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Search Senator Leahy’s press releases, floor statements, and Committee speeches by date or by subject.
Statement On FY23 Funding Request For The FBI, And Remarks On The Texas School Shooting
Twenty-one victims. Twenty-one families, waking up this morning with a hole in their hearts. Nineteen children. Murdered. Gun violence is an epidemic that cannot be overstated. It cannot be ignored. It cannot be hidden behind the guise of an unassailable Second Amendment argument. I am not politicizing this moment. I am not over reacting. I am angry. Angry that 19 more children, and two adults fighting to protect them, have been murdered. I am angry that today, Congress is willing to ju… Continue Reading
05.25.22
Statement On Gun Violence And The Horrific Mass School Shooting In Texas
Gun violence continues to plague our country, and I am outraged. Nearly 10 years ago, 20 children - and six adults - were slaughtered at Sandy Hook Elementary. Nothing has changed. Nothing - except more lives have been lost. Today, 21 families are waking up this morning with a hole in their hearts. Nineteen children. Murdered. Gun violence is an epidemic that cannot be overstated. It cannot be ignored. It cannot be hidden behind the guise of an unassailable Second Amendment argument. Y… Continue Reading
05.24.22
Leahy Joins In Introducing Legislation To Expand Access To Clean, Affordable Heating And Cooling
(TUESDAY, May 24, 2022) - Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and other senators have joined together to introduce legislation to expand access to clean, affordable heating and lower energy costs for consumers. The Heating Efficiency and Affordability through Tax Relief (HEATR) Act would create a manufacturer tax credit to incentivize production of high-efficiency, safe, and affordable heat pumps. Chief sponsor of the bill is Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN). Cosponsoring the bill in addition to Leahy a… Continue Reading
05.23.22
Statement On The Reappointment Of Guatemalan Attorney General Maria Consuelo Porras
Many hoped that President Giammattei would keep his word and reject the corruption and impunity that his predecessors institutionalized. The reappointment of Attorney General Porras, who according to the State Department has "repeatedly obstructed and undermined anti-corruption investigations," shows that nothing has changed. Democracy cannot survive without an independent judiciary, which Attorney General Porras has sought to dismantle by abusing her authority to persecute prosecutors and ju… Continue Reading
05.20.22
Statement On Alaa Abdel Fattah
Mr. LEAHY. Last month, dozens of Egyptian political prisoners, including journalists, opposition activists, and lawmakers, were released from pretrial detention - the second group since July last year. These individuals had been behind bars on charges of spreading fake news and collaborating with a terrorist organization - accusations that are frequently used to silence critics of the al Sisi government. These releases were welcome news, but thousands of other opposition figures remain behin… Continue Reading
05.20.22
Statement On The Death Of Shireen Abu Akleh
Mr. LEAHY. I join Secretary Blinken in calling for a thorough, impartial investigation of the tragic death of widely respected Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, in the Jenin refugee camp on May 4th. According to press reports, Israel has already launched an investigation. Some Members of Congress have called for the FBI to be involved. I echo that recommendation. The investigation will also require the participation of Palestinian authorities. Too often, shootings of unarme… Continue Reading
05.19.22
Leahy’s Dual Role In Today’s Big Win For Additional UKRAINE Appropriations Aid (Plus Photo LINK) –
As Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee Leahy worked on forging the Ukraine aid package that was approved this afternoon in a strong bipartisan Senate vote. Then an hour later, Leahy, in his additional role as President Pro Tem of the Senate, signed the bill that now has been passed by the House and the Senate, a requirement before it could be sent to President Biden for his signature. LINK TO PHOTO OF LEAHY SIGNING THE UKRAINE APPROPRIATIONS PACKAGE IN HIS SENATE PRO TEM OFFICE: htt… Continue Reading
05.19.22
Statement On Senate Passage Of The Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Bill For Ukraine
In just a few moments, the Senate will pass H.R. 7691, an emergency supplemental to provide funding to Ukraine and to stem the global hunger crisis exacerbated by Vladimir Putin's unprovoked war. It is a shame that because of the actions of one Senator we could not pass this urgently needed bill, which will receive overwhelming bipartisan support, last week. To confront Vladimir Putin on the global stage, we must stand united. Tomorrow, I will be leading a delegation to Brussels to receive a… Continue Reading
05.18.22
Leahy And Bipartisan, Bicameral Coalition In Congress Introduce Bill To Broaden War Crimes Jurisdiction
(WEDNESDAY, May 18, 2022) - Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) is part of a bipartisan, bicameral group of lawmakers who Wednesday introduced legislation to broaden the scope of individuals subject to prosecution for war crimes. The Justice for Victims of War Crimes Act updates the current war crimes statute to enable prosecution of war criminals in the United States regardless of the location or targets of their atrocities. The legislation also extends the statute of limitations for war crimes disco… Continue Reading
05.17.22
Statement On U.S. Policy Toward Cuba
The White House's announcement -- devoid of details and after 17 months of an unnecessary review -- that it will begin to shift its Cuba policy back toward what it was under President Obama, is a timid but very welcome step. It is indisputable that the policy of pressuring Cuba's authorities to abandon their one-party authoritarian rule has completely failed, despite six decades of punishing, unilateral sanctions. Yet just as the Cubans remain wedded to a failed political and economic system … Continue Reading
05.16.22
Statement On The Emergency Supplemental Funding For Ukraine And Global Food Aid
The horrors we have witnessed in the weeks and months following Vladimir Putin's unprovoked attack on Ukraine are an abomination and an affront to all civilized people. Entire communities wiped from the face of the earth. Countless lives ruined. Unarmed civilians summarily executed randomly in the street. Millions of desperate people fleeing everything they have ever known because of one man's zeal to destroy whatever is necessary to realize his own twisted vision of the world. All of this … Continue Reading
05.13.22
Leahy And Grassley Introduce Bill To Bolster The Patents For Humanity Program That Recognizes And Rewards Inventors Who Address Global Humanitarian Challenges
(FRIDAY, May 13, 2022) - Senators Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Charles Grassley (R-IA) have introduced the Patents for Humanity Act of 2022 in the Senate. Representatives Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) and Victoria Spartz (R-IN) introduced a companion bill in the House that passed by voice vote in April. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's Patents for Humanity Program recognizes and rewards inventors who address global humanitarian challenges. Since its inception in 2012, Leahy and Grassley have been … Continue Reading
05.12.22
Cornyn, Leahy Bill Combatting Cybersecurity Attacks Signed Into Law
(THURSDAY, May 12, 2022) -- U.S. Senators John Cornyn (R-TX) and Patrick Leahy (D-VT) Thursday released the following statements after their National Cybersecurity Preparedness Consortium Act, which will authorize the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to work with the National Cybersecurity Preparedness Consortium (NCPC) to help prepare for and respond to cybersecurity risks at the national, state, and local levels, was signed into law: "We've already seen an increase in cyberattacks during … Continue Reading
05.12.22
Leahy, Collins, Wyden Lead In Introducing Bipartisan LIFELINE Act To Unlock American Rescue Plan Funds For Affordable Housing Development
(THURSDAY, May 12, 2022) - Senators Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Angus King (I-Maine), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Jack Reed (D-R.I), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) on Thursday introduced the bipartisan S. 4181 LIFELINE Act (LIHTC Financing Enabling Long-term Investment in Neighborhood Excellence), to improve the use of state and local and Fiscal Recovery … Continue Reading
05.12.22
Leahy And Tillis Introduce Bill To Facilitate Music-Related Cultural Exchange Programs
(THURSDAY, May 12, 2022) - Senators Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Thom Tillis (R-NC) on Thursday introduced the Promoting Peace, Education, and Cultural Exchange (PEACE) through Music Diplomacy Act. This bipartisan and bicameral bill authorizes the State Department to facilitate music-related exchange programs, including those focused on conflict resolution, with other countries. A companion bill was introduced in the House last year by Representatives Michael McCaul (R-TX) and Ted Deutch (D-FL). … Continue Reading
05.12.22
Leahy Joins In Introducing Supreme Court Ethics, Recusal, And Transparency Act
(THURSDAY, May 12, 2022) - Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Brian Schatz (D-HI), and Cory Booker (D-NJ) have introduced a new version of the Twenty-First Century Courts Act to promote accountability and increase transparency in the federal courts. The Supreme Court Ethics, Recusal, and Transparency Act was marked up in the House Judiciary Committee last night, teeing it up for a vote in the full Ho… Continue Reading
05.11.22
Statement On The Tenth Anniversary Of The Massacre at Ahuas, Honduras
Mr. LEAHY. Ten years ago today a joint counter-narcotics team of Honduran security agents and U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) officers opened fire on a water taxi as it approached Ahuas, a small town located in the remote Mosquitia region of northeastern Honduras. The canoe-like taxi was carrying families traveling between the indigenous Miskito villages that populate the shores of the Patuca River when it was shot at repeatedly by the counter-narcotics officers, leaving two women… Continue Reading
05.11.22
Comment On The Women’s Health Protection Act
This is a debate about the Women's Health Protection Act. Protecting women's health. Protecting half America's population in their right to seek the health care they require. Protecting their ability, half of America, to make decisions about their own bodies. How is this a question even up for debate? Today the Senate considers the Women's Health Protection Act. A woman's right to make choices about her own body is a constitutional right. It was affirmed by the Supreme Court nearly 50 yea… Continue Reading
05.10.22
REAX On House Passage Of The Emergency Supplemental For Ukraine And Global Food Aid
After weeks of negotiations, I am glad that tonight the House passed the emergency supplemental funding bill to provide emergency humanitarian and military aid to Ukraine. Importantly, this supplemental also begins to address the escalating global hunger crisis that is trailing in the wake of Vladimir Putin's unprovoked war. The bill provides $40.1 billion - $7.1 billion more than what the Administration requested - in critical military and humanitarian assistance for Ukraine. This includes $… Continue Reading
05.05.22
Bipartisan NOPEC Bill Backed By Leahy Is OKd By The Senate Judiciary Committee
(THURSDAY, May 5, 2022) - Bipartisan legislation backed by Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) to crack down on anticompetitive behavior by foreign oil producing nations advanced Thursday in the Senate Judiciary Committee. The bill now goes to the full Senate. The No Oil Producing and Exporting Cartels Act, or NOPEC, will let the federal government take action against price fixing by OPEC, the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, and its partner nations. The bill is sponsored by Senator Ch… Continue Reading
