Press Releases

THURSDAY, Oct. 13 – Vermont’s Congressional Delegation – Senator Patrick Leahy (D), Senator Bernie Sanders (I) and Representative Peter Welch (D) – Thursday announced a $7.4 million federal loan for electric power grid improvements, including new “smart meter” components, in Washington, Orange and Caledonia  Counties.  The U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development Electric Program loan to Washington Electric Cooperative of East Montpelier will fund construction of

WASHINGTON, Oct. 13 – Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) chaired a hearing today on how utilities can help customers use savings on their monthly power bills to finance energy-efficiency improvements at homes and small businesses. “It is a simple and straightforward concept, and it presents a huge opportunity to cut energy bills, create jobs, and slash greenhouse gas emissions and other pollution,” Sanders said at the outset

WASHINGTON, Oct. 13 – Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) today announced two grants totaling $165,555 for the Green Mountain Farm Direct and the Northeast Organic Farming Association to expand access to locally-produced food for Vermont seniors, low-income families and others. “These worthwhile projects will increase Vermonters’ access to fresh, healthy, locally-produced foods,” Sanders said. Green Mountain Farm Direct in Newport, Vt., is slated to receive $97,029 to build

WASHINGTON, Oct. 12 – Saying U.S. trade policy has been “a disaster” for American workers, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said today he will vote against proposed trade agreements with South Korea, Panama and Colombia. Sanders said that the agreements are a continuation of trade pacts like the North America Free Trade Agreement and normalized trade with China which resulted in the loss of millions of jobs

Mr. President, I rise in strong opposition to the free trade agreements with Korea, Colombia, and Panama. Let’s be clear: one of the major reasons that the middle class in America is disappearing, poverty is increasing and the gap between the rich and everyone else is growing wider and wider is due to our disastrous unfettered free trade policy. If the United States is to

WASHINGTON, Oct. 6 – As the Senate prepared to take up President Barack Obama’s jobs package, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said in a Senate floor speech today that it’s time to put Americans back to work. With real unemployment at more than 16 percent, Sanders called for the creation of millions of jobs by investing in much-need road and bridge repairs and other construction projects to