacement before a presidential election just weeks away. Yes, the masks were off. From that moment, the confirmation process for Judge Amy Coney Barrett has been a caricature of illegitimacy. I will not dispute that it is the responsibility of this body to consider Justice Ginsburg's replacement to the Supreme Court. But this is not how we should do it. Not during such a polarizing time for our country, just one week from a presidential election after more than 57 million Americans have already voted. Not at the expense of every precedent and principle this institution once stood for. Not when doing so requires that half of the United States Senate go back on their word, contradicting every argument they once made about Supreme Court vacancies during an election year. Not when this sprint to confirm Judge Barrett gave the Judiciary Committee just two weeks to prepare for her hearings, when the Committee has afforded itself three times as long to vet other modern nominees to our nation's highest court. Not when records of Judge Barrett's undisclosed speeches and materials have continued to pour in, even after her hearings, revealing what a slipshod process this has been from start to finish. And not when the Senate is doing nothing nothing to pass a desperately needed COVID relief bill. Every senator knows in their heart this is wrong. Senator McConnell ramming this nomination through no matter the cost, while worrying about the politics of providing relief to millions of Americans suffering during this still-worsening pandemic which has left 225,000 Americans dead says everything one needs to know about the priorities of today's Republican Party. Yes, the masks are off. It's far from a secret why President Trump and Senate Republicans are hell-bent on confirming Judge Barrett before Election Day. All you have to do is look at the calendar: On November 10, the Supreme Court will hear arguments in California v. Texas, the Republican-led lawsuit to strike down the Affordable Care Act. And Republicans see a Justice Barrett as an insurance policy to ensure there will be a five-vote majority to finally strike down the law. Judiciary Committee Republicans spent last week crying foul, complaining that it is fearmongering to claim that they see this vacancy as an opportunity to overturn the ACA. But fear mongering implies that we're not talking about the facts. So let's review some basic facts. It is the Republican Attorneys General who are asking the Court to throw out the entire ACA. Not just part of it all of it. It is the Trump Justice Department that has sided with the Republican-led lawsuit. And it is this Republican-led Senate, in a vote just weeks ago, that gave the greenlight to the Trump Justice Department to take this position a position that, if successful, would terminate health insurance for more than 20 million Americans, terminate the Medicaid expansion for 15 million more, and terminate protections for 130 million Americans with preexisting conditions. While disappointing, this Senate vote was hardly surprising. Republicans in Congress have now voted to repeal or gut the ACA at least 70 times seventy, as in seven-zero. As if Republicans could not be clearer about their intentions, just days ago President Trump was asked on national television about the fate of the ACA before the Supreme Court. He said: I hope that they end it. It'll be so good if they end it. Like Captain Ahab of Herman Melville's Moby Dick, Republicans have been single-mindedly obsessed with killing the ACA their great white whale since the moment the law was enacted. Having failed thus far in both Congress and the courts, they see Judge Barrett as the final harpoon to once and for all end the law. So when Republicans plead innocent and claim they have no intentions of taking away people's health care protections, Americans will remember that their actions speak much louder than their words. And Republicans have yet another horse in this race that is, the actual race for the White House and Congress. Always one to say the quiet part out loud, President Trump has repeatedly stated his expectation that his nominee will side with him in any election-related dispute. Baselessly claiming that Democrats have rigged the election and falsely labeling mail-in ballots as a scam, President Trump promises to challenge any election loss in the courts. That's why he says it's very important that we have nine justices. Another Republican on the Judiciary Committee has echoed the President, claiming that the entire reason they need Judge Barrett confirmed now is to ensure that no election-related dispute is deadlocked in a 4 to 4 decision. Mind you, I do not recall Republicans making this argument when they blocked Judge Merrick Garland from receiving a vote for eight months prior to the last presidential election. Just this week we've seen why Republicans are all of a sudden so anxious to have a ninth justice seated before Election Day. The Republican Party is waging an all-out war on voting in the courts right now, with the goal of disenfranchising as many minority, poor, elderly, vulnerable, and young voters as possible. Knowing that voters are relying on mail-in ballots in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Republicans are unapologetically fighting state and local attempts to make absentee voting easier. And it's clear that Republicans believe having Judge Barrett on the Court will help them to suppress the vote. Last week, deadlocked 4 to 4, the Supreme Court left in place a Pennsylvania Supreme Court order requiring officials to count absentee ballots received within three days of the election. Yesterday, anticipating Judge Barrett's imminent confirmation may tip the scale, the Pennsylvania Republican Party asked the Supreme Court to review the case again less than a week after losing the first time. Unfortunately, for her part, Judge Barrett said nothing during her hearings last week to assuage the American people that she would be anything but a greenlight for the deeply harmful, unpopular objectives of President Trump and Republicans. First and foremost, Judge Barrett repeatedly declined to distance herself from her litany of anti-ACA comments and writings. She also repeatedly declined to confirm whether she would follow Supreme Court precedent upholding the ACA. Judge Barrett once wrote: However cagey a justice may be at the nomination stage, her approach to the Constitution becomes evident in . . . [what] she writes. Using Judge Barrett's own standard, then, one cannot escape the conclusion that she will view the ACA as a Justice the same way she has always viewed the ACA: unconstitutional and unsalvageable. My concerns only grew when Judge Barrett refused to commit to recusing herself from any election-related disputes. President Trump has put Judge Barrett in an unenviable position by making it impossible for Americans not to question her impartiality should she vote in his favor in an election dispute. If a Justice Barrett votes to throw the election for President Trump, I fear not just the Court but our democracy itself would suffer an existential blow to its legitimacy. My concerns grew into alarm when Judge Barrett refused to affirm even the most basic tenets of our democracy. She would not affirm to me that a president must comply with a court order and the Supreme Court has the final word. She would not state whether the President can unilaterally postpone a presidential election, despite the law clearly stating he cannot. She would not affirm to me whether our Constitution contemplates a peaceful transition of power, despite the 20th Amendment laying out the procedures for precisely such a transition. And she would not state whether it is illegal to intimidate voters at the polls, despite federal law explicitly making voter intimidation a criminal offense. I've never seen a self-described originalist so hesitant to merely restate the plain text of our Constitution and laws. In fact, Judge Barrett refused to say much of anything about pretty much everything. She refused to answer over 100 questions during her hearings and over 150 written questions. She did so by spuriously invoking the so-called Ginsburg Rule, which falsely purports that the late Justice Ginsburg avoided answering any and all substantive questions during her confirmation hearings. Well, I participated in Justice Ginsburg's hearings. Justice Ginsburg gave detailed answers on a number of constitutional issues, including unequivocally affirming her belief that a woman's right to choose is central to her dignity. In all, Justice Ginsburg took clear positions on dozens and dozens of cases during her hearings. In stark contrast, Judge Barrett wouldn't even restate not even comment on or discuss, but just restate black letter law. I have never seen such top-to-bottom refusals to answer basic questions in the 16 Supreme Court confirmation hearings I have participated in. But in some ways, it was only fitting that a confirmation process that has been a caricature of illegitimacy concluded with such hearings. Hearings in which the nominee wouldn't even acknowledge that masks inhibit the spread of COVID-19, or that climate change is real, or that voter discrimination exists. I fear for what this means for the future of the Judiciary Committee's confirmation process, now that Republicans have reduced our Committee's role to a mindless rubberstamp of a President's nominees, just as they have diminished the Senate to a subordinate arm of the executive branch. The Republican argument for proceeding in this way, just one week from a presidential election, boils down to this: We have the votes, so anything goes. Yet, having the power to do something does not make it right. The damage that will be left in the wake of this confirmation will stain this body for generations. When the word of a senator is rendered meaningless, when the words Advice and Consent are rendered meaningless, then this institution will be rendered meaningless. Justice Ginsburg left us with a more equal and more perfect union. She stood up for the right to vote. She stood up for the environment, and for holding all those in power accountable. She stood up for the rights of women to be free from discrimination, to control their own bodies, and to be equal to men. She stood up for the rights of minorities, the rights of the LGBTQ community, and the rights of all those who have been marginalized. Judge Barrett, if confirmed, will not. Based on my review of her record and based on her testimony, I believe a Justice Barrett would set the clock back decades on all of the rights that Americans have fought so hard to achieve and protect. I have said that Justice Ginsburg would have dissented from this process. The least I can do is join her. I will vote no. # # # # #",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z http://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/video-audio/the-most-essential-people-in-our-economy-are-not-hedge-fund-managers,The Most Essential People In Our Economy Are Not Hedge Fund Managers,2020-10-23,2020,2020-10,Independent,Senate,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"The Most Essential People In Our Economy Are Not Hedge Fund Managers Maybejust maybethe most essential people in our economy are not hedge fund managers. If our farmworkers fall ill, we go hungry. We must put an end to their exploitation and provide free health care, paid sick leave, and good wagesregardless of immigration status.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z http://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/must-read/sanders-democrats-will-pass-massive-stimulus-bill-if-party-flips-the-senate,Sanders: Democrats will pass 'massive stimulus bill' if party flips the Senate,2020-10-22,2020,2020-10,Independent,Senate,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Sanders: Democrats will pass 'massive stimulus bill' if party flips the Senate Thursday, October 22, 2020 Sen.Bernie Sanders(I-Vt.) pledged Thursday that Democrats will pass ahuge coronavirus relief package ifthey win the Senate in next month's elections. If the Democrats gain control of the Senate, the first order of business will be a massive stimulus bill to protect desperate working people throughout this country, Sanders said on Hill.TV's Rising. The remarks come as SpeakerNancy Pelosi(D-Calif.) and Treasury SecretarySteven Mnuchinpress on in their negotiationson COVID-19 aid. Pelosi has stuck to her position that a stimulus package must total at least $2.2 trillion, while theadministration has inched up to $1.8 trillion. Both sides have said progress has been made in the past week, though no final legislation has materialized. President Trumphas urged the two sides to go big, but disagreements have emerged over aid to state and local governments, which the president calls a slush fund to bail out what he says are poorly run Democratic localities. And Republicans in the Senate have expressed pessimism that they can get enough votes to pass abill that goes beyond $500 billion due to concerns in the conference over the ballooning national debt. Sanders said Senate Republicans' hesitation to go for anything larger than $500 billion is pathetic but that he too has concerns over a potential bill, saying a deal must include a boost to unemployment benefits and another round of stimulus checks. It's not just a number, 1.8 or 2.2 or whatever it is, it is what is in the bill. I am concerned about a slush fund that the Trump administration would have within that bill. I am very concerned that when we have millions of people who have lost their jobs, they desperately need that $600 supplement to their unemployment, they need that $1,200 check, they need health care, they need to be able to pay their rent, he said. So the devil is in the details in terms of what is in the bill.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z http://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/must-read/sanders-progressives-will-work-to-rally-the-american-people-if-biden-wins,Sanders: Progressives will work to 'rally the American people' if Biden wins,2020-10-22,2020,2020-10,Independent,Senate,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Sanders: Progressives will work to 'rally the American people' if Biden wins Thursday, October 22, 2020 Sen.Bernie Sanders(I-Vt.)predicted that progressives would look to move Democratic presidential nomineeJoe Bidentoward theirpriorities if he wins the White House this November and Democrats sweep Congress. If you want a progressive agenda to come out of the United States Congress, we're going to have to rally the American people by the tens of millions to demand that we have a government that represents all of us and not just wealthy campaign contributors. We're going to have to correct and deal with a very corrupt election system where massive voter suppression that exists every single day right now, he said on Hill.TV's Rising Thursday. Sanders said Democrats should tackle legislation he plans to introduce to begin the process of moving toward Medicare for All, raising the federal minimum wage to $15 per hour, and a massive infrastructure plan. We have got to lay out an agenda that speaks to the struggles and the desperation of working-class Americans, he said. Sanders recognized that Biden, a well-known centrist steeped in old traditions of bipartisanship in Congress, does not share many of his progressive policies but argued his plans would still move the country forward. [I]f you look at Biden's economic proposals, they're not Bernie Sanders's proposals. Don't want to suggest they are. But they will raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour, equal pay for equal work, making it easier for workers to join unions, $2 trillion investment in combatting climate change and creating millions of good paying jobs in energy efficiency and sustainable energy, paid family and medical leave. No small things, he said. Sanders and other progressives have been on a campaign to persuade liberals who may be skeptical of Biden's centrist brand of politics to back the former vice president, with the Vermont lawmaker maintaining that the first step to moving the country in a more progressive direction is defeatingPresident Trumpthis November. You know what, if Trump is reelected, all that we're going to be on for the next four years is defensive, defensive, defensive procedures. I want to get on the offensive, he said. And that is why, in my view, every progressive, every person in this country who thinks for two minutes about what's at stake, should be voting for Joe Biden.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z http://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/recent-business/sanders-democrats-will-pass-massive-stimulus-bill-if-party-flips-the-senate,Sanders: Democrats will pass 'massive stimulus bill' if party flips the Senate,2020-10-22,2020,2020-10,Independent,Senate,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Sanders: Democrats will pass 'massive stimulus bill' if party flips the Senate Thursday, October 22, 2020 Sen.Bernie Sanders(I-Vt.) pledged Thursday that Democrats will pass ahuge coronavirus relief package ifthey win the Senate in next month's elections. If the Democrats gain control of the Senate, the first order of business will be a massive stimulus bill to protect desperate working people throughout this country, Sanders said on Hill.TV's Rising. The remarks come as SpeakerNancy Pelosi(D-Calif.) and Treasury SecretarySteven Mnuchinpress on in their negotiationson COVID-19 aid. Pelosi has stuck to her position that a stimulus package must total at least $2.2 trillion, while theadministration has inched up to $1.8 trillion. Both sides have said progress has been made in the past week, though no final legislation has materialized. President Trumphas urged the two sides to go big, but disagreements have emerged over aid to state and local governments, which the president calls a slush fund to bail out what he says are poorly run Democratic localities. And Republicans in the Senate have expressed pessimism that they can get enough votes to pass abill that goes beyond $500 billion due to concerns in the conference over the ballooning national debt. Sanders said Senate Republicans' hesitation to go for anything larger than $500 billion is pathetic but that he too has concerns over a potential bill, saying a deal must include a boost to unemployment benefits and another round of stimulus checks. It's not just a number, 1.8 or 2.2 or whatever it is, it is what is in the bill. I am concerned about a slush fund that the Trump administration would have within that bill. I am very concerned that when we have millions of people who have lost their jobs, they desperately need that $600 supplement to their unemployment, they need that $1,200 check, they need health care, they need to be able to pay their rent, he said. So the devil is in the details in terms of what is in the bill.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/leahy-sanders-and-democratic-colleagues-urge-devos-to-help-82-million-federal-student-loan-borrowers-currently-unable-to-access-relief,"Leahy, Sanders and Democratic Colleagues Urge DeVos to Help 8.2 Million Federal Student Loan Borrowers Currently Unable to Access Relief",2020-10-22,2020,2020-10,Democrat,House,VT,Patrick Leahy,L000174,www.leahy.senate.gov,,,legacy,"10.22.20 Leahy, Sanders and Democratic Colleagues Urge DeVos to Help 8.2 Million Federal Student Loan Borrowers Currently Unable to Access Relief 8.2 million federal student loan borrowers currently cannot access critical relief made available by the CARES Act, including a freeze on all payments, interest, and collections In a letter, Leahy, Sanders and 32 Senate Democrats urge DeVos to use her existing authority to make sure these struggling borrowers don't fall through the cracks (THURSDAY, Oct. 22, 2020) U.S. Senators Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), and 32 Senate Democrats sent a letter urging Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos to ensure all struggling federal student borrowers can gain access to crucial federal relief. Since March, the CARES Act has provided forbearance, waived interest, and halted collections for borrowers whose student loans were directly held by the U.S. Department of Education. But, according to new information provided to Senator Murray by the Department, 8.2 million federal student loan borrowers currently cannot take advantage of this relief, because some or all of their loans do not quality. Of those borrowers, 4.4 million people are not receiving any relief, and 3.8 million people have a mix of loans that qualify and those that do not. To ensure that these borrowers don't continue to face unnecessary financial struggles and confusion, the senators urged Secretary DeVos to take immediate action to help them qualify for much-needed relief. The more than eight million student loan borrowers falling into donut holes of critical relief have missed out on needed benefits and suffered unnecessary complexity and confusion for more than six months, wrote the senators in the letter. It is essential that the Department immediately begin the targeted outreach and take the actions we are requesting. In the letter, the senators pressed Secretary DeVos to immediately reach out to borrowers currently missing out on relief and help them consolidate their loans into qualifying loans. They also urged Secretary DeVos to use her administrative authority to improve the consolidation process for borrowers by waiving restrictions and penalties during the national emergency. In addition to Senator Leahy and Senator Sanders, the letter was signed by Senators Patty Murray (D-WA), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Ben Cardin (D-MD), Bob Casey (D-PA), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Angus King (D-ME), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Edward Markey (D-MA), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Chris Murphy (D-CT), Jack Reed (D-RI), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Tina Smith (D-MN), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Tom Udall (D-NM), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Ron Wyden (D-OR). The full letter is below and HERE. Dear Secretary DeVos: We write to ask that you take immediate steps to support federal student loan borrowers who have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Although the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act and recent administrative action to extend it are automatically providing forbearance, waiving interest, and halting collections on student loans held directly by the U.S. Department of Education (Department) until at least December 31, 2020, this relief does not cover all federal student loan borrowers. The Department should take swift action to help borrowers with at least one qualifying loan gain access to full coverage. According to information provided by the Department, 8.2 million federal student loan borrowers do not have full relief because they fall into a complete or partial donut hole. Of those, 4.4 million borrowers are not receiving any relief under the CARES Act or administrative extension, and 3.8 million borrowers have a mix of loans that qualify and those that do not, resulting in confusion and unnecessary financial harm for them during a period of widespread economic disruption. All federal student loan borrowers should have access to the same relief. The Department has numerous tools at its disposal to contact the 3.8 million borrowers in a partial donut hole and help them get all of their loans covered by the CARES Act relief. For example, the Department can direct student loan servicers to proactively contact borrowers who fall into the partial donut hole and help them consolidate loans not held by the Department into Direct Loans, which qualify for relief. The Department can also improve the process of consolidation for borrowers through administrative action. The alternative relief options that have been provided by loan holders to some borrowers in the donut holes have been woefully inadequate. Temporary forbearance options that must be repeatedly requested by borrowers are far inferior to automatic and extended relief. Many borrowers also continue to accrue interest on these non-covered loans, potentially costing them hundreds or thousands of dollars. Consolidation is a straightforward solution to help some non-covered borrowers get access to the same benefits available to those with non-federally-held loans. A borrower with a commercially-held FFEL, school-held Perkins, or Public Health Service Act loan can generally consolidate such loan into a Direct Loan to obtain the automatic administrative forbearance, interest waiver, and halt to collections and negative credit reporting. In 2012, the Department successfully spurred widespread take-up of a special consolidation option by borrowers holding both commercial FFEL and Direct Loans. This time-limited opportunity offered a 0.5 percent interest rate reduction for borrowers who participated. In contrast, just six months of relief equivalent to the CARES Act offers a greater benefit to a typical borrower over the lifetime of a loan. The Department has an opportunity to follow the same playbook and unlock relief for millions of borrowers. The holders of non-covered loans have provided insufficient justification for failing to proactively notify borrowers of consolidation. While borrowers normally receive a trivial roundup of their interest rate to the nearest one-eighth of a percent from consolidation, all interest is currently being waived for covered loans and the value of this interest waiver would exceed the cost of the roundup for the vast majority of borrowers. Additionally, while borrowers could lose some credit toward income-driven repayment (IDR) forgiveness if they consolidate a loan they had previously been paying under an IDR plan, they do not have to consolidate loans that are already enrolled in IDR. Further, most borrowers are not enrolled in an IDR plan, meaning they would see no change in their timeline for IDR forgiveness because they do not have one. Finally, while a limited number of borrowers may have already consolidated all of their loans and are ineligible to consolidate again, borrowers have a number of exceptions to the restriction. For example, borrowers wish to become eligible for Public Service Loan Forgiveness can consolidate more than once, as can all 1.2 million borrowers with a commercial FFEL loan currently in default. Commercial FFEL borrowers who have defaulted are disproportionately harmed by the disparate treatment of non-covered loans; while defaulted borrowers with covered loans have been granted a reprieve from forced collections, these borrowers remain subject to wage garnishment and the offset of public benefits, including Social Security payments. Most importantly, the Department can easily take administrative action to suspend consolidation restrictions and penalties during the national emergency, such as the limitation on consolidating once, the reset of the forgiveness clock, and interest-rate roundup, using the same authority that was utilized to implement the President's August 8 Executive Order. Under Section 2(a)(1) of the Higher Education Relief Opportunities for Students (HEROES) Act of 2003, the Secretary may waive or modify any statutory or regulatory provision applicable to the student financial assistance programs under title IV. The Department should use this authority to waive all barriers to consolidation. Additionally, the Department should encourage the commercial FFEL entities, institutions holding Perkins Loans, and the Secretary of Health and Human Services, which collectively hold the 4.4 million loans completely un-covered by current relief, to initiate a similar outreach campaign to their borrowers. As Secretary, you retain significant authority and leadership over these entities, including the ongoing payment of taxpayer subsidies. You should quickly ask loan holders requesting to inform borrowers of their option to consolidate as a means to expediently receive the relief afforded by the CARES Act. The more than eight million student loan borrowers falling into donut holes of critical relief have missed out on needed benefits and suffered unnecessary complexity and confusion for more than six months. It is essential that the Department immediately begin the targeted outreach and take the actions we are requesting. Thank you for your attention to this critical matter. Sincerely, ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/senate-democrats-denounce-trump-administrations-historically-low-refugee-resettlement-goal-and-push-for-increased-admissions,Senate Democrats Denounce Trump Administrations Historically Low Refugee Resettlement Goal And Push For Increased Admissions,2020-10-22,2020,2020-10,Democrat,House,VT,Patrick Leahy,L000174,www.leahy.senate.gov,,,legacy,"10.22.20 Senate Democrats Denounce Trump Administration's Historically Low Refugee Resettlement Goal And Push For Increased Admissions WASHINGTON (THURSDAY, Oct. 22, 2020) Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, today was joined by 22 of his Senate Democratic colleagues in opposing the Trump administration's proposal to cap refugee admissions at 15,000 for Fiscal Year 2021the lowest ceiling in the history of the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP)and in urging the administration to increase refugee admissions. The United States has a long, bipartisan legacy of providing refugees protection through resettlementprior to 2016 we resettled an average of more than 80,000 refugees per year, the Senators wrote in a letter to Secretaries Michael Pompeo and Alex Azar and Under Secretary Chad Wolf. Yet, during this time of soaring global resettlement needs, this Administration has once again abdicated America's global leadership role by further reducing the refugee admissions ceiling to its lowest level in the 40-year history of the program. We urge you to substantially increase the refugee admissions target for FY 2021, and end the current suspension of the refugee resettlement program. The Senators highlighted the importance of a strong resettlement program, which serves as an essential lifeline for the most vulnerable among the 29.6 million refugees worldwide while also strengthening our communities and economy. In addition, the Senators affirmed the importance of U.S. leadership on resettlement as a powerful tool to garner greater global support for refugees facing persecution. American leadership in refugee resettlement is critical in securing greater global support for this important lifeline, which is available to less than one percent of all refugees, the Senators added.As this Administration has slashed its annual refugee admissions goals, other leading resettlement countries have followed suit and lowered their resettlement numbers as well. Joining Ranking Member Menendez in sending the letter were Senators Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Tom Carper (D-Del.), Tom Udall (D-N.M.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Chris Coons (D-Conn.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Bob Casey (D-Pa.), Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), and Ed Markey (D-Mass.). A copy of the letter may be found HERE and below. Dear Secretaries Pompeo and, Azar, and Under Secretary Wolf: We write to urgently express our concern regarding the President's report to Congress on the Proposed Refugee Admissions for Fiscal Year 2021, which proposes a Presidential Determination of 15,000 refugees, a historical low since the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) was established in 1980. The United States has a long, bipartisan legacy of providing refugees protection through resettlementprior to 2016 we resettled an average of more than 80,000 refugees per year. Yet, during this time of soaring global resettlement needs, this Administration has once again abdicated America's global leadership role by further reducing the refugee admissions ceiling to its lowest level in the 40-year history of the program. We urge you to substantially increase the refugee admissions target for FY 2021, and end the current suspension of the refugee resettlement program. As we face unprecedented levels of forced displacement around the world, with 29.6 million refugees worldwide, resettlement serves as a critical lifeline for those fleeing persecution because of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion. Survivors of sexual violence and torture, unaccompanied children, families traumatized by the loss of loved ones in war, and other highly vulnerable refugees may need resettlement as the only solution to their plight. Refugees resettled in the United States contribute greatly to the communities that take them in. To that end, refugees have generated $63 billion in net revenue alone over a decade for the United States. In addition to advancing U.S. humanitarian objectives and economic interests, resettlement serves as an important foreign policy tool to support people facing oppression and human rights abuses. The United States' historical leadership on this issue has enhanced our global influence and demonstrated responsibility-sharing with refugee-hosting countries like Jordan, Uganda, and Bangladesh. Moreover, American leadership in refugee resettlement is critical in securing greater global support for this important lifeline, which is available to less than one percent of all refugees. As this Administration has slashed its annual refugee admissions goals, other leading resettlement countries have followed suit and lowered their resettlement numbers as well. A robust refugee admissions goal is necessary to ensure those under threat of persecution, like Hong Kongers fleeing political persecution in Hong Kong and refugees fleeing religious persecution in Iran, Iraq, and Myanmar, have a pathway to live freely and without abuse. For our allies in Iraq and Afghanistan, it means standing ready to help when under threat, just as they stood by our troops when we needed their help. We urge you to substantially increase the refugee admissions ceiling for FY 2021. The Administration should immediately end the suspension of the refugee resettlement program in order to ensure the world's most vulnerable will no longer remain in harm's way and separated from their families. Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter. Sincerely, ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/stabenow-leahy-lead-call-for-usda-to-reverse-decision-to-decrease-covid-19-relief-available-to-dairy-farmers,"Stabenow, Leahy Lead Call For USDA To Reverse Decision To Decrease COVID-19 Relief Available To Dairy Farmers",2020-10-22,2020,2020-10,Democrat,House,VT,Patrick Leahy,L000174,www.leahy.senate.gov,,,legacy,"10.22.20 Stabenow, Leahy Lead Call For USDA To Reverse Decision To Decrease COVID-19 Relief Available To Dairy Farmers Washington Today, a group of 15 Senators led by U.S. Senators Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, and Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), the most senior member of the Committee, called on the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to reverse its decision to unfairly exclude dairy farmers from receiving COVID-19 relief to cover losses related to meat production. While milk is the primary income for dairy farms, they often are diversified operations with significant revenue coming from the meat of cows as they are retired from milking. In the original Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP), the USDA compensated dairy farmers and other livestock producers for losses related to meat produced from breeding animals. When USDA announced CFAP 2, the second version of the relief program, the Department made a significant change to exclude those losses. This change will affect the livestock industry and will be particularly harmful to dairy farmers who often operate at extremely tight margins, wrote the Senators. The decision is even more troubling considering that USDA clearly has sufficient resources to cover these losses. Additionally, it is less complicated for both USDA and farmers to cover all livestock and avoid confusion about what animals are covered or excluded. Considering the dairy industry's traditionally tight margins, USDA's decision to shift course and arbitrarily exclude dairy farm losses related to meat production is a significant blow, wrote the Senators. We urge USDA to reverse this arbitrary decision and make breeding animals eligible for CFAP 2 like they were under the original relief program. In addition to Senators Stabenow and Leahy, the letter was signed by Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Robert Casey (D-Pa.), Angus King (I-Maine), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Kristen Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), and GaryPeters(D-Mich.). The full text of the letter is below. A PDF of the letter is available here. Dear Secretary Perdue, We are concerned that USDA's new Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP 2) will unfairly disadvantage dairy and other livestock producers. Specifically, USDA made a significant change between the first version of CFAP and the new version that has unfairly excluded the value of the meat produced from breeding animals.This change will affect the livestock industry and will be particularly harmful to dairy farmers who often operate at extremely tight margins. The decision is even more troubling considering that USDA clearly has sufficient resources to cover these losses. Additionally, it is less complicated for both USDA and farmers to cover all livestock and avoid confusion about what animals are covered or excluded. Even before the coronavirus pandemic, dairy farms have struggled with prolonged market uncertainty, unfair trade practices, and the Administration's chaotic trade policies. Unfortunately many farms, especially smaller operations, have had no choice but to sell their cows and exit the dairy business.While the value of the milk is the primary income stream for dairy farms, they are by nature diversified with significant income coming from the meat of cows as they are retired from milking and any crop production that exceeds the feed needs of their own animals.Considering the dairy industry's traditionally tight margins, USDA's decision to shift course and arbitrarily exclude dairy farm losses related to meat production is a significant blow. We urge USDA to reverse this arbitrary decision and make breeding animals eligible for CFAP 2 like they were under the original relief program.It would not be difficult to estimate an average rate that dairy cows are removed from milking and sent to the meat supply. Should USDA determine that breeding animals are typically worth less per head than other cattle, a separate per head rate could also be established instead of completely excluding dairy cows and other breeding animals. With respect to dairy losses due to the pandemic, we continue to encourage USDA to provide assistance to farmers that had to dispose of milk due to the pandemic's shock to the normal food supply.We also encourage USDA to be flexible and work with the dairy industry, as there may be different scenarios depending on how cooperatives and farmers managed the temporary surplus. A one-size-fits-all approach may unfairly exclude some losses. While we are particularly concerned with barriers preventing dairy farms from accessing this critical assistance, the exclusion of breeding animals in the other segments will also create unnecessary inequities. In particular, some farmers have sought out opportunities to specialize and are arbitrarily excluded by the USDA decision. For example, some farms have focused on developing superior genetics and supplying animals to other farmers that breed them and produce the animals that go directly for meat or wool production.These producers will clearly be experiencing pandemic related losses as the farmers they supply have had to reduce purchases, but the breeding animal decision by USDA completely excludes any assistance for these specialized farms. Finally, in addition to the unfairness of excluding losses from certain segments of meat production, USDA's decision to not cover all animals unnecessarily complicates the sign-up process for Farm Service Agency field staff and farmers.Setting a fair payment rate for all animals, including breeding animals, would largely avoid the difficult job of trying to define the intended use' of each calf, lamb, piglet or kid born and expecting farmers or USDA field staff to validate those determinations. Thank you for considering our request for USDA to reverse the decision to exclude breeding animals like dairy cows from CFAP 2.Congress recently provided the requested early refill of the Commodity Credit Corporation borrowing authority in the Continuing Resolution enacted on September 30, providing USDA with sufficient resources to correct this unfair decision. ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/wyden-leahy-schumer-merkley-ask-national-guard-for-wildfire-readiness-assessment,"Wyden, Leahy, Schumer, Merkley Ask National Guard For Wildfire Readiness Assessment",2020-10-22,2020,2020-10,Democrat,House,VT,Patrick Leahy,L000174,www.leahy.senate.gov,,,legacy,"10.22.20 Wyden, Leahy, Schumer, Merkley Ask National Guard For Wildfire Readiness Assessment Senators praise Guard response to 2020 wildfires, say assessment will help ensure Guard has the firefighting resources it needs Washington, D.C. U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., today led colleagues in asking the National Guard for a report on its readiness to help states prepare, fight and recover from wildfires. In a letter to the Chief of the National Guard Bureau, General Daniel R. Hokanson, the senators wrote, As devastating fires of historic proportion continue to ravage the United States, we ask you to provide us an assessment of the National Guard's ability to prepare for, respond to, and help state firefighting forces recover from wildfires. A frank estimation will help Congress address any gaps and use every resource available to respond to this year's fires. It will also help us better resource and equip the Guard for a future in which human-driven climate change will make fire seasons increasingly severe and destructive. We commend all the heroic men and women of the National Guard who have been responding to raging wildfires as part of a federal, state, and local effort, the senators wrote.With a more complete understanding of the Guard's ability to respond, we can ensure proper resourcing and will be better able to keep our Guard members always ready and always there. The senators requested the National Guard provide the following information in response to today's letter: The availability of appropriately trained personnel and equipment for firefighting-related needs; An accounting of the capacity available through Emergency Management Assistance Compacts and whether expanding them may provide additional opportunities or wildfire capacity; and Any National Guard Bureau plans or constructs developed with governors for coordinated regional response. Wyden, Leahy, Schumer and Merkley were joined by U.S. Sens. Patty Murray, D-Wash., Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., Tom Udall, D-N.M., Bob Casey, D-Pa., Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., Jon Tester, D-Mont., Michael Bennet, D-Colo., Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Maria Cantwell D-Wash. A copy of today's letter is available here. ### Next Article Previous Article",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/leahy-senate-democrats-to-attorney-general-barr-immediately-halt-efforts-to-gut-the-affordable-care-act-in-court,"Leahy, Senate Democrats To Attorney General Barr: Immediately Halt Efforts To Gut The Affordable Care Act In Court",2020-10-21,2020,2020-10,Democrat,House,VT,Patrick Leahy,L000174,www.leahy.senate.gov,,,legacy,"10.21.20 Leahy, Senate Democrats To Attorney General Barr: Immediately Halt Efforts To Gut The Affordable Care Act In Court . . . As Supreme Court ACA Hearing Approaches and Republicans Ram Through a Supreme Court Nominee in an Illegitimate Process, Democratic Lawmakers Highlight How an ACA Repeal Can Impact Health Coverage for Americans Who Contract COVID-19. . . . ""It is unconscionable for the Department of Justice to pursue this lawsuit in the midst of this unprecedented public health crisis, and we urge you to rescind your support of these efforts immediately."" Text of Letter WEDNESDAY, Oct. 21, 2020) -- Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), the former chairman and longest serving member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, along with 19 other senators, on Wednesday sent a letter to Attorney General William Barr, urging the Department of Justice (DOJ) to rescind its support of the Supreme Court lawsuit that seeks to invalidate the Affordable Care Act (ACA). In the letter, the senators spotlight how health insurance protections for millions of Americans are at stake in light of the current Supreme Court nomination fight and the ways in which health insurers could discriminate against millions more people who contract COVID-19 if the pre-existing protections in the ACA are gutted. The letter was also signed by Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisc.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), and Chris Murphy (D-Conn.). ""We urge the Department of Justice to immediately rescind its support of the lawsuit in California v. Texas asking the Supreme Court to declare the ACA unconstitutional and invalidate the law in its entirety,"" wrote the lawmakers. ""Passed in 2010, the ACA dramatically expanded the number of Americans with health insurance. Destroying this progress and ripping away critical protections is cruel on its face. Looking to do so in the midst of a nearly unprecedented public health emergency a COVID-19 pandemic that has claimed over 220,000 American lives and infected over 8 million people is especially unconscionable."" The Supreme Court will hear arguments in California v. Texas on November 10, 2020. Among critical provisions, the ACA has made it illegal for insurance companies to deny insurance coverage for the 133 million Americans with pre-existing conditions. Before the ACA became law, insurers could exclude coverage of care associated with pre-existing conditions; charge higher health premiums based on a person's health status or gender; limit certain benefits like mental health treatment, prescription drugs, or maternity care associated with pre-existing conditions; and impose lifetime or annual caps on benefits. Health experts warn that, without the ACA, health insurers could classify COVID-19 as a pre-existing condition and deny COVID-19 survivors health insurance--adding millions more people to the previously existing 133 million Americans with pre-existing conditions. Despite these essential protections for Americans and the growing number of Americans contracting COVID-19, the Department of Justice is currently in court seeking to invalidate the ACA while President Trump is working to fill the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's Supreme Court seat with his nominee, Judge Amy Coney Barrett, in time for the November 10 arguments. Barrett's nomination is a key component of the president's self-stated goal of ""terminating"" the ACA. ### Previous Article",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/statement-on-the-need-for-a-comprehensive-covid-relief-bill,Statement On The Need For A Comprehensive COVID Relief Bill,2020-10-21,2020,2020-10,Democrat,House,VT,Patrick Leahy,L000174,www.leahy.senate.gov,,,legacy,"10.21.20 Statement On The Need For A Comprehensive COVID Relief Bill . . . . Senate Floor We are in the middle of the most devastating public health crisis in modern history, and the American people are paying a terrible price. Nearly 220,000 people have died in just ten months. That is significantly more than the number of Americans who died in the Korean, Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan wars combined. Remember when President Trump called himself a war president? Has he acted like one? He called the virus a hoax, and he's been AWOL ever since. Millions have lost their jobs and are struggling to make ends meet. People are being evicted from their homes, they are living in their cars, in shelters or on the street, and relying on the generosity of others. And the virus is still not remotely under control. The need for another comprehensive emergency funding bill to address the COVID crisis is obvious and urgent, as it has been for five months. And what is the Senate doing? Staging show votes on COVID relief bills that the Majority Leader knows will go nowhere, and going back on their word to rush through the nomination of a Supreme Court Justice less than two weeks before an election and after millions of Americans have already voted. Where are their priorities? I know where mine are. They are with the families of the 220,000 Americans who have lost their lives to this virus. They are with the thousands of Vermonters and the millions more across the nation who have lost their jobs during this pandemic. They are with the small business owners struggling to stay afloat during this crisis. They are with the fathers and mothers who are wondering if they will be able to pay next month's rent or put food on the table. They are with the children struggling to learn through zoom calls and online classes. This is a national disaster that requires real solutions. We need a comprehensive bill to address this problem. We cannot do this piecemeal, as Senator McConnell seems to want to do. We cannot pass an inadequate bill today on the chance that maybe we will come back and fix it later. That is not how this place works, and everyone knows it. We have one chance in what remains of this year to get this right and we owe it to the American people to try. Yesterday, Senator McConnell staged a show. Instead of bringing up a comprehensive proposal for COVID relief and opening it up for debate, he called for a process vote on only one aspect of COVID relief the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). I support this program. It has been critical in keeping literally thousands of Vermont small businesses afloat. But the majority's proposal on PPP falls flat. It ignores critical improvements to the program that would be made by considering the HEROES Act expanding access to all nonprofits, making critical access hospitals eligible for PPP, and addressing arbitrary caps on various loan programs to help small businesses. More importantly, providing more funding for this program and nothing else would not remotely solve the daunting problem facing our country today, and it will not fix the economy. The economy will not come back until the American people have confidence that the virus has been vanquished. We need more funding for the PPP program, I agree. But we need to fix that program, and do so much more. We need to invest more in testing and it needs to be based on a national testing and contact tracing strategy so we can quickly identify cases and isolate those exposed. How many times do we have to say this? We need to develop a vaccine distribution program NOW, so it can be up and running as soon as a vaccine is available in order to get it to as many people as possible, as quickly as possible. We need to provide personal protective equipment to those on the front line fighting the virus. We need to ensure our hospitals have the resources they need to take care of the ill. We need to keep our nursing homes safe and virus free. Doing targeted bills aimed at one sector is the way to avoid doing what is really needed. It also picks winners and losers at a time when everyone is struggling. No matter how much aid we give to small business, or to the airlines, or to our struggling restaurant industry, our economy will not come back until we have this virus under control. That is why we need a comprehensive bill, and the so-called McConnell skinny bill we are voting on today is not it. This bill is woefully inadequate. It provides only $500 billion dollars for COVID relief, less than half of what even the Trump Administration proposed just a month ago, and leaves out funding for many critical programs. Lines at food banks have sky-rocketed during this crisis, yet there is nothing in the McConnell bill for nutrition assistance. There is nothing in the bill to help the millions of American's struggling to pay next month's rent or keep up with their mortgage payments. A massive problem, notwithstanding the wishful thinking of the President who either doesn't know or doesn't care. Maybe it's both. Today there are over 25 million Americans on unemployment, compared to just 2 million at the end of January, and the unemployment assistance in this bill is wholly inadequate. There is nothing in the bill for state and local governments who are on the frontline fighting this virus. It contains inadequate money for testing, education, and childcare. It provides no funding for community health centers, which desperately need it if they are to continue their critical work in our most vulnerable communities. And there is no funding to fight this virus on a global level. We cannot defeat this pandemic if we ignore what is happening outside of the United States. Americans cannot safely resume normal international travel and commerce without a successful global effort to dramatically reduce the rates of infection overseas. I could go on, but this bill is not a serious one. Adding insult to injury, it provides sweeping liability shields for corporate wrongdoers who fail to do their part to keep consumers, employees, and patients safe. That tells you everything you need to know about the priorities of this Republican sponsors: big corporations come ahead of struggling American families. Senator McConnell knows this bill cannot pass the Senate. We've already voted on it once and it failed. So why are we wasting our time doing it again? It is because they do not have a plan. Senator McConnell has been clear that his Republican caucus is done with this virus. While cases are once again surging across the country, Senate Republicans have simply moved on. Their wait-and-see approach has simply become wait-and-don't-look. The Republicans are not serious about solving this problem for the American people. But we have no choice. The House passed the HEROES Act, a comprehensive bill over five months ago, and in an effort to prod the Senate into action, passed the HEROES II Act three weeks ago. We are elected to lead, and that is what we must do in times of national crises like this. I remain hopeful that Speaker Pelosi and Secretary Mnuchin's talks will result in a comprehensive deal on COVID relief that will solve real problems in America. Speaker Pelosi has already shown a willingness to compromise, and the other side must do the same. If it does, Senator McConnell must commit to bring it to the floor for a vote immediately, even if he personally opposes it, or the majority of his caucus opposes it. That's the way democracies are supposed to work. The American people have waited long enough. #####",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z http://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/must-read/bernie-sanders-applauds-people-of-bolivia-for-year-long-fight-to-restore-democracy-in-wake-of-military-coup,Bernie Sanders Applauds People of Bolivia for 'Year-Long Fight to Restore Democracy' in Wake of Military Coup,2020-10-20,2020,2020-10,Independent,Senate,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Bernie Sanders Applauds People of Bolivia for 'Year-Long Fight to Restore Democracy' in Wake of Military Coup Tuesday, October 20, 2020 Following socialist candidate Luis Arce's resounding victory in Bolivia's high-stakes and closely watched presidential election, U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders on Monday applauded the people of the South American nation for persisting in their ""difficult, year-long fight to restore democracy"" in the wake of last year's military coup that ousted Evo Morales and installed a vicious right-wing regime. ""The Bolivian people made their voices heard in yesterday's election,"" tweeted Sanders, who wasamong the firstmembers of Congress to condemn the military coup, which wasopenly applaudedby President Donald Trump and Republican lawmakers and abetted by the U.S.-dominated Organization of American States (OAS). ""As minister of economy, Mr. Arce helped slash poverty and inequality,"" the Vermont senator added, referring to Arce's role in Morales' government. ""I congratulate him on his victory and wish him well."" Exit polls released Monday showed Arce with such a large lead in the contest that Carlos Mesa, Arce's closest competitor, was forced to concede defeat. ""The results from the quick count are overwhelming and very clear,""saidMesa, who served as president of Bolivia from 2003 to 2005. ""It's a result that we accept and it's a result that we believe, because of the difference between the first and second [finishers], will not be modified when we know the final results."" U.S. Rep. Jess ""Chuy"" Garca (D-Ill.)joinedSanders on Monday in celebrating ""the triumph of true democracy"" in Bolivia and demanded ""justice for those persecuted and killed under the ez regime,"" whichseized powerfollowing the ouster of Morales and promptly unleashedviolent military repressionagainst anti-coup demonstrators. AsThe Intercept's Glenn GreenwaldwroteMonday afternoon, ""It looks as though the margin of victory delivered to [the Movement Toward Socialism party] by the Bolivian people was so stunning, so decisive, that there are few options left for the retrograde forcesin Bolivia, Washington, and Brusselswhich tried to destroy the country's democracy."" ""Anyone who believes in the fundamentals of democracy, regardless of ideology, should be cheering the Bolivians who sacrificed so much to restore their right of self-rule and hoping that the stability and prosperity they enjoyed under Morales expands even further under his first democratically elected successor,"" Greenwald added.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/vermont-agriculture-update,Vermont Agriculture Update,2020-10-20,2020,2020-10,Democrat,House,VT,Patrick Leahy,L000174,www.leahy.senate.gov,,,legacy,"10.20.20 Vermont Agriculture Update Vermont Agriculture UPDATE *** Under Pilot Pgm., VT Dairy Farmers For 1st Time Can Be Paid Directly For Work In Protecting Water Quality *** Ironing Out The Bump In Federal Hemp Standards Recent federal actions will help Vermont's newest agricultural business sector (hemp), as well as the state's most longstanding farm sector (dairy), according to Senator Patrick Leahy. ENLISTING DAIRY FARMERS IN PROTECTING WATER QUALITY: On the more traditional farm front, there was also recent good news that could bring long-lasting benefits to the dairy industry. Under a pilot program funded through a $7 million USDA grant, farmers for the first time will be paid directly for services they provide in protecting water quality for the benefit of all Vermonters. Funding is through the Resource Conservation Partnership Program that Leahy worked to include in the 2014 and 2018 Farm Bills. This program will put Vermont at the forefront in demonstrating Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) projects, an approach to environmental protection in which the community benefits of well managed resources are measured, and land owners are paid by the unit, as they would be for other goods or services. Farmers are embracing this concept that allows them to flexibly manage their land, recognizing that they know their land best, and paying farmers for measurable outcomes. This Vermont pilot will help demonstrate whether the PES approach may reduce phosphorus runoff more efficiently than do traditional regulatory approaches. HEMP AND CBD PRODUCTION: Vermont has been a leader in CBD hemp production since the crop was first legalized in the 2014 Farm Bill. As the former chairman and longest-serving member of the Agriculture Committee, Leahy worked on provisions in the 2014 law that allowed for limited hemp cultivation and sales under pilot programs run by state agriculture agencies. Before that law, hemp had been illegal under the same federal law that bans marijuana. Vermont quickly became a leader in hemp production, subject to regulation by the Vermont Agency of Food and Markets. Leahy worked to move beyond the pilot phase to fully legalize hemp production in the 2018 Farm Bill. Then a bump in the road emerged under USDA's rules to implement the Farm Bill provisions for hemp production, to take effect for the 2021 season, that are difficult, if not impossible, for producers to fully meet. This would have dealt a severe blow to Vermont's most promising new specialty crop. This threat has now been resolved, at least temporarily, with a provision delaying the implementation of the new federal standards by a full year, in language that was included in Appropriations legislation for funding the federal government. Leahy, as the Vice Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, provided key support for this provision, which will give hemp farmers the certainty of planning for the next growing season under the existing Vermont regulations, while policymakers have more work to do in correcting the problems with the USDA regulation. These few sentences that Leahy helped engineer have saved the day for many Vermont hemp farmers. Both of these actions -- relaxing the poorly drawn hemp regulations, and the PES pilot program in Vermont will give Vermont farmers more flexibility in managing their land and their crops, also offering an opportunity to improve their bottom lines. --Senator Patrick Leahy # # # # # Previous Article",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z http://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sanders-senate-democrats-to-american-people-do-not-allow-trump-to-undermine-nov-3-election-results,"Sanders, Senate Democrats To American People: Do Not Allow Trump To Undermine Nov. 3 Election Results",2020-10-19,2020,2020-10,Independent,Senate,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Sanders, Senate Democrats To American People: Do Not Allow Trump To Undermine Nov. 3 Election Results Monday, October 19, 2020 WASHINGTON, October 18 Senate Budget Committee Ranking Member Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Senate Rules Committee Ranking Member Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), and Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) today released a report summarizing for the American people what to expect on Election Day and reinforcing the Democrats' call to encourage everyone to vote. The report follows the months-long effort by President Trump to undermine the election and his repeated refusal to commit to a peaceful transfer of power. With the general election already well underway in every state across the country, Sanders and Senate Democrats have a clear message for the American people: Vote and cast your ballot as early as possible. While expressing optimism that Election Day will go smoothly around the country, the jointly authored report outlines the possibility that in some states, the outcome might not be known on November 3. The last message from the report is to make absolutely clear that voter intimidation is illegal and that federal law prohibits coercing or threatening anyone in order to interfere with their right to vote. ""The American people must be prepared for an election that is unprecedented in our history due to the enormous increase in mail-in ballots that have been, and will be, cast as a result of the pandemic, said Senator Sanders.No one should have to risk their health or their lives in order to vote, and that is why many millions are voting through mail-in ballots. One of the worst lies that Donald Trump is spreading is that there is a massive amount of voter fraud in this country.That is a total lie which no election official, Republican or Democrat, can support.What we are doing with this effort is ensuring that the American people understand that if American democracy means anything, it means that every vote must be countedno matter how long it takes."" ""President Trump has for months now been laying the foundation to undermine the election and he has repeatedly refused to commit to a peaceful transfer of power if he loses. Senate Democrats want to be clear to the American people that the most powerful defense against this type of autocratic behavior in our country is the will of the American people and that is why we are encouraging every American to vote and vote early, said Leader Schumer. The election is well underway, and Americans are voting in droves because they know what is at stake. We must do everything we can to protect the right to vote, and uphold the integrity of the election process. That means pushing back on President Trump's lies about mail-in ballots and his efforts to sow chaos. It also means making sure that Americans know that a record number of people are voting by mail this year, which could slow the reporting in some states. We should be prepared to reject misinformation and be patient about results in places where counting ballots may take longer. Americans should keep making their voices heard at the ballot box, the earlier the better, said Senator Klobuchar. ""Despite what Donald Trump wants you to believe, the integrity of our election system is strong,""said Senator Murphy. Every American must voteand vote earlyin the upcoming presidential election, so we can make it clear to Trump and the world that America remains a democracy, the will of the people will always win out, and that any form of voter intimidation is illegal and will not be tolerated."" ""President Trump's dangerous rhetoric threatens to further divide our country and sow real potential for violence. The most important thing each of us can do to combat disinformation and fear is to vote and vote early. There is little doubt that this is the most important election we will participate in in our lives. Our elections are the foundation of American democracy. Protecting them should be the top priority for everyone who cares about the future of our country. Election officials, courts, and elected leaders must be accountable for upholding that principle, said Senator Heinrich. ""Despite Donald Trump's lies and misinformation about nonexistent widespread voter fraud, the integrity of the American election systemour entire election process from voting by mail to voting in personis strong.If voting by mail is safe and effective for our troops overseas and good enough for Trump and his family to use, then it's safe, effective and good enough for the rest of America too,""said Senator Duckworth. No matter what Trump saysor even what he might preferSenate Democrats will never allow the greatest democracy the world has ever known to descend into authoritarianism.We will always be a government of, by and for the people."" A copy of the report can be found here.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z http://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/recent-business/leahy-and-sanders-seek-swift-release-of-liheap-heating-help,Leahy and Sanders Seek Swift Release of LIHEAP Heating help,2020-10-19,2020,2020-10,Independent,Senate,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Leahy and Sanders Seek Swift Release of LIHEAP Heating help Monday, October 19, 2020 With winter around the corner and heating costs projected to increase this season, Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont) and Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) joined a bipartisan coalition of 40 senators in urging the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to release funds for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) as swiftly and at the highest level possible under the current continuing resolution. The senators say federal LIHEAP funding is a crucial lifeline that assists low-income households and seniors on fixed incomes pay their energy bills and stay safe during the winter. Under a continuing Appropriations Committee resolution, HHS typically releases 90 percent of the $3.7 billion full-year appropriation. Leahy said: With the pandemic continuing to depress family incomes nationwide, and an early fall here in Vermont, it's vital that HHS act swiftly to release LIHEAP dollars to the states. As vice chairman of the Appropriations Committee I've fought year after year to support strong funding for LIHEAP because I know Vermonters rely on this help to keep warm. Any delay in sending these dollars to Vermont will result in Vermont families delaying filling their fuel tanks as nights get colder. I understand the urgency, and I hope the Administration does as well. Sanders said: As a result of this horrific health and economic crisis, Vermonters are hurting like they have never hurt before. It is critical that we get this home heating lifeline to Vermonters immediately. In the richest country on Earth, we have a moral responsibility to make sure that no one has to make the unacceptable choice between putting food on the table, paying for their prescription drugs, or heating their homes this winter. On the Appropriations Committee Leahy has long been an advocate for the LIHEAP program and has secured funding increases for the program over the past three years. The current appropriations law included $3.7 billion for LIHEAP, and an additional $900 million was included in the CARES Act. The continuing resolution, which funds the government at the previous year's levels, preserves the increase that Leahy secured for the program in 2020. The average cost of home heating is unaffordable for millions of low-income households, costing an average of $911 per year nationally. Heating oil and propane cost even more, over $1,500 every year. The timely release of these funds will provide critical assistance to families unemployed as a result of the pandemic pay their energy bills.According to the National Energy Assistance Directors' Association, 15 to 20 percent of residential customers are at least 60 days behind on their electric and natural gas bills, and estimated arrearages are over $20 billion nationally. LIHEAP is a federally funded program that helps low-income households with their home energy bills by providing payment and/or energy crisis assistance. Vermont's LIHEAP funds are administered by the Department for Children and Families, and accessed through local Community Action Agencies. To apply for LIHEAP help, Vermonters can apply at theVermont Department for Children and Families websiteto get more information and links to an online application. Or Vermonters can contact their localCommunity Action Agency. Eligibility for LIHEAP is based on income, family size and the availability of resources. The bipartisan letter was led by Senator Jack Reed (D-R.I.) and Senator Susan Collins (R-Maine).",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/leahy-and-sanders-seek-swift-release-of-liheap-heating-help,Leahy And Sanders Seek Swift Release Of LIHEAP Heating Help,2020-10-19,2020,2020-10,Democrat,House,VT,Patrick Leahy,L000174,www.leahy.senate.gov,,,legacy,"10.19.20 Leahy And Sanders Seek Swift Release Of LIHEAP Heating Help . . . . 40 senators urge the Trump Admin. to provide LIHEAP funds to states as soon as possible (MONDAY, Oct. 19, 2020) With winter around the corner and heating costs projected to increase this season, Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) joined a bipartisan coalition of 40 senators in urging the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to release funds for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) as swiftly and at the highest level possible under the current continuing resolution. The senators say federal LIHEAP funding is a crucial lifeline that assists low-income households and seniors on fixed incomes pay their energy bills and stay safe during the winter. Under a continuing Appropriations Committee resolution, HHS typically releases 90 percent of the $3.7 billion full-year appropriation. Leahy said: With the pandemic continuing to depress family incomes nationwide, and an early fall here in Vermont, it's vital that HHS act swiftly to release LIHEAP dollars to the states. As vice chairman of the Appropriations Committee I've fought year after year to support strong funding for LIHEAP because I know Vermonters rely on this help to keep warm. Any delay in sending these dollars to Vermont will result in Vermont families delaying filling their fuel tanks as nights get colder. I understand the urgency, and I hope the Administration does as well. Sanders said: As a result of this horrific health and economic crisis, Vermonters are hurting like they have never hurt before. It is critical that we get this home heating lifeline to Vermonters immediately. In the richest country on Earth, we have a moral responsibility to make sure that no one has to make the unacceptable choice between putting food on the table, paying for their prescription drugs, or heating their homes this winter. On the Appropriations Committee Leahy has long been an advocate for the LIHEAP program and has secured funding increases for the program over the past three years. The current appropriations law included $3.7 billion for LIHEAP, and an additional $900 million was included in the CARES Act. The continuing resolution, which funds the government at the previous year's levels, preserves the increase that Leahy secured for the program in 2020. The average cost of home heating is unaffordable for millions of low-income households, costing an average of $911 per year nationally. Heating oil and propane cost even more, over $1,500 every year. The timely release of these funds will provide critical assistance to families unemployed as a result of the pandemic pay their energy bills. According to the National Energy Assistance Directors' Association, 15 to 20 percent of residential customers are at least 60 days behind on their electric and natural gas bills, and estimated arrearages are over $20 billion nationally. LIHEAP is a federally funded program that helps low-income households with their home energy bills by providing payment and/or energy crisis assistance. Vermont's LIHEAP funds are administered by the Department for Children and Families, and accessed through local Community Action Agencies. To apply for LIHEAP help, Vermonters can apply at the Vermont Department for Children and Families website to get more information and links to an online application. Or Vermonters can contact their local Community Action Agency. Eligibility for LIHEAP is based on income, family size and the availability of resources. The bipartisan letter was led by Senator Jack Reed (D-R.I.) and Senator Susan Collins (R-Maine). The text of the letter follows: October 14, 2020 The Honorable Alex M. Azar II Secretary U.S. Department of Health and Human Services 330 C Street, SW Washington, D.C. 20416 Dear Secretary Azar: With passage of the continuing resolution, we write to urge the Department of Health and Human Services to release Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) funds as quickly and at the highest level possible. As the main federal program that helps low-income households and seniors with their energy bills, LIHEAP provides critical assistance during the cold winter and hot summer months. October marks the start of the heating season for many states and low-income families and seniors will be facing additional strains on their household budgets. In addition, millions of low-income families, including seniors, are facing new and severe financial hardship due to the coronavirus, making the assistance provided through LIHEAP more important than ever. As state agencies work to prepare their LIHEAP programs for the coming winter, it is crucial that they have the resources they need to assist low-income households and seniors as soon as possible, especially in light of the current health crisis. As such, we request that you quickly release LIHEAP funds at the highest level possible to allow states to prepare for the upcoming season, so that low-income households do not have to choose between paying for heat and affording other necessities like food or medicine. We look forward to continuing to work with you on this critical program, and thank you for your attention to our concerns and those of our constituents. Sincerely, # # # # # Previous Article",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.sanders.senate.gov/press-releases/sanders-senate-democrats-to-american-people-do-not-allow-trump-to-undermine-nov-3-election-results/,"Sanders, Senate Democrats To American People: Do Not Allow Trump To Undermine Nov. 3 Election Results",2020-10-19,2020,2020-10,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, October 18 Senate Budget Committee Ranking Member Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Senate Rules Committee Ranking Member Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), and Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) today released areportsummarizing for the American people what to expect on Election Day and reinforcing the Democrats' call to encourage everyone to vote. The report follows the months-long effort by President Trump to undermine the election and his repeated refusal to commit to a peaceful transfer of power. With the general election already well underway in every state across the country, Sanders and Senate Democrats have a clear message for the American people: Vote and cast your ballot as early as possible. While expressing optimism that Election Day will go smoothly around the country, the jointly authored report outlines the possibility that in some states, the outcome might not be known on November 3. The last message from the report is to make absolutely clear that voter intimidation is illegal and that federal law prohibits coercing or threatening anyone in order to interfere with their right to vote. The American people must be prepared for an election that is unprecedented in our history due to the enormous increase in mail-in ballots that have been, and will be, cast as a result of the pandemic,said Senator Sanders.No one should have to risk their health or their lives in order to vote, and that is why many millions are voting through mail-in ballots. One of the worst lies that Donald Trump is spreading is that there is a massive amount of voter fraud in this country.That is a total lie which no election official, Republican or Democrat, can support.What we are doing with this effort is ensuring that the American people understand that if American democracy means anything, it means that every vote must be countedno matter how long it takes. President Trump has for months now been laying the foundation to undermine the election and he has repeatedly refused to commit to a peaceful transfer of power if he loses. Senate Democrats want to be clear to the American people that the most powerful defense against this type of autocratic behavior in our country is the will of the American people and that is why we are encouraging every American to vote and vote early,said Leader Schumer. The election is well underway, and Americans are voting in droves because they know what is at stake. We must do everything we can to protect the right to vote, and uphold the integrity of the election process. That means pushing back on President Trump's lies about mail-in ballots and his efforts to sow chaos. It also means making sure that Americans know that a record number of people are voting by mail this year, which could slow the reporting in some states. We should be prepared to reject misinformation and be patient about results in places where counting ballots may take longer. Americans should keep making their voices heard at the ballot box, the earlier the better,said Senator Klobuchar. Despite what Donald Trump wants you to believe, the integrity of our election system is strong,said Senator Murphy.Every American must voteand vote earlyin the upcoming presidential election, so we can make it clear to Trump and the world that America remains a democracy, the will of the people will always win out, and that any form of voter intimidation is illegal and will not be tolerated. President Trump's dangerous rhetoric threatens to further divide our country and sow real potential for violence. The most important thing each of us can do to combat disinformation and fear is to vote and vote early. There is little doubt that this is the most important election we will participate in in our lives. Our elections are the foundation of American democracy. Protecting them should be the top priority for everyone who cares about the future of our country. Election officials, courts, and elected leaders must be accountable for upholding that principle,said Senator Heinrich. Despite Donald Trump's lies and misinformation about nonexistent widespread voter fraud, the integrity of the American election systemour entire election process from voting by mail to voting in personis strong.If voting by mail is safe and effective for our troops overseas and good enough for Trump and his family to use, then it's safe, effective and good enough for the rest of America too,said Senator Duckworth.No matter what Trump saysor even what he might preferSenate Democrats will never allow the greatest democracy the world has ever known to descend into authoritarianism.We will always be a government of, by and for the people. A copy of the report can be foundhere.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z http://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/recent-business/bernie-sanders-elizabeth-warren-demand-answers-from-amazon-over-employee-surveillance-allegations,"Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren demand answers from Amazon over employee surveillance allegations",2020-10-16,2020,2020-10,Independent,Senate,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren demand answers from Amazon over employee surveillance allegations Friday, October 16, 2020 By: Catherine Thorbecke, ABC News A coalition of Democratic senators sent a letter to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, pressing the company for answers over allegations that it ""unethically"" tracks and monitors its employees to suppress efforts to form a union. Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) implored Bezos to explain recent reports that the company was investing heavily in technology to track union organization efforts, specifically citing arecent article published by Vox News. ""The fact that Amazon has decided to heavily invest in systems to retaliate against freedom of expression about unsafe and unhealthy working conditions, and to refer to organizing and workers' rights mobilization efforts as threats against the company equal to those posed by hate groups and terrorism, is unacceptable,"" the senators wrote. ""Labor organizing campaigns are legally protected activity."" Citing media reports, the senators accused Amazon of infiltrating private social media groups created by Amazon employees to track potential discussions of unionization, actively monitoring internal listservs related to employee activism, hiring intelligence analysts to track labor organization efforts and more. ""Each of these reports is deeply troubling, and taken together, they suggest a pattern of significant abuse of workers and their rights,"" the lawmakers wrote to theworld's richest man. They added that ""these actions are all the more shocking in the context that nearly 20,000 of your employees contracted the coronavirus,"" saying it is ""deeply concerning that Amazon has prioritized tracking workers who would look to improve their working conditions over addressing the underlying health and safety concerns that those workers face."" The senators demanded that Amazon respond to more than a dozen questions by Nov. 1. An Amazon spokesperson told ABC News that it respects employees' rights ""to join, form or not to join a labor union or other lawful organization of their own selection, without fear of retaliation, intimidation or harassment."" ""Across Amazon, including in our operations facilities, we place enormous value on having daily conversations with each associate and work to make sure direct engagement with our employees is a strong part of our work culture,"" the spokesperson added. In regard to the monitoring allegations, the spokesperson said the company had found one group within its driver team ""aggregating information from closed groups"" but added ""that approach doesn't meet our standards, and they are no longer doing this as we have other ways for drivers to give us their feedback."" The spokesperson added that ""nothing is more important than the health and safety of our teams,"" saying Amazon has committed more than $1 billion in safety measures for its workers amid the COVID-19 pandemic.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/statement-of-senator-patrick-leahy-d-vt-senate-judiciary-committee-executive-business-meeting,Statement Of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) Senate Judiciary Committee Executive Business Meeting,2020-10-15,2020,2020-10,Democrat,House,VT,Patrick Leahy,L000174,www.leahy.senate.gov,,,legacy,"10.15.20 Statement Of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) Senate Judiciary Committee Executive Business Meeting This Committee may not be through the confirmation hearings for Judge Barrett, but we are now officially through the looking glass. As if ramming through confirmation hearings just two weeks after Judge Barrett's nomination and less than three weeks before an election amid a pandemic affecting Committee members wasn't enough of a sham, we are now proceeding to advance her nomination before her hearings have even concluded. Before we even have a chance to ask the nominee all of our questions. Before we have a chance to hear from all of the witnesses this Committee deemed necessary to provide input on the nomination. And apparently before this Committee has even reviewed all of Judge Barrett's record. Records of Judge Barrett's undisclosed speeches and materials continue to pour in, including seven more last night. All were omitted from her questionnaire. I am not suggesting that Judge Barrett intentionally failed to disclose all of these records to the Committee. But I am absolutely suggesting that the Committee's mad rush to confirm her has predictably resulted in a sloppy process and an incomplete record. There is no reason why these deficiencies cannot be cured. There is no reason why this nomination cannot be delayed. If President Trump wins re-election, this Committee could take up Judge Barrett's nomination in January. That process would be legitimate. This one is not. Instead, this process is a caricature of illegitimacy. The fact that we had a nominee before Justice Ginsburg was even buried in order to jam this nomination through before the election will forever mark this process as the callous, political power grab that it is. It's no secret why President Trump is so desperate to install Judge Barrett before the election. Always one to say the quiet part out loud, President Trump has said he expects his nominee to side with him in any election-related dispute. He has made it impossible for Americans not to question Judge Barrett's impartiality should she vote on such a case as a Justice. And so it is incredibly disappointing that she declined to commit to recuse herself from any election-related cases. If she decides in the President's favor in any election-related dispute, it would cause grievous harm to both the Court and indeed our democracy. No judge should ever place the integrity of either in such jeopardy. And it gets worse. Republicans have another horse in the race their lawsuit to strike down the Affordable Care Act on November 10th. The President and Republican Attorneys General do not just want to strike down just some of the ACA, they want to strike down all of it. Republicans on this Committee have tried for years to overturn the ACA, both in Congress and in the courts. They now see an opportunity in Judge Barrett, who has repeatedly criticized the constitutionality and legality of the law and who has never once defended it. So that's why we're here today. Republicans see an opportunity to wildly swing the balance of the court for decades. That's why they have all gone back on their word about giving the American people a voice when President Obama nominated the eminently qualified Judge Merrick Garland 10 months before an election. That's why Republicans are diminishing this Committee and the Senate into a mindless rubber stamp now. There is no glossing over how wrong and base this process is. The damage inflicted in the wake of this outrageous power grab will be considerable perhaps even irreparable. It doesn't have to be this way. This doesn't have to be the story of Judge Barrett's nomination. But it is what Republicans have chosen. In their pursuit of raw power, in their drive to deprive millions of Americans of their basic healthcare protections, Republicans are willing to shred every principle this place once stood for. I see this for what it is. The American people, I hope, will too. # # # # # 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-recent-fighting-in-the-south-caucuses,Statement Of Senator Patrick Leahy On The Recent Fighting In The South Caucuses,2020-10-15,2020,2020-10,Democrat,House,VT,Patrick Leahy,L000174,www.leahy.senate.gov,,,legacy,"10.15.20 Statement Of Senator Patrick Leahy On The Recent Fighting In The South Caucuses I am deeply troubled by the recent military aggression in the South Caucuses, apparently initiated by Azerbaijan, including reports of possible war crimes and mounting civilian casualties. There is a real risk that this protracted conflict could spiral out of control, provoking the involvement of the armed forces of regional powers. That would be a disaster for the civilian population. The immediate priority must be maintaining an unconditional ceasefire as sought by the Minsk Group. But recurring indiscriminate shelling and other acts of violence will continue to imperil local inhabitants until the Governments of Azerbaijan and Armenia make the necessary choices to secure a sustainable diplomatic resolution, with the input of those most affected by this conflict, because it will never be settled through military force. That is why the United States should seek to reinvigorate the Minsk process and urge all governments involved in the fighting, directly or indirectly, to commit to negotiate in good faith. Previous Article",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/comment-of-senator-patrick-leahy-at-the-conclusion-wednesday-night-of-judge-amy-coney-barretts-testimony,Comment Of Senator Patrick Leahy At The Conclusion Wednesday Night Of Judge Amy Coney Barretts Testimony,2020-10-14,2020,2020-10,Democrat,House,VT,Patrick Leahy,L000174,www.leahy.senate.gov,,,legacy,"10.14.20 Comment Of Senator Patrick Leahy At The Conclusion Wednesday Night Of Judge Amy Coney Barrett's Testimony . . . . Wednesday Evening This unseemly and hypocritical push to ram a Supreme Court nominee through with just days before an election in which millions already have voted is not only an affront to the American people, but it damages the Senate and our courts. Republicans have cleared the Senate's decks not to work on much-needed COVID relief, but to spend two of the last weeks before the election on this mad rush to swing the balance of the Supreme Court for decades. This president and Senate Republicans also clearly see an opportunity in Judge Barrett to fulfill their dream to kill the Affordable Care Act. Sherepeatedly has criticized the constitutionality and legality of the ACA, while acknowledging to me that she has never once defended it. Republicans want to make sure the cards are stacked against the ACA and against the tens of millions of Americans whose lives depend upon it when the Supreme Court hears the latest Republican-led lawsuit to overturn the ACA on November 10. # # # # # (Senator Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., is a leading member and former chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee) Previous Article",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z http://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/vermont-delegation-demands-postmaster-general-deliver-and-install-critical-mail-processing-machine-to-white-river-junction-facility,Vermont Delegation Demands Postmaster General Deliver and Install Critical Mail Processing Machine to White River Junction Facility,2020-10-13,2020,2020-10,Independent,Senate,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Vermont Delegation Demands Postmaster General Deliver and Install Critical Mail Processing Machine to White River Junction Facility Tuesday, October 13, 2020 WASHINGTON Senator Bernie Sanders (I), Senator Patrick Leahy (D), and Representative Peter Welch (D) on Tuesday sent aletterto Postmaster General Louis DeJoy demanding the immediate delivery and installation of the new AFCS 200 cancellation machine at the White River Junction mail processing facility, a machine that is critical to the efficient handling of the mail. In the letter, Leahy, Sanders, and Welch wrote, While we have been promised for months that a new AFCS 200 cancellation machine will be installed, we have just learned that this will not occur until January of 2021 at the earliest. This timing is both unacceptable and another example of this administration's attempt to sabotage the Postal Service and the 2020 election."" The cancellation machines at the White River Junction facility have been due to be replaced for several years now. USPS recently removed an AFCS (legacy system) cancellation machine from the facility, leaving the White River Junction center with justoneoperational cancellation machine. When that machine breaks down, as it did this past weekend, postal employees are forced to process mail by hand, which significantly delays the process. These employees are to be commended for their hard work and dedication and should be given every available resource to ensure the safe and timely processing of the mail, which includes a record number of mail-in ballots. Waiting until 2021 to get this new machine to Vermont will present undue harm to the hundreds of thousands of Vermonters who have been given the ability to vote by mail by November 3rd as well as Vermont's seniors, veterans, and people with disabilities who rely on the Postal Service for the delivery of their prescriptions, concluded the Vermont delegation. It will also further harm all those who will be separated from their families this holiday season if they are unable to rely on promise of the U.S. Postal Service to receive mail from loved ones a small but critically important way to reduce isolation, depression, and loneliness, particularly for older, more isolated Vermonters."" You can read the letterhere.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z http://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/video-audio/no-confirmation-until-after-inauguration,No Confirmation Until After Inauguration,2020-10-13,2020,2020-10,Independent,Senate,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"No Confirmation Until After Inauguration The last thing the Senate should be doing right now is considering an extreme right-wing Supreme Court nominee who would strip health care benefits from over 20 million Americans and take away protections for preexisting conditions. No confirmation until after inauguration.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/reaction-to-the-decision-by-the-trump-administration-to-grant-a-visa-to-indonesian-defense-minister-prabowo,Reaction To The Decision By The Trump Administration To Grant A Visa To Indonesian Defense Minister Prabowo,2020-10-13,2020,2020-10,Democrat,House,VT,Patrick Leahy,L000174,www.leahy.senate.gov,,,legacy,"10.13.20 Reaction To The Decision By The Trump Administration To Grant A Visa To Indonesian Defense Minister Prabowo Indonesian Minister of Defense Prabowo has been credibly implicated in gross violations of human rights, including kidnapping, torture, and disappearances, and under our law he is ineligible to enter this country. By granting him a visa, the President and Secretary of State have shown once again that for them law and order' is an empty slogan that ignores the imperative of justice. The State Department should apply the law and deny him a visa, and the Pentagon should reaffirm its commitment to the rule of law. ##### Next Article Previous Article",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/vermont-delegation-demands-postmaster-general-deliver-and-install-critical-mail-processing-machine-to-white-river-junction-facility,Vermont Delegation Demands Postmaster General Deliver and Install Critical Mail Processing Machine to White River Junction Facility,2020-10-13,2020,2020-10,Democrat,House,VT,Patrick Leahy,L000174,www.leahy.senate.gov,,,legacy,"10.13.20 Vermont Delegation Demands Postmaster General Deliver and Install Critical Mail Processing Machine to White River Junction Facility WASHINGTON Senator Bernie Sanders (I), Senator Patrick Leahy (D), and Representative Peter Welch (D) on Tuesday sent a letter to Postmaster General Louis DeJoy demanding the immediate delivery and installation of the new AFCS 200 cancellation machine at the White River Junction mail processing facility, a machine that is critical to the efficient handling of the mail. In the letter, Leahy, Sanders, and Welch wrote, While we have been promised for months that a new AFCS 200 cancellation machine will be installed, we have just learned that this will not occur until January of 2021 at the earliest. This timing is both unacceptable and another example of this administration's attempt to sabotage the Postal Service and the 2020 election."" The cancellation machines at the White River Junction facility have been due to be replaced for several years now. USPS recently removed an AFCS (legacy system) cancellation machine from the facility, leaving the White River Junction center with just one operational cancellation machine. When that machine breaks down, as it did this past weekend, postal employees are forced to process mail by hand, which significantly delays the process. These employees are to be commended for their hard work and dedication and should be given every available resource to ensure the safe and timely processing of the mail, which includes a record number of mail-in ballots. Waiting until 2021 to get this new machine to Vermont will present undue harm to the hundreds of thousands of Vermonters who have been given the ability to vote by mail by November 3rd as well as Vermont's seniors, veterans, and people with disabilities who rely on the Postal Service for the delivery of their prescriptions, concluded the Vermont delegation. It will also further harm all those who will be separated from their families this holiday season if they are unable to rely on promise of the U.S. Postal Service to receive mail from loved ones a small but critically important way to reduce isolation, depression, and loneliness, particularly for older, more isolated Vermonters."" You can read the letter here. Previous Article",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.sanders.senate.gov/press-releases/vermont-delegation-demands-postmaster-general-deliver-and-install-critical-mail-processing-machine-to-white-river-junction-facility/,Vermont Delegation Demands Postmaster General Deliver and Install Critical Mail Processing Machine to White River Junction Facility,2020-10-13,2020,2020-10,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON Senator Bernie Sanders (I), Senator Patrick Leahy (D), and Representative Peter Welch (D) on Tuesday sent aletterto Postmaster General Louis DeJoy demanding the immediate delivery and installation of the new AFCS 200 cancellation machine at the White River Junction mail processing facility, a machine that is critical to the efficient handling of the mail. In the letter, Leahy, Sanders, and Welch wrote, While we have been promised for months that a new AFCS 200 cancellation machine will be installed, we have just learned that this will not occur until January of 2021 at the earliest. This timing is both unacceptable and another example of this administration's attempt to sabotage the Postal Service and the 2020 election. The cancellation machines at the White River Junction facility have been due to be replaced for several years now. USPS recently removed an AFCS (legacy system) cancellation machine from the facility, leaving the White River Junction center with justoneoperational cancellation machine. When that machine breaks down, as it did this past weekend, postal employees are forced to process mail by hand, which significantly delays the process. These employees are to be commended for their hard work and dedication and should be given every available resource to ensure the safe and timely processing of the mail, which includes a record number of mail-in ballots. Waiting until 2021 to get this new machine to Vermont will present undue harm to the hundreds of thousands of Vermonters who have been given the ability to vote by mail by November 3rd as well as Vermont's seniors, veterans, and people with disabilities who rely on the Postal Service for the delivery of their prescriptions, concluded the Vermont delegation. It will also further harm all those who will be separated from their families this holiday season if they are unable to rely on promise of the U.S. Postal Service to receive mail from loved ones a small but critically important way to reduce isolation, depression, and loneliness, particularly for older, more isolated Vermonters. You can read the letterhere.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/leahy-highlights-health-care-story-and-effects-of-supreme-court-overturning-aca-in-vermont,Leahy Highlights Health Care Story And Effects Of Supreme Court Overturning ACA In Vermont,2020-10-12,2020,2020-10,Democrat,House,VT,Patrick Leahy,L000174,www.leahy.senate.gov,,,legacy,"10.12.20 Leahy Highlights Health Care Story And Effects Of Supreme Court Overturning ACA In Vermont WASHINGTON (MONDAY, Oct. 12, 2020) Just now, Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) shared the story of Martha Richards, a Vermonter who is enrolled in the Affordable Care Act's (ACA) expanded Medicaid program. Senators are highlighting the devastating effects of the Supreme Court potentially overturning the ACA in the midst of a global pandemic. The ACA provides insurance for more than 20 million Americans and protections for the 130 million Americans with pre-existing conditions. Excerpt of Senator Leahy's remarks: Overturning the Affordable Care Act has been perhaps the single most important policy objective of the Republican Party over the last decade. If Republicans are now successful, the results will be nothing short of catastrophic for the millions of Americans who depend on its coverage and protections. That includes Martha Richards, a Vermonter who reached out to my office concerned about the fate of the Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act. Martha earns just over the minimum wage in Vermont while working for the Vermont State Parks. She raised two kids on her own. Soon after enrolling in the expanded Medicaid program she began experiencing debilitating pain in her ear and behind her eye. That led to a series of expensive medical tests, including two MRIs that cost $6,000 each. She shudders at the thought of what would have happened without the ACA's Medicaid expansion. If it is discarded now as the Republican Attorneys General have requested in the case before the Supreme Court millions of Americans like Martha would be on their own. I am also concerned about Mary Nadon Scott, who lives in Northfield, Vermont, just over the ridge from my home in Middlesex. In her twenties, Mary was diagnosed with Friedreich's Ataxia, a rare neurological disease that's a pre-existing condition. While Vermont has some basic protections for those with pre-existing conditions, they apply only to certain insurance plans and wouldn't protect anyone who moves out of state. Like my wife, Marcelle, Mary had worked as a nurse, dedicating herself to the selfless care of others. While Mary is now in a wheelchair and can no longer practice nursing, she still does everything for her two kids. Mary can do this because her medications and in-home care paid for by her insurance. But even with some state protections, Mary is worried what the Supreme Court case next month will mean for people with preexisting conditions like her. For Mary, her biggest priority is preserving the in-home support that allows her to continue living at home and taking care of her children. When I think of what the Affordable Care Act means to millions of Americansand what is on the line with this nominationI think of people like Mary. In Vermont, if the U.S. Supreme Court overturns the ACA, it would mean: More Vermonters losing coverage during a global pandemic 60,600 Vermonters enrolled through the Medicaid expansion could lose coverage. Over 20,000 Vermonters who get their insurance on the state exchange will lose federal subsidies. Without Medicaid expansion and tax subsidies to help purchase Marketplace plans, even more Vermonters who have lost their job-based coverage could stay uninsured. Discrimination against those with pre-existing conditionsincluding COVID-19 survivors. The 256,800 Vermonters with pre-existing conditions could face higher costs, fewer benefits, and could have trouble finding coverage. The 1,821 Vermonters who have been diagnosed with COVID-19 so far could face higher premiums and more meager coverage that puts health care out of reach. Women pay more but get less. Insurers not regulated by the State of Vermont could charge women higher premiums than men (i.e., gender rate) and offer fewer benefits for the 15,300 Vermont women under 65 covered through individual market plans. Together, gender rating, reduced benefits, and the ability of insurers to deny coverage altogether could increase costs, bar access to care, and put coverage out of reach for 125,000 women under 65 and girls in Vermont with pre-existing conditions. Higher costs for older Vermonters Striking down the ACA would re-open the Medicare prescription drug donut holeexposing 10,466 seniors to potentially thousands of dollars in out of pocket costs. 145,000 Vermonters on Medicare could see higher premiums and deductibles put in place to compensate for payment standards to medical providers currently guaranteed by the ACA. Judge Barrett's record: Judge Amy Coney Barrett has already indicated she would vote to strike down the Affordable Care Act. Barrett has said she and Justice Antonin Scalia have the same judicial philosophy. Justice Scalia twice voted to dismantle the Affordable Care Act. He wrote dissenting opinions in NFIB v. Sebelius and King v. Burwell. Barrett criticized Chief Justice John Roberts for upholding the law, saying in 2017: [Chief Justice John] Roberts pushed the Affordable Care Act beyond its plausible meaning to save the statute. Barrett also expressed disagreement with the Supreme Court's majority opinion in King v. Burwell, where the court upheld a key component of the law, saying the dissent had the better of the legal argument. ### Previous Article",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/opening-statement-on-the-nomination-of-justice-amy-coney-barrett-to-be-associate-justice-of-the-united-states-supreme-court,Opening Statement On The Nomination Of Justice Amy Coney Barrett To Be Associate Justice Of The United States Supreme Court,2020-10-12,2020,2020-10,Democrat,House,VT,Patrick Leahy,L000174,www.leahy.senate.gov,,,legacy,"10.12.20 Opening Statement On The Nomination Of Justice Amy Coney Barrett To Be Associate Justice Of The United States Supreme Court I have served in the Senate for 46 years, a span that includes 20 Supreme Court nominations and 16 confirmation hearings. None not one looked anything like this one. We are less than two weeks removed from Justice Ginsburg being laid to rest. It is true that it is the responsibility of this Committee to consider her replacement on the Supreme Court. But this is not how we should do it. We should not have had a nomination ceremony before Justice Ginsburg was even buried, while the nation was mourning her passing. We should not be holding a hearing just 16 days later, when this Committee has afforded itself three times as long to vet other modern nominees to our nation's highest court. We should not be holding a hearing three weeks from a presidential election, when millions of Americans have already voted. Not when doing so requires that literally half of the Senate go back on their word, contradicting every argument they made four years ago about the American people needing a voice during election year vacancies. We should not be holding this hearing when it is plainly unsafe to do so. I'd like to place into the record a letter from Senators Booker, Harris and myself to the Chairman, asking that these hearings not proceed without proper testing measures in place. Two members of this Committee are just now emerging from quarantine after testing positive for COVID. Other members have declined to get tested at all. And yet the Chairman has refused to implement a daily testing regime to keep members, staff, and Judge Barrett and her family safe. By ignoring our request to implement daily testing, this Committee is displaying the same disregard for taking basic steps to mitigate the spread of this virus as President Trump. The Senate should also not be holding this hearing while doing nothing to pass a desperately-needed COVID relief bill. Every senator on this Committee knows in her or his heart that this is wrong. More than 214,000 Americans have died due to COVID. Millions more are hurting. The virus is spiking again across the country. Yet President Trump and Senate Republicans feel no urgency to meet the needs of American families in the face of this crisis. This is despite the fact that claims for unemployment benefits have remained above 800,000 every week, since mid-March. This is despite the fact that lines at food banks are at historic levels. Schools are struggling to safely educate our children both in the classroom and remotely. Parents are struggling to find safe and affordable child care. And families are struggling to pay rent at a time when eviction moratoriums have expired. It has now been five months since the House passed the HEROES Act. As a result of Republicans' stonewalling, Americans now face yet another month without any relief. Instead of working to assist struggling Americans, Senate Republicans are consumed only with this mad rush to fill a Supreme Court vacancy on the eve of a presidential election. And why? The answer, I fear, is painfully clear. With this vacancy, President Trump and Senate Republicans see the potential to wildly swing the balance of the Court and transform our independent courts into a far-right arm of the Republican Party. The potential to accomplish through the courts what they have failed to accomplish in the halls of Congress. At the top of their hit list is the Affordable Care Act. It is no secret, and it is no coincidence, that Republicans are rushing to confirm Judge Barrett before the Supreme Court considers the latest Republican-led lawsuit to overturn the Affordable Care Act on November 10. The President has promised that any judge he nominates will overturn the Affordable Care Act. For her part, Judge Barrett's writings have made it unequivocally clear that she believes the law is unconstitutional. Overturning the Affordable Care Act has been perhaps the single most important policy objective of the Republican Party over the last decade. If Republicans are now successful, the results will be nothing short of catastrophic for the millions of Americans who depend on its coverage and protections. This is Mary Nadon Scott. She lives in Northfield, Vermont, just over the ridge from my home in Middlesex. In her twenties, Mary was diagnosed with Friedreich's Ataxia, a rare neurological disease that's a preexisting condition. While Vermont has some protections for those with pre-existing conditions, they apply only to certain insurance plans and wouldn't protect anyone who moves out of state. Like my wife, Marcelle, Mary worked as a nurse. After her diagnosis she realized she would soon no longer be able to pursue the career she loved. So Mary asked the hospital to rotate her through different specialties so she could help more people, in as many ways as possible. That's who Mary is. While Mary is now in a wheelchair and can no longer practice nursing, she still does everything for her two kids. I had the pleasure of calling one of her sons on his birthday last spring. Mary attends their soccer games, helps with their remote school, and even brought them to tour the Vermont State House. Mary can do this because of her medications and in-home care paid for by her insurance. But Mary is worried. Even with some state protections, Mary is worried what the Supreme Court case next month will mean for people with preexisting conditions like her. For Mary, her biggest priority is preserving the in-home support that allows her to continue living at home and taking care of her children. Mary is a fighter. But when I think of what the Affordable Care Act means to millions of Americans and what is on the line with this nomination I think of people like Mary. I also think of Martha Richards. Martha is another Vermonter who reached out to my office concerned about the fate of the Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act. Martha earns just over the minimum wage in Vermont while working for the Vermont State Parks. She raised two kids on her own. Soon after enrolling in the expanded Medicaid program she began experiencing debilitating pain in her ear and behind her eye. That led to a series of expensive medical tests, including two MRIs that cost $6,000 each. She shudders at the thought of what would have happened without the Medicaid expansion. If it is discarded now as the Republican Attorneys General have requested in their case before the Supreme Court millions of Americans like Martha would be on their own. I do not suggest that Judge Barrett personally desires these consequences. But these are the inescapable consequences if her stated views on the law prevail on the Supreme Court. And if Republicans are successful in filling this vacancy prior to November 10, these views will almost certainly prevail. This is what is at stake here. This is what weighs heavily on me as we begin these hearings. It also weighs heavily on the minds of the Vermonters I represent. I have heard from them both often and loudly since Justice Ginsburg's passing. They are scared, Judge Barrett. They are scared that your confirmation would rip from them their most basic healthcare protections. They are scared that the clock will be turned back to a time when women had no right to control their own bodies, and when it was acceptable to discriminate against women in the work place. They are scared that at a time when we are facing the perilous impacts of climate change, bedrock environmental protections will be eviscerated. They are scared that your confirmation would result in the rolling back of voting rights, workers' rights, and the rights of the LGBTQ community to equal treatment. These are the real life implications of decisions made by the Court. And a majority of Americans, like an overwhelming majority of Vermonters, do not support taking our country in that direction. Republicans first announced their intention to fill Justice Ginsburg's seat just one hour after the announcement of her death. From that moment this process has been nothing but shameful. Worse, it will almost certainly lead to disastrous consequences for Americans. Justice Ginsburg, I am certain, would have dissented. And I will, too on behalf of Vermonters, on behalf of the integrity of the Senate, and on behalf of the majority of Americans who oppose this process. # # # # #",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z http://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/video-audio/donald-trump-is-either-a-tax-cheat-or-a-bad-businessmanlikely-both,Donald Trump Is Either A Tax Cheat Or A Bad BusinessmanLikely Both,2020-10-10,2020,2020-10,Independent,Senate,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Donald Trump Is Either A Tax Cheat Or A Bad BusinessmanLikely Both Let's be clear: Donald Trump is either a tax cheat who pays less in income taxes than the average worker, or a bad businessman who has lost money year after yearlikely both.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/leahy-booker-harris-press-chairman-graham-not-to-conduct-supreme-court-hearings-without-covid-19-testing-procedures-in-place,"Leahy, Booker, Harris Press Chairman Graham Not To Conduct Supreme Court Hearings Without COVID-19 Testing Procedures In Place",2020-10-09,2020,2020-10,Democrat,House,VT,Patrick Leahy,L000174,www.leahy.senate.gov,,,legacy,"10.09.20 Leahy, Booker, Harris Press Chairman Graham Not To Conduct Supreme Court Hearings Without COVID-19 Testing Procedures In Place . . . Warn That Hearings Could Otherwise Become Virus Super-Spreader (FRIDAY, Oct. 9, 2020) Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Senator Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and Senator Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) Friday pressed Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) not to proceed with Supreme Court confirmation hearings next week unless stringent COVID-19 testing procedures are implemented immediately. Pointing out that two Judiciary Committee members have tested positive for COVID-19 and others have thus far refused to be tested, the senators told Graham that without testing procedures in place, the hearings could threaten the safety and health of all who attend in person. The senators wrote: In the wake of news that Senators Lee and Tillis tested positive for COVID-19 after attending the White House event announcing Amy Coney Barrett's nomination to the Supreme Court, Judiciary Committee Democrats asked that you postpone her confirmation hearings to ensure that we don't risk the health and safety of fellow Senators, Senate staff, other Senate employees, as well as Judge Barrett and her family. To date, we understand that you plan to proceed with these hearings on October 12, 2020, despite the serious risks they present. We urge you against unsafely moving forward with these hearings while no clear testing regime is in place to ensure that they do not become another super-spreader of this deadly virus. The senators continued: Without these precautionary measures in place, Senators, Senate staff, press, Judge Barrett and her family will face a serious, unnecessary risk of contracting COVID-19. We also have a moral responsibility to protect the workers who make it possible for us to do our jobs in the Senate each and every day. Absent these protocols, you are ignoring CDC best practices and may force Senators to participate in this hearing remotely which, for such a consequential hearing, would be entirely unprecedented. As Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, your first and foremost obligation is to ensure the safety and well-being of Committee members and staff. We urge you to honor that obligation in the days ahead. Full text of the letter can be found here. # # # # # Next Article Previous Article",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/leahy-joins-in-letter-to-postmaster-general-dejoy-requesting-immediate-action-to-address-impacts-to-election-mail-delivery-caused-by-usps-failure-to-update-voter-address-changes-,Leahy Joins In Letter To Postmaster General DeJoy Requesting Immediate Action To Address Impacts To Election Mail Delivery Caused By USPS Failure To Update Voter Address Changes,2020-10-09,2020,2020-10,Democrat,House,VT,Patrick Leahy,L000174,www.leahy.senate.gov,,,legacy,"10.09.20 Leahy Joins In Letter To Postmaster General DeJoy Requesting Immediate Action To Address Impacts To Election Mail Delivery Caused By USPS Failure To Update Voter Address Changes WASHINGTON (FRIDAY, Oct. 9, 2020) On Friday, U.S. Senators Jacky Rosen (D-NV), a member of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee (HSGAC) and Senator Gary Peters (D-MI), Ranking Member of HSGAC, led 17 of their Senate colleagues in a letter to Postmaster General DeJoy raising concerns about recent reports that for three weeks in August, the United States Postal Service (USPS) failed to update address changes in the National Change of Address Linkage database (NCOALink), which most states use to keep voters addresses up to date. In the letter, the Senators ask the Postmaster General to answer several questions to assure Americans that this error will not impact their ability to safely and securely vote-by-mail in the upcoming general election. We write to express our concern about recent reports that in August, the United States Postal Service failed to update address data in the National Change of Address Linkage database (NCOALink) and to request information about the resulting impact on election mail. With voters already casting ballots across the nation, such failures are unacceptable and require immediate action, wrote the lawmakers. BACKGROUND: The letter was also signed by Senators Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Maggie Wood Hassan (D-NH), Jack Reed (D-RI), Ed Markey (D-MA), Tina Smith (D-MN), and Tom Carper (D-DE). The full text of the letter can be found here and below: Dear Mr. DeJoy: We write to express our concern about recent reports that in August, the United States Postal Service (USPS) failed to update address data in the National Change of Address Linkage database (NCOALink) and to request information about the resulting impact on election mail. With voters already casting ballots across the nation, such failures are unacceptable and require immediate action. For three weeks in August, the Postal Service failed to update address changes in the NCOALink database, which most states use to keep voter addresses up to date. Between August 10 and August 30, at least 1.8 million new changes of address were not registered in the database, due to an unspecified error. While USPS stated that it fixed the error and restored the missing data on September 14, we are concerned about how the missing data affected jurisdictions that were preparing election mailings during the outage. According to reports, officials in Minnesota sent out ballot applications based partly on information drawn from the faulty database in August, while other states had to delay sending out mailings as they scrambled to fix incorrect addresses. Other states were unaware of the change-of-address problem.[1] USPS is responsible for communicating with jurisdictions about election mail issues, and has over 400 Election Mail Coordinators available for this purpose. USPS must fully communicate with states and the public about any issues that might affect election mail, and must work diligently to prevent such errors. On August 21, 2020, you testified before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee regarding policy changes at the Postal Service that resulted in nationwide delays to mail delivery service. Senators raised concerns not only about the delays in critical items that Americans receive through the mail on a regular basis, such as prescription medications and Social Security checks, but also about the Postal Service's ability to safely and securely deliver all mail ballots on time for the upcoming general election. This year will see the largest volume of election mail in American history, due in large part to the global health pandemic that will keep voters at home in November. You told the American people during your testimony before the committee that you were extremely, highly confident the Postal Service would deliver the nation's election mail on time. In order to reassure our constituents that this error will not impact their ability to vote, we ask that you respond to the following questions no later than October 14, 2020: When and from whom did you learn that USPS stopped updating change-of-address data in NCOALink for a period of about three weeks in August 2020? What was the cause of this failure and what corrective actions did you take to respond? Upon learning of this failure, did USPS immediately notify relevant election officials in each of the states that were impacted by any missing data? Did USPS work with election officials to assist them in responding to this failure? How did the failure to update addresses affect jurisdictions that were preparing election mailings during the period of August 10 to September 14? Based on USPS coordination with election officials, how many jurisdictions were at risk of preparing mailings based on incorrect data, and how many had to change their procedures in order to correct the data? How have you determined that the NCOALink database is now complete and up-to-date? What steps are in place to ensure that address changes are entered into NCOALink in a timely fashion and that there are no system failures, particularly in the days and weeks leading up to the 2020 general election? While USPS is taking steps to ensure swift delivery of election mail, errors such as this one can have unexpected impacts in a nationwide network. How will USPS communicate to election officials, and crucially to the public, about any internal errors that affect election mail? ### Previous Article",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/leahy-tests-negative-for-covid-19,Leahy Tests Negative For Covid-19,2020-10-05,2020,2020-10,Democrat,House,VT,Patrick Leahy,L000174,www.leahy.senate.gov,,,legacy,"10.05.20 Leahy Tests Negative For Covid-19 Statement Of David Carle, Spokesman For Senator Patrick Leahy Senator Leahy was tested for COVID-19 earlier today since he attended the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Thursday, where it is now known that two senators were present who have tested positive for the virus. While he did not come into close contact with these two senators for an extended period of time, he took the test at the advice of the Capitol Physician. The test was negative and Senator Leahy continues to exhibit no symptoms for the virus. Given the potential exposure of the virus to all members and staff on the Judiciary Committee last week, and given that four senators on the Committee are currently self-quarantining, Senator Leahy firmly believes that it has become impossible to proceed with a hearing to consider Judge Barrett's nomination, in just seven days from now, in accordance with CDC guidelines. Doing so would needlessly place the health and safety of members, staff, journalists, and the nominee and her family at risk. # # # # # Previous Article",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/judiciary-committee-democrats-to-chairman-graham-supreme-court-hearing-would-endanger-health-safety-,Judiciary Committee Democrats to Chairman Graham,2020-10-03,2020,2020-10,Democrat,House,VT,Patrick Leahy,L000174,www.leahy.senate.gov,,,legacy,"10.03.20 Judiciary Committee Democrats to Chairman Graham Supreme Court Hearing Would Endanger Health, Safety (SATURDAY, Oct. 3, 2020) Senate Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) today led all 10 Judiciary Committee Democrats in calling on Chairman Lindsey Graham to delay the Supreme Court confirmation hearings for Judge Amy Coney Barrett after President Trump and committee members Senators Mike Lee and Thom Tillis tested positive for the coronavirus. To proceed at this juncture with a hearing to consider Judge Barrett's nomination to the Supreme Court threatens the health and safety of all those who are called upon to do the work of this body, the senators wrote. The senators continue, The American people are looking to us. Now is the time to provide much-needed COVID relief, not to rush through a Supreme Court nomination and further endanger health and safety. Full text of the letter follows: October 3, 2020 The Honorable Lindsey O. Graham Chairman Committee on the Judiciary United States Senate Washington, D.C. 20510 Dear Chairman Graham: We learned yesterday that President Trump and Senators Lee and Tillis have tested positive for COVID-19. We sincerely hope that the President and our Senate colleagues recover fully and quickly. As United States Senators and members of the Senate Judiciary Committee, we have the responsibility to protect this nation and the American people. That includes our fellow Senators, Judge Barrett and her family, our staffs, and the men and women who keep the Senate complex safe, clean, and operational. At least two members of this Committee have already contracted COVID-19, and several other members were in close proximity. As you are aware, the CDC has advised that individuals [s]tay home for 14 days after [ ] last contact with a person who has COVID-19, even if those individuals test negative for COVID-19 or feel healthy. To proceed at this juncture with a hearing to consider Judge Barrett's nomination to the Supreme Court threatens the health and safety of all those who are called upon to do the work of this body. Further, holding a remote hearing for a Supreme Court nomination is not an adequate substitute. As Republican members of this Committee have recognized, questioning nominees by video is ineffective and ignores the gravity of our constitutional duty to provide advice and consent on lifetime appointments, particularly those to the nation's highest court. More importantly, though, moving forward with Judge Barrett's hearing is a disservice to the American public. Nearly 210,000 Americans have died from COVID-19 and more than 7 million Americans have been infected every one of them a COVID survivor who could be denied health coverage if the Affordable Care Act is struck down. Millions of Americans have lost their jobs and millions of children cannot attend school in-person. The American people are looking to us. Now is the time to provide much-needed COVID relief, not to rush through a Supreme Court nomination and further endanger health and safety. Sincerely, Dianne Feinstein Ranking Member Patrick 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 ### Previous Article",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z http://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/vermont-seniors-can-now-get-food-assistance-more-easily-thanks-to-the-new-3squaresvt-in-a-snap-program,"Vermont Seniors Can Now Get Food Assistance More Easily, Thanks to the New 3SquaresVT IN A SNAP Program",2020-10-02,2020,2020-10,Independent,Senate,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Vermont Seniors Can Now Get Food Assistance More Easily, Thanks to the New 3SquaresVT IN A SNAP Program Friday, October 2, 2020 BURLINGTON, October 2 Beginning October 1st, 2020, Vermont seniors applying for 3SquaresVT are able to use a simple application and benefit renewal process as part of the new 3SquaresVT IN A SNAP program. The easy to use application is available to individuals and households age 60 or older and persons with disabilities. 3SquaresVT IN A SNAP is an improvement to the State's food assistance program,saysKaty Davis, Community Health Initiatives Director at Hunger Free Vermont. Traditional applications can be lengthy to complete, and the benefit renewal process often burdensome, leaving many Vermonters' benefits to lapse. The new program will streamline applications and allow recipients to retain benefits for up to three years without additional paperwork. For too long, a complex application process has prevented older Vermonters from receiving benefits. With hunger on the rise as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, Congress made important changes to the SNAP program, known locally as 3SquaresVT , that make it much easier for older Vermonters to access nutritious foods. In contrast to critical emergency food distribution efforts and invaluable contributions by the charitable food system, SNAP is one of the best, most sustainable food supports Vermonters can feel confident about. In the richest country in the history of the world, no one should ever have to worry about going to bed hungry. Period. But as so many people are struggling right now to put food on the table, I strongly urge older Vermonters to see if you qualify for 3SquaresVT,saidSenator Bernie Sanders, a long-time champion of nutrition assistance programs. We are dealing with the worst health crisis and economic crisis in our lifetimes. Today, as 29 million Americans are struggling with hunger and millions of seniors are trying to get by on fixed incomes, I want every Vermonter to know that I am continuing to fight to expand critically important anti-hunger programs, like Meals on Wheels, school nutrition, and SNAP,Sanders continued. In addition to alleviating hunger, 3SquaresVT also plays a vital role in stimulating the local economy, generating income for grocery stores and farmers, and supporting many front-line workers through our food network.During the 2009 Recession, for every $1 increase in 3SquaresVT benefits, an estimated $1.70 was generated in economic activity*. The program is federally funded, and individual benefits do not impact benefits for others or diminish support for state-level initiatives such as education, housing, or health care. (*Moody's Analytics, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities) To learn more about programs that can help you access food, simply call: Helpline (Age 60+): 1-800-642-5119 All others (under 60): Dial 2-1-1 Vermonters who are having trouble with a federal program or agency can call the Office of Senator Sanders for assistance at 802-862-0697 or toll-free in state at 800-339-9834 Contact: Katy Davis, Community Health Initiatives Director Organization: Hunger Free Vermont, Chittenden County Hunger Council Phone: 802.231.1086 Email: kdavis@hungerfreevt.org Website: www.hungerfreevt.org",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z http://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/recent-business/sanders-vermont-seniors-can-now-get-food-assistance-more-easily,Sanders: Vermont seniors can now get food assistance more easily,2020-10-02,2020,2020-10,Independent,Senate,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Sanders: Vermont seniors can now get food assistance more easily Friday, October 2, 2020 Beginning October 1, 2020, Vermont seniors applying for 3SquaresVT are able to use a simple application and benefit renewal process as part of the new 3SquaresVT IN A SNAP program. The easy to use application is available to individuals and households age 60 or older and persons with disabilities. 3SquaresVT IN A SNAP is an improvement to the State's food assistance program, says Katy Davis, Community Health Initiatives Director at Hunger Free Vermont. Traditional applications can be lengthy to complete, and the benefit renewal process often burdensome, leaving many Vermonters' benefits to lapse. The new program will streamline applications and allow recipients to retain benefits for up to three years without additional paperwork. For too long, a complex application process has prevented older Vermonters from receiving benefits. With hunger on the rise as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, Congress made important changes to the SNAP program, known locally as 3SquaresVT , that make it much easier for older Vermonters to access nutritious foods. In contrast to critical emergency food distribution efforts and invaluable contributions by the charitable food system, SNAP is one of the best, most sustainable food supports Vermonters can feel confident about. In the richest country in the history of the world, no one should ever have to worry about going to bed hungry. Period. But as so many people are struggling right now to put food on the table, I strongly urge older Vermonters to see if you qualify for 3SquaresVT, said Senator Bernie Sanders, a long-time champion of nutrition assistance programs. We are dealing with the worst health crisis and economic crisis in our lifetimes. Today, as 29 million Americans are struggling with hunger and millions of seniors are trying to get by on fixed incomes, I want every Vermonter to know that I am continuing to fight to expand critically important anti-hunger programs, like Meals on Wheels, school nutrition, and SNAP, Sanders continued. In addition to alleviating hunger, 3SquaresVT also plays a vital role in stimulating the local economy, generating income for grocery stores and farmers, and supporting many front-line workers through our food network.During the 2009 Recession, for every $1 increase in 3SquaresVT benefits, an estimated $1.70 was generated in economic activity*. The program is federally funded, and individual benefits do not impact benefits for others or diminish support for state-level initiatives such as education, housing, or health care. (*Moody's Analytics, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities)",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://welch.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/welch-supports-passage-22-trillion-house-covid-relief-package,Welch Supports Passage of $2.2 Trillion House COVID Relief Package,2020-10-02,2020,2020-10,Democrat,Senate,VT,Peter Welch,W000800,welch.house.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON Rep. Peter Welch voted for the updated Heroes Act passed by the House late on Thursday night to deliver much needed coronavirus relief to communities across America. The updated Heroes Act was trimmed to $2.2 trillion from the more than $3 trillion bill passed in May in an attempt to engage Senate Republicans to pass a compromise aid package. Senate Republicans have continued to block passage of the original bill. For months, Democrats have demanded that our response to this devastating pandemic be big and bold to rise to the unprecedented challenge in front of us, said Welch. The economic pain of the coronavirus pandemic is still being felt across our state. Vermont businesses needed help in May, and they need it even more today. In addition to critical help for families and individuals struggling to make ends meet, this bill includes important small business provisions that I championed to help some of the hardest hit small businesses, like restaurants and independent venues, stay afloat. Senator McConnell should get off the sidelines and work with House Democrats to get this bill to the President's desk immediately. Two key initiatives championed by Welch throughout the summer were included in the updated Heroes Act. The RESTAURANTS Act, introduced by Welch and Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.) would create a $120 billion grant program exclusively for restaurants to cover the difference between 2019 revenues and projected revenues through 2020. The bill also includes a Welch sponsored bill to create a $10 billion fund for independent theaters and live music venues. These bill are designed to help small businesses that could not receive aid through the Paycheck Protection Program passed by the House this spring. In addition, the updated Heroes Act (H.R. 925) includes: A second round of $1,200 economic impact payments to individuals. Restores the $600 weekly federal unemployment payments through January. $12 billion to make sure that students have broadband so that they can learn at home. More than $800 million for Vermont state and local governments. $225billion for K-12 schools and colleges to open and operate safely during the pandemic. $2 billion for state and local health departments responding to the pandemic. $75 billion for testing, contract tracing and other efforts to monitor and mitigate the spread of COVID-19. A 15% increase in the maximum SNAP benefit, known as 3SquaresVt in Vermont, to help hungry families. $400 million for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) to help hungry mothers and children. $500 million to buy liquid milk from farmers to be donated to food banks. $350 million to the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service to ensure continued inspections of agricultural products in order to keep pests and diseases from entering the U.S. $15 billion for the United States Postal Service to continue operating fully and effectively. $3.6 billion in election security grants to states. ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z