Press Room
Press Releases
Search Senator Leahy’s press releases, floor statements, and Committee speeches by date or by subject.
Senators Demand USCIS Remove “Misleading” And “Deceptive” DACA Statement From Website
U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Edward J. Markey (D-MA), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Tom Udall (D-NM), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Kristin Gillibrand (D-NY), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), and Ron Wyden (D-OR) wrote Ken Cuccinelli, the current acting head of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), today to demand that the agency "remove from its website the egregiously false claim that the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision on DACA 'has no basis in law.'" After the Supreme Court ruled that the… Continue Reading
07.01.20
Leahy Joins Rubio And Colleagues In Sending Letter To USAGM CEO Expressing Concern Following Recent Termination Of Employees
U.S. Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Jerry Moran (R-KS), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), and Susan Collins (R-ME) sent a letter to the Chief Executive Officer of the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), Michael Pack, after Pack abruptly terminated the heads of three private grantee networks. All signers are Members of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs that funds USAGM. "We urge you t… Continue Reading
07.01.20
Statement On Impending Furloughs At The United States Citizenship And Immigration Services
Yesterday I came before this Chamber and again made the case for why Congress needs to begin negotiations on another COVID-19 emergency supplemental bill now. The needs are real and they are immediate. In fact, these negotiations should have begun six weeks ago, after the House passed the HEROES Act. Today I want to talk about just one of those urgent needs, funding for the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). USCIS plays an important role in our nation's immigration s… Continue Reading
06.30.20
Statement On The Need To Pass Another COVID-19 Emergency Appropriations Bill
Over three months ago, Congress came together in rare bipartisan fashion to pass the CARES Act, to help address the unprecedented needs of the country and the American people as it began to address a global pandemic. It was the third emergency appropriations bill Congress has passed this year to address the impact of the coronavirus, yet despite its scope and size, we knew then that absent a miracle, it would not be the last one required. Since that time, the number of COVID-19 cases have co… Continue Reading
06.30.20
Leahy Calls On Leader McConnell And President Trump To Pass Emergency Funding For USCIS
(MONDAY, June 29, 2020) - Senate Appropriations Committee Vice Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) Monday called on Leader McConnell and President Trump to take up and pass emergency funding for the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). Due to financial mismanagement and poor policy choices by the Trump administration and the COVID-19 pandemic, USCIS could be forced to furlough a significant number of its employees, including some of the 1,700 USCIS employees in Vermont. In … Continue Reading
06.30.20
Tester & Colleagues to Trump Administration: Don’t Rip Away Health Care for Millions During Public Health Crisis
(U.S. Senate) - As the Trump Administration moves full-steam ahead to dismantle the health care law that provides coverage for millions of Americans, U.S. Senator Jon Tester today introduced a resolution with 46 colleagues putting in the official Senate record their condemnation of that "reckless" effort and demanding the Department of Justice (DOJ) defend existing law in court and halt its efforts to repeal the health care protections for millions - including 133 million Americans with pre-exis… Continue Reading
06.30.20
Statement On Guatemala’s Constitutional Crisis
Guatemala will never become a stable democracy that attracts significant and sustained foreign investment without an independent judiciary that the people trust. Judges should be free of conflict of interest, selected on the basis of their professional qualifications, integrity, and commitment to justice. The country's courts have faced repeated threats from corrupt influences, and today the Constitutional Court - the guardian of the Constitution, the foundation of Guatemala's democracy - is u… Continue Reading
06.26.20
Statement On 9th Circuit Ruling Halting Transfer Of Military Funds To President Trump’s Wall
"In a decisive victory for the Constitution and the American people, the Ninth Circuit wisely ruled that President's Trump effort to raid congressionally appropriated funds for our military troops and their families to build his wall was plainly illegal. In upholding the lower court's decision to halt the transfer of military funds to President Trump's wall - a wall that Congress refused to fully fund, prompting this President to lash out and shut down the government - the Ninth Circuit reaffirm… Continue Reading
06.26.20
Senate Passes Durbin Resolution To Reaffirm U.S. Commitment To Global Effort To Find COVID-19 Vaccine
U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) praised the unanimous passage of his resolution encouraging U.S. engagement with the international community on the COVID-19 response to research, develop, and distribute vaccines and therapeutics. The resolution, led by Durbin and supported by 39 of his Senate colleagues, noted the historic international effort to eradicate smallpox as an example of why concerted global collaboration and coordination is needed for the COVID-19 pandemic. "In the m… Continue Reading
06.26.20
Declaración del Senator Patrick Leahy Sobre El Banco Interamericano de Desarrollo
Sr. LEAHY. Según reportes de prensa, la administración del presidente Trump planea nominar a Mauricio Claver-Carone para ser el próximo presidente del Banco Interamericano de Desarrollo (BID). También, según tengo entendido, un númerode países latinoamericanos ya han expresado su apoyo a esta nominación. Como alguien que ha apoyado al BID por décadas, incluyendo cuando se propusieron enmiendas para eliminar o reducir la contribuci&… Continue Reading
06.26.20
Statement On The Inter-American Development Bank
Mr. LEAHY. According to press reports, the Trump Administration plans to nominate Mauricio Claver-Carone to be the next President of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB). It is also my understanding that a number of Latin American governments have already expressed support for his nomination. As someone who has supported the IDB for decades, including at times when amendments were proposed to eliminate or reduce the U.S. contribution, it is important to be aware that this nomination coul… Continue Reading
06.24.20
Klobuchar, Colleagues Call For Immediate Hearings on Political Interference in Antitrust Enforcement Decisions at Department of Justice
Senators' letter calls on Sens. Graham and Lee to hold hearing with Assistant Attorney General Makan Delrahim and career Justice Department attorney John W. Elias WASHINGTON (WEDNESDAY, June 24, 2020) - U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy and Consumer Rights, sent a letter to Judiciary Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Chairman of the Judiciary Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy and Consumer Rights… Continue Reading
06.24.20
Statement On Policing Reform Legislation Before The Senate
Since I last spoke on the Senate Floor in the wake of George Floyd's murder, the American people's calls for justice and accountability have not diminished. They have only grown stronger, and rightfully so. And since then our nation has had to confront yet another needless killing of an African American man, when an Atlanta police officer shot Rayshard Brooks twice in the back while he was fleeing from officers. No one will dispute that police officers have incredibly challenging jobs. No o… Continue Reading
06.24.20
Warren, Senate Democrats Introduce Legislation to Rename All Bases & Other Military Assets Named for the Confederacy Within One Year
Today, United States Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and 35 Senate Democrats introduced standalone legislation requiring the Pentagon to remove all names, symbols, displays, monuments, and paraphernalia that honor or commemorate the Confederate States of America and anyone who voluntarily served it from all military bases and other assets of the Department of Defense. The Pentagon must rename the assets within one year. "Senate Democrats are putting forward legislation to change the names o… Continue Reading
06.23.20
Collins, Leahy Urge USDA to Finalize Rule Critical to Small Organic Dairy Producers Throughout New England
U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Patrick Leahy (D-VT) sent a letter urging the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to finalize the National Organic Program 'Origin of Livestock' Rule, which would close a loophole that has put small organic dairy producers at a disadvantage and discredited the organic label. Senators Collins and Leahy worked to secure language in the fiscal year (FY) 2020 Agriculture Appropriations package directing the USDA to complete the National Organic Program 'Orig… Continue Reading
06.23.20
Merkley, Leahy And Colleagues Introduce Urgently-Needed Legislation To Help Hard-Hit Agricultural Workers Amid Pandemic
(TUESDAY, June 23, 2020) -- Senator Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) was joined by Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and others Tuesday in introducing the Frontline At-Risk Manual (FARM) Laborers Protection Act, groundbreaking legislation that establishes critical protections, including 10 days of paid leave and hazard pay, for America's agricultural workers. The bill is also cosponsored by Senators Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.).… Continue Reading
06.23.20
Ahead Of The 2020 Election, Senate Democrats Call For Proactive Efforts To Counter Voter Suppression Amid COVID-19 Safety Measures
Today, U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) led all Democrats on the Senate Rules Committee in calling for the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), the National Association of State Election Directors, and the National Association of Secretaries of State to work proactively to counter any attempts to suppress vulnerable and historically-disenfranchised voters during the COVID-19 crisis. In letters to Assistant Attorney General Eric S. Dreiband, head of the Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division,… Continue Reading
06.18.20
Comment On The Supreme Court’s Ruling Rejecting President Trump’s DACA Termination And Protecting The Nation’s Dreamers
In a victory for both the dignity and rights of our nation's Dreamers and the rule of law, the Supreme Court this morning ruled that President Trump's zeal to dismantle President Obama's DACA program was arbitrary, capricious, and plainly illegal. The Court reaffirmed that nearly 800,000 Dreamers - who arrived in the United States as children, through no fault of their own - have a protected place in our society. This landmark decision affirms what the vast majority of Americans feel in their … Continue Reading
06.18.20
After More Than A Month Of Senate Inaction, Merkley (Joined By Leahy And Others) Presses To Bring The HEROES Act COVID-19 Relief Bill To Floor For Debate And Vote
(WEDNESDAY, June 18, 2020) - After more than a month of inaction since the U.S. House of Representatives passed major legislation to address the ongoing health and economic crisis caused by the coronavirus, Oregon's U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) Wednesday led a group of 19 senators, including Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), in urging Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to bring the Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solution (HEREOS) Act to the Senate floor for a debate and vo… Continue Reading
06.17.20
REAX To Senate Republicans Delaying Fiscal Year 2021 Markups
Senate Democrats are committed to producing bipartisan bills. There is bipartisan agreement that we need to address the COVID pandemic. And if we want to truly address the issues of racial injustice that George Floyd's tragic death has brought to the surface, we need more than symbolism, we need to appropriate money for programs that advance these issues. Offering and considering amendments related to appropriations to address the most important issues of the day is not partisan, it is the jo… Continue Reading
