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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 Need For An Independent Investigation Into Connections Between Russia And The White House
With each day, we learn more about the troubling connections between the Russian government and President Trump's campaign and administration. We already knew that Russian President Putin ordered a multi-faceted campaign to undermine public faith in our election and to help President Trump win in November. That in itself is an attack on our democracy that should alarm all Republicans, Democrats and Independents alike. Reports indicate that Trump officials were in repeated contact with senior … Continue Reading
02.27.17
Appropriations Vice Chair Patrick Leahy On President Trump’s 2018 Budget Outline
[Senate Appropriations Committee Vice Chairman Patrick Leahy Monday released the following statement on President Trump's 2018 Budget Outline. Leahy is also the Ranking Member on the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on State Department and Foreign Operations.] The budget outline that President Trump intends to send to Congress is not a blueprint for success for a great nation. Instead it is a hasty list of appallingly unbalanced, shortsighted, politically driven priorities. He proposes incr… Continue Reading
02.27.17
Leahy Joins In Introducing Bipartisan Legislation To Protect Older Workers From Discrimination
Sen. Patrick Leahy has joined Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.), Ranking Member of the Senate Special Committee on Aging; Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), Chair of the Senate Special Committee on Aging; and Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), in introducing the Protecting Older Workers Against Discrimination Act (POWADA). A Supreme Court ruling in 2009 held that age discrimination claims must prove that discrimination was not just a motivating factor but the sole or overriding factor in an adverse employment decis… Continue Reading
02.24.17
Comment On The Announcement By The Department of Justice Regarding Private Prisons
Comment of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) On The Announcement by the Department of Justice Regarding Private Prisons February 24, 2017 [This week, Attorney General Sessions reversed a Justice Department policy to reduce and then end its use of private prisons. That policy, announced in August 2016 by then-Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates, was responsive to a DOJ Inspector General report finding that private prisons "incurred more safety and security incidents per capita" than federal facilit… Continue Reading
02.17.17
Leahy Votes NO On Pruitt Nomination For EPA Administrator
Leahy Votes NO On Pruitt Nomination For EPA Administrator WASHINGTON (FRIDAY, Feb. 17, 2017) - Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) voted no on Friday afternoon when the U.S. Senate approved President Trump's nomination of Scott Pruitt to head the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Pruitt was confirmed in a vote of 52 to 46. Leahy on Friday had supported a Democratic-led motion to postpone the vote until the Senate can review court-ordered emails and documents from the Pruitt's Oklahoma Attorn… Continue Reading
02.17.17
Statement On The Nomination Of Scott Pruitt To Be Administrator Of The Environmental Protection Agency
Statement Of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) On The Nomination Of Scott Pruitt To Be Administrator Of The Environmental Protection Agency February 17, 2017 Mr. President, today I must vote to oppose the confirmation of Scott Pruitt as the President's nominee for Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). While I believe that the President enjoys some privilege of selecting administration officials, the views that Mr. Pruitt and I hold on a wide range of key environmental issues … Continue Reading
02.16.17
Senators To Pres. Trump: Do NOT Remove Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Director Cordray
For Immediate Release February 16, 2017 Contact: Emily Hampsten (Durbin) (202) 228-5643 Kerry Arndt (Murray) (202) 224-2834 Miranda Margowsky (Stabenow) (202) 224-1154 Greg Vadala (Brown) (202) 224-6677 David Carle (Leahy) (202) 224-3693 SENATORS TO PRESIDENT TRUMP: DO NOT REMOVE CFPB DIRECTOR CORDRAY WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Assistant Democratic Leader Patty Murray (D-WA), Chair of the Democratic Policy and Communications Committee Debbie Stabenow (D-M… Continue Reading
02.16.17
Jericho Elementary School
On February 16, 2017, Senator Leahy conducted an online chat with the fourth graders of Jericho Elementary School. Senator Leahy enjoyed answering their questions about what inspired him to become a Senator, and about his work to create the law that began what is now a $40 billion organic foods industry. He also discussed the importance of reading, and encouraged the students to read as much as possible to learn about the many important ways they can help change the world.… Continue Reading
02.16.17
Leahy Opposes Nomination Of Mick Mulvaney To Be OMB Director
Senate Appropriations Committee Vice Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) Thursday voted against the nomination of Representative Mick Mulvaney (R-S.C.) to serve as the federal government's top budget manager as the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). In a statement Leahy said: "Mr. Mulvaney has a troubling history when it comes to standing up in support of the programs that many of us care deeply about. He prioritizes budget cuts over the social safety net that stands between mo… Continue Reading
02.16.17
Feinstein, Leahy & All Judiciary Committee Democratic Members, In Letters To WH, DOJ, FBI: RETAIN All Documents Related To Trump, Russia
All nine Senate Judiciary Committee Democrats today called on the White House, the Justice Department and the FBI to preserve all documents related to communication between Russia and all Trump officials and associates, as well as all documents related to Russian interference in the 2016 election. Letter to White House Letter to DOJ, FBI In a letter to White House Counsel Donald McGahn, the senators, led by Ranking Member Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), wrote, "We are writing to ask … Continue Reading
02.16.17
Senators to AG Sessions: Recuse Yourself from Trump, Russia Investigations
All nine Senate Judiciary Committee Democrats today called on Attorney General Jeff Sessions to recuse himself from any Justice Department investigations into Trump-Russia communications and Russian interference in the 2016 election. Additionally, the senators, led by Ranking Member Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), called on Sessions to limit communication between the Justice Department and the White House on all "criminal or civil enforcement matters." "[W]e ask that you r… Continue Reading
02.15.17
Senators Call For Independent Prosecutor To Investigate Trump Officials' Collusion With Russia And Apparent White House
Senators to Sessions: "At stake is the integrity and honesty of our most trusted public officials and the viability of our justice system" U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) led a group of eleven Senators in calling on Attorney General Jeff Sessions to appoint an independent Special Counsel to investigate possible illegal communications between retired Lieutenant General Michael Flynn and representatives of the Russian government, as well as efforts by Flynn and other White House officials … Continue Reading
02.14.17
Statement Of Senator Patrick Leahy On The Departure Of Secret Service Director Joseph Clancy
"Director Clancy took over the United States Secret Service during an era of great challenges, and he has provided much needed leadership and stability during his tenure. I thank him for his service to the agency and his country. At a time when our nation is facing serious national security challenges, I hope the President appoints someone similarly qualified to lead the Secret Service."… Continue Reading
02.14.17
Statement Of Senator Patrick Leahy On The Resignation Of National Security Advisor Michael Flynn
General Flynn's resignation as National Security Advisor is not the end of this story. I fear it is only the beginning. I have been deeply troubled for months about Russian manipulation of the 2016 presidential campaign and growing evidence of Russia's influence inside the White House. Serious questions remain unanswered about whether the President knew of Flynn's conversations with the Russians, and about Vladimir Putin's relationship with other individuals close to the President. It should… Continue Reading
02.13.17
Statement of Senator Patrick Leahy On the Nomination of Steven Mnuchin to be Secretary of the Treasury
Today the Senate will confirm the nomination of Steven Mnuchin to be the Secretary of the Treasury. It is a nomination I simply cannot support. The Treasury Department plays an essential role in the development of the economic policies that financially secure the United States in world markets, that expand the opportunities available to all Americans, and that help set the stage for a sound and growing economy. Our country's economic engine must be one that is accessible to all Americans, not… Continue Reading
02.13.17
Statement of Senator Patrick Leahy On the Nomination of David Shulkin to Secretary of Veterans Affairs
As the Senate has spent the last few weeks considering controversial nominee after controversial nominee, it is a refreshing break to consider Dr. David Shulkin to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs. Dr. Shulkin is a man defined by his professionalism, competence and dedication to the mission of the agency he is tapped to lead. The son of an Army psychologist and an experienced hospital system administrator, Dr. Shulkin was selected by President Obama to restore trust and confidence at th… Continue Reading
02.13.17
Ensuring Judicial Independence Will Require SENATE Independence
The late Chief Justice William Rehnquist once described the independent judiciary as "one of the crown jewels of our system of government." That is because the judiciary, insulated by life tenure from elections, can provide a necessary check on the other two branches of government and uphold the constitutional rights of all Americans. Now the independent federal judiciary is under attack by a president who seems intent on precipitating a constitutional crisis. President Trump's attacks on a … Continue Reading
02.10.17
Statement Of Appropriations Committee Vice Chairman Patrick Leahy On The Cost Of The Border Wall
Senate Appropriations Committee Vice Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) Friday issued the following statement on reports of an internal DHS cost estimate of $21.6 billion to construct a 2000-mile-long wall on the Southern Border: Appropriations bills are tangible expressions of our priorities. How we use our taxpayer dollars is a reflection of our values, and wasting billions on a poorly conceived border wall does not meet that test. Instead of funding this costly and ineffective proxy for real… Continue Reading
02.09.17
Leahy Comment On Unanimous Ninth Circuit Decision On The Trump Administration’s Immigration Order
"With its unanimous ruling, the Ninth Circuit has now joined numerous other courts around the country in ruling that President Trump's discriminatory immigration order is likely unconstitutional. It imposes a religious litmus test designed to keep Muslims out of the United States. If the President were serious about bringing our country together and keeping us safe, he would rescind this arbitrary and discriminatory order and recall what makes our country great. "Immigrants and refugees have … Continue Reading
02.09.17
Leahy, Sanders, Welch Commend Governor & Other State Leaders For Legislation On Trump Executive Orders
In a joint statement, Vermont's Congressional Delegation - Senator Patrick Leahy, Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), and Representative Peter Welch (D-Vt.) - commented on State of Vermont legislative efforts to protect the constitutional rights of Vermonters: "We commend Governor Scott, Attorney General Donovan and our state's legislative leaders for their commitment to protecting the rights of all Vermonters. Our offices have taken hundreds of calls from Vermonters who are deeply concerned about… Continue Reading
