Press Room
Press Releases
Search Senator Leahy’s press releases, floor statements, and Committee speeches by date or by subject.
President Signs Bill To Strengthen Public Safety Officers’ Benefits Program, Including Three Improvements Authored By Senator Patrick Leahy
President Trump on Friday signed into law a bill to strengthen the Public Safety Officers' Benefits Program (PSOB), which includes three improvements authored by Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.). Leahy is a leading member of the Judiciary Committee, which handled the legislation, and the author of earlier PSOB improvements. Following are Leahy's remarks after the signing of the bill: "Our nation's law enforcement officers, firefighters and other first responders put their lives on the line every… Continue Reading
06.01.17
Reaction Of Senator Patrick Leahy To The President’s Decision On The Paris Climate Accords
"America gave its word to nearly 200 countries. America stays great when the world knows we'll keep our word. It doesn't make America great to break our word. "It would be a travesty to squander this moment of world unity, forged through U.S. leadership, and to undermine our early lead in building the new energy economy that promises millions of good jobs here at home. We are at our best when we work toward a common goal, and nearly every nation on Earth has agreed to do exactly that. The… Continue Reading
06.01.17
Leahy, Conyers, Lofgren Send Letter To Kushner Companies Asking About EB-5 Visas And Conflicts of Interest
Senator Patrick Leahy, Representative John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.), and Representative Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.) on Thursday pressed the president of Kushner Companies for answers on the company's use of EB-5 visas and its continued ties to Jared Kushner, President Trump's top advisor and son-in-law. At a time when Mr. Kushner is facing scrutiny over his contacts with Russian officials and his former company reportedly is facing financial trouble at its company headquarters and marquee building, th… Continue Reading
06.01.17
Leahy And Franken Release Their Earlier Letters To The FBI Requesting An Inquiry Into Attorney General Sessions’ Contacts With Russian Officials
[(THURSDAY, June 1, 2017) -- Following is the joint statement of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Senator Al Franken (D-Minn.) about their request to FBI Director Comey (and later to Acting Director McCabe) for an FBI inquiry into Attorney General Sessions' testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee and his contacts with Russian officials. Leahy and Franken, members of the Senate Judiciary Committee, had queried Sessions under oath about his Russian contacts during Sessions' confirmation … Continue Reading
06.01.17
Leahy, Sanders And Welch Announce $1.3 Million In Grants To Vermont Universities
The U.S. Department of Education has awarded more than $1.3 million in grants to Vermont universities, announced Thursday by Senator Patrick Leahy, Senator Bernie Sanders and Congressman Peter Welch. The grants, awarded through the Upward Bound program, will go to four Vermont institutes of higher education to prepare first-generation and low-income students for success in postsecondary education. Offered activities include career and college readiness counseling, connecting high school studen… Continue Reading
06.01.17
Leahy, Sanders and Welch Announce $700,000 In Brownfields Grants For Southern Vermont
Senator Patrick Leahy, Senator Bernie Sanders and Representative Peter Welch announced Thursday that three southern Vermont organizations will share a total of $700,000 in Brownfields Program assessment and cleanup grants from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Brownfields grants allow communities to assess and clean up contaminated properties to facilitate their redevelopment and reuse. In a joint statement, Leahy, Sanders and Welch said: "EPA Brownfield assessment and cleanup grants … Continue Reading
05.26.17
Reaction of Senator Patrick Leahy To The ABC News Report Of Photos And Videos Of Torture By Iraqi Forces Allied With The United States And Canada
"The photos are sickening. They clearly depict war crimes. That they were brazenly lauded by the unit's leader suggests that they were far from aberrations. It is my understanding that the United States no longer supports the Iraqi unit involved, but we should insist that the individuals responsible, and particularly the leaders, be prosecuted and appropriately punished. The fact that U.S. military personnel praised the Iraqi unit's cooperation is deeply disturbing and requires further inves… Continue Reading
05.26.17
Statement of Senator Patrick Leahy On The President in Saudi Arabia
Mr. President, while the Office of Management and Budget was putting the finishing touches on its Orwellian-themed "A New Foundation for American Greatness," the President's fiscal year 2018 budget, which proposes to eliminate or drastically reduce funding for a vast array of critical programs on which the American people -- including the most vulnerable among us -- depend, the Trump family was being feted by one of the world's wealthiest and repressive regimes. Not only has the Saudi family us… Continue Reading
05.25.17
Statement of Senator Patrick Leahy On The Freedom for Americans to Travel to Cuba Act of 2017
Mr. President, today I am very pleased to join my friend, the junior Senator from Arizona, in introducing the Freedom for Americans to Travel to Cuba Act of 2017. I will have more to say about this bill, and United States policy toward Cuba, in the weeks and months ahead. My purpose in speaking today is simply to point out that 54 Democratic and Republican members of the Senate have cosponsored this bill to allow Americans to travel to Cuba in the same way that they can travel to any other cou… Continue Reading
05.25.17
Flake, Leahy Reintroduce Bill Restoring Freedom to Travel to Cuba
U.S. Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Sen. Patrick Leahy today introduced the Freedom for Americans to Travel to Cuba Act of 2017. The bill, which is cosponsored by 53 of their Senate colleagues, would eliminate restrictions on travel to Cuba by American citizens and legal residents. Specifically, the bipartisan legislation ends restrictions under laws enacted in 1996 and 2000 that prevent American citizens and legal residents from travelling to… Continue Reading
05.24.17
Reaction Of Senator Patrick Leahy To The New CBO Score For The House-Passed Trumpcare Bill To Repeal and Replace The Affordable Care Act
Trumpcare fails every test and should not be foisted on the American people. It would take away insurance coverage from 23 million people. It would make it more difficult for families and individuals needing maternity, opioid addiction treatment and mental health care to afford the medical help they need, piling on 'thousands of dollars' in extra out-of-pocket charges in states using waivers. From bungled start and through every horrifying twist and turn, this is one of the most egregious a… Continue Reading
05.24.17
Reaction Of Senator Patrick Leahy To The Joint Review Of The Inspectors General Of The Departments Of Justice And State On Three Deadly Force Incidents In Honduras
"I commend the Inspectors General for conducting this review, without which we would have piecemeal accounts rather than the truth. "The review unmasks egregious events and conduct, as well as the subsequent efforts to hide the truth about what happened. "This report is nothing less than a wholesale indictment of the DEA and Honduran police for three poorly planned operations that resulted in the use of deadly force -- in one case, the shooting deaths of four innocent civilians -- and of incom… Continue Reading
05.24.17
Leahy Statement On President Trump’s Plan To End Funding For International Family Planning
Mr. President, there are far too many illogical, arbitrary, and harmful cuts in spending, and wholly unbalanced priorities, in the President's proposed fiscal year 2018 budget to list at one time. I will have plenty more to say about that in the weeks and months ahead. But I do want to take a moment to highlight one, as it illustrates the foolhardy way this Administration has sought to appease right-wing ideologues rather than do what is truly in the national interest. For fiscal year 2017, t… Continue Reading
05.24.17
Appropriations Vice Chair Patrick Leahy Addresses The Senate On Wednesday Morning On The Trump Budget
Yesterday, we received President Trump's first budget submission. He calls it "A New Foundation for American Greatness." This could not be further from the truth. Instead of building a foundation for the American people, it pulls the rug out from under them. The President's 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 na… Continue Reading
05.23.17
Statement of Senator Patrick Leahy Department of State and Foreign Operations Hearing United States Assistance for Central America
For most of the 20th Century, there is a concern that United States policy toward Central America consisted primarily of propping up corrupt, abusive regimes led by families of oligarchs who benefited from the exploitative practices of U.S. corporations. During the Cold War, the armies of those regimes - trained and equipped by the United States - committed atrocities in the name of anti-communism. Democratic movements were crushed; their leaders assassinated. To this day, almost no one has b… Continue Reading
05.23.17
Comments Of Appropriations Vice Chairman Patrick Leahy On Vermont’s Priorities And President Trump’s Budget
[President Donald Trump on Tuesday released his budget proposal for fiscal year 2018. Senate Appropriations Committee Vice Chair Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) Tuesday morning issued a statement on the budget as a whole. Leahy also issued the following statement on the Trump budget's devastating cuts to Vermont priorities.] Rural America, including rural states like Vermont, is MIA in the President's budget. His budget eliminates key investments in rural communities, leaving them without federal part… Continue Reading
05.23.17
Statement Of Appropriations Committee Vice Chairman Patrick Leahy On The Trump Budget
[President Donald Trump Tuesday released his budget proposal for fiscal year 2018. The proposal is the latest iteration of the administration's budget since the release of the so-called "Skinny Budget" in March. Senate Appropriations Committee Vice Chair Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) Tuesday issued the following statement.] The President's 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 vulner… Continue Reading
05.18.17
Reaction Of Senator Patrick Leahy After His Latest Meeting Today With Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos
"President Santos met with key senators and described both the significant achievements -- best illustrated by the peace agreement ending 50 years of armed conflict -- and the significant challenges ahead. In many respects the agreement represents the end of the beginning, and I hope the Trump Administration will include sufficient funds in the fiscal year 2018 budget proposal to support its implementation. With our help, it is now up to the Colombian Government, the FARC leaders and the Colom… Continue Reading
05.18.17
Leahy And Collins Reintroduce Bipartisan Legislation To Combat Illegal Straw Purchasing And Firearms Trafficking
Senators Patrick Leahy and Susan Collins (R-Maine) on Thursday unveiled legislation to combat straw purchasing and illegal trafficking in firearms. Introduced during Police Week, The Stop Illegal Trafficking in Firearms Act of 2017 would give law enforcement officials critical tools to more effectively investigate and deter straw purchasers and illegal weapons traffickers. Under current law, straw purchasing is not explicitly a crime, and it is only unlawful to transfer a firearm if the transf… Continue Reading
05.18.17
Leahy REAX On The Attacks In Front Of The Turkish Embassy
"The unprovoked, vicious attack on peaceful protestors by Turkish security agents was appalling and a graphic reminder of how political dissent in Turkey is routinely crushed with impunity. This is not the way we do things in America, and we have to stand up for universal values. This shameful incident also calls again into question President Trump's praise for President Erdogan, whose consolidation of power threatens the foundation of Turkey's democracy. Those responsible for this abuse of a… Continue Reading
