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Search Senator Leahy’s press releases, floor statements, and Committee speeches by date or by subject.
Leahy, Sanders And Welch Announce $1.35 Million In Brownfields Grants For Vermont
Senator Patrick Leahy, Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Representative Peter Welch (D-Vt.) announced Wednesday that four Vermont organizations will share a total of $1.35 million in Brownfields Program assessment and cleanup grants from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Brownfields grants allow communities to clean up contaminated properties, facilitating their redevelopment and reuse and improving local economies. In a joint statement, Leahy, Sanders and Welch said: "These sizeable… Continue Reading
04.24.18
Statement Regarding Hearing On The Fiscal Year 2019 Budget Request For USAID
Statement Of Senator Patrick Leahy, Vice Chairman Of The Appropriations Committee, And Ranking Member Of The State Department And Foreign Operations Subcommittee Hearing On The Fiscal Year 2019 Budget Request For USAID April 24, 2018 I join Chairman Graham in welcoming Administrator Green. President Trump's fiscal year 2019 budget repeats most of the cuts in his budget request last year, which was widely criticized by military leaders, foreign policy experts, the international development and… Continue Reading
04.20.18
Leahy Statement On The Need For A Strategy On Syria
Mr. President, the magnitude of atrocities and devastation in Syria caused by ISIS and the Assad regime, with support from Russia and Iran, is appalling. When this calamity began in 2011, I doubt anyone predicted it would come to this. Hundreds of thousands of people killed. Half the population of the country displaced, many living as refugees in neighboring countries. Whole cities reduced to rubble riddled with landmines and booby traps. For years, I, like others here, have called for a c… Continue Reading
04.19.18
David Moats, A Vermont Treasure
In this week when new Pulitzer Prizes were awarded to outstanding reporters and courageous news organizations, I want to take a moment, on behalf of all Vermonters, to recognize and thank an earlier Pulitzer Prize winning journalist, Vermont's own David Moats. Until earlier this year, David has been the editorial page editor and the editorial page voice of The Rutland Herald. David Moats is a Green Mountain treasure. John Walters of the newspaper Seven Days called David "a beacon of quality" in… Continue Reading
04.19.18
Leahy’s Appropriations Work Provides $792,000 To Improve Electronic Medical Records At The Vermont Veterans’ Home In Bennington
Senator Patrick Leahy, joined by Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Representative Peter Welch (D-Vt.), announced a $792,000 grant to bring the medical records system at the Vermont Veterans' Home in Bennington into the 21st century. The grant meets a longstanding priority of the Bennington facility and was made possible by new funding for veterans in the bipartisan budget agreement reached by Congress in February. Leahy, Vice Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, played a leading r… Continue Reading
04.17.18
Comment Of Senator Patrick Leahy On The Passing Of Barbara Bush
Marcelle and I honor the memory of Barbara Bush and send our condolences to her husband President Bush and her family. We first knew her when George Bush was Vice President and she spent time with the Senate spouses while her husband was President of the Senate. Over the years we treasured time with both of them and cherished the warmth of her friendship and her wit and her good humor. Hers was a life well lived.… Continue Reading
04.17.18
ALL Senate & House Judiciary Committee Dems, In Letter to AG Sessions, Condemn Recent DOJ Acts Undermining Due Process Protections For Immigrants
U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), U.S. Congressman Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.), and U.S. Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.) have led all Senate and House Judiciary Democrats in a letter condemning recent actions by the Justice Department undermining basic due process protections for immigrants. As Members of the committees of jurisdiction over the Justice Department, immigration law, and constitutional law, they raised concerns that the Justice Department's actions flo… Continue Reading
04.14.18
Statement Of Senator Patrick Leahy On The Trump Administration's Strike On Syria
"The use of chemical weapons is a crime against humanity that calls for an appropriate response. But it is Congress' responsibility to declare war. Threatening the use of military force by tweet, and firing off missiles without a coherent policy or clear legal authority, raises obvious dangers and constitutional concerns and risks drawing us into a wider war. The President needs to be crystal clear with the American people and with the Congress about what our goals are in Syria and how he inte… Continue Reading
04.12.18
Guns, Commonsense, And Vermont's Example
I am a proud Vermonter. My family has lived there for over 150 years. Yesterday, Vermont set an example for the Congress, and for the Nation. A Democratically controlled legislature and a Republican Governor, in a rural State with a strong gun-owning tradition and very few gun laws, worked together to debate, forge, and enact meaningful, commonsense gun safety laws. Yesterday, Governor Phil Scott, who is a Republican, signed three bills into law. They expand background checks, require tho… Continue Reading
04.06.18
Grassley, Goodlatte, Leahy Urge Trump Administration to Finalize EB-5 Regulatory Reforms
In a joint letter to the Secretary of Homeland Security, Senate and House Judiciary Committee chairmen Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) and former Senate Judiciary Committee chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) urged the swift implementation of regulations that would drastically curtail the amount of fraud and abuse that has become common in the EB-5 regional center program. "As we have noted several times since the publication of these proposed regulations, they would, if finalized,… Continue Reading
04.03.18
Leahy: USDA Reopens Enrollment For Much-Improved Dairy Safety Net Under Recently Enacted Leahy Reforms
Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) announced Tuesday that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will be reopening the enrollment next week for the much-improved Margin Protection Program for Dairy (MPP-Dairy). The changes implement improvements that Leahy included in the Bipartisan Budget Act in February to give Vermont dairy farmers a far more cost-effective risk protection option. Reopening enrollment is especially important now as dairy farmers are experiencing a difficult year with falling … Continue Reading
03.29.18
Leahy And Other Appropriations Leaders Meet With NATO Officials On National Security Threats
Senator Patrick Leahy and other members of the Senate and House Appropriations Committees will meet today and Friday with NATO officials, at NATO Headquarters in Brussels, about national security issues facing the United States and its NATO allies. The meetings come as the United States and the NATO allies are acting to counter a variety of security threats, especially from Russia, which include interference in elections, the conflict in Syria, cyber warfare, and the attempted murder on English… Continue Reading
03.24.18
A Tribute To Vermont's Students In The March For Our Lives In Montpelier And Washington
A Tribute To Vermont's Students In The March For Our Lives In Montpelier And Washington Marcelle and I, and Vermonters across our state, are so proud of you. We admire your energy, your clarity, and your personal investment of time and action. I can tell you this: America not only is seeing and hearing you; America is LISTENING to you. You're already making a difference in Vermont and in other states. On Friday, the Vermont House acted on landmark gun safety legislation, after hearing Vermont… Continue Reading
03.23.18
Vice Chairman Leahy REAX On The President’s Veto Threat For the Omnibus Appropriations Bill
Comment Of Appropriations Committee Vice Chair Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) On The President's Veto Threat For the Omnibus Appropriations Bill, Which Cleared Congress Early This Morning "Now the President threatens to abandon $700 billion for the troops, and health care for 7 million veterans, for his misbegotten border wall that he said Mexico would pay for. That is NOT Making America Great Again. "I have this message for President Trump: Mr. President, you terminated protections for DACA recipients… Continue Reading
03.23.18
Leahy REAX On The Passage Of The Fiscal Year 2018 Omnibus Appropriations Bill
[Vice Chairman Patrick Leahy early Friday morning released the following statement on passage of the fiscal year 2018 Omnibus Appropriations Bill, which passed the Senate by a vote of 65 to 32. Leahy earlier released a summary of the bill and paid tribute to Chairman Thad Cochran (R-Miss.) who is retiring in April. Leahy's full statement on the bill from the Senate Floor Thursday afternoon can be found here.] By lifting the spending caps set in place by the Budget Control Act, we have been ab… Continue Reading
03.22.18
Vice Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) Statement On The Fiscal Year 2018 Omnibus Appropriations Act
After months of intense negotiations, tough choices, and good-faith compromises, we have reached a bipartisan agreement to fund the government for this fiscal year, make renewed investments in the American people, and protect our national security. The Fiscal Year 2018 Omnibus Appropriations Bill provides $1.3 trillion in discretionary spending, including $700 billion for defense programs to support our men and women in uniform, and $600 billion for non-defense programs that will help us inves… Continue Reading
03.22.18
Leahy Secures Legislation In The Omnibus Appropriations Bill To Make Taxpayer-Funded Congressional Research Reports Available To The Public
Senator Patrick Leahy secured a key transparency win in the Omnibus Appropriations Bill - which funds the federal government for the rest of this fiscal year - released Wednesday night. The final bill includes a provision he added to make all non-confidential reports prepared by the Congressional Research Service (CRS) freely available to public schools and libraries across the country. That means they will be freely available online to individuals, schools and universities, researchers, and l… Continue Reading
03.22.18
Leahy Secures New Funding For LIHEAP In Omnibus Appropriations Bill
Senator Patrick Leahy announced a $250 million increase to the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) in the Omnibus Appropriations Bill released Wednesday night. The inclusion of funds not only rejects President Trump's efforts to eliminate LIHEAP, but it brings total funding for the program to $3.64 billion. Leahy said the new investment is estimated to secure $1.39 million in additional funds for Vermont, bringing the Green Mountain State's total LIHEAP funding to $20.4 million … Continue Reading
03.22.18
Leahy Secures Significant Boost For Lake Champlain Funding In Omnibus Appropriations Bill
Senator Patrick Leahy has announced that the final Omnibus Appropriations Bill unveiled on Wednesday night includes millions of dollars for cleanup and research of the Lake Champlain Basin. Leahy said: "Lake Champlain will always be our 'great lake.' These investments will continue and expand the work being done to ensure that Lake Champlain's resources and beauty are preserved for us and for our children and grandchildren. I am proud of the efforts that Vermonters are making for Lake Champl… Continue Reading
03.22.18
Appropriations Vice Chair Leahy Senate Floor Tribute to Senator Thad Cochran
I have often felt that Senator Thad Cochran was plucked from Central Casting to fill the role of a devoted public servant. More than most of us, he looks the part, and more than most of us, he embodies the best of what the Senate can be. Our country needs more public servants like Thad. As Congress has become more partisan in recent years, Thad has stood by his values. He brings substance, not soundbites, to the Upper Chamber, and his leadership as "The Quiet Persuader" will be sorely misse… Continue Reading
