WASHINGTON, Jan. 28 -- Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vermont, vice chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, issued the following news release: * * * - Prepared by the Office of Senator Leahy, Vice Chairman, Senate Appropriations * * * After President Trump's illegal Ukraine aid freeze scheme was exposed, he has claimed that he froze the aid out of a desire to fight corruption. That is a myth. There is no evidence that he cares about fighting corruption in Ukraine or anywhere else. The Trump   more

WASHINGTON, Jan. 28 -- Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vermont, vice chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, issued the following news release: President Trump has argued that the House Managers' case against his Ukraine aid freeze is "loaded with lies and misrepresentations" because it fails to acknowledge that the "Obama administration withheld aid from many countries." This argument, which has been echoed by other Republicans, draws patently false equivalence between Trump's misconduct and Pr  more

WASHINGTON, Jan. 29 -- The Government Accountability Office has issued a report on democracy assistance. The report (GAO-20-173) is entitled "State Should Improve Information Sharing with Embassies". The report was sent to Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-South Carolina, chairman, Sen. Patrick J. Leahy, D-Vermont, ranking member of the Senate Appropriations subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs, Rep. Nita Lowey, D-New York, chairwoman, and Rep. Harold Rogers, R-Kentucky, ranking   more

WASHINGTON, Jan. 29 -- Sen. Patrick J. Leahy, D-Vermont, issued the following news release on Jan. 28: "The one-sided Middle East plan that the President has announced is a striking example of President Trump's familiar playbook of delusional hyperbole over reality. After years of empty promises while systematically dismantling decades of bipartisan U.S. policy in order to benefit only one party, it is farcical to call something a 'deal' and impose it on the other party knowing it will be rejec  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 1 -- In the Senate impeachment trial of President Trump, Sen. Patrick J. Leahy, D-Vermont, sent a question to the Chief Justice for review by the Senate: The CHIEF JUSTICE. Senator Leahy asks the House managers: The President's counsel argues that there was no harm done, that the aid was ultimately released to Ukraine, the President met with Zelensky at the U.N. in September, and that this President has treated Ukraine more favorably than his predecessors. What is your respons  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 1 -- Sen. Patrick J. Leahy, D-Vermont, issued the text of the following statement on Jan. 31: "The President's decision to roll back the policy on anti-personnel landmines is as perplexing as it is disappointing, and reflexive, and unwise. As far as I know, Congress was not consulted about this decision, despite requests to be consulted. "The policy that has been in place, limiting the use of this inherently indiscriminate weapon to the Korean Peninsula, was the culmination of  more

WASHINGTON, Jan. 31 -- Sen. Patrick J. Leahy, D-Vermont, issued the text of the following statement: "Reports that the White House intends to roll back the policy on anti-personnel landmines are of great concern. As far as I am aware, no Member of Congress has been consulted about this imminent announcement. I have asked the Secretary of Defense and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to hold off on any decision until we have an opportunity to discuss it. "The current policy, limiting the us  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 1 -- Sen. Patrick J. Leahy, D-Vermont, issued the following statement on Jan. 31: The question before us is incredibly serious, but it is also more than a little absurd. We are sitting as a court, exercising the sole power to try impeachments, entrusted to us by the Framers. The President of the United States has been charged with high crimes - a constitutional charge of abuse of power that includes in its text each of the elements of criminal bribery. The President's lawyers h  more

WASHINGTON, Jan. 31 -- Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont, issued the following joint statement on Jan. 30: Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) issued the following statement after the House passed by a 228-vote majority the No War Against Iran Act, introduced by both of the lawmakers to prevent any money from being used for unauthorized military action against Iran: "We applaud the House of Representatives for sending a strong message to the Trump Administration today by pa  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 1 -- In the Senate impeachment trial of President Trump, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont, sent a question to the Chief Justice for review by the Senate: The CHIEF JUSTICE. Thank you. Senator Sanders asks the House managers: Republican lawyers have stated--on several occasions--that two people, Senator Johnson and Ambassador Sondland, were told directly by President Trump that there was no quid pro quo in terms of holding back Ukraine aid in exchange for an investigation into t  more

WASHINGTON, Jan. 29 -- Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont, issued the following statement on President Trump's Middle East plan: "The United States can bring unequaled leadership to resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but we must use that leadership to promote a just and durable agreement. Any acceptable peace deal must be consistent with international law and multiple UN Security Council resolutions. It must end the Israeli occupation that began in 1967 and enable Palestinian self-determin  more

WASHINGTON, Jan. 30 -- Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont, issued the following news release: Senators Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) and Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) introduced the Prevent Future American Sickness (PFAS) Act to require the cleanup of a class of toxic, so-called "forever chemicals"--known by their acronym PFAS--from America's drinking water. New laboratory testing found that PFAS--per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances--are prevalent in the tap water of 43 American cities.  more