Press Room
Press Releases
Search Senator Leahy’s press releases, floor statements, and Committee speeches by date or by subject.
Leahy's Senate Floor Speech This Afternoon In Opposition To The Nomination Of Betsy DeVos To Be Secretary Of Education
Mr. President, I thank the distinguished senior Senator from Minnesota for her comments. She speaks from experience and knowledge, as has the senior Senator from Washington State, on this issue. In my years here, I have seen thousands of confirmation votes, literally at all levels, up to and including Cabinet members and Supreme Court justices. I have voted for a large majority of a President's nominations--both Republican and Democratic Presidents. Some may not have been those I would have cho… Continue Reading
02.04.17
Comment On Partisan Attacks On The Federal Judiciary
Comment Of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), On Partisan Attacks On The Federal Judiciary February 4, 2017 "The President's hostility toward the rule of law is not just embarrassing, it is dangerous. He seems intent on precipitating a constitutional crisis. He fired the nation's top law enforcement official for recognizing that his so-called 'travel ban' was indefensible. It is in fact an arbitrary and shameful attempt to discriminate against Muslims. Last year, he made baseless accusations and at… Continue Reading
02.03.17
Leahy Presses Trump Administration For Details On Trump’s Immigration Order
Senator Patrick Leahy pressed the Trump administration Friday for specific details on the number of individuals, including U.S. citizens and valid green card holders, who were banned, detained, or mistreated when trying to enter the United States following the president's executive order that was signed last week. President Trump's executive order banning refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries has been challenged in federal court, and three district court judges ruled that at least parts… Continue Reading
02.03.17
Leahy Joins Other Key Senate Leaders In Writing To The New Defense Secretary And CIA Director, Opposing Return To ‘Ineffective, Immoral Policies’ On Torture And Detention
Senator Patrick Leahy, Vice Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, and the Ranking Members of the Senate Intelligence, Armed Services, Foreign Relations and Judiciary Committees Friday sent a letter to Secretary of Defense James Mattis and CIA Director Mike Pompeo expressing alarm at reports that the Administration is reportedly considering an Executive Order that would revoke the bans on CIA "black site" detention facilities and interrogation techniques outside of the U.S. Army Field … Continue Reading
02.03.17
Leahy Joins In Introducing Legislation To Codify Membership On The National Security Council
Senator Patrick Leahy joined Senate Select Committee On Intelligence Vice Chairman Mark R. Warner (D-Va.) Thursday in introducing legislation that will clarify the permanent membership of the National Security Council (NSC). The introduction follows the unprecedented reorganization of the NSC by President Trump, which diminished the permanent roles of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Director of National Intelligence and extended NSC membership to Steve Bannon, a top campaign a… Continue Reading
02.03.17
Leahy Statement On The Resignation Of Eric Miller, U.S. Atty For The District Of Vermont
During his time as U.S. Attorney for Vermont, Eric Miller has demonstrated exceptional leadership in tackling our state's most serious challenges. His ability and his energy in bringing together federal, state and local agencies in Vermont to address the heroin and opioid epidemic have yielded impressive results. He is a man of absolute integrity, and his commitment to uphold civil rights has been another hallmark of his time in office. Time and again, his thoughtful approach and calm demean… Continue Reading
02.02.17
Senate Floor Remarks Of Senator Patrick Leahy In Opposition To The Resolution To Kill The SEC Resource Extraction Rule, Which Protects Investors And The Public By Increasing Transparency To Discourage Massive Payments By Oil Companies And Others To Corrupt Foreign Kleptocrats
Mr. President, Republicans in both chambers have introduced a resolution to permit oil, gas, and mining companies to continue making secret payments - involving billions of dollars - to corrupt foreign governments in exchange for access to their countries' natural resources. This resolution would overturn legislation on which I worked closely with former Republican Senator Richard Lugar and Senator Cardin, and was included as Section 1504 of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Prote… Continue Reading
02.01.17
Leahy's First Senate Floor Speech On The Nomination Of Neil Gorsuch To The Supreme Court
Since public hearings began in 1916, the Senate has never denied a hearing or a vote to a pending Supreme Court nominee. That was until last year. Last year Senate Republicans waged an unprecedented blockade against the nomination of Chief Judge Merrick Garland, a fine judge with impeccable credentials who should be on the Supreme Court today. Instead, bowing to the extreme right of their party, Republicans who knew and respected Chief Judge Garland refused even to meet with him, let alone ac… Continue Reading
01.31.17
Statement On the Nomination of Judge Neil Gorsuch To The Supreme Court Of The United States
Statement Of Senator Patrick Leahy On the Nomination of Judge Neil Gorsuch To The Supreme Court Of The United States January 31, 2017 "In light of the unconstitutional actions of our new President in just his first week, the Senate owes the American people a thorough and unsparing examination of this nomination. I had hoped that President Trump would work in a bipartisan way to pick a mainstream nominee like Merrick Garland and bring the country together. Instead, he outsourced this process to … Continue Reading
01.31.17
Statement of Senator Patrick Leahy on the Nomination of Rex Tillerson to be Secretary of State
Mr. President, today the Senate is considering the nomination of Rex Tillerson to be Secretary of State. Mr. Tillerson is an intelligent, hard-working, and successful businessman. He is also, in my view, the wrong choice to be our Nation's top diplomat. To effectively confront the many challenges our country faces in an increasingly globalized and volatile world, we need a Secretary of State who, with credibility and conviction, can clearly and effectively articulate our interests and values… Continue Reading
01.31.17
Senator Leahy’s Statement In Opposition To The Sessions Nomination For Attorney General, At The Judiciary Committee Voting Session
What we saw last night illustrates what is at stake with this nomination. The President's decision to fire Acting Attorney General Sally Yates is shameful. And his accusation that she "betrayed the Department of Justice" is dangerous. The Attorney General is the people's attorney, not the President's attorney. He or she does not "wear two hats." Ms. Yates exemplified the best of this role. I want to thank Ms. Yates for her nearly three decades of service to this country, and for serving in… Continue Reading
01.31.17
Comment of Senator Patrick Leahy On the Firing of Acting Attorney General Sally Yates
"Federal courts have already found President Trump's immigration order is very likely unconstitutional, and Acting Attorney General Yates concluded that it was not legally defensible. She was fired for recognizing that her oath is to the Constitution and not to President Trump. His accusation that she has 'betrayed the Department of Justice' is wrong and it is dangerous. "President Trump has now put his Cabinet on notice: If you adhere to your oath of office to defend the Constitution, you … Continue Reading
01.30.17
Statement of Senator Patrick Leahy on President Trump, the Press, and Putin
President Trump's Executive Order banning Muslims from 7 countries, none of which was a source of terrorists who have carried out attacks in this country, was un-American, arbitrary, inhumane, and it will likely spur an increase in violence targeting Americans. I will have plenty more to say about it and other reckless actions by this White House in the days and weeks ahead. In the meantime, I want to say a few words about the bizarre back and forth between the Trump Administration and the ne… Continue Reading
01.30.17
Leahy Announces He Will OPPOSE Sessions Nomination For A.G.
Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), a former chairman and ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, announced on Monday his opposition to the nomination of Senator Jeff Sessions to be the next Attorney General of the United States. "The Attorney General must faithfully serve all Americans. After carefully reviewing Senator Sessions' extensive record, I am not convinced that he meets that threshold standard. So I must oppose this nomination," Leahy said. Sessions' nomination has raised si… Continue Reading
01.27.17
Leahy, Sanders And Welch Issue Joint Statement On President Trump’s Move to Halt Refugee Resettlements In Vermont And Across The Country
"We deplore President Trump's decision to unilaterally halt the refugee resettlement program and specifically target Muslim countries. By imposing a blanket ban on entire nationalities of men, women and children facing horrific violence and devastation, he has allowed fear to triumph over compassion and common sense. Struggling families, fleeing peril and motivated to start their lives anew, have enriched America and contribute immeasurably to our state. Vermont has successfully resettled alm… Continue Reading
01.26.17
Comment Of Appropriations Committee Vice Chairman Patrick Leahy On The Departure Of Senior Managers At The State Department
"Any incoming Secretary of State needs the institutional memory of key managerial staff, and all the more so when a new secretary lacks government and foreign policy experience," said Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Ranking Member of the Appropriations subcommittee that funds the State Department. (Leahy also is the Vice Chairman of the full Appropriations Committee.) "Whether Mr. Tillerson, if he is confirmed, keeps them in the long run is up to him, but it is regrettable that a decision was m… Continue Reading
01.26.17
Statement Of Senator Patrick Leahy On The Nomination Of Nikki Haley To Be United States Ambassador To The United Nations
Mr. President, it has become fashionable, particularly among supporters of the Trump Administration, to accuse the United Nations of just about everything. This is, however, nothing new. The UN has been an easy target, especially for some Republicans, for a long time, because like any unwieldy international organization comprised of member states with very different priorities and interests it will probably never be as efficient or effective as we would like. But there is simply no question t… Continue Reading
01.25.17
Comments Of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) On Reports Of Draft Executive Order To Review Interrogation Policies And Revive Black Site Prisons
"President Trump should put this draft executive order in the trash where it belongs. No President should even consider reinstating the CIA's so-called enhanced interrogation techniques by redefining torture, reopening the 'black sites' where the CIA secretly detained and tortured human beings in the name of fighting terrorism, or sending more people to the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay. These same practices stripped America of its standing in the world as a leader in promoting and prot… Continue Reading
01.25.17
Statement Of Senate Appropriations Vice Chairman Patrick Leahy On President Trump’s Executive Order On ‘The Wall’
"Our broken immigration system demands a sensible, comprehensive and carefully crafted solution, not expensive political stunts. As a candidate Donald Trump repeatedly claimed that Mexico would pay for an enormously costly wall. Now as President, he plans to have the American taxpayers to pay for it. Billions upon billions of wasted tax dollars. A troubling pattern is quickly emerging, with the fuzzy talk about killing the Affordable Care Act, and now with 'the wall.' It's jump first, and m… Continue Reading
01.25.17
Sen. Franken and Colleagues Pressure AT&T & Time Warner to Prove Mega-Merger is in Public Interest
Today, a group of Senate Democrats led by Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) and including Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), put pressure on AT&T and Time Warner to prove that their proposed mega-merger is in the American public's interest. Troublingly, because of how the two companies have signaled they are structuring the deal, they are no longer legally required to prove that their consolidation would serve the public interest-which Sen. Franken and 12 of his colleagues … Continue Reading
