The Bernie Buzz

I wish very much that I could tell you that the Covid pandemic was over, and that we no longer had to worry about it into the future. But that would not be true. The good news, however, is that as a result of vaccines and improved treatments the death rates and hospital admission rates from Covid today are far lower than they were at the height of the pandemic. Further, a great deal of research is now taking place to create new and better vaccines and treatments.

Friday, July 29, 2022 was an historic day for Vermont. On that day, train service returned to Burlington for the first time in nearly 70 years. Vermonters can now take the train from Burlington to New York City with stops in Ferrisburgh/Vergennes, Middlebury, and Rutland.

As you may know, the Senate passed a reconciliation bill on Sunday called the “Inflation Reduction Act.” The vote was 51-50. I voted for it. Let me be honest with you in saying that I have very ambivalent feelings about this legislation.

I wanted to share with you that we have rescheduled the livestreamed Q&A discussion with White House COVID-19 Response Coordinator Dr. Ashish Jha for this week. I hope you’ll be able to join us THIS Thursday, August 11 at 5:00 p.m. to discuss what’s going on with the pandemic, what the future may hold, and some of the best ways to stay safe and healthy.

I want to tell you today about a major piece of legislation for Vermont’s veterans that passed Congress this week. The PACT Act is the most comprehensive expansion of health care for our nation’s veterans in a generation. It adds 23 burn pit and toxic exposure-related health conditions to the VA’s list of presumptive conditions to include numerous cancers and respiratory illnesses.

Young people are, of course, the future of our state and country. It is wonderful, therefore, to see a group of young Vermonters come together, work hard, have fun and succeed. And that’s what the Central Vermont Cal Ripken Little League All-Star team has done.