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Search Senator Leahy’s press releases, floor statements, and Committee speeches by date or by subject.
Leahy REAX To The Arpaio Pardon
Comments Of Senator Patrick Leahy On President Trump's Pardon Of Sheriff Arpaio As President he has the right to pardon almost anyone. It is disheartening that he set the bar so very low for his first pardon. It is a shame to see the pardon power devalued like this. The ex-sheriff is a self-aggrandizing braggart who promoted racist law enforcement practices and cost taxpayers millions, and that is a reason they did not reelect him. After the racism and hate in Charlottesville, our country need… Continue Reading
08.23.17
Statement On President Trump’s Address On Afghanistan And South Asia
Statement Of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Vice Chairman, Appropriations Committee, On President Trump's Address On Afghanistan And South Asia August 22, 2017 "After blaming his predecessors and calling for an immediate withdrawal from Afghanistan during the campaign, President Trump has swung 180 degrees. His solution to a 16-year war involving hundreds of thousands of American troops, many of whom have served multiple tours, is to send more troops and abandon the Obama administration's fo… Continue Reading
08.23.17
Leahy Co-Leads Effort To Press USDA To Provide Relief To Dairy Farmers
Leahy Co-Leads Bipartisan Letter From New England Lawmakers Urging USDA to Provide Relief To Dairy Farmers . . . Sanders And Welch Also Are Among Signers Of Letter Urging USDA To Make Dairy Farmers Eligible For Federal Crop Insurance Program And To Develop New Insurance Programs For Dairy Producers (WEDNESDAY, Aug. 23, 2017) -- As dairy farmers across New England continue to struggle with historically low milk prices, Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), and Repres… Continue Reading
08.23.17
Leahy REAX To Trump Threat To Shut Down Government
Leahy REAX To Trump Threat To Shut Down Government (WEDNESDAY, Aug. 23, 2017) - Vice Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) Wednesday issued the following statement on President Trump's threat to shut down the government if Congress does not agree to forcing American taxpayers to fund a border wall: This is not President Trump's first threat to shut down the United States government over his foolish, costly and useless wall, wasting tens of billions in U.S. taxpa… Continue Reading
08.18.17
After Charlottesville Attack, Leahy and Twenty-Three Senators Press DHS on Trump Administration’s De-emphasis of Domestic Terrorism Efforts
In the wake of the deadly attack stemming from a far-right demonstration in Charlottesville, lawmakers led by U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) are pressing the Department of Homeland Security on questions arising from the Trump Administration's apparent de-emphasis on protecting Americans from domestic terrorism, especially the Administration's apparent decision to de-emphasize combating far-right extremism. Leahy, joined by 23 other Senators, questioned DHS Acting Secretary Elaine Duke about… Continue Reading
08.17.17
Remarks Of Senator Patrick Leahy North East Regional IDeA Conference
Thank you, Frank, for your kind introduction and thank you all for inviting me here today. I particularly want to recognize the researchers who have travelled to Burlington from across the region and from NIH's campus in Bethesda. Thank you, Dr. Taylor and others for making the trip to Vermont. I hope you find some time to enjoy our beautiful state during your visit. The Institutional Development Award program was created to expand the breadth of institutions conducting biomedical research… Continue Reading
08.14.17
Statement of Senator Patrick Leahy On The Racist Demonstrations And Violence In Charlottesville
"This morning Marcelle and I will go to Mass honoring the life of a dear friend who just died. At Mass we will also pray - as we have throughout the weekend - that America can remember that all people are equal. There is no place in any great country for racial bias, religious bias or hatred of others. The President should denounce David Duke and others who say they carry out racial hatred in his name. I denounce it and as a Senator I will always denounce the racial, religious and even politi… Continue Reading
08.10.17
Governor Phil Scott And Senator Patrick Leahy Announce Northern Border Grants
Governor Phil Scott and U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy were in Hardwick Thursday to announce a $250,000 Northern Border Regional Commission (NBRC) grant to transform the former "Greensboro Garage" on Route 15 into a new agricultural enterprise center. The grant is one of ten NBRC grants totaling $2,228,801 announced Thursday, which will make vital infrastructure improvements, invest in job-creating technical assistance programs, and help businesses and organizations from Franklin to Caledonia Coun… Continue Reading
08.09.17
Statement Of Senator Patrick Leahy On Developments Concerning North Korea
There are no quick, surgical military solutions to the North Korea threat, and this is no time for reckless, provocative tweets. Millions of lives could be lost if mistakes are made. This is not something that will be solved by loud impulsive rhetoric issued from a golfing resort. This is a time for the President to bring in the military and congressional leadership as well as our intelligence agencies and give a clear response. This is a global challenge and the response must be a collectiv… Continue Reading
08.08.17
Senator Leahy's Letter to Secretary Tillerson on Human Rights Abuses in Honduras
Dear Secretary Tillerson: We are writing in response to Mr. Joseph Mcmanus ' s May 24, 2017 reply to our letter of April 5, 2017. In his letter, Mr. Mcmanus describes actions by the Government of Honduras and MACCIH to address the widespread corruption and violence in that country. However, Mr. Mcmanus ' s letter did not respond to several of our recommendations , including: Establish effective criteria for measuring compliance with such human rights conditions, with the input of… Continue Reading
08.04.17
Leahy Joins Bipartisan Effort To Protect Purple Heart Medals
U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy joined Senator David Perdue (R-Ga.) and a bipartisan group of senators including, Senators Tom Udall (D-NM), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Susan Collins (R-ME), and Luther Strange (R-AL) to take action protecting the Purple Heart medal and stop second-hand dealers from profiting off of the sacrifices of America's war heroes. The Senate passed this protection of our military's highest honor for those who have fought to preserve our freedom by unanimous consent. "The me… Continue Reading
08.03.17
Stabenow, Brown, Baldwin, Leahy And Others Announce Medicare At 55 Act
U.S. Senators Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Patrick Leahy and four other Senators Thursday introduced the Medicare at 55 Act, which provides an option for people between the ages of 55 and 64 to buy into Medicare. There are 41 million Americans between the ages of 55 and 64, and millions of them are burdened by high insurance premiums, unaffordable deductibles and limited options. "People between the ages of 55 and 64 often have more health problems and f… Continue Reading
08.02.17
Statement Of Senator Patrick Leahy On the Confirmation of Christopher Wray to be Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation
I supported Christopher Wray's nomination in the Judiciary Committee to be the next Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. I did so because I believe he is qualified and-critically-I believe he will stand up for the independence of the FBI. Such independence has never been more at risk. We need a new FBI Director because the president fired the last one, Director James Comey. And his reason for doing so was disturbing: to take pressure off of the FBI's investigation into Russian in… Continue Reading
08.02.17
Appropriations Vice Chair Leahy Announces $270,000 In Humanities Grants To Vermont Organizations
Senator Patrick Leahy, Vice Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, announced Wednesday that Vermont organizations have been awarded three highly competitive National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) matching grants totaling $270,000. The grants, to a Brattleboro history project, the University of Vermont, and the Vermont Farmers Market Education Center, will fund projects for humanities research and public engagement. Leahy said: "Grants like these help us foster and conserve the … Continue Reading
08.01.17
Appropriations Vice Chairman Leahy REAX To Senate Consideration Of House "Minibus"
This reckless bill would break through the budget caps and waste billions on a misguided and ineffective border wall. Without a bipartisan budget deal lifting the caps, passing this would result in a 13.2 percent sequester on national security programs in just a few months, undermining military readiness. The bill also contains poison pill riders that erode clean water protections and slashes energy innovation programs. By putting the cart before the horse, the defense increases in this package… Continue Reading
07.27.17
Senator Leahy's Statement On Introduction Of His Bill With Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) To Modernize ECPA, To Protect Americans' Email Privacy
(Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) joined with Senator Mike Lee (R-Utah) on Thursday to introduce their bipartisan legislation to update the Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA) for the 21st Century. The ECPA Modernization Act of 2017 ensures that law enforcement agencies will have to secure warrants to read Americans' communications, including those stored in the cloud. This, coupled with their separate Email Privacy Act of 2017 that the senators introduced at the same time, seeks to pres… Continue Reading
07.27.17
Statement of Senator Patrick Leahy On The Repeal Of The Affordable Care Act And The Debate On A Trumpcare Replacement
On Tuesday, the Vice President cast a tie-breaking vote to move to debate on a health care reconciliation bill, the contents of which even now remain a mystery to most of us. This vote to proceed without a transparent path forward underscores a process that has, from the beginning, been politics and policymaking at their worst. You would think that after seven years of campaigning to repeal the Affordable Care Act, the Majority would have a plan in place to do just that. Instead, a dozen or s… Continue Reading
07.27.17
Leahy Scores Key Victories For Vermont As Appropriation Bill Clears Committee
Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Vice Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, on Thursday secured major victories for Vermont and communities across the country as the Commerce, Justice and Science Appropriations Bill cleared the Appropriations Committee. Leahy was instrumental in including millions of dollars in additional resources to combat the opioid epidemic, support Lake Champlain through the National Sea Grant program, promote economic development in Vermont and other Northern Bor… Continue Reading
07.27.17
Leahy: Senate Appropriations Committee Rejects Trump’s Unbalanced Budget
Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Vice Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Thursday helped steer through a funding bill that rejects efforts by the Trump Administration to eliminate housing, transportation and infrastructure programs vital to communities across Vermont. The Committee Thursday approved the fiscal year 2018 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill, which maintains level funding for the Essential Air Service, Home Investmen… Continue Reading
07.27.17
Leahy Joins Durbin, Schumer And Other Democratic Senators In Calling On President Trump To Protect Dreamers
U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), and 40 of their Democratic Senate colleagues today asked President Donald Trump to use his executive authority to the greatest extent possible to protect the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which provides temporary relief from deportation to immigrant students who arrived in the United States as children if they register with the government, pay a fee, and pass criminal and natio… Continue Reading
