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Search Senator Leahy’s press releases, floor statements, and Committee speeches by date or by subject.
Leahy And Other Senate Democrats Urge Trump Administration To Protect Food Supply And Essential Workers During COVID-19 Crisis
(MONDAY, April 20, 2020) - Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) is among 36 Democratic senators, led by Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, urging Vice President Mike Pence and other members of the Trump Administration to take action to help ensure the safety of the nation's food supply and protect essential workers in the food supply chain. Leahy, a leading member of the Agriculture Committee, is a former Chairman of … Continue Reading
04.16.20
Leahy And Lankford Urge State Department And DHS To Exercise Discretion And Grant Relief To Vulnerable Refugees And Special Immigrant Visa Holders
(THURSDAY, April 16, 2020) - Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Senator James Lankford (R-Okla.) are urging Secretary of State Michael Pompeo and Acting Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security Chad Wolf to exercise discretion and automatically extend the validity periods of critical documents for refugees and Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) holders approved for resettlement in the United States until COVID-19 travel restrictions are lifted. They emphasized that this small, reasonable measur… Continue Reading
04.16.20
REAX Of Appropriations Vice Chair Patrick Leahy On Being Appointed To President Trump’s Council To Reopen America
If the President is genuinely reaching out to listen to candid and diverse views on a decision that will profoundly affect millions of Americans for years to come, I look forward to sharing my views. They will be candid, and he knows if I disagree, I will tell him. Decisions affecting the public health of the American people must reflect the economic distress and sacrifices that are being borne in communities across Vermont and the nation. And to succeed, they must be based on facts and medic… Continue Reading
04.15.20
Leahy, Sanders, Welch Announce More Than $9 Million In Grants To Support Vermont’s Airports
(WEDNESDAY, April 15, 2020) - Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Senator Bernie Sanders, (I-Vt.), and Representative Peter Welch (D-Vt.) Wednesday announced $9,020,115 in grants to support 10 Vermont airports during the COVID-19 crisis. The funds are part of $10 billion in federal assistance for airports included in the CARES Act that was passed by Congress and signed into law last month. As Vice Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Leahy played a leading role in securing the funding f… Continue Reading
04.14.20
Comment On President Trump’s Slashing Of U.S. Contributions To The World Health Organization Amid The Global COVID-19 Pandemic
"Withholding funds for WHO in the midst of the worst pandemic in a century makes as much sense as cutting off ammunition to an ally as the enemy closes in. The White House knows that it grossly mishandled this crisis from the beginning, ignoring multiple warnings and squandering valuable time, dismissing medical science, comparing COVID 19 to the common cold, and saying 'everything will be fine'. Even after restricting flights from China which the President likes to brag about after praising C… Continue Reading
04.13.20
Leahy And Stabenow Lead Letter Urging USDA To Take Immediate Action To Support Dairy Farmers
(MONDAY, April 13, 2020) - Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), the most senior member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, and Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), the Committee's Ranking Member, on Monday led 23 other senators in sending a letter to Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue urging immediate action to support the nation's dairy farmers and stabilize dairy markets amid the sharp decline caused by COVID-19. The health emergency's impact on dairy prices has alre… Continue Reading
04.13.20
Brown, Murkowski, Stabenow, Bipartisan Senators Press USDA To Provide Relief For Local Farmers During COVID-19 Pandemic
Senators also Urging USDA to Conduct Outreach for Underserved Farmers, Establish a National Hotline to Manage Incoming Producer Inquiries and Simplify the Application Process WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. Sens. Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Lisa Murkowski (R-AL), and Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) led a bipartisan group of senators in urging the Trump Administration to provide relief for local farmers who are struggling as the nation works to combat the spread of COVID-19. In a letter sent to U.S. Department of Agricu… Continue Reading
04.09.20
Brown, Senate Dems Urge Regulators to End Attempts to Weaken the Community Reinvestment Act
U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs today led 42 Senate Democrats in calling for the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) to rescind their Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) proposed rule, which would weaken this critical civil rights law. In their letter to regulators, the Senators called for the FDIC and OCC to listen to the input of community organizatio… Continue Reading
04.08.20
Klobuchar, Schneider, Colleagues Urge Administration to Increase Number of Doctors in Rural and Other Medically Underserved Areas
In a letter to USCIS Acting Director Cuccinelli, Klobuchar, Schneider, and colleagues call on USCIS to address its administrative needs without sacrificing access to health care in underserved areas during a pandemic WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Representative Brad Schneider (D-IL-10) along with colleagues in both the House and the Senate, wrote to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) urging the Administration to resume premium processing for physicians seekin… Continue Reading
04.08.20
Comments On Senator Bernie Sanders’ Decision To Suspend His Campaign
Bernie has been a strong voice on behalf of working people across America. His strong personal feelings came through as he announced the suspension of his campaign. My fellow Vermonters have long known what so many others have seen: a consistent advocate for health care for all, for economic justice, and for a democracy that remains in the hands of the American people as it should and not in the hands of a few. He is my partner in the Senate, and my friend of decades. I look forward to conti… Continue Reading
04.08.20
Comment On The President’s Remarks About The World Health Organization
"The World Health Organization does need reform, just as it needs the strong support of the United States and other countries in order to do its job. But such complaints also apply to President Trump, who ignored numerous warnings, downplayed the threat, discounted medical science and squandered valuable time that could have saved countless lives. He continues to shamelessly and relentlessly try to shift responsibility for his disastrous response to the coronavirus to anyone and everyone excep… Continue Reading
04.07.20
Leahy Leads Judiciary Committee Democrats In Demanding Answers About DHS’ Newly Claimed Authorities To Override Federal Laws At Southern Border
(TUESDAY, April 7, 2020) - Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) led all Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee - the Senate committee with jurisdiction over immigration laws, humanitarian protection laws, and constitutional oversight - in demanding answers about the Department of Homeland Security exploiting the COVID-19 pandemic by claiming new, sweeping powers to summarily expel large, unknown numbers of individuals arriving at our border in clear contravention of existing federal laws. The Jud… Continue Reading
04.03.20
Brown, Hassan, Bennet, Booker Lead Letter Calling On Administration To Ensure Veterans, SSI Beneficiaries Get Stimulus Checks Automatically
Today, U.S. Senators Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Michael Bennet (D-CO) and Cory Booker (D-NJ) led a group of 45 colleagues in calling on the Trump Administration to issue stimulus checks automatically to recipients of benefits through the Department of Veterans Affairs or the Supplemental Security Income program. In their letter, the Senators point out that these are two groups with large amounts of non-filers and groups that the federal government has the data necessary to deliv… Continue Reading
04.02.20
Leahy Presses Administration To Remedy Returned Peace Corps Volunteers’ Difficulties In Securing Job Opportunities And Unemployment Benefits
Read the first letter here. Read the second letter here.… Continue Reading
04.01.20
Hassan, Brown, Colleagues Call for Social Security Recipients to Get CARES Act Direct Cash Assistance Without Having to File Tax Return
While the CARES Act that the president signed into law last week ensured that the Treasury Department had the authority to send automatic direct cash assistance to Social Security beneficiaries regardless of whether they file taxes or not, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) released contradictory guidance earlier this week stating that Social Security beneficiaries would need to file tax returns in order to receive direct payments. Senators Maggie Hassan (D-NH) and Sherrod Brown (D-OH) led a g… Continue Reading
04.01.20
Meeting the Needs of States
H.R. 748, the CARES ActMeeting the Needs of States, Local Governments, and Tribes(Prepared By The Office Of Vice Chairman Leahy (D-Vt.) Division B of H.R. 748, the CARES Act, contains $340 billion in new discretionary funding toaddress the needs of the American people as we confront the coronavirus pandemic. Below is asummary of programs funded in the bill that will be awarded directly to state and localgovernment agencies, to tribes, or that will be provided to non-profit organizations in thes… Continue Reading
03.31.20
REAX From Senator Patrick Leahy And Senator Mike Lee On The DOJ OIG Interim FISA Report
(TUESDAY, March 31, 2020) - On Tuesday the Department of Justice Office of Inspector General released a Management Advisory Memorandum to FBI Director Christopher Wray identifying concerns with the FBI's compliance with the "Woods Procedures" for FISA applications relating to U.S. persons. Woods Procedures are vitally important to the integrity of the entire FISA process, as they are designed to ensure that the government presents a complete, accurate assessment of the facts to the FISA court. B… Continue Reading
03.27.20
Statement On President Trump Signing The Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act
Addressing a public health and economic crisis unprecedented in our time is only possible when there are no labels at the negotiating table. That is what we accomplished today. Republicans and Democrats came together to help the American people. We dealt with reality and not rhetoric. This legislation will provide significant resources to those on the front lines of this crisis, and to people in communities across the country who are making great sacrifices to protect themselves, their famil… Continue Reading
03.25.20
LEAHY: Coronavirus Emergency Relief Bill Will Bring More Than $1 Billion to Vermont
(WEDNESDAY, March 26, 2020) - Vermont Senator Patrick Leahy announced Wednesday that Vermont is poised to receive more than a billion dollars in federal resources in the emergency spending package poised to pass Congress this week. The Senate passed it at Midnight. Leahy, as the Vice Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, is a lead negotiator of provisions in the bill that will direct formula funding to the state to combat the spread of COVID-19 and support those on the front lines c… Continue Reading
03.25.20
Remarks On The Coronavirus Aid, Relief And Economic Security Act
America is at an inflection point. We are facing a public health crisis unlike any we have seen in generations. Governments at every level are racing to respond, react, and mitigate the crisis. Communities and counties are fearful their hospital systems will be overrun, and needed supplies are unavailable. States are struggling to support local and state-wide economies that are increasingly hit with store closures and business suspensions. Unfortunately, the federal government - starting wi… Continue Reading
