The Bernie Buzz

U.S. law is very clear. Our government cannot provide weapons to any country that violates internationally recognized human rights or prohibits the delivery of U.S. humanitarian aid. Tragically, that is precisely what Israel is doing in Gaza where the people there are experiencing a horrific humanitarian disaster.

One of the changes I worry about in Vermont and across the country is the decline in family-based agriculture. Today, only about 2% of Americans are engaged in farming, and many rural communities are seeing declines in their population. That’s not good. Today, the Bernie Buzz features a story about a Vermont couple, Walter and Margaret Gladstone, and what their farm in Bradford, Vermont means to them, their family, and their community.

The application for Spring 2025 internships is now open. The deadline to apply is Sunday, October 27th. I encourage young Vermonters of all backgrounds and experiences to apply. If you know someone who might be interested in applying, I would appreciate your forwarding this email to them. To apply or to learn more about available internships, CLICK HERE.

More than a year and a half ago, the Bernie Buzz interviewed a young Vermont artist whose new album was beginning to strike a real chord with audiences. At the time, this artist spoke about “Stick Season” as a “love letter” to Vermont and growing up in small, rural towns. Today, Strafford’s Noah Kahan has made a huge mark bringing his music to communities all over the country and world.

Today, people in Vermont and throughout the country are paying 10 to 15 times more for Ozempic and Wegovy compared to people in other countries. That cannot be allowed to continue and is why I have been working hard to substantially reduce those prices. Tomorrow, as Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, I will be leading a hearing on this very issue with the CEO of Novo Nordisk, the company that makes these drugs. I, and other members of the Committee, will be asking him why his company continues to rip off the American people.

You and I know – all too well – that in America today we have a health care system that is broken, dysfunctional and wildly expensive. Too often it’s a system designed not to make patients well, but to make insurance companies, drug companies, and health care executives extraordinarily wealthy.