WASHINGTON, June 20 -- Sen. Patrick J. Leahy, D-Vermont, issued the following news release: A bipartisan group of senators are leading the charge to make federal child nutrition programs more efficient, flexible and better equipped to reach children in need during the summer months. Senators John Boozman (R-AR) and Patrick Leahy (D-VT) --along with Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and Sens. Michael Bennet (D-CO), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and John Hoeven (R-ND)--intro  more

WASHINGTON, June 20 -- Sen. Patrick J. Leahy, D-Vermont, issued the following news release: Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), with Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and 12 other senators, have filed an amendment to the Fiscal Year 2020 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) to help protect U.S. elections from foreign interference by requiring candidates, campaign officials, and their family members to notify law enforcement if offered assistance by agents of a foreign government. The amendme  more

WASHINGTON, June 19 -- Rep. Peter Welch, D-Vermont, issued the following news release: Late last night, the U.S. House of Representatives approved a bipartisan bill authored by Rep. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) that will protect Vermont seniors and others from abuse and neglect by bad actors in the Medicaid program. The bill was co-authored by Rep. Tim Walberg (R-Mich.) and approved on a strong bipartisan vote of 371 to 46. Under current law, state-based Medicaid Fraud Control Units (MFCUs) are only au  more

WASHINGTON, June 17 -- Rep. Peter Welch, D-Vermont, issued the following news release: Vermont's congressional delegation -- Senator Patrick Leahy (D), Senator Bernie Sanders (I), and Representative Peter Welch (D) -- on Monday urged Vermont dairy farmers to consider enrolling in the new Dairy Margin Coverage (DMC) program, a safety net measure created in the 2018 Farm Bill to help producers manage volatile milk prices and feed costs. The enrollment period opens Monday, and runs through Septemb  more

WASHINGTON, June 17 -- Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont, issued the following news release: Vermont's congressional delegation -- Senator Patrick Leahy (D), Senator Bernie Sanders (I), and Representative Peter Welch (D) -- on Monday urged Vermont dairy farmers to consider enrolling in the new Dairy Margin Coverage (DMC) program, a safety net measure created in the 2018 Farm Bill to help producers manage volatile milk prices and feed costs. The enrollment period opens Monday, and runs through Sept  more

WASHINGTON, June 17 -- Sen. Patrick J. Leahy, D-Vermont, issued the following news release: Vermont's congressional delegation -- Senator Patrick Leahy (D), Senator Bernie Sanders (I), and Representative Peter Welch (D) -- on Monday urged Vermont dairy farmers to consider enrolling in the new Dairy Margin Coverage (DMC) program, a safety net measure created in the 2018 Farm Bill to help producers manage volatile milk prices and feed costs. The enrollment period opens Monday, and runs through Se  more

WASHINGTON, June 18 -- Sen. Patrick J. Leahy, D-Vermont, issued the following news release: * * * - Appropriations committee members fear longstanding non-partisan event will become a de facto campaign rally, seek information about plans and funding * * * Today, U.S. Senators Tom Udall (D-N.M.) ranking member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee overseeing the Department of the Interior's budget, Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), vice chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, and Chris Van   more

WASHINGTON, June 17 -- Rep. Cheri Bustos, D-Illinois, issued the following news release: Today, Congresswoman Cheri Bustos (IL-17), a member of the powerful House Appropriations Committee, announced $25,000 in federal funding from the United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Rural Development program for the Village of Vermont. The USDA Rural Development loans and grant assistance program is designed to forge partnerships with rural communities and fund projects that bring housing, bu  more

WASHINGTON, June 20 -- Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont, issued the following news release: "The Trump administration's attempt to do an end-run around Congressional disapproval in order to transfer weapons to the Saudi and Emirati regimes is a violation of the law, and an affront to the Constitutional order. "Repeatedly, we see this president using phony 'emergency' declarations to sidestep the law to get what he wants. The fact that he is transferring these weapons at a time when the Saudis an  more

WASHINGTON, June 22 -- Sen. Patrick J. Leahy, D-Vermont, issued the following statement, which was published in the Congressional Record on June 20, on landmines in Yemen: I have spent much of my career in the Senate working to eradicate landmines, which kill and maim far more civilians than combatants. These insidious, inherently indiscriminate weapons often remain active for years or even decades after the fighting has ended and the soldiers have left, lying in wait for the unsuspecting foots  more

WASHINGTON, June 21 -- Sen. Patrick J. Leahy, D-Vermont, issued the following statement on the scourge of landmines in Yemen: "I have spent much of my career in the Senate working to eradicate landmines, which kill and maim far more civilians than combatants.These insidious, inherently indiscriminate weapons often remain active for years or even decades after the fighting has ended and the soldiers have left, lying in wait for the unsuspecting footstep of a child on her way to school, or a farm  more

WASHINGTON, June 19 -- Sen. Patrick J. Leahy, D-Vermont, issued the following statement on the Trump administration's action on LGBTQ issues and the nomination of Matthew Kacsmaryk to be U.S. District Judge for the Northern District of Texas: "Later this month our nation will mark the 50th anniversary of the momentous uprising at the Stonewall Inn, an occasion that led to June being designated as Pride Month. From parades and celebrations to quiet remembrances, millions of Americans are reflect  more

WASHINGTON, June 19 -- Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vermont, vice chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, issued the following news release: The Senate Appropriations Committee Wednesday approved a bipartisan emergency supplemental to address the humanitarian crisis on our country's southern border in a vote of 30 to 1. The supplemental totals $4.6 billion, $400 million less than the Trump Administration's revised request, including $2.88 billion for the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR),   more

WASHINGTON, June 20 -- Sen. Patrick J. Leahy, D-Vermont, issued the following news release: The Senate Appropriations Committee Wednesday approved a bipartisan emergency supplemental to address the humanitarian crisis on our country's southern border in a vote of 30 to 1. The supplemental totals $4.6 billion, $400 million less than the Trump Administration's revised request, including $2.88 billion for the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), the office charged with caring for unaccompanied mi  more