WASHINGTON, July 23 -- Sen. Patrick J. Leahy, D-Vermont, issued the following news release on July 22: U.S. Senator Kamala D. Harris (D-CA), member of the United States Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, and 17 Senators, sent a letter to Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Chad Wolf, Acting Commissioner of Customs and Border Protection Mark Morgan, and Acting Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Matthew Albence demanding answers about the use of feder  more

WASHINGTON, July 25 -- Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vermont, vice chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, issued the following news release: Senate Appropriations Committee Vice Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) Friday announced the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) agreed to postpone its scheduled furlough of more than 13,000 public servants through Aug. 31. The action affects 1,109 Vermonters who earlier had received furlough notices effective Aug. 3. The announcement came aft  more

WASHINGTON, July 25 -- Sen. Patrick J. Leahy, D-Vermont, issued the following news release: Senate Appropriations Committee Vice Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) Friday announced the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) agreed to postpone its scheduled furlough of more than 13,000 public servants through Aug. 31. The action affects 1,109 Vermonters who earlier had received furlough notices effective Aug. 3. The announcement came after Leahy pressed the organization to reverse course  more

WASHINGTON, July 23 -- Sen. Patrick J. Leahy, D-Vermont, issued the following news release: Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), a senior member and former chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Wednesday led 47 other senators in introducing the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, a bipartisan bill to restore the landmark Voting Rights Act, end the scourge of minority voter suppression, and help preserve the legacy of John Lewis - one of America's greatest civil rights heroes. In 2013, th  more

WASHINGTON, July 20 -- Sen. Patrick J. Leahy, D-Vermont, issued the text of the following statement on the death of Rep. John Lewis, D-Georgia: John Lewis was an American hero among us, a lodestar who drew us closer to our ideals. He was a dear friend and mentor to me on civil rights and so much else. I felt honored when he called me his brother and when he came to Vermont last year for a night at the Flynn Center for the Performing Arts in Burlington that none of us will forget. Our work tog  more

WASHINGTON, July 24 -- Sen. Patrick J. Leahy, D-Vermont, issued the following statement: The National Defense Authorization Act sets policies and priorities for the Department of Defense. The Appropriations Committee determines which of those priorities are actually funded. This year the Senate has approved an authorization bill that will support our troops, their families, and their missions. I am particularly pleased that it continues support for a project I have worked on many years to heal   more

WASHINGTON, July 22 -- Sen. Patrick J. Leahy, D-Vermont, issued the following statement: I have spoken many times about the need for another COVID-19 supplemental. The frightening trajectory of this virus, and the terrible human suffering, loss, and economic devastation it is causing families, businesses, and public services in every state and municipality in this country, have greatly accentuated the urgency of that need. As the coronavirus continues to outpace the White House's appallingly   more

WASHINGTON, July 21 -- Sen. Patrick J. Leahy, D-Vermont, issued the text of the following statement: Marks 21 years since the Chinese government launched a brutal campaign to eliminate Falun Gong, a traditional Chinese religion based on a philosophy of truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance. Since July 1999, the Chinese government has arbitrarily detained millions of Falun Gong practitioners, effectively exiled many who have traveled abroad, and revoked the licenses of lawyers who defend Falu  more

WASHINGTON, July 23 -- Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont, issued the following news release: Sen. Bernie Sanders' (I-Vt.) amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act to cut America's $740 billion military budget by 10% to invest in jobs, health care, and education secured the support of 23 members of the Senate Democratic Caucus. "Today, almost half of the members of the Senate Democratic Caucus--23 Senators--voted to cut Pentagon spending by 10% and invest in human needs. This is far and  more

WASHINGTON, July 21 -- Sen. Patrick J. Leahy, D-Vermont, issued the following news release: Senate Appropriations Committee Vice Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) highlighted the urgent need for a fourth coronavirus supplemental appropriations package. Ahead of the anticipated release of Leader McConnell's bill this week, Leahy released nine documents outlining the need for additional funding for the Census, child care, domestic violence programs, education, election aid, food insecurity, foreign   more

WASHINGTON, July 22 -- Sen. Patrick J. Leahy, D-Vermont, issued the following news release on July 21: U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.), a member of the Senate Appropriations and Foreign Relations Committees, and Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Vice Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, introduced the No WHO Withdrawal Act to block President Trump's attempt to withdraw the United States from the World Health Organization (WHO) and prohibit congressionally appropriated funds from being used   more

WASHINGTON, July 22 -- Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vermont, vice chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, issued the following news release: Senators Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.) and Jon Tester (D-Mont.) Tuesday released a letter calling on president Trump to utilize resources already passed by Congress and signed into law to increase production of personal, protective equipment (PPE) and testing capacity. Leahy is Vice Chair of the Appropriations Commit  more

WASHINGTON, July 22 -- Sen. Patrick J. Leahy, D-Vermont, issued the following news release: Senators Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.) and Jon Tester (D-Mont.) Tuesday released a letter calling on president Trump to utilize resources already passed by Congress and signed into law to increase production of personal, protective equipment (PPE) and testing capacity. Leahy is Vice Chair of the Appropriations Committee and Durbin, Murray and Tester also are leading   more

WASHINGTON, July 22 -- Sen. Patrick J. Leahy, D-Vermont, issued the following news release: Senators Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Mike Lee (R-Utah) wrote to Attorney General William Barr and Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe on Tuesday, demanding information on whether and how the Trump administration has halted mass surveillance programs authorized by now-expired Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) provisions under the USA FREEDOM Act. The senators also demanded informatio  more

WASHINGTON, July 24 -- Rep. Peter Welch, D-Vermont, issued the following news release: Representatives Peter Welch (D-Vt.) and Katie Porter (D-Calif.) on Thursday sent a letter with 22 other members of Congress to Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar to ask how the more than $6.6 billion in taxpayer funds going to private pharmaceutical companies through 'Operation Warp Speed' (OWS) will support development of an affordable vaccine for COVID-19. "We write to thank you for your cont  more

WASHINGTON, July 22 -- Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vermont, vice chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, issued the following news release: Senate Appropriations Committee Vice Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security Ranking Member Jon Tester (D-Mont.) Tuesday called on Department of Homeland Security Acting Secretary Chad Wolf and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Deputy Director For Policy Joseph Edlow to postpone plans to furloug  more