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Press Releases
Search Senator Leahy’s press releases, floor statements, and Committee speeches by date or by subject.
Judicial Travel Accountability Act Unveiled In Congress
(THURSDAY, Oct. 17, 2019) - Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Congressman David Cicilline (D-RI) Thursday led a bipartisan group in Congress to introduce the Judicial Travel Accountability Act, a bill to close loopholes that allow Supreme Court justices and federal judges to avoid disclosing travel and hospitality perks they enjoy as prominent public figures. Given the life tenure and extraordinary power to shape American law that comes with a federal court seat, there is a strong public in… Continue Reading
10.16.19
Durbin, Leahy Introduce New Legislation To Increase Number Of Green Cards Available, Eliminating The Backlog
(WEDNESDAY, Oct. 16, 2019) - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Immigration Subcommittee, and Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT), former Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today introduced new legislation that would eliminate the family and employment green card backlog by increasing the number of green cards. Close to four million future Americans are on the State Department's immigrant visa waiting list, in addition to hundreds of thousand… Continue Reading
10.16.19
Reaction To President Trump’s Veto Of The Joint Resolution Of Disapproval Of President Trump’s Declaration Of A National Emergency
President Trump's veto once again confirms his willingness to sell out our armed forces by stealing $6.2 billion from our men and women in uniform. He is ignoring the explicit will of Congress in order to build his "big, beautiful," and useless vanity border wall. This should alarm every member of Congress, and the Appropriations Committee will not forget this as we continue our work to complete the fiscal year 2020 appropriations process. Congress is a coequal branch of government that canno… Continue Reading
10.11.19
Statement On Tibetan Refugees in Nepal
Today the number of refugees and displaced persons in the world is higher than at any time since World War II. Desperate people fleeing war, persecution, and natural disasters have shined a spotlight on the enormous challenges confronting the international community. We see it in Lebanon, where a quarter of the population is Syrian refugees. We see it in Bangladesh, where hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees have fled in order to shield themselves from ethnic cleansing perpetrated by the … Continue Reading
10.10.19
Democratic Appropriations Leaders Urge Greater Discipline, Transparency from Trump Administration Regarding ICE Funds
(THURSDAY, Oct. 10, 2019) - Leaders of the House and Senate Appropriations Committees and Subcommittees on Homeland Security Thursday wrote to the Trump administration urging "increased discipline and transparency" related to any exception to the automatic apportionment of funds for enforcement and removal operations (ERO) at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). In a letter to Acting Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Russell Vought and Acting Department of Homeland Secur… Continue Reading
10.09.19
Comments On President’s Trump’s Decision To Suddenly Withdraw U.S. Forces From Northeastern Syria
While significant progress has been made against ISIS in Syria, it remains far from defeated and almost nothing else has turned out as people hoped. Much of the country is destroyed, roughly half a million Syrians have died, at least five million have fled to neighboring countries, and Bashir al-Assad, a ruthless dictator supported by Russia, is still in power. As was the case in the earliest days of the Syrian conflict, there are legitimate questions about the appropriate role of U.S. military… Continue Reading
10.09.19
Statement On The Case of Salman al-Awda
A year after the horrifying, premeditated murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi by agents of the Saudi Government, Salman al-Awda, a renowned Saudi reformist cleric, may be sentenced to prison or even death for acts of peaceful expression that are protected under international law and in every civilized nation. According to Human Rights Watch, Saudi authorities brought Mr. al-Awda, 61, before the Specialized Criminal Court, the country's terrorism tribunal, on September 3, 2018. It was the first… Continue Reading
10.09.19
Comments On President’s Trump’s Decision To Suddenly Withdraw U.S. Forces From Northeastern Syria
This precipitous decision, with minimal if any justification, consultation, or concern for the consequences, is immoral and unwise. Key Republicans and key Democrats in Congress have condemned this sudden action. By suddenly reversing course and abandoning those who have fought and died alongside our troops, we are signaling to the rest of the world that we cannot be trusted. It's been said that the President's sudden decision devalues the presidential handshake. Our allies, and the world, need … Continue Reading
10.09.19
Bristol And Gilman Economic Development Efforts Will Receive Federal Boosts
MONTPELIER, Vt. (Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2019) -- Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) on Wednesday announced that two economic development projects in Addison and Essex Counties are receiving significant infusions of federal funds. In the Fiscal Year 2019 Omnibus Appropriations Bill, Leahy - the Vice Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee -- authored a unique partnership between the Northern Border Regional Commission and the U.S. Economic Development Administration that will result in the agenci… Continue Reading
10.04.19
Whitehouse And Leahy Call for Investigation into Conduct of Former Top Justice Department Official
(FRIDAY, Oct. 4, 2019) -- Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Patrick Leahy (D-VT) on Friday released their request to the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Professional Responsibility to investigate former Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General of the Civil Rights Division John Gore for possible ethics violations. Documents obtained by the senators through a watchdog group's Freedom of Information Act request show Gore taking action as a Department official to pursue allegations o… Continue Reading
10.01.19
Registration Deadline Nears For Sen. Leahy’s 23rd Annual VT Women’s Economic Opportunity Conference
(TUESDAY, Oct. 1, 2019) - Vermont's 23rd Annual Women's Economic Opportunity Conference, presented by Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), will be held Saturday, Oct. 19, at Vermont Technical College in Randolph. The registration deadline is Oct. 10. The daylong conference will kick off with a keynote address by Jen Kimmich, co-founder and CEO of the Alchemist Brewery and board chair of the Alchemist Foundation, which works to expand opportunities for young Vermonters. Nearly two dozen workshops will… Continue Reading
09.30.19
Comment On The Retirement Of General Joseph Dunford As Chairman Of The Joint Chiefs Of Staff
Marine Four-Star General Joseph Dunford retired today as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He's an exceptional and visionary leader who I've known for years, especially from when he was the Commandant of the Marine Corps. As the father of a Marine I looked at Joe Dunford as the best the Corps could have. He is a good friend and I enjoyed the conversations we'd have, often over breakfast, but also when he came to give the commencement address at St. Michael's College in Vermont. Both of us a… Continue Reading
09.27.19
Leahy Renames National Historical Revitalization Grant Program In Honor Of The Late Vermonter Paul Bruhn
(FRIDAY, Sept. 27, 2019) - A national grant program dedicated to the rehabilitation of historic properties and preserving community resources is being renamed the Paul Bruhn Historic Revitalization Grants program in honor of the Vermonter who dedicated his life to preserving the legacy and historic icons of rural America. Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), the Vice Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, was the driving force behind the name change and also led in creating the grant progra… Continue Reading
09.26.19
Senate Republicans Reject Leahy/Tester Amendments To Invest In Real National Security, Protect Funding For Our Troops, And Constrain President Trump’s Cruel And Ineffective Immigration Policies
(THURSDAY, Sept. 26, 2019) - Senate Appropriations Committee Republicans Thursday rejected a series of amendments offered by Senate Appropriations Committee Vice Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security Ranking Member Jon Tester (D-Mont.) aimed at investing in real national security, protecting funding for our troops, and reining in President Trump's cruel and ineffective immigration policies. Leahy said: "This administration has demonstrated r… Continue Reading
09.26.19
Statement On Climate Change
Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, I am pleased that the fiscal year 2020 appropriations bill for the Department of State and foreign operations was reported unanimously by the Committee earlier today. There is a great deal in the bill that the American people can feel good about, as the summaries released by both the majority and minority indicate. However, as is always the case with bipartisan legislation, there are also things that I wish were not in the bill. And there are things missing from the bil… Continue Reading
09.26.19
Remarks on the One Year Anniversary of the Murder of Jamal Khashoggi
Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, today we remember, and remind the world, that nearly one year has passed since the premeditated murder of Jamal Khashoggi by the Saudi Government. That horrific crime - carried out so brazenly as if it were just a routine job - exposed the true character of the Saudi Government not only as it pertains to Mr. Khashoggi, but to the ruthless treatment of critics of the Saudi royal family more broadly. While the Crown Prince systematically orders the execution of his oppo… Continue Reading
09.25.19
Leading Democrats Respond to Trump Falsehoods on Ukraine
U.S. Senators Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), and Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.)issued the following joint statement in response to President Trump's reference to a letter they sent to the General Prosecutor of Ukraine in 2018 raising their concerns that the Trump Administration could unduly pressure Ukraine into obstructing the Mueller investigation by withholding funding: "President Trump is desperate to divert attention from his abuse of power. We wrote to the Ukrainian prosecutor genera… Continue Reading
09.25.19
Grassley and Leahy Introduce EB-5 Reform Bill
(Sept. 25, 2019) - Senators Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), leading members and former chairmen of the Senate Judiciary Committee, have introduced legislation to tackle fraud, abuse and national security threats in the EB-5 Investor Visa Program. The bipartisan EB-5 Reform and Integrity Act addresses concerns that the Department of Homeland Security has long expressed about ongoing abuse and exploitation of vulnerabilities in the program. "For many years, I've expressed conce… Continue Reading
09.24.19
Statement of Vice Chairman Leahy On The Joint Resolution Of Disapproval Of President Trump's Declaration Of A National Emergency
Sometimes casting a vote on the Senate floor is just a matter of course. It is something we do routinely, usually without considering the impact of that vote on the Senate as an institution, let alone on our constitutional republic as we know it. This week's vote on President Trump's national emergency declaration is different. It is a pivotal moment in this body's history. It is a stress test of the very notion of separation of powers. And it will be viewed for decades as the moment when Congr… Continue Reading
09.24.19
Statement On Environmental Defenders In The Philippines
Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, killings of environmental defenders are shockingly common in Latin America, Africa, and Asia. The assassination of Berta Caceres in Honduras three years ago, orchestrated by top officials of a hydroelectric company and carried out by retired and active duty soldiers who had received training from the United States, was emblematic of the widespread use of harassment, threats, and murder to silence those who courageously call for changes in policies and practices to prote… Continue Reading
