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Press Releases
Search Senator Leahy’s press releases, floor statements, and Committee speeches by date or by subject.
Judicial Vacancies Increase While Senate Republicans Slow Walk Nominees
(Tuesday, September 8, 2015) - Senate Republicans are closing in on one of the worst years for confirming judicial nominees in decades, severely undermining the Third Branch and leaving courts throughout the country understaffed. The Republican-controlled Senate has allowed confirmation votes on just 6 judicial nominees, compared to 26 judicial nominees in 2007 when Democrats controlled the majority and President Bush was in office. Republican obstruction of non-controversial, consensus judici… Continue Reading
09.04.15
Leahy Announces $375,000 To Support Higher Education In The Northeast Kingdom
LYNDONVILLE, Vt. (FRIDAY, Sept. 4, 2015) - Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) Friday announced a $375,000 federal grant to the Patrick and Marcelle Leahy Center for Rural Students at Lyndon State College to improve access to education for Vermont students. The grant helps to leverage more than $1 million to expand AmeriCorps service and to advance educational opportunities to first-generation, low-income students across the Green Mountain State. Leahy, the senior-most member of the Senate Approp… Continue Reading
09.04.15
Comment Of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Ranking Member, Senate Judiciary Committee On New Justice Department Policy Regarding the Use Of Cell-Site Simulators
[The Department of Justice on Thursday issued new guidelines governing the use of cell-site simulators. Senate Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) has pressed the administration since last year about the use of these devices, which can unknowingly sweep up the cell phone signals of innocent Americans and raise significant privacy concerns.] "The Department of Justice's new policies are finally starting to catch up with the rapid advancement of this tracking technology. … Continue Reading
09.02.15
Vermont’s Congressional Delegation And Governor Shumlin Announce $1.2 million In Federal Aid To Vermont’s Northern Border Communities.
(WEDNESDAY, Sept. 2, 2015) - As part of a continuing effort to bolster economic development in Northern Vermont, Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Congressman Peter Welch (D-Vt.) and Governor Peter Shumlin (D-Vt.) were joined by Northern Border Regional Commission Chair Mark Scarano in announcing more than $1.2 million in federal grants on Wednesday. Cultural and recreational initiatives, along with a business park expansion and Vermont's forest products industry we… Continue Reading
09.01.15
Comment Of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Ranking Member, Senate Judiciary Committee Regarding Governor Walker’s Remarks On Building a Wall at the Northern Border
"As someone who was born and raised not too far from the Canadian Border, I could not believe Governor Walker's statement. Election season always brings out crazy ideas, but this is one of the craziest. If Marcelle's parents were still here they would say the same thing, but in French. "Governor Walker simply must be unaware of the economic prosperity that commerce across the northern border brings to the United States. Those of us who represent states that share a border with Canada know b… Continue Reading
08.31.15
Leahy Joins Officials To Break Ground On New Affordable Housing In Brattleboro
Leahy Joins Officials To Break Ground On New Affordable Housing In Brattleboro BRATTLEBORO, Vt. (MONDAY, Aug. 31, 2015) - Four years after the devastation of Tropical Storm Irene, Senator Patrick Leahy Monday led a groundbreaking celebration to mark the start of construction of Red Clover Commons. Standing alongside state and local officials, nonprofit leaders, developers and community residents, Leahy heralded the new 55-unit, three story building off Canal Street as the first phase of a th… Continue Reading
08.31.15
Leahy Joins Officials To Break Ground On New Affordable Housing In Brattleboro
Leahy Joins Officials To Break Ground On New Affordable Housing In Brattleboro BRATTLEBORO, Vt. (MONDAY, Aug. 31, 2015) - Four years after the devastation of Tropical Storm Irene, Senator Patrick Leahy Monday led a groundbreaking celebration to mark the start of construction of Red Clover Commons. Standing alongside state and local officials, nonprofit leaders, developers and community residents, Leahy heralded the new 55-unit, three story building off Canal Street as the first phase of a th… Continue Reading
08.19.15
Leahy And Sanders Join In Calling On Financial Regulators To Hold Oil Companies Accountable, Disclose Risks And Increase Transparency
(WEDNESDAY, Aug, 19, 2015) - In continued efforts to halt offshore oil drilling in the Arctic Ocean, Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and other senators this week called on the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to require increased transparency from companies engaged in offshore drilling in American waters. The senators' call follows the Obama Administration issuing drilling rights to royal Dutch Shell plc. (Shell) to explore in the deep water off Alaska… Continue Reading
08.14.15
Comment Of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) On The Opening Of The U.S. Embassy In Cuba
"It was a privilege for me to accompany the Secretary of State to Havana for the opening of the U.S. Embassy. Seeing our flag raised again and hearing our national anthem was deeply moving - for me, and for the many Cubans who also witnessed this historic moment. I credit President Obama and Secretary Kerry for getting us to this point, after 54 years of a failed policy that isolated the United States and did nothing to improve the lives of the Cuban people. "Opening an embassy is not a conc… Continue Reading
08.13.15
Leahy, State And Local Officials Mark Recovery Milestone In Waitsfield
WAITSFIELD, Vt. (THURSDAY, Aug. 13, 2015) - Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) Thursday joined officials from the state of Vermont and the Waitsfield community to celebrate construction progress on Waitsfield's new town office. The event marked a major milestone for the Waitsfield community, which recently broke ground on a new site to replace the town office building flooded by Tropical Storm Irene. A Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery (CDBG) from the U.S. Department of Housing an… Continue Reading
08.13.15
Comment Of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Ranking Member, Senate Judiciary Committee On The Federal Trade Commission’s Section 5 Enforcement Principles
(THURSDAY, Aug. 13, 2015) -- Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Chairwoman Edith Ramirez Thursday announced that the Commission approved a bipartisan set of principles related to the exercise of its standalone enforcement authority under Section 5 of the Federal Trade Commission Act. This authority has existed for over 100 years and provides the FTC the ability to protect consumers from unfair business practices outside the scope of traditional antitrust enforcement under the Sherman Act or Clayton … Continue Reading
08.12.15
Comment Of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Ranking Member, Senate Judiciary Committee On The GAO Report On The EB-5 Program
"I have long supported the EB-5 Regional Center Program's ability to promote economic development and create jobs, and I have also sought important improvements to the program. The Department of Homeland Security needs additional authorities and enforcement tools to guard against fraud and abuse. And increased transparency and oversight are essential to instill confidence in the program. "Today's report on the EB-5 program from the Government Accountability Office further confirms that such ref… Continue Reading
08.06.15
Leahy, Sanders, Welch Announce Over $2.6 Million For Runway Infrastructure Improvement At BTV
(THURSDAY, Aug. 06, 2015)- Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Representative Peter Welch (D-Vt.) Thursday announced the Burlington International Airport (BTV) will receive $2,637,844 in Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) grants to improve the efficiency and safety of operations. The grants were awarded by the U.S. Department of Transportation and will be used to extend two existing taxiways, the final phase in an ongoing infrastructure improvement project at Bu… Continue Reading
08.06.15
Remarks of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Capitol Hill Press Conference Opposing the “DARK” Act
I want to thank Senator Tester for making this event happen today, and I want to welcome our very accomplished guests. The stage here in Congress might not be as bright as some that you have stood on, but your voice will certainly amplify the importance of this simple right to know issue. My home state of Vermont is the only state in the country on track to implement a law requiring the clear labeling of foods made with genetically modified ingredients. By this time next year, Vermonters and … Continue Reading
08.05.15
Statement of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Ranking Member, Senate Judiciary Committee, On Judicial Nominations
We began this year with a new Republican majority in the Senate promising to govern responsibly. Unfortunately, this promise has so far proven hollow. Beginning with the shameful treatment of the nomination of Loretta Lynch to be Attorney General, the Republican leadership has used excuse after excuse to keep the Senate from voting on those nominated to serve in our justice system. It took four months for the Republican majority to schedule a vote on a single judicial nomination. So far this… Continue Reading
08.05.15
Statement of Senator Patrick Leahy Thoughts on the Iran Nuclear Agreement United States Senate Floor
This is not the first time nor will it be the last time I speak in this chamber about the Iran nuclear agreement. But after listening to some of the hearings on this subject in the House and Senate last week I want to provide a bit of my own perspective on the challenge before us. I remember during the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, when some of President Kennedy's top advisors as well as Members of Congress pushed for a military attack. A war between the two nuclear superpowers would have - at… Continue Reading
08.04.15
Statement of Senator Patrick Leahy On Discrimination Against Dominicans of Haitian Descent
I have traveled to the Dominican Republic and Haiti, and am familiar with the history of racial tensions between the population of Haitian migrants and Dominicans of Haitian descent, and other citizens of the Dominican Republic. These problems are by no means unique to these two neighboring countries, nor are there easy solutions. In addition to race there is competition for land, social services, and jobs. But while this situation should not be oversimplified, the way the Dominican governmen… Continue Reading
08.04.15
Leahy Joins As Original Cosponsor On Bill To Halt Unfair Tax Handouts To Big Oil
(TUESDAY, Aug. 4, 2015) - Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) has joined in introducing legislation to end taxpayer subsidies to the "Big 5" oil companies and to apply that $22 billion in savings toward reducing the federal deficit. Leahy said: "These subsidies, paid for by the American people, are senseless and unconscionable. They are an ancient holdover from the earliest days of the carbon economy. If these loopholes ever were justified, that time has long passed." Leahy noted that these five … Continue Reading
08.04.15
Lee & Leahy Press Senate to Protect Email Privacy
(Tuesday, August 4, 2015) - As the Senate prepares to take up sweeping cybersecurity information sharing legislation this week, Senator Mike Lee (R-Utah) and Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) said lawmakers must also work to protect Americans' emails and other private information stored in the cloud. On Tuesday, Lee and Leahy filed the bipartisan Electronic Communications Privacy Amendments Act of 2015 as an amendment to the information sharing bill. The Lee-Leahy ECPA bill updates a three-decade… Continue Reading
08.03.15
STATEMENT OF SENATOR PATRICK LEAHY ON S. 1881 TO PROHIBIT FEDERAL FUNDING TO PLANNED PARENTHOOD CENTERS
We are now seven months into the 114th Congress, and our Nation is faced with many challenges. Less than a year ago, the American people were promised that if Republicans took control of the Senate, our focus would be on committee-reported bills and promoting bipartisanship. Leader McConnell pledged not to fill the amendment tree and instead to allow for an open amendment process when bills were brought to the floor. These promises have already been broken and this week will likely see them b… Continue Reading
