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Search Senator Leahy’s press releases, floor statements, and Committee speeches by date or by subject.
Statement on Recent Events in Ethiopia
Statement of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt) On Recent Events in Ethiopia Congressional record September 27, 2016 MR. LEAHY. Mr. President, I want to bring the Senate's attention to the Ethiopian government's brutal crackdown on protestors over the past nine months. According to Human Rights Watch, more than 500 people have been killed by Ethiopian security forces in anti-government demonstrations since November 2015, including over 100 gunned down in early August of this year alone. These prote… Continue Reading
09.28.16
Statement On Aya Hijazi
Statement of Senator Patrick Leahy On Aya Hijazi Congressional Record September 27, 2016 Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, I want to speak about a matter in Egypt, a long-time ally of the United States, a country with a rich history and culture, but whose people have suffered for years due to corrupt, repressive governments and an anemic economy that stagnates under excessive statist control. This is the situation despite more than $75 billion in U.S. economic and military aid for Egypt over the past … Continue Reading
09.27.16
The President's Intention To Nominate Jeffrey DeLaurentis As U.S. Ambassador To Cuba
Reaction Of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt., Ranking Member, Senate State Department And Foreign Operations Subcommittee) To The President's Announcement Of His Intention To Name Jeffrey DeLaurentis As U.S. Ambassador To Cuba Tuesday, Sept. 27, 2016 "I have known Jeff DeLaurentis since he became the U.S. Chief of Mission in Havana, and he is the obvious choice to be Ambassador. He is a career diplomat who is universally respected by his peers, and by Democrats and Republicans in Congress, for his… Continue Reading
09.27.16
Statement On the Supreme Court Nomination of Chief Judge Merrick Garland
Statement of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Ranking Member, Senate Judiciary Committee, On the Supreme Court Nomination of Chief Judge Merrick Garland September 27, 2016 Eleven years ago this week, following the death of Chief Justice Rehnquist, the Senate confirmed Chief Justice John Roberts to the Supreme Court. After his Judiciary Committee hearing in September, he was given full and fair consideration by the Senate and confirmed about two weeks later on September 29. This ensured that the … Continue Reading
09.27.16
In Wake Of Massive Data Breach Affecting Millions Of Customers, Leahy Leads Senators In Pressing Yahoo! For Answers
Following Massive Data Breach Affecting Millions Of Customers, Leahy Leads Senators In Pressing Yahoo! For Answers WASHINGTON (Tuesday, September 27, 2016) - Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), the author of a comprehensive data security and breach notification bill that requires companies to take reasonable steps to secure their customers' sensitive data and notify customers in the event of a hack, called on the leader of Yahoo! to disclose how a massive hack at their company went unnoticed for two… Continue Reading
09.27.16
Senator Patrick Leahy and Senator Benjamin Cardin On Recent Developments in the Philippines and Indonesia
Colloquy Senator Patrick Leahy and Senator Benjamin Cardin On Recent Developments in the Philippines and Indonesia Congressional Record September 26 2016 MR. LEAHY: Mr. President, according to recent reports, more than 3,000 people have been killed in the Philippines in the twelve weeks since President Duterte announced his campaign to wipe out illicit drug use. More than 1,000 of those deaths were at the hands of the Philippine National Police during counternarcotic operations, compared to 6… Continue Reading
09.26.16
Signing Of Final Peace Agreement In Colombia
Reaction Of Senator Patrick Leahy To The Sept. 26 Signing Of A Final Peace Agreement In Colombia, Ending 5 Decades Of Civil War Monday, Sept. 26, 2016 "Today was a very long time in coming. During decades of war that killed hundreds of thousands and uprooted millions, every Colombian citizen and family paid a price. President Santos staked his political reputation on the negotiations, the outcome of which was never certain. He deserves great credit for having the vision and the courage for sta… Continue Reading
09.26.16
Leahy Leads Senators In Demanding Answers From DHS On Use Of Private Prisons
Senator Leahy Leads Senators In Demanding Answers From DHS On Use Of Private Prisons WASHINGTON (MONDAY, Sept. 26, 2016) - Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), with other leading senators, pressed the Obama administration Monday on the use of private prisons and contract facilities by the Department of Homeland Security. The letter comes amid an internal review at DHS regarding its use of private prisons, and the senators urged DHS to ensure the review was meaningful and genuine. In their letter to … Continue Reading
09.23.16
Leahy, Brown & Leading Democratic Senators Call On Wells Fargo To End Use Of Forced Arbitration On Consumers
Leahy, Brown & Leading Democratic Senators Call On Wells Fargo To End Use Of Forced Arbitration So That Consumers Can Seek Justice In Court WASHINGTON (FRIDAY, Sept. 23, 2016) - Democratic Senators led by Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Banking Committee Ranking Member Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) are calling on Wells Fargo to end the use of forced arbitration clauses that prevent customers whose names were used to open fraudulent accounts from seeking justice in cour… Continue Reading
09.23.16
Congressional Delegation Announces $2 Million Grant for Vermont Affordable Housing
Congressional Delegation Announces $2 Million Grant for Vermont Affordable Housing BURLINGTON, Vt., Sept. 23 - The Vermont congressional delegation announced Friday a $2 million grant to Housing Vermont to help provide affordable housing to low-income families in the state. "While the economy has certainly improved since the Great Recession, far too many people in Vermont and across the country are still struggling to get by on stagnant wages. Many pay 50 percent or more of their limited incom… Continue Reading
09.22.16
Leahy's Speech Just Now On The Senate Floor: Time Has Come To Reform EB-5, Or To End It
Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Senator Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) spoke back-to-back on the Senate Floor Thursday morning, as the EB-5 reform issue goes down to the wire. The program's authorization expires on Sept. 30. Some in Congress are pushing for a simple extension of the program. Leahy and Grassley are insisting on reforms, if the program is to go forward at all. In their tandem remarks on the Senate Floor, both said they will not support a simple extension of EB-5 without reform. Leah… Continue Reading
09.22.16
Floor remarks on extending the EB-5 Regional Center program without reforms
Statement of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Ranking Member, Senate Judiciary Committee, Floor remarks on extending the EB-5 Regional Center program without reforms September 22, 2016 I come to the floor today, joined by Senator Grassley, to share my concerns about the EB-5 Regional Center program. This program's authorization is set to expire at the end of the month, but Senate leadership wants to extend the EB-5 program as part of the continuing resolution. If this flawed program is not refor… Continue Reading
09.21.16
Statement On Military Sales to Saudi Arabia
Statement of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) On Military Sales to Saudi Arabia Congressional Record September 21, 2016 Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, I want to address the issues at the heart of S. J. Res. 39, the resolution introduced by Senators Paul, Murphy, Lee and Franken regarding the sale of $1.15 billion in military equipment to the Government of Saudi Arabia. Despite obvious differences in our systems of government and concerning the rights of women and other issues, the United States and S… Continue Reading
09.20.16
Leahy Unveils Legislation To Authorize Critical Anti-Heroin Task Force Program
Leahy Unveils Legislation To Authorize Critical Anti-Heroin Task Force Program WASHINGTON (Tuesday, September 20, 2016) - In his continued effort to combat the epidemic of opioid abuse affecting Vermont, Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) introduced bipartisan legislation Tuesday to authorize critical resources for the Anti-Heroin Task Force program that has proven effective in communities throughout the country. Leahy helped to establish the Anti-Heroin Task Force program in 2014, but without auth… Continue Reading
09.20.16
Statement On the Introduction of Legislation to Strengthen the Anti-Heroin Task Force Program
Statement of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Ranking Member, Senate Judiciary Committee, On the Introduction of Legislation to Strengthen the Anti-Heroin Task Force Program September 20, 2016 I have come to this Floor many times to speak about the toll that the abuse of prescription opioids and heroin has taken on our communities. When I talk to Vermonters about this crisis - whether at Judiciary Committee field hearings in our state, or in conversations at kitchen tables and on street corners … Continue Reading
09.20.16
Statement On The UN Summit On The Global Refugee Crisis
Statement Of Senator Patrick Leahy On The UN Summit On The Global Refugee Crisis September 20, 2016 "With the exception of climate change, no issue more urgently requires collective action by the world's governments than the calamity facing tens of millions refugees and internally displaced people. The protracted conflicts in Syria and South Sudan alone have uprooted millions. Tens of thousands of Central American children have braved the journey north seeking safety in our own country. "Syri… Continue Reading
09.16.16
Leahy column marking 5th anniv. of Leahy-Smith patent reforms
A Modern Patent System Helps Energize Vermont's Economy, And The Nation's By Patrick Leahy Five years ago, in front of an audience of school-aged inventors, President Obama signed into law the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act. That law contained the most extensive reforms of the U.S. patent system in 60 years, creating the foundation for an innovative patent system for the 21st Century. As we commemorate this legislative feat, six years in the making, it is important to reflect on how the Ameri… Continue Reading
09.15.16
Senate Republicans Have Not Confirmed A Single Judicial Nominee In More Than Two Months
Senate Republicans have not allowed the confirmation of a single judicial nomination since July while at the same time refusing to give Supreme Court nominee Merrick Garland a hearing or a vote. On Thursday, Senate Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Patrick Leahy said that Republicans should confirm the backlog of judicial nominees, including Chief Judge Garland, before leaving town for another recess. "The Republican leadership should not schedule recess until we confirm Chief Judge Garland … Continue Reading
09.15.16
Leahy Calls For Senate Action On Bipartisan Reforms To Protect Older Americans From Workplace Discrimination
Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) is urging the top leaders of the Senate Health Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee to take up his bipartisan bill to protect older Americans from workplace discrimination. Leahy, in a bipartisan letter with Senator Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), noted that the Protecting Older Workers Against Discrimination Act (POWADA) would restore critical workplace protections for older Americans that were stripped away following the 2009 Supreme Court's decision in Gros… Continue Reading
09.14.16
Leahy Joins In Introducing Bill To Overhaul VA Health System Appeal Process
Leahy And 9 Other Senators Introduce Bill To Overhaul The Veterans Health System Appeal Process (WEDNESDAY, Sept. 14, 2016) - Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) is among ten senators who this week introduced legislation to reform the appeals process for veterans benefits. The bill is sponsored by Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and cosponsored by Leahy and Sens. Jon Tester (D-MT), Angus King (I-ME), Tom Udall (D-NM), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Robert P. Casey, Jr. (D-PA), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Joe Manchi… Continue Reading
