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Search Senator Leahy’s press releases, floor statements, and Committee speeches by date or by subject.
For the last time as a Senator, Patrick Leahy will keynote State Dept. conference on implementation of the Leahy Laws (human rights tools)
[AVAILABLE BY LIVESTREAM ON TUESDAY MORNING (Sept. 6)] Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) on Tuesday morning will offer keynote remarks at the State Department's two-day conference on implementation of the Leahy Law, which has become the most effective human rights tool in the U.S. human rights toolbox. This will be Leahy's last appearance at the periodic conference in his role as a U.S. Senator. The Leahy Law was written and championed by Leahy through the years, attached by him to various appropr… Continue Reading
09.02.22
Senator Leahy Announces U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen As Keynote Speaker At His 25th Annual Women’s Economic Opportunity Conference On October 1, 2022
(FRIDAY, Sept. 2, 2022) - U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., says he is extremely pleased to announce that U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet L. Yellen will give the keynote address at the 25th Annual Women's Economic Opportunity Conference in October. "I could not be more pleased to welcome Secretary Yellen to Vermont," said Leahy. "She's a trailblazer in her field. Before becoming the first woman to head the Treasury Department, she was the first woman to head to the Federal Reserve. As her acc… Continue Reading
08.30.22
Statement On The Death Of Mikhail Gorbachev
"He was a bold leader who was unafraid to confront reality and to envision an historic, constructive and humane path forward for his country and for the world. I met him both in Russia and here at home and photographed him with President GHW Bush signing an arms agreement, when I talked with them both. He believed in a modern Russia and would never be the war criminal that Putin is." # # # # #… Continue Reading
08.25.22
Reaction Of Senator Patrick Leahy To Secretary Austin’s Orders To Better Protect Civilians During U.S. Combat Operations
"For decades, I and many others have called on the Pentagon, even in legislation, to overhaul the way it prevents and responds to civilian casualties. For the most part, we were ignored. This is an important, positive step which unfortunately comes far too late for the people of Afghanistan and Iraq. Now everything depends on how it is implemented in practice." # # # # #… Continue Reading
08.24.22
Leahy, Sanders, Welch And Scott Announce $5.8 Million In Northern Border Regional Commission Grants For 14 Vermont Communities
(WEDNESDAY, Aug. 24, 2022) - U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) together with U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Congressman Peter Welch (D-Vt.) and Governor Phil Scott, and the Northern Border Regional Commission (NBRC), announced Wednesday that 14 Vermont communities will be receiving a combined $5.8 million from NBRC's State Economic and Infrastructure Development program. Leahy, chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, has long championed funding for the NBRC, securing funding increa… Continue Reading
08.24.22
Statement On President Biden’s Student Loan Debt Forgiveness Announcement
(WEDNESDAY, Aug. 24, 2022) -- Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) released the following comments on the President's announcement Wednesday on student loan debt forgiveness: "I commend the President for proposing a way to help people with student debt. At home in Vermont, UVM for instance has recognized these challenges and refrained from tuition increases for the last four years while our state colleges strive to provide affordable access to higher education for Vermont's students. The cost of hig… Continue Reading
08.11.22
Delegation Hails Increased Affordable Housing Production Resulting From New Biden Administration Guidance
(THURSDAY, Aug. 11, 2022) - Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Representative Peter Welch (D-VT) applauded the Biden Administration's announcement that it removed barriers to states and localities investing American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) dollars in new housing. The new guidance will make it easier to build affordable housing by allowing states and local governments to make long-term housing loans with ARPA funds. This change opens up access to Low-Income Housing … Continue Reading
08.10.22
Leahy, Sanders And Welch Applaud Over $34 Million In U.S. DOT Investments In Three Vermont Infrastructure Projects.
(WEDNESDAY, Aug. 10, 2022) -- Senator Patrick Leahy (D), Senator Bernie Sanders (I), Representative Peter Welch (D) and state and local officials announced Wednesday that the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) has awarded Vermont three Rebuilding American Infrastructure With Sustainability And Equity (RAISE) grants totaling $34,624,624 for Fiscal Year 2022. The grants will support three projects in Vermont: replacing the Winooski River Bridge; construction of the Federal Street Multi-Mod… Continue Reading
08.07.22
Statement On Passage Of The Inflation Reduction Act
"The Senate's historic vote today represents a stark choice between two divergent views. The first, that we must do all we can to help American families, our seniors, and our economy. The second, that we should ignore the soaring costs of healthcare - and of particular prescription drugs - and the existential threats of climate change. The choice could not be clearer, and yet it is mired in partisan politics. "Today the Senate advanced a once-in-a-generation bill to meaningfully address the … Continue Reading
08.07.22
Statement On Colombia’s Next Government
Mr. LEAHY. On August 7, Colombia's newly elected President Gustavo Petro and Vice President Francia Marquez will begin their four year term. Their election represents a sharp break from the past. The new government is inheriting every imaginable problem. Regrettably, the country has made minimal progress since the signing of the 2016 Peace Accord that ended five decades of armed conflict with the FARC, and in some parts of the country narcotics-related violence is worse. The previous govern… Continue Reading
08.06.22
Statement On The Need for Peace and Democracy in South Sudan
Statement of Senator Patrick Leahy On The Need for Peace and Democracy in South Sudan Congressional Record August 6, 2022 Mr. LEAHY. I have spoken twice this year about the despair and insecurity that are a daily reality for the people of South Sudan, despite independence eleven years ago that held so much promise and hope for that country. On January 6 and 31, I noted that the country's independence was a result of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), which took years of negotiations fac… Continue Reading
08.02.22
Tillis And Leahy Introduce Bipartisan Legislation To Improve Patent Quality
Today, U.S. Senators Thom Tillis (R-NC) and Patrick Leahy (D-VT) introduced the Patent Examination and Quality Improvement Act of 2022, legislation to evaluate and improve the patent examination process and the overall quality of patents issued by the USPTO. This legislation would evaluate prior and current initiatives and pilot programs relating to the quality of patents. It would evaluate the need for greater clarity in terms of what constitutes patent quality, the setting of patent quality m… Continue Reading
08.01.22
Durbin, Colleagues Continue To Press Ice On Overdose Of Solitary Confinement
U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and Senators Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Cory Booker (D-NJ), and Alex Padilla (D-CA) today sent a second letter to Acting Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Tae D. Johnson regarding ICE's overuse of solitary confinement in detention facilities. Today's letter follows Acting Director Johnson's response to the Senators' Februar… Continue Reading
08.01.22
Durbin, Warnock, Senate Democrats Call On Biden Administration To Increase The Rate Of Refugee Admissions
U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and U.S. Senator Raphael Warnock (D-GA) today led 28 of their Senate Democratic colleagues in calling on the Biden Administration to work urgently to increase the rate of refugee admissions for the remainder of Fiscal Year (FY) 2022. In a letter to President Joe Biden, the Senators further urge the President to maintain or increase the target of 125,000 refugee admissions in FY 2023 and take meaningful steps t… Continue Reading
08.01.22
Leahy Announces Farm To School Funding For NOFA-VT
(MONDAY, Aug. 1, 2022) - U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy, D-Vt, Monday announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has awarded $395,201 to the Vermont Northeast Organic Farming Association of Vermont (NOFA-VT) to support Farm to School initiatives across the state, including those getting local foods to childcare centers and preschools. "Feeding nutritious, local foods to our children has obvious benefits for both children and farmers," said Leahy, chair of the Senate Appropriations and… Continue Reading
08.01.22
Senate Appropriations Chairman Patrick Leahy Announces $212 Million For Vermont Projects In Senate Appropriations Bills
(MONDAY, Aug. 1, 2022) - Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Monday announced that more than $212 million in Congressionally Directed Spending (CDS) for 38 projects across Vermont were included in the Senate Appropriations bills that he released at the end of last week. The 12 annual Appropriations Bills fund the federal government. Leahy was also able to secure formula funding increases and programmatic changes to support longtime Vermont priorities… Continue Reading
07.29.22
Leahy, As Senate President Pro Tempore, Signs Landmark Semiconductor And Science Bill, Sending To The President The Bill That Funds The CHIPS Act And Providing Funding For Enhancement Of Domestic Production Of Semiconductors, And Supports Vital Scientific Initiatives
Senator Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., and President Pro Tem of the Senate, said: "Today I was pleased to make my first official act on returning to the Capitol my signing of the CHIPS + Science bill." His signature, and Speaker Nancy Pelosi's (D-Calif.), are requisite before congressionally passed bills can be sent to the President's desk for his signature. "As I signed, I thought of all the amazing Vermonters who I have met over the years who work hard in designing and producing the semiconductor c… Continue Reading
07.29.22
(UPDATE, Friday, 12:45 p.m., July 29) – Statement From The Office Of Senator Patrick Leahy
Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) was discharged Friday from the rehabilitation facility where he has undergone a rigorous schedule of twice-daily physical therapy sessions for several weeks. He has returned with Marcelle to his house in McLean, Va. He, Marcelle and his medical team are pleased with the progress that he has made after two surgeries related to his hip replacement. On the way to his house, he went to the Capitol to sign the newly passed CHIPS + Science Bill, for which his signatur… Continue Reading
07.28.22
Van Hollen, Leahy Announce Appropriations Language Requiring State Department Report On The Shooting Death of American Journalist Shireen Abu Akleh
Today, U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), a member of the Appropriations Subcommittee on State and Foreign Operations, and Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Chairman of the Appropriations Committee, announced the inclusion of legislative text within the Committee-released State and Foreign Operations report requiring the Secretary of State to submit a report to Congress on the steps taken to facilitate and support an independent, credible, and transparent investigation into the shooting death of Ameri… Continue Reading
07.28.22
Leahy, Murray, Coons Introduce $21 Billion Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Bill To Address The Ongoing COVID Crisis And Other Emerging Diseases
(Thursday, July 28, 2022) - Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Chair Patty Murray (D-Wash.), and Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Chairman Christopher Coons (D-Del.) Thursday introduced a $21 billion emergency supplemental funding bill to provide the necessary resources to prepare for the next phase of the COVID-… Continue Reading
