Majority News Releases
Updated Impacts Of The Trump Shutdown
More Than 450,000 Are Working Without Pay, Many Of Whom Are Veterans, Including: More than 41,000 Federal Law Enforcement and Correctional Officers Including: 2,614 ATF agents; 16,742 Bureau of Prisons correctional officers; 13,709 FBI agents; 3,600 deputy U.S. Marshals; and 4,399 DEA agents. 54,000 Customs and Border Protection agents and customs officers; 42,000 Coast Guard employees. 6,503 staff from the State Department are currently working without pay; 35,000 Internal Reven… Continue Reading
12.31.18
Statement Of Appropriations Committee Vice Chairman Patrick Leahy On House Democrats Introducing Legislation To Reopen the Government
There is one reason and one reason only that much of our federal government is shut down through the holidays and countless Americans are living with uncertainty - and that reason is President Trump. For 10 days he has held the federal government hostage in an attempt to force us to pay for an ineffective and expensive wall on the southern border, a wall he promised that Mexico would pay for. It will not work. He does not have the votes. Today, House Democrats introduced a commonsense path… Continue Reading
12.22.18
Statement of Senate Appropriations Committee Vice Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) On The Trump Shutdown
Today nine of our 15 federal departments, and several dozen agencies have shuttered their doors, denying vital services to millions of American citizens. Since midnight last night, and just a few days before Christmas, more than 800,000 public servants and their families have been told not to expect their next paycheck for the foreseeable future. There is one reason and one reason only that our federal government has shut down today and countless Americans are living with uncertainty - and … Continue Reading
12.19.18
Statement of Senate Appropriations Vice Chairman Leahy On Passage Of The Third Continuing Resolution
Today we will pass a third Continuing Resolution (CR) to keep the government operating through February 8th. I support this CR because a government shutdown is never good for our country - in fact it is a terrible idea - but this whole process has been a missed opportunity. For six of the seven appropriations bills covered under today's CR, we have a clear path forward. These bills - Agriculture, Commerce-Justice-Science, Interior, Financial Services, Transportation-Housing and Urban Develop… Continue Reading
12.12.18
PROJECTED IMPACTS OF A TRUMP SHUTDOWN
More Than 420,000 Will Be Working Without Pay Including: More than 41,000 Federal Law Enforcement and Correctional Officers, Including: 2,614 ATF agents; 16,742 Bureau of Prisons correctional officers; 13,709 FBI agents; 3,600 deputy U.S. Marshals; and 4,399 DEA agents. Up To 88 Percent Of Department of Homeland Security Employees, Including: 53,000 TSA Employees; 54,000 Customs and Border Protection agents and customs offers; 42,000 Coast Guard employees As many as … Continue Reading
12.12.18
Statement Of Vice Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) On The Fearmongering Falsehoods Fueling President Trump's Fixation On the Wall: A Reality Check
If Americans had any doubt that President Trump is fixated on wasting billions of dollars to wall off our 2,000 mile southern border, all they had to do was watch his jaw-dropping press conference yesterday, demanding another $5 billion of their hard earned tax dollars for his political pet project that he promised Mexico would pay for. Using words I never thought I would hear from a President, he boasted he would be, "proud to shut down the government" if Congress doesn't meet his funding dema… Continue Reading
12.10.18
Statement of Senate Appropriations Committee Vice Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) On The Trump Shutdown Threat
On Friday, December 21, just 11 days from today, the Continuing Resolution, or CR, under which much of the government currently operates will expire. Unless we pass the remaining seven appropriations bills, the government will shutter the doors of nine Federal departments and dozens of agencies, grinding services for the American people to a halt just three days before Christmas. There is absolutely no reason for the government to shut down. The Senate and House Appropriations Committees hav… Continue Reading
09.26.18
Statement of Senate Appropriations Committee Vice Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) On House Passage of The Defense/Labor HHS “Minibus” Appropriations Bill
"For the first time in 22 years, Congress is sending the Labor-HHS bill to the president's desk on time by the beginning of the fiscal year. This appropriations package also invests in the men and women of the armed forces and their families, and it ensures the government of the American people will remain open through December 7 for those agencies not yet funded. "This was only possible because of the bipartisan framework reached among Chairman Shelby, Leader McConnell, Leader Schumer and… Continue Reading
09.21.18
Senate Appropriations Committee Vice Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) REAX To President Trump Signing The Appropriations “Minibus 1” Bill
"This bill is the product of a bipartisan agreement among Chairman Shelby, Leader McConnell, Leader Schumer and myself. It is free of partisan policy riders, has broad bipartisan support, and it complies with the Bipartisan Budget Agreement reached in February. This is a successful framework that we should continue to follow to complete the remaining nine appropriations bills to ensure the Government of the American people stays open for business. I am glad that President Trump signed onto ou… Continue Reading
09.18.18
Leahy Statement On The Defense, Labor, Health And Human Services, And Education Conference Report
For the second time in two weeks, we are considering a Fiscal Year 2019 appropriations conference report. The two bills in the package before us - the Defense bill, and the Labor, HHS, and Education bill - are the products of months of hard work and bipartisan cooperation, and I am pleased that we have been able to work out all of the differences between the House and Senate bills. These bills make important investments not only in our national security but also in the future of our country… Continue Reading
09.18.18
Under Leahy-Led Appropriations Legislation, Taxpayer-Funded Congressional Research Service Reports Are Publicly Available TODAY, For The First Time
WASHINGTON (TUESDAY, Sept. 18, 2018) - Widely hailed as a key victory for transparency and open access to information, Congressional Research Service (CRS) reports will be made freely available to the public for the first time beginning Tuesday. The change in policy was directed by appropriations provisions authored by Appropriations Committee Vice Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.). The Leahy legislation was signed into law in March. A legislative branch agency within the Library of Congress, … Continue Reading
09.13.18
Senate Appropriations Committee Vice Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) Releases Summary For Defense/LHHS “Minibus” Appropriations Package
WASHINGTON (THURSDAY, Sept. 13, 2018) - Senate Appropriations Committee Vice Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) released a summary compiled by the Senate Appropriations Committee Minority staff of the conference agreement for the Defense, Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies "minibus" appropriations package. Leahy said: "This agreement invests in the American people and ensures that the government remains open into December. Just as importantly, Congress, Republicans … Continue Reading
09.13.18
Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies
Washington, D.C. -The fiscal year 2019 Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies (LHHS) Appropriations bill provides a total of $179.973 billion in discretionary budget authority - $977 million more than the fiscal year 2018 level, $10.7 billion more than the President's budget request, and $971 million more than the House bill. The total funding includes $178.076 billion in discretionary funding as well as $1.897 billion in cap adjustment funding to p… Continue Reading
09.13.18
Defense Summary
Washington, D.C. - The Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2019, provides $606.3 billion for the base budget of the Department of Defense, and $67.9 billion for Overseas Contingency Operations. U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Vice Chairman of the Subcommittee on Defense, said: "The priority of this defense bill is supporting our troops and their families in the field and at home. At the same time, our bill is geared towards innovation, with record levels of funding for research and … Continue Reading
09.13.18
Vice Chairman Leahy Statement on Interior, FSGG, Agriculture, T-HUD Minibus
I am pleased to be here at the third appropriations conference of Fiscal Year 2019. We have made a lot of progress toward an agreement on the four bills before us - Interior, Financial Services, Agriculture, and Transportation-HUD - that will allow us to move this package forward, but we still have work to do and differences to resolve. Together these bills demonstrate the importance of the bipartisan budget agreement reached earlier this year. In these four bills, the priorities outlined in … Continue Reading
09.13.18
Vice Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) Statement on the Defense, Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Conference Report
I am pleased to be here at the second appropriations conference of Fiscal Year 2019. The two bills before us-the Defense Appropriations bill, and the Labor, HHS, and Education bills-are the product of months of hard work and bipartisan cooperation, and I am pleased that we have been able to work out all of the differences between the House and Senate bills. These bills make important investments not only in our national security but also in the future of our country. Together they demons… Continue Reading
09.12.18
Vice Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) Statement On On Senate Passage Of The “Minibus I” Conference Report
Today, the Senate will consider final passage of the "Minibus #1" conference report. This package contains the Legislative Branch, Energy and Water Development, and Military Construction and Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies Appropriations Bills. When we first considered this package in June, we held our first real debate on the Senate floor on an appropriations bill in a very long time. We had eight roll call votes on amendments and adopted a managers' package containing 32 more - taking… Continue Reading
09.12.18
Statement Of Senate Appropriations Committee Vice Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) On Department of Homeland Security Reprogramming Of FEMA Funds
[Under the Homeland Security Act, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has the authority to transfer funds within the department. These transfers are subject to the approval of the Chairs of the House and Senate Appropriations Subcommittees on the Department of Homeland Security. On June 30, DHS notified Congress of its intention to transfer $200 million from various DHS agencies to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), including $10 million from FEMA. This transfer was approved by … Continue Reading
09.10.18
Senate Appropriations Committee Vice Chairman Leahy (D-Vt.) Releases Conference Agreement Summary For “Minibus I”
WASHINGTON (MONDAY, Sept. 10, 2018) - Senate Appropriations Committee Vice Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) Monday released a summary compiled by the Senate Appropriations Committee Minority staff of the conference agreement for the Energy & Water Development, Military Construction and Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies, and Legislative Branch "minibus" appropriations bill. The package includes $146.57 billion in discretionary spending and must now be passed by Congress and signed into law… Continue Reading
09.10.18
Legislative Branch Conference Report
Washington, D.C. - The Legislative Branch Appropriations bill provides $4.836 billion to conduct oversight, accountability and transparency of federal spending and programs; improve copyright protections; and support the security, safety, and daily operations of the United States Congress and the Library of Congress. Total funding is $136 million more than the fiscal year 2018 enacted level, $46 million more than fiscal year 2019 Senate-passed bill, and $44 million less than the fiscal year 201… Continue Reading