BURLINGTON, Vermont, July 25 -- Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vermont, issued the following news release and letter: Senators Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Peter Welch (D-VT) and Representative Becca Balint (VT-AL) sent a letter to U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg this past Friday, calling on the Department of Transportation (DOT) to support the State of Vermont's request for immediate and robust assistance to help Vermont rebuild and recover from the recent devastating flooding. Th  more

BURLINGTON, Vermont, July 26 -- Rep. Becca Balint, D-Vermont, issued the following news release and a letter: Senators Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Peter Welch (D-VT) and Representative Becca Balint (VT-AL) sent a letter to U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg this past Friday, calling on the Department of Transportation (DOT) to support the State of Vermont's request for immediate and robust assistance to help Vermont rebuild and recover from the recent devastating flooding.  more

WASHINGTON, July 29 -- Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont, chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, issued the following news release: According to a new report - commissioned in 2020 by Senators Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Chairman of the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Chairman of the Committee on the Budget, and released yesterday by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) - the gap in retirement account balances betwe  more

WASHINGTON, July 26 -- Rep. Becca Balint, D-Vermont, issued the following news release on July 25, 2023: Today, Rep. Becca Balint (VT-AL) introduced a resolution to censure Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene for her racist, homophobic, transphobic, antisemitic remarks, and unhinged conspiracy theories. Rep. Balint introduced today's resolution to make clear that this extreme behavior cannot continue to be normalized by House Republicans. "Censuring Rep. Taylor Greene is about the health of our democr  more

BURLINGTON, Vermont, July 25 -- Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont, issued the following statement on July 24, 2023: * * * Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, on Monday issued the following statement as bipartisan talks continue on primary care legislation: "This country has a massive shortage of doctors, nurses, mental health providers, and dentists. We also have a primary care crisis in which millions of Americans are unable to g  more

WASHINGTON, July 26 -- Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont, issued the following news release on July 25, 2023: Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, today with Rep. Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (D-Va.), Ranking Member of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, 29 Democratic colleagues in the Senate, nearly 150 in the House of Representatives, and the support of nearly 50 organizations from across the country, introduced legislat  more

BURLINGTON, Vermont, July 26 -- Rep. Becca Balint, D-Vermont, issued the following news release and letter on July 24, 2023: Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Sen. Peter Welch (D-Vt.), and Rep. Becca Balint (D-Vt.) today sent letters to 95 insurance companies holding federally-backed and private insurance policies across Vermont - including the top flood, homeowner, and auto insurance companies - calling on them to act quickly and fairly when assessing what damage from the recent floods can be cover  more

WASHINGTON, July 25 -- Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont, issued the following commentary to The Guardian on July 24, 2023: * * * The Pentagon Doesn't Need $886bn. I Oppose This Bloated Defense Budget The US Senate is now debating an $886bn defense authorization bill. Unless there are major changes to the bill, I intend to vote against it. Here's why. As everyone knows, our country faces enormous crises. As a result of climate change our planet is experiencing unprecedented and rising temperat  more

WASHINGTON, July 28 -- Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vermont, issued the following news release on July 27, 2023: Today, Senator Peter Welch (D-VT) and Congressman Joe Courtney (D-CT) introduced legislation to lower the cost of college for current and future borrowers. The Student Loan Interest Elimination Act would refinance the interest on federal student loans for all existing borrowers to zero percent and cap interest rates for future borrowers. Thanks to this fix, 43 million Americans with existing  more

WASHINGTON, July 28 -- Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vermont, issued the following news release on July 27, 2023: Senator Peter Welch (D-VT) today introduced the Fairness for Small Scale Farmers and Ranchers Act and the Agricultural Worker Justice Act, legislation to support farm workers and uplift small, family farms across the United States. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) co-sponsored both bills in the Senate. Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) co-sponsored the Agricultural Worker Justice Act and Senator Elizabeth W  more

WASHINGTON, July 28 (TNSres) -- Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vermont, issued the following fact sheet: * * * The Student Loan Interest Elimination Act Eliminating Interest Rates The Student Loan Interest Elimination Act, led by Rep. Joe Courtney (D-CT) and Senator Peter Welch (D-VT), would refinance the interest rate of all existing federal student loans to zero percent and cap interest rates for future borrowers. The interest rates for future student loan borrowers will be based on a sliding scale d  more

BURLINGTON, Vermont, July 24 -- Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont, chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, issued the following statement: * * * Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, on Monday issued the following statement as bipartisan talks continue on primary care legislation: "This country has a massive shortage of doctors, nurses, mental health providers, and dentists. We also have a primary care c  more

WASHINGTON, July 25 -- Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont, chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, issued the following news release: Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, today with Rep. Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (D-Va.), Ranking Member of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, 29 Democratic colleagues in the Senate, nearly 150 in the House of Representatives, and the support of nearly 50 organi  more

ESSEX JUNCTION, Vermont, July 25 -- Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vermont, issued the following news release on July 24, 2023: Senator Peter Welch, Vermont Governor Phil Scott, Vermont Secretary of Agriculture Anson Tebbetts, and State and local agriculture stakeholders visited farmer Paul Mazza and his family at the Paul Mazza's Fruit and Vegetables farm in Essex Junction today to survey extensive damage to crops on the farm following historic flooding across Vermont earlier this month. The bipartisan g  more

WASHINGTON, July 27 -- Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vermont, issued the following news release on July 26, 2023: Senator Peter Welch (D-VT) and Senator Angus King (I-ME) today introduced the Farmland Access Act, legislation that will help protect American farmland for its intended use and expand access to farming for the next generation. The bill updates an existing, but underutilized, program within the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) that allows land trusts to purchase farmland, place a  more

WASHINGTON, July 27 -- Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vermont, issued the following news release on July 25, 2023: Today, U.S. Senators Peter Welch (D-VT) and Cory Booker (D-NJ) introduced the Expanding Nationwide Access to Test Strips Act, legislation that would expand access to and decriminalize drug test strips nationwide in order to prevent drug overdoses and deaths. The legislation is cosponsored by U.S. Senators Hirono, Blumenthal, Ossoff, Feinstein, Padilla, Whitehouse, and Markey. According to th  more

WASHINGTON, July 29 -- Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont, issued the following joint statement on July 27, 2023: * * * Senate Finance Committee Chair Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee Chair Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) on Thursday issued a joint statement signaling a commitment from both Finance and HELP to partner and work towards legislation aimed at addressing primary care and other health care workforce shortages across the country: "In our count  more