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Press Releases
Search Senator Leahy’s press releases, floor statements, and Committee speeches by date or by subject.
Leahy Statement On Passage Of The Juvenile Justice Reform Act And Short-Term Extension Of Runaway And Homeless Youth Programs
I have long supported Juvenile Justice programs, and I have long supported Runaway and Homeless Youth programs. During the 20 years I served as the top Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, and in my current role as the Vice Chairman of the Appropriations Committee, I have championed bipartisan reauthorizations and supported funding for these programs, overcoming the House of Representatives, which zeroes out Juvenile Justice programs in its appropriations bills year after year. These programs … Continue Reading
12.13.18
Menendez, Rubio, Durbin, Leahy Introduce Temporary Protected Status Legislation to Support Displaced Venezuelans
Today, Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, was joined by Senators Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), and Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) in introducing the Venezuela Temporary Protected Status and Asylum Assistance Act of 2018. The bipartisan legislation seeks to grant Temporary Protected Status for eligible Venezuelans fleeing the dire conditions in their home and to provide support for migration systems in the countries surrounding Venezuela.… Continue Reading
12.13.18
Leahy Floor Speech On The Senate Joint Resolution On Yemen
Mr. President, today we will vote on Senate Joint Resolution 54, which would remove the U.S. armed forces from hostilities in or affecting the country of Yemen, except those forces engaged in operations directed at al Qaeda or associated forces, unless and until a declaration of war or specific authorization for such use of U.S. armed forces has been enacted. I want to commend my distinguished friend from Vermont, Senator Sanders, for the leadership and perseverance he has shown on this issue… Continue Reading
12.12.18
Harwood Union Middle School
On December 12, 2018, Senator Leahy continued his series of online chats with Vermont students - this time, with Harwood Union Middle School's 7th and 8th grade classes, taught by Mr. Nicolas Gordon and Ms. Sarah Ibson. He enjoyed answering the students' questions about gun safety, environmental and pollution issues, and other topics. Senator Leahy talked about some of his most memorable votes during his time in the Senate and the importance of voter participation. This chat was Senator Leahy… Continue Reading
12.12.18
PROJECTED IMPACTS OF A TRUMP SHUTDOWN
More Than 420,000 Will Be Working Without Pay Including: More than 41,000 Federal Law Enforcement and Correctional Officers, Including: 2,614 ATF agents; 16,742 Bureau of Prisons correctional officers; 13,709 FBI agents; 3,600 deputy U.S. Marshals; and 4,399 DEA agents. Up To 88 Percent Of Department of Homeland Security Employees, Including: 53,000 TSA Employees; 54,000 Customs and Border Protection agents and customs offers; 42,000 Coast Guard employees As many as 5,000 Fo… Continue Reading
12.12.18
Senate & House Lawmakers Release Updated First Step Act
A bipartisan, bicameral group of lawmakers today released revised text of the First Step Act to continue building support for criminal justice reform. This update was brokered by the White House and a bipartisan group of lawmakers in both chambers of Congress. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Speaker Paul Ryan have pledged to take up the revised package before the end of the year. "Over the last several years, we've expanded support for comprehensive criminal justice reform by listening to s… Continue Reading
12.12.18
Leahy Statement On The Senate's Passage Of The Reciprocal Access To Tibet Act
Mr. President, this evening the Senate unanimously passed the Reciprocal Access to Tibet Act of 2018. I was one of the earliest cosponsors of this bill, and I strongly support it. For far too long, the Chinese government has tightly restricted access to Tibet, preventing U.S. diplomats and journalists from reporting on the systematic human rights abuses and destruction of Tibetan culture perpetrated by the Chinese government, and arbitrarily preventing Tibetan-Americans from visiting their fam… Continue Reading
12.12.18
Statement Of Appropriations Vice Chair Patrick Leahy On The Fearmongering Falsehoods Fueling President Trump's Fixation On The Wall: A REALITY CHECK
If Americans had any doubt that President Trump is fixated on wasting billions of dollars to wall off our 2,000 mile southern border, all they had to do was watch his jaw-dropping press conference yesterday, demanding another $5 billion of their hard earned tax dollars for his political pet project that he promised Mexico would pay for. Using words I never thought I would hear from a President, he boasted he would be, "proud to shut down the government" if Congress doesn't meet his funding dema… Continue Reading
12.11.18
Leahy Hails Senate Passage Of Five-Year Farm Bill
The U.S. Senate late Tuesday passed a new five-year Farm Bill that includes significant wins for Vermont families, dairy, organic and hemp farms, and the state's rural communities. As a member of the conference committee that negotiated the bill, Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) played a central role in shaping the final provisions that are vital to Vermont's economy, farmers, working landscape, the food and nutrition of Vermont's families, and the economic vitality of rural communities throughout… Continue Reading
12.07.18
Following Washington Post Report, Leahy And Other Senators Reiterate Calls For Full Disclosure Of Trump-Saudi Business Ties
A group of 11 Democratic senators, including Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Friday renewed their call for President Donald Trump and the Trump Organization to disclose any financial ties between the Trump Organization and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, following a Washington Post report that lobbyists representing the Saudi government paid for 500 rooms at the Trump D.C. hotel shortly after President Trump's election. Last month, after the Saudi-led killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, U.S. S… Continue Reading
12.06.18
Leahy Helps Vermont Score A Major $20 Million Investment In Rail Infrastructure
U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) announced Thursday that the Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans) will receive a $20 million federal award from the U.S. Department of Transportation's Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD) grant program. The funding will support the rehabilitation or replacement of 31 rail bridges along 53 miles of the Vermont Railway. The work will be done on the southern section of the state-owned rail line that runs in Vermont between Rutland an… Continue Reading
12.06.18
Shaheen & Leahy Bill To Support Small Businesses With National Guard And Military Reservists Passes Senate
U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) and Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) issued the following statements after their legislation to support small businesses with National Guard and Military Reservists unanimously passed the Senate on Thursday. The National Guard and Reserve Entrepreneurship Act will assist small businesses when essential employees, including small business owners, are called up as part of National Guard or Reservist duties, by improving existing loan and deferral programs of the Small B… Continue Reading
12.04.18
Senators Press Justice Department on Whitaker, Benczkowski Conflicts of Interest
Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Chris Coons (D-DE), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Cory Booker (D-NJ), and Kamala Harris (D-CA) asked the Department of Justice today to detail its handling of the serious financial, professional, and political conflicts of interest of Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker and Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division, Brian… Continue Reading
12.01.18
Comments Of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) On The Passing Of Former President George H.W. Bush
He was the last President of the Greatest Generation, and he leaves a lasting legacy of true and meaningful public service. While we had our share of differences over policy, his decency, his civility and his humility have never been a more important example to the nation than they are today. He skillfully steered our country after the collapse of the Soviet Union. His legacy includes working with many of us in enacting the Americans With Disabilities Act, a far-reaching civil rights achieve… Continue Reading
11.30.18
Reaction Of Senator Patrick Leahy To The Verdicts In The First Berta Caceres Murder Trial
"Berta Caceres, a widely known and respected Honduran indigenous environmental activist, was disparaged, threatened, targeted, and ultimately murdered in her home by assassins more than two and a half years ago. Since then, we have witnessed an attempted cover-up by the Honduran police, an investigation fraught with irregularities, including reports of cell phone and ballistics evidence not analyzed, and a trial laden with delays involving eight defendants who almost certainly do not include th… Continue Reading
11.30.18
Statement Of Senator Patrick Leahy On The Probe In Argentina Of Mohammed bin Salman
The ongoing probe by Argentine authorities into the criminal responsibility of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for alleged war crimes in Yemen and the torture of Saudi citizens sends a powerful message to victims that justice is possible, and that those responsible for the gravest crimes may eventually be held accountable. On November 26th, Human Rights Watch filed a petition before an Argentine federal prosecutor with information on several cases of Saudi citizens tortured in government… Continue Reading
11.29.18
Senate Floor Address Of Sen. Patrick Leahy, On Threats To Journalists, And Defending Press Freedom
In the 44 years I have served in the Senate, I have never been so concerned about the state of press freedom around the world, including, I deeply regret to say, in our own country. I was brought up in a family that owned a weekly newspaper and owned a printing business. The First Amendment was the most important part of our Constitution because it promised the freedom of speech and it promised the diversity of religion, and that Amendment was the foundation of our democracy. Yet the premedita… Continue Reading
11.29.18
Full Congressional Record Statement Thursday Of Sen. Patrick Leahy, On The Senate Resolution On Yemen And Saudi Arabia
Mr. President, I hope the Saudi royal family was paying attention to yesterday's debate in the United States Senate. The bipartisan vote on Senate Joint Resolution 54, introduced by Senators Bernie Sanders, Mike Lee, and Chris Murphy, of which I am a cosponsor, was significant for multiple reasons, but most of all for what it says about the potency of the outrage and disgust in this country and in the Congress about the conduct of Mohammed bin Salman, the Saudi Crown Prince. That outrage has … Continue Reading
11.28.18
Spaulding High School
On November 28, 2018, Senator Leahy continued his series of online chats with Vermont students - this time, with Spaulding High School's 11th and 12th grade AP U.S. Government class, taught by Ms. Katie Saint Raymond. He enjoyed answering their questions about Vermont's priorities and communities and what he expects the Senate to do during the 116th Congress. Senator Leahy also discussed the important role that bipartisanship plays in the passage of pieces of legislations and appropriations bi… Continue Reading
11.28.18
Statement of Senator Patrick Leahy On the Confirmation Vote of Thomas Alvin Farr To the Eastern District of North Carolina
Our constitutional obligation as Senators is to provide advice and informed consent to a President's nominees. I do my best to scrutinize each nominee on the merits, regardless of party, and decide whether they deserve a lifetime appointment to our esteemed federal bench. And during my 44 years in the Senate, I have voted for more Republican nominated judges than almost all Republican Senators in this body today. The simple fact is, given his track record of working to systematically dismantl… Continue Reading
