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Search Senator Leahy’s press releases, floor statements, and Committee speeches by date or by subject.
Statement of Senator Patrick Leahy On President Trump's Cuba Policy
Mr. President, on June 16th, in a campaign style speech glorifying the failed Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba in 1961, President Trump spoke of freedom and democracy for the Cuban people. Those are goals we all share, not only for the people of Cuba but for people everywhere. But the hypocrisy of the President's remarks in Miami, when he announced his decision to roll back engagement between the United States and Cuba, was glaring, if not surprising. This is a president who has praised, feted, … Continue Reading
06.26.17
Senators (including Leahy, the 'father' of the nat'l organic program) Call on USDA to Combat Fraudulent Organic Imports
Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) and Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) today called on Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue to increase enforcement of non-organic imports being fraudulently sold as USDA-certified organic in the United States. "Organic farmers in the United States cannot be expected to compete against fraudulent organic imports, and American consumers have the right to expect that products sold as organic meet the criteria for use of the organic l… Continue Reading
06.26.17
Leahy And Other Democratic Senate Leaders Urge Path Forward As Funding Deadline And Sequestration Loom
Senate Democratic Leader Charles E. Schumer and Senators Patrick Leahy, Vice Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Dick Durbin, Patty Murray and Debbie Stabenow Monday laid a path forward to complete the annual appropriations bills and to lift the irresponsible, post-sequester spending caps before the September 30 deadline to fund the government for fiscal year 2018. In a letter to Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Thad Cochran, the Senators… Continue Reading
06.22.17
Reaction Of Senator Patrick Leahy To The Senate’s Trumpcare Plan
We're finally seeing why Senate Republican leaders have been hiding their shameful Trumpcare bill for so long. With no hearings, no debate, no vetting process, and no score, this plan breaks every promise the President made about what he would do in repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act. Cobbled together behind closed doors, it is a cruel and cynical hoax, played on millions upon millions of Americans who would lose all or some of their health insurance protections under this plan. … Continue Reading
06.22.17
Vice Chairman Leahy Statement On The FY 18 Budget Request For The National Institutes Of Health
Thank you, Chairman Blunt and Ranking Member Murray, for holding this important hearing today, and for the opportunity to make a few brief remarks. Welcome, Dr. Collins. Unfortunately, the President's proposed budget displays a fundamental lack of understanding of the role of government of, by, and for the people, in supporting the middle class, lifting up the most vulnerable among us, and serving our values and interests as a nation. Sequestration has had devastating consequences for both d… Continue Reading
06.22.17
Leahy Introduces Bill To Restore Protections of The Voting Rights Act, To Protect Americans’ Voting Rights And To Counter Voter Suppression and Discrimination
Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) led 46 Democratic Senators in reintroducing the Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2017 on Thursday. Leahy's bill restores and modernizes the Voting Rights Act after the Supreme Court gutted the landmark civil rights law in the "Shelby County" decision in 2013. Following that decision, several states rushed to exploit the federal government's inability to adequately protect Americans' voting rights and enacted a wave of new voter suppression laws, from racial gerrym… Continue Reading
06.21.17
Statement On The President's FY 18 Funding Request For The U.S. Department Of Energy
Statement Of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Vice Chairman, Senate Appropriations Committee Subcommittee On Energy and Water Development Hearing On "A Review of the President's Fiscal Year 2018 Funding Request For The U.S. Department Of Energy" June 21, 2017 I want to thank Chairman Alexander and Ranking Member Feinstein for having this hearing today to discuss the administration's Fiscal Year 2018 Budget Request for the Department of Energy. Secretary Perry, the Energy Department is one that h… Continue Reading
06.21.17
Senator Leahy And Governor Scott: Leahy And Scott Make Joint Recommendation For Vermont's Next U.S. Attorney
Senator Leahy And Governor Scott Make Joint Recommendation For Vermont's Next U.S. Attorney (WEDNESDAY, June 21, 2017) -- U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Vermont Governor Phil Scott (R) have recommended Burlington attorney Christina Nolan to President Trump to be Vermont's next U.S. Attorney. Nolan would be the 38th U.S. Attorney in Vermont's history and the first woman nominated by the President and confirmed by the Senate for the position. She would lead an office of 45 employees, incl… Continue Reading
06.20.17
Leahy Is A Leader Among Nearly 200 Members Of Congress Who Have Filed Lawsuit To Compel President Trump To Comply With Constitution’s EMOLUMENTS Clause
***VIDEO AVAILABLE*** Leahy And Other Congressional Leaders Lay Out Constitutional Case For Compelling President Trump To Obey Anti-Corruption Foreign Emoluments Clause . . . In the week since nearly 200 Members of Congress filed a complaint to compel President Trump to comply with the Constitution, public reporting has revealed new evidence of foreign benefits WASHINGTON (TUESDAY, June 20, 2017) - Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) Tuesday joined Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Representativ… Continue Reading
06.20.17
Vice Chairman Leahy's Statement On The FY 18 Budget Request For The Federal Communications Commission
Statement Of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Vice Chairman, Senate Appropriations Committee Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government Hearing On "A Review of the FY 2018 Budget Request for the Federal Communications Commission" June 20, 2017 Thank you, Chairwoman Capito and Ranking Member Coons, for the opportunity to make brief remarks. The Trump budget proposal for FY 2018 cuts funding for the FCC's core budget by 5 percent. If implemented it would require a reduction in over… Continue Reading
06.20.17
Leahy's Senate Address Tues. Afternoon On Republicans Continuing To Hide Their TRUMPCARE BILL From The Public And From The Senate, A Week Before The Expected Vote
Senate Address of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) On the Devastating Impacts of Trumpcare Senate Floor Tuesday, June 20, 2017 For the last seven years, we have heard Republicans in Congress campaign on the pledge to repeal the Affordable Care Act. State to state, district to district, like President Trump, they have pledged to repeal and replace the landmark health reform bill that made access to affordable healthcare a reality for millions of Americans. You would think after seven years of cam… Continue Reading
06.20.17
Leahy Announces $11 Million In Affordable Housing And Community Development Funds For Vermont
Leahy Announces $11 Million In Affordable Housing And Community Development Funds For Vermont WASHINGTON (TUESDAY, June 20, 2017) - Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) announced Tuesday that Vermont will receive more than $11 million in new affordable housing and community development funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Earlier this year, as Vice Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Leahy successfully negotiated the fiscal year 2017 appropriations act,… Continue Reading
06.20.17
STATEMENT OF SENATOR PATRICK LEAHY SUBCOMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE, RURAL DEVELOPMENT, FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION & RELATED AGENCIES HEARING ON “A REVIEW OF THE FY 2018 FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION BUDGET REQUEST”
Statement of Senator Patrick Leahy Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration & Related Agencies Hearing on "A Review of the FY 2018 Food And Drug Administration Budget Request" June 20, 2017 Thank you, Chairman Hoeven and Ranking Member Merkley, for holding this hearing today to examine the President's Fiscal Year 2018 budget proposal for the Food and Drug Administration. And thank you, Commissioner Gottlieb, for joining us here today. I thank the Chair a… Continue Reading
06.16.17
Reaction Of Senator Patrick Leahy To President Trump’s Decision To Tighten Restrictions On Americans’ Travel To And Trade With Cuba
[(FRIDAY, June 16, 2017) - Below is the reaction of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) to President Trump's decision to tighten restrictions on travel and trade between Americans and Cuba. Leahy, the Vice Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee and Ranking Member of its Subcommittee on the State Department and Foreign Operations, for two decades has led in pressing for reform of the failed five-decades-old U.S. policy on Cuba. Leahy and Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) are the lead sponsors of legi… Continue Reading
06.15.17
At Appropriations Hearing With HHS Secy. Price, Leahy Slams Republicans’ Closed-Door Cobbling Together Of A Senate Trumpcare Plan
Secretary Price, welcome to the Appropriations Committee. The purview of the Department of Health and Human Services is wide in scope and touches the lives of every American. But, as with other departments, the proposed budget for the Department of Health and Human Services is abysmal. It would undermine the Department's very mission to protect the health and wellbeing of Americans. Instead of investing in programs that help support the middle class and lift up the most vulnerable among us, … Continue Reading
06.14.17
Leahy Leads Bill, Joined By Klobuchar and Durbin, To Increase Voter Participation
Senator Patrick Leahy introduced legislation Wednesday to modernize the nation's voter registration systems and make it easier for all Americans to vote and participate in our democracy. The Automatic Voter Registration Act of 2017 requires states to automatically register eligible vote when they interact with certain state and federal agencies, unless those people decline. The bill would streamline the voter registration process and allow citizens to register online, making it easier for ind… Continue Reading
06.14.17
Statement of Senator Patrick Leahy On the Introduction of the Automatic Voter Registration Act of 2017
The right to vote is among the most sacred rights guaranteed by our Constitution. It forms the foundation for our democracy and inspires countless people across the world still striving for a meaningful opportunity to engage in the political process and shape their futures. My friend John Lewis has often said that "the right to vote is the most powerful nonviolent tool we have in a democracy." I could not agree more with him. America is a stronger and greater country when more Americans part… Continue Reading
06.14.17
Vice Chairman Leahy Statement On The President's FY 18 Funding Request For The Department Of Defense
Thank you, Chairman Cochran and Ranking Member Durbin, for the opportunity to make these brief remarks. Welcome to Secretary Mattis and General Dunford. This Committee benefits from your expertise and your candor. It has been almost 3 months since you last testified before this Committee, and there has been no shortage of world events in that short time. American missiles have targeted and struck Syrian forces. A massive ransomware cyberattack spread around the globe. North Korea has tested n… Continue Reading
06.13.17
Senator Patrick Leahy’s ‘Prebuttal’ Senate Address On Attorney General Sessions’ Testimony
This afternoon, Attorney General Sessions will return to the Senate for the first time since his confirmation hearing. It has been more than three months since the press revealed that the Attorney General gave false testimony in response to questions from me and from Senator Franken about his contacts with Russian officials. Yet, the Attorney General has made no effort to come back before the Judiciary Committee to explain his actions-actions that could be construed as perjury. There are now … Continue Reading
06.13.17
At Approps. Hg. On DOJ Budget, Vice Chair Leahy Slams AG Sessions’ Absence; Hits Slashing Cuts In Crime Victims Fund, Opioid Crisis Help, Law Enforcement Grants To Local Communities, And Cuts In FBI’s Operations Budget
Thank you, Chairman Shelby and Ranking Member Shaheen, for the opportunity to make these remarks. Deputy Attorney General Rosenstein, I won't mince words: You are not the witness we were supposed to hear from today, and you are not the witness who should be sitting behind that table. That responsibility lies with the Attorney General of the United States. Attorneys General of the past did not shy away from this Committee's questions, regardless of the topic. Attorneys General of the past did… Continue Reading
