Press Room
Press Releases
Search Senator Leahy’s press releases, floor statements, and Committee speeches by date or by subject.
Leahy-Led Changes To Federal Dairy Program Will Deliver Millions To Vermont Farmers
(WEDNESDAY, Dec. 8, 2021) - U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) Wednesday announced changes made by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to the dairy safety net program that will benefit Vermont's small dairy farms. As it opens enrollment of the Dairy Margin Coverage (DMC) program for 2022, changes to the program sought by Leahy will deliver additional payments to Vermont producers. A change in how feed costs are calculated will mean an additional $3.1 million in retroactive payments will b… Continue Reading
12.07.21
Comment On The Confirmation Of Nikolas Kerest To Serve As Vermont’s Next U.S. Attorney
I am so proud that Nikolas 'Kolo' Kerest, whom I recommended to President Biden to serve as Vermont's next U.S. Attorney, was just confirmed by the United States Senate. Kolo is an exemplary prosecutor, dedicated to upholding the rule of law and putting the interests of Vermonters first, above all else. As a former prosecutor myself, I am confident that Kolo has just what it takes to keep our communities safe while also honoring Vermont's values. I look forward to seeing him take the helm of Ver… Continue Reading
12.06.21
Statement On Cuba
Mr. LEAHY. As someone who has observed the evolution of relations between the United States and Cuba for nearly 50 years, particularly since I first traveled there in 1999, I find the situation between our two countries today bewildering, tragic, and exasperating. Bewildering, because senior Administration officials - who have publicly and privately acknowledged that the 60-year policy of unilateral United States sanctions, isolation, and threats has failed to achieve any of its objectives an… Continue Reading
12.02.21
Chairman Leahy Statement On The Further Extending Government Funding Act
It is my hope that soon the Senate will vote on a bipartisan agreement to keep the government open and funded through February 18th. I am pleased we reached this agreement. The only thing worse than running the government under a continuing resolution (CR) is a government shutdown. A shutdown only hurts the American people and wastes billions in taxpayer dollars. I am glad that the bill includes critical funding to support Afghan refugees as we help them get resettled here in the United Sta… Continue Reading
12.02.21
Senator Leahy, Governor Scott Announce $63 Million In Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Funding For Vermont’s Clean Water and Wastewater Revolving Loan Funds
(THURSDAY, Dec. 2, 2021) - U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy (D) and Vermont Governor Phil Scott (R) on Thursday announced that Vermont will be receiving $63,041,000 in funding for drinking water systems and wastewater treatment as a result of the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act signed by President Biden late last month. The funds will go into the State's revolving loan funds for drinking water and wastewater. Those funds are loaned or granted to municipalities for constructing, impr… Continue Reading
12.02.21
Leahy Statement On The Continuing Resolution
I am glad that we have reached a bipartisan agreement to keep the government funded through February 18 that includes needed funding to support Afghan refugees. These brave men and women were our allies through 20 years of war, and we have an obligation to support them as they begin their new lives. Since May, I have called for bipartisan, bicameral negotiations with the White House to establish toplines. On October 18, Senate Democrats released a comprehensive opening offer in an effort … Continue Reading
12.01.21
Gillibrand, Leahy, Collins Introduce Bill To Lift Voices Of Dairy Farmers By Calling For Federal Milk Marketing Order Hearings Addressing Class I Milk Pricing
(WEDNESDAY, Dec. 1, 2021) - U.S. Senators Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) Wednesday introduced the bipartisan Dairy Pricing Opportunity Act, which would direct the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to initiate the process of holding Federal Milk Marketing Order (FMMO) hearings within six months. The hearings would provide an opportunity for producers, who understand the dynamics of milk pricing first hand, to have a voice in formulating any pote… Continue Reading
11.30.21
Statement On Hossam Bahgat
Mr. LEAHY. In June of this year, Egyptian prosecutors opened a criminal investigation concerning human rights defender Hossam Bahgat, in relation to a December 2020 tweet criticizing Egypt's flawed parliamentary elections. The acts he has been accused of would not be considered crimes in the United States, nor in any other country that respects freedom of expression. Hossam Bahgat is the Executive Director and founder of one of the most respected Egyptian human rights organizations, the Egypti… Continue Reading
11.30.21
Leahy Comments On USDA Accepting Applications For ReConnect Broadband Funding
(TUESDAY, Nov. 30, 2021) - The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is currently accepting applications for $1.15 billion in funding through the ReConnect Program. This program provides loans and grants to help Americans living in rural communities get access to quality, high-speed internet service. Eligible applicants are state, local or territory governments, corporations, Native American Tribes, limited liability companies and cooperative organizations. This funding is available for proje… Continue Reading
11.24.21
Statement On The Dismantling Of Democracy In El Salvador
Like the Salvadoran people, I hoped that the 1992 Peace Accords would signal the beginning of a new era of democratic governance, justice, and a better life for the people of El Salvador after 12 years of a disastrous civil war. Instead, rampant corruption, incompetence, and the unchecked personal ambitions of successive Salvadoran leaders to hold onto power have prevented the realization of those goals. The officials responsible for the dismantling of the country's democratic checks and balan… Continue Reading
11.19.21
Leahy, Sanders And Welch Laud $9.7 Million U.S. DOT Investment In Vermont Bicycle-Pedestrian Infrastructure
(FRIDAY, Nov. 19, 2021) -- Senator Patrick Leahy (D), Senator Bernie Sanders (I), Representative Peter Welch (D) and South Burlington City officials announced Friday that the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) has awarded the City a Rebuilding American Infrastructure With Sustainability And Equity (RAISE) grant totaling $9,768,834, to build a bicycle and pedestrian bridge over Interstate 89. The project will provide a safe and protected way for bicyclists and pedestrians to travel betwee… Continue Reading
11.16.21
Senate Floor Remarks
Eight times, the voters of Vermont - who are my neighbors, my friends, my family - have had the great faith to send me to the United States Senate to represent them. Yesterday, I told those neighbors and friends, and my family, that I will not run for reelection. I told the Vermonters that have humbled me since my first election to the Senate in 1974 that I will resign this seat at the conclusion of my term. It is a decision I do not come to lightly, but one in which Marcelle and I find great… Continue Reading
11.15.21
Remarks Of U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy
Thank you all for being here this morning. This room is special to both Marcelle and me, and not just because as a kid I used to ride my tricycle down these halls. Having grown up right across the street, Marcelle and I gathered here with our parents, our children Kevin, Alicia and Mark, and my sister Mary and announced my candidacy for the United States Senate. At the time, I was a 33-year-old, four-term Chittenden County state's attorney, launching a campaign knowing that Vermont had never … Continue Reading
11.06.21
Leahy: Historic Infrastructure Bill’s Investments Will Yield Wide & Deep Benefits Across VT; Leahy Spotlights KEY VERMONT HIGHLIGHTS
(SATURDAY, Nov. 6, 2021) -- More than two months after the U.S. Senate passed bipartisan legislation to invest $1.2 trillion to the nation's infrastructure, the House of Representatives overnight has given final approval to the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. The bill next goes to the President's desk to be signed into law. Vermont Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), who has strongly supported and voted for the bill in the Senate, hailed passage of the bill as long overdue and urgently nee… Continue Reading
11.05.21
Leahy And Vermont Organic Farmers Comment On USDA Organic Funding Announcement
(FRIDAY, Nov. 5, 2021) - The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced that it will set aside $20 million in CARES Act funding to provide assistance to organic farmers who experienced losses or additional expenses as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, the Biden administration announced it is reversing reductions in cost sharing assistance for farmers transitioning to organic made by the Trump administration in direct contradiction of provisions within the 2018 Farm Bill. … Continue Reading
11.04.21
Cardin, Leahy, Raskin Introduce Legislation To Improve Transparency For Prisoners And Detainees In Private Facilities
U.S. Senators Ben Cardin (D-Md.) and Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Congressman Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) today introduced legislation to require that government agencies comply with Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests relating to private prisons, jails or detention facilities, including immigration detention facilities. The Private Prison Information Act (S. 3164/H.R. 5853) is essential for holding detention facilities accountable. "The PPIA would create a baseline of accountability for private c… Continue Reading
11.04.21
Approps. Chair Leahy On Need To Finish FY 2022 Appropriations Bills And Impact Of A Full-Year CR
We are now four weeks into the fiscal year, the federal government is running on auto-pilot, and we only have four more weeks until the government shuts down unless Congress takes action. This is not a theoretical exercise. The actions we take, or don't take, in this Chamber with respect to the Fiscal Year 2022 Appropriations bills affect people's lives and the direction of this nation. These bills provide for our national defense, help educate our nation's children, provide medical care for… Continue Reading
11.02.21
Statement On The Desperate Situation In Tigray
The situation in Tigray continues to deteriorate. Recent bombings by the Ethiopian Government of Tigray's densely populated capital city, Mekele, has reportedly killed civilians, including children. Millions of people have been displaced and many in Tigray are facing famine. Combatants on both sides of the conflict have committed atrocities. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported recently that only 14 percent of trucks with relief aid were getting thr… Continue Reading
11.02.21
Leahy, Murkowski, Durbin And Manchin Announce Bipartisan Compromise On The John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act
(TUESDAY, Nov. 2, 2021) - U.S. Senators Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Joe Manchin (D-W.V.) Tuesday released a bipartisan compromise on the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. This proposal - which builds on the version introduced earlier in October - reflects months of bipartisan negotiations and seeks to garner broader support in the Senate. Leahy, Murkowski, Durbin, and Manchin are committed to continuing their work on this compromise bill t… Continue Reading
11.02.21
Reaction of Appropriations Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy Following Four Corners Appropriations Meeting
"Republicans seem to want to drive us into a full year continuing resolution. Democrats made a good faith offer last month that provided a 5 percent increase in defense spending, which is consistent with the bipartisan NDAA, but it takes two to negotiate. We still have not received a topline offer in response to ours. An endless cycle of continuing resolutions is not a responsible way to govern. It means cuts to veterans, cuts to national security and defense, handcuffing our response to the pan… Continue Reading
