Majority News Releases
Statement Of Appropriations Committee Vice Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) On The Trump Budget
[President Donald Trump Tuesday released his budget proposal for fiscal year 2018. The proposal is the latest iteration of the administration's budget since the release of the so-called "Skinny Budget" in March. Senate Appropriations Committee Vice Chair Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) Tuesday issued the following statement.] The President's budget displays a fundamental lack of understanding of the role of government of, by and for the people in supporting the middle class, lifting up the most vulner… Continue Reading
05.17.17
Appropriations Vice Chairman Leahy Outlines Consequences Of Sequestration And Trump Budget
WASHINGTON (WEDNESDAY, May 17, 2017) - In a letter to the Senate Budget Committee, Appropriations Committee Vice Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) Wednesday outlined the consequences of returning to post-sequestration budget caps and the dangerous cuts proposed by the Trump Administration for fiscal year 2018. The administration is expected to release its full budget next week. In the five years since the passage of the Budget Control Act of 2011 (BCA), discretionary programs have been slashed… Continue Reading
05.11.17
Appropriations Leaders Leahy And Shaheen Formally Seek Information On Director Comey's Reported Request For Russia Probe Funding
WASHINGTON (THURSDAY, May 11, 2017) - After press reports on Wednesday that former FBI Director James Comey requested additional resources for the investigation into Russia's interference in the 2016 presidential election just before he was fired by President Trump, Senate Appropriations Committee Vice Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Commerce, Justice and Science (CJS) Subcommittee Ranking Member Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) sent a letter to Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein formally requesti… Continue Reading
05.04.17
Senate Appropriations Committee Vice Chair Patrick Leahy Statement On The Consolidated Appropriations Bill
Mr. President, this bill is the product of many long weeks, days, nights and weekends of bipartisan negotiations, and I thank Chairman Cochran for his leadership in reaching this agreement to keep the government open for business. This is how Congress can and should work. Enough of the rhetoric; enough of the political brinksmanship. This agreement shows that when we come together and work through our differences, we can do the work of the American people. And while I think the package befo… Continue Reading
05.03.17
Senate Appropriations Committee Vice Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.): Statement On House Passage Of The Consolidated Spending Bill
[Senate Appropriations Committee Vice Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) Wednesday issued the following statement after the U.S. House of Representatives approved the Consolidated Spending Bill in a vote of 309 to 118. The bill, which received bipartisan support in the House, now moves to the Senate. This full-year government appropriations bill for Fiscal Year 2017, if enacted, will succeed the stop-gap funding bill that expires on Friday night.] It is encouraging and significant that the cons… Continue Reading
05.02.17
REAX Of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Vice Chairman Of The Senate Appropriations Committee, To President Trump’s Threat To “Shutdown” The Federal Government In September
Threatening to shut down the government, on the heels of a successful, bipartisan agreement, is a sour and shameful note to kick off negotiations for FY 2018. Governing by tweet and manufacturing a crisis before our work even begins is no way to lead. The 2013 shutdown dealt a devastating blow to economic growth, amounting to an estimated $1.5 billion lost for each of the 16 days of the shutdown. That is economic growth we can never get back. Hundreds of thousands of federal workers were … Continue Reading
05.01.17
SUMMARY: FISCAL YEAR 2017 CONSOLIDATED APPROPRIATIONS BILL
WASHINGTON (MONDAY, May 1, 2017) - Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Vice Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Monday released a summary of the fiscal year 2017 appropriations bill that totals $1.070 trillion in discretionary spending in compliance with the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015. The bill funds the government through September 2017. In addition, it includes $8.2 billion of disaster relief and emergency funding related to natural disasters; $77.0 billion for Defense Overseas … Continue Reading
04.28.17
Statement Of Appropriations Committee Vice Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) On One-Week Continuing Resolution
Mr. President, the Senate is considering a stopgap Continuing Resolution to keep the government of the American people open for business. I will support this one-week CR, because I believe we are close to a bipartisan agreement that would avoid the devastating consequences of a government shutdown, and save the Congress from once again facing the disruption and humiliation of failing to meet Congress's obligation to fund the basic functions of our government. But we should not be in this situ… Continue Reading
04.27.17
Statement Of Senate Appropriations Committee Vice Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) On One-Week Continuing Resolution
[Senate Appropriations Committee Vice Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) Thursday issued the following statement regarding the majority's intention to advance a one-week stopgap Continuing Resolution.] I am glad that bipartisan negotiations to reach a sensible agreement are moving forward, but it is disheartening that Republicans have once again proposed to punt Congress's basic responsibility to fund the functions of our government. Our work could have been completed in November, but at the reque… Continue Reading
04.04.17
Comment Of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Vice Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, On President Trump’s Decision To End U.S. Funding For UNFPA
[Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Vice Chairman of the Appropriations Committee and Ranking Member of the Department of State and Foreign Operations Subcommittee, Tuesday issued the following comment on President Trump's determination under "Kemp-Kasten" to end U.S. contributions to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).] "President Trump's decision to withdraw U.S. funding for UNFPA not only will backfire; it is based on a false narrative. The law that President Trump invoked was written t… Continue Reading
03.29.17
Sen. Leahy's Opening Statement at State Dept. and Foreign Operations Subcommittee Hearing On Civil Society Perspectives On Russia
Mr. Chairman, I want to make one observation before we begin, which is that for the past month or two our staffs have been working daily with their House counterparts to finalize our Fiscal Year 2017 bill. They are on track to resolving all but the most contentious issues this week. Then late last Friday we learned that the White House may be proposing a $2.8 billion cut to our 2017 allocation, as part of an $18 billion transfer of funding for non-defense operations and programs to the Pentago… Continue Reading
03.22.17
Vice Chairman Leahy Statement On The Defense Appropriations Sub Committee Hearing: “A Review Of The Budget And Readiness Of The Department Of Defense”
Thank you, Chairman Cochran and Ranking Member Durbin, for holding this important hearing to review the budget and readiness of the Department of Defense. The 2017 supplemental that President Trump has proposed for the Department of Defense would exceed the spending caps for defense set in the Budget Control Act, triggering sequestration and across-the-board cuts for the Department of Defense, in just 10 weeks, if the law is not changed. I believe all Members of this Subcommittee should work c… Continue Reading
03.21.17
Statement Of Senate Appropriations Committee Vice Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) On President Trump’s “Skinny Budget” Proposal
Last Thursday the Trump Administration submitted his first "Budget Blueprint" to Congress. He called it "America First, A Budget Blueprint to Make America Great Again." This title would be laughable if the topic were not so serious. Like some of the President's tweets, his budget is a hasty list of appallingly unbalanced, shortsighted, politically driven priorities. He proposes to eliminate or drastically cut programs that benefit the middle class and safeguard our most vulnerable citizens,… Continue Reading
03.16.17
Statement Of Senate Appropriations Committee Vice Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) On President Trump’s “Skinny Budget” Proposal
The Trump budget shows as much foresight as TrumpCare. Like some of the President's tweets, the Trump budget is a hasty list of appallingly unbalanced, shortsighted, politically driven priorities. We cannot make America "Great Again" at the expense of middle class families and the most vulnerable among us, and you do not make America "stronger" by eliminating the very programs that make our nation more secure. The President's proposal would abandon months of bipartisan negotiations, and break… Continue Reading
03.13.17
Ahead Of Trump Administration Budget Proposal, Appropriations Committee Vice Chairman Leahy Releases Letter To Senate Budget Committee Warning Of Devastating Consequences
In the five years since the passage of the Budget Control Act of 2011 (BCA), discretionary programs have been slashed by $2 trillion under post-sequestration budget cuts. The resulting cuts have taken their toll on everything from the readiness of U.S. armed forces, to millions of families not receiving heating assistance, and drastic cuts to federal investment in job training and employment programs. In Fiscal Year 2018, post-sequestration budget caps are set to return under the BCA, which … Continue Reading
03.09.17
Leahy Statement On The ASCE Infrastructure Report Card
[WASHINGTON (THURSDAY, March 9, 2017) - Senate Appropriations Committee Vice Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) Thursday issued the following statement on the American Society of Civil Engineers Report Card, which was released this week. In January, Leahy joined other leading Senate Democrats in introducing the Blueprint to Rebuild America's Infrastructure. This week, Leahy also spoke in support of a comprehensive infrastructure plan at the Appropriations Subcommittee On Transportation, Housing And… Continue Reading
03.08.17
Leahy Statement On Appropriations Subcommittee On Labor, Health and Human Services Hearing: “Saving Lives Through Medical Research”
I want to thank Chairman Blunt and Ranking Member Murray for holding this important hearing to discuss the importance of medical research in saving lives. Medical research holds tremendous promise and is responsible for breakthroughs with diseases like cancer and Alzheimer's. Federal research dollars provide the nation's top professions with the resources they need to continue expanding medical knowledge. The tireless devotion of researchers to finding cures has served as a catalyst for nati… Continue Reading
03.08.17
Leahy Statement On Appropriations Subcommittee Hearing: "Investing in America: Funding our Nation’s Transportation Infrastructure Needs"
The infrastructure needs of every community are unique, yet we all share similar stories of our crumbling roads and bridges, and we contemplate high speed rail and hope for improved airport systems. I, like many, am tired of talking about our withering infrastructure systems and Congress doing nothing, especially when we have the power to improve them. It was not all that long ago when transportation and infrastructure investments were bipartisan efforts. Since that time, small, intransigent… Continue Reading
03.06.17
Remarks Of Senate Appropriations Committee Vice Chairman Patrick Leahy On The 150th Anniversary of the Appropriations Committee
Today, we celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Senate Appropriations Committee. Established on March 6, 1867, its powers are rooted in Article 1, section 9 of our Constitution which states, "No money shall be drawn from the treasury, but in consequence of appropriations made by law." The founders of our country recognized the power of the purse as one of the most important tools Congress has to ensure our system of checks and balances, and to conduct oversight of the Executive and Judicial B… Continue Reading
03.03.17
SUMMARY DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE FISCAL YEAR 2017 APPROPRIATIONS BILL
WASHINGTON—The Department of Defense (DoD) Appropriations Act, 2017 provides $577.9 billion in base and Overseas Contingency Operation (OCO) funding, compared to $572.8 billion enacted in fiscal year 2016 and $576.5 billion in the President’s budget request. The base budget appropriation is $516 billion, with $61.8 billion for Overseas Contingency Operations of the Department of Defense.
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