WASHINGTON, Dec. 11 -- Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vermont, issued the following news release: Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) took to the Senate floor yesterday to advocate for the freedom of political prisoners around the world. The Senators urged bipartisan cooperation to secure the release of prisoners of conscience who are detained, often in inhumane conditions, for peacefully expressing views that are critical of their repressive governments. "I appreci more PR

WASHINGTON, Dec. 11 -- Rep. Becca Balint, D-Vermont, issued the following news release: * * * Contact: Sophie.Pollock@mail.house.gov Rep. Becca Balint (VT-AL) released the following statement on this year's defense spending bill: "We cannot bankroll a nearly $1 trillion military budget, while we continue to underfund our schools, housing, and essential programs American families depend on. This exorbitant level of spending doesn't serve to improve the lives of regular Americans, but rather  more PR

WASHINGTON, Dec. 14 -- Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont, issued the following news release: Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP), today applauds AstraZeneca for its commitment to cap the cost of any future "green" inhalers at $35. In January 2024, Sanders led the HELP Committee in launching an investigation into the four major manufacturers of inhalers and their efforts to keep prices far higher in America than countries a more PR

WASHINGTON, Dec. 10 -- Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont, issued the following commentary to The Guardian on Dec. 9, 2024: * * * Why I'm Voting Against the Military Budget While so many Americans struggle to get by, the US is spending record-breaking amounts of money on the military Today in the United States, 60% of our people live paycheck to paycheck, 85 million people are uninsured or underinsured and 21.5m households are paying more than 50% of their income on housing. We have one of the h more PR

WASHINGTON, Dec. 14 -- Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont, issued the following news release on Dec. 13, 2024: Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) today launched a new video series exploring global oligarchy, including how billionaire oligarchs manipulate the global economy, purchase our elections, avoid paying taxes, and increasingly control our government. The series will feature the world's leading experts on the topic and will cover the incoming Trump administration's ties to the billionaire class. Sa more PR

WASHINGTON, Dec. 5 -- Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont, chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, issued the following news release: Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Chair of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP), today led the committee in a hearing titled "What Is the FDA Doing to Reduce the Diabetes and Obesity Epidemics in America and Take on the Greed of the Food and Beverage Industry?" FDA Commissioner Robert Califf M.D. and Deputy Com more PR

WASHINGTON, Dec. 5 -- Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont, issued the following news release: Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Chair of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP), today led the committee in a hearing titled "What Is the FDA Doing to Reduce the Diabetes and Obesity Epidemics in America and Take on the Greed of the Food and Beverage Industry?" FDA Commissioner Robert Califf M.D. and Deputy Commissioner Jim Jones of the FDA Human Foods Program joined the hearing more PR

WASHINGTON, Dec. 12 -- Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont, issued the following news release on Dec. 11, 2024: As the Senate prepares to pass the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) - which would approve close to $900 billion for the Defense Department, nearly $1 trillion when nuclear weapons and "emergency" defense spending is included - Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) today gave remarks on the floor of the Senate outlining the dangers of further enriching the military-industrial complex. Sande more PR

WASHINGTON, Dec. 14 -- Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont, chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, issued the following news release on Dec. 13, 2024: * * * 25 million Americans with asthma and 16 million Americans with COPD need inhalers to breathe * * * Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP), today applauds AstraZeneca for its commitment to cap the cost of any future "green" inhalers at $35.  more PR

WASHINGTON, Dec. 12 -- Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont, and Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-Louisiana, issued the following statement on Dec. 11, 2024: * * * Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee Chairman Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Ranking Member Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-La.) today released the following statement on the unanimous vote in the Senate last night to pass the Older Americans Act (OAA) - critical legislation that will renew funding and strengthen services for older Americ more PR

WASHINGTON, Dec. 13 -- Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vermont, issued the following news release: BURLINGTON, VT U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) called on Congressional leadership to come to the table in good faith and extend premium health care tax credit immediately before millions of Affordable Care Act (ACA) enrollees see higher premiums, and up to 5 million lose coverage entirely. The tax credits were last extended in the Inflation Reduction Act and build on pandemic-era subsidies, which expand th more PR

WASHINGTON, Dec. 12 -- Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vermont, issued the following news release: Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) this week led colleagues Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), and Senators Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) in introducing the Sanctions and Accountability for Non-Compliance and Transparent Investigative Oversight for National Security (SANCTIONS) in the West Bank Act, bicameral legislation to codify the Biden Ad more PR

WASHINGTON, Dec. 13 -- Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vermont, issued the following news release: Senators Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), and Ed Markey (D-Mass.) partnered with U.S. Representative Katie Porter (D-CA-47) to introduce the Plug Offshore Wells Act, bicameral legislation that would direct the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) to submit an annual, publicly available report to Congress on the status of decommissioning offshore oil and gas wells, platforms, an more PR

WASHINGTON, Dec. 12 -- Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vermont, issued the following news release: Bills build on Welch's WEATHER Act Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) today introduced the Natural Disaster Education and Outreach Act and the State Climate Assessment Act, bills that would improve state-level climate research and public education campaigns to boost local resilience, recovery, and response to climate-driven extreme weather events. Senator Welch's legislation will help communities better understand  more PR

WASHINGTON, Dec. 13 -- Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vermont, issued the following news release: This week, U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.), the Senate's only former federal public defender, joined U.S. Representatives Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR-01) and Kelly Armstrong (R-ND-At Large) in introducing the Federal Public Defense Commission Act of 2024, bicameral legislation that would establish a new Federal Public Defense Commission to address current structural concerns within the federal public defense syst more PR