Press Room
Press Releases
Search Senator Leahy’s press releases, floor statements, and Committee speeches by date or by subject.
Leahy Urges Senators To Support Justice For All Reauthorization Act
(Monday, September 15, 2014) - In a floor statement Monday, U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) called on Senators to support passage of the Justice for All Reauthorization Act, a bipartisan bill that seeks to help ensure that the criminal justice system functions fairly. "As a former prosecutor, I have great faith in our criminal justice system and in the men and women who have dedicated their lives to making it work. But I also know that our system is not perfect.… Continue Reading
09.12.14
Leahy, Sanders, Welch: Grant Will Help Expand The Lund Center’s Help To Pregnant And Postpartum Women In Conquering Substance Abuse
(THURSDAY, Sept. 12, 2014) -Senator Patrick Leahy (D), Senator Bernie Sanders (I), and Representative Peter Welch (D), announced a $524,000 grant to provide residential treatment for pregnant or postpartum women who are suffering from substance abuse in Vermont. The grant was awarded to the Lund Family Center in Burlington to extend outreach and support to as many as 645 low-income pregnant or postpartum women over three years. In a joint statement, Leahy, Sanders and Welch said: "Addiction t… Continue Reading
09.12.14
Leahy, Sanders, Welch: VT Nets $2.3 Million For Rural Development
(FRIDAY, Sept. 12, 2014) -- Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Congressman Peter Welch (D-VT) Friday announced $2.3 million in funding for rural development in Vermont. The funding, under the new Farm Bill, has been awarded to 13 organizations across the state through 16 grants and loans by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and will be utilized to foster job growth, economic development and community initiatives. In a joint statement, Leahy, Sanders and We… Continue Reading
09.11.14
Statement Of Senator Patrick Leahy, Chairman, Senate Judiciary Committee, On The Proposed Constitutional Amendment To Permit Campaign Finance Reform To Stem The Flood Of ‘Dark Money’ Into The Political Process
[The Senate held the showdown vote Thursday afternoon on the proposed constitutional amendment. In a vote of 54-42, the Senate fell six votes short of the 60 votes needed to invoke cloture and prevent a filibuster on the resolution. Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, supported it and successfully steered it through the Judiciary Committee's approval of the proposed amendment earlier this summer. Following is his closing statement in the week-long debate… Continue Reading
09.11.14
Leahy, Sanders, Welch: Grants Totaling $8.8 M. Will Help Newport’s Airport In Accommodating The Area’s Growth And Change
(THURSDAY, Sept. 11, 2014) -- Senator Patrick Leahy (D), Senator Bernie Sanders (I) and Representative Peter Welch (D) Thursday joined Federal Aviation Administrator Michael P. Huerta in announcing that the Newport State Airport will receive two FAA grants totaling $8.8 million to help with the airport's expansion. The grants to the airport in Newport, Vt., come on the heels of a Federal Aviation Administration grant of $8.1 million to Rutland-Southern Vermont Regional Airport for safety improv… Continue Reading
09.11.14
Statement of Senator Patrick Leahy On The Ebola Crisis
Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, over the past several months the world's attention has been focused on the Russian invasion of Crimea and fighting in the eastern Ukraine, the explosion of violence in Gaza, the flood of migrant children from Central America, and the horrific death and destruction in Iraq and Syria. In each of these places vast numbers of innocent people have suffered terribly, and our own policies and capability to respond have been severely tested. Yet one of the most urgent, dif… Continue Reading
09.10.14
Reaction Of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) To President Obama’s Announcement That The Administration Will Train And Equip Syrian Rebels That Oppose ISIS
"There is no place in the 21st Century for a terrorist organization that so devalues human life as to summarily execute and otherwise brutalize people for no reason other than their religious, ethnic or national affiliation in an attempt to establish their own religious state. ISIS poses a serious threat to the security of anyone it encounters, including Americans. It is a blight on that region and an affront to civilization itself. The President, who has wisely rejected the deployment of U.S… Continue Reading
09.09.14
Judiciary Chairman Leahy Announces Sept. 17 Hg. On Protecting An Open Internet
(Tuesday, September 9, 2014) - Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) announced on Tuesday that he will convene a Judiciary Committee hearing next week to receive testimony about the importance of maintaining a free and open Internet. The hearing comes as the Federal Communications Commission approaches the final stages in its work to replace open Internet rules that were struck down by the D.C. Circuit in January's Verizon v. FCC decision. Leahy recently joined with Congre… Continue Reading
09.08.14
Statement Of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Chairman, Senate Judiciary Committee, On Judicial Nominations
Today we will finally vote on the confirmation of Jill Pryor of Georgia to fill a judicial emergency vacancy on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit. Her nomination has been pending in the Senate since February 2012-more than two and a half years, which is longer than any other currently pending judicial nominee. She received the American Bar Association's highest rating of unanimously well qualified and has the support of both of her Republican home state Senators-Senator Chambliss an… Continue Reading
09.08.14
Statement of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Chairman, Senate Judiciary Committee, On S.J. Res. 19 – A Constitutional Amendment Relating to Contributions and Expenditures Intended to Affect Elections
Today, the Senate will hold its first vote relevant to Senate Joint Resolution 19 - a constitutional amendment that would restore to Congress and the States the authority to set reasonable limits on contributions and expenditures in our elections. The amendment would also allow Congress and the States to distinguish between natural persons and corporations when shaping legislation regarding the financing of elections. The need for the States and for Congress to have this ability is fundamental… Continue Reading
09.08.14
Comment Of Senator Patrick Leahy On The Passing Of Lola Aiken
Marcelle and I were sorry to learn of the passing of Lola Pierotti Aiken. Her great partnership with her husband, a former Governor and then a U.S. Senator, is an important piece of the fabric of Vermont history. The daughter of a stonecutter, she never forgot her Vermont roots. She was well known for welcoming Vermonters whenever they stopped by his office in Washington to visit Senator Aiken - or, as she called him, "the Governor." She was a close friend of my mother, Alba Zambon Leahy,… Continue Reading
09.04.14
Leahy, Welch Encourage Dairy Farmers To Sign Up For New Insurance Program
MONTPELIER, Vt. (THURSDAY, Sept. 4) - At a farm in East Montpelier, Senator Patrick Leahy and Representative Peter Welch Thursday encouraged Vermont's dairy farmers to enroll in the new Margin Protection Program (MPP) and announced a series of workshops for interested participants. MPP is a voluntary insurance program included in the new Farm Bill that protects dairy farmers from market fluctuations in milk prices. The program replaces the expired Milk Income Loss Contract Program (MILC). S… Continue Reading
08.29.14
Comment Of Former FBI Director Louis Freeh (rlsd. at Dir. Freeh's req. by Sen. Leahy)
Comment From Former FBI Director Louis Freeh (Director Freeh and his office asked Senator Leahy to release this on his behalf after Leahy visited him Friday at the hospital) -- "I wish to thank Senator Patrick Leahy, my close friend of 24 years, as well as my dear friends Vice President Joe Biden, Senator Tom Carper, Attorney General Beau Biden, former Senator Joe Lieberman, former Attorney General Mike Mukasey, and so many others, for their outpouring of concern following my automobile accide… Continue Reading
08.28.14
Comment of Senator Patrick Leahy On Confirmation That Another Invasive Species -- The Spiny Water Flea -- Has Reached Lake Champlain
Comment Of Senator Patrick LeahyOn Confirmation That The Spiny Water FleaHas Reached Lake Champlain Thursday, Aug. 28, 2014 "It is terrible news that another invasive species -- and one with proven potential to seriously harm the ecosystem -- has reached Lake Champlain. In recent years this has been an ecological body blow that has unfolded in slow motion. We have known that this species was headed our way, and it's one reason I have worked hard to fund invasive species prevention efforts thr… Continue Reading
08.28.14
USDA Sec. Vilsack Visits Vermont
BURLINGTON, Vt. (THURSDAY, Aug. 28, 2014) - U.S. Secretary of Agriculture (USDA) Tom Vilsack Thursday joined Senator Patrick Leahy and other Vermont leaders at the Lake Champlain waterfront here to announce $46 million in new federal funding over the next five years, from the recently enacted Farm Bill, for water-quality-driven conservation measures on Vermont farms in the Lake Champlain watershed. The funding adds up to one of the largest commitments to cleanup efforts in the lake's watershed … Continue Reading
08.26.14
Leahy: Grant Will Help Vermont Track And Manage The Devastating Spread Of White-Nose Syndrome In Bat Populations
Leahy: Grant Will Help Vermont Track And Manage The Devastating Spread Of White-Nose Syndrome In Bat Populations (TUESDAY, Aug. 26, 2014) - Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) says Vermont will receive a $42,895 grant from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) to support research and monitoring of bat populations as the insidious white-nose syndrome continues to spread in Vermont, the Northeast, and beyond. Discovered in 2006 near Albany, N.Y., white-nose syndrome (WNS) affects hibernating bats… Continue Reading
08.26.14
USDA Secretary Vilsack To Visit VT On Thursday; Ann't Set On Significant Water Quality Initiatives Related To Lake Champlain
Leahy: USDA Secretary Vilsack To Visit Vermont On Thursday . . . Announcement Set On Water Quality Initiatives Related To Lake Champlain (TUESDAY, Aug. 26, 2014) -- Senator Patrick Leahy announced Tuesday that U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack will visit Vermont this Thursday, August 28, to announce significant funding related to improving water quality through conservation-related practices on Vermont farms. Leahy is the most senior member of the Senate Agriculture Committee and on… Continue Reading
08.20.14
Leahy: Grants Totaling $185,865 To Two Vermont Farms Will Advance Value-Added Farm Products
(WEDNESDAY, Aug. 20, 2014) - Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) says two Vermont farms will receive a total of $185,865 in grants under a program that encourages value-added American agricultural products. The awards, under the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Value-Added Producer Grant program, will be used to expand natural meat production and to develop nutritional labels, among other projects. Leahy said, "The Value-Added Grant Program has been a great success in Vermont and fits well into our … Continue Reading
08.18.14
Comments Of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt., President Pro Tempore) On The Passing Of Former Senator Jim Jeffords
He was a partner in our work for Vermont, and he was a friend. He was a Vermonter through and through, drawn to political life to make a difference for our state and nation. Part of his legacy will also stand as an enduring chapter of the Senate's history. # # # # #… Continue Reading
08.15.14
Leahy Comments On Protests In Ferguson, Missouri
"Like many Vermonters, and thousands of people across the country, I am saddened by the news that an unarmed teenager was killed by a police officer in Ferguson, Missouri, last weekend. Details continue to emerge about this tragic event, and residents of Ferguson are understandably grieved and angry. "I have been shocked by the military-like response from the local police. We know in Vermont that effective policing requires the trust of the community; that trust has been more than strained in… Continue Reading
