The Bernie Buzz

As we head into the new year, I wanted to take a moment to remind you of a very important fact. If you are having a hard time, if you are struggling to make ends meet, to put food on the table, to pay rent: You are not alone. And there are agencies that can help.

It’s going to take a lot of work to reform our broken and dysfunctional healthcare system. I want to share an article with you that I recently wrote for The Guardian newspaper that outlines some of what I believe has to be done if we are to create the kind of healthy society that Americans deserve. I hope you will take the time to read my op-ed here or below.

As 2024 comes to a close, I think we can all agree: It has been quite a year. We have faced challenges, but we have also experienced remarkable moments of joy, kindness, resilience, and hope.

Each year, the Vermont Congressional Delegation comes together at the end of December to nominate outstanding young Vermonters to be members of the United States Service Academies. We hold this annual reception at the Vermont State House and invite families and current students of the academies to join us.

Born and raised in Vermont, Carrie Justice moved to Hinesburg with her husband in the 1980s. After losing her job of 25 years to foreign competition, Carrie heard that the Hinesburg Community School was looking for someone to run their custodial and facility services. Her husband told her, “I think you’d be great.” And he was right.

This past weekend, my office held holiday gatherings in Vergennes, Burlington, Bennington, and Rutland. It was great to see over 500 Vermonters of all ages come together over cookies, hot chocolate, cider, and eggnog to listen to wonderful music and spend time with each other. In this rapidly changing world, there’s sometimes nothing better than bringing the community together to enjoy some old-fashioned fun.