Majority News Releases
Senate Appropriations Vice Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) Statement Opposing The Fourth Continuing Resolution
Mr. President, here we go again. In 1995, Republicans shut down our government - seeking to recklessly cut education programs and environmental programs and raise Medicare premiums on millions of senior citizens. In 2013, Republicans once again sought to strip the health care of millions of Americans by shutting down the government in a failed effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act. An effort they continued this summer instead of negotiating a bipartisan budget deal that could have averte… Continue Reading
01.10.18
Senate Appropriations Committee Vice Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) Statement On Budget Negotiations
Just last week we began the Second Session of the 115th Congress. It is 2018 and we should be talking about what we can accomplish for the American people in the New Year. Instead, we face a long list of unfinished business from 2017, and a very short window in which to get it done. We are four months into Fiscal Year 2018, and we still do not have a budget deal. Our agencies are operating under last year's funding levels with little flexibility to adjust for the problems of today. We stil… Continue Reading
12.21.17
Statement of Senate Appropriations Committee Vice Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) On Supporting The Continuing Resolution
Governing by crisis must come to an end. Since March, I have been calling for a bipartisan budget deal, based on parity, that would pave a path toward responsibly funding the government and averting this 11th hour Republican shutdown crisis. I have not lost faith that such a deal can still be reached. So, tonight I voted "aye" on the Continuing Resolution to keep the government open into January. A government shutdown helps no one. This will allow us one more month to reach a bipartisan b… Continue Reading
12.21.17
Senate Appropriations Committee Vice Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) Statement On A Continuing Resolution Through January 19, 2018
Mr. President, this is not how we should govern in the United States Senate. We have once again found ourselves on the edge of a manufactured, made-in-Washington crisis. Once again, we are forced into political games at the 11th hour by the imminent threat of a Republican shutdown. This time that threat has fallen right before Christmas and the holidays. There is no reason we should find ourselves in this situation. There has always been a proven path forward to avoid this crisis, and tha… Continue Reading
12.13.17
Why Budget Parity Matters: The Need For Investing Equally In Our Military And Our Communities
Democrats and Republicans agree that we must fully fund and support our military. But our military readiness is being hampered by artificial and unrealistically low caps on defense spending, as a result of the Budget Control Act (BCA) of 2011, and that law's required spending cuts known as "sequestration." In July, Defense Secretary Mattis testified before the Senate Appropriations Committee that "for all the heartache caused by the loss of our troops during these wars, no enemy in the field h… Continue Reading
12.07.17
Senate Appropriations Committee Vice Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) Statement On A Continuing Resolution Through December 22, 2017
The current spending caps set in place by law will not responsibly fund the government or alleviate the consequences of sequestration on our domestic priorities or our military readiness. Since March, I have constantly repeated that we must reach a bipartisan budget deal that is based on parity, free of poison pill riders and not waste taxpayer dollars on President Trump's useless border wall. But with the current continuing resolution expiring tomorrow, we are running out of time to reach an a… Continue Reading
12.05.17
Appropriations Vice Chairman Leahy Statement At Subcommittee Hearing On Addressing The Opioid Crisis In America: Prevention, Treatment & Recovery
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Here's a startling statistic: last year alone, drug overdoses claimed the lives of 64,000 people. This is the latest figure in a shocking rise in overdose deaths, driven by the opioid epidemic that has hit every corner of our country, and plagues every community. This is a public health crisis. We need to start treating it like one. We need to allocate every necessary resource to finally - and meaningfully - confront it. Vermont has made tremendous strides by l… Continue Reading
11.21.17
Appropriations Committee Vice Chairman Leahy Calls On Congress For Bipartisan Budget Deal
WASHINGTON (TUESDAY, Nov. 21, 2017) - Senate Appropriations Committee Vice Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) Tuesday renewed his call for a bipartisan budget deal that would allow for real investments in the American people. Leahy said: "With just 17 days until the current continuing resolution expires and the threat of sequestration looming in January, our toughest path remains ahead. We must come together to reach a bipartisan budget deal that allows for an increase in both defense AND non-defe… Continue Reading
11.21.17
DURBIN, LEAHY STATEMENT ON FY18 DEFENSE APPROPRIATIONS CHAIRMAN’S MARK
WASHINGTON-U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), vice chairman of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, and U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT), vice chairman of the Appropriations Committee, released the following statement on the release of the Fiscal Year 2018 Defense Appropriations Act. The bill exceeds President Trump's request by $15.3 billion, and exceeds the sequestration caps by $70 billion. This is a step forward, though we remain deeply concerned about the process. So befo… Continue Reading
11.21.17
Leahy Slams Border Wall Funding As “Bumper Sticker Budgeting”
WASHINGTON (TUESDAY, Nov. 21, 2017) - Slamming the proposal as "bumper sticker budgeting," Senate Appropriations Committee Vice Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) Tuesday focused on a provision in the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations bill that would provide $1.6 billion from American taxpayers for President Trump's border wall with Mexico. Leahy said: "This is bumper sticker budgeting to save face for one of President Trump's failed campaign promises. Instead of wasting billions of… Continue Reading
11.21.17
SUMMARY: FY 2018 Department Of Homeland Security Chairman's Mark Released
Washington, D.C. (Tuesday, Nov. 21, 2017) - The Senate Appropriations Committee Tuesday made public the Chairman's Mark of the fiscal year 2018 Department of Homeland Security Appropriations bill. The bill provides a total discretionary appropriation of $51.565 billion. The net discretionary total is $44.050 billion after the following amounts are excluded: $559 million in emergency appropriations for disaster relief; cap adjustment funding of $6.793 billion for disaster relief; and $163 milli… Continue Reading
11.20.17
SUMMARY: FY2018 Financial Services & General Government Appropriations Chairman's Mark Released
WASHINGTON (Monday, November 20, 2017) - Today the Senate Appropriations Committee made public the Chairman's Mark of the fiscal year 2018 Financial Services and General Government (FSGG) Appropriations bill. The bill provides a total of $21.035 billion, including $159 million in disaster funds. This funding level is $480 million less than the fiscal year 2017 enacted level and nearly $2 billion less than the fiscal year 2018 President's request. U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.), Ranking Me… Continue Reading
11.20.17
SUMMARY: FY2018 Interior, Environment Appropriations Chairman's Mark Released
WASHINGTON (Monday, November 20, 2017) - The Senate Appropriations Committee Monday made public the Chairman's Mark for the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Fiscal Year 2018 Appropriations Bill. The Senate bill recommends $32.536 billion in discretionary funding for agencies funded by the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies bill, which includes $32.030 billion in discretionary funds and $507 million in emergency funds to pay for wildland firefighting needs. Excluding emerge… Continue Reading
11.17.17
Appropriations Vice Chairman Leahy REAX To Third Emergency Supplemental Request --
[WASHINGTON (FRIDAY, Nov. 17, 2017) -- Senate Appropriations Committee Vice Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) Friday issued the following statement on the Trump Administration's emergency supplemental request, totaling $44 billion, to address recent natural disasters. Earlier this month, Leahy and Senator Schumer led a letter outlining what Senate Democrats believe should be contained in the supplemental request.] The Trump Administration's request does not come close to meeting the needs of vic… Continue Reading
11.15.17
Appropriations Vice Chairman Leahy Statement At Hearing On VA Efforts To Prevent And Combat Opioid Over Medication
The opioid epidemic has reached every state - every community - in the country. It is impacting sons and daughters, mothers and fathers, friends and coworkers. And it is impacting our veterans and servicemembers. We have for over 16 years of war asked members of the active and reserve components to serve an unprecedented numbers of deployments, leaving too many veterans broken and in pain. When we needed these brave men and women to return to battle, it was too easy to prescribe opioids for … Continue Reading
11.06.17
Schumer, Leahy Lead Senate Democrats In Calling For Comprehensive Disaster Relief
WASHINGTON (Monday, Nov. 6, 2017) - Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-NY) and Senate Appropriations Committee Vice Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) Monday lead Senate Democrats in calling on the Trump administration to put forward a comprehensive package to provide relief from the onslaught of natural disasters in recent months. The administration has committed to releasing such a package in the coming weeks. In a letter to Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney, Senat… Continue Reading
10.26.17
Vice Chairman Leahy's Statement On the President’s Announcement On The Opioid Epidemic
It is far past time for the administration to acknowledge that the opioid crisis is a national emergency that affects every community across the country. This is a scourge that does not discriminate between rich and poor, or Republicans and Democrats, or urban areas and rural ones. But the President's talk is just that - talk. There is no action or new funding behind the President's empty words to address this crisis. This is not acceptable. The Republicans voted TODAY in the House of Repre… Continue Reading
10.26.17
A REALITY CHECK ON THE PRESIDENT’S OPIOID ANNOUNCEMENT
A Reality Check On The President's Opioid AnnouncementWhite House's Tough Talk On The Opioid Crisis Crumbles As New 'Plan' Offers No New Resources, While Congressional Republicans Act To Slash Medicaid By $1 Trillion President Trump's long awaited declaration on the nationwide opioids crisis is nothing more than symbolic talk. There is no action or new funding behind the President's empty words to address this crisis. This is unacceptable. It is far past time for the administration to ackno… Continue Reading
10.24.17
Senate Passes Second Emergency Disaster Supplemental
WASHINGTON (Tuesday, Oct. 24, 2017) - The Senate Tuesday passed a second emergency funding measure to support recovery efforts from recent disasters by a vote of 82 to 17. The $36.5 billion emergency supplemental contains $18.7 billion for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Disaster Relief Fund, $16 billion for National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) debt forgiveness, $1.27 billion for nutrition assistance for Puerto Rico, and $576.5 million to combat wildfires. The Trump admin… Continue Reading
10.24.17
SUMMARY: Disaster Supplemental Appropriations
In response to recent natural disasters that have depleted emergency resources, the Disaster Supplemental contains $36.5 billion in emergency appropriations to support relief efforts from the recent hurricanes, wildfires and other natural disasters. The supplemental previously passed the House by a vote of 353-69. Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Vice Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, said: "I support this bill and urge my colleagues to do the same. If we do not act, the Disaster… Continue Reading