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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 The Nomination Of Neil Gorsuch To Be An Associate Justice Of The Supreme Court
Let me begin with the nomination of Rod Rosenstein to be Deputy Attorney General. Mr. Rosenstein has spent 27 years in the Justice Department and the last 12 years as U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland. He has a reputation for integrity that is unusual for this administration's nominees. But, if confirmed, he will inherit a situation that no Justice Department nominee has faced since 1973: an active criminal investigation into a sitting president's campaign and administration. Every … Continue Reading
03.31.17
Statement of Senator Patrick Leahy On Justice and the Rule of Law in Central America
Mr. President, last week I spoke about the importance of the rule of law in Guatemala, and praised the work of Attorney General Thelma Aldana and the Commissioner of the International Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala, Ivan Velasquez. These two individuals have helped to create hope among the Guatemalan people in the possibility of justice in a country where the justice system has too often been used to perpetuate corruption, impunity and inequality. The International Commission Agains… Continue Reading
03.30.17
Leahy Slams The Latest Republican-Led Rule Rollback, Which Threatens Women’s Access To Health Care, Especially In Rural Areas
[Vice President Mike Pence on Thursday presided over the U.S. Senate to cast a tie-breaking vote to end debate on a controversial bill to disapprove Obama-era rules that prevented states from restricting funds available to clinics through Title X of the Public Health Service Act. This is the 12th time this year that Republicans have rammed through legislation to kill Obama-era rules on topics ranging from clean and water and climate change regulations, to worker safety, to women's health, using… Continue Reading
03.29.17
Senator Patrick Leahy Statement At Department of State and Foreign Operations Hearing on Civil Society Perspectives on Russia
Mr. Chairman, I want to make one observation before we begin, which is that for the past month or two our staffs have been working daily with their House counterparts to finalize our Fiscal Year 2017 bill. They are on track to resolving all but the most contentious issues this week. Then late last Friday we learned that the White House may be proposing a $2.8 billion cut to our 2017 allocation, as part of an $18 billion transfer of funding for non-defense operations and programs to the Pentago… Continue Reading
03.28.17
Leahy Statement On Proposed FY 2017 Cuts
[BACKGROUND: Senate Appropriations Committee Vice Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt. ) Tuesday issued the following statement after reports surfaced of a document from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) had been released detailing cuts proposed by the Trump Administration for FY 2017. This document was not shared directly to Leahy's office or the offices of other Democratic members of the Appropriations Committee by OMB.] Unfortunately, this appears to be more of the same partisan campaign g… Continue Reading
03.28.17
Comments Of Senator Patrick Leahy, Vice Chairman, Senate Appropriations Committee, On President Trump’s Executive Order Rolling Back Obama-Era Clean Air, Clean Water And Clean Energy Gains
These cynical and patently misleading actions are damaging in many ways to our economy and to the public's health. This is part of the 'know-nothing' anti-science agenda that President Trump and many Republicans in Congress continue to pursue, undermining sound policy decisions and setting back America's technological leadership and American jobs in the emerging clean energy economy. This will cost us precious time and initiative in establishing our world lead in these new clean energy technol… Continue Reading
03.28.17
Stowe Elementary School
On March 28, 2017, Senator Leahy had his annual online chat with the student council of Stowe Elementary School. Senator Leahy enjoyed answering the 5th and 6th graders questions about his thoughts on the Trump's administration's policies, from climate change to healthcare. The Senator was impressed by the Stowe students' thoughtful questions on highly relevant political issues.… Continue Reading
03.28.17
Leahy And Other Democratic Senators Call On USA Hockey To Treat Women's National Hockey Team Fairly
U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy and a group of other Democratic senators are raising several concerns about the inequitable treatment of U.S. Women's National Hockey Team players. Their letter is addressed to the Executive Director of USA Hockey Dave Ogrean. In addition to Leahy, the letter is signed by Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), Th… Continue Reading
03.27.17
Leahy And Community Leaders Gather In Vermont To Defend Safety Nets Eliminated Under Trump Budget Proposal
Senator Patrick Leahy Monday joined community leaders at the Champlain Valley Office of Economic Opportunity Weatherization Warehouse to assert strong opposition to the Trump Administration's draconian budget proposal, which would dismantle essential safety nets for the most vulnerable Vermonters. Leahy said: "This proposal is appallingly unbalanced. It is out of touch, and it is shortsighted. We have made progress in recent years in helping Vermont families that are struggling. Our poverty… Continue Reading
03.27.17
Remarks of Senator Patrick Leahy Press Conference on President Trump’s Call to Eliminate America’s Social Safety Net
Thank you Jan for that kind introduction, and for having us here today. Over the years, I have heard from many Vermonters whose lives have been made stronger by the dedicated teams at CVOEO and our other 4 community action agencies. Their staffs have long been committed to offering program participants a solid foundation for family success. While the economy does continue to improve, this is not the case for many families. With the ever increasing food, transportation and housing costs, I do… Continue Reading
03.27.17
Senator Leahy’s Written Follow-Up Questions To Supreme Court Nominee Judge Gorsuch
Senator Leahy's written follow-up questions for the record for Judge Gorsuch can be found here.… Continue Reading
03.24.17
Reaction Of Senator Patrick Leahy To Withdrawal Of The Trumpcare Bill From The House Floor
"There are many clear and compelling lessons to be drawn from the ashes of this sad and botched episode. I hope Republican leaders will set aside the Hastert Rule - under which all legislation is only passed with Republican votes - and actually let all of the people's elected representatives take part in forging actual solutions for improving health care and the ability of all Americans to have solid, practical, good-quality and affordable health insurance. "A decade ago, before the Affordable… Continue Reading
03.24.17
Sec. Mattis: Soft Power Is A “Fundamental” Power
Contradicting the Trump Administration's budget priorities, Defense Secretary James Mattis Wednesday testified before the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense that "soft power" is fundamental to national security. Mattis said: "America's got two fundamental powers: the power of intimidation and the power of inspiration. Soft power is largely found in the power of inspiration. And it's part and parcel of how we defeat this enemy (ISIS)." Mattis' testimony seems to contradict the bud… Continue Reading
03.23.17
Citing Mounting Evidence Of Trump-Russia Ties, Senator Leahy Renews Call For Independent Special Counsel
Senator Patrick Leahy reiterated his call on Thursday for an independent investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election. Leahy's latest call came during a week in which the FBI director confirmed the bureau is investigating possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia since July, and new reports showed that former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort earned $10 million per year for secret work on behalf of President Putin. Manafort resigned from the campaign after qu… Continue Reading
03.23.17
Statement of Senator Patrick Leahy, On the Need for an Independent Investigation into Russian interference in our Elections
I have served in this body for more than 42 years. When I joined the Senate our country was still crawling out of an intractable war. I have since seen our country slide into new wars. I have seen scandals that have consumed this town and our Nation. And I have seen horrific terrorist attacks that have shaken our country to its core. All of these events, in different ways, have tested our country. But I have never seen a threat to our democratic institutions like I see today. There is s… Continue Reading
03.22.17
Statement On The Defense Appropriations Sub Committee Hearing: “A Review Of The Budget And Readiness Of The Department Of Defense”
Thank you, Chairman Cochran and Ranking Member Durbin, for holding this important hearing to review the budget and readiness of the Department of Defense. The 2017 supplemental that President Trump has proposed for the Department of Defense would exceed the spending caps for defense set in the Budget Control Act, triggering sequestration and across-the-board cuts for the Department of Defense, in just 10 weeks, if the law is not changed. I believe all Members of this Subcommittee should work c… Continue Reading
03.22.17
Senator Patrick Leahy On The Election in Ecuador
Mr. President, Article 2 of Chapter I of the Charter of the Organization of American States, of which Ecuador is a party, states that one of the OAS's purposes is "to promote and consolidate representative democracy, with due respect for the principle of nonintervention." I mention this because the second round of Ecuador's presidential election is scheduled for April 2, less than two weeks away. In the first round, Lenin Moreno, who is supported by outgoing President Correa, received 39 perc… Continue Reading
03.22.17
Statement of Senator Patrick Leahy On The Rule of Law in Guatemala
Mr. President, I want to call the Senate's attention to the current situation in Guatemala, where upholding the rule of law has too often been the exception rather than the rule. For centuries, most Guatemalans had no access to justice. This was exacerbated during - and in the years since - the civil war, when an estimated 200,000 people were killed or disappeared. Most of them were innocent victims of the armed forces, and only a small number of the military officers and their accomplices w… Continue Reading
03.21.17
Statement Of Senate Appropriations Committee Vice Chairman Patrick Leahy On President Trump’s “Skinny Budget” Proposal
Last Thursday the Trump Administration submitted his first "Budget Blueprint" to Congress. He called it "America First, A Budget Blueprint to Make America Great Again." This title would be laughable if the topic were not so serious. Like some of the President's tweets, his budget is a hasty list of appallingly unbalanced, shortsighted, politically driven priorities. He proposes to eliminate or drastically cut programs that benefit the middle class and safeguard our most vulnerable citizens, … Continue Reading
03.21.17
Statement of Senator Patrick Leahy, On United States Sentencing Commission Nominations
Today the Senate will vote on two nominees to the United States Sentencing Commission who should have been confirmed last year. Judge Danny Reeves was nominated more than one year ago and he was unanimously reported by the Judiciary Committee, yet Senate Republicans refused to approve him before the end of last year. Judge Charles Breyer was nominated last September for a reappointment, and despite overwhelming support Republicans blocked him as well. These are not controversial nominees and … Continue Reading
